I made a separate of New Years Resolutions in addition to a dreamline, but I thought I’d come up with some beauty resolutions to improve my beauty routine and properly take care of my skin! I highly encourage you to make your own, whether it’s washing your face every day or always wearing sunscreen! It’ll show in 40 years if you treat your skin right!

1. TAKING OFF MY MAKEUP & WASHING MY FACE EVERY NIGHT.

I’m usually pretty good with taking off my makeup and washing my face at night the correct way (makeup remover, then washing with the right cleanser for your skin), but in the midst of finals or after coming home from a really long day I can get lazy and just settle for using wiping cloths, which ISN’T GOOD! This year, I’m going to try to properly take my makeup off and cleanse my face every single night no matter how exhausted I feel.

2. MOISTURIZE! MOISTURIZE! MOISTURIZE!

If my Mom has taught me anything in life besides life-saving clean & cooking tips, it’s to always moisturize your skin and let it breathe. This year, after every shower, I’m going to use a moisturizing cream all over my body and never skip using a facial moisturizer in my AM/PM skin routine. I highly recommend Cetaphil products for your body. If your skin isn’t incredibly dry, the lotion formula that comes out of the pump works just fine, but if you need that extra little oomph then opt for the formula in the jar.

3. ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN, NO MATTER WHAT THE FORECAST.

I’m not going to deny it, sometimes when the Weather Channel tells me it’s going to be cloudy, I skip suncreen, but that’s not right! Just because you can’t see the sun doesn’t mean its rays aren’t damaging your skin. I’m going to try my absolute hardest to make sure I always have sunscreen on my skin. I’ve been using the Shiseido Sun Lotion for six months and I love it so far. It also doubles as a primer when I’m in a hurry! This non-greasy and light formula defy the normal characteristics of a sunscreen, so you don’t cringe when slathering it onto your face on 100 degree days.

4. EXFOLIATE AT LEAST 3-4 TIMES A WEEK

Just because I have great exfoliants, doesn’t mean I’ll use them when I need to. Sometimes I’ll get quite lazy and only exfoliate once or twice a week, which is terrible. Exfoliating takes off all of the dead skin cells that are just sitting on your face and reveals brighter younger looking skin underneath. I’m currently testing out Philosophy’s Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash.

5. WASH MY MAKEUP BRUSHES ONCE A WEEK, MINIMUM.

Since I’m no where near as stressed right now on winter break as I am during school, I have been washing my makeup brushes quite often. Every time I’ve used the Sigma Flat Top Kabuki brush to apply foundation, I wash it right afterwards. During this fall semester, I haven’t been nearly as nice to my brushes, settling for a quick rubdown with spray brush cleanser. I’m going to try to wash my makeup brushes at minimum, once a week, to ensure I’m not spreading bacteria and germs on my face and into my makeup.

6. TAKE CARE OF MY LIPS

I swear being a competitive figure skater for over 12 years and now coaching part-time has permanently dried out my lips more than normal. I’ve noticed my lips have been peeling more often this winter and I haven’t done my job of making sure they’re moisturized. During 2012, I promise to always have some form of lip treatment on hand in addition to being pickier with the lip products I use on my lips. Time to search for lip products that don’t make my lips peel!

7. DRINK EVEN MORE WATER

I’m always buying water. I don’t handle tap water very well, it makes me feel nauseous, so I’d rather spend money buying bottled water or boiling & filtering tap water. Looking back on this year, I was extremely good with drinking water, but I want to get better! Water not only enhances your health, increases your energy, but gives you brighter, clearer eyes and gives you a radiant complexion. Water helps decreases bloating and puffiness and flushes out toxins in your body. So drink water and say hello to a healthier and prettier you!