2018 Skincare Resolutions
Happy new year everyone! Normally, I start the year by making a list of goals I want to accomplish rather than making traditional "resolutions." Some of my goals are to write at least once a week, to move up a level in my dance classes, and to go on a trip to South America.But this year I thought it would be fun to switch it up by making a few skincare resolutions! In a perfect world, I would never commit any "skincare sins" but I'm only human. So here's my list of resolutions for 2018:
Always remove my makeup before bed.
I know, I know. I love skincare so you'd think I would never forget to remove my makeup - but I'm not perfect! I've definitely come home late on a Saturday night and passed out without taking off my makeup. And while it's not the end of the world to forget for just one night, I know I can do better! So I've decided to always keep a bottle of Garnier Micellar Water on my nightstand. No more excuses!
Never leave my house without Sunscreen.
This one has more to do with me not finding a sunscreen that both agrees with my skin and works well under foundation. The closest I've come is Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence, but even that breaks me out after more than a week of using it. So I'm determined to make 2018 the year I find my Holy Grail SPF! Next week, I'm going to make a list of all the sunscreens that have broken me out and try to narrow down which ingredients my skin doesn't like.
Take time to de-stress.
Stress has such a negative effect on my acne-prone skin. I've certainly gotten better at keeping my stress under control (especially since graduating from university), but I'd be lying if I said I didn't still need to a take a giant chill pill almost daily. My stress is at it's lowest when I'm crocheting, doing yoga, or dancing - so one of my resolutions is to do more of these things! Hopefully this will leave my skin clearer and my body more healthy!
Always patch test!
Sigh. I have sensitive, acne-prone skin and I know I should always, 1000% patch test. No matter what. Period. Regardless of how excited I am to use a new product. It's the best way to prevent irritation, rashes, or breakouts caused by using a product that doesn't agree with your skin. I was pretty good with this in 2017, but I had that one moment when I was so excited for Glossier's sunscreen launch that I used it every day with patch testing. I found out the hard way that my skin hates silicone!
Clean my makeup brushes more often.
Makeup brushes accumulate bacteria, dust, and dirt. So when you don't clean them enough you're putting that grime all over your face and undoing all the hard work of your Skincare routine! Bonus reason to clean you brushes: it also keeps them softer and allows for better color application.I typically clean them with baby shampoo and water since it's gentle on the bristles. But I need to get better at washing them at least every other week. I recently purchased Sephora's Daily Brush Cleaner spray so that I can also do a more surface-level cleaning every day. Best of all: it contains tea tree oil which not only kills the germs on brushes, but is also great for your skin!And while we're here, a quick PSA about BeautyBlenders: wash that thing! After throwing away a few moldy beautyblenders, I've gotten much better about cleaning them. I rinse mine with dish soap every morning (preferably Dawn. If it's gentle enough for baby ducks then it's gentle enough for my beautyblender!). For an even deeper clean, I'll throw it in a mug of soapy water and microwave it for 1 minute. It works, I swear! I haven't had a moldy beautyblender once since I started doing this.
Aaand fin! Those are my 5 top skincare resolutions for 2018. I have a game plan for most of them so hopefully I'll be able to stick to it. What are your resolutions this year? Are they skincare related or just personal?