I love making New Year’s resolutions. There’s so much hope involved. It’s like intention setting at the new moon (which I also try to do every month); it’s seldom just about wanting to lose weight or eat healthier or drink less or whatever. It’s more about striving to become the person that you really want to be. Living up to your potential. Fulfilling your purpose.

Generally, my resolutions are pretty generic. However, this year, in the spirit of Beauty Chaos, I decided to create a list of Beauty Goals for the New Year (or resolutions, if you will). Here is a list (in no particular order) of Beauty Goals for the New Year that we should all be making.

Wear Sunscreen Every. Single. Day.

With climate change ramping up quickly and no end in sight, this is the one beauty resolution you should stick to. In addition to the health benefits like, you know, protecting your skin from cancer, sunscreen also helps protect your skin from premature aging. Believe me, as a former sun worshiper (lifeguard for seven years, soakin’ up those rays), I need to obey this rule as much as anyone. And yes, there are some formulations that can be chalky or greasy. A little bit of Amazon research goes a long way on this one. Read the reviews for products like this one and pick one that buyers love.

Toss Expired Products

I am so, so, so, so guilty on this one! I always operate under the mentality that a product should be used until it’s gone, end of story. However, some of my products are only getting used a couple of times a week. So do yourself a favor – pay attention to the expiration dates on your products. Benzoyl peroxide is much more effective if it’s not three years old.

Get New Mascara Every Three Months

And while we’re at it, check out my freebie for a list of the shelf life of most makeup products. Print it out. Keep it for reference. Again, I’m so, so guilty on this one. I just threw away an eyeshadow palette that’s at least three years old. It may be older than that. Just thinking about it now gives me the willies.

Clean Your Makeup Brushes

I have a whole post about this. And a video. Trust me, your skin will thank you. Makeup grows bacteria which sits on your brush which then is transferred to your skin. There are so many skin problems that can be avoided by keeping your brushes clean. So try to do this at least once a week. There are tons of fancy brush cleaners out there (some you can use daily) or you can use good old-fashioned shampoo or fragrance free soap.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

This one is really daunting for me. I’m an insomniac, so trying to get good sleep often leads to me worrying about sleeping which leads to me…not sleeping. It’s a vicious cycle that I would love to end, and occasionally I get a hold of myself. But if you don’t suffer from insomnia and are just overworking yourself, do yourself a solid and aim for at least seven hours a night. Your body will thank you. And throw on an overnight Hair mask or facial treatment – your skin and hair will thank you as well!

Give Your Hair a Break

Whatever that means to you. If it means curbing your heat styling, do that. If it means skip a wash or two a week to preserve your color and prevent over-styling, do that. My hair has never been in better condition now that I only wash every other day. Split ends will vanish, or at least be postponed, and your hair will be shinier and healthier looking.

Eat Better.

Now if you’re like me, the holidays are full of cookies and cheese and alcohol and all the things that make your face start to swell and then droop and look older. I’m not talking about drastically overhauling your diet, which never works anyway (although I did have “Sober January” once and I lost a bunch of weight and felt amazing). Just…baby steps. Try to get more green on your plate. Less white flour and sugar. Whatever will fuel your body instead of trying to calm your feelings.

Go to the Doctor

Whether that’s the regular doctor for a physical, the dermatologist to check your skin, the gynecologist for…you get the point. Make your physical health a priority this year. You’ll feel better if you’re healthy and you’ll look better if you feel better. See what I did there?

Try Something New

It doesn’t have to be something drastic. Watch a YouTube video tutorial and try to master a smoky eye. Contour. Get on that winged eyeliner. Dye your hair pink. But try something daring to change up your beauty routine. For me, I’m going to try my best not to dye my hair this year. I haven’t seen my natural color in about 20 years and, to be honest, I don’t mind my “natural highlights” (aka grays). I’m usually in the salon about once every two months trying something different, so we’ll see how long this one lasts.

Declutter

Trust me, nothing feels better than taking your disorganized mess of a bathroom and creating a pretty area for your makeup and stuff. And have you seen that Caboodle’s are making a comeback? Hellloooooo. That alone makes me so happy. Decluttering isn’t just good for your products, it’s good for your mind. And who knows, maybe you’ll start small and finally tackle that junk closet where you put things to forget about them. No? Just me?

So there you have it, my beauty goals for the New Year. Honestly, there are so many things I want to do this year, so many ways I want to improve myself and my life and my health that this list isn’t comprehensive by any means. But it’s a good start! Now, I’m off to clean my makeup brushes!

Did you like my resolutions? Please, share this article on Pinterest or Facebook or wherever so other beauties can have a look too!

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