The new year marks a new beginning. A chance to start over with a clean slate and to make a promise to do away with all those bad habits you picked up the year prior.
When it comes to our beauty routines, there’s always room for improvement. Setting yourself some well-intended (and achievable) beauty resolutions will set you up for a year of good skin, a better mindset, and an overall greater sense of wellbeing.
Here are 7 New Year’s beauty resolutions we should all make for a better you in 2021.
Find a sunscreen you love and wear it every day
Be honest, how many days of the year did you actually wear sunscreen last year? This year, strive to do better. The trick is to find a sunscreen you love (psst, we’ve rounded up six of our favourite a-beauty sunscreens to help you find ‘The One’). If you need further convincing that this resolution should make your list, remember that this one simple daily step could save you hundreds in anti-ageing treatments (not to mention significantly lower your risk of skin cancer) and hours spent trying to cover up sun-induced lines, wrinkles and pigmentation in the long run.
Support local wherever possible
2020 was a tough year for everyone, but what it taught us was how important it is to shop local and support Australian businesses. It also shone light on how incredible the Australian beauty industry is, and how we don’t need to look overseas to fill out our beauty routines. Our homegrown brands and products not only deliver equally impressive results, many are made specifically with our Aussie lifestyles in mind. While you don’t need to abandon all your international beauty favourites, introducing a few a-beauty products into your routine is a great way to support local and discover for yourself why the rest of the world are all jumping on board the a-beauty trend.
...We don’t need to look overseas to fill out our beauty routines.
Upgrade your beauty sleep
A good night’s sleep is a just as important step in your beauty routine as applying that anti-ageing serum daily as our skin regenerates itself while we sleep. Besides getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a night, there are a few more things you can do to maximise the beauty benefits of your zzzs. Firstly, since skin naturally goes into repair mode overnight, give it a helping hand with ingredients like retinol and hyaluronic acid that work to accelerate the skin’s repair functions.
Another thing you can do to get the most out of your sleep is to make the switch to a silk pillowcase. The smooth silk surface doesn’t create friction against your skin while you sleep which can lead to wrinkles. Silk also doesn’t absorb all your skincare products like a cotton pillowcase does, so your formulas can stay on your skin where you want it.
Products to try: Vanessa Megan Marine Collagen Firming Night Cream; Slip Silk Pillowcase
Embrace a more sustainable beauty routine
A completely eco-friendly beauty routine isn’t for everyone, but there are some simple swaps you can make that will make big positive changes to the environment. And most of them you won’t even miss. In 2021, commit to making a few simple sustainable beauty swaps to do your part for Mother Nature, such as using reusable wipes like Face Halo Makeup Removing Pads instead of cotton pads and face wipes, making the switch to a packaging-free cleanser like Theseeke Pink Clay Cleansing Bar, or looking for skincare formulas that use organic ingredients, like Vanessa Megan Rose Hydrosol Pore Refining Toner.
Refine your skincare line-up
One of the reasons the a-beauty trend has caught on around the world is because our ‘less is more’ approach to beauty actually works. The key is to use quality over quantity. Using too many products can sometimes do more harm than good, especially if your formulas are too active (which can cause irritation, damage the skin barrier or unbalance your skin’s natural pH) or they don’t play nicely together - such as retinol and AHA and BHA acids. For a minimalist skincare routine, start with a cleanser, exfoliant, sunscreen, moisturiser and treatment serum. Then look to only add additional steps if your skin needs it.
Stop ending your skincare routine at your jawline
You're missing a trick if you only ever apply your skincare formulas as far as your jawline. Your neck and décolletage are also prone to showing the signs of ageing and will benefit from the potent ingredients you meticulously apply to your face every day.
Change your pillowcase every couple of nights
If you’re experiencing regular breakouts, there could be a couple of key culprits, starting with your pillowcase. An unclean pillowcase can lead to bacterial growth and acne so consider washing yours more often than just once a week if your skin is suffering. Your phone’s screen is another breeding ground for dirt so regularly wipe it down with an antibacterial wipe. And don’t forget to wash your makeup brushes and tools on a weekly basis while you’re at it.
- Melinda Cartmer / @melcartmer_photographer
