Shallow New Year's Resolutions Worth Keeping
Resolutions are a funny thing. The word is a derivative of the Latin word “resolvere,” which, in time, evolved into “resolve.” As in, we should have the resolve to follow through on our self-selected resolutions, but habit and human nature get in the way, as they often do. So rarely do most of us make true on our self-imposed mandates, they often end up making us feel like more of a failure than anything else. Which is why we should start small. Being overly ambitious, like shakily declaring, “I will make a 6am Barry’s Boot Camp class every weekday morning,” can be the key to your undoing.
I should probably also mention I’ve never made a resolution in my life, other than to “suck less at life,” which sounds extremely negative now that I’m seeing it in writing. Besides, I don’t think I suck, though I could benefit greatly from curbing my online shopping addiction, increasing my general productivity, and making a valid effort to be less self-absorbed, but enough about me. New Year’s resolutions are a grand, old American tradition, and in the spirit of keeping tradition alive, here’s an easily attainable, beauty-oriented resolution for almost each month of the year (I’ve never been much of a fan of February and March, winter’s straggler months, anyway). As for a few resolutions that don’t pertain to self-care, we could all benefit from consciously leaving the past in the past, looking at our smart phones less and remaining in the moment more, and practicing kindness and acceptance every chance we get.
1. Take a look back before moving forward.
It might seem like a narcissistic endeavor or it might be an activity you take part in on the regular, depending on your level of self-absorption, but pouring over the past several year’s worth of photos of yourself on Facebook or Instagram can actually be beneficial to your future. At least strictly superficially speaking. Take stock of when you looked your very best. Was it when you had tousled beach waves and let your freckles shine through? Or when your hair was blown pin-straight and you rocked a berry-stained lip? Try to be objective, and use your very in-depth research to go forth into the New Year looking better than ever. Or at least almost as good as you looked in that great picture from five years ago. Remember, Facebook photos are more likely to give a “real” portrayal of what you actually look like. Thanks, Valencia and Mayfair! (Yes, those are proven to be two of the most universally flattering filters.)
2. Sleep on satin.
Let’s take a cue from the young woman Allure magazine referred to as “basic,” shall we? Like I always say, if it’s good enough for Lauren Conrad, it’s good enough for me! I never say that, but she does have decent advice for when it comes to getting your beauty sleep. Well, she and a number of dermatologists and plastic surgeons. A crease-creating cotton pillowcase can contribute to potential wrinkles on your face in the long run. A satin pillowcase, on the other hand, doesn’t just look luxurious. Satin has smooth glide to it, so it will minimize the pressure on your skin. It also apparently helps decrease hair breakage. Let’s ignore the fact it will be a bitch to clean.
3. Upgrade your tools.
As much as I love to stock up on products and cosmetics of all kinds, every chance I get (I don’t have VIB Rouge status at Sephora for nothing), I’ve always been far less enthusiastic about investing in high-quality brushes and tools. Which, for someone who wears makeup to the gym, is downright stupid. It’s like drinking 1996 Bollinger out of a Styrofoam cup, which actually sounds glamorous, but that’s beside the point. Kevyn Aucoin’s Travel Brush Set is perfectly portable and perfectly edited. It will set you back just under $300, but it’s a worthy investment.
The same goes for hair tools. I’ve never been one to style my hair, out of sheer ineptitude, opting instead to embrace a wild, tousled, and sometimes unarguably disheveled style. Until someone recently gave me a curling iron by GHD, specifically known as the Curve Creative Curl Wand, and the thing changed my life. Next thing I knew, I had walked into Ricky’s to buy an $8 bottle of nail polish to touch up a chipped pinky nail on my pedicure (might I recommend Essie’s Haute Tub), and I was walking out with a $185 hair tool. GHD’s Classic 1 Inch Styler will give even the least handy or most arthritic of us curly, wavy, or straightened tresses in a matter of minutes, no exaggeration.
4. Get oily.
We’ve been hearing about various oils as the veritable elixir of the beauty world’s vast scope of substances for quite some time now. Odds are you’ve already infused face oil into your skincare routine. Now there’s a plethora of cleansing oils to add to your regimen, like Bobbi Brown’s Soothing Cleansing Oil that are said to be more softening and hydrating than standard cleansers. If you want to saturate you’re entire body, Nuxe’s Prodigieux Shower Oil has a lovely scent and leaves your body glowing post-shower. Then fake a January jaunt to the tropics with St. Tropez Tanning Essentials’ Self-Tan Luxe Dry Oil. You would have to legitimately try to make streaks to screw up application, and it smells deliciously unlike self-tanner.
5. Elect your signature fragrance.
Even if you like to mix up your scents depending on mood, occasion, and time of year, pinpointing your single favorite perfume can be intrinsically linked to pinpointing your persona, whether it’s who you are today or who you aspire to be in the future. Speaking of the future, wasn’t it Coco Chanel who said, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future”? No surprise she said that; she was a freaking perfumer, in addition to being one of the most influential fashion designers in history. That quote has staying power for good reason. A signature scent helps define who you are and who you want to be, so use your instincts to select one that has staying power of its own.
6. Up the SPF
Ah, SPF. It’s as boring as it is important. Read, very! It’s helpful that most moisturizers, tinted and otherwise, now feature an element of SPF. But applying it separately makes it all the more powerful. Make it a daily, without-fail habit to coat your face and neck in sunscreen, even if the weather report calls for dank, dark grayness and the sun is setting at 4:30 pm anyway. One that’s dispersed in the form of a spray is lighter and makes quick blending effortless. Try Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare’s Sheer Mineral Sun Spray SPF 50.
7. Take inspiration from the spa.
It doesn’t take much to convert your bathroom into a mini, do-it-yourself spa. Sure, the Advanced Enzyme facial, followed a therapeutic massage at the Mandarin Oriental is preferable, but we’ve got to make the most of what we’ve got. And we’ve all got a bathroom. Invest in a good body exfoliator, such as Lancer’s The Method: Body Polish. Keep a couple masks in your arsenal for those times your feeling fatigued, sallow, or downright hungover: One for brightening, like Shiseido’s White Lucent Power Brightening Mask, and one for deep cleansing, like REN’s Invisible Pores Detox Mask. If you have a bathtub, use it. Whether you’re four or forty years old, a tub full of foamy bubbles makes for a calming mood boost. Also, never underestimate the power of a high-quality and succulently scented candle or five.
8. Maximize your lashes.
In the era of highly addictive, not to mention pricy and time-consuming lash extensions, lengthening and volumizing mascaras just don’t seem to cut it anymore, no matter how many brands you layer on (I’m a five-brand-at-a-time kind of girl, no joke). It’s time we take matters into our own hands. Sort of. Enter Babe Lash. Apply the skinny, serum-dipped brush to your lash line morning and night. The only catch is it requires patience, something I find to be most elusive. It takes three months to see results, but mark my words: This is a miracle product that genuinely works. Your lashes will be longer and lusher, naturally. Again, sort of.
9. Sex yourself up.
This one is subjective. It can run the gamut from buying some decadent lingerie just for you, not with a specific flame in mind (I say the only flame you need is the one ignited within yourself for yourself!) to investing in a top-notch sex toy strictly for self-pleasure (high-tech and highly potent, Levo is the brand of choice for vibrators that look sleek, not alarming) to simply taking personal time nearly every day to do something that makes you feel supremely sexy. Why? Because life is short and feeling sexy is a beautiful thing.
10. Push your boundaries.
It’s healthy, both psychologically and spiritually, to force yourself out of your comfort zone every now and again, even if it’s a matter of mere inches past your so-called safe space. I’m not saying you should scamper over to the nearest tattoo parlor and get some spontaneous doodle just for the hell of it. Which is exactly what I did on a recent Sunday that I felt could benefit from a little shake-up. The small – but not small enough to forget about – star on my left hand is growing on me. Mostly because I’m stuck with it now. C’est la vie! No regrets! But if there’s a tattoo that’s been lurking in the back of your mind for quite some time now, then perhaps you should turn that inkling into ink. Or try wearing something relatively outrageous, like metallic blue lipstick, a la Lupita Nyong’o; dyeing your hair a color you’ve only fantasized about (try on a wig first to ensure it won’t be better left a fantasy, as certain things are), or wearing that bra top out for cocktails without so much as a blazer over it.