5 Beauty Resolutions Every Woman Should Make in 2012

Is it too late to make resolutions for the new year? We’re not yet halfway through the month, so we say YES!!! And also, my bad for not posting Meagan Shea’s first post of 2012 earlier! Afrobella’s #1 makeup artist is back with a brand new post full of the kind of beauty advice that will make sure you’re gorgeous every day of the year! Take it away, Meagan Shea!

Now that the new year is here, we’re all refreshed and eager to do new things in the new year. Everyone is starting new diet plans, joining the local gym, organizing and rearranging – January is the time to get your life in order, right? Of course! It’s also the best time to start proper beauty regimens & break those not so awesome habits. Bellas, we must do better this year and take much better care of our skin. I promise to commit, will you?

Photo via Black Girl Cry.

1. WE WILL WASH OUR FACE EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED/NEVER GO TO SLEEP WITH MAKEUP ON

When I hear of women going to sleep without washing a day’s worth of makeup off of their face, it makes my skin crawl. Ladies, c’mon! Think about everything we are putting on our face when we wear makeup. Most makeup contains some form of oil, silicone, dye, talc, mica & so much more! We MUST wash all of that off before we head to sleepytowne. Not washing all of that gunk off of your face means it sits on your face as you sleep, and what doesn’t ruin your bed linens gets absorbed into your pores. This of course leads to breakouts, clogged & enlarged pores, hyperpigmentation and premature aging. WHO ENJOYS THAT MESS? My esthetician, Dewaynia Wilson, explained to me that we should wash our face every night before bed, because of the environmental stress put on our skin during the day. On top of things we cannot control (environment), there’s also the makeup we wear. Nighttime is the best time to combat any issues we have as our skin is more receptive to treatment (serums, creams & treatments that are geared toward a specific skincare issue) thanks to our bodies being at rest. If you’re really lazy, the LEAST you could do is keep a SERIOUS stash of makeup remover wipes (SKYN ICELAND WIPES ARE AMAZING!!!) close to your bed – it gets no easier than that! Do your skin a favor and wash off the day – at night. Check out some of my favorite products to remove makeup before bedtime!

Pond’s Cold Cream

Virgin Coconut Oil

Skyn Iceland Glacial Cleansing Cloths

Read HERE to learn about the importance of developing a good night time skincare regimen.

2. WE WILL NOT WEAR DRAWN ON EYEBROWS THAT ARE BIG & BOXY

Ladies. Oh ladies. This year, let us see the END of the super large, super boxy eyebrows. It’s just not right and it’s definitely not natural. There’s a way to have beautifully shaped, well defined brows without it appearing you have cardboard cut outs above those beautiful eyes of yours. Eyebrows are the key piece of framework to the face, an important part of the foundation of our beauty. I’m not sure where the phenomenon of wearing huge (usually too dark) box shaped eyebrows came from, but if you look around at celebrities, the fashion industry and in some of your favorite magazines – you will NOT find many women with this type of brow. Get your brows waxed or threaded at a salon/spa and have someone create a nice shape for you, or if you feel confident enough in your ability to do so – create your own shape. Once that shape is there, all you need to do is add to it, not create an entirely new brow. Build on what you have, keeping the natural shape of the brow. You can do so with brow powder and/or eyeshadow, a brow pencil, or brow gel (clear or tinted). If you don’t have much brow to work with naturally – they make stencils for that! There is always an option or two. 🙂

M*A*C Cosmetics Eye Brows

Smashbox Brow Tech Trio

M*A*C Cosmetics Brow Set

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Stencils

3. WE WILL EXFOLIATE REGULARLY

By now, you all know I’m a fan of facial exfoliation. I talk about it in almost each post, mainly because it’s SO very important. You may be wondering why is this makeup artist constantly dishing about exfoliation. The truth is, if your skin isn’t in good shape it will definitely show through the makeup you wear. Even if you wear it caked on (we’ll talk about this later) bad skin shows through. Exfoliation is such an important part of achieving perfect (whatever that means) skin. By removing dead skin cells you allow your skin to breathe and fresh new cells to generate. When you don’t exfoliate, the dead skin cells just build up and your skin lacks a healthy glow. Not to mention natural oil and sebum that you produce stays trapped in your pores and isn’t allowed to come to the surface and be washed away. HELLO BREAKOUTS!!! There are many ways to exfoliate, here are a few of my faves.

Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads

Aveda Botanical Kinetics™ Exfoliant

Neutrogena – Microdermabrasion System

SIDE NOTE: Want to try something a little more simple (although the above mentioned methods are rather easy)? Try an “in the kitchen” exfoliant with BAKING SODA & OLIVE OIL!!! It works wonders, leaving the skin feeling super soft, hydrated and virtually polished. Only do this one to two times a week, as it can be intense. 🙂

4. WE WILL NOT WEAR EYESHADOW WITHOUT BLENDING PROPERLY

I will keep this really simple for you beautiful bellas. When you wear eyeshadow, you must blend! Essentially the key with ALL makeup is to blend, blend, blend properly. By blend, I mean remove the seams/lines. Everything should seamlessly flow along the face. Blending is not really difficult, if you practice. You can blend with your fingers, a brush, a sponge, a tissue – whatever floats your boat. It’s easiest with a tapered soft bristled brush or your finger. You want to use a blending brush and where the colors meet using either circular or left to right sweeping motions (think windshield wipers) blend the colors together. Try it, you’ll see it’s not that hard. Here are couple of my favorite blending brushes. When I first learned how to do makeup, I only used my fingers – it was like intense martial arts training for me. Learn with nothing first, then work my way up to tools. Call me Mr. Miyagi. 🙂

M*A*C Cosmetics #224 Brush

Sonia Kashuk Black Small Multi Purpose Cosmetic Brush

SIDE NOTE: For blending anything on the face, you want to use a fluffy brush with soft fibers/bristles that fits the area of the face appropriately. Fluffy brushes are our friends when it comes to blending!

5. WE WILL USE MOISTURIZER EVERY DAY

I saved this resolution for last ladies, as I truly believe this is the most important. It doesn’t matter what your skin type is, from oily to dry – we ALL need hydration. Say it with me, “WE ALL NEED HYDRATION!”. Did you say it aloud? 🙂 Moisture is essential for retaining healthy, supple skin. A lot of people believe they have oily skin when actually, their skin is dehydrated from lack of moisture. To quote my dear friend & esthetician, Dewaynia Wilson, ” If there is a lack of moisture from oil, the skin will produce more oil and can cause break-outs. Also, dehydration can happen and then the skin is more susceptible to multiple conditions such as premature aging, sun burn, fine lines, flakiness and longer healing time. ” via the still point blog. If you’re unsure about your skin type, visit a Sephora and have a FREE skin care consultation. Moisturizers can range in price, and don’t have to be complicated. You can use a really simple moisturizer such as, jojoba oil (which is a WONDERFUL moisturizer as it is an oil the closest mimics the natural lipids of the skin) and have a specific treatment product for the issues/concerns you have for your skin. Check out these moisturizers, all $20 and under!

Aveeno Clear Complexion Moisturizer

Desert Essence 100% Pure Jojoba Oil

Sephora Collection Instant Moisturizer

So beautiful people, I hope this will help us all get our new year underway, ensuring we are doing the best we can to take great care of ourselves in the beauty department. I wish every one of you a FANTASTIC year! If you have used any of these products or try any of these products/methods out, PLEASE let me know! I wanna hear from you guys. Until next time bellas, continue to smile as much as you can!!! 🙂