“New year, new me! How many times have you repeated this mantra at the start of a new year? Well, you are not alone as most people see the beginning of a new year as a time to ditch their bad habits and become better versions of themselves. Sounds cliché, right? But, oh well!

If you’re a keen beauty enthusiast, some of your New Year goals will bother around beauty and here are some of the best beauty goals every beauty enthusiast should set and adhere to, this new year. (that’s if you’re not already doing them!)

Take off your makeup before going to bed at night

Are you still going to bed with a full face of makeup? Stop it! Let’s touch on some of the reasons why you are:

You’re probably exhausted from your day at work

Maybe you got stuck in traffic for hours

It could be that you’re too tired from your night out

You totally can’t be bothered

Benefits of taking off your makeup

One of the most important things you can do for your skin is to take off your makeup at night so that your skin can breathe. It is essential to do this because your skin repairs itself at night. Imagine going to bed with the facebeat you had since morning (plus the dirt and grime your skin has been exposed to during the day.) That’s a surefire way of blocking your pores and ultimately getting breakouts.

On the nights that washing your face before going to bed is utterly impossible, you can employ the use of makeup removing wipes. Try to always have a pack on your nightstand for the odd nights that you can’t properly cleanse your face (this shouldn’t become a habit, though!)

Another reason this is one beauty goal you need to adhere to is that you need a clean canvas for your nighttime skincare routine, besides it would be a travesty to apply that very expensive serum and moisturiser on a grimy face.

Drink lots of water

Water is life, and making a conscious decision to consume more of it shouldn’t be regarded as a fad or as a way to be ‘cool’. Drinking lots of water is great for you as it helps your liver to cleanse toxins from your body. Toxins are damaging to your cells, and if not flushed out can speed up the ageing process. Also, not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, which is a major harbinger of fine lines and wrinkles.

How much water should you be drinking? Your ideal water consumption should be 7 to 9 glasses depending on your body weight and level of physical activities.

Water can be such a bore to drink, and if the tastelessness of it deters you from drinking it, then you can switch things up by adding slices of lemon to your water. You can also add fruits or vegetables of your choice to a water bottle to make your water flavoured; some great options are strawberries, cucumber, mint leaves, kiwi, ginger, to mention a few. Drinking plain water isn’t all that counts towards your water intake, healthy drinks like green tea could also help you reach your goal.

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Green tea is great for your skin

Get enough sleep

You’ve surely heard of the phrase ‘beauty sleep,’ and probably think it’s just a catchy phrase that means nothing, but did you know that the expression is literal? Our skin gets repaired while we have our beauty sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is imperative if you don’t want premature ageing to set in. As an adult, you need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep for it to positively impact on your skin and general appearance.

Here are some of the ways getting decent sleep helps your skin:

  • You have less chance of developing puffy eyes and dark circles because your eyes are well-rested.
  • You are less prone to fine lines and wrinkles because your skin will have the ability to produce more collagen while you sleep.
  • You are more likely to have plump skin due to increased blood flow to your skin- an action that takes place while you sleep.

 

Have a skincare routine

Having a skincare routine is very important if you want to reach your skin goals. If you’re the type that uses the same body lotion for your body and face, you need to stop right now! While, it would be nice to cut to the chase and have one super product for your face, body, hair and everything else, the reality is that we need to have products suited for specific purposes.

Choose the right products

It is essential to do your research before choosing your skincare products; otherwise, it might be worthwhile to consult a skincare expert for guidance. However, if you have actual skin issues like acne, hyperpigmentation and the likes, you are better off seeing a dermatologist.

When building a skincare routine, the basic building blocks are: Cleanse, tone and moisturise. However, some additional steps can be added to beef up your routine such as ‘treat’ and ‘protect.’ Treat is a step in your routine where you use treatments products such as serums after toning, and before moisturising. Protect refers to the use of sunscreen after moisturising.

Cleanse

A basic but essential aspect of your skincare routine is cleansing; this is because you need to wash off dirt, grime and even makeup off your face to keep your pores clear. Your skin type will help you determine what sort of cleanser you need as your skincare routine should be as personalised as possible. Most importantly, you need to find a formulation that is compatible with your skin as well as ingredients that are suitable for your skin type.

Tone

After cleansing, your skin could still have traces of dirt, and makeup residue that your cleanser missed off, which is where a toner comes in. It helps take care of these. Another benefit of using a toner is that it helps balance your skin’s PH level after cleansing. As a toner is a leave-on product, it is also a way of feeding your skin with beneficial ingredients that will serve as a bedrock of the rest of your routine.

Should you use a toner?

Moisturise

Ais the part where you nourish your skin with a moisturiser that suits your skin type as using the one that isn’t suited to your skin could do your skin more harm than good. The use of a moisturiser can’t be stressed enough because of the role it plays in helping your skin stay soft and hydrated.

Lotion, gel or cream?

You can choose a lotion, gel or cream depending on your skin type.

Oily Skin

You’re better off using a gel moisturiser if you’ve got oily skin, because the formulation is water-based and not oil-based, thereby providing moisture to your skin without clogging your pores.

Normal/Combination Skin

Lotions are ideal for you if you have this skin type. The formulation is just a step above gel moisturisers in terms of the level of hydration it provides to your skin. It has the right blend of water and oils to nourish your skin type.

Dry Skin

For you to get the level of moisture your skin needs, your skin type will benefit from a heavy oil-based cream that will help lock-in moisture to your skin.

Wear SPF (Protect)

The final all-important step is to protect your skin during the day from the harmful rays of the sun. Dermatologists agree that the sun is one of the biggest culprits of ageing skin and even skin cancer. You need a minimum of SPF 30 to get the sun protection you need. You should look out for one that clearly states, ‘broad-spectrum,’ as this means that it will protect you from both UVA and UVB rays. Ideally, you should protect your skin from the sun all year round, regardless of what season it is.

If you think this step isn’t for you because you’re not white; note that sunscreen is recommended for every skin tone and ethnicity. In plain terms, whether you’re black, white, mixed…you get my drift?

Sunscreen puts a lot of people off because it feels greasy, and leaves them with a white cast; the key is to find one that suits your skin type and skin tone.

Here’s hoping you stick to your beauty goals this year. You can share some of your beauty goals in the comment section below.

Photo Credit: Toke Makinwa/Instagram