Sunday, January 5, 2014

Beauty Resolutions You Should Make ASAP



As we turn over the page to 2014, New Year's resolutions are being made (and most likely, already being broken, oops) everywhere. We're all aiming to eat better, sleep more, and waste less. But in the spirit of, well, beauty (what else?) we talked to the top dermatologists on a few ways you can show your skin some well-deserved TLC this year.

Resolution: use lotion after lathering. Warm showers strip your skin of oils so it's important to restore them after you're done. But since moisturizing your body can be an annoying extra step, try storing your body lotion in the shower so you'll remember to apply it once you turn off the water. Trust us, the move will make this part of your routine so much easier to do.

Resolution: take off your makeup at night. This is nothing new (or rocket science for that matter)—we all know not removing your makeup (and the day's grime) can lead to pesky breakouts. The problem is doing it late at night when you're exhausted. Our trick: Do it right when you get home (not after you're in bed watching TV) or when all else fails, using a face wipe (we keep them in our nightstands so they're close by).

Resolution: clean up after the gym. If you're working out and not showering immediately after, you could be inviting body and face acne (thanks, sweat!). To prevent this, keep salicylic acid pads in your gym bag so you can wipe down your face, back, and chest after class. Slipping on a clean tee and showering when you get home are helpful, too.

Resolution: have patience with your skin care routine. If you've recently switched face creams or are finally getting religious about using one, don't freak if you don't see instant results. Good anti-aging creams take around six weeks to work, dermatologists tell us, and this includes skin brightening and acne products. After you've hit the six week period, you should see improvement. If you don't, move on to the next.

Resolution: clean your makeup brushes. This is one of those little tasks that never seem to make it to the top of our to do lists, but consider the consequence: Your makeup brushes are breeding grounds for bacteria that can cause irritation and zits. Fix this by washing them with a baby shampoo monthly and spritzing them with an antibacterial brush spray weekly.

Ready, set, go—and good luck! Here's to a year of pretty (ier) skin!