Last year I set myself five new year beauty resolutions, which made a change from my usual list of blue-sky achievements (learn a new language, travel more, get the dream job). I’m getting ready to jump into the new year with a fresh set of resolutions, but first things first: did I keep to the ones I set myself this year? Well…

1. Rediscover the fun in nail polish: this is a categorical fail. I thought it would be the easiest to keep to seeing as nail enamel constitutes my favourite makeup item. But if anything my nails were even more bare this year than the previous year. I didn’t even manage to paint them for the work Christmas party (I prioritised a trip to the gym, so brownie points there right?)
2. Wear SPF: sort of. Then again I failed to pack sunscreen for a weekend in Somerset, thinking the cloudy weather forecast would protect me from any major exposure. The red glow that very evening said otherwise. Lesson learnt: don’t trust weather apps.
3. Nourish my hair: YES! I religiously smeared Aveda’s Color Conserve conditioner after every wash and followed up with Umberto Giannini’s Flowerology serum.
4. Moisturise my hands: another tick. Keeping a tube of hand cream on my bedside table definitely helps, as does Beefayre’s deliciously scented Honey Lily Hand Cream.
5. Clean makeup brushes: not a complete success but a definite improvement on previous years. I was aiming for a weekly clean of my brushes but only managed a bi-monthly clean. Especially needed as my little one kept using my buff brush to clean the loo seat.

So what’s in store for the coming year? I’d love to rediscover eye makeup which, apart from a slick of mascara, has fallen by the wayside and rarely features in my makeup routine. Or how about mastering the eyeliner flick? I’d be setting myself up for a fail there, so instead here are the five new year beauty resolutions I believe I can stick to.

1. Reduce reuse recycle   

A couple of weeks ago I published a post about the three Rs applied to beauty products and would like to apply the practices I’ve learnt. From choosing products like solid soaps that use less packaging to re-purposing empty glass bottles, I’m aiming to gradually replace old habits with these. It takes around 2 months for a new behaviour to become a habit, so here’s to prioritising sustainable beauty products. Oh and if this one’s on your list too, keep an eye out for an upcoming post on solid soaps for some inspiration!

2. Get more sleep!

This year I’ve starved my body of sleep more often than I would’ve liked. From early mornings with my little one who considers 5.30am a perfectly acceptable time to wake up and jump on my face, to an intense job with some late nights in the office, a full 8-hour stretch in bed hasn’t always been achievable. A good night’s sleep is needed for your skin to repair itself, so this coming year I’ll be aiming to give my complexion the break it needs and rely on essential oils such as Aromatherapy Associates’ Support Lavender & Peppermint Bath & Shower Oil  in a hot bath to wind down before bedtime.

3. Be more experimental with fragrance

I was recently a guest on the QVC beauty channel where I suffered a mild form of imposter’s syndrome as I was invited on as a ‘fragrance expert’. It made me realise that although I’d worked for a fragrance distributor for over two years, I’d rarely discussed perfume on Fresh Beauty Fix. So this year it’s time for me to reconnect with fragrance and experiment with some of the beautiful scents I have at home: adapting my choice of perfume to the occasion rather than sticking to the same scent day after day and carrying a purse spray in my handbag  to layer a deeper scent onto my morning spritz (I’ll be trialling these mini versions from The Merchant of Venice).

4. Extend face cream to neck

It’s such a simple act but I never do it. Whether it’s a serum, cream or oil I’m smothering onto my face, somehow it never makes it past my jawline. And I’ve started to notice the difference in appearance and texture. My neck is far from wrinkly and saggy, but unfortunately it does look a little more weathered. So from now on I’ll be sure to make my face treatment stretch a little further, my current moisturiser of choice being Gatineau’s Perfection Ultime Beauty Cream I received in a gift set.

5. Dress my nails

I know where I went wrong with my last nail themed resolution: it wasn’t SMART. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely objectives are catnip to personnel and project managers alike, and I think I need to apply the SMART rule to this beauty resolution in order to make it easier to stick to. Previously I had no clear measurable goal, but this time I am going to spell it out: in 2020 I aim to paint my nails twice a month (can be manicure or pedicure), in two different colours (one can be clear), with at least one nod to nail art in the year (because I used to do nail art and it really bugs me that I no longer do so).

Does anyone have any beauty resolutions to share for the coming year? Please leave a comment below to let me know.

Features gifted products.