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Post by AF Beauty
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Hi APJ,
So we’ve had Christmas and New Year – if you’re reading this on the right day, you might still be swearing to never drink again, you might be cancelling your credit cards because you’ve lost them in a cab and you might be looking in the mirror at your face and wondering where the last year went!
But rather than look back, this week I’m going to challenge you to start anew and set some beauty resolutions! Here are my three:
I’ve had a few busy weeks through November and December and I’ve fallen into the bad habit of…. *hides with shame*…. going to bed without washing off my make up! GASP!!!
This is up there with the most heinous beauty crimes of all time. Of course, few things could be worse for your skin. You’ve had makeup on all day – or you might’ve exposed your face to the elements, including pollution, sun and a dozen other nasties. If you fail to wash it off, well, this way madness lies. You skin’s pores get clogged, your skin dries out and you wake up looking like you’ve partied all night, not worked all day!
New Year, New You? Beauty Resolutions
So my first resolution will be to wash my face every night. My first choice will be nanna-cleansing and next choice will be Simple’s Micellar water wipes.
Second, and this applies specifically to those of us who either like the sun, or find ourselves in the sun through location (*waves from Sydney*) The sun is an interesting beast, we can’t live without sunlight, but equally overexposure can lead to leathery dry skin. Type leathery skin into google and switch to images for the full horror.
My point is that sunshine is not good for the aging of your skin. Yes it’s good for Vitamin D, but you can get this through very little sun exposure but also, depending on the time of year and your location, maybe not at all. This article explains it simply.
So you have a few ways to avoid over exposure to sun. The first is the simplest, avoid it! Stay out of the sun during the hottest hours, you could use an umbrella shade or wear a hat. Your second option is to wear sunscreen. There is a LOT of debate about sunscreen and which is the most effective. For the purposes of skin protection, I’d be going for a zinc oxide base – the downside is it’s not very attractive, but then, neither are age spots.
The last resolution is face masks! I’ve written about masks before – a few different sorts, yet as much as I’ve written about them, I use them inconsistently and probably don’t get all the benefits. There is, I think a balance here of not going over the top with masks, I won’t be wearing a different mask each day of the week! This year I am planning to evaluate my skin monthly and choose a monthly mask that I’ll wear once or twice a week, depending on what challenges I face.
What are your top three beauty resolutions? Did you make resolutions last year? Which did you keep?
Australian Perfume Junkies 
RESOLUTIONS? Probably not.
I will try to wear more of my fragrance wardrobe this year. It’s hard when you need to wear things to review, that’s two days of part of my skin gone and one day FULLY fragrant but I will endeavour.
Portia xxx
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Happy New Year!
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How we suffer for our art 😉
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I love that you call the old soap and flannel routine “nanna cleansing” 🙂
I’m a big fan of micellar waters and am way too uptight to ever to go to bed with my make-up on. I think at least it’s a sign you’re relaxed about life even it’s not great for your skin.
I love the Paula’s Choice zinc oxide moisturiser because it has a subtle tint to offset the white cast.
I’ve really taken to multi-masking and will be doing more of this year – using two different masks on my face at once. A hydrating one (Aveda) on my cheeks and neck and an exfoliating one (Dermalogica) on my T-zone.
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Hey Tara, I think our nanna’s would find today’s range of beauty options ridiculous, if my nanna were alive today, she would start a sentence with, “In my day…” She used to have a box in the bathroom where she would keep a selection of soaps, that was probably her version of beauty sampling! Times have truly changed 🙂
Out of interest, what is your Aveda moisturising mask?
And I’m going to be testing some SPF creams later, look out for that and my zinc-y skin!
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I never go to bed with makeup on. I’m getting back into using masks lately too. I used to be a mask junkie but then life got too busy. I’m trying to take better care of me this year. The puppy is not a fan of mommy in a mask. She barks at me. Can’t say I blame her. It is rather scary. I’d love to find the perfect eye cream this year too. I’m going to work my way through my products this year and weed out the stuff that doesn’t work for me.
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Oh, I would love the perfect eye cream as well – I have read about a couple, one super expensive and one outrageously expensive… will see whether I can afford those to trial!
I did laugh at the vision of the puppy not liking the mask – maybe a mask similar in colour to skin, or very pale would be less traumatic?!
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Beauty resolution???!!!
Unlikely.
I do follow your third resolutions not as a rule but just out of practice. However I do alternate my scrub and mask on weekly basis: one day a week with clay based mask and one day the following week on good scrub.
I have been using the Aesop goodies.
I admire your dedication but I just don’t do resolutions. ?
Tim
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Hey Tim, it’s probably not dedication as much as vanity!
I really notice how my face doesn’t love the sun (sun spots/wrinkles) so I want to try and protect my skin from that. And if you wear make up – or even if you don’t, it won’t hurt to ensure you go to bed with super clean skin.
Assuming your name indicates your gender and you’re not wearing make up (and I know in this crowd, that’s an assumption that might make an ass of me), still pollution can settle into your pores and that’s not a brilliant way to go to bed. Still just simple cleaning/showering is better than nothing.
Happy New Year!
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