Spring has sprung across Canada -- but is your beauty regimen stuck in a snowdrift?
We all tend to stick to our tried-and-true beauty habits, whether they are good for us or not. But in the interest of putting your best face forward this spring, here are five simple beauty resolutions that are bound to make you more beautiful and won’t cost an arm and a leg. If you’re not doing them already, add them to your beauty regimen -- your face will be glad that you did:
Exfoliate Regularly: We know you get busy with work, deadlines, socializing, life, but take the time -- at least once a week -- to exfoliate. It might seem like an unnecessary and time-consuming chore at the sink, but exfoliating removes dead skin cells and impurities from the skin, which allows the fresh new skin cells to be exposed. It will also help your moisturizer penetrate better, improve blood circulation and bring more oxygen and nutrients to cells. Healthy skin always looks better and feels better too. (Don’t forget to exfoliate the rest of your bod while you’re at it.)
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5 Beauty Resolutions You Need To Make Right Now (PHOTOS)
Stop Overtweezing: Sure, it’s hard. Really, really hard. When you look in the mirror, your eye goes straight to those brows. You see one errant hair out of place, you attack it with tweezers. A little here, a little there, and next thing you know, you're walking a thin, brow line to the 90s. Today’s modern eyebrow shape is natural, not sculpted. We can’t all get away with the bushy, Brooke-Shields-in-her-Calvins look seen on current "It girl" Lily Collins or the heavily penciled brows out of Altuzarra, but if you let you brows grow in a bit, you’ll look more "now."
Clean Your Makeup Brushes: This probably ranks up there as one of the modern woman's least favourite chores. No, it's not fun, but you've got to do it. Cleansing brushes regularly will get rid of leftover makeup, oil and nasty bacteria, plus it will prolong the life of your brushes. How often, you ask? If you are a keener, washing brushes once a week will certainly keep them squeaky clean (though be sure to use a liquid cleanser made specifically for this use to avoid damaging the brushes -- like this one by MAC. Depending on how often you dip into them, cleansing brushes every four to six weeks is acceptable, and will keep bad bacteria at bay.
Do Some Research… On Yourself: You take photos at the restaurant, on the couch, on vacation, on the bus – use that treasure trove of research material to figure out what works for you. Love that pic when your bangs were wispy and swept to the side? Remember that when you’re trying to figure out how to style them in the morning. Are you digging the shot of you looking dewy on the beach last summer? Ditch the powder next time you head out for work and get glowing. And if you find that you have more photos of other people than you do of yourself – grab your camera or phone and get snapping. Test shots don’t have to be just for models, you know.
Try something new once a month: Once you’ve figured out your best looks, don’t let it stop there. Avoid the rut of sameness in your makeup routine and embrace the new. Whether it’s the dramatic red lip that’s still all over the runways, a sexy, modern cat eye or a flash of silvery eyeshadow -- push yourself to try a new colour or technique once a month. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a new favourite.