My 2014 Beauty Resolutions

On my first post for the year, I wrote about ways I can make the most out of 2014 together with some personal goals I have set for myself. This time, I zero in on the goal that talks about taking care more of my body and well-being by writing about my beauty resolutions for the year. I wanted to write about this not because I've uncharacteristically gotten vain, but you see, making an extra effort on how you look is a special form of courtesy.

Fix myself up. I love how makeup can enhance one's best features and hide minor flaws. Through makeup school, I learned a lot about proper makeup techniques that I couldn't have learned just by watching tutorials in Youtube. Thanks to these lessons and the generous brands who've been letting me try their products, I have learned how to do various looks and what makeup and tools to use depending on the occasion. I've realized that it pays to fix one's self up even just for errands. Not that I was a slob before this, but, you know. It doesn't even have to take too long! Properly groomed eyebrows, a slick of tinted lip balm, and BB Cream can already do the trick, and I can do those in five minutes tops! Note though that It doesn't mean I wear makeup all the time; except for moisturizer, I don't put anything on my face if I will just be in the house the whole day.

Five products, one face = my go-to everyday look
Revlon CustomEyes Mascara, The Face Shop Lovely me:ex Design My Eyebrow, Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia, Make Up Factory Blusher in 20, and Hayan Korea BB Cream

This also includes blowdrying and styling my hair before I leave the house for anything important like work or seeing my friends or eating out.

Don't fix what ain't broken. Applies not only to life in general but also to skincare, yes? There was a phase in my life that I was very willing to experiment and try all sorts of products from different brands, but now that I have already discovered what works for me, then there won't be much need for that anymore.

My skincare line of choice: Shiseido Ibuki
In the photo are the Gentle Cleanser, Softening Concentrate, Refining Moisturizer Enriched, and Eye Correcting Cream

When it comes to removing pesky eye makeup, The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Makeup Remover is a winner. Inexpensive, works great without tugging, and doesn't sting! I should post a more in-depth review soon.

Take better care of my body. That includes practicing yoga more often and eating healthy and (this is too difficult to type) avoiding junk food, refined sugar, and everything deep-fried and processed.

Some nice candy-colored sports bras I bought a couple of weekends ago

Spring clean periodically. And by periodically I do not mean annually. This spring cleaning should cover every aspect of my life: my room, my work desk, my bookshelves, my closet, my makeup kit, everything! You never know how many treasures are hiding in those corners. In relation, after my latest book binge where I spent over P2,000 on books just last week, I should pledge not to buy anything - book, clothes, shoes, makeup, anything! - until I have gotten rid of everything I am sure I won't have any use for anymore. This will be extremely difficult, but hmmm, let's see.

Expectation: what my work desk should look like
I am not even going to post its counterpart Reality photo here.

This is not even a teeny quarter of my lipstick collection
I should take a group photo of everything just to see how many I already have.

Use up my makeup. In line with the resolutions above, I should bring out my traincase more often and apply the things I learned in makeup school by experimenting with different makeup looks. It's fun but I get lazy and think this is time better spent on reading, but when I see the results I couldn't help but feel proud of myself hee. It's also a good way of making sure I use up my acquired makeup before they expire.

Look straight ahead. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I have a tendency to look down at the feet of the person in front of me whenever I'm walking. I need to be a little more confident so along with this resolution, I also pledge to stand a little taller and sit up a little bit straighter.

And perhaps the most difficult resolution of all, get more sleep. I mean, I try to but how can I when there are just too many books to read and too many movies to see?

There you go. I hope this post made you smile. As I said, I don't consider myself vain in any way but, you know, inner beauty is great, but a little mascara never hurts. What about you? Do you have any beauty resolutions for this year?