Another year, another round of New Years Resolutions that so often get shelved by mid-February. Let's not have a repeat of last year - let's set some realistic, doable but most of all, important, resolutions that are going to make the biggest difference in your beauty routine. They say it takes 3 months to build a habit, but we're willing to bet these easy beauty resolutions will be implemented after a week (no slacking on these, lovelies).

Wear SPF 30 on your face AND neck. Every. Single. Day.
Rain or shine, with or without makeup, ALWAYS wear sunscreen. No exceptions. There's no way you haven't heard about what consistent sun exposure does to your skin (hint: wrinkles and fine lines).

Clean your cell phone regularly.
Odds are you're on your cell phone quite a bit. Want to know how much bacteria accumulates as a result? Just take our word for it - you should be sanitizing that thing every week.

Don't pick your pimples.
This is one surefire way to spread around bacteria and potentially cause scarring. We know the urge is strong, but you MUST resist!

Drink more water.
Fun fact: Water cleanses your body of impurities, allows your organs to function properly, and keeps your skin thoroughly hydrated. If you notice you have chapped lips fairly often, this is going to fight half the battle for you (assuming you don't have your favorite chapstick handy).

Exfoliate weekly - face AND body.
Dead skin cells accumulate when you're not regularly exfoliating, leading to clogged pores and ultimately a breakout. This healthy habit will keep your skin looking fresh and aglow if you can keep it up.

Throw out expired makeup and skincare.
This is an easy resolution since it requires so little time, but it's more important than people realize. The same thing that happens to your produce happens to your makeup and skincare products, especially if they're made with more natural ingredients. Save your skin from irritation - toss foundation, blush and eye shadow after two years, lipstick and eye pencils after one year, and mascara and sponges after 6 months.

Clean your makeup brushes every few weeks.
Invest in a high quality brush cleaner and wash those puppies at LEAST once per month to keep bacteria at bay.

Don't over-pluck your brows.
This is a really tough one for some folks. Leave it to the professionals if you're worried, over-plucking is a tricky mistake to reverse.

Don't bite your nails.
There are products to help with this! There's a myriad of grossness that accumulates underneath your fingernails, especially if you don't wash your hands terribly often (WHICH YOU SHOULD!).

Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
Everything in your life is going to get better with this resolution - your mind, your body, your emotions, EVERYTHING. Set aside time to make this happen, it may even increase your lifespan.

Care for your cuticles.
A manicure every now and again is going to keep your nail beds happy and healthy. Plus, there's just something about a perfectly manicured hand that says "I got this".

Start using eye serum.
It's never too early to start implementing this habit. Prevention measures are going to make the battle to slow aging much easier, and your eyes are an area that can start early if you're not careful.

ALWAYS wash your face before bed.
This is going to be a recommendation from any reasonable beauty blogger, and for good reason - it causes more breakouts and speeds up aging. Your skin more readily absorbs whatever is on your face while you're sleeping, and that makeup isn't going to do you any favors.

Start using a retinol.
On that note, using a retinol right before bed is going to increase absorption and have your skin looking silky smooth by morning. Retinols are known to speed cell regeneration and visibly diminish fine lines, acne scarring, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation (woohoo!).

Last but definitely not least...quit smoking.
Because...well...duh.

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