Don’t limit your New Year’s resolution to just career ambitions and body transformations. Small changes are just as important – even if they sound superficial.

Let’s start by making 2018 the year we embark on a journey to look after ourselves and treat our skin by indulging in good skin care.

New Year, Better Skin.

1. Sunscreen

We all know we should wearing a layer beneath our makeup before we walk out the door, but you don’t. It feels like an extra step in getting ready or you despise the unwanted greasy feeling of sunblock on your skin.

Skin protection should be an essential step to your routine, so consider trying a moisturizing facial sunscreen. A facial sunscreen is unlike the usual sunblock lotion, it’s designed for just your skin and won’t clog pores or make makeup impossible to apply.

2. Address the State of Your Lips

Dry, flaky, chapped lips are inevitable during the winter. Try a lip scrub once or twice a week on your pucker and follow with a hydrating balm or treatment.

Or you can make your own lip scrub with a DIY treatment:

3. Regularly Clean Pillowcases and Bed Sheets

This is one of the many tasks that gets overlooked or forgotten, but let’s make it a habit to wash them on the regular. Pillowcases are covered in bacteria from sebum on your scalp, and residue from any oily or creamy hair products you use.

Sleeping on your stomach allows all the sebum to swim on the surface of your skin! Sleeping with clean pillowcases can reduce mild breakouts while you get to snuggle in a clean bed.

4. Break Away From Face Wipes

Most face wipes don’t offer many benefits besides moving oil and bacteria from one part of your face to another. Also – they’re awful for the environment!

Instead, swap wipes out for micellar water for evenings you want to just fall asleep in bed. A double cleanse would be ideal, the second cleanse works to remove lingering bacteria left behind.

5. Clean Brushes and Beauty Blenders Daily

Anything that encounters with your skin should be clean – hands, clothes, brushes, sponges – should be washed weekly. Try using a gentle cleanser like baby shampoo.

6. Get Rid of Old Makeup

We’ve been guilty of hoarding old mascara, lipstick, and eye shadow palettes in our makeup drawer.

Let’s use this year to give yourself a beauty push while cleaning out your makeup drawer. Get rid of that old moisturizer and makeup that has just been sitting around. The majority of makeup and skincare products have a shelf life once opened. Below is a guide to how long various products stay safe: