So New Year’s gives us a chance to hit the reset button and aim to improve our habits. I know that most people (myself included) resolve to lose weight and be healthier, but I also have a few beauty goals on my list. Let’s face it, being in my late 20’s now, I’m no spring chicken. It’s time for me to really start taking care of my skin.

1)No more going to sleep with makeup on (I know, gross)

2)No more being in denial of the foundation coverage I need. Even though I’m a makeup artist, my daily makeup routine for my corporate America job consists of no foundation! I used to think that since I have decent skin, that I can get by with a natural look of only blush and mascara. (And those are the days that I actually have makeup on.) I always think I look great when I leave the house (my bathroom has amazing lighting) but then when I catch a glimpse at work I think of how tired I look. I definitely need to develop and more importantly stick to a polished and professional makeup look. It isn’t about lacking the ability to, more so about time management. So, I’d really like to perfect a daily makeup routine that incorporates foundation.

3)Really take care of my skin and invest in a skincare regimen. I have a good moisturizer but I should definitely start using an eye cream to prevent wrinkles. And, get back into the swing of using an awesome product my sister got me to prep for my wedding about a year ago, the Clarisonic. For those of you who are interested in it, I’ll do a little review of it below.

The Clarisonic has a few different models of which I’m not really sure the difference, but I believe mine is the Mia. It is a motorized exfoliating face brush that gently scrubs away dry skin and evens skin tone. Having seen the results of when I used it regularly in the past, I certainly think it’s worth the $119 investment. There might be cheaper alternatives like the brush Olay makes, but I’ve honestly never tried them so can’t vouch for their results. By cleaning your pores so deep down inside, it visibly reduces the size of them and actually allows the rest of your skincare regimen to be better absorbed by your skin. Basically, whatever else you are using on your skin should start to work even better.

How to use it? Wet your face, and then either apply face wash on it or apply a dollop on the brush itself. My tried and true fave is the Mac green gel cleanser, picture above. When you press the power button it will vibrate for 1 minute, so you have a minute to massage the brush over your entire face. Using little circular motions all over the face, I like to start at the nose and focus on the inner cheek area on either side of the nose and on the center of my forehead. These areas at the center of your face have the most pores, so I figure they’d most benefit from a good scrub. When your minute is up, rinse the remaining product off of your face, and you’ll notice that your wet hands basically slip off your face. The difference in texture is undeniable. Also, your makeup is supposed to be removed before you start to use it, but it’s amazing what you’ll see on your brush. Even though you think you’d already taken your makeup off, the brush gets deep down and cleans out the makeup that settled into the pores. Seriously leaves your face with a squeaky clean feeling. Use it every day and you’ll notice a difference within 2 weeks I assure you. And, because it’s waterproof, you can even keep it on the shower to use.

Do any of you use a Clarisonic out there? Love or hate it, let me know! I’m really looking forward to investing more time and energy into the blog in 2013! I spent 2012 basically getting it going and set up. I’d always love to hear from you, and especially if you have any beauty New Year’s resolutions!