New Year Reset: This Year, Let’s Skincare From a Holistic Wellness Perspective

Your best skin is not just about the right topicals to apply. We know better now. So skincare New Year reset this year is going to be all about mind, body, and self-care. Let’s get started.

For some of us, 2019 was a rollercoaster of a year. We all had good memories and bad; had the time of our lives and went through some tough stuff. Our skin had its own journey, too. Some days it was bright and bouncy with nary a blemish in sight, and on others, all hell broke loose and we wondered what we had done to deserve the dullness or acne. We survived though, and now we can move on with a better understanding of certain things. I’d like for all of us to go into this year focusing on health from a wholesome, well-rounded perspective. Let’s work on our mental and physical health while we work on new skincare goals for the year. 2020 = the year of the full-body glo up.

istock/puhhha

What we learned in 2019

Twenty-nineteen was the year of AHA alternatives, heavy-duty essences, and time-saving skip-care. We learned about building an anti-aging skincare routine, how to recover from a boozy night out, and fighting hyperpigmentation, amongst other things. It’s been a full 365 of non-stop learning, and I’m ready for more.

Personally, my favorite discoveries were quick skin packs, ingredient deep-dives, and the art of responsible hauling. I also wouldn’t say no to more single-ingredient essences in the vein of the Missha Artemisia Essence. Say what you want about it, but all I know is that I didn’t experience any hormonal acne breakouts while I was using it as a toner. Real talk, the skin on my face was as placid as the calmest lake.

And if you haven’t already adopted these skincare habits that were drilled into our heads in 2019, then you definitely start. Like wearing sunscreen, taking off your makeup before bed, acquainting your skin with hydrators, and being cautious when introducing new products.

Consistency, even on those bad days

One thing I did struggle with a bit last year was consistency. Like a lot of people, I battle with my mental health daily, and on the bad days, it was very easy for me to go without completing one or both daily routines. I’d feel bad about it, especially when my skin reflected my habits back at me.

I understand that ultimatums don’t really work with less than great mental health. We know what we have to do and why, but some days it’s just hard to get to the action part. Instead of feeling bad, I learned to pare down my routines to the bare minimum, and also to find ways to motivate myself to complete my daily regimen.

istock/diego_cervo

So I’d like to encourage everyone who has those bad days to take little steps that could help with that deep Eeyore-sadness that rears its head now and again. Get out of bed, wash your face, and apply toner and moisturizer. You don’t have to add the serum and essence steps if you don’t feel up to it. Take a hot shower too, and pick the clothes up off your bedroom floor and put them away or in the laundry hamper. Change your sheets if you can. A clean body, bed, and bedroom will brighten things up a bit, and you’ll feel better knowing that you accomplished a few things.

Your diet, your skin

I cannot stress this enough: Water is absolutely essential. So drink lots of it. Download an app to remind you to drink some every hour. Your organs will thank you for the hydration. H20 is necessary for your body to function at its optimal potential. So don’t deprive it.

While you’re at it, eat less sugar and processed foods, opting for whole, nutritious food products instead. You could try one of those month-long sugar-free challenges, or simply try cutting out one kind at a time.

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If you drink a lot of sodas, task yourself to go three days without a soft drink, then four, then five, and so on. By the time you eliminate a lot of stuff like junk food, added sugar, and high sodium from your diet, you’ll realize that your body performs better and you might not have as many cravings as you usually would. Your skin will also look a whole lot better as a result, since it’s an outward reflection of our inner processes. You don’t have to take on the Whole30 diet or switch to a vegan diet cold turkey, but you can make small, gradual changes that add up to a better lifestyle.

Spice up your routine — wisely

Did you spend the year doing the same old 5- or 10-step routine with backups of old faithfuls? Feeling a little bored? Add some pizzazz back into your routine. If you’re scared that wading into the waters of new product releases might leave you susceptible to FOMO hauling and stockpiling products you don’t need, you can temper that fear with careful research and an honest weighing of the necessity of each purchase. Look up the components of the merch you’re eyeing and assess them for potential skin triggers and overall benefit for YOUR skin. It’s all well and good that that skincare influencer you really like thinks XYZ is an HG product. Focus on the skin goals you’re trying to achieve and if the thing you’re about to buy will help you reach said goals.

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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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It’s also important to purchase within your means. Don’t buy a $150 essence just because it’s by a reputable brand and it promises to help you sweat gold pellets and will fix your credit score. I’m sure you can find an alternative that contains the key ingredients you deem essential, and at a lower price too.

Budget now, no regrets later

While we’re talking about purchasing, we might as well tackle the issue of spending. Trying to get my monthly budget under control felt like an exercise in futility all year long. I just couldn’t seem to get it right. Spending that $50 on brunch — then $40 on that cute top in the boutique you walked past on your post-brunch jaunt AND that fancy coffee you got because you were starting to feel tired — may not feel like a lot in the moment, but it sure adds up. Before you know it, your banking app is sending you snarky notifications about your overspending, and the regret kicks in.

There’s also the issue of larger credit card debt, which is no joking matter. This year, try to create a realistic monthly budget for yourself and stick to it. If your banking app has an option for spending threshold alerts, use it. That way, even if you blow past your quota, you’ll know to pull back before doing too much damage. New stuff is great, but the bank charges not so much. So watch your spending so you don’t have too many, “Oh no! My wallet! It’s crying!” moments in 2020.

And most importantly, be kind to yourself

The most important lesson of all to head into 2020 with is to be kind to yourself no matter where you’re at currently. Progress is so much easier and so much fun when you view the improvements as growth that shows how much stronger, smarter, and diligent you’ve become, rather than constantly looking backwards and berating the past self that couldn’t live up to the tough standards you and the world laid out for it to accomplish. If you only do two or three steps instead of 10 in your routine, that’s something. If you do 15 minutes of a 40-minute workout, that’s something. Tomorrow is a different day and you’ll do better next time. If you went in on the pizza a little too hard, it’s okay. Just work on portion control and knowing your stomach’s limits. It’s possible to hold yourself accountable without being cruel.

Just know that I believe in you! I know that you can accomplish every single thing that you put your mind to in 2020, and I wish you the strength and perseverance to do so.

Happy New Year!

Do you have any New Year reset plans? What are you changing about your skincare this year?

Karachi Opara