Every New Year we are bombarded with resolution ideas, from relationships and health to finance and our careers. For some odd reason we feel this is the time we should set ourselves new, often unachievable goals, which simply adds pressure to our already hectic lives.

This year, I refuse to beat myself up and feel any guilt. Instead, I will set goals I know I can achieve and therefore start the new year with great optimism. Read on to find out some of the goals I’m setting myself, as well as news about some amazing future beauty innovations that are heading our way.

Sun protection

I know gloomy, cold weather can deceive us into thinking we no longer need our daily SPF, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The UVA rays which do the most damage can penetrate through cloud and through windows to your precious skin, and can cause damage and ageing. I reduce my SPF factor to 30 in the winter, but I still ‘try’ to apply it daily – this is something I’ll be focusing on this year. Dermatologists worldwide all agree if there is only one thing we can do to prevent premature skin damage and ageing it is to apply sun screen all year round. No amount of expensive treatments and skin care will help as much as this simple first step.

Remember, prevention rather than cure.

Exfoliation

Our skin is our largest organ and often feels flaky and dry in the winter owing to central heating and wearing lots of layers, which stops fresh air reaching our skin. Once weekly body exfoliation is a great help, and any moisturisers applied after a shower to dampened skin will be better absorbed.

There are so many exfoliators on the market, but an excellent, reasonably-priced company Sea Magik has a perfect range for body and hair. Their pink salt shampoo exfoliates the scalp as well as giving a great shampoo experience, and a little goes a long way. The products are vegan, natural and cruelty-free.

Retinol

This word always used to conjure up fear if you had sensitive skin, but not anymore. Retinols can now be very effective without causing sensitivity. The winter months are a great time to use these products nightly, as they really can soften and plump the skin.
The key thing to remember is if you use any type of retinol you must use a sun screen, as retinols react to sunlight, hence nighttime application is preferable.

Clean tools

It is easy to forget to clean our makeup brushes, hair brushes and other tools. Bacteria easily accumulates and you are then putting bacteria back directly onto your skin. Pick a day once a week when you will cleanse all these items.

I use a gentle facial wash and let them soak and then dry naturally. There are makeup cleansing kits you can purchase that do an excellent job, and your skin will thank you.

Future technology

There are many exciting beauty trends coming up in 2024, including virtual reality makeup experiences, biodegradable beauty products, and genetic-based beauty products with testing kits which will analyse your DNA and customise products to your specific needs.

It’s going to be an exciting year – I hope you have a great one!