New Year's Resolutions - Part 3 of 3: Improving your Beauty Routine

Well this is my third and final instalment of the New Year Resolutions series. Hope you've all enjoyed them and that you may have been inspired by them to take action for 2010 so by next January you'll be looking to new resolutions rather than recycling the 'same old' stories. It's been fantastic putting these together and I aim to provide similar advice articles in the future, hoorah!

So for all you girlies looking to get your beauty regime polished and perfected read on...

Quitting smoking

This doesn't seem to really have anything to do with a beauty regime at first, but if one of your resolutions is to quit smoking this year then great! As a makeup artist it pains me to see girls with wrinkles around their mouths from all the pouting when sucking on a cigarette. Add to that flaking lips because cigarettes dehydrate the skin so applying lipstick becomes a total nightmare! Never mind the yellow nicotene-stained nails and fingertips, sallow skin and premature ageing in the longrun.

Even worse is the damage on the inside but if you can't quit for health reasons, quit for the sake of your appearance. Granted the media can make smoking look sexy, I'm not going to deny that. But I don't think it looks great when you look twice the age you are because you smoke all of the time. And the smell, ugh, really?! Ladies shouldn't smell like an ash tray, nuff said...

Taking your makeup off before bed

I'm often stunned at how many girls admit to not doing this - especially when they've been out for a night on the tiles. It can often be a real chore when you stumble back in during the small hours of the morning but trust me, one thing that will contribute to ageing will be leaving your makeup on every night. If you could see the damage you're doing to your skin you would feel very different about your approach to taking off your war paint!

In the short run, eye makeup irritates the eyes when you fall asleep - they try to rid the makeup themselves so that's why your eyes look sore the next morning. Makeup will only clog pores if left on the skin for too long and overall your canvas will become a lot more difficult to work with, trampling on of all your efforts when applying it if you're not keeping it in tip-top condition.

Cleanse, (tone), exfoliate, moisturise

Cleanse

There are still plenty of girls who use hand or body soap to clean their faces. Hand soap is far too harsh for facial skin. It will dry it out so much and in addition if you have sensitive skin then it will only add to your troubles. Invest in a good quality cleanser and you won't regret it:

• Gel or clay cleansers work fantastically for oily and combination skins. Try Simple's range or pop into Lush and talk to one of their advisors to pick a cleanser right for you.
• Cleansing creams, milks, lotions and almond oil are all brilliant for drier skins - you don't want to strip the skin of any oil because dry skins have less to spare so you need something nourishing and gentle.

Tone

This step's debatable. I've still yet to find a toner that doesn't strip my skin and make it feel as rough as sandpaper. Water is as good as anything but if you do want to try an official toner, make sure it's alcohol-free - I don't think alcohol is necessary in any toner even if you do have skin that leans towards the oilier side!

Exfoliate

This will keep your skin revived, glowing and soft. Especially during the winter months, a decent exfoliant will work a treat at ridding your skin of all the dead skin cells which only dull your complexion and cause makeup to clog and sit funnily on your face. I use one every day but if your skin's a bit more sensitive try exfoliating three times a week for a beautiful visage!

Moisturise

You may be 18 and not worried about wrinkles but trust me - don't skip this step out. The sooner you begin adding this to your daily routine the better you will feel in the years to come. Your skin begins to slow down its renewal process as of 18 years of age, so it's best to start to defend your skin from the elements and ageing as best as you can.

If you have oily skin don't feel that moisturiser will only aid the oiliness - on the contrary if you don't moisturise your skin will work harder to keep itself moisturised and produce even more oil. There are plenty of moisturisers and gels out there that keep the skin beautifully hydrated but sit under makeup well and don't add to the oil, in fact some mattify and help combat oil from disrupting your makeup!

Drink water

Yeah, I know, you've heard this one before, blah, blah, blah! But seriously try it and you might notice an epic difference in your skin! My skin is far more glowy and blemish-free when I keep up the water intake each day. With central heating, most places like shops and offices having air conditioning, etc. etc. a lot of moisture is lost from the skin and body without you even realising.

The difficulty with this one is fitting it in to our daily routines or even just remembering in the first place! The best policy is to bring a small bottle to work with you or fit it in your handbag on the go. You can always top it up and it's there whenever you need it. Having it sat on your desk or in your bag every time you reach for your keys/phone/makeup bag will remind you to keep taking sips - staying hydrated will become a walk in the park.

If you feel water's a little boring, there are plenty of flavoured waters on the market or you could always add fruit squash to yours each morning. Equally if you're not in the mood for a cold drink or fancy something warming then try green tea or fruit tea (with a hint of honey) - there's a huge selection out there from many different brands. The first tea bags that spring to mind are Twinings but my advice is to explore the other options out there.

Twinings' fruit teas smell fab but some can taste a little... bland. I really recommend giving Yogi teas a try. They're really unusual, taste lovely and are all organic - I love their Licorice tea and Chai teas! They can be bought online or from most health food stores and organice produce stockists.