New Year's Eve is almost upon us and the pressure to think of a life-changing resolution can be a bit of a buzz kill. But it doesn't have to be. Resolutions should be a fun way to kick off 2011. My resolutions for the New Year are to send out more hand written personal notes -- a real luxury these days -- after meetings and to spend more time with my loved ones. This year also marks five years since I expanded into the U.S. cosmetics market, and I'm looking forward to the growth of my business stateside.
As for beauty resolutions, now is the time to add something new to your beauty regime and shake things up! Toss out that old makeup that's been gathering dust and spiff up your same-old, same-old with new makeup tips and tricks. Here are my top six beauty resolutions that are easy to stick to.
Perfect Match: The number one beauty no-no is wearing a foundation that doesn't match. Your winter foundation should be at least one to two shades fairer than your normal foundation. Commit to updating foundation so you're always wearing the correct shade. To find your match, test it on the area between your jaw line and cheek. Blend it out to ensure that once it covers any redness, it's your correct color and blends in with the rest of your face. If you're the type that doesn't change color too much between winter and summer, changing your powder color is a safe bet.
Technicolor Lids: I'm ringing in the new year with vivid hues like lime greens and electric pinks. This doesn't mean that you have to plaster an extreme color from your lash line to brow bone. For something new on the lids, I suggest experimenting at a starting point of 20 percent and building up to your comfort level. Think of it as baby beauty steps. Dabble with a subtle swipe of color on the eye lid or for something a little edgier, combine any eye-catching shade with my Cake Eyeliner Sealer. This nifty gel formula can be mixed with a shadow to create a waterproof liquid liner. Just glide along the lash line for vibrant color for a stroke of genius.
Orange Crush: Continuing the colorful pout trend into the New Year, bring in a tangerine orange gloss into your lip look lineup. An eye-popping orange gloss is a fresh alternative to red lipstick. Lucille Ball knew the power of the sunny hue, and she used it to instantly brighten up her face. Plus, there's something undeniably glamorous about a shiny apricot finish. To get this juicy orange look, try my Luminous Lip Veil in Tangerine Slice.
Brush Up: If you haven't been on top of the maintenance of your brushes, start now. Makeup brushes need TLC to keep them firm and soft for the best makeup results. Maintain them by washing firm brushes with shampoo and soft brushes with shampoo and conditioner. Always use a sterilizing brush cleaner after each use like my Brush Cleaner, and shampoo once every week or two to remove the build up of product. My top 5 must-have brushes to have in your bag are a foundation brush, a large powder brush, a tapered eye brush for basic shadow application, a sculpting eye shadow brush for blending and a lip brush
Lash Love: Every makeup looks requires the magic of mascara. It's the single most important makeup tool for instant glamour. I recommend 3 applications: right after primer, after eye shadow, and then post-lipstick. Think of it as a cup of coffee for the complexion, and it really gives your lashes that extra oomph. Look for mascaras with hard-working ingredients like my Long Black Mascara which boasts candelilla wax, beeswax and allantoin to keep lashes in top-notch form.
Step Away from the Tweezers: Keep brows clean and shapely and stop over plucking your arches. Take your time and step back from the mirror to check your progress -- or better yet, see a pro. If your brows have already been victim to an overzealous tweezing session, then use a brow pencil. For sparse brows, use a shadow to fill them in with a softly rounded angle brush so your strokes are accurate, but not too sharp. Fill them in with a shadow and brush through with a brow comb for natural effect. For brows that rival Brooke Shield's, use light feathering motions against the direction of the hair growth for a non detectable feel and brush brow hair back into place.