The beginning of a new year is a great time for fresh starts, so why not make this year the year to focus on your skin? There are certain skin care steps that shouldn’t be missed (and you should swear by them) if you want to achieve complexion perfection. If clear, smooth, healthy skin is what you covet think about adding these five resolutions to your list of yearly promises.

To really get the year off to a gorgeous start we turned to Natalia Weinraub, skin care expert and aesthetician at Kimara Ahnert Makeup Studio. She shares her picks for the top five skin care resolutions to make this year.


Healthy skin resolution #1: Get regular facials

Facials might seem like an indulgence but they can provide more of a complexion boost than you might realize, Weinraub says. “Skin cells renew every 27 days, so you should cleanse and treat the skin once a month,” she advises. While there are numerous at-home treatments aimed at dealing with various skin care concerns, some things are best left to professionals. “Glycolic peels, microdermabrasion, and strong enzyme peels are professional methods of
deep pore cleansing,” Weinraub explains. So leave those tasks to the pros and maintain your glow with their recommendations at home.

Healthy skin resolution #2: Wear antioxidant creams and/or serums

Make this the year you add antioxidants to your regular skin care routine. “Antioxidants increase elasticity, collagen and firm the skin. They neutralize free radicals and protect against sun and age spots,” Weinraub says. When it comes to exactly what you get in a cream or
serum packed with antioxidants, it’s vitamins A, C and E that work hardest. In an antioxidant cream or serum, vitamin E is hydrating and soothing for fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C works to reduce photo damage and protect skin from UV radiation. Vitamin A repairs collagen and reduces pigmentation (keeping skin more even toned) and vitamins A and E both repair and renew damaged skin.

More healthy skin resolutions to live by on the next page …
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Healthy skin resolution #3: Use eye cream morning and night

If the eyes are the window to the soul, think of the skin around your eyes as the window to stress, lack of sleep and visible signs of aging. Make a point to hydrate this area, Weinraub advises. “Hydration around the eyes prevents darkness and fine lines,” she says. “We have no functioning oil glands under the eyes so we need creams to keep the tissue soft.” When buying an eye cream look for vitamins A, E, B5, algae extract, grape seed extract and sweet rose oil, which are all good for moisturizing and soothing the skin, the aesthetician explains. Vitamin K, chamomile, cucumber, horse chestnut extract and soy peptide are good for dark circles while cypress extract and chamomile are good for puffiness.

Healthy skin resolution #4: Apply seasonally appropriate masks

Skin needs extra attention and treatment particularly in the summer and winter months when the extremes in temperature can make it harder to keep skin healthy. Combat the effect of the elements on your complexion with a treatment mask suited to the season, Weinraub says. “In the summer, it is good to use clay masks and masks with antioxidants. In the winter, it is important to use hydrating and moisturizing masks,” she explains. One of her go-to mask for the colder months is Luzern Pure Oxygen Mask, which is good for deep hydration and moisturizing for all skin types.
Check out more of our favourite winter skin savers.

Healthy skin resolution #5: Protect your skin from the sun

While it goes without saying, if you have been less-than-diligent where sun protection is concerned, this is the year to get back on track, says Weinraub. “Wearing sunscreen daily helps protect against melanoma, sun spots and wrinkles,” she explains. It might seem as if skipping this skin care step is OK in the winter when the sky is grey and sun often hidden, but that would be a mistake. Apply a sunscreen both UVA and UVB protection (broad spectrum) each day before leaving the house.

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