So I received a bill for domain renewal in my e-mail, and I suddenly remembered that I have a beauty blog.
LOL, okay, actually I do remember, almost all the time. I just kind of pushed it to the back of my mind due to various reasons. Sorry, and (especially to recurring readers) thank you for reading this after a long-ish hiatus!
Well, since it is still within the first two weeks of the new year, and new year means new beginning, etc. etc. etc…, I would share with you my beauty-related resolution for 2018! I love lists and planning — making a beauty-related one is so much fun. Also, sharing your resolution list might result in a societal control that would provide you with extra boost to actually perform it, so…help me create this societal control, please? Hahaha.
1.Be more disciplined with my skin care routine
One of the reason for sporadic review last year? My skincare routine was also sort of sporadic, especially at the end of the year. I traveled to Hong Kong, and while I spent a lot of time planning for the perfect travel skincare routine, my skin was a bit…neglected there (sorry, skin). After I got back home, it was strangely difficult to return to normal routine. Moreover, my skin suffered from the neglect and I finally saw the first pimple after several blissful months. Followed by the next one. And another one.
While I want to whack my lazy self repeatedly on the head, I am also thankful for this …unwanted skin condition because :
- I got to appreciate the part of my skin that is pimple-free more
- I need to tweak my skin care routine to incorporate acne-busting products. Wallet will suffer a bit, but…new products, wooohoooo exciting! Also, more things to review in my blog.
2. Up my exfoliation game
Long time ago, I was really squeamish about exfoliation. However, my experience with Cosrx Pimple Clear Exfoliating Pads has changed me. I have become more confident to try stronger acid products… and my skin really needs it now.
Products I have on my radar :
- Bravura London Salicylic Acid 2%
- Bravura London Glycolic Acid 10% (infused with lavender)
- The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
- CosRX Mela White Ampoule
3. Try retinol…and MOAR local products
Provided that point 1 and 2 on this list have been satisfyingly performed, I will proceed to this. I will be officially stepping into my late 20s this year *le dramatic gasp*, and I think it’s time to introduce retinol to my skin. Not really sure which one I will get…probably something from The Ordinary, starting from the weakest one.
I also want to try more local (Indonesian) products! I just tried a few last year, and they are really nice! Most of them are marketed as “natural”, and while that is not a requirement for me, they could be your favorite if you like that sort of thing. It is a pity that I could not find a lengthy reviews for them aside from some testimonials. Hopefully my reviews could help you in your purchasing decision!
These are some local/artisan brands I tried last year, of which you can expect products reviews from me sometimes later:
- Utama Spice (Some products have been reviewed, but I still have a lot more. Not going to hide that I am a fan of Utama Spice)
- Serambi Botani
- Tattvika
- Woosh
4. Give more attention to my body skin
Every time I pat lotion and other potions on my face, I can faintly heard my other body surface whispers, “hey, we are skin too.”
I am guilty of not taking care of skin other than on my face regularly. I shower, use body scrub once in a while, and basically that’s it. I did not even moisturize because it was taking so long…and sticky…and I just don’t have patience for it. I intend to change it this year. I have accumulated quite a stack of body lotion, let us see if I found something nice enough to use every day.
Another body-skin-related resolution : finding a good handcream with SPF! I wash my hands regularly (especially after interacting with cats, which is happened really often), so my hands are so far on the dry side. I am in dire need of new hand cream with SPF, after The Body Shop discontinued my beloved Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 (WHY, THE BODY SHOP, DO YOU HATE ME). Meanwhile, I will just use regular body lotion with SPF (currently happened to be Nivea Body Serum UV Extra Whitening).
5. Try everything some products from The Saem
I pride myself as someone who (most of the time) consider logically before buying things, including skin care. I researched extensively about the possible benefits of the products, whether they have additional values to my current regimen, etc. etc. etc. Then…this happened :
First they were endorsed by SHINee, my K-Pop first (and eternal) love, and now they are endorsed by Seventeen?!?!?! The Saem marketing team, are you me? My weak Carat heart cannot take it.
To be fair, I have read some positive reviews of The Saem products, although it seems that it wasn’t widely reviewed as other Korean brand such as Innisfree and Etude House (that is going to change shortly hohohohohoh). Also, it provides a glimpse of hope that you could approach the level of angelic beauty that is Yoon Jeonghan, which is probably an illusion, but still…100% will buy. And…lip tint commercials with S.Coups/Seungcheol? Yes. Please.
6. Be more mindful with the money I spent
OK, this might sound contradictive with the previous point. Well, the previous point is actually the main reason I have this resolution, haha. After all, I still need to eat on a daily basis and save for my hypothetical future children’s tuition and other things.
I devised a system in which I can buy stuffs I want without too much regret. I write down every expenses I made, because having everything recorded makes it easier to assess my current financial status. Next, I practice delayed gratification : I can only buy skin care products after I reached a certain level of productivity. Habitica is a very fun application (also available on desktop) I use for this purpose, it helps you track your productivity and calculate rewards you deserve after performing your daily tasks. It also has an RPG concept, in which you create a character, perform quests, join guild…and you can literally see your character levels up if you are productive enough. It is very appealing for an achievement-oriented nerd like yours truly.
I might write about this in detail, along with report on whether my system actually works or not 🙂
7. Churn out blog posts more regularly
I get tired of opening blog posts with an apology. Also, the whole point of buying a domain for this blog is to ensure that I am committed to write here. Hopefully after my skin care routine is being regularly performed, and a testing + review schedule is revived, I can post reviews (+other things) more often
That is all for my beauty-related resolutions in 2018. Do you have some beauty-related resolutions (or any resolutions) for this year as well? Please do share below (and best of luck for us in achieving everything, if you do have any kind of resolutions XD)