We're almost done with the first quarter of this year, but the year is still young, so I'm still setting goals for 2016. One of my main themes for my career and life this year is consistency. I've learned from watching others that consistency is where success lives. My personal style and image is something that I've always wanted to spend some quality time on, so I'm officially making 2016 my style year! I think the things listed here can be hard for many women to stay consistent with, but I think being faithful to these 7 things will result in my outer image and personal style matching up with my inner self:
Perfect my 10 and 5 minute faces.
My mornings usually consist of me rushing to shower, get dressed, and get out the door to be on time for work. That said, I usually don't have time for a long makeup session before work even though I want to wear makeup on a more regular basis. That's where the 5 and 10 minute faces come in. The 5 minute will be used when I'm really rushing ( or when I oversleep!) and the 10 minute will be used when I have a little more time in the morning. I've already decided to condense my makeup collection into a few essential palettes, and that streamlining should help me stay consistent with a daily makeup routine as well. My first makeup palette was the Naked On The Run palette by Urban Decay, which I think was made for 5 or 10 minute faces.
Commit to monthly mani-pedis.
I love the look of freshly polished nails and toes. I'm not a big fan of long nails or overly ornate nails, but a set of blue, green, or purple short nails and toes is sometimes all I need to feel like a glamdoll. I know I can learn how to do my own mani-pedis, but I'd rather go to a spa to get the extra foot massage. That's self care and a beauty goal met all in one!
Show my brows more love.
I usually try to get my brows threaded once a month, but since I've moved, I haven't been able to find a great place that does threading, so I been sliding on my brow upkeep lately. Not only do I want to find a great threader in my new town, but I also want to learn how to properly fill in my brows. Learning how to do the under-brow-concealer thing without ending up looking permanently surprised would be great to know too.
Create and commit to a perfect skin care plan.
I've always had problems with acne as a teenager. Now that I'm getting older, not only do I have acne, but I also have some rough looking spots and some discoloration in places on my face as well. I'd like to find the perfect products for me to create a skin care plan to help me combat those things. Smooth, clear skin will always be the best canvas to any kind of makeup.
Consistently show off my personal style in a more polished way.
I think I've always known my personal style, which I describe as classic meets romantic meets tribal meets edgy. My problem is that I don't always know what will look the best on my body. I haven't yet been able to determine what kind of shape I am, but I think I'm sort of pear-ish according to my measurements. Plus, I'm petite, so pants and maxi dresses have always been a struggle for me. I've been doing research on how to dress this type of body, and I'm excited about doing more outfit photos and posts to show off what I've learned. I can get in such a rut sometimes of just throwing on a top and slacks for work or a t-shirt and jeans on weekends, but I'd like to use accessories and unexpected details to polish up my look.
Pair down my closet and step up quality.
Another thing that I've learned about myself through moving is that the less stuff I have, the better. Especially when it comes to clothes. I want to edit my closet the way I edit my writing...I only want the best stuff that really reflects the message I'm trying to send to stay in. Since I'll have less, I'll have more to spend higher quality items that won't wear as quickly as cheaper stuff. And yes, I'm getting in on the whole capsule wardrobe trend. I'll end up looking more pulled together when all of my pieces can be mixed and matched with each other.
Experiment more with hair styles.
Finally, I've got to do something with my hair! It's longer than it's ever been before, but I'd rather have styled, healthy looking hair than hair that's just long and laying on my shoulders. I'm thinking about getting long layers cut in since I had those in college and I really loved them. I'd also like to take a few chances with my hair and maybe experiment with color again like I did in my early 20s. There's so many options...braids, faux locs, wet sets...I'll keep my Instagram updated with my hair adventures!
What are your beauty and style goals for 2016?