Sammi the Beauty Buff: My New Year Beauty Resolutions for 2016

Hi, friends! Happy 2016! I hope you had a nice New Year's! Today I'd like to talk about New Year's Resolutions. I've never been hard-set on making resolutions, since I think if I wanted to do something, I would have done it already. However, this year I'm really liking the idea of a fresh start, so I think I'd like to take this opportunity for a clean slate. In 2015, I graduated from college and earned a Bachelor's degree, so in 2016 I hope to put it to good use!

Beauty-wise, I like to make a few resolutions each year. It helps set a direction for both myself and this blog. So, if there's something you'd like to see on here in 2016, let me know! I like trying new things, and in the spirit of the new year, now is the time to do so.

Last year, I had a few beauty resolutions as well. How did they stack up?

"1. Master my five minute face" - Hey, I think I actually did this one! More than that, I might have outdone myself. Most days, I don't wear makeup (People don't tend to care much about your appearance in theatre--as long as you've showered, we're happy), but I like applying tinted lip balm and liquid highlighter almost every time I leave the house. It just makes me look so fresh and dewy. Right now I'm loving Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl highlighter (one of November's Favorite Things) and their Lollitint tinted lip balm (see my December Favorites). I'll comb through my brows, but not always fill them in (bad beauty blogger!). If I want to look presentable, I'll add a combination of BB cream, undereye concealer, mascara, tinted brow gel, cream blush, or all of the above to that. Makeup is fun; I like seeing what adding and taking away all of the little pieces will do.

"2. Master the art of doing my brows" - Surprisingly, I can cross this off my list, too! I've explored with different methods of filling in my brows this year, and I've found what I think works best for me. On lazy days, I'll comb through them and apply my Elizabeth Mott Queen of the Fill Tinted Brow Gel I first tried in my September Ipsy Glam Bag. It fills in sparse areas and makes them look groomed and neat. My eyebrows are pretty full to begin with, thankfully. On days where I'll be wearing more makeup, especially if I'm doing a bold lip or eye look, I'll go in with my Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil that I got in my Birchbox from the same month (September was a good month for subscription boxes!) and define the arch and the tail of my brows. Less is more for me, but it's amazing how little it takes to make a difference! Maybe in 2016 I'll try the Anastasia Brow Wiz, which is similar to the pencil I currently have, though it's an automatic and has a finer tip, making it more precise.

Elizabeth Mott Queen of the Fill Tinted Brow Gel

"3. Incorporate more color into my daily routine" - Well, I don't think I was as successful with this. Don't get me wrong, I definitely took strides with my makeup to get out of my comfort zone this year (just see my Greek Goddess Makeup Challenge), but I don't think my adventurousness managed to creep into my daily routine. It's a little impractical, since I didn't wear much makeup daily to begin with this year. It'll be a good goal to try again for 2016, though. Not necessarily this exact resolution, but to be more adventurous, try new things, and have a bit more fun with it. Makeup is art--get inspired.

My New Year Beauty Resolutions for 2016 - Greek Goddess Makeup Challenge (Gaea)

Greek Goddess Makeup Challenge #5: Gaea

"4. Do my nails more often" - Ah, I knew we were going to get to this. I didn't really fulfill this resolution, though truthfully I probably did paint my nails more often. After graduation, I wasn't working in a scene shop where I was constantly painting sets, so I did paint my nails a bit more frequently. They weren't always painted, and I let the chipped nail polish sit a lot longer than I probably should have, but it was a small effort! This would be another one that would be worth giving it another go. "More often" is subjective--as long as it's more often than the year before, it still counts! Right?

My New Year Beauty Resolutions for 2016 - Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish in Porchester Square Swatch

Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish in Porchester Square (Review)

Alright, enough about 2015. We're all about 2016 now. Let's talk about this year.

1. Try more trends and new products - This kind of ties into #3 from last year, but in general, I feel like I should keep up with new releases more. I'm mostly informed about what trends come out and what new products are released, but I barely try a fraction of them. Even though I consider my style to be pretty classic (I was born 40 years old, it's fine), I feel like I should at least try more. It's impossible to keep up with everything, being that there's always a new product being released by one brand or another, but a valiant effort could be nice. Not only for, you know, art and fun, but also I feel that it's my duty as a beauty blogger to be an expert. If I want to be a beauty authority, I really have to be an authority and try more things so I can have an opinion on them. Of course I get subscription boxes and I buy products and companies send me things, but I could always be doing more. You can't have an opinion if you haven't really tried something (and if you do, it's probably not as reliable). I just have to peel myself away from my tried-and-true products and pick up something new. I just bought myself a Beauty Blender sponge, despite all the hype it's been getting in the beauty community since 2013. Trying new products is costly, but if I can try something and tell you guys what I think, maybe I could at least save you guys some money so you don't buy a dud!

September 2015 Birchbox

2. Wear makeup more often - Even though I feel pretty comfortable in my own skin most days, as a beauty blogger I feel like it's almost my duty to wear makeup more often. Wearing it more often means trying more products and gathering more information as to how they work. Skincare I use every day, whether I want to look nice or not, but makeup requires more effort. This kind of ties in with #1, but in general, I'd like to aim to wear it at least a few days a week. In no universe will I be wearing it seven days a week, but ever since I finished up my internship in Connecticut and came back to New York, my makeup game has been seriously slacking. I need to get out of my rut and put some stuff on my face!

What I Packed For Connecticut: Makeup

3. Find my holy grail foundation - Since I've talked about my favorite cream blush on this blog until I was blue in the face (go ahead, guess what it is, I dare you), I think it's about time I felt the same way about a foundation. Or any foundation-like product (BB/CC cream, tinted moisturizer, etc). I like my Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm a lot, but it tends to make my face look shiny, even if I powder it, and my skin is pretty dry (I think it's the sunscreen in it). It'd be great to find an "ol' faithful" product I can slap on my face and know will look great without much touching up throughout the day. Guess I better try some more new products, huh?

Laura Geller Balance-n-Brighten Baked Color Correcting Foundation in Light

4. Amp up my photography game - Now that I'm armed with a DSLR camera, there's no excuse for poor-quality photos. I've started exploring different set-ups for photo shoots, so in 2016 I plan to have fun playing around with different flay lays. I'm getting pretty bored with my tray, and going outside when it gets cold out is miserable (we've finally hit the 30s in New York), so it'd be great to find a place inside with good enough lighting! Stay tuned. This is one resolution where you'll be able to see every step of my progress. :)