My 2016 Fashion and Beauty Resolutions

I probably say this every year but man did this year go by fast! So many great things happened in 2015 and I owe a lot of it to positive thinking (thoughts become things) and working hard. 2016 is going to be even more awesome because I say so.

I’m happy to report that I kept ALL of my 2015 fashion and beauty resolutions. Yep—EVERY SINGLE ONE. OK well technically I didn’t try more wigs and half-wigs like I wanted but I DID get more half-wigs made (that I haven’t worn yet) and I did try a full weave with a closure—TWICE. I’d say I’m still pretty golden. But I stayed on course with everything else including doing more video. I’m proud of myself. I plan on keeping up those resolutions into 2016, but I’ll be adding some more.

Some of my many makeup looks in 2015—funny, I wore makeup less (hey, it happens when you work from home) but actually wore MORE makeup…lol. I’m talking highlight/contour, lashes, the whole shebang. Here’s a bunch of posts and videos to check out:

Why I Now Highlight and Contour Every Time I Do My Makeup
Why One Foundation May Not Cut it for Women of Color
My Updated Foundation Routine (with tips I picked up from my MUA homey Andi Yancey—I highly recommend taking a makeup lesson to tighten your skills—and she offers them)
Makeup 101 Tutorial Series
How to Apply False Lashes

So here’s my 2016 fashion and beauty resolutions:

1. Wear more navy

Honestly, navy is such an underrated color and I plan on making the hue more prominent in my 2016 wardrobe. I know this might seem like a weird resolution, but alas…lol.

2. Get laser hair removal

Listen, there’s SO many liberating things that happen once you reach your 30s, but I could certainly do with much less facial hair…lol. As we get older, our hormone levels change and things like peach fuzz (or full grown peach…lol) on your upper lip start to happen. But as a woman of color removing the hair sometimes isn’t an easy feat. Some hair removal methods can cause ingrown hairs and dark spots on us and I’d rather have a 5 o’clock shadow than ingrowns and dark spots…lol. One of the best methods for us to ditch the extra hair is through laser hair removal BUT we have to be careful and ensure we go to a professional who uses the right type of laser (it needs to be able to detect the difference between the pigment cells in our skin and our hair) and who has a myriad of documented experience working on darker skin tones. Once I find this person, I’m starting treatments (it can take a bunch over time and then you might also need more after about six months or so).

3. Organize regularly

I find that I only find the time to purge and reorganize both my wardrobe and makeup stash when things are already a bit over the top—okay A LOT over the top. I spend WAY less when I have less in my wardrobe so it’s important for me to get it together…lol. I also have the attention span of a 4 year old so I also need to adapt a motto of “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Otherwise things can get pretty cluttered pretty quickly. This also goes for my work space, my bedroom, and entertaining spaces (which I don’t use for entertaining because well, uh…you know).

4. Travel even more

Yeah, this was one of last year’s resolutions, but I’m putting it up here again because it’s one of my favorite things to do. In 2015 I went to Grenada, Germany, Trinidad, England, and Ecuador (I’ll be writing about Ecuador really soon!)—in 2016 I want to go to at least twice as many countries.

5. Try more conditioning exercises/sports

Yeah, I might look young, but my knee, my back, and neck aren’t…lol. Whenever my knee starts acting up, I know I’m probably falling back on my quad exercises (my doctor once told me to focus on strengthening my quads which will in turn help my knee—she was SO right). I also need to do more core exercises because that will help with my back. I also want to try more Pilates and yoga so that in the event I fall, I heal better…lol.

I lost almost 30 pounds through Weight Watchers so this year was all about experimenting with my style. I’m mostly a cargo pants and moto jacket, relaxed-fit, sporty-chic kind of girl, but this year I wore a lot more form-fitting dresses and skirts than I probably ever have in life…lol.

See previous outfit posts here.

6. Buy a few more statement pieces

I used to browse designer sites and places like Off Saks ALL THE TIME. Not sure why I stopped (ok—yes, I do…lol. I was shopping too much) but I’ll be back to browsing during certain times of year when prices are really good—also stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, and Neiman Marcus when they have end-of-season sales. I need a few more “OMG WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FROM?!?!?” type items in the form of coats/jackets, over the knee boots, and a pair of moto boots. Maybe another bag or two. MAYBE. Depends on how well I behave…lol.

Happy New Year, guys! I’ve been SO blessed to have so many amazing people around me and I consider you all friends in my head. You guys are so awesome—so many of you have read this blog since day one and so many of you have come on more recently and have told me how much you enjoy being here. There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am for each and every one of you. I hope 2016 brings you everything you want and more!

So that’s that for me. What are YOUR 2016 fashion and beauty resolutions?