How to Get Your Skincare Products Ready for a Glowing New Year

While you can start fresh at any point of the year, the beginning of a new year is an especially convenient turning point to do just that with your skincare routine. So, in addition to drinking more water and stretching more — hey, we love a realistic resolution — consider taking 2021 to develop your Skincare Wardrobe, customized for your life and your skin. Sure, an audit of your skincare routine can happen anytime, but jumping on it now ensures you start the year ahead with everything you need to keep your skin glowing, nothing more and nothing less. Here, how to make the most of it.

Audit your skincare routine

Before you assemble your glowing-skin essentials, figure out what exactly you’re working with and what within that is actually benefiting your skin. That ensures you won’t end with eight serums at the end of the day.

Organize your skincare stash

Anyone who’s ever spring-cleaned their closet knows that pulling every item out is the best way to start. It’s the only way to really know what you have, giving you a bird’s eye view of it all. Do the same with your skincare, and gather everything you own, whether it’s your daily serum or an eye cream collecting dust under your sink.

Assess your existing products

Go through your skincare products, and check for expiration dates. Most skincare products have a period-after-opening symbol (PAO), which looks like a little jar with a number that indicates how many months it’s good for once it’s open. So, if the PAO on a moisturizer is 12 months, and you’ve had it for way longer, then consider it expired. If that’s the case, it smells funky, or it’s been stored in the wrong place, put it aside to recycle or toss. If it’s still good, ask yourself a few questions about it. Do you use it every day? Does it work for you, and do you like the experience?

And if you’re not using a product, why not? If you didn’t like the texture or it made your skin look red, it’s worth taking note of that so you can avoid those ingredients or types of formulas when putting together your dedicated Skincare Wardrobe.

Get rid of what you didn’t like

Finally, clean house (literally) but responsibly getting rid of anything old or you didn’t like. If it’s not expired, consider donating it to a nonprofit organization like Project Beauty Share, which accepts gently used cleansers, moisturizers, serums, face masks, and more (find the full list here). You can also put together a virtual product swap with your friends, or make them gift bags. For empties or expired products, recycle them according to your local guidelines or send them to Terracycle.

Set your game plan for 2021

Once you’ve curated your skincare routine, set the stage for more glowing skin all year by filling in the gaps as needed. Take your skincare goals into consideration, and take note of how the products you incorporate work for you.

Consider your skin goals

What are you looking for in your skin? Let that guide you. So, if you want to start the new year with a next-level glow, try incorporating Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, a highlighting serum that delivers both instant and long-term radiance. If you really want to up your hydration game, use Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum before applying your moisture; it contains five molecular sizes of hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump every layer of skin. If you haven’t tried a daily, super-gentle exfoliant, consider Watermelon Glow PHA+BHA Pore-Tight Toner, which harnesses super-gentle polyhydroxy and beta hydroxy acids to smooth skin. They’re buffered by cactus water and hyaluronic acid, which deliver all-important moisture to skin. When you get a new product, use a marker to label the opening date so you can compare it against the PAO — ensuring you’ll know if and when the formula expires.

Try targeted treatments

Not all skin is the same. The skin around your eyes is particularly delicate, as it’s the thinnest skin on your body — which explains why it’s one of the first areas to show signs of a poor night’s sleep, sun damage, and overall aging. The same goes for the skin on your lips; it doesn’t have the same oil glands as the rest of your face, so it’s especially prone to dryness. Use a dedicated eye cream, such as Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask, for your eye area, and reach for a moisturizing balm, like Watermelon Glow Lip Pop, for your lips.

Track your skincare journey

Finally, keep track of your progress, whether it’s with an old notebook or a dedicated Skin Care Diary. You can better understand how your skin reacts to different products or ingredients, how it changes with the season, and how stress may be impacting your skin. Being more intuitive about your skin and what it needs on a regular basis is the foundation of our approach to skincare, which is to Take It Day by Day, Skin by Skin™. Once you have that info in hand, you can be proactive about intuiting your skin’s needs — keeping it healthier and happier all year long.

Keep reading about how to start the new year right:

• The Biggest Skincare Trends Coming in 2021
• How Sugar Impacts Your Skin
• How to Build a Skincare Wardrobe