I don’t know about you, but 2020 was a weird year for me, skin-wise. COVID kind of threw me off my game when it came to beauty routines. I mean, I know I wore 80 percent less makeup than I do in a normal year, but I also know my skincare routine evolved because of all this time at home. If you’re looking to switch up your routine or your current routine just isn’t doing it for you anymore, here are five small changes you can make to your skincare in 2021.

Try skincare brushes

A lot of us apply our face masks, moisturizers, serums and treatments with our hands, which is fine, but honestly not ideal. The trick is to find skincare brushes specifically designed for that purpose, like these from Anisa, which are my favorite. Not only does it add a step of luxury to your routine, but they won’t waste product. As long as you find skincare brushes that are properly designed to blend and apply product to your skin without product waste, you’ll be set. Quality makes all the difference!

Craft a gentle cocktail

No alcohol required! Mixing your favorite products can help you get more bang for your buck without overloading your skin. Be careful when combining products, and make sure you know your ingredients so everything is copasetic. For example, trying mixing your CC cream or foundation in the morning with your favorite facial oil for a dewy glow. At night, instead of two full pumps of serum and overwhelming your skin, try half a pump of a vitamin C serum and half a pump of a retinol treatment.

Make ice globes a daily treat

Each morning after I put on my eye cream, I head to the fridge to grab my ice globes. The results are automatic. Using ice globes under your eyes helps depuff, kickstart circulation, and even helps with lymphatic drainage and sinus pressure. Basically you get all the benefits that our grandmas had from rubbing ice cubes under their eyes, but without the mess.

Embrace Smart Skincare

You know how they say “there’s an app for that”? It’s true! There are some truly brilliant skincare apps out there that will help track your progress, make the best product selections, send reminders and more. Here are some of our favs:

Think Dirty: This app identifies and assesses toxic ingredients in beauty products to make sure the products you’re putting in contact with your skin are only good things.
TroveSkin: After an initial skin quiz, TroveSkin explains your skin type: what it does and doesn’t like and how you can work to solve your skincare woes. It allows you to track your progress and keep a skincare diary, so you can work out what doesn’t and does work for you.
Wolfram Sun Exposure: Provides localized, real-time information on UVA and UVB rays to help you plan your day and minimize your exposure to the harmful rays. The app can be set to give you sunscreen reapplication reminders and provides tips for staying safe in the sun.
Skincare Routine: For those with a complex skincare routine, you’ll love this simple app. The Skincare Routine app lets you input all the steps in your a.m. and p.m. regimen and will notify you when you need to accomplish them. You can also put the names of all the products in your rotation in your “Shelf” to make your routine in the app more personalized.

Wash your face 3x a day

It looks like we’ll still be wearing masks at least until mid-2021, and probably longer. One of the best ways to avoid the dreaded “maskne” is to up your cleansing game. If you’re going into the office and wearing a mask all day, or even if you’re wearing a mask for extended periods of time, adding in an afternoon cleansing sesh will only benefit you.

if you are wearing a mask all day, try keeping a supply of oil-free wipes on hand. Gently wiping your skin clean several times during the day will reduce the amount of sweat and oil that accumulate, resulting in unwanted “maskne.”

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