Beauty resolutions you can keep

Five very realistic pledges to make right now

1. Clean your phone

If you suffer from recurring breakouts, your cell may be to blame. It presses against your highlighterbronzer-blushadorned cheek, rests on a restaurant table (face down because you want to be polite) and takes a deep dive through your purse. Keep disinfectant wipes handy to give bacteria (and blemishes) the boot. Whoosh! screen shine wipes, $10, walmart.ca

2. Use heat protectant

Most flatirons can reach temperatures hot enough to bake a cake, and yet we wonder why our hair turns to hay mere weeks after a trim. Put an end to the torture and coat your strands with a thermal shield anywhere you use heat (i.e., not just on your lengths). Redken pillow proof primer, $26, chatters.ca

3. Pamper your cuticles

Did you know treating the skin around your nails to a daily dose of nourishment helps with chipping and breaking? That’s because nails grow thicker and stronger when cuticles are healthy, and polish doesn’t lift off near the base as nails grow out (a.k.a. the doom of many a gel mani). Dior Crème abricot nail crème, $34, holtrenfrew.com

4. Wash your brushes

Keep your skin clear and your makeup application precise by cleaning your brushes at least once a week with a gentle soap or brush cleaner. Squeeze out excess moisture, reshape the brush head and let it dry hanging off the edge of a counter to keep the shape intact. Cinema Secrets makeup brush cleaner, $32, sephora.ca

5. Wear sunscreen daily

Nothing new here, but a regular slather of SPF is still the single best thing you can do for your skin. That’s because UV rays are the main culprit of premature aging and can lead to serious conditions, including cancer. Take an extra 30 seconds to smooth on a broad spectrum formula, rain or shine. Clinique pep-start daily UV protector broad spectrum SPF 50, $28, nordstrom.com