Follow these 8 good luck rituals to get your New Year off to a great start , especially if this year is one that you will be glad to see the back of.

# 1.  Give a coin

Give a coin to everyone who visits – especially on New Year’s Eve – to ensure prosperity for the upcoming year. 

According to Celts, throwing coins into water is especially lucky. 

#2. Dark Haired Man

Have a dark-haired man come in to your house last thing on New Year’s Eve to ensure luck all year round. 

Romance will blossom in the year ahead if you see a dark-haired man first thing on New Year’s Day.

#3. Change clock batteries

Change all of your clock batteries on New Year’s Eve to ensure time goes well for you.

#4. Burn Last Year’s Calendar

Safely burn last year’s calendar to cleanse the energy around you. 

#5. Throw a party

Celebrate with friends on New Year’s Eve and share food and drink – it will chase away bad luck and spread abundance around. 

At the start of a new year we all make some resolutions to start taking better care of ourselves.  

These easy beauty resolutions will help you create a new self-care routine and start the new year with a fresh outlook. 

Resolution #1. Clean Your Brushes

You pretty much use them every day, but how many times a year do you wash your make-up brushes? For most of us, it’s close to none. 

The general rule is to wash your concealer and foundation sponges and brushes at least once a week. 

Your eye shadow and liner brushes once a fortnight and all other brushes (including your hairbrush) once a month. 

Gently wash the bristles with brush cleaner or a gentle facial cleanser, keeping the handle of the brushes dry then gently press out the excess water on some paper towel or a clean tissue and leave to air dry overnight. 

Resolution #2 Wear Sunscreen Everyday

If there is one beauty resolution to live by, it should be to wear sunscreen every day, including cloudy days. While UVB – the rays which burn your skin – might not be as strong during the cooler months, the ageing UVA rays are present all year round. 

With SPF50+ now available, increase your skin protection factor to the highest possible rating and save your complexion from unnecessary daily damage. 

Resolution #3. Try out some new skin care products

Your skin gets used to the same products so switch it up every time the season changes. It takes time to achieve a flawless complexion, so give your products around 6 – 8 weeks to prove their efficacy. 

Anti-ageing and targeted treatments like skin brightening serums usually take about 6 weeks of daily application to start showing results, while a total skin care regime overhaul should see improvements in around 4 – 6 weeks. Definitely try other products if you’re not getting any results after 8 weeks.

Resolution #4. Nourish your nails and cuticles

During the warmer months nails can become dehydrated just like your hair and skin. Factors like soaps, dish washing detergent, and too much fun in the sun will affect the strength of your nails, potentially causing them to become brittle and break, chip, or flake. 

You can repair the damage with a good hand cream that you should apply at least (minimum) twice a day and a cuticle oil that you apply last thing at night before you go to bed. 

Other helpful things you can do to repair some damage is to always wear gloves when doing your dishes and always use acetone-free nail polish remover. 

When purchasing your next nail shade, look for nail polishes that are Formaldehyde, DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate) and Toluene FREE.

Resolution #5. Shelve your shampoo

Do you wash your hair every day? It may be time to stop. Daily washing can strip your scalp of natural oils, leaving it dehydrated. In turn your scalp will produce more oil to help balance the moisture, making it even oilier. 

Generally washing your hair every second day is fine. It might take a while for your scalp to readjust, so use a dry shampoo to soak up any unwanted sebum which will leave your hair looking clean and healthy between washes.  

The Christmas Selfie season has arrived and there are lots of reasons to celebrate and new memories to capture. 

Follow these 7 easy to follow tips you will always be selfie ready.

Tip #1 Tame flyaways 

Photographs highlight frizzy hair, especially when you’re sporting a sleek pulled back pony!

To smooth out the stragglers rub a dob of hair serum between your palms, then run hands lightly over the top of your hair especially along your hair line, where the frizzies are most likely to be.

Tip #2 Add a hint of shine

Bad lighting or a harsh flash can make your hair colour appear dull and drab.

Create your own luster by spraying your ends with a spray on shine serum.

Be sure to avoid your roots which are naturally shiny from the natural oils in your scalp.

Tip #3 Add Volume

Flip your hair over and mist the underside with hairspray then flip it back and mist over the top.

This double spritz will lock the height and style in place.

Tip#4 Less is more

Thankfully you don’t need layers and layers of makeup to camouflage redness or pimples – a green-tinted primer or green-tinted concealer will do the trick – it will neutralize any ruddiness from your zits plus camouflage any rosiness.

If you want to learn tricks on how to make a pimple vanish click here

Tip #5 Make your eyes sparkle

For parties and special occasions, the smoky eye look is a must, but in photos the smoky eye can make your eyes seem smaller.

Try adding a highlight shimmer to the inner corners of each eye, under your brow bone, and just above your cheek bones. 

As the flash goes off the camera will pick up the sparkle, illuminating your eyes and entire face. 

Tip #6 Go for a matte foundation

Shine for your hair is fabulous but it’s not flattering for your face.

To avoid lighting up the photo, dust a translucent powder over your face, focusing on your oily areas like your t-zone then blot with a tissue. 

This will remove the excess shine that would otherwise accentuate fine lines. 

If you don’t like wearing a matte foundation but want a matte makeup look try using a matte makeup spray.

Tip #7 Before you say cheese

If you plan to eat and drink at the party, chances are your lippy will need a touch up throughout the night.

Be sure to carry a compact mirror in your purse so you have something to look in whilst fixing your lippy.

Whilst there be sure to check that your makeup and hair are on point, before you say cheese.