I spy with my little eye... good resolutions

I am not one for good resolutions, I consider improvement a daily thing. I don't get dry January, and I do not intent to give up gluten, lactose, and sugar (you can have a look at my philosophy on diet here). I respect people who live by the paleo diet, vegetarians, vegans, people who have to change their ways because of health issues, and I am always looking for new, healthier recipes, but I don't smoke, or binge, or eat fast food, so please, respect my right to caffeine and cheese. That being said (as you can see, I feel very strongly about this), there is always space for improvement, you just have to choose your battles, and being healthier is not just about diet and fitness. I tend to keep my goals simple and attainable: no I will not start yoga this year (turns out I am not very good at this whole breathing thing), but I will floss more often (true story, this is one of my 2016 resolutions). An other thing I have been working on for a while now, is actually trying to get into a healthier skin routine. I cannot say that I only use natural products yet, but little by little I am changing my ways.

This year I have decided to switch body and face lotion for virgin coconut oil. I actually started playing with it 6 months ago so I can tell you it works for me. Now this might not be a good fit for all skin types but I never had skin problems, apart from a couple of moles and freckles, I can't say that my skin is bugging me. What I like about coconut oil is that:  

- it melts very quickly in my hands so it is easy to apply

- the skin absorbs it within 10min, so it is pretty quick

- it leaves the skin hydrated but not oily

- it is cheap

- no chemicals

- I can use it to hydrate my face, body, hair, but I can also use it as a makeup remover, yes I can!

I use it rather in the evening because in the morning, especially in Dubai, I need SPF.

New routine with only 3 healthy and cheap ingredients: virgin coconut oil, honey and sugar:

An other little trick that recently made it to my skin routine is lipscrubbing. Because I like lipstick and because the AC in Dubai dries the life out of your skin, let's be honest, I've had dried lips for as long as I remember. But scrubbing sometimes when you're in the shower (remember I don't like to get out of my way) takes 2 seconds and can actually make a difference. I found two good ways to do it: either use an old toothbrush and gently rub it on your lips, or mix a teaspoon of honey with a teaspoon of sugar, keep it in a little container next to your bathtub and just use it once a week, it can last for a month.

It's the little things that count and I'm a firm believer in constant improvement but one at the time.