{New Year’s Resolutions} Looking back, and looking forward

It’s that time of year to make ourselves feel badly for not doing what we said we’d do last year, and put pressure on ourselves to do better this year. It’s a terrible tradition, but that doesn’t mean I’m not partaking.

First, here’s a review of my 2012 fashion and beauty resolutions:

1. Wear more patterns. Moderate fail. I’ve definitely bought more striped tops this year, but that’s about as close to a solid color as you can get, in the realm of patterns. More work to do here.
2. Unsubscribe. I did a lot of unsubscribing to unwanted newsletters early in the year. Of course by now I’ve managed to end up on plenty of new lists, so I’m probably in no better shape than I was a year ago. This needs to be an ongoing effort.
3. Wear more scarves. I’ll call this one a success. See here, here and here.
4. Use the Clarisonic daily. FAIL.
5. Shop my own makeup collection. I’ve been fairly good about this, other than buying nail polish.
6. Donate, consign and trash. Moderate success. I did one or two trips to the consignment store in 2012, and one massive trip to make a donation at the thrift shop. I’ve started accumulating things again, but I at least have them organized now. My closet has two canvas bins: one for donations, one to consign. Hopefully this will help me stay on top of things better.

Did I do everything that I wanted to? No. But I’m not too upset about my misses. And let’s be honest, none of these resolutions were life-changing goals.

And now on to 2013…

1. Blog more. Between moving into the new house, being pregnant, and then having a newborn, I’ve had a lot going on in my life. As a result, the blog has suffered. I’m going to work really hard to post more consistently in 2013!
2. Quality over quantity. I’ve been moving in this direction for a while now, but I want 2013 to be the year that I really stop buying disposable clothes — and the threshold for that distinction is going a bit higher. Even the Gap skinny crop pants that I loved so much last year are just wearing terribly, and I’ve decided that they’re not worth the money. Now, they’re obviously not Forever 21 quality, but I still think it’s worth the extra money to buy a pair from Banana Republic or J.Crew instead, and not have to replace them as soon. Owning my first pair of Theory pants has helped me come to this conclusion.
3. Spend more time on hair and makeup. Also largely as a result of having my little munchkin, I’ve gotten very lazy about doing my hair and makeup in the mornings. There have been a LOT of ponytail days, and I’ve rarely been bothering with more than brow pencil and mascara. But the days that I do make the time to straighten my hair and/or put on eyeshadow, I just feel better. I need more of those days.
4. Unsubscribe. Last year it was about email newsletters, this year it’s about magazines and catalogs. I have a stack of probably 30 magazines and catalogs that I have every intention of flipping through. Some day. Some of these are paid for, most are free, but either way — they’re just taking up space. So, I plan to ask some retailers to stop sending me things, and I will be moving to tablet-only versions of Lucky and Vogue.
5. Wear more heels. I’ve gotten really lazy when it comes to wearing heels. Flats are just so much more comfortable that I can’t be bothered most days with anything else. But, like when I do my hair and makeup properly, I do feel good about myself when I’m wearing heels (at least until the end of the day when my feet are killing me). So, while I’m still going to be wearing plenty of flats, I want to mix in heel-wearing more often.

What are your fashion- and beauty-related resolutions for 2013?