Happy New Year everyone! Thinking about changing your life this year for the better? Less stress, breaking bad habits, trying a new look, or getting in shape are all top favorite resolutions and trust me, you can do it. Sometimes you just need the tools to help guide you toward your goal.

Well, I have discovered one of the best guides around to help you achieve those dreams. It is the book HEALTHY LIVING FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Mariel Hemingway. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with this gorgeous and enlightened woman and let me tell you, she is truly an inspiration. In her guide to real beauty, renewed energy and a radiant life she breaks it down into four important categories; food, exercise, silence and home. These are the foundational areas in which she helps us focus on where problems lie and easy ways to change for the better. The best part is her 30-day quick start program described in the book, and you know I love anything quick and easy.

To update your makeup wardrobe this New Year try my 5 top tips:

1. Out with the old. Go through your makeup bag and toss old and dried up items or colors that just don’t work. Starting this year with a clean makeup bag will give you a fresh perspective.
2. Experiment with color. If you’re like most women you are in a makeup rut, using the same old, boring shades. This year try a brighter version of your favorite blush or lip shade, or try a sweep of jewel-toned eyeliner or shadow.
3. Try the new trend. This coming season we are revisiting pink for lips and cheeks, but with all the different shades there is one for you no matter what your skin tone. A general guideline is if you’re fair, go with cool pinks. Redheads should choose peachy pinks, and medium skin tones look great with berry pinks. Mocha skin looks beautiful with golden warm pinks, and dark skin looks gorgeous with bright strawberry pinks.
4. Go for the drama. Play with a dramatic look next time you have an event or a dinner. Play with a Marilyn Monroe red lip, a JLo glow or a Brigitte Bardot eye. Something a bit more daring than usual, but choose just one feature at a time to keep things looking chic, not scary. Remember, it’s just makeup and it should be fun sometimes.
5. Create your personal beauty mantra. This is an important one! Every day say something wonderful to yourself while you’re doing your makeup. Instead of the usual “I hate my dark circles,” or “I wish I had an upper lip,” start saying, “I am beautiful,” or “My, what sexy eyes I have.”

1. Mariel Hemingway’s Healthy Living From The Inside Out. My favorite chapter is on the home and creating your sacred space. Available at www.barnesandnoble.com
2. Makeup Forever Crystal Makeup Bag. Clear, so you can see what the heck goes on inside. Available at www.sephora.com
3. Mac Powder Blush in Fleur Power. This is a great, fresh-looking bright blush and a universal shade that works on everyone. Available at www.maccosmetics.com
4. L’Oreal High Intensity Pigments. Just remember, a little goes a long way. Available at drugstores everywhere.
5. ELF Soothing Lip Gloss in Pink Lemonade. The perfect shade of pink for medium skin tones, and for only a buck. Available at www.eyeslipsface.com
6. Chanel Silky Cheek Colour in BeBop. This is the Rolls Royce of blush, but a perfect pink for fair skin. Available at www.neimanmarcus.com
7. Shu Uemura Long Eyelashes Regular. A great strip of falsies you can cut to fit your lash line exactly for a fun, retro look. Available at www.shuuemura-usa.com
8. Lancome Artliner. This precision point liner pen creates the best dramatic eye in one easy swipe and comes in a great array of shades. Available at www.lancome-usa.com
9. Bare Escentuals Quick-Stick Lipcolor in Escentual Red. This is a great creamy liner and lipstick in one for a flawless application. Available at www.sephora.com
10. Blinc Kiss Me Mascara. My new obsession, this incredible new formula “tubes” your lashes for a smudge-free finish. Available at www.sephora.com

Have a question you want Carmindy to answer? Email her at newsletter@carmindy.com

Kenya writes:
Hi, I am an African American with medium to dark combination skin. I recently had a baby, and with pregnancy came acne that I just got under control. Now I have very fine blackheads and some dark spots where I picked the acne. I watch you on TLC and like the work you do. What products are good for my type of skin and how do I apply it? How can I be pretty again?

Carmindy:
First off love, you are prettier now than you have ever been because you are a mom, and there is nothing more gorgeous than that. Now for your skin, make an appointment with a dermatologist and see if you are a candidate for a light glycolic peel. These great AHA peels really get rid of light scars and blackheads. To even out your skin I recommend Cinema Secrets Foundation at www.cinemasecrets.com. They have the most incredible range of colors for dark skin and it’s creamy but oil-free texture will give you glowing, perfect looking skin.

Cheryl Guggenheim writes;
After I put on my mascara, about 2 hours later I see smears of it on my upper eyelids. Is there a way to avoid this?

Carmindy:
You must try the new Blinc Kiss Me Mascara at www.sephora.com. I also have this problem, and since I started using this new mascara I have not had a single smudge. This unique formula creates water-resistant tubes around your lashes instead of painting them with oil-based color and comes off easily with warm water. You won’t be disappointed.

Patricia Boyer writes;
How can I wear body shimmer without it getting on my clothes?

Carmindy:
Try Era Glaze at www.classifiedcosmetics.com. This awesome shimmer can be sprayed onto your body before getting dressed, and then dries so it does not rub off on clothes. I use this on models when I’m doing beach photo shoots or glowing skin beauty stories in magazines.