With the new year comes new trends in fashion and beauty. This means it is time to move on from bold red lip color, little girl bows and ombre hair extensions. Move best face forward into 2014 with these five key beauty tips and tricks.

Say goodbye to the dry

The battle to have moisturized skin during winter is almost always a lost one. However, there is one last option to exhaust: Apply a moisturizer, like coconut oil, to your skin before taking a shower. Applying coconut oil after is useless. In winter, our skin is drier because we typically take warm showers. The hot water washes away the layer of oil on the surface of our skin, rendering us frosty and flaky.

Get out of my face

This summer, I styled my hair with blunt bangs. I was about to start college, so I thought, why not try a fresh look? What could go wrong? Let me tell you: everything. It has been six months since I had them cut, and they are still in the awkward phase. Recently, I stumbled upon some great tips for growing them out:

1. Pin your bangs to the side with strong bobby pins. It turns out that there is such a thing as knock-off bobby pins. Stay away from those. Get (rid of) the most bang for your buck.
2. Try out hairstyles that flatter bangs.  Wearing a headband is trendy this season (rest in peace hair bows), and it will hide your bangs as well. You can also sport the messy bun pictured above. In my experience, this actually works best if you have bangs. The bangs add volume and an untidy-in-a-good-way vibe to the bun. Simply secure your bangs underneath the bun.
3. 3. Another remedy is to have your hair stylist thin them out. This will help you manage your bangs more easily.  As a last resort, you can apply a hair growth supplement to your bangs.

Leaf it up

Whenever I want to add a little bit of shine to my mani, I usually embellish the nail of my ring finger with glitter. The beloved “party nail” lit up my world for about two years, but the time came to branch out. The copper leaf star manicure is the perfect way to spice up your mani-pedi game. Here’s how to do it:

1.  Using nail scissors, cut out small star shapes from the gold sheet. Fold the sheet in two for symmetry. (Tip: You can find gold leafing paper from Blick Art Materials, 1755 Maple Ave.
   
2. Paint a thin layer of clear polish onto the nail you want to accent. (Tip: Paint your nails black matte beforehand.)
3. Let the nail dry partially and then stick the star on with your tweezers or your fingers if you’re super careful.
4. After the nail has dried more, peel the backing off. Finish it with another clear coat.

Wash, rinse and repeat

After a long night of studying, all you want to do is throw yourself onto your bed and fall asleep. Washing your face before bed is the last thing on your mind, but it’s pretty important, almost as big a deal as that test you were cramming for. Why? Nightly face washes may prevent wrinkles, dirt buildup, acne and dry skin. Treat washing your makeup off like homework. Set a daily time and abide by it. You can definitely afford at least a five-minute study break, and you will feel refreshed when you hit the books again. Be sure to select a face wash that contains moisturizer.

Hats off to winter

Fedoras, knitted beanies, cloche hats and plain baseball caps will simultaneously make you warmer and any ensemble cooler. Beware of over-accessorizing with hats and extra-long beanies that project a Dopey the dwarf from “Snow White” image. My personal favorite right now is the logo-less baseball cap. Wear it with a knit dress and cargo green jacket or jeans and a cardigan for a boyish twist on a girly outfit. This year get a-head fashionably: Put down your fur hood and put on a hat instead.

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