And we do mean Friend -- as in, find a derm you trust and love so much, they're in your Facebook feed. Even if your skin is the picture of dewy perfection, now's the time to track down a derm you can count on. Schedule an appointment. Get a mole check. Share your medical history. You may not need regular checkups, but you'll want that name in your contacts (and a history on file) in case you ever have a skin emergency -- like a weird rash or the epic zit that pops up days before a major event.
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20s: Dye it
This is the decade for experimenting -- with careers, apartments, diets, and most definitely, hair. Now is the time to go blonde, brunette, pink, blue-streaked, highlighted, you name it. Because when you're 22 and decide to go blazing-red, it's fun and carefree. And unless you're Cyndi Lauper, testing out radical colors when you're over a certain age screams, "I'm trying hard to look young … and it's not working." So take advantage of the small window you have to make wild, interesting, and even bad hair color decisions.
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20s: Master 5-minute makeup
In yours 20s, putting on your face fast means you can stay up all night, oversleep, and still fling yourself into work (somewhat) on time and look no worse for the wear. Down the line, knowing how to slap on your day look faster than you can brew a pot of coffee will be a necessity when you're pulled in so many directions (family, home, kids, aging parents, work). A few dabs of concealer, a quick sweep of eyeliner, a couple strokes of mascara, and a spot of blush should be plenty. Learn it now, use it forever.
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20s: Commit to SPF
The "carefree" 20s mean you can be non-committal about jobs, hairstyles, boyfriends, and other decisions easily put off. One thing you cannot, should not (and please promise us you will not) blow off is making sunscreen part of your daily routine. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, every sunburn increases your chances of developing melanoma -- and melanoma is the most common form of cancer among young people ages 25 to 29. So make SPF a habit like any other -- a thing you do automatically and without hesitation.
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30s: Pick a signature scent
There's something about a signature scent that feels grownup and self-indulgent. Even if you're still buying 80 percent of your makeup at a drugstore, a great fragrance is an affordable luxury that can give you the sophisticated, confident edge you need when you're making strides in life. Coco Chanel famously said, "a woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future." So choose wisely. Pick a fragrance that's timeless, classic, and not likely to be discontinued (say, in six months when the celeb hawking it has a mental breakdown).
There are two kinds of bucket lists. One involves smug, self-congratulating posts on Facebook about death-defying, overachieving feats no one really cares about but you. The other is the one we should be plotting out in the hopes that, when we do finally kick the bucket, we look fabulous. Because no one will remember you taught yourself to knit or did a handstand on the Great Wall of China. But they will talk about your 70-year-old skin looking rosy and fresh like a newborn baby's butt.
This is your beauty bucket list -- a guide to the products, treatments and skin care, makeup and hair adventures you simply must try before you die. Yeah, we know. You're welcome.
