Welcoming a fanstastic New Year for Floraesthetics

I was browsing beauty blogs and realized many writers are sharing their New Year's resolutions with readers. As I reflected on the things they are focusing on for 2012, I found myself inspired to write my own resolutions.

Last year, I only wrote a few resolutions to help me stay on track. I wanted to drink more water (did not do so well in the execution phase), I wanted to write a business plan for Floraesthetics (not much luck), and I wanted to take a vacation to a cozy mountain retreat with my beau (again did not happen).

Floraesthetics Holiday Collection

Instead of feeling defeated, I was actually inspired by reading bloggers' resolutions because I started to think about all the great things that came, in part, from my resolution-making.

While I did not drink more water, I did eat much healthier in 2011 and my motivation is still strong. My boyfriend and I put together a list of superfood-inspired ingredients to incorporate into our diet in 2012. As he says, the key to a healthy diet is high-nutrient food with low-caloric values. I will again resolve to drink more water, but I feel great about our nutritional progress in 2011.

I didn't write the business plan. That was one of the harder things on my list. However, I did put a lot of time and effort into Floraesthetics. Floraesthetics officially has a website & blog www.floraesthetics.com, a Facebook page www.facebook.com/floraesthetics, can be followed on Twitter www.twitter.com/floraesthetics, and a YouTube Channel at, you guessed it, www.youtube.com/floraesthetics. I also created a bunch of fantastic skin care products and learned a lot from the recipes that did not come out so great. I have kind friends and family that are courageously testing my products and helping me perfect formulas. I took my first entrepreneur steps in 2011, even if that did not involve writing a business plan.

Finally, I did not go on a retreat, but I did get to travel often for work. That included some fun leisure time, like going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the wonderfully-exotic Spa at Four Seasons Resort Nevis. There, I treated myself to one of the best pedicures of my life. The facilities were to die for with gorgeous mountain views, a relaxing ambiance, and very skilled, courteous staff. I also went on a group camping trip with family and friends. Despite the bugs and heat, we had a great time.

As the New Year begins, I'm going to put together a wish list to guide and inspire me throughout the coming year.

1. Be positive and optimistic – easier said than done, but this makes all the difference in the world.
2. Spend more quality time with my family – whether it was with my boyfriend, family or even my pets, I found that I had a lot on my mind during “quality” time in 2011. I want to focus on enjoying the time with my family rather than letting my mind wander to work, to-do lists or other distractions.
3. Eat healthy – his resolution includes drinking and eating more nutritionally in 2012. I want to drink more water and decrease my caffeine consumption, as well as incorporate more superfoods into our diet. Paired with a natural beauty routine, this resolution should be reflected on my skin at the end of 2012.
4. Start a vegetable garden – even if it's just a few, potted veggies, maybe peppers or tomatoes, I want to learn to garden more than just herbs. 
5. Exercise – I always have a hard time with this all-time-most-resolved-new year resolution. I go through phases, but I want to try really hard to be consistent. My knees gave me problems in 2011, but hopefully my 10-year high school reunion in June will be a good motivator. Yoga and pilates, here I come. And for my beauty inspired resolutions.... drum roll please...
6. Perfect Floraesthetic's first all-natural skin care line – I'm getting closer to this goal every day. See Floraesthetics Holiday Collection above. It's exciting!
7. Write a blog post a week – again, consistency is the key. I even created a nice work space in my apartment to create a conducive and creative environment. I am thinking of scheduling monthly topics, like these:

• Week 1 – Product Review: review a skin care, make-up, bath and body or lifestyle product. As I'm just starting my beauty blog, I will use my current stash of products (natural or not) to get me started.
• Week 2 – DYI Testing: write about my product formulation and testing journey. I will share some formulas when I'm SURE they are easy to make and effective, and some formulas I will keep with the goal of developing a product line. Regardless, writing about my experience will help me stay focused and record my progress.
• Week 3 – Information: this will cover techniques, news, ingredients and trends from the beauty world.
• Week 4 – Wildcard: I don't want my blog to feel like another product review site. As a public relations professional, cooking aficionado, sometimes news junkie and all-around curious person, I come across tons of non-beauty things that I want to share with the world. Whether a new recipe or an interesting news story or a rant about a pet peeve, I will use the Wildcard week to add some spice to my blog.

Seven is a good number, a nice achievable number. Wish me luck!