New Year's Post: 2011 Beauty Revolutions & 2012 Resolutions

I feel as though there will be this mass of new year's blog posts, but how could I possibly not do one? ;) To me, New Year's Eve is almost a crossroad where you look back on the last year and forward on the coming one, which is why I titled this post revolutions & resolutions. I'll try to be brief, but this post is dedicated to my favorite beauty products of 2011 and my 2012 beauty resolutions!
2011 Beauty Revolutions
I would call all of my favorite beauty products form 2011 revolutionary because their performance is so amazing that they stand out that much from their competition in my opinion. Keep in mind, these are in no particular order, but each is a favorite from this past year! Some are new as of 2011, some not, but all are products I fell head over heels for this year.
1.  Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy and Eye Shadows - Indie woohoo!
I am a huge fan of Fyrinnae and while I'd purchased before 2011, they were an absolute favorite of mine this year between new shades that were released and old shades I fell back in love with. As I've probably mentioned before, several of my go-to shades for looks I do are Fyrinnae shadows (Snow White - deepest black ever, Winter Again - sheer frosty white/blue duo, Nijiro - neutral with amazing sparkle). I know they can be tough to order from since they get bombarded, but seriously ... don't give up!
2. Sugarpill Loose and Pressed Shadows - Another indie!
This year was my first year really getting into Sugarpill and what a crazy tumble into love it's been! I am absolutely in love with the bright, lively colors available in both loose and pressed shadows Sugarpill offers. Everything from beginning to end is fabulous and I fully intend to continue to expand my Sugarpill collection in 2012--looking forward to what Amy (owner of Sugarpill) has in store for us!

3. Cult Nails - Small business :)
Cult Nails, which was launched a year ago I believe, is a polish company I grew to love this year! I'm a big fan of indies and small businesses and I absolutely adore the creativity and personal attention Maria (Cult Nails owner) offers is phenomenal. Eager to watch Cult Nails grow over the next year!

4. Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion
This has become my absolute favorite face lotion ever! It is super hydrating, doesn't irritate my sensitive skin, and has amazing ingredients--no nasty chemicals. Love, love, love it!

5. Votre Vu Eye Beauty Balm
I recently became aquainted with Votre Vu this year and while I've loved almost all of the products I've reviewed of theirs (especially this year's holiday sets the "It Kit" and "Winter Wonderhands"--love!), the Eye Beauty Balm has become a must-have product for me. While this product does contain parabens, I don't use it every day and I use it in such a small amount I personally feel it's ok. It works wonders!
6. Nails Inc Magnetic Polish
Why am I so in love with this? I have no idea why magnetic polish still delights me, but it does! Still dying to get my hands on the teal magnetic polish. Maybe in 2012!
 7. Faux Lash
Faux is a new company that I got to know this past year and their lashes quickly became a staple for my eye looks! I adore the quality of the lashes and love the styles available--and you know how picky I am about false lashes ;) 
8. Honey Bee Holistics - Small business!
I purchased from Honey Bee Holistics for the first time this year and instantly knew I'd found a new must-have in terms of body lotions. The ingredients are fabulous, the products are handmade, and the lotions are the most hydrating body lotions I've come across in a long time! They don't irritate my skin, the kids' skin, or hubs' skin either--huge plus!
9. Zoya Nail Polish 
 Zoya has become one of my favorite 4-Free polish companies this year and 2 of Zoya's many polish shades are currently my Holy Grail colors--Sooki (pin-up red) and Trixie (silver foil). I love the variety and in addition to fabulous polish, their Remove+ polish remover is amazing! I'm currently holding a giveaway on my nail polish swap forum for one custom picked Zoya Colar Box if you're dying to get your hands on some.
10. Anastasia Hydrafull Lip gloss
I very recently had the opportunity to try quite a few Anastasia Hydrafull lip gloss shades and instantly knew they'd go into regular lip gloss rotation! They are amazing! If you're a lip gloss junkie (guilty as charged!) then you have to give these a try. They offer one of the smoothest finishes I've ever seen. Ugh, so good! I have a list of shades I need to add to my growing collection ;)
11. Incoco Nail Appliques
I was originally only shooting to list 10 favorites, but I couldn't pick one of these to exclude so there you have it! 11 favorites for 2011 ;) I love Incoco nail appliques; not just because of their awesome colors and designs, but because they wear so well! Nail polish usually chips on me within a day or two regardless of the brand or what I use because I type for living (copywriter). For whatever reason, Incoco nail appliques last on my nails for a week or more with no chips! That is phenomenal to me!  I'm currently holding an international giveaway on my polish swap forum for a full-sized set of Incoco nail appliques if you'd like to give them a try.
2012 Resolutions
I've never been one of those people that makes a big deal of New Year's resolutions. After all, don't we all kind of have the same ones year after year? Getting healthier, stopping bad habits, staying away from guys we know we shouldn't date, etc. However, I thought it would be nice to make some beauty resolutions since they'd benefit my blog!
1. Add Videos
I've thought about doing video tutorials for a while now and it just hasn't been a feasible thing time-wise, but I've known for some time that my goal in 2012 would be incorporating videos into my blog occasionally. It's not happening tomorrow, but hopefully in 2012 I'll be able to make it happen!
2. Discover New Amazing Products from Unknows
I am a huge fan of fabulous products made by unknown companies or barely known companies. I'm dying to find some amazing beauty products in 2012 that aren't hyper-popular yet. Wish me luck! It can be very hard to find unknown companies and even when I do, I'm so particular about ingredients, sanitation practices, etc. that it can get a bit discouraging. I'm going to try for you all though in the coming year!
3. Makeup Certification
I've wanted for some time to enroll in a makeup artistry certificate program and hopefully this year is the year! Find the time and resources to do it can be tough, but hopefully this is one thing I can say I've accomplished by the next New Year.
 
4. Continue to Grow My Blog
I started my blog at the very beginning of this year and I'm so proud of the growth I've seen in myself and my posts over the course of this year. I want to continue to grow, improve, strengthen, establish, etc. Hopefully I can continue to provide insightful info that helps or at least interests my lovely, makeup-loving readers!
What about you? What's your Number 1 beauty resolution for 2012?
Have a happy, exciting, wonderful, safe New Years! Can't wait to "see" you all in 2012 ;)