What I've loved in January......

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

I know that so may people hate January and say it's the worst month of the year, but I don't think that way - we're lucky to be alive to see it and live it. There are so many people who aren't here, but would have loved to live through January - it's important to be grateful. I feel like the month has flown by because my husband was off work until the 11th and then I had two medical appointments in the last week, so it's kind of flown by really. Plus, I love that the snowdrops are out and there is a bit of a stretch in the evenings. The medication I take makes me very sleepy, so I need to nap every afternoon, and waking to a slightly light evening is so much better than waking up in the dark! I want to share some of the things that I've loved this month....

My 2021 luxury wish list!

 

Since I started blogging, my spending has gotten so much better - I used to buy so many new releases and far more products than I could ever use, or possibly need. In recent years, I have focused more on buying products that I actually need - with a few slip ups, however I am certainly focused on finishing products before buying too many more and I've cut down on the products I will accept as P.R.. With regards my clothes and accessories, I have been trying to focus on buying quality items, rather than fast fashion. To be honest, in 2020, I really didn't buy many clothes at all, because I was so ill & was at home 99% of the time. This year, I want to take it even further. I am going through my wardrobes and chests of drawers and whilst I'm certainly not aiming for a capsule wardrobe (I love clothes and accessories too much for that!), my plan is to see what's missing from my wardrobe (probably not much), and buy those, but at the best quality that I can afford. I'm sharing my wishlist with you today - it's mainly accessories, but there are a few other luxury items on my wishlist, which I am hoping to buy this year. If I buy fewer products that I really love, rather than like, I'm hoping that I can tick them all off my list - it will be interesting to re-visit at the end of the year! If you own any of these, I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not you think they are worth the money?

3 treats for 3 budgets....

 

I haven't done a 3 treats for 3 budgets post since October, because in November, I did gift guides and I never do these posts in December, as I think people are either shopping the (early) sales, or just buying gifts, but it's January and that long-awaited payday is looming so, welcome to my first post in this series of 2021! As I always say, you don't need to spend a lot to treat yourself!

Winter bodycare loves

 

Anything gifted to me, without obligation, will be marked with a *l

I wear body lotion every day because if I didn't, my skin would be so uncomfortable, itchy and scaly! I also apply fake tan weekly, which means that I have to exfoliate regularly. Even in winter, when my limbs are not on show, I like to take care of the skin on my body. Today, I want to share some of my current loves. If a product was kindly gifted to me, I will mark it with a * but I have also repurchased some of the products that were previously gifted.

My 20 favourite purchases of 2020

 

I bought all of these products myself.

I did several favourites posts at the end of 2020, but I didn't do one solely dedicated to products that I purchased myself - all of the others contained a mixture of products received in PR and products I purchased. Today,  it's all about products I bought myself and it's not just beauty product because I want to incorporate some of my other loves into the blog this year. I could have chosen any number, but thought I'd do 20, given the year was 2020!

Having a crap day? How to change it!

 

There's no doubting that no matter how positive a person you are, there were days in 2020 that were just crap and difficult to keep the chin up (and this year, whilst we have more hope with the vaccine, it will be a while before life is in any way 'normal' again). Not really being able to make plans and losing control of your life is not easy for anyone. Couple that with financial worries, health worries and not being able to see people, let alone hug them, is just not easy - it doesn't come naturally to us as human beings. The one thing that we can control in the midst of all of this, is our attitude, so today I want share some ideas, which can change and improve our days.

The products to use when you want super-soft skin FAST!

If a product was kindly gifted to me, without obligation to post, it is marked with a *

I think that we all want super soft skin - products apply more evenly on it and it tends to be smoother. I'm not talking about flawless, filtered-looking skin, as most of us have texture and pores - I'm talking about realistic skin that is as soft as it can be! I  find that I use less makeup when my skin is really soft. Keeping skin smooth and soft is something that requires consistency, but what happens if you don't have time? You have an occasion (remember those?!), or reason to look at your best, and know that soft skin is the best place to start, so you need something that will work quickly? I have the perfect products for you! Obviously, you don't need them all but I'm a bit of a skincare addict!

My six favourite products from the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar......

 

Happy New Year! Is it too late to still say that? I don't think so, especially as this is my first post of the year! Let's hope that 2021 is a much better year for us all! Also, I just wanted to add that Lockdown 3.0 is not a bad thing - it's to protect us all and has to be done because, unfortunately some people just ignored the rules and the virus, forgetting that the virus loves people and gatherings, so of course the end result would be skyrocketing numbers. We need this lockdown to try to get it under control. You do not want Covid - believe me! I would take 50 lockdowns over Covid - that's how bad it is, so look at this third one as hopefully the last and try to do something positive, or watch something that makes you laugh, every day.

If you watched my Instastories in December, you will have seen me opening the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar every morning. It really was the highlight of my day and, by far, the best advent calendar that I've ever had. I know that it's expensive, but the RRP is so much higher than the actual price and I genuinely wasn't at all disappointed by anything in the calendar. I'd recommend putting some money in an envelope (if you're old-fashioned like I am), or a Revolut pot, each week, to save for it if you think that it's too much of an expense in one go. I promise you that it's totally worth it. I also hope that there will be more released this year, as it sold out so quickly last year! You can actually sign up for the waitlist for this year already here!

I love that there are 25 doors, so even on Christmas Day, you get a treat (five products actually!) and I also love that the box is reusable - I'm thinking I'll fill it for my Mam this year.

Anyway, on to the point of today's post - my six favourite products from the calendar. I honestly wasn't disappointed by anything, but I've narrowed it down to my absolute favourites - the ones I'll use every drop of and go on to repurchase. Let's get started....