I know I'm probably a little late jumping on the bandwagon, but I'm still struggling to believe it's 2017 already. 2016 was full of tons of highs and lows for me, and in all honesty, I'm a little relieved its over. I know I'm probably not alone in that, and I hate to be one of those cliche people, but I'm looking to 2017 as a fresh start, like a blank page in a new book.
Thankfully though 2016 wasn't all doom and gloom, and it certainly has had it's positive moments. Dino's Beauty managed to get more hits than I ever imagined, and my follower count on Twitter somehow tipped over 3000 - I'm still baffled as to how! Plus, as well as the close friends I've already made through blogging, I've branched out and met more bloggers and attended more events. 2016 has definitely been a good year where blogging has been concerned!
Beauty
Beauty-wise there have been so many new brands I've been introduced to this year, and I honestly feel like I've been spoilt for choice. From brands such as Colourpop to Nouveau, I've enjoyed testing out new products from different brands in 2016, and I'm taking the best into 2017 with me. I also finally took a leap and brought my very first Too Faced product - something that probably has proven deadly as I now think I have a bit of an addiction!
Ever since my local Superdrug store shut down years ago, I've always made more of an effort to go into their stores whenever I head into town. They do some fantastic Superdrug exclusives, and when I was sent a few items to try for myself I was pleased to find one of their body sprays included. I've used all sorts of brands of sprays before in the past, and I've found that out of them all, Superdrugs own version tends to be the best. The scent lingers for a longer period of time, is generally nicer and as an added bonus, cheaper than branded. This time around I was sent the 'Charm: Raspberry Ice Cream and Sparkling Citrus' body spray, a beautiful and fruity scent which is a little bit mouthwatering. Honestly, it smells so so good, and it reminds me slightly of the Prada 'Candy' Perfume but for a fraction of the price.
My second favourite beauty product of 2016 comes in the form of the Urban Decay 'Naked' Illuminated Shimmering Powder in 'Luminous'. Last year was the year of highlighters for me, and that led to this impulse buy which I couldn't have been happier with. Coming in three shades, the baked powder is designed for use on both face and body - typically I use this for highlighting my face, but on occasion if I'm headed out somewhere special I'll dust a little on my collarbones for an added sparkle. 'Luminous' is a beautiful champagne kind of colour, and its perfect for everyday use.
Back in September, I took the plunge and finally put in a very, very extensive Colourpop haul. Whilst the delivery charge is pretty steep (at £25 a pop to the UK last time I checked, and that's not including import tax), my friend Natalie [Natalie's Beauty Base] and I decided to buddy up and put in an order together to split the charges in half. It worked out pretty well when you take into account how much we actually ordered! From that order though, I seriously fell in love with a couple of the items I ordered; the 'Cami' Matte X Lippie Stix and the 'Weenie' Super Shock Eyeshadow. Cami is a gorgeous deep mauve colour in a striking matte finish, and once on it lasts me pretty much my entire day at work without need for a touch up. I've had my fair share of nice comments when I wear it too, and it's definitely my most worn Colourpop lip product to date. Likewise with Weenie, the colour payoff is remarkable - the swatch above is with just one swipe, and it goes onto the eyelid flawlessly and blends like a dream. It's a lovely rose gold colour, and I think thats why its made its way into my favourites. 2016 seemed to be the year for rose gold.
My final beauty favourite comes in the form of Too Faced's 'Peanut Butter and Jelly' Eyeshadow Palette. I'm sure every blogger out there knows of this palette by now, and with good reason. For a start its super cute and adorable, and if the packaging doesn't make you smile then the beautiful shades will. With 9 stunning shades ranging from a bold matte white to a deep glittery plum, theres shades to create all kinds of combinations and looks. My personal favourite is the 'Peanut Butter Cup' shade - its a deep, metallic gold shade which only needs the slightest sweep due to it's incredible pigmentation. Out of all my eyeshadow palettes, PB&J has definitely been my favourite of 2016 for sure.
Lifestyle
I feel like I'm taking a journey right back into my childhood with my first lifestyle pick, but boy is it a good one. Every morning whilst I was getting ready for school I'd sit and get ready in front of the latest episode of my favourite TV show, it was like my routine. 'Sailor Moon' is a Japanese anime series that tells the story of schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English dub), a girl who is befriended by a taking black cat that gives her a magical brooch that enables her to become the hero Sailor Moon, destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Along the way they discover others like her (Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter) and eventually reveal their own destinies - in their previous lives they were all members of the ancient 'Moon Kingdom' which was eventually destroyed by the evil 'Dark Kingdom'. I won't go into too much detail and ruin it all for you, but it's a brilliant and witty TV series that me and my friends adored when I was younger, and last year I invested in the full box set and got back in touch with my childhood. If you love shows that are ahead of their time and promote and feature a kick ass group of women who save the world then I'd 100% recommend this show - seriously, you won't regret it.
2016 was also a year of change for me when it came to fitness, and as well as going to the gym more I made more of an effort to eat healthier. As part of that I invested in a quite a few healthy eating cookbooks as I love to keep all my meals exciting, and there's nothing worse than having the same bland meals over and over. One of the books I picked up was Charlotte Crosby's 'Live Fast, Lose Weight', aimed at people looking to eat healthy and lose weight whilst also leading busy lives. It's the perfect cookbook for people on the go as the meals don't require too much preparation and they're fairly straightforward to throw together. There's even a section on homemade, healthy cocktails!
One thing I'm making more of an effort in this year is reading - I've always loved getting lost in a good book for a few hours, and in 2017 I'm going to make sure I get the chance to do that more often. I did manage to get a few books finished in 2016 though, and one of them even made it's way up there as one of my favourites. 'Before I Fall' by Lauren Oliver tells the story of an ordinary teenage girl called Sam, who at the start of the book is involved in a car accident that causes her death. What makes the story so unique though is that she seemingly wakes up the next morning as if nothing had happened, only to realise that it is still in fact the same day, and she is destined to re-live the day of her death over and over until she gets things right. One of the things I loved about this book is the fact that Sam isn't your standard protagonist - she isn't made out to be perfect, she has her flaws and as she re-lives the day over and over again she comes to correct these things and learns more about herself and the people around her. The ending - though I don't want to ruin it as I highly suggest you check this book out for yourself - is itself powerful, and it honestly had me in tears as I finished it. Before I Fall is a powerful book that makes you reflect upon your own life, and it shows how powerful second chances can be.
How about you - what did you love in 2016?
Beauty
Beauty-wise there have been so many new brands I've been introduced to this year, and I honestly feel like I've been spoilt for choice. From brands such as Colourpop to Nouveau, I've enjoyed testing out new products from different brands in 2016, and I'm taking the best into 2017 with me. I also finally took a leap and brought my very first Too Faced product - something that probably has proven deadly as I now think I have a bit of an addiction!
Ever since my local Superdrug store shut down years ago, I've always made more of an effort to go into their stores whenever I head into town. They do some fantastic Superdrug exclusives, and when I was sent a few items to try for myself I was pleased to find one of their body sprays included. I've used all sorts of brands of sprays before in the past, and I've found that out of them all, Superdrugs own version tends to be the best. The scent lingers for a longer period of time, is generally nicer and as an added bonus, cheaper than branded. This time around I was sent the 'Charm: Raspberry Ice Cream and Sparkling Citrus' body spray, a beautiful and fruity scent which is a little bit mouthwatering. Honestly, it smells so so good, and it reminds me slightly of the Prada 'Candy' Perfume but for a fraction of the price.
My second favourite beauty product of 2016 comes in the form of the Urban Decay 'Naked' Illuminated Shimmering Powder in 'Luminous'. Last year was the year of highlighters for me, and that led to this impulse buy which I couldn't have been happier with. Coming in three shades, the baked powder is designed for use on both face and body - typically I use this for highlighting my face, but on occasion if I'm headed out somewhere special I'll dust a little on my collarbones for an added sparkle. 'Luminous' is a beautiful champagne kind of colour, and its perfect for everyday use.
Back in September, I took the plunge and finally put in a very, very extensive Colourpop haul. Whilst the delivery charge is pretty steep (at £25 a pop to the UK last time I checked, and that's not including import tax), my friend Natalie [Natalie's Beauty Base] and I decided to buddy up and put in an order together to split the charges in half. It worked out pretty well when you take into account how much we actually ordered! From that order though, I seriously fell in love with a couple of the items I ordered; the 'Cami' Matte X Lippie Stix and the 'Weenie' Super Shock Eyeshadow. Cami is a gorgeous deep mauve colour in a striking matte finish, and once on it lasts me pretty much my entire day at work without need for a touch up. I've had my fair share of nice comments when I wear it too, and it's definitely my most worn Colourpop lip product to date. Likewise with Weenie, the colour payoff is remarkable - the swatch above is with just one swipe, and it goes onto the eyelid flawlessly and blends like a dream. It's a lovely rose gold colour, and I think thats why its made its way into my favourites. 2016 seemed to be the year for rose gold.
My final beauty favourite comes in the form of Too Faced's 'Peanut Butter and Jelly' Eyeshadow Palette. I'm sure every blogger out there knows of this palette by now, and with good reason. For a start its super cute and adorable, and if the packaging doesn't make you smile then the beautiful shades will. With 9 stunning shades ranging from a bold matte white to a deep glittery plum, theres shades to create all kinds of combinations and looks. My personal favourite is the 'Peanut Butter Cup' shade - its a deep, metallic gold shade which only needs the slightest sweep due to it's incredible pigmentation. Out of all my eyeshadow palettes, PB&J has definitely been my favourite of 2016 for sure.
Lifestyle
I feel like I'm taking a journey right back into my childhood with my first lifestyle pick, but boy is it a good one. Every morning whilst I was getting ready for school I'd sit and get ready in front of the latest episode of my favourite TV show, it was like my routine. 'Sailor Moon' is a Japanese anime series that tells the story of schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English dub), a girl who is befriended by a taking black cat that gives her a magical brooch that enables her to become the hero Sailor Moon, destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Along the way they discover others like her (Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter) and eventually reveal their own destinies - in their previous lives they were all members of the ancient 'Moon Kingdom' which was eventually destroyed by the evil 'Dark Kingdom'. I won't go into too much detail and ruin it all for you, but it's a brilliant and witty TV series that me and my friends adored when I was younger, and last year I invested in the full box set and got back in touch with my childhood. If you love shows that are ahead of their time and promote and feature a kick ass group of women who save the world then I'd 100% recommend this show - seriously, you won't regret it.
2016 was also a year of change for me when it came to fitness, and as well as going to the gym more I made more of an effort to eat healthier. As part of that I invested in a quite a few healthy eating cookbooks as I love to keep all my meals exciting, and there's nothing worse than having the same bland meals over and over. One of the books I picked up was Charlotte Crosby's 'Live Fast, Lose Weight', aimed at people looking to eat healthy and lose weight whilst also leading busy lives. It's the perfect cookbook for people on the go as the meals don't require too much preparation and they're fairly straightforward to throw together. There's even a section on homemade, healthy cocktails!
One thing I'm making more of an effort in this year is reading - I've always loved getting lost in a good book for a few hours, and in 2017 I'm going to make sure I get the chance to do that more often. I did manage to get a few books finished in 2016 though, and one of them even made it's way up there as one of my favourites. 'Before I Fall' by Lauren Oliver tells the story of an ordinary teenage girl called Sam, who at the start of the book is involved in a car accident that causes her death. What makes the story so unique though is that she seemingly wakes up the next morning as if nothing had happened, only to realise that it is still in fact the same day, and she is destined to re-live the day of her death over and over until she gets things right. One of the things I loved about this book is the fact that Sam isn't your standard protagonist - she isn't made out to be perfect, she has her flaws and as she re-lives the day over and over again she comes to correct these things and learns more about herself and the people around her. The ending - though I don't want to ruin it as I highly suggest you check this book out for yourself - is itself powerful, and it honestly had me in tears as I finished it. Before I Fall is a powerful book that makes you reflect upon your own life, and it shows how powerful second chances can be.
How about you - what did you love in 2016?
❤
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