2016: A Round Up Of A Formidable Year

2016, wow. What a year. I don't think there's ever been a year so full of promising highs and catastrophic lows! There's many questions I'd like to ask: where on earth did the duration of you go? Why did you have to be so cruel yet also so kind? How did you ever manage to become so significantly transformative? but more than anything, I owe it a massive thank you.  A thank you for introducing me to the real mortal dying to get out there, a thank you for teaching me the true value of happiness, a thank you for showing me the importance of life, how fortunate I am, and how sticking together as a supportive, understanding network can help rid of the negative - and damn right terrifying - worldly goings on and political downfalls. A thank you for throwing challenges ahead to allow me to fortify my inbuilt strength and a thank you for ending with hope, despite what may be recurrently happening around my weary head. 

A New Years Eve Party Glam Makeup Look

In my eyes, even as I grow to become a bit of a scrooge - Christmas isn't over until it transcends into New Year. The tree and the trimmings aren't taken down until you've ended the festive celebrations with that final piece of sparkle and glam, and once the clock strikes midnight it's a chance to show off the potential of your passed year as a whole. Whether you're out partying, with the company of prized friends, following on with family bonding, embracing the fireworks, or you're sat at home in your pyjamas with zero plans telling yourself you'll start your diet in January (like me most years), the option is still open for you to make the most of the last day of the year. If your decision is to go wild, or enjoy it from your home comforts, you can still use the 31st as an excuse to make yourself look and feel amazing to ensure you go out with a bang!

What Is Christmas Really About?

Merry Christmas, everyone! I feel like I should follow on with a predictive 'I hope it's filled with everything you could possibly wish for and you receive everything you asked for' message but this year, more than ever, I believe Christmas time stretches far beyond the materialism and the desperate need to acquire the latest propaganda. Not that I have anything against people being given the most luxurious gifts with love and appreciation - no way. More than anything, I love to see the gratitude ooze as I have a nosy with heart eyes at the social media posts but that's far from the point I wanted to make in today's post. 

My Favourite Christmas Home Comforts

For the extroverts, Christmas is the season to party in glitz and glam and for the introverts, it's the best part of the year. I'm in the region of the latter and for me, there's nothing better than taking advantage of the cosiness at Christmas time. It's bitterly cold outside and you're inside, warm and toasty, the fire ignited and blazing, your favourite festive film playing out, wrapped up and snuggled in your duvet with a hot chocolate and marshmallows as you shut off the world in your own senses. The perfect picturesque scene if ever there was one. If at any time there's an excuse to laze around and revel in a stay at home break, Christmas is the occasion. You wouldn't believe just how much staying in and treasuring the heartland of the place you're free to be yourself can work wonders on your mindset. It's the little things that make a house at home in the month of December and I thought I'd share them with you on the eve of the big day itself.

Personal: What Made Me Happy In November

I know it's a little late in the month to recast back to November but I didn't want to end the year not falling with the pattern of giving rigorous detail into what turned my frown upside down. The past couple of months have been quite tough for various reasons but no matter what happens, there's always that light at the end of forbidding darkness, the escapism, the reason I can enjoy my surroundings despite the negative feelings, and that's what really made me appreciate the finer facets in life. So, without further ado, let's get to the nitty gritty.