Hello my lovelies, I hope you're all well and had a lovely Christmas and are going to have a fab New Years Eve! And as it is New Years Eve the time arrived once again where I do my annual countdown to the year ahead. Were going to be taking a look at my ultimate favourites over the course of this year, the top moments of 2016 for me, and of course my goals for 2017!
Without further ado, let the countdown begin...
Favourite Artist of The Year
Another female strikes again as my favourite artist and it's none other than the incredible, Ariana Grande. For three years straight of doing this my favourite artist has always been a female and the girls are clearly still reining supreme.
Ever since I was in 13 The Musical and the character I played was who Ariana played in the Broadway version, she has always been an inspiration to me vocally. This year I feel like she has really become a big name in the music industry and has done extremely well for herself. I felt in 2015 everyone knew who she was and knew she was a good singer, but this year she has really pushed it out the bag in her music style in order for her to be noticed and to make people to go, "Well damn, this girl means business" which is the vibes I got from her recent album, Dangerous Woman. I love every single song on it and I think it's probably my favourite album of the year too. I am still yet to purchase it however!
I absolutely adore Ariana; her style, her music, her makeup, her voice - just everything about her is star quality. So it's no surprise why she deserves top spot for my artist of the year. I can't wait to see what 2017 brings for her music career.
Favourite YouTuber of The Year
This one was not a hard choice for me, I knew since October that Sophie, i.e. sophdoesnails, was going to be my favourite YouTuber this year. I started watching her videos in the first few months of 2016 and the videos she uploads are ones I always watch, near enough all of her videos are saved to my watch later playlist because she uploads videos I am extremely interested in. She uploads a lot of makeup tutorials, makeup reviews, hauls etc and all of those are just videos I love to watch.
Plus, she is one of the only YouTuber's I know who praises both drugstore brands as well as high end. As I'm more of a drugstore girl myself, it's refreshing to watch someone who loves similar brands to me as it means I can afford to buy the products she uses in her tutorials if I do really like them. I just really enjoy to watch her and I can't wait to see what 2017 brings her way.
Favourite Film of The Year
The first two are from this year, Finding Dory and Bridget Jones's Baby. Both were absolutely fantastic and they both managed to be as good as their previous film (in my opinion, better) and stick to the same vibe which is usually difficult sequels when the first film has been so popular and loved by an audience. I was gifted Finding Dory for Christmas this year and I cannot wait to watch it again because it was just so bloody good! It is a really touching story line of Dory trying to find her family, I love all the characters in the film, it is full of really funny and happy meaningful moments which made it a new favourite for me and I actually preferred it to Finding Nemo. For Bridget Jones's Baby it is definitely my favourite in the whole franchise. Renee, Colin, and Patrick are all fantastic throughout the entire film, the storyline has so many twists and turns with all the funny moments in between and still has the classic Bridget Jones vibe we all know and love. It really is a happy ending for all parties in the film, I'm not gonna give any spoilers in case you guys haven't watched it. But I would 100% recommend you go and see both if you haven't already!
My third favourite goes to Love, Rosie. This graced the screens in 2014 and I hadn't ever watched it until a few weeks ago. I'd seen so many adverts for it going around on Channel 4, E4, and Film4 (which it played on) and I was so interested with the adverts so I decided to watch it. I absolutely loved it, also when films are British based they seem to hold more of a special place in my heart since I am British myself. I just really loved the story line and I thought it was really interesting. It's about two best friends, Rosie and Alex who end up kissing on her 18th birthday when she is drunk. The next day she can't remember a thing but wishes last night never happened because of how drunk she got. However Alex realises he has feelings for her. And then the whole movie goes about both of their lives and how they "keep missing eachother" due to the way their life just pans out. I'm not gonna tell you guys the ending in case you haven't seen it and you do wanna go and watch it. But I love the plot and the structure; it starts with Rosie at the age of 30 at a wedding and then we jump all the way back to when she is 18 and the drunken antics of her 18th birthday. The story begins to unfold up until that day of the wedding. I love it when films and TV shows do time jumps, so it's no surprise that I love that about this movie. I fell in love with all the characters and they way everything eventually falls in to place. It's a great movie and I'd recommend it to all of you.
Favourite TV Show of The Year
This is once again another easy choice for me, Stranger Things and The Crown. Both of these shows are Netflix originals and I am literally obsessed. If you guys haven't watch either of these shows, what are you doing?! They're quite hard to explain what they are about because there is so many elements that make the whole story line and plot come together. Honestly, the best way to understand both of them is to just watch them and trust my judgement that they're absolutely phenomenal (which they are). Fantastic story line, fantastic writing, fantastic actors, fantastic direction, fantastic set, just all round fantastic. I'd 100000000% recommend these two shows. Watch them all right this second if you haven't already. I'm extremely excited for season 2 of both shows!
Favourite Fashion Item of The Year
Goes to cardigans! This year I have been buying cardigans non-stop in all different materials, colours, and patterns. They are just so easy to throw on and complete an outfit. Plus in the colder months of the year it's nice to be wrapped up warm but sometimes I don't always want to be in a jumper. As I'm getting older all I seem to want is comfort as well as style in one and there is a lot of really nice cardigans out there at the moment, especially in Primark which helps me achieve the look of comfort with style.
Favourite Perfume of The Year
This is a super recent favourite, if you guys have taken a look at my What I Got For Christmas 2016 post you will know I got this from my friend Charlie. Ever since I was kindly gifted it I have been wearing it non-stop. It smells absolutely gorgeous and feminine; it's the smell of roses which is one of my all time favourite scents. I absolutely love it and when I run out I'll definitely be repurchasing!
Favourite Beauty Product of The Year
These two have to go hand in hand as I wear them together all the time. It's Primark's Lip Liner Pencil and Lipstick Crayon. I have a good six or seven pairs of these ranging from light shades to darker shades. I use one of these lip liners every time I do my makeup and use them as a pair every other time. They are extremely pigmented, apply beautifully on my lips, they're super easy to use, the perfect combination together, and of course, they are a bargain for how good they are! The lip liners are £1.00 and the lip crayons are £2.50. Honestly, for the quality you get from that price they should be worth so much more. I am absolutely still obsessed with these and I would recommend them to everyone. I cannot wait to buy some more as I've noticed they've got some new colours out that look absolutely stunning.
Favourite Skincare Product of The Year
Here we have a new category in our favourites which is in regards to skincare. As a teenager I've never really been that interested in skincare, I think most of us teenage girls are a lot more interested in makeup. But in less than a year I will not be a teenager anymore (oh my god, send help); I need to start thinking about taking better care of my skin now that I'm officially becoming a "young adult", i.e. turning 20. I'm not talking anything drastic hence because I'm not gonna turn 20 and then the click of a finger get wrinkles just like that. But the aim for next year is to find and use products that will benefit my skin for the better. And the one product I've been using about twice a day recently and seeing a massive improvement from is Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water. I remember during this year or the end of the year before that people were raving about this product all over social media, YouTuber's and beauty bloggers were all talking about it and this product became so popular just like that.
So like I said, I've been using it twice a day, before I put my makeup on and of course to take my makeup off. I've been using it for a good 2/3 weeks straight and I've noticed the biggest improvement to my skin. I've had less blemishes on my skin, the redness on my cheeks, nose, and in between my brows isn't as pigmented as it was before, and my skin is much softer than it was before. I really love using it as I can see a physical improvement to my skin which makes me want to carry on using it and not go back to makeup wipes.
Favourite Nail Polish of The Year
Last year I did a similar category to this but it was my favourite nails, so as in the design. But I've decided to change it and go for nail polish as it seems more fitting. So it actually goes to Next. My mum and I started using nail polish from Next earlier this year and we were pleasantly surprised at how good they are. Okay, so firstly, they have a huge selection of colours in mattes, glitters, textured, or just plain and simple polish which is what every woman needs. Not to mention, they glide on super easy, don't take forever to dry, look absolutely beautiful when sealed with a top coat, and they last really well. At least 6-8 days without chips (depending on what you're doing with your hands day to day). I love the quality and all the colours. If you guys love having your nails painted 24/7 then I'd highly recommend you checking out Next nail polishes.
Not long now until the clock strikes twelve and we turn a new leaf for the new year. We're half way through our countdown which means it's time to countdown my top makeup looks of the year. Now normally it is top 10 but unfortunately I haven't actually posted 10 on my blog this year which is a massive disappointment, apologies my loves. It's one of my goals for 2017, but we do have a top 8 so let's get under way!
8. Soft, Light, Spring Time Pinks
Kicking us off at number 8 is a look that was created all the way back in March. Pinks were such a big eyeshadow colour throughout this year I feel, especially during spring and summer. And nothing beats wearing a light easy makeup look in the warmer months of the year.
7. Valentines Day: Pearly Pink
At number 7 we have another pink based look almost done a whole year ago. But as the title suggests, a lot more pearly and pretty and girly. Shades of pink were definitely in over the course of this year for makeup. I still adore this look and would definitely wear it again.
6. Valentines: Feminine Rose
Another pink based look coming in at number 6! As you can clearly see, pinks were a big highlight in my makeup looks of 2016. I love this look as it's more of a smokey burgundy pink look instead of something bright and light. I love a good ol' smokey eye.
5. Beautifully Bronzed
Taking 5th place is one of the looks that was most popular on my blog this year and that is this gorgeous bronzed brown look. I created this late June, just before I came home for the summer holidays; deep browns and golds and bronzed skin seemed to be the most popular makeup during the summer of this year. It clearly took a toll into my makeup routine as I never used to contour my face until earlier this year.
4. Festival Makeup: Bold, Bright, and Beautiful
AND PINK! (again)
As we've all established, pink makeup looks were clearly a big part of my tutorials this year. But festival makeup looks seemed to be bloody every where this summer, so of course I needed to create one myself! And again, pink was a big shade in the pallet of the makeup world, so of course I had to do a pink one. This look was one I absolutely adored, I love all of the silver and the pink, I adored the halo highlight of my lips with the pink shimmer shades as well as my glowing highlighted skin, plus, my eyebrows were looking damn fine in this tutorial. Again, another top look from my tutorials this year.
3. Autumnal Peach
Taking 3rd place and earning my bronze medal goes to one of my ultimate favourite looks this year, my autumnal transitional peach makeup. Once the pink vibe had died down a bit, the makeup world moved onto the next best thing, peach! Peach was a super popular shade in the makeup world right at the end of the summer and throughout autumn. I myself was obsessed with the peach tones (it looks more pink in pictures, but it was peach in real life) in the autumn time which is why this one is in the top 3.
2. Christmas Day
Just missing out on the top spot, in 2nd place and earning the silver medal goes to the latest look I actually posted on my blog, which was of course my Christmas Day makeup. This was only shared with you all recently, however I have been wearing this look from about mid-end of November all the way to the end of December. For me this look just screamed Christmas time. Gold eyes and red lips are definitely one of my favourite looks to wear which is why I adore this one. I will most likely still wear this in January from time to time, but I'm really gonna miss Christmas time as this stunning look will really remind me of it.
1. Tanya Burr Review: Icy Blue
In 1st place and winning the gold of 2016 is Icy Blue! This tutorial technically doesn't have a proper name as it was in link with my review of Tanya Burr's beauty advent calendar. Funny thing about this look is I completely winged it, I had no plan on what look I wanted to do I just created what I felt like on the day and well clearly I fell in love with it or it wouldn't be number 1. What nudged this look up to number 1 was definitely because of that gorgeous glitter pigment. I'm still obsessed with this glitter and it is one of the most stunning products I've ever owned. I can't wait to wear this look again as it is the heart of winter and I love winter and lets be honest, the cold doesn't bother me anyway.
Top Moments of 2016
One of my favourite memories of 2016 was of course performing Rock of Ages with Drama Society and getting to play Regina (Regyna). She will forever be one of the most beloved characters I've ever gotten to play and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Regina will always be the character that was a turning point for me because in previous shows I used to audition for all the female parts just because I wanted to be a main role to "prove" to people that I was talented and to show off what I could do. But with this show, I didn't want to be her to "prove" I was talented, I wanted to be her because I adored everything about her. She played to my performing strengths which is what playing her made me realise. I should be auditioning for characters who I know I will be amazing at playing whilst still pushing myself to be the best that I can. Rock of Ages will be a show and amazing memories that I will love and cherish for the rest of my life. The love I have for all of these people above is beyond and I feel blessed to have had the chance to work and perform with every single one of them.
As well as performing Rock of Ages with Drama Society back in Easter of this year, another amazing moment happened during that time and that was being told I was going to be President of this society for the following academic year. I still pinch myself every day; to see all of these guys perform A Night At The Movicals as our Christmas show was an unbelievable achievement, not only for them, but for me. This time last year this show was just a couple ideas on paper and because of the support from my incredible team, i.e. the committee and the phenomenal cast that took part it became a full scale show. It became so much more than I ever imagined it could be and it will be a highlight of my university experience to know as a whole team we created something magical, memorable, and different from a couple ideas jotted down on a piece of paper. Seeing these kind of things happen and seeing how much these guys have already grown into the beautiful performers that they are reminds me of why I wanted to be President in the first place. I cannot wait to have that same happiness and joy when we get to work on our musical, Made in Dagenham.
Another big element of this year was of course passing first year of university! First year was an absolute blast and will be one year of education that I'll treasure forever. This photo was just before we performed our devised pieces, our last ever performance of first year. First year opened my eyes to all of the different kinds of things I am capable of and how incredible I really am. I am moulding into the woman I want to be. I am still continuing that throughout second year and I wouldn't change a thing.
Moving into our new house! It's crazy knowing this time last year we didn't even have a house sorted and had no idea what our living arrangements were even gonna be and look at us now. I love these girls to the maximum and I wouldn't wanna be sharing every evening on the sofa with anyone else. These girlies make me laugh from the minute I wake up in the morning to the minute we all go to bed at night. Second year wouldn't be the same without our crazy household. I can't wait to live with you all again in third year!
But to be honest, the true meaning of 2016 was discovering who true friends are and that is dedicated to these lot. These guys are the reason that my university experience is always full of happiness, love, and of course laughs! Uni really wouldn't be the same without these crazy idiots by my side; we are all extremely different, especially in accents. But, that's what makes us a family, the love I have for these guys is seriously beyond anything I've had for a group of friends. I am more than lucky to share almost every day with them; they are all wonderful, beautiful, talented, and one of a kind individuals that I am blessed to share my life with. First year of uni brought me the best thing ever, these guys who make me smile and laugh every single day. I have never felt more loved, cared about, and appreciated than with these guys. Thanks for making every moment magical you guys, here's to another crazy year of being drunk idiots who don't write their essays on time! I love you all. Bring on 2017 together!
Speaking of true friends I have got to give a mention to my best gals, Chloe and Heather and my best man, Charlie (unfortunately we do not have a good photo together). These three people mean the absolute world to me and I don't know where or who I would be without them. I have the pleasure in calling them my best friends and I am more than lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. It's crazy knowing I have been friends with Chloe for 13 years, Charlie for 6 years, and Heather for 3 years. It's crazy how we've seen each other at our best times and our worst times, but more crazy how much we've seen each other grow over the years of knowing one another. Out of all of the people in the world I don't want anyone else who I'd rather share my life with and all of the special moments with. These guys understand me inside and out; they say when you find someone special you just know and that is exactly how I feel about these guys. I love you three with all my heart and thank you for all the love, happiness, laughs, and memories I cherish making with you every year. I wouldn't have it any other way and I can't wait to continue that in 2017.
As well as all of the big achievements and memories made, we mustn't forget about the smaller ones...
- Getting 74% in my movement assessment = my FIRST first of second year! The first one that actually counts.
- Going to see Rocky Horror Picture Show for Heather's 20th!
- The positive feedback from performances; just being told what I am doing is actually good.
- Achieving more than a 3rd on an essay.
- Actually doing and achieving some of the goals I set myself this time last year. One of those was to pass the first year of uni, which I did. Another was to get a main role in Rock of Ages, which I also did, and another one was to be healthier, which again I did. Sure "healthiness" has suffered but it's Christmas, let yourself go. But I started to drink more water, drink less coke, eat a bit more fruit etc. The fact that I started drinking less coke is an achievement in itself.
- A recent achievement is buying a cropped jumper. Now to some of you this may not seem like any kind of achievement, but if you know me, I've never ever had the confidence to wear anything that is cropped in my life just because I'm not slim at all and I don't think I'd be able to pull off anything cropped. But I saw this cropped jumper, I liked it, I tried it on, and I loved it even more, so I bought it and I damn well can't wait to wear it.
- The fact that this is my last year as a teenager, it's less than a year now. I'm gonna be 20 years old soon, oh my god, what?! How am I suddenly, almost, very nearly becoming an actual "adult".
This one is definitely my biggest blogging moment of the year and that would be this post...
It is the one post from this year I am most proud of because it was real. It's my real opinions on things and how I feel and it felt amazing to be able to share that with all of you guys. What made it for me though was the response I got from it. I had messages off of my friends from uni about it, friends from college, friends of friends from college, fellow instagrammers etc. One message I received said:
"Hi Katie, I read your recent blog post and I thought it was great! It was really relatable and great to hear other peoples opinions! It was honest to do such a lovely blog, a lot of thought, and the writing was really good." - Nicole
And that same girl, passed it onto her friend and this is what she had to say:
"I actually cried reading that! It's so perfect cos they managed to put into words how I actually feel!" - Ella
Those comments are what make me feel happy about doing this. It reminds me of why I love blogging. I love being able to reach out to all of you guys who read my blog whether it's every post or just one post on a whim. I really hope as I continue this hobby which is one of the elements of my life I love to do the most. That I have the opportunity to create, develop, and share posts just like that one throughout next year. The best part of doing this is just simply being able to sit down and talk to you guys about different things and not feeling judge or like I can't talk about it. If I can reach out to just one person then it makes doing this 100% worth every minute.
2016 has been a year of ultimate highs and ultimate lows but as a whole, I am coming out of this year happy and optimistic about the year to come. I am ready to take on 2017 and everything it has to offer me. So once again, I do have some goals to set for the year ahead and again, we're not going to call them "resolutions" as we all know they will never get done.
Goals for 2017
It literally means to just sort out my life. For these last few months I've really not been that organised and with everything I have going on in my life now I really need to be. I need to be organised with uni work, drama society, my personal life, my money, my health, just basically every little thing I need to sort out. I found it really hard to keep on top of everything going on and without planning it all out the same will continue this term if I'm not careful. First term got so busy I was unable to plan in my planner to actually stay organised, that's how bad it got.
This is key for 2017!
I've realised over this past month whilst doing Blogmas how much I really do adore blogging and being a blogger. I've still neglected my blog a lot this past year due to not being able to keep on top of everything and by challenging myself to do Blogmas it made me realise how much I loved talking to you guys every single day. I've done more posts over the course of Blogmas than 4 months of the year put together which isn't right. My aim is to at least post 3-4 posts every month during 2017. I have also started a complete new blog planner book which I may show you guys at some point when I have fully figured out the system of how I want to use it for the year a head.
- TO NEVER STOP SHOWING LOVE, BEING HAPPY, AND BEING HEALTHY!
I feel I am at a point in my life where all of these three things are in balance and are in perfect harmony with another. Yes, we all have our bad days and that is fine. We are all human and that is just life. Not one person on this earth is happy every single day for 365 days a year. But, if 2016 has taught me anything it is to genuinely cherish every single second of every single day as you really will never know when the people who make up your life will be taken away from your life or when you will be taken away from theirs.
And finally before we wrap up another year on Blogger I would just like to say a huge thank you to all my family, friends, and to all of you guys. I am going into my 4th year of blogging which is absolutely crazy, it only feels like yesterday I decide to start this for fun. It is crazy how much I have changed since that day this all began and I personally feel every single year I do this I get a little bit more of the woman I want to be.
Thank you all for your endless amount of love and support each year. I appreciate every bit and if it wasn't for you guys, the ones who take the time out of your day to read all these posts and give me feedback I wouldn't be doing any of this still today. All of you are the reason I still love to do this every year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I love creating, developing, and sharing all this content with you. Blogging has become a big part of my life and I can't picture myself not doing it. I wish for nothing but love, happiness, and health for the future.
I really wish every single one of you a very Happy New Year! I hope you all continue this crazy, fun, and enjoyable blogging journey with me throughout 2017. Have a fabulous New Years Eve and I will see you all some time in January.
Until then, farewell 2016.
