2016 really was the year of the liquid lipsticks. It seemed like just about every single brand out there brought out a range of them, and the market was awash with masses of new colours, formulas and styles. Goodbye tube lipstick, hello liquid.
Despite the massive influx of new liquid lippies out there, NYX has remained my favourite brand for this particular type of makeup. At the beginning of 2016 I didn't own anything by NYX, but now I'm feeling pretty proud of my little collection. I find that their products are so long-lasting and well-pigmented that no other drugstore alternatives come near to my love for them. An added bonus is that they're also cruelty free.
From bottom to top, the lipstick shades I have swatched are as follows: Lip Lingerie in Exotic, Liquid Suede in Stone Fox and Soft Matte Lip Creams in Buenos Aires, Morocco, Copenhagen and Moscow. As you can tell, I've gone for a broad range of colours in this little collection. Over the past year I've been experimenting with some fruit inspired makeup looks over on my YouTube, and so 'Moscow' and 'Buenos Aires' were purchased for those.
Out of all of the types I've tried, the Lip Lingerie range has the greatest staying power on my lips. 'Exotic' is my go-to work liquid lipstick. It's a nude that appears only a little darker than my lips, and doesn't rub off after a cup of tea or two. The Soft Matte Lip Cream in Morocco, however, is my favourite pigment. It's such a bold, coral-y red that I can't get enough of. It makes me feel festive in Winter and bold in Summer. I am in love.
Do you own any NYX lipsticks?
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There's so much 'New Year New Me' stuff floating about the internet right now that I find pretty demoralising. For starters, I don't want a new me. I want to improve the old me. Trying to recreate myself in someone else's image, or start again from scratch isn't going to work. How am I meant to get rid of all of my past experiences and turn myself into a completely different person? I just can't. So, a lot of my resolutions involve challenges that I'm placing for myself, and include continuing or starting up a few hobbies that I want to pursue this year. Here's my list of 10 hobbies you could start in 2017 too that won't break the bank:
1.) Learn a new language. Yes, this sounds bloody expensive, but have you heard of a gorgeous little app called Duolingo? It basically lets you learn a language completely free of charge. You're not just stuck to translating text either. It involves listening to speech and typing it out both in your language and the one you're learning, mini vocab tests where you pair words up, and tests for your pronunciation, amongst other things. It also updates you each time you become one percent more fluent and you can add it to your LinkedIn profile. (This isn't a #spon by the way, I just love the app).
2.) Start puzzling. I know this sounds super lame, but I find doing puzzles so cathartic. The act of sorting all of the pieces out and building a fuller picture gradually helps me to completely chill out.
3.) Get involved with mindfulness colouring. This is basically my favourite trend, ever. I've got a little collection of colouring books now and filling them in makes me feel so creative. I'm not brilliant at anything arty, but I LOVE doing this, especially in my new Wuthering Heights colouring book.
4.) Help out the local wildlife. I've kick-started this with having a bird-feeder in my garden (that and the food cost me about £3 in total). Plant some things, help out with fundraising for wildlife charities, or even volunteer at a local rehab centre for injured wildlife. This is such a nice idea for a hobby and I really want to get more involved.
5.) Yoga. There's this weird perception that you need to be a white, thin, rich woman to do yoga, but it has benefits for everyone, and you don't need a huge budget to do it. Yoga with Adriene YouTube videos are where it's at for me, but if you don't enjoy her methods as a teacher then there's a whole world of yoga YouTube videos out there. I bought a £5 yoga mat to got started and I haven't paid a penny since then whilst doing yoga for the past two years.
6.) Start the 1001 books challenge. There's a list of 1001 books to read before you die. I reckon I've probably read ten. You can buy the book which has the list in or find it for free online and get cracking.
7.) Do some creative journalling. I've got the 'Start Where You Are' journal and it's fab for completing each night before sleep. It contains a whole range of creative ways to think about things. Alternatively, you could start your own bullet journal, or use something like a 'Wreck This Journal' for a bit of fun.
8.) Pinterest DIYS. I have a whole Pinterest board of these waiting for me to try, but I just keep forgetting to find the time for them. Spruce up your home with some cheap DIYs, or even just get crafty.
9.) Blogging. You all knew this was coming, didn't you? Although blogging can be costly, you don't *have* to spend anything on it. Write about what you love, take pictures if you want, and share your thoughts with the world.
10.) Re-learn the art of letter writing. This one is something I want to keep up in 2017. Snail mail is so cute, and I love getting it through my post box. Pick up a writing set in the sales, or just use a pen and some blank paper and let the people you love know they're being thought of!
So there we have it, 10 hobbies for 2017 that won't bankrupt you. Are you starting any new hobbies this year?
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I've always been a suburbs kind of gal. That is, until I had no choice about it and had tovlive in the countryside for a few months earlier this year. Here's what I learnt:
1.) It's not silent. Dammit TV shows, you had me duped (again). I lost count of the number of times I woke up to screeching owls, cat fights, or a cow having a little mooing session.
2.) I really hate bugs. Leaving your windows open at night is basically an invitation for the entire wilderness to come in. I have not missed moths or daddy long legs flying around me 24/7.
3.) Everyone wants to chat. I'm used to not knowing any of my neighbours' names, let alone their life histories. Here even the postman knew who I was. My stranger danger anxiety was on a full-time high.
4.) Everyone has pets. Okay, this part I loved. All the neighbours had dogs, cats or both, as well as a myriad of other little creatures. You were basically never more than two feet away from a friendly little stroke. My bunny wasn't quite as impressed as me with this though, hehe.
5.) I really, REALLY like fast internet. This was basically the bane of my life for those few months. It took forever to even upload a blog photo. And YouTube? A seven hour upload time for a ten minute video is simply not okay.
6.) Phone signal is actually pretty handy. Especially when you're job hunting. Unlike with the internet situation, I simply had no signal whatsoever. No signal, no mobile data, no access to the outside world.
7.) Nature controls our lives. Living in towns and cities has given me this false illusion that we control nature. Being in a raging storm in an outbuilding in the middle of the countryside however, really showed me how wrong I was.
8.) Nature can be truly beautiful. I've never really seen a sun setting without buildings being all up in my grill. I've got a little collection of gorgeous photos of colourful sunsets from this summer, which are completely unobstructed by architecture.
9.) I don't like being isolated. I'm such an introvert that I thought I would love to be out in the middle of nowhere, without having to see and talk to people all of the time. But I actually hated it. I felt so alone and missed the hustle and bustle of normal life.
10.) I really kind of like my boyfriend. Shoddy internet, no phone signal and living in one room in the middle of nowhere for four months taught me a whole lot. Mostly though, I realised that my relationship is strong, and I love being in it. We survived that without murdering each other, so we can survive anything, right?
I hope you enjoyed this post! Have you ever lived in the countryside?
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