I've partnered up with SimplyBe for this blog post, who we all know are massive advocates for empowering women and for loving yourself for no matter who you are or what you look like. With styles ranging from a sizes 12-32 (with the occasional 8/10), they aren't about one size fits all and they have some absolutely killer fashion pieces that anyone could pull off.

One trend that I have been loving these past few months is the embellished denim trend, but i've never thought that I could pull it off, so when I saw these Chloe Metallic Pearl Studded Jeans* (£35) I just knew they would be the perfect way for me to pull off the trend in subtle but me way! I'm so impressed with the fit of these jeans as they are super high waisted and I find them so flattering, even after i've eaten a massive meal! If you're looking for some new jeans i'd highly recommend checking out SimplyBe as they have a variety of different styles and fits to suit everyone.

I've also been loving the embellished mesh top/body trend that has been oh so popular as I find they just make an outfit and can be styled with anything from a skirt to a pair of jeans, or even some smarter trousers. One top that caught my eye was this Embellished Mesh Shell Top* (£49) which is just absolutely stunning! I love the delicate floral embellishment detail to it and the purple colour to it just works so well with my hair colour and my complexion! Again SimplyBe have an amazing range of blouses & shirts which plenty of on trend styles to suit anyone, so i'd really recommend checking them out!

So here's to 2018, for being kinder to ourselves, taking care of ourselves and our happiness, and ramping up the sass levels!

What steps are you taking to being kinder to yourself in 2018?

However it didn't feel right to not do a 2017 beauty favourites, so here are the products that I absolutely loved during 2017!

Kicking it off with skincare, because if you read my 2018 Beauty Goals you'll know that I want to focus more on skincare going into this year. A brand that has fully impressed me this year has been Clinique as i've not really tried any of their products prior to this year, and i've loved trying a few products from them this year. The Clinique Take Off The Day Cleansing Balm (£23) deserves all of the hype that gets because it is probably one of the best cleansing balms I have ever tried. It melts every type of makeup away and leaves my skin feeling clean, but also nourished. Another product from Clinique that i've loved this year, so much so that i've recently repurchased another tub is the Clinique Pep Start Hyrdoblur Moisturiser (£24.50) which i've spoken about a lot over the months as it's amazing for skin lacking a bit hydration but also needs a bit of pore blurring.

During 2017 I definitely found a fair amount of beauty products that have completely blown me away and I will continue to love for a fair few years to come. My favourite foundation of 2017 has got to be the Lancome Tient Idole Foundation (£31.50) as i've raved non stop ever since I was very kindly sent this, and have since repurchased it. It's an incredible foundation that gives a lovely amount of coverage that isn't too heavy what so ever, which is what I look for in a foundation. A face palette that I have used everyday since I purchased it back in Feb is the Kat Von D Shade & Light Palette (£37) which is hands down the best contour palette I have ever used, yep the best! I find myself able to use all of the shades within this palette depending on if i've tanned or not, and it works whichever way you want it to. If you want a natural contour, it does that, and if you want a more defined contour, it's great for that also!

During the last few months of 2017 I really got back into eyeshadow and experimenting more with my day to day makeup and I discovered some amazing products along the way. For the budget friendly option, I absolutely loved the Freedom Makeup ProArtist Eye Foils* (£5) of which all work so well and compliment each other beautifully! A more recent addition to my eyeshadow collection was the Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions Palette (£25) which is the most daring eyeshadow palette that I own but I absolutely love it, and it gives me so much confidence when I experiment with it.

A few products that I purchased whilst in Australia have also made the cut into my 2017 beauty favourites and are some of my favourite products to date. The Becca Cosmetics Champagne Pop Highlighter (£32) had been on my wish list for an age, so when I saw it in Sephora I just had to have it and it has never disappointed me (other than the fact it smashes so easily, but I can get past that). Another product I picked up whilst in Sephora was the ABH Dip Brow (£19) of which I actually got colour matched to because there were far too many shades to choose from, and i'm so glad I did because I picked up the most perfect shade! I absolutely love this for making my brows look normal and if you haven't tried it for yourself then you are missing out! The last product that I treated myself to in Australia was the Giorgio Armani Si Perfume (£73) which I had wanted for such a long time and it has been my most used fragrance this year, so much so that there isn't much left in this bottle. 

My favourite lip product of this year will come as no surprise as one of these was in my beauty favourites of last year, and it is of course the Kylie Cosmetics 'Bare' Matte Liquid Lipstick from her vacation collection. For anyone who has tried out her lip kits, then you'll know how amazing they are (even if you do have to pay hella expensive customs fees) and if you haven't, then you need to because i've not found a liquid lip that comes anywhere near close to these, including the ColorPop ones.

The last two products within this years beauty favourites are a bit miscellaneous but have overly impressed me this year. My favourite and most used hair care product of this year has been the L'oreal Smartbond Conditioner* (£16.01) which is an at home treatment that works with their Smartbond range, which is stocked in salons across the country. (You can read a little more about my experience with Smartbond here). The last product that I wanted to give a quick mention is the Nail Swipe Nail Polish Remover* (£2.60) which is nail polish remover that works slightly different but I find so much more effective. Essentially you apply this as you would a nail polish and leave it for a couple of minutes to work into the nail polish before wiping away with a cotton pad. I find this works so much quicker than ordinary nail polish remover and you use so much less product in doing so. If you're a lover of switching up your nail colours then i'd highly recommend this product!

What were you favourite beauty discoveries of 2017?

For me resolutions posts always go the same way every year, you make resolutions and don't really stick to them however I did accomplish the majority of the ones I made last year, which is a first for me! So this year I wanted to set more goals rather than resolutions, and if they don't amount to anything I can at least say I tried, and keep on the goal list until I do eventually accomplish it.

Continue to work on my photography: This year saw me change up my blog's photography and in the beginning I was really happy with the fresh approach I was taking, but in true me style I found it started to get quite repetitive and I got stuck in a major rut with my photography. You may have noticed recently that i've been taking extra steps to improve my photography, and i'm loving where it's going, so I want to continue to push myself when it comes to my blogs photography in 2018.

Give my blog a much overdue update: For months i've wanted to give my blog a fresh lick of paint by giving it a new layout, but i'm just so indecisive at finding one I like. I've been eyeing up a few from Pipdig but I also feel that everyone has one from them, so if you know of any good blog template designers, hit me up!

Push myself content wise: One thing that I did notice in 2017 is how much of a little fish I am in such a huge pond, and nowadays it doesn't matter how long you've been blogging for. I noticed a lot of bloggers, newer and older than me paving their way and although I feel that my content is the best it has ever been, I want to push myself more this year to make some killer content.

Continue on my fitness journey: In 2017 I promised myself I would get myself back in the gym, and I have. I even now have a PT who absolutely kicks my ass and i've gained so much confidence and also strength, because I never thought i'd see the day where I could squat 50kg. This year I want to continue with my fitness journey, to learn more and gain more confidence in myself, as i've seen absolutely amazing results this year!

Save the hardest I ever have: Last year I made it a goal to move out in 2017, but that was soon put on hold when I couldn't physically pass the affordability tests in order to do so (lol). So at the end of  2017 I paid off my car, which was one of the reasons that I couldn't pass the affordability tests, and it now means I can save more. So 2018 is the year of saving every penny that I possibly can, and fingers crossed i'll be able to move out this year/next year.

Letting go and stop being so hard on myself: As I touched on at the beginning of this post, I want leave the word 'resolutions' in 2017 and stop being so hard on myself going into 2018, and with that comes letting go of some people in 2017. The last few weeks have been a massive eye opener for me on who has really been there for me this year, and those who really haven't. The team at ThirdLove are also celebrating the idea of banishing resolutions and just doing you in 2018, which I love the concept behind and definitely think more should get on board and battle the resolution guilt!


What are your goals for 2018?

It's New Year eve and i'm in full on reflection mode, especially after I did a little look back at my year on Instagram the other day and it's safe to say I have had a really good year with all of the fun things I got to do, but most of all this blog continued to grow and for that I am so proud.

So to say a massive thank you to every single person who follows my blog, and as a way to celebrate it's fifth birthday, i've put together a last minute giveaway for you all!

I'm not going waffle in this post as I have a 2018 goals post going live tomorrow morning all about where I want to take my blog next year, and a few life goals I want to continue to work towards. So onto the giveaway itself. I've pulled out a bunch of products i've been hoarding up for my next giveaway including makeup, skincare, body care and more, and I know whoever wins these will love every single product. 

Up for grabs in this giveaway is the following products: 

Beauticology Selection Box Gift Set, So...? Body Mist Set, Iconic London Concealer Brush, Iconic London 'Blush' Illuminator, Lancome L'absolu Rouge 'Nuit & Jour', Urban Decay 'Stag' 24/7 Glide on Pencil, Rimmel Insta Duo Contour Stick, 3ina The Eyebrow Kit, Rimmel Kate 'Boho Nude' Lipstick, Rimmel Scandaleyes Reloaded Mascara, Sleek Matte Me Metallic 'Roman Copper' Lip Cream, MeMeMe Cosmetics 'Bronze' Shimmer Stack, 2true Rainbeau Highlighter, Topshop Metallic Nail Polish, Merumaya Mud Marvels Mask, Lush Christmas Sweater Bathbomb, Patisserie De Bain Strawberry Cupcake Soap, I Love.. Raspberry & Blackberry Sugar Scrub and Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Butter.

To be within the chance of winning these products, please enter via the Rafflecopter below and make sure to read the T&C's at the end of the blog post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions:
1) This giveaway will run for two weeks, ending on the 14th of Jan 2018.
2) All entrants must enter using the Rafflecopter above.
3) The winner will be announced on Twitter or Instagram (depending on handles provided by the chosen winner).
4) The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter.
5) Any false or giveaway account entries will be deleted.

Good luck!