During 2016 I definitely prided myself in stream lining the products within my collection, and having the biggest beauty clear out to begin the New Year has left me feeling a lot more happy and confident in the products i'm using. For me 2016 allowed me to discover some new brands that i've wanted to try for some time, but also allowed me to discover products that have become firm favourites and those I now rely on, on a daily basis.

Starting with a few fashion accessories, as I rarely share fashion favourites but i've discovered a few accessories that i've gotten a lot of wear and use out of these past few months of the year. Starting with my favourite Topshop Faux Fur Beanie Hat (£14) which I fell in love with back in October, and i've worn it to absolute death over the colder months. I love anything faux fur and I loved the mix of pink and pompom detailing to this hat, and it keeps me so warm on those cold frosty mornings. Another one of my favourite accessories of this year has been my Kate Spade Floating Floral Case* (£12.99), which I spotted in my local Home Sense store and just had to have it. I secretly love Kate Spade as I think her designs exude a lovely touch of elegance that I just love.

Moving onto a few beauty favourites of the year, which i've really streamlined and stripped back as I tried and loved many products this year but I wanted to focus on the products i've loved, and have/will continued to love. One of my favourite beauty products of this year has to be the ABH Gleam Glowkit (£39), which unfortunately has been discontinued but if you're lucky enough to own this then you will know how amazing this highlighter palette is. I love all four shades in this palette, and I get so much wear out of it as it's workable for any type of makeup look. Another product that I have loved and is definitely worth the price tag/hassle is the Kylie Jenner Lip Kits ($29), I have three shades of these and I adore every single one, but my favourite has to be Candy K as I tend to wear this the most. Although getting your hands on these is a bit of a pain, i'd definitely say they are worth the hassle but I also would recommend buying off Depop just ensure they are the real deal! Another lip product i've been loving is the NYX Intense Butter Gloss (£5.50) in the shade 'Tre Leches'. Having NYX finally come to the UK was definitely a highlight of my year, and i've loved trying a handful of their products and narrowing it down to one product was hard, but it's the one i've gotten the most wear out of. The consistency and formula of this gloss has completely changed my entire opinion of glosses, and this shade is the most beautiful nude gloss.

My favourite and most worn foundation of the year has to be Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation (£7.99), which I absolutely love. From the formula to the longevity, it's everything I want from a foundation as it gives amazing coverage that lasts so well throughout the day. For a drugstore foundation i'm really impressed, and being on a spending ban for the majority of 2017 means I won't be breaking the bank when i'm in need of a new foundation. On the flip side, my favourite brow product of this year has been Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil (£18.50) and when this runs out I may weep a little, although it is totally worth it's price tag. It gives such a precise finish to my brows that no other product ever had and it lasts so well throughout the day with no smudging. Last of the makeup products with the only product that has furthered a makeup skill, the dreaded winged liner. Ever since receiving the Lancome Grandoise Eyeliner* (£23) the way that I do my winged liner has changed for good thanks to it's amazing precise nib design and moveable wand that allows you to create all sorts of angles like no other product. Again, although this is a tad on the pricey side I absolutely have loved using this product, and is one i'll be loving for years to come!

Moving onto skincare and fragrance, and in 2016 I definitely gave less of a crap about sticking to a skincare routine as I always found that the overload of products on my skin was too much for my skin to handle on a daily basis. A firm favourite of mine for a few year has been the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (£15.50) but I particularly loved their Rose & Cedrat formula, which unfortunately isn't available anymore but I find it to be so much more gentle on my skin in comparison to their classic formula, so heres hoping they bring it back in 2017. Last of the skincare has to be the &Other Stories Punk Bouquet Body Scrub (£10) which I discovered in 2015 I believe, but I fully fell head over heels for it during this year when I was self tanning during the summer. Their scrubs work so well to remove any dead skin and left over tan, but they are so gentle on the skin that they make exfoliating a dream. Finally for this years favourites is fragrance, and my favourite of this year has been Marc Jacobs Decadence Perfume (£48), which i've worn to death for a good proportion of this year and the sexy yet feminine fragrance is to die for.

What were your favourite discoveries of 2016?

January for me isn't normally a particularly busy month, other than my Mum's birthday, not a lot usually happens although i've got quite a few plans come February that I need to prepare for as much as I can in these next few 7-8 weeks. With that being said, setting goals and I mean realistic goals that I can begin now will help to better myself and my overall life (I suppose) come February as a lot is hopefully going to change for the better this year.

Get back on the fitness train - I know i'm starting a goals post with the good old fitness goal, but during the last year I really got into eating somewhat better and actually motivating myself to use my gym membership a good 4-5 times a week, and I felt bloody amazing both outside and inside. Although I wouldn't say I have any mental health problems as such, i'd say that I felt the happiest I ever have in regards to my body and my overall body confidence, and that is something I want to get back to. So starting in January i'm pushing myself to get my ass back in that gym, even if i've had a late one at work or i'm generally not in the mood, i'm doing it! 

Save, save, save - At the end of February i'm going on probably my most exciting adventure yet.. i'm going to Australia! But with that comes the cost of everything I want to do. Luckily i've already booked a few bits in order to spread the cost and make it a bit cheaper but i'm currently on a massive spending ban/budget. I'm going to be the most boring person in the next few months, as i'm not going to be partaking in anything that involves spending money (other than putting diesel in my car and paying bills) and although it'll be hard, it'll be SO worth it!

Start looking for flats/rooms to rent - The end of 2016 has been an odd one to say the least, but i've finally come to the decision that I want to move out in 2017. Although sooner than i'd planned, my happiness has got to come first next year and although renting was never in my plan, it's something I need to do for myself to better myself and my future. With that comes actually figuring out how i'm going to afford to do this, and budgeting myself in order to make this doable, but i'm going to do it even if it breaks me.

Plan and schedule - With all of the above going on, I want to also begin to get ahead of myself in blog content as I still want my blog to ticking away whilst i'm travelling Australia for two weeks. I'm usually quite good at scheduling my blog, as I did it whilst I was in Ibiza back in July but I never really plan that far ahead, however as i'm not planning on doing much during the next few weeks it will mean I have plenty of time to do so, I just hope I don't run out of ideas!

Focus on myself - Initially I was going to say 'be happy', but I often remind myself you can't just be happy by a click of your fingers, it's what you do and who/what you surround yourself with. Over the next year I want to ensure i'm not too hard on myself but I also want to focus on myself, my happiness and my future, so I guess you could say this year is about being selfish but sometimes that's what you have to do in life to become a better person.

What are your goals for the New Year?

Similarly to the majority of my favourites post this year, i'm keeping it quite minimal with this months favourites as the product I use on a daily basis don't really change all that much as i've streamlined the products I use a fair amount during the year, however I have been trying a few new products this month and a few i've been particularly enjoying, so I couldn't not share with you all.

This year i've had a few amazing opportunities to work with Rimmel, of which i'm so grateful for and astounded by to this day as I never thought i'd have such an opportunity. A few weeks back they kindly sent me a lovely package with the party season in mind, which I featured a couple of products in my recent New Year Beauty Picks post and i've been particularly loving a few other products this month. Firstly i've been getting a lot of wear out of the Kate 022 Sculpting Palette* (£6.99), which i've wanted to try for some time after seeing a fair few raving reviews on it. I love the concept and idea behind this product, making contouring and sculpting easy in just three steps and i've enjoy the simplicity of this product. The shades within this palette are perfect for my skin tone and give a beautiful but build-able contour, blush and highlight. I also love the rose gold touches to this packaging of this palette, and makes a lovely prop for blog/insta photos! Another product i've been loving from Rimmel is their Wonder'full Mascara* (£7.99), which i've not tried a mascara similar to this before. It's flexible wand with soft bristles make it so easy to coat the lashes whilst giving an amazing amount of volume and length without coating the lashes with a clumpy coating that I find a fair few mascaras do. If you're wanting to try a new mascara i'd highly recommend giving this one a go.

Moving onto a skincare item i've heard some amazing things about, and although i'm huge fan of Soap & Glory i've not tried many of their skincare products. Since recieving a lovely packagae from Soap & Glory i've been getting a fair bit of use out of their Speed Plump All-Day Super Moisturiser Marvel* (£13.99), which is a described as a full throttle attack on dry skin and as a sufferer of dry skin this sounds like just what my skin is in need of. I've been using this as my day moisturiser as it's fast absorbing and super hydrating formula sinks in, in time for me to complete my daily makeup in the few minutes I allow in a morning. It also improves the appearance of my skin, giving it a plump and healthy glow that it often lacks, and I just love what it does for my skin. Last for this favourites post is probably my favourite Christmas presents that my Mum kindly got me, and i've been wearing it to death ever since. I've wanted YSL Black Opium Perfume (£42.30) ever since a fair few friends of mine raved about how much they love it! My choice in fragrance has changed over the past couple of years and although I still adore my Marc Jacobs scents, I also love a more rich mysterious yet still feminine scent and this perfume is just that, of which I absolutely love.

So that is everything i've been loving for the month of December, and i'd highly recommend trying out these products! All in all 2016 has brought some beauty discoveries that i'll keep with me for years to come, and i'll be sharing some of my favourite discoveries of the year over the next couple of weeks.

What products have you loved this month?

Firstly I wanted to start this post by saying Happy New Year, as this is the first post of 2017 and I can't believe i'm entering my fifth year of blogging! With that being said one of my goals for this year is to really focus on my blog, and really push it to it's full potential, and I thought there was nothing better than to kick of the year with a post dedicated to getting organised for 2017, and how I plan to further my blog. I will also be doing more of goals style post at the end of the week, so keep an eye out for that.

This past year i've definitely gotten my blog back on track to a point where i'm really happy, although it took a while and a lot of motivation i'm finally at a point where I can keep to a schedule that works for me and my life currently. Having said that, I really want to push my blog and it's content further but in doing that I need to get myself and my content more organised going forward as I currently don't plan ahead all that much. If like me you too are wanting to get yourself more organised, then I hope these pointers/tips also help you to get organised in 2017.

Plan, plan, plan - For me planning is always key, and is one thing I somewhat pride myself in. See for me planning content is the easy part, is just finding the time to get photos taken and content actually scheduled. In order to stick to a schedule it's key to have some sort of plan in hand, whether it be making lists or writing on a calendar which posts you want to go up on certain days and ticking them off once you've written/posted them will really help in the long run. Finding your own groove when it comes planning will hands down make your content/blog easier to run and it means when you've got a free hour or so, you can try to get ahead of yourself a little.

Be aware of timekeeping - Timekeeping for me is what has allowed me to get my blog somewhat back on track this year. For me when it comes to the weekends, I always ensure that no matter what i've got planned i'm always aware of the time, and what spare time I have in order to work on my content. One way in which I stay on top of my timekeeping is of course from wearing a watch, as I don't always have my phone on me and a watch is so easy to allow you to keep on track. If you're a long follower then you'll know I love my Daniel Wellington watches and my current favourite it the Classic Black Reading Watch* (£139) as it goes with everything I wear, and since I began wearing watches i've noticed how much more organised and on top of things as i'm always aware of the time. 

Set yourself realistic goals - One thing I always remind myself is to be realistic with the goals that i'm setting myself for my blog, as there are definitely times where I get myself quite stressed out when i've set myself unrealistic objectives that I know i'm just never going to meet. If you know that you can get a good two blog posts written in a day, maybe three if you really focus on the topics at hand then that's great but don't push yourself to try and go overboard because I find that my posts often lack that connection and heart if i've rushed my content. Remember be kind to yourself, and allow your writing to flow naturally.

Be persistent and motivated - The way in which i've managed to get my blog schedule to three posts a week is through persistence, as I vowed to myself that I wouldn't let my blog content to fall off like it did a year or so ago. If like me you're motivated and driven to do better with your blog, then persistence is key as it gives you that drive and that goal to work towards in order to push yourself and your blog forward. Having said that, and going back to my previous point remember to set yourself a realistic schedule that works to you and your life/workload.

So those are the ways in which I have bettered not only my blog but also myself, and will continue to do so and build upon over the next year. Lastly I want to say a massive Happy New Year to all of you lovely people who have stuck with me through this year, and also a massive thank you to all of you who have followed this year. Without this little space on the internet I wouldn't be where I am today, and for that i'm forever grateful. (Don't forget there's still time to get yourself 15% off at Daniel Wellington with the code 'SPLURGING').

How are you getting yourself organised for 2017?