No no no no no! January is already gone? I am not sure how to feel about this. I have been itching and waiting for the end of January to come around so that I can share my favourites with you, but now that its here, it seems too surreal.













First up on my list is my Lip De-Luscious Tint from Mecca in the shade Berry. I had been eyeing this off for months, but I didn't want to spend 30 dollars on a lip balm. Luckily for me, I got given a Mecca Gift Card for Christmas, so of course I picked one up ! It. Is. Stunning. It gives your lips a subtle tint, with lots of gloss, which is not only moisturizing but also long-wearing. I popped this on after work one day before I hit the gym, and it was still glossy and juicy when I dragged my sorry, sweaty ass into my car after.


As the wise, Rihanna would say, where have you been all my life? I am talking to you MAC Fix+. I have used it practically every single day since purchasing this, as it makes your eyeshadow go on SO pigmented and glowy! yes yes yes yes!



 A re-found love of mine this month has been the Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation in the shade 42. I really enjoyed this back in August when i first picked this up, but then I got addicted to my MAC Studio Fix that it was put on the back-burner. I picked up the Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation in the shade 42 which teamed up with the liquid foundation is amazing! You can really achieve a full-coverage look with this duo! I would like to note that if you have super dry skin, this may be cake overload for you, as it is quite drying. I have dry to combination skin (dry skin yet makeup falls off my face so easily) and I find it works amazing with a little bit of a hydrating primer underneath.


I am a bit of a body wash fiend to be honest. I usually have anywhere between 2-5 going at the one time (I know, I am a sad excuse for a human being). At the end of December I finally got my hands on the Spiced Apple body wash from Body Shop, and boy did it not disappoint! I am super sad that it is nearly running out, but thats a lesson learned... this year I shall pick up 20 (you think im joking....).

On to the random tidbits of the month that I loved...


I recently got myself back into Audible and I will never look back. I downloaded my first free book which happened to be 'The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck' by Sarah Knight, and listened to it at work. I have a pretty amazing job, in which I can put my headphones on, and listen to music (or in this case, Audio Books) while I get my tasks done. The book was insightful but it really didn't live up to my hype or expectations. I am super keen, however, to pick up another book and get listening again.



Another leisurely favourite is my bullet journal! I was using a cheap visual diary to create a bullet journal off and on for the last few months of 2016, but I decided to commit to a new Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal for 2017. Stay tuned for blog posts to come on how I set up, plan, and track things with my journal.

Lastly, a monthly favourites for me would not be a monthly favourites without some music loves! This month i had a few stand-outs (Shape Of You....need I say more?), as well as some old faves revisited (I will attach links to all below so you can listen).





That is it for January! Here's to another quick year in our midst.

What way to kick off the new year with new makeup goodies to play with!? I picked up a fair bit of stuff here and there over the space of about a month, including stuff I was able to get as gifts and/or with gift cards that I received. Of course to justify it all, what better way to do so than with a haul!

I am the type of person who makes all the lists in the world of the things I want to do or achieve, but I never make the necessary changes to get my shit together. 2017 is a new chapter for many people, and I am a big believer in fresh starts. I know that you can start fresh any day of the year, but the new year is just that extra special step forward to starting a new chapter in your life. To bring in the new year I thought I would share my goals for 2017 not only to maybe inspire others, but to also hold myself accountable. You will notice that after I state my goals I will have a section called 'Action'... This is where I will give little examples of HOW I am going to achieve my goals.

1. EXERCISE

BIGGEST goal for me for 2017 is to work on my health and fitness. I am overweight and not all that healthy, especially mentally. I really wish to get to a point where I don't even think twice about my exercise routine. I have a gym membership to an AWWWWWESOME local gym with some amazing friends and trainers, and I also plan on taking part of a few different challenges to keep me motivated. I have picked up a new water bottle from Big Bottle Co (another MAJOR goal for me for the new year - DRINK. MORE. WATER.), along with my new wireless headphones that I got as a Christmas present.

ACTION: - Workout 3-5 times per week with 3 sessions being the minimum!
- Don't buy soft-drink when doing groceries. FORCE yourself to have to drink water instead.

2. Read more & set up a routine

These two goals kind of go hand in hand. I used to be a huge reader, however I slacked off when I wasn't in a good routine like I am now for my everyday life. I work full-time, and I used to think that if I am waking up at 7am, I need to be getting heaps of sleep and be in bed by 9pm. I have adjusted my routine, and now I actually stay up an extra couple of hours per night as I can generally function off less sleep (don't stress I still get enough!). I want to work on getting into a routine that maximises the hours of the day I have, including more reading time, time to do blog work, as well as for my exercising.

ACTION: - Stick with my Bullet Journal to plan and organise my life so that I stay following a routine.
- Set aside time each night to read a chapter or two before bed.
- Spend Sunday afternoon/night preparing for the week ahead (Blog post coming soon!)

3. Establish my blog more and grow my base.

I have slacked off MAJORLY this passed month, just due to some personal issues that were honestly more important than working on my blog. However now that my life is starting to come back together I really want to put more time and effort into growing with this community. A top goal would be to double my followers on Instagram (which would be roughly 1600) and start putting up at least 1 post per week. Ultimately I don't care if my 'followers' don't go higher or lower or whatever way it goes, but I would like to prove to myself that I can stick with something, and express some creativity.

ACTION: - download a preview app for Instagram (THANK YOU KATE @themintedblog !!) so that you can schedule posts.
- Talk about what you are passionate about and share that with others.

4. Live more.

I tend to make excuses for a lot of things. I don't want to leave my house because I would rather be in bed on Netflix. I don't want to do blog work cause I am tired after work. I don't want to make plans for the weekend as I would rather be lazy and rest. I make excuses all the time and I want to learn to say YES to more things. We weren't put on this earth to work, sleep, repeat, and die.

ACTION: - Set aside allocated times for date nights.
- Create things to do with friends and family during the week, not just on weekends.
- Go to a few concerts and let your hair down!
- Visit Melbourne and Tasmania this year for an adventure! 

My goals for 2017 are quite simple and are very heavily based of Self-Love and working on myself, my body, and my mind. I would love to hear what your goals are for the new year down below in the comments! x