The Five Best Things About Christmas

Christmas is an odd time of year, when you really think about it the month of December is quite unlike any other. It's a time when everyone comes together, a time of festive cheer, but also a time for the odd scrooge here or there - baa humbug! And whilst I'd usually be lusting after the warm summer weather, without a doubt Christmas has always been my favourite time of year for a variety of reasons.

I've also previously written about my favourite Christmas music; whilst I haven't included it within this list, there's no doubt that music doesn't top it. If you'd like to discover what music I love to listen to during this festive season, you can here!

What I Got For My Birthday 2017

Granted, by the time this post goes up my birthday would've been almost a month ago, but I still thought it was worth showing you some of the items I was lucky enough to receive for my 23rd. I'm an incredibly nosy person and so posts like this massively intrigue me. I picked out a selection of items to show you, (I guess the more photogenic items seeing as I'm a blogger), as whilst I love everything I was gifted, there are some things that just do not photograph very well; that or I'm not a great photographer - probably the latter in all honesty!

Where I'll Be Looking During The Boxing Day Sales

Okay, maybe it's a little early to begin thinking about this, I mean, it's over a week away, but being the big spender I am, one of the things I greatly look forward to after Christmas day is embarrassingly the Boxing Day sales! Now I'm definitely not one of those people to get up at the crack of dawn and head down to my favourite store to try and scour for the best bargains, I much prefer doing it all from the comfort of my own home, online, as I'm sure many of you do too. 

Based on previous years, there's certain stores which I always love looking at as Boxing Day rolls around. So I've decided to share with you some of those stores, as well as some of my favourite items currently in stock - let's hope they all go on sale in time for the 26th!

Top 3 Christmas Red Lips

As we roll ever so close to Christmas day, the red lips are certainly coming out in full force. I'm a big lover of a red lip for the festive season, as I'm sure many of you are too, but since making the decision to go cruelty-free, I've since realised how few products I actually own from cruelty-free brands. However, after having a scrummage through my entire collection, I managed to find some absolute gems; some which I have well and truly used and abused and others that I'm only just beginning to find love for.

What's On My Christmas Wishlist 2017?

Christmas is mere week and a half away (isn't that crazy?), and in preparation for the special day, I've been spotting a plethora Christmas wishlist blog posts over every corner of the Internet. I'm such a curious person and so these posts have always massively interested me; plus, their unintentionally great little gift guides too! Seeing as I enjoy Christmas wishlist posts so much, it seemed only right to create one myself.

I should mention that I do in fact know the majority of the gifts I'll be lucky enough to receive; it's not that I don't like surprises, I do, but in our family we like to clarify that we're buying gifts that the end-user will really utilise. That said, whilst I know some of the gifts mentioned within this wish list I will be receiving, I certainly know that I always won't be receiving many of them on the 25th too! 

What's On My Christmas Playlist?

If there's one thing that'll put me in the Christmas mood, it's guaranteed to be Christmas music. For me, the festive season has officially begun from the moment that I blast my favourite Christmas playlist whilst I'm decorating our family Christmas tree; embarrassingly I find that it's one of the happiest days of the year!

So what do I tend to listen to on my Christmas playlist? 

Last Minute Disney Christmas Gift Guide

If you know me, you'll definitely know that I am a huge Disney fan, so much so that I've vlogged my last two Walt Disney World holidays and my YouTube channel has shifted to mainly Disney related topics!

I love Disney, in fact I recently wrote a post on Why I Keep Going Back To Disney to give everyone a greater understanding of why Disney and the parks mean so much to me. And whilst I'd give anything to be there right now, the next best thing is to bring a little Disney into the home; and I know I'm not the only one who'd be lusting after some Disney items this Christmas. It's not just for kids, Disney is for the young at heart, those of all ages and this gift guide is perfect for absolutely any Disney fan.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

I'm sure you're well and truly aware, but winter has certainly arrived here in the UK! A blessing and curse all at once, it seems as though us in the Midlands and those in Wales have gotten the brunt of the snow this time around. There's so much to love about the snow, yet I despise it all at the same time.

I love how Christmassy the snow makes me feel, especially in the run-up to the special day; I love seeing how happy all the kids are, knowing that they're able to spend the day sledding and making snowmen, and the fashion; I love being able to pull out my chunkiest scarves, oversized coats and wooly hats; I absolutely love it all!

But at the same time I'm absolutely terrified; terrified of slipping on the ice, as well as driving on it too! I'm sure many countries who receive feet upon feet of the stuff are probably laughing at how us Brits handle the situation - cancelling schools, having days of work, public transport grinds to a near halt etc. but in retrospect we're just not used to this weather here. I don't know what it's like where you live, but 90% of the time when in snows in my town, it just doesn't stick that much, and if it does it's simply a light coating, not the 4-5 inches we received in a few hours yesterday. Plus what's the point in purchasing snow tyres to use once every few years when the snow decides to stick?

Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide For Her

I'm probably the last blogger to start her Christmas posts this festive season, but hey ho, they're finally here! And in good time, because nows that time when more and more people begin to stress over what to buy their loved ones as the big day looms just around the corner. Can't find that perfect gift for your mum or maybe you have a friend who already has everything? Don't worry; I'm here to bring you a plethora of options suited for any and every female this season. Heck, you may even spot the perfect gift for some of the men in your life!

All About Brows: Soap & Glory Review

Ask me what beauty products I couldn't live without and brow products are bound to make it somewhere near the top of the list. I have a thing for good eyebrows, an obsession, so an incredible brow product is essential for someone of my ilk. I've tried a few these past years, but I always tend to run straight back to Soap & Glory. 

And for good reason.

4 Quick & Easy Ways To Boost Your Blog Traffic

Whilst numbers certainly aren't everything, I think as bloggers we'd be lying if we said we said we weren't always trying to boost the amount of traffic coming into our blogs. It's perfectly normal to want to get your content out there, content that you've worked incredibly hard on. But as I very well know, getting it to your readers, or should I say potential readers can be a struggle and keeping them there is another story (maybe that one will be another future post). The blogging world is incredibly oversaturated; with new blogs and thousands of posts being created on the daily, combined with a mass of already well established bloggers in the world, just how is it possible to entice an audience to your posts?

I'm not expert; I don't have the numbers that the majority of your favourite bloggers possess. However, since both recently kickstarting this blog up and from previous experience, I've discovered a great deal about some of the most valuable apps to bloggers, as well as a few hints and tricks that have helped me along the way.

Making The Decision To Go Cruelty-Free

It's a decision I've only recently made (just last week), yet one I'm really set on - I've decided to go cruelty-free! Going cruelty-free is something that has most definitely crossed my mind on the odd occasion and in total honesty, I'm gutted I didn't decide to make the change sooner.

Regardless of whether you only buy exclusively cruelty-free products or not, this post may help to enlighten not only some of the terrible things that happen during cosmetics testings, but also the extensive range of brands that you can still purchase as a cruelty-free brand supporter. 

Worth The Hype? Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette

It goes without saying that since its release last year, I've certainly been lusting over the ABH Modern Renaissance Palette. I tend to get a couple of high-end palettes a year; usually one when I pop over to the states and the other for a birthday or Christmas present. After roughly a year and a half without this palette in my life, on my recent Florida holiday I finally caved in and added this beauty to my ever-growing collection. But what do I genuinely think?

The Love List: Current Beauty Obsessions

Like every other self confessed beauty addict, I go through many stages where I continually obsess over a handful of incredible products, opting to use them over the endless amount of makeup stacked inside my drawers. It tends to be a seasonal thing; as a new season rolls along I test out different blushers and lipsticks or even rediscover old favourites. But which products have been gaining a bit (or should I say a lot) of tlc from myself over these past few months; budging their way into my everyday makeup routine?

Why Do You Keep Going Back To Disney?

Why do you keep going back to Disney? Aren't you too old for Disney? These are the questions that I'm often graced with when I let someone know that I'll back heading back to the most magical place on earth. And maybe if you're not a likeminded Disney freak like myself, you may be asking those questions too. I understand; Disney was certainly created with children at mind; their movies are aimed at a younger audience, but that doesn't mean that we just stop enjoying it.

But what about travelling elsewhere - don't you want to experience other things that aren't Disney? Often a comment from someone yet to experience a single Disney park or yet to understand the extremity of the things to do (within Disney World specifically). It's not just popping to a theme park, meeting Mickey Mouse and eating a burger, it's so much more than that.

So just why do I keep going back to Disney?

Pink Parcel May Review

These past few months, I've found an unhealthy obsession for monthly subscription boxes. Whilst I've bought the odd generic beauty box here and there, I haven't really delved into much else. That was until recently. I was incredibly fortunate to receive the May edition* of the Pink Parcel monthly subscription box and share my thoughts with you. Although this is in a sense still a beauty subscription box, it differs in the fact that it also delivers your monthly period products directly to your door. Costing £10.50 (including postage), it not only saves you a trip to top up on your pads or tampons, but it also comes with a little pick-me-up in the form of a selection of different beauty products and food...what could be better than that?

Instagram Roundup | March & April

I've been a little absent recently, which I profusely apologise for. However, to keep everyone in the loop I thought it would be only suitable to continue on my Instagram roundup series on my blog, combining both the months of March and April. Although all in all very little actually happened throughout these two months, one significant event has evidently had a massive impact on my life.

Instagram Roundup | February

I still can't quite believe that we've already made it to March! Am I the only one who thinks that it's still Christmas? Seriously. But this past month has been both an exciting, stressful and busy month for myself. Whilst there are some things that I'm personally not going to share, this month has definitely seen my independence soar and has lead to a number of exciting announcements for myself!

International Disney Giveaway!! (Open)

I'm so excited to finally tell you that I'm hosting my first ever Disney giveaway! I've hosted a couple of giveaways in the past, but I'm excited to give back to those of you who have supported me immensely since uploading my first Disney vlog back in September! I've never had such an incredible response to content that I've created and I think it's time that I held a little giveaway to say thank you! And to any new viewers, welcome!

Giveaway Rules

- This is international - feel free to enter wherever you live!

- If you are under the age of 18, please ask for parental/guardian permission.

- Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

- A maximum of 6 entries per person, no more!

- Those found using multiple accounts and/or giveaway accounts will lose all entries.

- The giveaway will end at 11.59pm on Sunday the 19th of March.

- Rafflecopter will select the winner at random.

- The winner will be contacted on the following Monday (once all of their entries have been checked).

- The winner will have 3 days to respond until a new winner is chosen.

Social Media Links

Instagram @lizziegines | Twitter @lizziegines | YouTube Lizzie Gines

Enter Here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

Tips To Get Your Hair Ready For Spring/Summer

Summer brings a few challenges for your hair, like chlorine, UV rays and heat. But with a bit of knowledge and some hair care tips, your locks can look their very best during the warmer months. It’s not just hair protection that you’ll be thinking about as the new season rolls around, though, as a new season can often mean a new ‘do too. 

As far as SS17 hairstyle trends go, short hair and plaits are right up there. These are both excellent ways of feeling cool while looking cool in hotter weather, whether you’re giving your neck the al fresco treatment with a bob cut or just lifting your locks up off your neck with braids. 

Beauty Things I Suck At

Over the years I've learnt a fair bit about makeup - I find such pleasure in purchasing and trying out new products and learning new techniques. But I've also noticed there are a fair few things in the beauty world that I quite simply suck at! Some of those are things that I've tried doing over and over and just can't seem to hack, whereas the others aren't necessarily things that I suck at, but those that I should no doubt be paying more attention to!

KIKO Milano Nail Lacquer Bargain

I love buying a good beauty product, there's no doubt about that. But there's one thing that I seemingly always seem to skip out on - nail polish. It's not that I don't like nail polish, I just think it's the fact that I'm too lazy. Basically too lazy to sit there, apply multiple layers of nail polish and wait there for what seems like forever for them to dry. Plus it always seems as though those moments when I'm waiting for my nails to dry is when I actually need to do something...something that will no doubt mess up the polish on my nails! And because I'm generally not someone who paints my nails, I refuse to pay much to add new polishes to my collection. In fact, Poundland used to be my favourite place to purchase nail polishes a few years ago! Finding Sally Hansen polishes in Poundland was just incredible! And now I've stumbled across another bargain!

Sleek Solstice Highlighting Palette Review

Until recently, let's say about a year ago, I wouldn't quite call myself a highlight fanatic. I'd maybe used the odd one or two here and there, but would generally skip the step out of my everyday makeup routine. Now fast forward to the current day and highlight is a step that I cannot miss out on a typical makeup wearing day and is most certainly one of those products that I enjoy purchasing and testing on a more regular basis than beforehand.

Around about six months ago, I would hear bloggers constantly raving about one high street highlighting palette, the Sleek Solstice palette. I held off for a little while, but eventually decided that due to the all the positivity surrounding this palette that I just needed it in my collection. Sleek are in general one of my favourite drugstore brands for contouring and blush products and at just £10 for four beautiful highlight shades, it is honestly a steal!

A KIKO Milano Haul

Evidently I am a makeup lover, hence why I created this blog in the first place. I like many others love to try out and experiment with new makeup and for so long I've been lusting after a variation of different products from Kiko, a brand that before now I had previously never tried before! 

That recently changed however, as rewind back to November when Black Friday sales were at their peak, I decided to place a pretty hefty order on Kiko's website. At the time they were having a Buy 6 Get 3 Free sale on and I quite simply couldn't pass on that incredible deal. As they were being shipped directly from Italy it ended up taking roughly two weeks to arrive, but I sat patiently and waited...well not literally!

My Month On Instagram | January

I love Instagram. I would most certainly go as far as saying that it's by far my favourite social media platform; unless you're counting YouTube as a similar platform. During 2016 I decided to dedicate a greater amount of time to Instagram and as a result saw my following grow from just under 200 to over 3000; an incredible growth in my opinion! I've started experimenting with Instagram Stories (as I'm useless on Snapchat) and enjoy sharing my many photos with anyone who may be interested! I just love it!

So as I love Instagram so much I've decided to start a monthly roundup series on my blog, showcasing some of my most important or memorable moments throughout the month, be as big or as small as they may be, as well as discussing my activity on Instagram to show the progression of my page. 

Lipstick Standouts | YSL & L'Oreal

I'm not going to lie, I just took a photo of some random lipsticks that I had lying around and decided that I liked the photo so much that I should write a blog post around it. Regardless, these few lipsticks are some of my absolute favourites within my collection and I cannot stop raving and recommending these to so many people. And depending on your budget, whether you can splash as much can as needed or you need to be a little more restrained, I most certainly have you sorted here!

3 Things You Should NEVER Do As A Blogger

Getting your blog out there can be hard. I should know. Whilst I've had a fair few off moments from blogging, getting people to just find my blog posts can be a massive task in itself. And although I'll always be working on growing my blog, there will always be those few things that since day one I will in no way shape or form ever do! And unless you want to get in every bloggers bad books, I suggest you steer clear of these things too!

London | Being A Tourist In My Own Country

Just last week I popped down to London for the incredible #GoGlamGala event (my blog post on that can be viewed here). And whilst I was very excited to go to this event with so many talented bloggers and YouTubers alike, as someone who hadn't visited the capital in 9 years, I was also super excited to run around London doing the typically touristy things!

Although I would've loved to stay a little while longer, I did manage to get the few of the major tourist spots done within the two days that we were there. But this recent trip has made me realise how much I not only want to head back to London, but how much I need to start travelling around my own country. There are so many incredible sights and I'm missing out on them!

#GoGlamGala

Just a few weeks back something incredible happened. I received an email from the lovely Scarlett about an event called the #GoGlamGala for Go Send, a company which we in the UK can use to ship over many US beauty products for a discounted shipping rate. You can place many orders which will be held in an assigned locker in the US and then you'll be able to decide when to ship it over to yourself, saving a considerable amount on shipping when placing multiple international orders online. 

I don't know quite what I've done to be invited to such an amazing event; I had a massive break from blogging last year and quite honestly thought everyone had forgotten about me. And then when I found out some of the bloggers and YouTubers who would be in attendance, I began questioning it even more! Regardless, it sounded like such an incredible event and there was no way that I was going to be missing out on such an exciting occasion. 

3 Year Blogging Anniversary

I've made it! Three years at this blogging malarky. And whilst there's certainly been some bumps in the road, what an achievement it's been! To say that I've committed a vast amount of time in my life to my little corner on the Internet...wow, just wow! And it's grown, it's had some sort of impact! Yes it may not be an uber successful blog like the many that we all lust over on a regular basis, but it's gone somewhere and I hope that only continues to grow in the future! I've never been more passionate about blogging than I have at this exact moment in time, and this is really something that I would like to work on improving and getting out there to maybe even help a few of you out there!

Chloé Love Story Perfume Review

I will be the first person to admit it, I probably have far to many perfumes. At least more than the average person should anyway. It's not that I'm constantly spending money on fragrances, but my collection has really built up year on year and it seems as though very little of the product is ever actually used...I even upped the amount of sprits I apply on a daily basis, but no, they don't seem to go anywhere! 

Regardless, this past year or so I've become much more obsessed with high-end fragrances. Whilst I only have two full-size high-end fragrances and a couple of minis, (the vast amount of my collection being built up of fragrances from those celebrities who I used to obsess over...), I only want more! There's something special about having a high-end fragrance; the packaging is generally of a better quality and a beauty to look at, and they always make me feel more sophisticated, always beneficial for a big kid like me. And my favourite right now you make ask? Well that's the Chloé Love Story perfume!

My New Jewellery Storage

I find that jewellery is always one of those iffy things. Whilst I have a large portion of pieces stored away in jewellery boxes, for the most part I like to keep my jewellery out for me to easily see. I so easily forget to accessorise the vast majority of my outfits that having my jewellery displayed straight in front on my eyes always helps to give me that reminder that I do actually own necklaces, earrings and rings and that I can actually wear them to add just a little more p-zazz to my overall look!

And whilst many of my jewellery pieces will still be stored away from view, one particular gift that I received for Christmas will certainly help me to keep a few more items out on show, never to be forgotten about again. 

Alex & Ani Bracelet | Believe In Every Wish

For years I'd been lusting after an Alex + Ani bracelet. After hearing Anna Saccone raving about her bracelet which she bought from the brand roughly two years ago, I'd been ever so tempted to buy one, but held off for some time. That is until I went to Disney World last year. 

The great thing about the Alex + Ani Disney bracelets is not only that the choices of Disney characters and quotes are endless, but that they are also 100% authentic to the Disney parks. Therefore I wanted to hold off until the next time I did end up heading to Disney, so I could have a piece of jewellery that was that little bit more special to me, with Disney being a massive part of my childhood and even my life now. And the great thing is that whilst they don't scream "DISNEY", they're a lovely, simplistic accessory to add to any outfit to give just that little bit more detail.

ColourPop Haul + Shipping & Customs Info

ColourPop has been one of those brands that for the past year or so I've been longing to try. And towards the last half of 2016 they began shipping to the UK. Great. But I was uhming and ahhing for such a long time due to the high shipping costs and the potential of having a disgustingly large customs charge delivered through my door. 

However fast forward to a couple of days after Christmas and I just decided to go for it. I'd heard a ridiculous number of people raving of multiple products from ColourPop and after months of holding off I picked out my favourite shades and placed my order. Sign up to their newsletter too and you get $5 to spend on your first order! In total, the delivery took a total of roughly two weeks, arriving nicely packaged with plenty of padding to prevent the powder products from smashing.

Top 5 Winter Lip Products

Lip products are certainly one of my favourite products out there. I personally love experimenting with all lip products and have possibly every finish and colour there is (aside from those very out there blues and greens)! And in my mind, I always have those specific products that are most suited towards each season...well, every season but Winter it seems. Whilst Spring screams pink to me, Summer is all about bright, tropical colours and Autumn is focussed on those darker berry tones, Winter just doesn't seem to have those shades that I seemingly have to wear throughout the season!

Evidently during Winter, we experience an entire month of Christmas festivities, red lips certainly make an appearance into my Winter lip essentials. With this said, I am unlikely to stick to a theme and you will certainly see me wearing some brighter pinks in the middle of January. But for the vast majority of my other lip choices, I tend to stick to warmer toned lips, incorporating some of the berry tones that we see ever so frequently in Autumn, as well as bringing in some more matte, nude shades.

My Blog Photo Progression Throughout The Years

We're coming up to three years, three years since I plucked up the courage and started my own blog. First crowned as xBeautyMagic and eventually changed to LizzieGines just last year, my blog has seen drastic changes and improvements throughout the years. Whilst the design of my blog and the content I've written over the years has grown a significant amount, one of the most apparent changes there for everyone to see is certainly the progression of my blog photos!

Cold/Flu Essentials

It's most definitely that time of year where many of us are coming down with a dreaded cold. And if you've been lucky enough to avoid them recently, I'm sure you're somewhat worried about the next time you'll end up contracting one. In fact, I've just spent pretty much the whole new year dealing with a cold and an incredibly sore throat...not how I wanted to bring in the new year! But it got me thinking; thinking about the essentials that I need plastered to me for the entirety of my cold.

100 Blog Post Ideas To Beat Bloggers Block

I know what it's like. Those moments of absolute dread, when you're eagerly anticipating to write that next blog post, but there's nothing coming to mind. Or as many of us bloggers now like to call it, bloggers block. 

Bloggers block has been one of the main reasons that I've ended up taking big breaks away from blogging. I don't want to publish something that on the whole I'm really not passionate about and seems too forced. The content that I publish needs to be on the topics I truly love, that I can contemplate spending a heap of time planning, taking photos and writing up for all of you to eventually read (and hopefully enjoy)! But I come to those points far too often where I think I've spoken about absolutely everything I possibly could and anything else I post would simply be half-arsed.

That is until now. Only recently I decided to kick myself back into gear, up the organisation with my blog and in general, just beat bloggers block. I went about creating an entire spreadsheat full of the varying blogging topics I love and listed as many possible ideas I possibly could. In fact, I managed to come up with over 400 blogging ideas from beauty to fashion to blogging tips, 100 that I'm going to share with you today, so you can beat bloggers block too! 

Mini Stationary Haul

It's odd. I'm not usually the type of person to go out and buy masses of stationary, but recently it seems as though that's all I want to do. I say masses, but I did manage to restrain myself! Whilst half of the reason I've become obsessed with stationary is due to the fact that I think it looks incredibly pretty in blog photos, bringing a bit more detail and making them appear a little more interesting, I've also had this odd yearning to become more organised, make more lists, write more things down...you get the point. And out of all places to look, I ended up finding some absolute gems in Wilkinsons.

Generally a store that I overlook, specifically because of its out-of-the-way location in my hometown, Wilkinsons actually stock some pretty incredible stationary pieces at very affordable prices and I'll definitely be heading back in the future to see what new items they have. In fact, my little haul here ended up costing me the mere fortune of £5! So where to start?!

Birchbox Review | My First Box

I've always been intrigued by the idea of beauty subscription boxes. You know, you pay a specified amount each month to have a box delivered to your door, filled with a selection of products. And whilst I've been yearning for one for the longest time, I've never taken the plunge and signed up for one. I contemplate far too much as to whether I will actually like the contents in the box and use each and every one of them, so I've been quite unsure if they'll actually be worth the money.

With that said, lets rewind back a few weeks ago. I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw an ad for Birchbox (darn ads...you got me again). I noticed that each box they were offering for December (which is unfortunately unavailable) came with a full size Ciate eyeliner priced at £15, and when the box itself costs £10 (plus £2.95 postage) it seemed like an absolute steal. I'm always one for trying new products and don't particularly like spending tons on higher-end ones that I may be unsure about. 

Zoella Beauty Must-Haves

There's no denying that since the release of Zoella Beauty back in 2014, I have been a massive fan. Whilst I've yet to try everything from all the ranges, I've definitely discovered some real keepers which I plan on buying over and over again; in fact, in some cases I have! From fragrances, to makeup bags to bath and body products, there is certainly something for every subscriber of Zoella and beauty lover out there - even if you're not a massive fan of Zoella, I'm sure there are many products that would take your fancy. And whilst I have never been disappointed with any products from the masses of ranges now available, I've somehow managed to whittle it down to my absolute favourite five!

Rewind To Christmas Day

I know it's all been done and gone, but I refuse to believe that Christmas is truly over. The festive season is one of my favourite times of year and as soon as the New Year has passed everything is over. Just like that. And then we all have to get back into the swing of things and go back to normal. Or even worse for me, we have to brave the dreaded cold. Honestly after it's all over, the only thing I want is for summer to roll around. But today we're going back. I'm having a look at my Christmas day, what I did on that one special day, and I'm sharing it with you!

2017 Blog Goals

Happy New Year! How did 2017 come around so quickly?! I feel as though I'm definitely not the only one who feels as though 2016 just started a mere month ago, so is incredibly baffled by how swiftly this new year has made its way around to us. And although 2016 was certainly filled with many downs for us all, there were also many positive points too - the ones which at the end of the day we should be focussing on! For me, my highlights include graduating from university with a 2.1, heading to Disney World on my first trip abroad without my parents and improving my driving confidence; before this year I had never driven on my own despite having a license for a while, but now I can happily say I have - such a massive deal to me!

And within the online world, I've also had many positive points. Having both a blog and YouTube channel, I've been able to create so much content of which I'm proud of. Throughout the year I have successfully managed to upload once a week, since increasing to twice a week due to the introduction of my Disney World vlogs; a big achievement in itself. And whilst my blog has been somewhat abandoned for a large portion of the year, I fell in love with blogging again after recently partaking in Blogmas. I was able to create so much content that I am truly proud of and can see drastic improvements from over the years. But this year I really want to work on bettering my blog (and YouTube channel) and the many different aspect that come along with it!