January

This is probably the most generic way to start a monthly favourites post, but where on earth has this month gone? I'm already in my third week of this semester and honestly I don't have much to show for it. Between an extreme lack of motivation to get work done, a few bouts of illness leading to antibiotics and being disappointed by a couple of members of the opposite sex, 2014 hasn't had the most positive start. But the less said about that the better; on to my favourites for the month.

TV shows; when I'm feeling a bit down I love finding a new programme to invest in. However, I seem to take it to the extreme; for example a few weeks ago I decided to give 'Orange is the new Black' a try and ended up watching the whole first series in three days. This coupled with the return of both 'Girls' and 'Keeping up the the Kardashians' (I refuse to feel guilty for enjoying the latter) means that January has been rather successful for me TV wise...if nothing else.

Music; I've also been doing my best this month to find some new music. A large amount of my favourite music is at least 20 years old- my most listened to records are Fleetwood Mac & David Bowie - but I was starting to feel a bit bored musically. My iPhone got a well-deserved spring cleaning (how Pitbull ever made his way on there is anyone's guess) and I made an effort to download some new music. A few favourite discoveries are Peace, Chet Faker and the song 'Budapest' by George Ezra.

Book; If you read this post you'll know this year I'm trying to get better at finishing books and I'm pleased to say I have already managed it! Only once so far, but baby steps. The book in question was 'The Psychopath Test' by Jon Ronson, which explores the idea of psychopaths, both in a clinical and everyday sense. I may be biased as I study psychology at uni, but I think this would be an interesting read for anyone.

I can't say there's been much else I can rave about for this month. Although, the onesie my parents bought me for Christmas is pretty much the only thing I've worn in my three weeks back at uni; my house is practically Arctic- this is not an exaggeration, I'm wearing gloves as I type this and I still can't feel my hands.
With my dissertation deadline looming I'm putting my faith in February to be a much more productive month.

How was your January?

Skin & hair favourites

I thought I'd do a run-down of my favourite skin and hair bits today. Please excuse the miserable English weather in the background.

Liz Earle cleanse & polish hot cloth cleanser; I won't be winning any awards for starting any trends with this one- I think every single blog I read has reviewed this at some point or another and none of them have had a bad word to say. I've repurchased this six or seven times over the past few years because it really works. It's gentle, smells lovely and makes your skin feel so soft. 

REN resurfacing AHA concentrate; I got this for my birthday after reading how much Kate at gh0stparties loves it. It's a chemical exfoliator, which sounds pretty scary, but it really works. I use this every other night after cleansing, and although the first few times it caused a rather distressing stinging sensation, the morning after my skin always feels great and looks brighter. When I started using this I had a lot of little bumps under my skin which have since disappeared. I will definitely be buying this once it has run out, despite how much it will upset my bank account..

Moroccan Oil; I've only had this since Christmas but it has quickly become a favourite. I used to use a VO5 oil for the ends of my hair after washing it and it seemed to be doing the job, but this is on another level. It makes the ends of my hair look so much healthier (no mean feat when you consider that I haven't had a haircut in 2 & a half years..), it smells great and I can tell it will last ages. 

Bobbi Brown hydrating eye cream; This is another fairly recent addition which has won me over. I used to just use a nivea cream under my eyes but I noticed my concealer looking dry and cakey so I decided to try this eye cream. This is a good option for younger people wanting an eye cream as it isn't trying to battle anti-ageing or anything of the sort just yet- it's simply moisturising and definitely makes a difference.

NUXE reve de miel lip balm; Another much blogged about product- I first picked one of these up when I visited Paris last year and that one little pot lasted nearly a year. I put this on every night before I go to sleep and I can still feel it there in the morning. It is a lifesaver for dry lips, smells divine and is really worth the money. My housemate bought me the stick version of this for secret santa this year too so I can keep it in my bag- possibly the only downside of the pot is that it is made of glass and therefore may not be suitable for on-the-go, however this also makes it a lovely addition to my bedside table. 

Of course my skincare wishlist is always growing but I'm pretty happy with my current routine. Do you have any favourites I might like?

Resolutions

A lot has changed over the last year and with the end of university looming, I don't expect 2014 to be any less eventful. I've been thinking about a few things which I will formally call 'resolutions' but are more just aims and ideas for the coming months, recorded here for posterity/to hopefully look back at this time next year and cross off my list.

1) Graduate university with a 2.1: I'm hoping out of everything this is the one that will definitely happen and so far it doesn't seem too impossible (famous last words).

2) Blog regularly: I've decided that I want this to be a general lifestyle blog. It might not be anything ground-breaking, and my bank balance certainly will not allow me to become the next big beauty blogger, but I rather like having a little corner of the internet to call my own and I hope 2014 will be the year I really commit to it.

3) Finish books: I love reading, but one of my worst habits is starting a book and then never finishing it. I could be a chapter in or half way through, but somehow I will, nearly every time, neglect the book. I am determined to distinguish this terrible habit and finish the 5 or 6 books I have on the go before committing to any new ones.

4) Do more offline: this one links to my above promise to read but slightly contradicts my commitment to blog more; the other day I was wondering how many days of my life must have been taken up by the online world. Whether it was neopets when I was 8, the gruesome Myspace years, or my current addiction to instagram, facebook and twitter, I have always been very into the online world. I love being constantly updated on the lives of people, both those I know and those I don't. However, it probably isn't okay to have palpitations at the thought of being disconnected from the internet. I'm going to make an effort to experience as many things as I can this year and, shock horror, maybe not even take a photo with the intention of instragramming it later... although I can't promise anything, life just looks better with the 'valencia' filter.

5) Figure out my post-university plan: This is the one I try not to think about. When people ask what I want to do after uni, they are met with a look of sheer terror. I've never had a specific job in mind, I don't have a particular passion to continue into post-grad study, and while I know it sounds awfully naive, the many graduate schemes I see my friends applying for really don't appeal to me. My current basic plan is to move back home, get any job I can in order to build up money and then go travelling. I'm hoping that living at home will last about six months and then I can head off wherever I want to go. However, I should probably figure out where it is I want to go. There are so many places I would love to visit that I don't even know where to start. Should I try to get a job in a hostel? Should I just go live in a new city and work a random job? The possibilities are endless and I am terrible at making decisions.

I think that's enough to work on for now. In fact, I think I need to go lie down..

Do you have any new years resolutions?

What are you doin' New Years Eve?

Somehow the end of 2013 has crept up on me - it feels like two minutes since summer. For me, this has really been both a difficult and an amazing year. I'm feeling particularly reflective, so I thought I'd write about some things that have happened this year.

Let's get the doom-and-gloom out of the way first; in February my boyfriend of almost three years and I broke up. Neither of us did anything wrong, but it was one of those crippling cases of 'what if?' and I just couldn't shake it. Nobody should have to feel like they're settling for something that's less than perfect and I think we were both scared of being alone. It took a while (and several bottles of wine), but I can definitely see that it was a positive thing now. It's important to know who you are by yourself and know that you can be happy without relying on someone else to provide it for you.

Okay, I'm out of my pseudo-guru state. Now for some positives.

My university has an event called 'Escape and Evade' where you have 60 hours to try get as far away as possible. Sounds simple, until you add in the fact that you have to do that for free. Yes, that means hitch-hiking. No, my mother wasn't happy about it. My housemate and I, both craving that 'strong independent woman' feeling having both recently gone through break-ups, decided to take on the challenge. I can safely say it was both one of the best and the worst things I've ever done. We managed to get to Zagreb in Croatia just by taking lifts from random foreign strangers- often standing outside petrol stations in -5 degree temperatures. It was really draining, but the sense of accomplishment we felt at the end of the 60 hours was incredible. It's something I'll always be proud of - I raised £300 for local charities too - and a story that I hope makes my future children think that their mum was 'cool' once.

Continuing on the travelling theme, for two and a half weeks during summer my best friend Kerrie and I went interrailing. We flew to Berlin, then headed to Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Zagreb (it was nice to experience it again when it was sunny instead of snowing), finishing in the gorgeous Lake Bled in Slovenia. We had a great time, saw some beautiful places and met lots of people. My one piece of advice; do not trust online forums that say that you don't need to reserve a seat for that delightful 7 hour daytime journey. It is lying and you will end up sat by the toilet for at least half the journey. Oh and be wary where you sit in the Tiergarten in Berlin. There is a nudist area and despite what you may think, you will look like the odd one out sat innocently eating your sandwiches while thirty or so naked adults soak up the sun.

Moving on; I've loved Haim since I first heard 'Don't Save Me' at the beginning of 2013. I counted down the days until their album was released and as soon as I heard they would be touring at the end of the year, I made it my mission to get tickets. Kerrie and I went to see them at the HMV Institute in Birmingham at the start of December and it was probably the best gig I've ever been to. Before I went I had a huge girl crush on Este and I can only say that that crush increased ten-fold after seeing them live. Despite the fact that Danielle (usually the lead singer) was ill and didn't sing most of her usual songs, I think it's a testament to how amazing they are that I didn't mind one bit when the other two Haim sisters stepped in to fill her shoes. I hate to sound like a 13 year old but, for lack of better words, they are just so cool. A friend told me once that I looked like I should be the fourth sister, and I resolve to maintain this standard as long as I can get away with wearing red lipstick all day every day. Okay, my gushing is over.

Finally a few other un-photographable snippets for the year;  I passed my second year of uni with a decent 2.1, which hopefully has put me in a good position for third year. My sister got engaged and will be getting married this August.

All things considered, 2013 has been a pretty good year for me. It's been quite an important year in terms of, for lack of less clichéd words, 'personal growth' and with university finishing this year I have no doubt that 2014 will continue in the same way. But, I have another post on the way purely for my resolutions, so enough of that for now.

How was your year?