2016 Favourites + Resolutions

     Well, 2016, it's been a year. This year has been so massively huge for me, with starting college and moving away from home, trying to be a full time big sister (who knew that was so hard?) and getting to know a side of my family that I really had only seen on holidays. It's been so rewarding and challenging and I wouldn't change a second of it. I thought I would go over some of my favourite products and memories of 2016 and some of my resolutions (that you know I probably won't keep past February) for 2017.

Favourite book: Oh man, I think I've read more books this year than I have in my whole life. This is actually such a hard one to narrow down to one, but I think it absolutely has to go If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. This is such a beautiful book about a male to female transition that I honestly hadn't given much thought to until this book. I recommend it so, so highly.

Favourite purchase: This has to be either Cards Against Humanity or my Canon Rebel T5. The camera is amazing, the quality of pictures is so great and I love taking it along on adventures, but Cards Against Humanity is the funniest game, and my family has been playing it nonstop for days (also I won the last time we played so that makes me happy too).

Favourite beauty product: Hands down, my favourite beauty product this year has been my Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious mascara. I've been using Elizabeth Arden mascara for a few years which was amazing, but so friggin expensive, so I broke down and bought Lash Sensational instead and I will never look back. The volume is perfect, it fans out my lashes so well, and their is an oil in it which makes my lashes softer than other mascaras.

Favourite food: Homemade stew from my mama. I was so excited about this stew, I had dreams about it. I really wish I was lying but homemade food from your mom after months of not having it is like heaven in a bowl.

Favourite moment: I can't really pick one, but it has to be spending time with my nephew and niece. Hunter turned two this year and I got to spend almost half of my year watching and helping him grow and learn. His little laugh is my favourite sound and I'm so glad I get to hear it so often. Hayzle has just made her appearance in 2016 but she is the sweetest little baby in the world. She doesn't cry at all, only makes the cutest little squeaks and I love it.

     Now on to the resolutions! This year I really want to make schedules for myself and actually following them, because I am constantly trying to do everything at once and then getting so overwhelmed. I was given a very beautiful calendar for Christmas and I am very excited to actually start scheduling my life. My second resolution is to go outside more often. Now that I live in a city, I'm missing the different trails and rural areas where I grew up so I'm definitely going to find some good walking trails near me now.

     I hope you all have wonderful plans for new years (I will probably be spending it with the cutest kids ever imagined) and I hope that your new year will be filled with love and good things.

Wild & Free Project

     I've been following the beautiful Alexa Jean Brown for years, and have done two rounds of her Sore To The Core ab program (review here), and I mean basically I'm just obsessed with her and her brand. So earlier this year, she started the Wild and Free Project, which helps raise awareness and support families fighting pediatric cancer by selling super cute T-shirts and donating 25% of all proceeds to the Kylie Rowand Foundation.

     There are so many styles to chose from, and they come in women, men and kids sizes. Literally obsessed with so many of these shirts, they are very adorable designs and they are so comfy to wear. 

     So I bought two tanks, both were $22 US ($29.72 CAD) and they are really nice quality. I'm honestly living in the mermaid one lately, it's so cute and so comfortable! 

             

   
     I couldn't recommend The Wild and Free Project more, there is nothing better than getting some adorable clothes and helping support those affected by childhood cancer. You can browse and shop the styles here!

*all opinions are my own and I purchased all of these products myself.*

Illuminate By Ashley Haul // Review

I have been so excited to try Ashley Tisdale's new cosmetics line basically since it got announced. It took me awhile to actually get around to buying it though because since I'm in Canada I thought the shipping would be atrocious. I was so wrong though, as the cost was only around $6.50. The shipping took a little bit longer than I would have liked, but that's only because I'm the most impatient person ever. There also was no customs charges which I was very, very happy about!

So first of all I have to say that I'm absolutely in love with the packaging. I know that what matters is inside the packaging but it's just too cute not to mention. In my order I got the Beach Goddess Palette, a lip gloss, an illuminating shimmer, body bronzer, and a cream lip and cheek tint. On first use they all seem like good quality, highly pigmented and very easy to apply.

The Beach Goddess palette has 9 eye shadow shades (5 shimmery, 4 matte) in different brown and neutral colours, as well as one matte bronzer, a shimmery bronzer and a shimmery blush. The colours are all super pigmented and I'm definitely in love with the colour Belize, a dark coppery brown shimmer shade. The packaging does come with a plastic sheet over the colours with their names on it, which I guess could be annoying for some people, but I don't mind it. Overall, for $14.50, it's my new go to palette.




I got the lip gloss in the shade coral reef and was a little iffy at first, but I think it'll probably be my new favourite. The colour is a very pretty light coral which looks shimmery in the package, but the glitter in it is so small that once it's on your lips you barely notice. It dries well and doesn't smear as much as I thought it would considering it was only $8. The applicator is a little bit weird, as it is plastic with a small brush on one side. I'm still deciding if I like it or not. Regardless, the gloss goes on smoothly and I'm happy with the pigmentation

I have a very love hate relationship with the illuminating shimmer right now. It is absolutely beautiful, but it gets on everything. It goes on really well and the pigmentation is good, but there's just so much glitter. It ends up all over my hands and therefore everything I touch for the next few hours. But it's $7.50 so I can't really complain.






The body bronzer is probably my favourite product right now. I originally got it so that when my tan started to fade, I could make it last longer so I wouldn't have to purchase all new makeup (Summer Delaney and Winter Delaney are about 5 shades different), but now I'm using it on my tan lines and my skin looks so so amazing. I've been using a dove bronzer for years and have never gotten my tan lines to match my skin until now. The shade I use is soaked in sun and not that this actually makes a difference to the results, but it smells like grapefruit. The bronzer costs $14 and I will definitely be repurchasing.



So I have never seen anyone actually apply a cream blush, so I'm not 100% if I'm doing it right, but either way I like it. It's not my favourite and the pigmentation isn't great, but it does it's job and for $8, it's pretty good quality. I honestly just might be using it wrong though. Time to watch more makeup tutorials, I guess.

I'm definitely pleased with my purchase overall, and will be repurchasing the bronzing lotion, and I will absolutely be getting the Night Goddess palette in the future. If you're interested in any of the products you can shop them here!

*all opinions are my own and I purchased all of these products myself.*