We've finally reached the end of January! It feels like it has lasted about three Decembers but we're finally here. Last year, to round up the month I would write a monthly mixtape post, but this year I wanted to change things up a bit and share my favourites from other topics such as beauty, books and film too.


To start off my beauty favourites, something I've owned for a while but only started loving lately is the Benefit Hoola Bronzer. For some reason, I've tried it a few times but never properly until this month when I couldn't stop wearing it. I've used it pretty much every time I've done my makeup this month because it gives such a lovely contour and surprisingly matches perfectly with my pale skin tone - I was always worried it would be too orange but it isn't at all!


For Christmas, I received the MAC Snowball collection Rose Gold palette and it is so gorgeous! I went for a meal the other day which gave me the perfect opportunity to experiment with the 'dazzleshadow' shades, which are absolutely stunning! They are really pretty and glittery while being really easy to apply because they're pressed instead of loose like my MAC glitter. I also love the matte shade it comes with and the satins too - something I am impressed with as I haven't always got along with MAC's satin eyeshadows!


I purchased my first product from NARS this month, as you may remember, and I'm so glad I did because their satin lip pencil in Rykugien has been a staple for me lately! I love how easy it is to apply while being so pigmented and comfortable on the lips.


A perfume I have loved this month is Gucci Bloom, which I received for Christmas. How pretty and unique is the bottle? It smells just as good as well so I have loved using it this month, no doubt I will use it for a long time to come as it is definitely my favourite perfume at the moment!



I don't always have the most time to read books so I was really happy that this month I have finally finished Alexandra Schulman's Inside Vogue, her diary during the time of being editor-in-chief of Vogue in 2016 when it celebrated 100 years. Because she led my dream job I found it incredibly interesting to read and learnt so much about both the fashion and magazine industry too. It took me a couple of months to read but only because I haven't been rushing it and reading it on evenings when I had less on to enjoy it even more!



January has been an amazing month for cinema releases. I went to see Darkest Hour, about Churchill at the start of the second world war and really enjoyed it, by far one of the best films I have seen in a while. I realised I love historical films and so also went to see The Post, which stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and is about The Washington Post at the time of the Vietnam War. This one probably required a little more historical knowledge as it was a bit more complicated but as it was set at the exact same time period I am studying in history, I found it really interesting - especially when some of the characters are actually people we have learnt about in class!


Taylor Swift's Reputation album is one I have played a lot this month, especially the songs ...Ready For It, I Did Something Bad and New Years Day. Often when I listen to an album whilst out and about I just replay my favourites and those three are them at the moment!


Another album I have been loving is Niall Horan's Flicker, which I have on vinyl. I am definitely impressed with Niall's solo material; his personal style really shines through. My favourite on it is the first track, On The Loose, it begins the album perfectly and I really like it.



January has been a busy month, getting back into college after Christmas and was made even busier because I participated in our college's French exchange, having a lovely french exchange partner to stay with us for the week. It was a challenge and I felt ridiculously tired but all in all, it was really enjoyable and I can't wait to go over to France in March. We visited Chester with college one day and it was a lovely city, the buildings are so picturesque!

I am a huge fan of the lipsticks from Urban Decay's Vice collection. They're incredibly long lasting and at £15.50, definitely a worthy purchase. Today I'm going to introduce you to the shade from their collection I got for Christmas, Stark Naked.


As the name of the lipstick suggests, Stark Naked is a nude shade which I think is really the perfect nude colour. It's not too dark or too light so it suits universal skin tones and I think looks especially nice with a smokier eye look because it focuses the attention on the eyes, while still being a gorgeous lip shade.


Although I've thought in the past my other comfort matte from Urban Decay, Backtalk, can be a bit drying, I actually find this shade a lot creamier and so comfortable to wear. I don't know if they've changed their formula a bit in the past year but it definitely is a 'comfort' matte as the formula is called! Because it's a matte it's also really long lasting so it's a real winner.


The shade itself reminds me quite a lot of MAC's Honey Love, a favourite of mine. So, if you're looking for a cruelty-free version of the MAC favourite, this one's definitely your go to. I'd probably say Honey Love is the slightest bit browner, so it doesn't pain me too much that the shades are similar! However, they can both be paired lovely with MAC's Subculture lip pencil. I've worn this with Stark Naked to make it last even longer.


As I've mentioned in the past on my blog, I've always loved the packaging of Urban Decay's lipsticks. They look really pretty when displayed together and are really secure so good to chuck in your handbag. Now that I own a few, I find the fact on the bottom where it says the name it is colour coded to the lipstick shade which makes it quicker to make sure I've picked up the right one!


Have you tried any Urban Decay Vice lipsticks? I really want to collect some more soon, and I'm also really tempted to try their liquid formula!

As Urban Decay's infamous Naked palettes are my absolute favourite eyeshadows of all time, I can't recommend them enough! They blend like a dream and are super pigmented while offering an amazing range of shades. However, that can often be the problem - which Naked palette is right for you?


Since I own all of the palettes (well, my mum owns the 3 so that counts) apart from the original Naked palette, I hope I can help sway your decision towards the one most suitable for you! Especially if it's your first Naked palette, you can feel a bit spoilt for choice, so hopefully this will provide more of an idea of what you are after.

The Original Naked Palette - for warm neutral lovers.

Now this is the one palette of the collection I haven't tried - but one of my close friends absolutely loves it and told me I need it so I'm sure that statement won't stay true forever! Since this was the original, it includes a gorgeous range of both mattes and shimmers, mostly ranging on the brown toned side, apart from the much more grey toned gunmetal at the end. This is one for the more neutral lovers, and probably worth passing if you already own a lot of brown eyeshadows. If you don't, I think you'd get a lot of use out of it!
Stand out shades: half baked (it's in the 2 as well), naked (an essential matte), toasted (a to-die-for shimmer)

The Naked 2 Palette - for cool neutral lovers.

The two (pictured above) was my first of the twelve-shade Naked palettes, so always holds a place in my heart for that! It is quite a crossover from the original palette really, I remember being in the shop and deciding I prefered the second one, and is probably why I don't own the first one because they are fairly similar. The biggest difference is this one's more on the cool side, the transition shade Tease is much cooler. There are only three matte shades with this palette which is probably its biggest downfall, but if you're a lover of shimmers then it is perfect because of the gorgeous selection of shimmers it boasts.
Stand out shades: Chopper (it's so sparkly and beautiful), Verve (one of my all time favourite eyeshadows, a gorgeous highlight), YDK (a go-to all over lid shimmer!)

The Naked 3 Palette - for rosy tone lovers.

The third palette is where things start getting a little more unique and exciting. It's definitely not for someone who would be put off by rosy-pink tones, but they are actually really wearable and work lovely together. The shimmers are gorgeous and I do love a dusky rose matte pink so if that's something you'd like to try out I'd suggest this one. I probably would have got this one way back if I didn't already love my Maybelline Blushed Nudes palette (but as you'd expect, Urban Decay are a lot more pigmented!), so if you don't own anything rosy toned and you're into that I'd definitely say it's an essential.
Stand Out Shades: Trick (it's a gorgeous, almost rose gold), Nooner (got to love a matte dusky pink!), Blackheart (the shimmer in this is so unique).

The Naked Smoky - for cool lovers.

Unfortunately, the Smoky is being discontinued and you can only get it in very select places right now, which was why I was so happy to receive it for Christmas, however I thought I would still include it as it is part of the collection. I really wanted it as it is so different from what I already own and the blue toned shimmers are so exciting! I love how the palette is set out from shimmer to satin to matte, making it really easy to use, and comes with a little how-to guide so even if you're not too experienced with smoky looks it will be a doddle. I recently noticed the brush it comes with is also shaped more for a smoky look which really comes in handy!
Stand Out Shades: Armor (silver and sparkly), Black Market (so unlike everything else and beautifully blendable), Password (the perfect matte to smoke out a look).

The Naked Heat - for burgundy lovers.

Out of all the Naked palettes, if I had to choose my favourite it would undoubtedly be the heat. Partly because of how much I love burgundy, partly because of how many mattes there are (7 mattes, 5 shimmers!), partly because of how pigmented the shimmers are. I've gone full depth into how much I love this palette but it really is my favourite because to say it's so warm toned, it's really versatile. If you love warm tones as much as I do, it really doesn't get much better than the Naked heat.
Stand Out Shades: He Devil (stunning, blendable red matte), Scorched (possibly my all time favourite shimmer? SO PIGMENTED!), En Fuego (the perfect burgundy matte).

The Naked Basics 1 & 2 - for travel lovers.

Whether you prefer warm neutrals or cool neutrals is really the deciding factor of whether you'd prefer the first or second basics palette respectively; personally I prefer the second option because there seemed to be a greater difference between each shade? The Naked Basics 2 was the first ever Urban Decay palette I ever bought and opened me into a world of incredibly pigmented eyeshadows. They are perfect if you want a smaller palette, as they only have 6 shades rather than twelve, and if you are often travelling because they're a really nifty palette to fit into your bag.
Stand Out Shades: from Naked Basics 1 - W.O.S (perfect to sweep on everyday), Crave (a matte black is an essential), from Naked Basics 2 - Frisk (used this as a transition shade for a long time!), Cover (a great matte brown).

The Naked Ultimate Basics - for matte lovers.

The Naked Ultimate Basics wins the best packaging hands down for me - how pretty is the rose gold lid? If you're a lover of all things matte then this is the one for you, or alternatively if you feel like you don't own many mattes to go along with your shimmers this one is also great to have. I feel like it really is what it says on the tin - the ultimate basics, and you really can't go wrong with it! There's a selection of both cool and warm toned mattes so it suits any look. They all blend out so well and I think that if you are a serious eyeshadow lover, it's an essential for your collection.
Stand Out Shades: Commando (I use this as my transition shade almost all the time), Instinct (really unique, mauve toned matte), Extra Bitter (I have a real place in my heart for this shade, can't rave about it enough!).

From left to right - 2, 3, smoky, heat!

So to sum it all up, for warm neutrals, choose the first naked palette, whereas cool neutrals are best with the Naked 2. If you're looking for rosy tones, go for the naked 3. Cool, smoky shades will be found in the Naked Smoky, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, super warm toned shades are in the Heat. If you're after a gorgeous selection of mattes, the Ultimate Basics is your go-to, but if you're wanting a super cute travel palette, go for the Naked Basics 1 or 2!

Back with a bang, singles Look What You Made Me Do and ...Ready For It made me so excited for the release of Taylor Swift's sixth album, Reputation. It didn't feel like two minutes since I was reviewing one of my all-time favourite albums, 1989, and we knew straight away that this album would definitely be very different to the last.

Long gone are the pastel colours and dreamy sound 1989 created with the Polaroid pictures and gorgeous songs such as Style and I Wish You Would, in 2017 we said goodbye to the 'old Taylor' and welcomed a black and white aesthetic with apparently, lots of snakes?


It really was the track ...Ready For It that stopped my doubts that Reputation was going to be a disappointment, instead when it was released in September I was sure it was going to be the opposite. I love when the beat drops in it after the chorus and it definitely starts the album with a bang.

When I was Ed Sheeran was going to feature on the track End Game, I was more than excited, but the song couldn't sound any different than their last collab Everything Has Changed if it tried. It might be one of the weaker tracks of the album, held up only by Ed Sheeran's vocals. Maybe it's the addition of rapper Future or the fact it's just not at all memorable, but it didn't impress me like I expected.


But as I was a little disappointed by that track, I Did Something Bad follows and more than made up for it. I have listened to this one load because it has such an amazing chorus and it's really exciting and catchy - especially the 'light me up' bit, you'll be singing that all day.

A couple of my other favourites are Look What You Made Me Do and Gorgeous, yes she released these both before the album so it may just be because I have listened to them more but LWYMMD was the perfect comeback single and I like Gorgeous just as much, I absolutely love the lyrics!


Another notable favourite is This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things - her little laugh in it makes me laugh too! There are so many of the tracks on this album, this one included that just has this style that makes you feel like you could take on the world when you're walking and listening to it!

However, although it seems like Taylor is full on out for revenge on this album, the majority of them are gorgeous love songs. One of my favourites is Call It What You Want, especially because it reminds me of Wildest Dreams from 1989. It has that true Taylor style that I'm glad she hasn't lost. So It Goes... has a similar feeling and that is another track that stands out to me too.

The album finishes with actually my favourite song off the whole album, New Year's Day. It's everything the album needed to finish off with, a simple piano ballad, toning down the angsty tone the majority of the album has. It's the beautiful ending to Reputation, the perfect choice.


Do I love Reputation as much as 1989? Maybe not, but that's partly because of how much I loved the dreamy, pastel polaroid aesthetic the 1989 era had. But Reputation hasn't disappointed me at all, and I can't wait to listen to it more! Let me know your thoughts in the comments and whether you prefer her latest release or her old style!

Until recently I had never tried anything from Nars, and although I had wishfully eyed up a few of their products before, I never really had any intention to, before I found myself swatching products at their stand a couple of weeks ago. I had heard amazing things about both their velvet matte and satin lip pencils, so they were the first place I went to. After swatching a couple of shades, I fell in love with the formula of the satin pencils and very excitedly ending up choosing one.


Now Nars products aren't cheap (believe me, if I could justify the price of their 'The Multiple' highlighting stick I'd have got that too), but I could tell that the quality of their lip pencils will definitely be worth the £21 I paid for it. Thinking about it, that's probably the most I have ever paid for a lip product, so I'm glad it lives up to it's heftier price tag.


I opted for the shade Rikugien (no idea how to pronounce it either, apparently it's some sort of rose?!), a really pretty rose pink shade. Because it was my first time trying them I didn't want to go for a really bold shade, and this shade stood out to me as one I knew I would get a lot of wear out of.

Although Nars describe it as a lip pencil, it's too chunky to line your lips and I much prefer to use it as an all-over lip colour. The crayon-like shape of it actually makes applying it so much easier and precise. It's definitely easier to use than your avarage lipstick which I really liked - I can quickly swipe it on when I'm in a rush with no fuss!


As I mentioned before, I knew the formula was a winner as soon as I swatched it. It has an almost silky, glide on feel - making it super comfortable and moisturising on the lips, perfect for this season while my lips are a bit drier so I don't want to coat them with a matte lipstick everyday. Even though it has a satin finish, I was impressed with how pigmented it is, my shade itself is gorgeously rosy. It's also longer lasting than I expected which is always a bonus.


I love how the Nars packaging is so sleek and the pencil has a little swatch of the shade at the bottom - I can tell this comes in handy if you owned a few! I think my Nars Satin Lip Pencil is definitely now my go-to lipstick and can't wait to wear it more.