2017 Year in Review

Happy New Year guys!

I've taken a break from blogging over the festive period and have just gotten access to a laptop since mine is getting repaired!

2017 saw some big changes in my life and my blog and I'm doing a roundup of my favourite makeup products and movies, etc.. from the past year!

Favourite Foundation

My sister was the one who told me to try this foundation because she loved it and wow was it fab! The formula is lightweight but the coverage is completely buildable and perfect for day and night looks. 

I even use a darker shade for when I'm wearing tan!

L'Oreal Infallible 24Hr Matte retails for €11.99 is Boots and is currently on offer, 3 for 2!

Favourite Concealer

Okay so my sister may have discovered this one too... While she was in the US she went a little crazy in Sephora and came home with Tarte's Shape Tape Concealer and I love this product!

Sometimes all I wear is the concealer to cover up my dark undereye circles and blemishes, some powder and I'm set for the day! The coverage in this is unreal and I cannot wait to get my hands on another tube!

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer is available from their site for €26.

Favourite Mascara

Too Faced is definitely an up-and-coming brand in Ireland, especially since their launch in Debenhams during the summer. I have been using Better Than Sex for a few years now and it is definitely my favourite mascara of the year.

While I have yet to try the waterproof version, the original formula doesn't clump and gives fab volume to short lashes like my own.

Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara is available from Debenhams for €23.

Favourite Eyelashes

For €12.95, these lashes are definitely an investment but are reusable and part of the luxury lash range! Think timeless elegance combined with unforgettable drama, these lashes are perfect for a sassy day look or a classic night look.

I love using Irish brands and supporting a fellow blogger is always a good thing!

SOSU's Taylor lashes are available from the site for €12.95.

Favourite Primer

My skin has gone from sensitive and dry to sensitive and combination in the past year but this prep (and prime) spray has kept my oily skin at bay during the day when I have makeup on! It's also great for helping my makeup stay put throughout long shifts!

With the store open on Grafton Street now, there's no excuse not to go in and treat yourself!

Urban Decay's B6 Prep Priming Spray retails for €30.

Favourite Highlighter

I love this palette so much. I got it last Christmas and it has seen a lot of wear since! The colours are so diverse and I always get compliments on my highlight when I wear any of the shades!

My favourite has to be lucky clover because it is so good at catching the light and not everyone wears a green highlight so it definitely makes me memorable!

The ABH Moonchild palette is available from the site for €46.

Favourite Eyeshadow Palette

Another purchase from the States, this palette is full of mattes, metallics and warm tones. I found myself reaching for this palette pretty much before every shift because the shadows are so pigmented and effortlessly blend to create a perfect look suitable for work!

The Narissist Loaded Eyeshadow palette is available from the Nars website for €55.

Favourite Album

I mean how could Reputation not be my favourite album of the year? The songs are amazing and the development from 1989 to Reputation is just unrivaled by another other album progression I've ever heard. 

Don't Blame Me has to be my favourite track of the album as well. Roll on June when I finally get to see Taylor again!

Favourite Movie

Beauty and the Beast was one of the most anticipated movies of 2017 and it did not disappoint me at all. From the costumes to the actors this movie had me entranced from beginning to end.

I have watched the movie so many times since I first saw it and I love it more and more each time!

Favourite TV Series

I jumped on the Riverdale bandwagon a little late so I got to binge seven episode at once but it did not disappoint at all! From a gripping plot to loveable characters, this is a most for anyone who wants to start a new series in 2018!

I mean how cute is Archie, I know KJ isn't actually ginger but he is just so cute!

You can catch Riverdale on Netflix!

Favourite Book

Focusing on the events of the Battle of Berlin in 1945, this book was gripping from beginning to end. If you're into history you'll love this book!

Favourite Trip

My trip to Milan in August came at just the right time for me! I spent a week discovering the city, its sites and everything else the surrounding area had to offer.

Milan is such a beautiful city and I cannot wait to go back to Italy and visit Rome this year! I'm hoping to go somewhere every month this year, home or abroad, so if you have any idea let me know in the comments!

What topped 2017 for you?

Was it a good year overall?

Let me know in the comments below!

Ciara,

xoxo.

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Binge-Worthy TV

Hey guys!

I recently got back into Netflix and binge-watching tv shows and have compiled a short list of my favourite shows to just watch in my room where I like don't leave for the day and surround myself with food and blankets and it is fabulous.

Riverdale

I started this show in March where there were only seven episodes on Netflix and I watched all seven in one night with zero regrets. Riverdale follows the lives of a group of teenagers in small-town America after one of their own goes missing.

It is gripping from the start and currently on episode ten, with a confirmed second season. It took me about ten minutes to fall in love with Archie (played by KJ Apa), who is nineteen in real life which makes me very happy.

Pretty Little Liars

So there's only eight episodes of PLL left until the end. If you've been following it since season one, the end will be coming with a sigh of relief for secrets being revealed once and for all but the end of an era is never fun.

PLL follows the five 'liars' and how their lives change after one friend, Alison, goes missing one summer. Secrets and schemes twist into a story-line for this show, after the girls start to receive threatening messages from '-A-, an unknown stalker out for revenge. The show is gripping and every episode leaves me wanting more.

Grab your ice cream and prepare for a night under the sheets, maybe the next day too as all seven seasons (with a new episode weekly) are on Netflix!

13 Reasons Why

Based on the novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why is a Netflix original series that follows the death of a student, Hannah Baker and the thirteen reasons that caused her to end her life.

I read the book a few summers ago and, for lack of a better word, loved it. It was heartbreaking from the outset but I felt like it captured the situation Hannah was in perfectly. While I did binge a few episodes in one day, they are an hour long and are very hard-hitting.

I would highly recommend this show to everyone but would caution people as well as it does contain sensitive material and has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Hawaii Five-O

Currently in its seventh series, Hawaii Five-O is a reboot of the original series of the same name that began in the late 60's. I love crime shows and this one follows an elite task force team on the island of Hawaii.

Each episode follows the team tackling a new crime, whether it be cross-border or not. The story-line is gripping and my absolute favourite bromance, McGarrett and Danno, partners in crime fighting make the show so entertaining. I love the pairing and the show never ceases to make me laugh with the antics the cast has together.

Hawaii Five-O is on Sky1 every Sunday at 9pm and you can catch up on the series with Sky On Demand!

The Vampire Diaries

If you follow me on snapchat (ciarakxo) you'll know I finally finished this show last week, after putting off watching the finale for a month. I cried, numerous times and am not okay with the fact that the show is over after eight years.

TVD follows the life of Elena Gilbert and her friends in the months after her parents die, when she meets Stefan, a vampire and all of the trials and tribulations the group faces as they grow up in the supernatural town of Mystic Falls.

Besides having an extremely good looking cast (Michael Trevino hello!), the plot always thickens as the Salvatore brothers' enemies and those who want to harm Elena flock to the Virginia town.

Seasons 1-7 of The Vampire Diaries is available on Netflix!

Have you binged on any of these shows?

What did you think of them?

Let me know in the comments below!

Ciara,

xoxo.

Twitter: twitter.com/ciarakittyk

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