2018 – My Year in Review!

I seriously cannot believe that this will my last post for 2018.  I really do not know where this year has gone.  As with every year, there has been a series of ups and downs but I think it is always nice to look back on the year, remember the good times and let go of the bad.  Given that I spent quite a significant part of my year writing blog posts about beauty products, I thought it was also only right to do a quick round up of the products that have stood out for me this year.

With all of that in mind, I have structured this blog post in three parts; lifestyle, travel and beauty…… I hope you enjoy it.

Lifestyle

Moving Apartments

One of the main highlights of the year has to be moving apartments.  Dan and I moved into a new apartment in July after spending five years in the last development.  We really love our new apartment, as do any of our recent visitors who got to sleep in an actual bedroom rather than on a sofa-bed in our living room lol.

Even though our new place is better in many ways than that last one, I still miss my old apartment nearly five months later.  I think it’s only natural to miss it after spending five years there and it was also the first home we had here in Abu Dhabi so we will always think fondly of it :).

Making a career change

A major personal highlight for me this year was making a career change.  I made a really tough decision over two years ago to leave my old job where I was unhappy and had become completely and utterly uninspired by the work that I was doing and where my career was headed.  I was miserable in my job every day and questioned my life choices over and over.  Having gained a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, and having spent over five years working in the industry, I would continuously talk myself out of wanting to leave because I felt like that was all I knew.  In the end Dan asked me if I could see myself spending 30 more years doing what I was currently dong and that was the real wake-up call for me.  The thought of spending 30 more years in an industry that I had become completely uninterested in, doing work that didn’t inspire me was unbearable.

With an encouraging husband behind me, a leap of faith, and the realisation that I had gained many transferable skills that wouldn’t go to waste, I made the decision to leave my job.  Since then I have worked incredibly hard to position myself in an industry that I have always been interested in, doing work that I love.  I started my blog just after I left my job as it was something I had been putting off for years because I simply didn’t have time to work on it whilst I was in my old job.

I started my blog because I love writing, sharing my thoughts and creating content through imagery.  I knew that my blog work would help me develop many of the skills that I needed to move into the industry that I wanted to be in.  In addition to working hard on my blog, some self training and a lot of reading and research, I have managed to get myself a position within an award winning marketing company here in Abu Dhabi.  It’s been a massive learning curve, and I definitely still have a long way to go, but to get a job off the back of my blog is the greatest compliment I’ve ever received and it shows that hard work really does pay off and nothing is a waste.

Travel

Dan and I have been lucky to go on a few nice trips this year, but the stand out one for us has to be the most recent one that was to Singapore.  Like I said in that blog post, we had been to Singapore 10 years ago and loved it so much that we had always planned to go back, so it was nice to finally tick it off.  Because we had seen many of the major attractions the first time we were there, we had more time to relax on this trip as we only really visited the new sights.  Saying that though, there were plenty of new things to see!  Singapore has changed a LOT in 10 years and I don’t think it is going to stop changing any time soon.  It’s such an impressive place and we had a great time there.  It was quite a memorable experience visiting places that didn’t even exist the first time we were there – maybe we’ll have to go back in another 10 years lol :).

 

Beauty

I have tried my fair share of products this year, some were great and some not so great, but there are four products that have really stood out for me and I thought they were worthy of a mention.  These are products that I absolutely love using and will go back to time after time.  I have spoken about all of these products in previous blog posts throughout the year.

Charlotte Tilbury – Hollywood Flawless Filter

Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter needs no introduction. I first discovered this product in May this year and I have used it every single day since! As with all of the products I mention in this post, I won’t go into lots of detail because I have done that in previous blog posts, but Hollywood Flawless filter is my go-to priming product for under makeup to make my skin glow.  It gives the most natural iridescent sheen and makes my skin look dewy and healthy.  I even love to use this on days where I am not wearing makeup as it gives a tiny bit of coverage and just makes everything look so much better.

The original blog post is here if you would like to read more about this product :).  My current bottle is nearly finished but I will most definitely be replacing it!

Glossier, Priming Moisturiser Rich

Next up is the Glossier Priming Moisturiser Rich.  If you read my blog post last week then you will already know all about this product.  It is a seriously indulgent, nourishing moisturiser that is a god send for dry skin.  It smells amazing and feels great on my skin. Best of all it keeps my face moisturised all day long.  It is, without a doubt, my favourite morning moisturiser!

If you missed it, you can read last week’s blog post here.

Glow Recipe, Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask is one of the most luxurious products I tried this year, so luckily it is also one of the best.  This product is described as ‘a skin-smoothing, radiance-boosting sleeping mask with watermelon and hyaluronic acid for post-facial results, all in one jar’.  I use this product about once per week (I should use it more) before going to bed and I wake up with a silky smooth face.  It is such a gentle product but is seriously effective.  It comes in a small glass jar but a little goes a long way.  This would make a gorgeous Christmas gift for any skincare lover you know 🙂

My original post about this product is linked here.

Elemis, Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm

Last but certainly not least for my favourite products of the year, is the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm.  If you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that my favourite cleanser for years has been the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm.  Well this year I discovered the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm and it is definitely up there with the Emma Hardie one.  It is an incredibly luxurious product to use.  It smells like the spa, melts away makeup and leaves my skin feeling clean and nourished.  It is a real treat to use at the end of the day.  This is probably my overall favourite product of the year!

You can read my more detailed review of the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm here.

That’s it for my round up of 2018.  We are back home for Christmas, so I will be taking a break from the blog for a few weeks, but I will be back with a new post on 19th January :).  I cannot believe that the next post I write will be in 2019!  Crazy!  In the meantime, you will be able to find me on Instagram as always!

I also want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has followed and supported my blog this year.  Especially to those who continuously take the time to write lovely comments and share my posts.  I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you.  I can’t wait to write more posts for you next year :).  I would also love if you let me know if you have any suggestions for blog posts you would like me to write next year or what your favourite kind of posts are to read, whether that’s beauty, interior, travel…..or something different :).  I always love to hear your feedback and really want to write posts that you enjoy reading.

A very merry Christmas to everyone and I wish you all of the luck in the world for the next year! 🙂

Claire x