New Makeup for the New Year

With the new year comes new picks for makeup. Gone is the heavy makeup of the Christmas period -  I lie, I was sick almost the entirety of December so no makeup was worn - and in comes the fresh bases, pretty shimmery eyeshadows and nude lips. A fresh face for a fresh start.

A base I thought I didn't get on with very well is what has been on my face for the past week or so - Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (shade 52, slightly too dark but we make it work), I've largely been forgoing concealer and powder, oddly, so there's none of that pictured. For my cheeks, theBalm Mary Lou Manizer and Stila Convertable Colour in Lilium have been present consistently. They make a lovely pairing,  more natural than you'd expect giving the pigment punch that they pack. Soap & Glory's Archery brow pencil in Blondeshell is all I've been using for my brows since I bought it, so there's nothing new there, and W7's Absolute Lashes has been gracing my lashes - it bridges the gap between natural and a bit more perfectly, giving lovely definition without being too much. Teamed up with my Primark eyelash curler (surprisingly good, given that it was only £1), I've had lovely fluttery lashes. Finally for my eyes, No7 Shade and Define eyeshadow pencil in Pink Pearl and various shades of the Stila In The Light palette (now depotted, muahaha) have been upon my lids,with a particular preference for Kitten, not surprisingly.

It takes barely five minutes to do in the morning, at the minute, which is lovely! Do you switch up your makeup once the new year rolls around?

Goals and Challenges

I'll admit it's taken me until today to get my rear in gear for this year, but I've had a fairly good think this year about what I'd like to achieve, and how I want to go about it. Most of it ( as always) is to do with blogging, reading and writing, but I think I've found good ways to quantify my achievements, and being able to see what I'm doing is what spurs me on! Without further ado - my goals and challenges (note: NOT resolutions, I never stick to them) for 2015

The Blog
In the past I've pressurised myself to get this particular post up on that particular day, and I just cave when I put too much pressure on myself. This year, from now, I'm just going to aim to post whatever I feel like 3 times a week. I'm hoping these days will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday as these are the days that fit best with my uni timetable, but I'm not going to fuss too much if I post on a different day instead.

Reading
I'm always saying I'm going to read more and then not doing it. This year I've set myself the challenge of a book a week - so 52 books for the year. I've already read two books this year (Watched, by Kerry Wilkinson and The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling, the latter just being out of curiosity if I'm honest) and I have 3 in line to be read by the end of the month. I really enjoy reading, and it makes me happier in myself, so doing more of it is something I intend to do.

Studying
I had some issues with uni last term, and want to try my hardest to make that up over the rest of the year. My aim is to make time to study each day during term time (and during holidays, but not as much), and to pass any assessments with 60% and above.

Writing
I've heard some people on a group I'm a part of with goals of a million words this year, and things like that - my goal is slightly different. I would like to write a short story every month, with the intent to compile them at the end of the year. They'll be children's stories, and I plan to use my brother as a guinea pig :D

Other
Those are the main ones, but other than that I really just want to drink more water haha. All of my goals are just things that I want to do to be able to actually see that I'm achieving something.
I always participate in the Goodreads reading challenge (I cleared my account of all the books before the start of last years, which I failed so it's slightly bare but I'll be updating it fairly often this year) so if you'd like to add me on there - link  I'll add you back and we can stalk each others progess!

What are some of your goals/challenges/resolutions for the new year?