Simone Reddington

I’m officially in that period at the end of the year when Christmas is definitely over but the New Year hasn’t started yet so we’re eating all the leftover cheese and chocolate all day and not doing anything remotely productive as it feels as though the year is unofficially over. 2021 has been a very strange time and I feel very unsure as to whether I feel it has been a good year for me or not. I have enjoyed some personal highlights and, although it has been a lot less chaotic than 2020 and we have started to see a return of the freedom that we took for granted pre-pandemic, things still don’t feel quite the same. There are still many uncertainties on the horizon and there are many things that the pandemic and lockdown took away from us that we will never get back. I am fortunate to have not lost a loved one to the awful virus, but I have definitely drifted away from close friends and feel sad for the opportunities that I have missed over the last two years. I have aged two years since the first lockdown and feel as though I have lost a large chunk of my youth to the pandemic. The easing of restrictions did not make me feel more ‘free’ as I expected them to, I simply felt more nervous and anxious at the idea of socialising with people after spending so much time on my own.

I am not going to waste any energy at all on making predictions for 2022 as one thing that I think we have all learnt from the pandemic is that nothing in the future is certain. However, I do intend on making more time to focus on my own goaIs this year and I certainly plan to continue using this blog. I would like to thank anyone who has stumbled across this little corner of the internet over the last 12 months and supported me. Before I started my final monthly favourites list of 2021, I would like to wish you all a very happy new year..

• Last Christmas– Although I joke to my friends and family that I am the cold-hearted ice queen, I do admit that cheesy rom-com films are my guilty pleasure. When the weather is so cold and bleak outside, which has pretty much been the entirety of December this year, I’ve spent more time than I want to admit curled up with candles and a cup of hot chocolate watching all the feel-good festive films. This year, Netflix added the 2019 hit Last Christmas which I watched and absolutely loved. It tells the story of Kate, an wannabe singer, who works as elf in a Christmas shop but is too busy dealing with her own personal issues to enjoy the magic of the festive season. It’s a rom-com with a twist that has an important message about the importance of loving and caring for other people. The best part, however, is the film’s soundtrack that consists purely of George Michael and Wham! songs, that I have been listening to non-stop since watching it. I would definitely say its the best festive film of this decade.
• Leopard print jacket- One of the best parts about winter is that it’s cold enough to wear coats and warmer jackets. Every year I tell myself that I can’t justify buying another jacket as I don’t have enough space in my wardrobe, but I keep on spotting a coat that I fall in love with and buy anyway. In all fairness, I have wanted a Kat Slater-style leopard print fur coat for a long time so I couldn’t resist it when I saw one in my local charity shop for a tenner. I feel that they’re fun, classic coats that never go out of style. I took mine for it’s first outing to my work’s Christmas party and it both kept me warm and made me feel very glamorous.

• Revolution charcoal face mask- On the other hand, one of the worst parts about winter is the effect that the cold weather has on my skin. I’ve had the most awful red botches of dry skin under my eyes recently, and I’ve rejected my usual skincare routine and smothered my face with E45 cream instead. I also tried Revolution’s charcoal face mask, which I picked up in Superdrug when stocking up on said E45 cream, in an attempt to soothe it. I’ve only used it once and my skin felt so much better straight away!
• M&S Christmas Cake Lattes- Like most twenty-somethings, I am obsessed with flavoured lattes and I like to make it my mission to try all the festive flavours that the coffee shops release over Christmas. This year, I have been most impressed with the Christmas cake latte from M&S Cafe which I tried after tackling the Boxing Day sales with my mother. While I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas cake itself, the mixed spices go really well with coffee, especially the adorable snowflake-shaped cinnamon topping. Definitely try one before the new year!