The Year In Review - My 2017 Memories

I can't believe that we've reached the end of what has been an amazing and exciting year! 2017 really has flown by and although I'm sad to see it go, I can't wait to see what the new year brings. This time last year, I said that I really wanted to make 2017 my year and to have a good time, and I definitely feel as though I achieved that with a lot of new experiences and exciting opportunities. I thought that it'd be nice to round off the year by going through each month and talking about a few of my highlights and most cherished memories, so I hope you enjoy this post!

January

2017 got off to a slow start as I was ill at the very start of the month, and then when I was back in college I had mock exams and so a lot of revision to do. However, the hard work paid off as I got A's in all of my mocks, which I was very pleased with considering I was trying to revise whilst in bed sick.

The end of the month was my 17th birthday, which coincidentally fell on the same day as the Johnson and Johnson Blog Awards, which I was nominated for! I decided to attend the awards evening and so my family and I travelled down to London on my birthday for 2 days, and it was great being back in London and taking in all of the sites, as well as the Johnson and Johnson Awards being a phenomenal and surreal experience.

January blog posts:

2016 Memories and New Year's Resolutions  //  How To Beat the Winter Blues & Feel Better When You're Ill  //  A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard Review  //  The Only One Matte Lipsticks by Rimmel London - Review and Swatches

February

February was the month that I started a new dance school, alongside attending Lipa, that my old dance teacher set up. Although I'm no longer there due to being too busy with college, I really enjoyed these classes and dancing more during the week, as well as seeing friends that I didn't get to otherwise.

Whenever I think of February, I always think of the Primark haul blog post that I did and how much I enjoyed putting it together. This was by far the hardest I had ever worked on a blog post, as well as pushing myself out of my comfort zone with all of the photos, but I loved the finished product and it's since remained one of my most popular blog posts, so I'm presuming that you guys liked it as well.

February blog posts:

Top 10 Upcoming Book Releases in 2017  //  My Holy Grail, Affordable Concealers  //  New In Spring 2017 - Primark Haul and Try On  //  PS Beauty Contour & Glow Palette - The Perfect Mary Lou Manizer Dupe

March

March was very work-based and it was one of those months where I felt like I had never-ending homework to do. However, there were some enjoyable moments, such as being invited to spend the evening with The Body Shop for their Mother's Day blogger event. I loved being able to try out all of their new launches, and the Liverpool staff are so lovely, always putting on amazing events.

March blog posts:

Daisy Recommends - Five Young Adult Fantasy Novels  //  Daisy's Ulitmate Guide To GCSE and A Level Revision  //  Celebrating Mother's Day With The Body Shop - Blogger Event  //  A Little Life and College Update - Winter 2017

April

This month was practically consumed by my EPQ, as the deadline at the end of the month meant that I spent pretty much all of my time ensuring that my essay, logbook and powerpoint were completed. Although it was extremely difficult and I considered dropping it at times, there was nothing better than the feeling of clicking print on those 101 pages and finally handing it in - all my hard work was definitely worth it.

     

I was also lucky enough to be featured in Top of the Pops magazine in April, which is a very surreal thing to say considering that I used to love this type of magazine when I was younger, and now I'm in one of the issues. I'll always be grateful for all of the wonderful opportunities like this that I get from blogging!

April blog posts:

March 2017 Favourites - Beauty, Books and More  //  Origins - Radiance Ready Skincare Review  //  My Guide To Productivity and Working Efficiently  //  The Perfect Products For Glowing Makeup - Tanya Burr Cosmetics Review  //  Extended Project Qualification - My Experience and Advice

May

This was the start of feeling summery and the beginning of some of my favourite months of college. I was obviously excited by the start of the new Twin Peaks series, and the gorgeous weather meant that a lot of this month was spent relaxing on the field with my friends, albeit getting slightly burnt. I have such fond memories of this time, with dance competitions, parties and lots of enjoyable summer moments that I loved.

May blog posts:

Beauty Products I've Been Loving Lately - Spring 2017  //  Returning to Reading - Post Reading-Slump TBR List  //  The Skincare Routine That Saved My Skin From Spots

June

This was by far one of my busiest months, yet the nice weather persisted and left me with lots of enjoyable memories. I moved house at the start of the month, which was hectic to say the least and I was kinda apprehensive to begin with, but I'm honestly in love with the house now and definitely feel at home. I also had a lot of college work and revision to be doing on top of this, right before finishing for summer, so I was crazy busy throughout the month.

However, there was still plenty of time to spend with my friends, and also making new friends as I signed up to be a college ambassador. Despite us getting completely submerged in the lake while raft-building on the training day, I made some new friendships that I really cherish and met people that I get on incredibly well with. I'll always remember us singing inspirational songs and clinging to the broken raft in our hoodies and trainers as one of the funniest days I've ever had.

June blog posts:

Ten Things I Have Learnt as a Teenage Blogger  //  The Perfect Foundation For Summer - Bourjois Healthy Mix Review  //  Catch Up With Me - Spring 2017 Life Update  //  June Beauty and Lifestyle Favourites 2017

July

One of my favourite parts of the year is the Lipa show, and this year's production of Annie was perhaps one of our best ones yet. We all work incredibly hard throughout the year perfecting our songs, dances and scenes to deliver an amazing performance, and I think everyone agreed that this year was a huge success. I was cast as Grace, which was an honour to play such an important role and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the icing on the cake was being given the first 'Student of the Year' award, which I still can't quite believe and I'm incredibly thankful for.

     

As always, my yearly holiday to Spain with my grandparents and brother was the perfect opportunity to wind down and relax after an incredibly challenging year of college. I definitely took this opportunity to soak up the sun, read to my heart's content and enjoy myself in one of my favourite places.

     

     

July blog posts:

The Perfect Poolside Read Summer Days and Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins  //  The Daily Routine of a Blogger: How I Create My Blog Posts  //  Summer Selfie-Ready Makeup: Rimmel London's Insta Collection Review  //  My Biggest Book Haul Yet: Young Adult Novels and A Level English Literature Texts  //  Budget Friendly Blusher Sticks: MUA Blush Perfection Cream Colour Duo Review

August

I came back from my holiday in August and straight into a very busy blogging month, and I loved being able to focus more on my blog now that I didn't have college work to worry about. I collaborated with Seventeen on my bloggers relay post, which I put a lot of effort into and thoroughly enjoyed, and I also attended events with The Body Shop and Clarins that I loved, and it was great meeting new people whilst seeing other familiar faces.

I also found out on results day that I got an A* and full marks for my EPQ, which was unbelievable news as all of my hard work earlier in the year had definitely paid off and I was made up with this result, especially after being so close to dropping it.

August blog posts:

My Summer Travel Necessities- Beauty, Skincare and Hair Essentials  //  Achieving Bronzed, Glowing Makeup This Summer with Seventeen Cosmetics  //  Blogger Event With The Body Shop, New Product Launches and an Exciting Giveaway  //  What I'm Currently Listening To: My Favourite Podcasts of Summer 2017  //  How To Survive Your First Year of College - Back to School 2017

September

If I'm honest, I don't really have much to say about September, as it was another busy college month with mock exams, coursework and a mountain of homework to get through. However, being predicted 3 A*s in my A Levels was definitely the motivation I needed, and I still can't quite believe that I'd be predicted these grades.

September blog posts:

A Back To College Primark Haul - Autumn Fashion Favourites and Essentials  //  The School Bag Beauty Edit - My On The Go Essentials  //  Why I'm Reading More Classic Literature and My Current Reading List

October

I look back at October as a really enjoyable month, and I definitely had some happy memories and great times that I'll cherish. It was also the month that I finished battling with the 4000 characters of my personal statement and sent off my UCAS, only to receive an offer from Leeds University a week later! October, you definitely were a good one.

October blog posts:

My Autumn College Evening Routine and Essentials  //  Transitioning My Makeup From Summer to Autumn - My Beauty Staples  //  My Guide To Affordable Berry Lipsticks This Autumn  //  An Autumnal Superdrug Haul - New Drugstore Releases  //  Taking Breaks and Managing Academic Stress

November

November started with sitting the ELAT, which is the Cambridge admissions exam for English, and after a lot of hard work and practice for this, I can honestly say that I did my best. I'm not going to lie, November was really hard. I was really busy with what felt like never-ending work to do, a lot of stress about interviews, as well as other things going on that made it feel like an almost impossible month.

However, every cloud has a silver lining, and November is the month that I found out that I'd been offered an interview for Cambridge University - which is something that I've dreamed of and I can't wrap my head around the fact that I was given such an opportunity.

November also proved to me how lucky I am to have my friends, and if I didn't realise it before then I definitely know now just how fortunate I am and how much they mean to me. Also, a trip to the Christmas markets with some of my friends from ambassadors was the festive pick-me-up I needed and was such an enjoyable evening.

November blog posts:

What I've Been Loving Lately - My Beauty and Lifestyle Favourites  //  Top 10 Pieces of Advice From an English Literature Student  //  Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation - My Holy Grail Base  //  Embracing Hygge In My Life This Winter

December

Since my Cambridge interview was on the 11th, the first half of December was predominantly spent preparing for this and doing mock interviews. I'm not going to lie - it was very intense, and I'm so glad that the days of no breaks between 9am and 4pm are over, due to giving up my lunch for a mock interview.

However, it definitely paid off as I went into my interviews with confidence, and despite still waiting to hear back as to whether I have an offer or not, I know that I did the best I possibly could. It also felt magical travelling down to Cambridge in the snow, and I really fell in love with it there after exploring the streets and seeing the beautiful sights.

     

December was also the month that I got Bastille tickets, which I'm honestly chuffed about as I've waited for ages for them to announce another tour. I'm pretty sure you all know by now that they're my favourite band, and I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to get tickets in time as I had a lesson, but everything thankfully worked out.

December blog posts:

The Only Eyeshadows You Need This Winter - Primark Master Eye Palette  //  DIY Christmas Treats Tray - Your Holiday Treat Essentials  //  Christmas Crafts - DIY Festive Rosegold Bauble Wreath  //  My 2017 Favourites Round-Up - Beauty, Books and Lifestyle

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And that was my 2017! It's been a jam-packed year filled with excitement, and although it's had its ups and downs at times, I'm certain that I'll look back on this year in fondness. I really can't wait to embrace the new year and to start fresh, and for all of you reading this on New Year's Eve, I wish you all the best and I'll see you in 2018!

Love from Daisy x