In Retrospect | January 2017

Here we are at the end of the first month of 2017 already - I can hardly believe it! On the one hand it seems to have flown by, but then on the other hand it feels like an awfully long time since new year... What do you think?! As per tradition, I'm having a little round-up of the month, so keep reading to see what products I've used up, how I did with my goals, and what I've been loving in January!

Empties.
I've had a cracking month for empties, so you might want to grab a brew before digging into this little lot..! I've powered my way through 20 products, which I think is pretty good going if I do say so myself. Quite a few of them are bits I've been hoarding for ages (like the Aloe Mask and the Sanctuary Body Butter); I'm determined to reduce my stockpile this year! Let's have a look at what's hitting my recycling bins this month:

Will Repurchase: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Wipes | I'm not a cleansing wipe fan but I have to admit these are handy to have for travelling or at the gym - and they're by far the best wipes I've tried! I only use them as a pre-cleanse, but have already bought a new packet. // George Super Boost Concealer | This is a brilliant budget concealer - the shade suits me, it doesn't oxidise, it gives decent coverage, and isn't cakey or creasy. And it's less than a fiver! // Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant | I love this stuff! I'm one of those people who sweats a lot (TMI? Sorry!!) so I depend on a good deodorant and I wouldn't choose anything else, having tried this one. Love it! // Swimovate PoolMate Swimmers Shampoo | Admittedly I'm not swimming as frequently as I was when I originally started using this shampoo, but it does work brilliantly to protect hair from chlorine, so I'll doubtless repurchase at some point. // Organic Surge Citrus Mint Body Wash | A good SLS-free body wash at a decent price is hard to come by, so there's a good chance I'll buy this again at some point! Smells fab and does the job quite nicely.

Might Repurchase: Neal's Yard Geranium & Orange Body Lotion | This has a lovely light, hydrating formula and smells gorgeous too! The full-sized bottle is a bit beyond my budget but if this pops up as a magazine freebie again, I'll certainly grab another tube. // Next Paradise Island Eau de Parfum | I really loved this fragrance, it was a real summery scent, and Next perfumes are so affordable. I don't think this particular scent is available any longer, but I'd certainly buy more Next perfumes in the future. // Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads | I got these in my Latest in Beauty box* and I have to admit, I loved them; the thin pads mean I felt like I was wasting less product than pouring liquid onto a regular cotton pad, and they'd be perfect for travelling! // Vitamasques Manuka Honey Mask | This worked really nicely to plump and hydrate my skin, although I was disappointed to find it didn't smell like honey. Shame! // Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Scrub | I do really like this but I've stopped using products which contain microbeads, so they're off the menu for now. Microbeads are being phased out in the UK this year by law, so I'm hoping they'll reformulate sooner rather than later! // Rimmel Lasting Finish 25H Foundation | I quite like this foundation, it suits my skintone and lasts fairly well, though it's not as matte as I'd ideally like my base to be. // Natural World Macadamia Oil Hair Mask | This smells bloomin' gorgeous and worked really nicely to keep my hair soft. I didn't really use it as a mask, though, more just in place of conditioner, so I'm not sure whether it's worth repurchasing? // Wild About Beauty Creme Eyeshadow in 'Edna' | This was a gorgeous antique-gold type shade and worked brilliantly as a base for powder product, but I did think £13 was quite steep for a single eyeshadow.

Won't Repurchase: Rodial Stem Cell Cleansing Cream | This was a perfectly nice cleanser and did the job adequately, but for the price point I was pretty much expecting miracles (what kind of miracles did I think a cleanser could perform? No idea.) and it sadly didn't deliver any of those. // Yes To Cucumbers Volumising Shampoo | I really liked the scent of this but sadly it didn't add any volume to my hair and didn't really leave it feeling clean. // Living Proof Healthy Hair Shampoo | I actually really enjoyed this; it foamed nicely for an SLS-free product and I found I needed to use less product than expected per wash - but at £11 for 60ml, it's way beyond budget for me! // Sanctuary Spa Body Butter | This is perfectly nice and smells really gorgeous, but sadly isn't hydrating enough for my dry, eczema-prone legs. // Malin & Goetz Grapefruit Cleanser | This smells amazing and I do love a gel cleanser for the mornings, but sadly it's a bit beyond budget for me. // Aloe Mask | I didn't really feel that this did a whole lot for my skin to be honest, and it's unbranded so I wouldn't know where to buy it again even if I particularly wanted to! // Elie Saab Le Parfum L'Eau Couture | I quite like this, but not enough to justify the spend unfortunately.

Sample Sachets.
Bochéry NanoFace Eye Cream | I've used samples of this before and do quite like it; it's nicely hydrating and doesn't feel heavy or greasy on my eye area. However, it's quite expensive and I don't see myself buying a full-sized tube. (£47/30ml here) // Dior Sauvage Eau de Toilette | I'm pretty sure this is actually a men's fragrance and it does smell very masculine; nonetheless I did like it, although I wouldn't buy a bottle for myself! (£50/60ml here) // Garnier Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures Body Restoring Lotion | I really liked this; it felt thick and luxurious, smelt lovely, and worked well to hydrate my legs. Probably wouldn't buy the full-size though, because I know Mineral Oil disagrees with my skin if I use it regularly. (£4.49/250ml here) // Dermalogica Precleanse | This smelt far too strongly of lavender for my tastes, and is way overpriced in my opinion, although it did work reasonably well. (£30.91/150ml here) // Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Super Serum | I'm never sure how you're supposed to tell if this sort of product works from two uses?! Anti-aging isn't my main skin concern at the moment, anyway, so not for me just now either way. (£20/30ml here) // Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum | I already knew I really like this scent, although there are others I prefer so I probably won't be investing. (from £50/30ml here) // Calvin Klein Reveal Eau de Parfum | This was perfectly pleasant but not really the sort of scent I go for - I tend to prefer stronger, sweeter fragrances as a rule. (£15.25/30ml here)

January Goals.
• See friends at least twice. Yep! I've seen my best mate a couple of times since he got back from Bali, and I've spent this last weekend down in Sheffield catching up with friends from uni, which was lovely. We'll ignore the delightful evening I spent sat in hospital with my best friend til 1.30am, when she came home from holiday with some kind of virus...
• Finish at least one book. I think this is why I should stick to one book at a time! I've currently got two on the go, and I've read a bit more of each of them, but not managed to finish either. I'm planning to spend some time reading at bedtime, so I'll carry this over and hopefully finish them both in February!
• Run 5km continuously inside 30 minutes. ...I had the best of intentions here and then I decided to re-start swimming instead of running, so it kind of went a little off-track! That said, I'm definitely a lot fitter than I was last time I tried swimming in that pool - two lengths no longer feels like quite the same battle it once did!
• Use ten sample sachets. Well, I managed seven and I've got two more on the go (eye cream sachets last ages, don't they!?) so I think I did alright... Certainly better than the big fat zero I used in December! I think I'll set this goal again next month as it's been good to push myself to use sachets up.
• No unnecessary purchases. I don't think I did too badly here so I'm counting it! I did pick up the odd treat in Asda towards the end of the month but only little things, and I've not bought any clothes, magazines or homewares, so all things considered I think I've done well! Aided, of course, by the fact that January payday seemed to take about eight years to arrive...
• Get my diet on track. Again, I started this with the best of intentions, but then I decided to significantly cut back on caffeine (long story!) and decided that it was too much to do it all at once, so I let the diet go a little to concentrate on getting my 10+ cups of tea per day down to just one (which I've managed!) - I'll be picking this one back up in February.
So all in all - two out of four met, so not the best of months for goals, but I'm happy with what I've achieved - I feel like I've had a reasonable start to 2017, although I definitely still have things to build on in the next few months.

January Loves.

[Photo: From Roses]

Rebecca at From Roses wrote a fab post about how she creates content, which I really enjoyed - I love hearing about people's creative processes. I found it so interesting how different our processes are, namely because Rebecca is super-organised in her approach compared to me!

[Photo: Robowecop]

Rihanna from Robowcop (major girlcrush, don't know if you've noticed?) shared some tips for growing your Instagram, which is real goal for me this year, so I found her post really useful. Her Instagram is total goals, so definitely check her post out if you're still battling with the algorithm!

[Photo: Fix Me In 45]

Stacey from Fix Me In 45 shared her evening skincare routine - now I'm a bit obsessed with skincare and love reading about people's routines, so I really enjoyed this post!

Here on The Indigo Hours, I enjoyed looking back over my goals from 2016, especially when it turned out I'd achieved all but one of them! I was also pretty happy with my post on six things that often stop people achieving their goals, and ways to overcome them. Make sure to check them out if you missed them!

January In Summary.
Overall I've quite enjoyed January! Between lunch out with my Mum & Nan at the end of last week, my trip to Sheffield, weekends with the boyfriend, and a little walk I took myself on in the middle of the month, it's been a pretty nice month. I've also had my contract extended at work for another six months (yay!) so I'll be staying in this role til the end of July now - I'm so pleased about this as I'm really loving my job! I have to say, though, I've had quite enough of Winter and I'm totally ready for Spring to bring some warmer weather soon - is that too optimistic?!
How has your January been? Did you set yourself any goals for the month?

xo
[*Product provided for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.]
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