Well, I'm going to get all cliche up in here but blimey this year has gone quick hasn't it?! All in all 2015 has been a really good year for me; I've been to some awesome places, seen some incredible things and most importantly...been hooked on some bloody great tv shows. No, seriously, 2015 has been the year of the boxset binge for me!

Without taking myself too seriously and getting too sentimental I thought I'd share my best bits with you but the only difference is, well, this is me we're talking about so they're not your standard reminiscent anecdotes, nope, they're a bit strange - like me!

In 2015...I Fell Back In Love With Daniel Radcliffe
Cue Take That and Lulu because the fire is well and truly re-lit, my friends. I've always been a huge DanRad fan and anyone who knew me when i was fourteen can vouch for this. There's always been a place in my heart for DR and this year, with the release of The Gamechangers (I mean, my FAVE actor in a movie about my FAVE video game, I could've exploded), What If and Victor Frankenstein, I could just feel the feels coming back!

The great news is that in 2016 Daniel is starring in Now You See Me 2 which is the sequel to one of my all-time favourites movies so the chances of me copying and pasting this paragraph into next year's best bits are extremely likely...

In 2015...I Somehow Got Lucky And Attended Two Movie Premieres
One of my favourite things about 2015 has to be attending the London premieres of the two movies that completely made my year and despite the movies being bloody amazing the best thing was being able to take one of my best friends to each screening. I was lucky enough to get invited to the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingly Part II and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (I do love a sequel, me) and I couldn't be more grateful that I had the chance to attend.

In 2015...I Explored The Big Apple & The City Of Lights For The First Time
I'm a girl of habit so for me, spending a lot of money on trips to new places always makes me think twice because what if i get there and I don't like it?! Luckily, this year I said 'screw it' and jetted off to New York City in January and then Paris in November and you know what, I'm so glad I did. Despite getting caught in the historic snow storm in NYC and then being in Paris for the terrible terror attacks I still fell head over heels in love with each city and can't wait to return to both to wander the streets and explore some more.

In 2015...I Finally Understood The Victoria Secret Hype
I love pizza and pizza loves me. That's why I'll never look like a VS model and also why in the past I've grumbled at the thought of watching stunningly beautiful women strut their stuff down a catwalk in underwear sets that cost more than i'll earn in a lifetime. BUT NOT THIS YEAR. This year, I finally got it. I sat down (after eating a burger and fries cos you know, I gotta do me still) and watched the VS Fashion Show in awe and even gained a big old girl crush on Gigi Hadid. I also feel hugely inspired in the new year to kick my butt into gear and start eating right and working out more so only good things came of my VS Fashion Show experience so that'll teach me won't it?

In 2015...I Turned Into An Old Lady
This year I've truly felt like I'm 24 going on 74 because I've hibernated 90% of the time and have absolutely no regrets at all. My favourite evenings are the ones spent in comfortable clothes with minimal makeup on and the company of my friends and family. Today for example, the last Saturday before Christmas I happily spent with my best friend in London watching Thomas Brodie-Sangster in a play before heading home, putting my new PJs on and curling up on the sofa beside the Christmas tree watching the Strictly final. PURE BLISS.

In 2015...My Blog Began
It feels like I've been posting here for much longer but I only started this blog earlier this year in April. I'm so, so glad I did because this blog gives me so much enjoyment and I hope you all enjoy reading and visiting just as much.

I hope your 2015 has been amazing and incredible and i want to hear all about the awesome things that you've been up to so leave me a comment below and let me know what your favourite thing about the last year has been for you!

MID-WEEK RETREAT IN CENTER PARCS ELVEDEN FOREST

Back in October I was lucky to spend five days at the beautiful Center Parcs Elveden Forest location with my family. We've visited Elveden a few times before now and each time I fall in love a little more with the outdoors and a little less with my phone and the internet while I'm there which can be incredibly refreshing and thought-provoking. Look at me getting all deep!

If you've never been to Center Parcs before then let me give you a little insight. There are now five locations set in the most gorgeous of forest around England and each are like their own little village with a town centre, huge indoor leisure pool and a small collection of shops and restaurants. The best thing about Center Parcs for me is the no-car rule. Everyone hires bikes to ride around on and you won't see a car on the road except for check in and check out days and there are plenty of paths and trails to ride on. The atmosphere is so relaxed that I rarely wear make-up or change out of sweatpants and a hoodie during the whole stay, I also indulged in some activities that I'd never normally get stuck into this year like archery and a lot of badminton each day.

We stayed in a stunning four-bedroom villa in the Ash area of the village which was set back in the forest with a private hot tub, sauna and steam room which we definitely made the most of. There's an abundance of wildlife to witness when you're staying in the forest and while we played pool in the games room each morning we had the odd visitor or two!

Have you visited Center Parcs in the UK or Europe? Let me know in the comments below what you love most about the villages.

My Current Bases

Two things that I'm always experimenting with and changing are foundations and moisturisers. I've got quite a collection of both and I often switch them up, depending on what my skin is doing at the time.

I've got quite dry skin so an intense moisturiser is a must and right now I'm loving this particular moisturising lotion from Aveeno. The Daily Moisturising Lotion contains Colloidal Oatmeal, which to you or I means a product which is made of very finely ground oats. This mixture is perfect for itchy and dry skin and products containing Colloidal Oatmeal can be very good to treat rashes, irritations, bug bits and other skin conditions. In my case, just super dry skin!

I find that this particular moisturiser stays put all day and keeps my skin hydrated for hours and hours, whilst in the past I've discovered most moisturisers still leave my make-up looking cakey by the end of the day. I apply this moisturiser once in the morning before I put my foundation on and then once again once all my make-up is off before I go to bed.

Speaking of foundations, as the weather gets warmer I like to ditch my maximum coverage MAC foundations and switch it up to something a little lighter. Right now, my foundation of choice is Bourjois Paris' Happy Light Foundation. I love how lightweight this foundation feels and in my opinion it's the next best thing to a CC-cream. It also contains translucent pigments which claim to give you a luminous and flawless complexion in any light - now that's a big claim! I'm not sure I'd go as far to say it does that, but it definitely gives me a dewy look with plenty of coverage and I love to team this foundation with my favourite Hoola bronzer from Benefit and MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter for that sunkissed, summer glow.

You can buy the Bourjois Paris Happy Light Foundation, £11.99 and Aveeno's Daily Moisturising Lotion, £5.45 from Boots.