Okay, so it's still winter and spring is nowhere even close to being here just yet - but, I couldn't help myself, I wanted to bring some spring vibes into the blog, so I stole some flowers from a bouquet of fresh cut flowers I had at home and tossed them into the mix. Maybe that will lure spring out early? A girl can try...

With a New Year comes an excuse to try new things, so I took that as an excellent excuse to update my make-up bag. Instead of re-purchasing what I'm currently using on my skin, I wanted to try something else for a change. Especially as one of my favourite beauty brands have just launched a make-up line, so of course - I "needed" to try something out. I'm talking about the organic, natural & Swedish brand Estelle & Thild. I'm so excited to try out their new foundation that's natural, organic, vegan and silicone free - and actually more skincare than make-up. It's their only foundation so far and is called the Biomineral Healthy Glow Foundation - I got the shade 121 which is a perfect match for my pale, olive skin. I haven't been able to properly wear this yet, since my skin decided to get a massive rash all over my chin last week (sigh...), but as soon as that clears up - this will be what I slap on when doing my make-up. I'll keep you updated on how I get on with it!

Moving on to something I have tried and loved for a while now; this little brown tube of goodness for my eyebrows - it's from the brand Essence and is called their Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara. It's basically like an eyebrow mascara - it's purpose is to add color but also some extra definition as it's packed with little fibres that will give the illusion of fuller brows. Great for peeps with spare eyebrows, like yours truly. This is an amazing dupe for other more high end versions on the market, but for a fraction (and I do mean fraction) of the price. I'm using the shade 02 Browny Browns, which is perfect for me as a dark brunette.

Last, but not least, is this little pot from yet another Swedish and organic brand: Maria Åkerberg. It's a little mini size of their Face Balm Moist. It's a face balm, but I use it on my lips, hands and all different parts of my skin that feel dry. It's also perfect for a natural highlight. Tip: pat some of this balm on the high points of your cheekbones for a natural and healthy glow! It's 10 ml, so it's the perfect size to keep in your handbag.

Well, hello there, 2018. These first few days after New Years have felt like some sort of weird limbo. I'm back at work and back to normal, yet I feel like 2018 doesn't really kick off properly until Monday. Is it just me?

Anyway! I've seen my year- in-review posts rumble all over the blogging world in the last week or so, and of course I also wanted to do some sort of round up from the passed 12 months. This is my little version of a yearly round up, where I list 17 good things that happened throughout the year of 2017.

1. I got my first ”proper” post university job in January. A mile stone and a great way to start a brand New Year.

2. I evolved my cooking skills and have gotten more and more into vegetarian food & recipes (after several failed attempts I’ve also realised I’ll probably stick to food as I'll never gonna be a good baker...).

3. I learnt to say no (more often) to things when I felt like I needed to rest, something I still need to practice even more.

4. I fell back in love with writing for my own sake, for "my eyes only", if you will. Mainly just to clear my head and to put down my thoughts into words. You should try it if you haven't already!

5. Photography and I had a fling over the summer, and I took loads of photos - and actually loved what I created.

6. I had a well needed long weekend in Rome in the beginning of summer with a person dear to me. I ate loads, laughed and just wandered the stunning Roman streets.

7. Not long after I got back from Italy, I went on a few weeks summer holiday, and I spent it up on the west coast in my family’s cottage. Glorious.

8. I cut my hair off to my collar bones in spring and realised that the long hair just ”wasn't me” anymore (reminds me, it's gotten really long again, need a trim ASAP!).

9. I set long term financial goals and felt like a proper adult, hehe.

10. I reduced my sugar intake a lot and my body loved me for it.

11. Piece by piece, drawer by drawer, I’ve been getting rid of random stuff that’s been cramming up my space and I feel kilos lighter - mind and soul.

12. I (finally) got into podcasts and now can’t understand how I didn’t give them a go earlier.

13. My love for whipping up cocktails grew and you can see some evidence here.

14. I read the book Food Pharmacy about gut bacteria and anti inflammatory foods and it was like I had the biggest ”aha-moment” ever (read it!).

15. Speaking of, I generally read more books than the year before *pat on the back*.

16. I found invisi-bobble hair ties and life changed for the better. Nope, no joke there - they're that good.

17. I stopped snoozing my alarm a billion times every morning. I'm down to one. Okay, so maybe two...