January faves 2020: happiness, Billie and gold eyeshadow

Somehow we're officially in February and the smell of spring is just on the horizon. The winter holiday feeling is well and truly gone, and reality has set in. I thought the best way to say hello to February would be to look back on January at all the things that made an impact on my life. And, because I'm single I make sure to treat myself that extra little bit to make up for the lack of winter cuddles.

My Happy Jar

This one might seem a little bit cheesy and out of the box. It's been a rough few months (oh boy, that's another blog post in and of itself when I finally drag myself out of all the disasters) and I found that picking out a little anecdote when times were tough helped put a smile on my face. My Happy Jar is about four years old now. It was a project I did with my little sister over the 2013 summer when she was on the cusp of puberty and finding things hard. It's super simple; find a cute jar, decorate it and add little notes and anecdotes that make you laugh or smile. I don't know how to explain it any easier than that. And it's a top project to do with younger siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews etc.

ColourPop's Good As Gold palette

Just before xmas I had one of those moments of saying 'fuck it' while I was feeling down and ended up ordering from ColourPop, regardless of the customs tax. Oh my god, I'm obsessed. I wrote a whole review of what I think that you can find here. At the beginning of January I couldn't help myself and picked up a few more bits to try out. At the moment I'm trying out Double Entendre and Flutter By, so make sure to follow me on Instagram to see when I publish those reviews!

The Blackhouse by Peter May

I read this book two or three months ago. I picked it up in The Works in their '3 for £5' section and I've been obsessed. I've read about 70 thrillers since last March and this is one that stood out by far. It's about Finn Macleod, a police officer located in Edinburgh, who's sent back to his home island that he hasn't been back to for the last 18 years to investigate what seems to be another murder with the similar MO of a case he was working on back in Scotland. May is a master storyteller, weaving the investigation of the present day with Macleod's memories that lead him to leave the island, never to look back. The lost love story between Macleod and his childhood sweetheart Marselli is what really made the whole novel stand out. As a hopeless romantic, I live for that kind of thing, and May did a good job pulling on my heartstrings. I picked up the other two novels (The Lewis Man and The Chess Game) in the series from The Works, so I had to reread it, and it hit me just as hard the second time around. A definite keeper in my overflowing bookcase.

Billie Eilish

Ok, this is a bit of a cheat one. My ex Darek sat me down last April when I was visiting Edinburgh and made me watch Bad Guys for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I recognised it from TikTok (a guilty pleasure), along with a few other of her songs. When I came back to Manchester I fell into the rabbit hole and I haven't stopped listening to her since. Ocean Eyes has been on repeat for several evenings, including her acoustic versions, and I treated myself to her When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? album for my birthday. I've been fangirling her hard, watching hours of interviews from the moody teen, and I'm beyond delighted that she picked up the four main Grammy awards last month and smashing records while she did it. I love her look, her music and her realer-then-real personality. Please god she tours Ireland at some point soon, I'm saving up for the tickets already!

Sleek Lip Shots

I picked up a Lip Shot in 'Partner In Crime' last April and decided that I loved the formula but hated the shade. I have super dry skin, and my lips are generally not happy with anything that's not Vaseline. Trying to find something that will happily sit on my lips for more than five minutes without feeling like I've coated them in dust is a full time job for the most part. This formula is pretty close to perfect. For a gloss it's fairly pigmented, but it doesn't have that sticky feel that just gloops on your lips and collects in the corner of your mouth. 'Silky' is the best way to describe it. Sadly, Partner In Crime really doesn't work for my deathly pale complexion, so I've banned it to my Terrible Makeup Mistakes Never To Forget makeup bag, and picked up nude 'Don't Ask' and rose 'Plot Twist', which suit me far better!

Kat Von D Mini Alchemist

Firstly, if I ranked my favourites this would definitely be near the top. Secondly, I know that I'm going to get some hate for buying from Kat Von D after the vaccination debacle, even after the rebrand. I like the brand, I like the products, it's vegan friendly, and honestly you just can't fix stupid by not purchasing from them. I have enough banned brands for their questionable practices, and I just can't be bothered with this one. Anyway, disclaimer over- I love this little thing. I was pottering about Debenhams and I passed by the counter and it just caught my eye. I bought the Alchemist palette a couple of years ago and it's one of my favourites, regardless of how little I use it, so I was drawn to the Mini Alchemist. I swatched a little, decided that it was way too glittery for me and walked away. I ended up chatting with one of the Kat Von D makeup artists and mentioned it to her. She insisted that it works better on top of another shadow and it's underrated. It was on sale for £10 so I figured that it wouldn't really hurt my wallet. It really does make such a difference, and I'm forever amping up my eyeshadow with this little thing. Definite love from me!

Top Shop leather jacket

I bought my first 'pleather' jacket at 20 with my first paycheck from my first job. It has been through my entire last relationship, sleeping on a couch for nine months when I was 21, my final year of uni, moving to Manchester. Basically, as trustworthy as it was, it was exhausted and falling apart. I decided to treat myself to something a bit more expensive and long-lasting than Primark. I went around River Island, Next, H&M and finally Top Shop before I found The One. I wear my leather jacket most of the year and it ties a lot of my outfits together, so finding one that was just right was paramount. I fell in love with this €60 'distressed' jacket and I'm so pleased with it. Having invested a bit more the fit is far more snug, and it feels thicker and warmer for later on in the year. I love the sliverware, it makes me clink as I walk (I love things that jingle) and it really adds that look of expensive that I was looking for.

Phew, it's been an expensive month but I've definitely been deserving of a little pampering. I mean, why shouldn't I treat myself? Let me know what you've been loving last month and what you recommend!

In the meantime, make sure to follow me on Instagram @lapetitemis to keep up to date with my future favourites and make sure to say hi!