Beauty, Lifestyle, Makeup, Music, Skincare

2020 Favourites: Beauty, Home, Music & more

by estsince94

I know its now February but I feel like if not for 2020, when else can I do a favourites post almost 2 months late? Despite all that went on, I’d discovered and rediscovered a lot of things which I now couldn’t imagine not being without in some way or form. We’ve got beauty, music videos, even got some home stuff in there, talk about range (that candle lighter is genuinely one of my favourite ever purchases no joke). Have a read on if you’re interested in the ever growing list of things I loved in 2020, grab a cuppa (maybe a big one and a pack of biscuits, its quite long )beforehand to get you through. I’ve included links where possible too, in case you’d like to make these your faves for 2021. Enjoy!

[Quick disclaimers: I’ve left a few bits in London or finished them hence why some may be missing in photos. More importantly, I work for Estée Lauder Companies as part of the BECCA team. Although part of the ELC family, all views are my own, even when products have been given on a discounted or gifted basis. I’ve denoted these with a *].

Beauty

What’s funny is that up until the first lockdown hit, I’d been fairly good at limiting my beauty spend. Then my ELC online credit needed using up (it’s a hard life), goody bags came in and skincare started to run low from the streamlined edit I’d thrown into my suitcase. There are most likely more to this every-growing list, but I think we’d need a separate post to truly get into it, so this works for now. Do let me know though if you’d like me to do a dedicated Beauty roundup post. Just to note, I’ve also included some referral links for some which gives you on your first purchase via that link – amazing. Pat McGrath (15% off via link), Glossier (10% off via this link). I don’t receive commission but I may receive some discount if you use it, I’ve denoted these with a ** so you know which these are.

Skincare

Makeup

Home and Tech

There’s not loads to add in this section as I’m renting or at my family home, and tech wise only purchased as replacements, whilst saving for bigger buys like a tablet or laptop later down the line. That being said, there have been a few bits and pieces I’ve picked up such as this candle lighter which has impressed me so much and further confirms good things come in small packages.

Two of the prints from Dolly’s Doodles proudly displayed in the flat above our work from home set up, to motivate us through the day when we look up!
  • LED Candle Lighter: I rave about this so much, and is actually one of my overall favourite purchases in a while. Eco-friendly, rechargeable and great alternative to gas lighters and matches for those of us who are scared of fire.
  • Dolly’s Doodles Prints: Boston local business with some cute prints, we got a load to refresh our London flat and already have plans for a few more
  • Auxano Life: a later discovery via my mum, I got two of their lovely Bible Verse prints for Christmas, excited to get a few more
  • Peppermint and Lavender Essential Oil (religiously use a Lavender Pillow Mist before bed, and suffering with migraines my mum got me some Lavender and Peppermint essential oils to drop onto a towel at night, and it has really helped me to sleep and to ease migraine pain)
  • Fitbit Versa 2: after my Versa died over lockdown, Fitbit kindly gave me a generous discount on the Versa 2, which is very similar to the newest Versa 3. The next upgrade I’ve got my eye on is the Fitbit Sense, mostly for the Stress tracker which I think could be interesting

Food

Safe to say I baked a lot in 2020, some interesting bread cakes and soapy cookies (don’t ask), but all in all I’ve revisited and mastered a few staples. I’ve also enjoyed cooking and taking the time to cook, as well as experimenting more with meals, flavours and ingredients. I also developed an obsession with Pop Chips after not rating them for years. I could go on for a while but here are some of my favourite finds and recipes.

  • The egg-less oat and raisin cookie: this came about as we’d run out of eggs before our next shop, so I looked for egg-less or vegan recipes in the meantime. I have a nut allergy and frustratingly a lot of them included some form of nut or nut adjacent, but thankfully this doesn’t and tastes incredible. Its fast become a staple bake, and so not needed to refer to the recipe as often; and have since made variants including raspberry and white chocolate.
  • Toad in the Hole: Not made this since Year 8 food tech, and I can say this attempt was tasty. I used 6 Lincolnshire sausages instead and added some herbs and spices to the batter – would like to try next with some veggie sausages.
  • Jane’s Patisserie recipes: particular fan of her NYC cookies recipes, which I did these with gluten free flour as a Christmas present for a friend, and kept a few for my family and had glowing reviews.
  • Blondies Kitchen: my flatmate Kelly sweetly ordered some for my birthday and they are huge but so SO good, had one for breakfast and couldn’t move for a little while. They’re a London-based female owned company, but they do UK deliveries (delivery is about £6…)!
  • Jamie Oliver’s Griddle Pan Breakfast Waffles: I know I know but put your thoughts about him aside for an hour, and just to try these and add a touch of cinnamon, vanilla and sugar though whilst you’re there
  • Dip & Flip: South-West London based burgers I’d discovered on Deliveroo over the summer and enjoyed in lockdown too – really good quality at a good price.
  • Ginger Tea: really helped with easing nausea and migraines, love the Twinings Spiced Ginger in particular.

Fashion

Definitely surprised I didn’t spend more on clothes this year, particularly over the first lockdown! For that reason, a couple of these aren’t even new buys, just a shout out to what I basically lived in through the year of WFH. – ie. non-wired and sports bras, and for the days wearing joggers or leggings weren’t inappropriate for family pics, my trusty New Look boyfriend jeans (shout out for being the only ones that fit me from March).

Moi in the KAI Collective Gaia Top in Orange
  • Kai Collective Gaia Tops: definitely the priciest tops I’ve bought but I love them and so glad I got my hands on both the Orange and the Purple colourways. Gaia was THE print of 2020, and the tops sell out each time they’re restocked, and understandably so. Shout out to Missy for enabling this purchase. I’ve added a photo above of me wearing the Orange; they are sheer and I’m not quite ready to free the nip so I wear a black bra and/or cami underneath. If you’re interested, go for it as this is the last restock and they sadly won’t be coming back this time!
  • M&S Fleece Tartan PJs (the warmest and comfiest Christmas present)
  • Daily Paper Grey Gleogru Sweater (sold out)
  • Adidas x Ivy Park Drip 2 sweatshirt (I don’t want to dwell on this too much, the stress to get this was a lot. Several returns later, it’s comfy)

Music

So glad I managed to squeeze 2 gigs before lockdown as all the rest were sadly cancelled, I miss them so much. At least there were some great classics and newness I had on repeat to get me through. I’ve added these into a Spotify playlist, and with a scroll you’ll notice by the below selection I’ve got a varied music taste from Little Mix to Elevation Worship to Afrobeats to Latin Pop and Reggaeton – we love to see range.

Music Videos and Performances

This is the category that makes me feel like I’m writing a Grammy’s awards list. 2020 meant artists had to get creative with their music videos and performances if they hadn’t already filmed it prior the peak of the pandemic. And as a result, I’d say we got some great videos from some, so here are my top picks with the links as well so you can also watch in awe. Pre-warning, there’s a lot of Little Mix here but according to Spotify, I’m in their top 1% of listeners, so are surprised? No. Enjoy the below along with some of my best music critic-esqe thoughts for the standouts (almost all of them).

  • Little Mix – Secret Love Song – Little Mix: The Search
  • Chloe x Halle – Do It – plus performances at BET Awards, Today Show
  • Ariana Grande – Positions
  • Ella Eyre – New Me, Dreams – plus performance at The Greatest Dancer
    • Loving the recent music Ella has put out, but particularly impressed with the Dreams video as it was filmed over lockdown. She had to be her own glam squad, set design, and more whilst being supported by her team over FaceTime and the results post-production are brilliant, so props to her!
  • Rosalía – Relación/TKN – Savage x Fenty show
    • After some time on Google Translate, I can confirm I’m a Rosalia fan and have been in recent years. There were about 10 other performances I’d had on replay through 2020, until I annoyingly realised they were actually from 2019. This performance though was great, one of her more stripped back ones in comparison.
  • Doja Cat – Say So/Like That – MTV VMAs, BBMAs
    • I wouldn’t even what you would call a fan, but there is absolutely no denying she has versatility – her performances of Say So prove that time and time again.
  • Zara Larsson – Wow – MTV EMAs
    • I feel like Zara has always been very underrated, and slipped under many people’s radar. This performance made my jaw drop (pun not actually intended, but if you know the song hope you appreciated it). Zara gave us strong vocals and choreography, including dance breaks AND splits?! We have no choice but to stan.
  • Little Mix – Sweet Melody – plus performances at EMAs, Johnathon Ross Show, Little Mix: The Search
    • I’m sad we never got a performance with all 4 of them before Jesy left, but the performances they have done have – somewhat – made up for it. They’ve done well to switch it up each time, whether that be with dance breaks, set design or costume. For the music video, I love it and probably responsible for half the views – watch Zach Campbell’s reaction video and you won’t regret it.
  • Little Mix at Meerkat Music Presents
    • For obvious reasons, the summer tour was cancelled so they had partnered up with Compare the Market to put on a virtual performance. The full show isn’t available on YouTube anymore, but I can vouch it was great fun.
  • Black is King/ Lion King: The Gift
    • Myself and Missy had a little watch party for this and went through all the emotions, we already loved the album so it was beautiful to see it come to life visually. Keys to the Kingdom had us emotional as they filmed in Nigeria and held a lot cultural significance. Some of the music videos are on YouTube, but the full show is exclusive to Disney Plus members – honestly I’d recommend you doing the trial or at least paying for a month just for this)
  • Beyoncé – Brown Skin Girl, Mood 4 Eva & Find Your Way Back
    • These have their own moments because BSG video had Missy and I in tears, so much representation from the likes of Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell and even Mama Tina. Mood 4Ever is a visual masterpiece, as is Find Your Way Back, just stunning.
  • Tiwa Savage – Dangerous Love – The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
    • I’d stumbled across this a couple of months ago, and I think I listen to this more than I did the original, which was a lot. The backing singer and Tiwa are a perfect match, and the set design is stunning
  • Shakira & JLo – Superbowl 2020 Halftime Show
    • May come as a surprise to some, but I’ve been a Shakira and J Lo fan for time (got me through my Spanish GCSE revision), so this was a dream combination for me. High energy and all the choreo, hits, hairography and heritage you could want in 14 minutes.

Podcasts

Loved a podcast for my commute usually, but still enjoyed at work or on a daily walk. I have a fair few saved in Spotify that I’m yet to finish but these are the ones I’d been heading for when it’s podcast time.

Bible Verses

A few of these have been my favourite for longer than 2020, others I’ve stumbled back upon; either way they’ve encouraged me through this challenging year and I’ve used them as positive affirmations for myself. I’m aware there will be some people not familiar with the Bible format so to quickly explain in case you’re curious, it goes – name of the Book, chapter number: verse number.

  • Matthew 6:34
  • Phillipians 4:16
  • Ephesians 2:10
  • Proverbs 12:25
  • 1 Peter 1:23-25
  • Philippians 4:16
  • Deuteronomy 31:6
  • 2 Timothy 1:7
  • Romans 8:39
  • Psalms 23:3
  • Psalms 94:19
  • John 14:27
  • 1 John 4:18

TV

This was tricky not because I couldn’t pick but because I couldn’t remember what was 2020 and what was 2019. Most are newbies, and reality TV (don’t judge), but classics like Who Wants to be a Millionaire was a lockdown regular for my family along with Rich House Poor House, and more recently The Wheel. Wild I know.

  • Little Mix: The Search (BBC)
  • Glow Up (BBC/Netflix)
  • The Crown (Netflix)
  • Sister, Sister (Netflix)
  • Selling Sunset (Netflix)
  • Next in Fashion (Netflix)
  • The Wheel (BBC)
  • The Hit List (BBC)
  • Rich House, Poor House (Channel 5)
  • Who Wants to be a Millionaire

And there we have it! Well done for making it to the end. Did any of your favourites appear in my list? I’d love to know what your favourites of 2020 were – feel free to let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and wishing you all the best for 2021❤️

Until next time,

Esther xxx

One thought on “2020 Favourites: Beauty, Home, Music & more”

  1. This is my first time reading this blog and I love it already. I like the friendly and fun way she writes but still gives the required information.
    She sounds like an interesting person. I can’t wait to read more of her posts.

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