2017 was a very weird year for me, it was a year my life got turned on its head and a year where my career became top priority for me. This meant that my blog took a seat WAY, WAY, in the back while I figured all my stuff out. I wasn't even sure I was going to DO a year in review, and was thinking of skipping it, but I decided to sit down and do a bit of a State of the Union to set 2018 off right!

Confession time. While some people can blog and write endlessly, and love taking photos, it's always been a struggle for me. It's not a BAD struggle, mind you, but it's not something that comes naturally and I really admire the people who can alternate between beauty posts and deeply personal glimpses like Natalie of Ivory Avenue, create amazing swatches like Chelle at Makeup Your Mind, or have SUCH endearing personalities that you gobble up all their videos, even the 'Worst Makeup of 2017' by Samantha Jane! (I secretly love these types of videos, TELL ME YOUR TRUTH!)

So yeah, while blogging is not naturally my forte, it's very GOOD for me at the same time. I'm able to exercise some creativity in my life, I'm able to share my opinions, and it gives me a way to meet new people with the same interests and hobbies as me, people I may not meet otherwise! So with that said, let's break down my year.

2017 at a Glance

• Blog Posts: 24, so still two a month! Phew!
• Top New Post: This pains me, but it's The Great Satchel Hunt, looks like I need to get my boyfriend to write more content for me!
• MY Top New Post: The Kon-Mari Method & Me. It ALSO looks like my non-beauty posts resonated with you guys this year. I had a lot of people read this post and reach out to be offline about this article too. This movement isn't going anywhere!
• My Favourite Post of the Year: How I Celebrate International Self-Care Day Every Day. I think it's really important to take care of yourself and so much about self-care is listening and prioritizing your needs. GET ON IT!
• My Favourite Photos: My Twik at Simons: 2017 Fall Look-Book! This was SO STRESSFUL FOR ME. I'm not used to full-body shots and while I must've driven my boyfriend crazy, I'm actually SUPER HAPPY with how it all turned out!
• My Hair Update: I've had 5 major hair colour changes/shades/fades (dark purple to platinum blonde to orange/peach, then blonde, to a smokey/pastel purple again!) Check out the gallery below!

Let's review my 2017 goals, shall we?

• Improve my photography skills. Soooo, I'm giving myself a pass on this one. I think I did a good job changing up my product shots and swatches, but I didn't spend much if any time with my ring light or my rig all year. Not a fail, but not MUCH of a pass.

• Create more posts from makeup already in my collection. While I didn't do inventory posts per se, I think some of my favourite posts of the year were 'looks' containing some older stuff in my collection, like the Back to School: Graphic Eye Liner look from September which included some older palettes from 2016 and before.

• More beauty looks, or beauty looks in general. While I suffered a bout of my WORST skin in years over the summer, I actually picked up a bit in the fall and did two very nice lewks, the graphic eye liner one mentioned above, and my Look of the Day: Purple & Bronze post. I did other shoots but none of them were as good as these two that I posted!

• More nail posts. Literal fail, I did this once. I just don't think my nails are as much a priority to me as they used to be. Just don't tell my bankers box FULL OF POLISH. Shhh.

• Video. Video. Video. Soooo, this one gets a bit old fail. I literally did not progress with this at all. Despite being a very confident person at work and during presentations, I'm learning I do have my insecurities and some part of me worries about seeing it exposed on camera. SUPER SILLY OF ME. I still want to achieve some video in 2018, if only to GET OVER THIS RIDICULOUS FEAR.

Now, before we go, I know you're asking "Wait Danielle, what are your goals for 2018?" and my answer is: I'm not sure. I know I want to do a redesign of the blog, but I also may want a refocus? WHO KNOWS. Just join me for the journey, won't you?

Before I go, here are some outtakes from lewks I did that I never posted due to INSECURITY. Here's my unedited face. Have fun.

What are your goals for 2018?