IT'S NOT BEEN ALL BAD...

Quite frankly, 2020 has been a year full of shit - from start to finish. But, it's not been all bad. 2020 has bought us some absolute gems and, while they might not have been as abundant as 2019 us may have thought or wanted, there's no doubt that they made the year a hundred times better. This is my round-up list (or selection of lists) of all the good things that this year bought us - a 2020 favourites post, if you will. 

We'll start off with product favourites - so fashion, beauty and I guess physical products more generally.

• Dresses! A super broad favourite but this year really has been the year of dresses for me - I've become the kind of person that will opt for a dress at every given opportunity, and I'm into it.
• Shackets - honestly I am obsessed; a true staple in my wardrobe nowadays. 
• Timberland Nolita Sky lace up boots - a Black Friday purchase that quite frankly have rarely left my feet since they arrived, worth every single penny.
• Motel Rocks. Can I have a shop favourite? I've always been a fan of Motel but I look in my wardrobe now and it's at least 50% clothes from Motel and I'm not complaining... what a brand. 
• Coach Eau de Parfum - all I have to say about this one is that it's a beautiful scent.
• Glossier mega greens galaxy pack detoxifying face mask - life changing!!!!!
• Cadbury's orange chocolate buttons - need I say more? 
• Percy Pigs... a long-standing favourite, nothing new here.

Next up is release favourites - I'm categorising this as music, film and TV and that kind of thing. 

• The Vamps - Cherry Blossom album (need I say more?)
• Ariana Grande - positions album
• Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia album 
• Little Mix - Confetti album
• Picture This - literally every song, ever 
• Taylor Swift - again, every song, T-Swift in general 
• Gigs!!! I managed to get myself to three gigs (Jonas Brothers, Kaiser Chiefs and Blossoms) pre-corona and I'm so happy about that 
• Emily In Paris.... have you even read my review if you didn't expect this to be here?
• After and After We Collided - basically I just reeeeaaaalllyyy fancy Hero Fiennes Tiffin
• Dash and Lily on Netflix 
• Euphoria - an absolue must-watch
• Never Have I Ever - another Netflix gem 
• Elite - I've been the show's biggest cheerleader since it's first season and I'm still as obsessed with it now as I was back in 2018
• Money Heist - you've already watched it, right? 

And finally, my personal favourites - so my own highlights from the year, favourite memories, things I did et cetera; I'm sure you know the drill. 

• Lockdown 1.0 allowed me to really focus on my uni work with no distractions and I graduated (albeit without a graduation ceremony) with a First Class Honours degree and I'm so incredibly proud of that achievement; after everything that's happened during the last three years, it finally all paid off. 
• My friends!!! A forever favourite of mine, I truly don't know how I'd have got through the year without those amazing humans.
• Summer - a very different one to the summer we expected but fantastic nonetheless. I did so much and made so many memories that I'll cherish forever (lol, cringe) - it was lovely to be able to go and do things I wouldn't normally do, and spend so much time outside. Oh, and did I mention I got the best tan of my whole entire life? 
• Bottomless brunching. I've said this for a while now but I truly think bottomless brunch should be a mandatory weekend activity for all... what an invention!
• I got a new car! Granted, my Dad crashed my old one and wrote it off (he was fine, the car wasn't) so it was a bit of an unexpected purchase but it all worked out in the end - and my new car is a mini so 8-year-old Jodie would be absolutely buzzing that she's got her dream car at last. 
• TikTok... I am addicted and that's all I will be saying at this time. 
• Jobs! It feels like I spent the majority of the year on the job hunt but, again, it all worked out in the end. I've spent the last six weeks on a fixed-term contract at the customer support centre at Boots on the opticians and Covid lines and it was a huge learning experience and I met some great people and made some amazing friends and I have a new marketing assistant job lined up for starting in the new year so it feels like things are finally falling into place and I am thrilled. 

I think, at times like these, it's really important to try and stay positive - hence why I've opted for a favourites post rather than a more general round up of the year - and I don't want to sit and dwell on the bad bits of the year because, quite frankly, we've all been here and lived through it - who wants to rehash all of that? It's been a challenging year but I'm so grateful for my health and the people in my life; you are amazing and I wouldn't want to do life without you guys. 

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and has a very happy new year - these bad times will pass and hopefully 2021 will bring happiness for us all. Take care and stay safe... and keep an eye out for some more blog posts from yours truly.