Merry Christmas, everyone! Have you been good this year? Are you expecting a lot of gifts? It literally feels like yesterday when I was writing my 2020 favourites and here we are with my 2021 favourites. I love the idea of doing favourites and since I don’t have a fixed niche I pick up any 10 favourites of the year and share them with you. Read on to find out what made it to my 2021 favourites list.

Favourite book

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. What can I even say about this book that I haven’t already (check out my entire review here). This book moved me and made me cry so much. I had stopped reading romantic books but this made me want to give romantic books another try (not the typical ones – I mean atypical ones like this or Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe). I hadn’t read books about LGBTQ relationships before this year. I read 3 books in 2021 and they were all my top reads for this year.

Shop ‘The Song of Achilles’ here.

Favourite Skincare

Re’equil sunscreen – I discovered Re’equil in 2020 when I was looking for a good brand of Indian skincare. I’ve been using their products for over a year now and love them. Their sunscreen is definitely my favourite product of theirs – it is so brown girl friendly and leaves no white cast. They have 3-4 types of sunscreens and I’ve tried 2 of them and prefer Oxybenzone and OMC Free Sunscreen For Oily, Sensitive & Acne Prone Skin.

The other product that I discovered recently was the Innisfree Jeju Cherry Blossom Jelly Cream. I have normal-acne prone skin. I don’t like using heavy cream based products on my face cause it leads to my face sweating a lot. I used to use a jelly based cream from The Face Shop before but it was discontinued in 2019 and I have been on a lookout for an alternate. This one is so light and perfect for people with normal to oily skin. It gives your face a glow from within.

I also love the Neem body soap from my brand – it is so gentle and has helped me control my BO a lot.

Shop ‘Re’equil sunscreen’ here.

Shop ‘Innisfree Jeju Cherry Blossom Jelly Cream’ here.

Favourite Makeup

Kay Beauty is my favourite make-up brand for the year! I’ve tried their kajal, eye shadow stick & foundation. In an effort to support more local brands I shopped a few products from this brand which is Bollywood Star Katrina Kaif’s brand. I was so pleasantly surprised by how good all the products were. I loved the three products I tried from their range and will try more when I need them. These products are also very pocket friendly.

Shop ‘Kay Beauty 24 hour waterproof Kajal’ here. (I’ve been using Kajal for 15+ years and tried atleast 15+ brands – this has to be the best I’ve used)

Shop ‘Kay Beauty Metallic Eyeshadow Stick’ here.

Shop ‘Kay Beauty Hydrating Foundation’ here. (I’d recommend going to a Nykaa store to get the right foundation shade.)

Favourite Song

Million to One by Camila Cabello – While the movie (Cinderella) was a huge bummer for me, this song struck a chord with me. The song is the only reason I even watched the movie (what a boring and unoriginal end the movie had). It is a beautiful song about believing in yourself and going after your dreams.

Favourite Show

Only Murders in The Building – I’ve written extensively about this show before, it is so funny and light – totally up my alley. Plus the leads are so brilliant and lovable. Loved watching it so much!

Watch it here on Disney Hotstar in India.

Favourite Travel

I only managed to sneak in one solo trip this year and that has to be my favourite. My short trip to Bikaner, Rajasthan in August 2021. There was this moment during sunset when I was alone on this gorgeous rooftop of a palace hotel and it was so perfect and I just felt at peace, by myself, after a long time.

Favourite Memory

Launching my own business – It is has been 8 months since I launched by own brand of sustainable products in April 2021. While it is slowly picking up (200+ orders completed), it has a longgg way to go and so do I. Here is to an even more successful 2022 and to doing and achieving bigger things.

Favourite Post (of mine)

AAAAAH, picking one post is so difficult but my recent post – ‘Accepting My Flaws‘ has to be my favourite post. I was honest, open and just put myself out there for my readers. And so many of you reached out to me to tell me that you felt the same way – and I realized how impactful the post was. If you haven’t read it, I definitely recommend it.

Favourite Achievement

Joining the gym again. After 2 years of not going to the gym, I am back at it again (I type this after missing 2 consecutive days of gymming – it is the COLD). I haven’t lost any weight in the 2 months of gymming but this time around instead of being hard on myself – I am letting myself take my time getting back at it – the goal is to be healthy not just thin. 🙂

Favourite Blogger

I love a lot of bloggers but these two bloggers and their blogs have my heart. Libby from ‘The Goddess Attainable‘ and Sam from ‘Diary of a Dreamer’. I see myself so much in these two – Libby as my future self and Sam, me at her young age. Their writing is impactful and their posts always get me thinking. They are also amazing blogger friends. I message them so often for advice on blog posts and life. They always take out time to let me know their honest thoughts and opinions.

(I LOVE A LOT OF BLOGGERS – it would take a long time to name them all – check out my blogger recommendation series to know all of them.)

What were some of your favourites this year? Book? Music? Makeup? Travel? Memory?

PS: I know Blogmas is over but I am going to try to post one post every day till the end of the year and then take 2 weeks off from the blogosphere. 🙂

PPS: Hope Santa brings you SO much of happiness and peace. ❤

PPS: Some of the links are affiliate links meaning it won’t cost you anything extra to shop using them but it will help me earn a little something.

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