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2020 has been a strange year. Some good things have happened in my personal life though – I spent the first 3 months in Australia, I’ve been gathering an increasing following on social media, my PhD is going *fairly* well, and I’ve bought some great items this year. To round off the year, here are my top 10 purchases of 2020.

1. Revlon Salon One-Step Volumizer

This amazing hair styling tool by Revlon gives you a blow dry and style at the same time! I first saw rave reviews about this on TikTok and it seemed pretty exciting so I decided to give it a try. Now, I have to say that my hair never looks at good as in the videos, but that’s just because of my hair type.

However, I would say that I have completely fallen in love with this! I love getting a blowdry at the hairdressers but can’t do it myself – my hair always becomes so frizzy that I end up having to straighten it anyway. Mostly, I don’t style my hair – I let it dry in braids. But, this does not make my hair frizzy at all and is so easy to use! I’m obsessed! Use on damp hair to dry and style.

Revlon Salon One-Step Volumizer. £59.99.

2. Nopla Water Bottle

Nopla is a new small company with a focus on a sustainable lifestyle. Reusable, recyclable, biodegradable, vegan and cruelty free. They sell water bottles, tumblers, metal straws, charcoal water filters, and various personal hygiene items.

I went for the INOX bottle and the glass tumbler. I haven’t tried out the tumbler yet but I am LOVING the bottle. The thermal bottle keeps drinks hot for 12 hours or cold for 24. Plus, the colour is beautiful. You know you want one.

Check out their website here.

3. D-Bronzi Sunshine Drops by Drunk Elephant

I came across these on one of my fortnightly scrolls through Cult Beauty. It had pretty good reviews, and I’d been looking for a good bronzer so decided to give it a go. It’s very concentrated so I recommended that you put a few drops into your moisturiser or sunscreen. I use it with my Purito sunscreen and I love it! On a normal day, I add a bit less – just enough to make my face look slightly sun-kissed. However, if you add an extra pump you have the ability to look like a bronzed goddess.

£30 at Cult Beauty. Buy here.

4. Nike Air Force One

I’ve always loved plain white Nike Air Force One, but I never owned any. They are fairly expensive, after all. However, now that I’m earning money I can treat myself sometimes so I decided to go for it. The plain white were sold out but I found these, which I liked even better. Not only are they so cute but they’re incredibly conformtable. Just don’t wear them in the rain to keep them as white as you can.

£84.99 at Office Shoes. Currently out of stock but click here to check and browse other colours.

5. milk_shake Leave in Conditioner

My hairdresser started using milk_shake products a few years ago, and I always loved them because they smell amazing. Earlier this year I decided it was time to take better care of my hair – it has been quite damaged for a while because I have thin hair that I never bothered with too much, then I bleached it last year… So, I ordered the leave in conditioner from milk_shake. I love it! Not only does it make my hair much softer for days, but it smells amazing. Like, seriously, I’ve had multiple compliments over how nice my hair smells. Also, it may seem expensive but the bottle has lasted me 8 months so far…

£17.39 from milk_shake, Buy here.

6. Savage X Fenty Strapless Bra

I’ve never ever found a strapless bra that has worked for me before. I have slightly larger-than-average breasts and every strapless bra I’ve bought ends up somehow pulling them down? I’d given up on cute strapless dresses and tops. Well, I recently decide to upgrade my entire underwear drawer and decided to give Savage X Fenty a go after seeing it advertised everywhere.

Firstly, I’d like to say that all the bras I ordered were beautiful, fit perfectly and are super comfortable. But, this is specifically about the strapless bra. The moment I tried it on I was SO happy. It fit, pushed up AND still managed to look cute. Thanks to Rihanna I finally got to wear a strapless dress.

Buy here.

7. White Collage Photo Frame

I’m a huge fan of having photos everywhere – you should see my room! My favourite are the polaroid style photos – you can order them from Photobox here. I recently bought this cool photo frame from The Range to put in 9 photos. It was to replace a photo of a raspberry in the kitchen (furnished rented accommodation comes with some strange things…). I love it so much! Such a cute frame.

£7.99 from The Range. Buy here.

8. Benefit Roller Lash Black Mascara

I had been using the same mascara for years – No7 Lash Impact Waterproof in black. By the way, I still love this. However, it felt about time for a change. Now I’m quite picky about mascara but I got a small sample of the Roller Lash mascara with an order from Cult Beauty and I loved it! So much that I bought the full version. It’s an amazing everyday mascara!

£22.50 at Cult Beauty. Buy here.

9. Curvy Ultra High-Rise Jean Leggings

We all know that jean shopping can be a nightmare. I used to rely so heavily on Topshop jeans but I got so sick of them that I had to move on. There was a time when I had 6 pairs of jeans and then they all got holes in them at the same time (I’m not kidding!). So, I desperately needed to buy new jeans – but the question was, where do I buy them?!

Luckily, Hollister was having a sale at the time and I was scrolling through. I found the Curvy Ultra High-Rise Jean Leggings and they were only £17.16 in the sale. I bought them online not even knowing if they’d fit. When they arrived and I tried them on, I loved them instantly. The perfect fit and so comfortable! I then bought them in 2 different colours….

£42 at Hollister. Buy here. HINT: Before you buy, scroll through the sale section – they often have the same jeans in slightly different colours for less than half the price.

10. Public Desire Black Buffalo Sandals

I’d been on the hunt for a new pair of black heels for a while. I’m terrible at walking in heels and because I don’t have a chance to wear them often I kept putting it off. I have a lovely pair from Dune that I love but whenever I wear them I get really bad blisters. It was time for something new.

I bought these in the Schuh sale mainly because they looked comfortable. They exceeded my expectations – they were very comfortable and it didn’t feel like you were wearing heels at all, but they also look super cute on! Perfect for showing off your ankles…

On sale for £16.99 at Schuh. Buy here.

Well, there you have it – my favourite purchases of 2020. What are yours?

2020 has also upgraded my skincare routine. Learn more about My Current Skincare Routine (2020).