2016 was a wild ride, y'all. As the always brilliant Kylie Jenner said at the start of 2016, it would be the year of 'realizing stuff.' And boy, was it. Throughout the past 365 days, I've found a lot of things I loved, and I thought it would be fun to share them all with you. So here is The Best Things of 2016, according to me, a completely irrelevant young adult.
TV
1. Shameless. This show. Oh my god. Shameless is a Showtime series but it's available to stream on Netflix as well. It's based on a U.K. show of the same name, also available on the Flix, but the American version is much better, trust me. Without giving too much away, I'll tell you that the show is about an unbelievably dysfunctional family living in Chicago and just what makes them so dysfunctional. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll develop an overwhelming obsession with Jeremy Allen White, it's great.
MUSIC
1. Make Me (Cry)- Noah Cyrus. Miley's little sis could be her new competition. This song is all I've been listening to for two weeks, and I have yet to get tired of it. Noah is only 16 years old, but her voice is so mature and beautiful. She doesn't have that overdone pop singer voice that a lot of young artists have. She really pours her emotions into her music and it is beautiful. This song also features Labrinth who is equally as talented. Their voices go together so stinkin' well. I literally cannot express enough how much I adore this song.
2. ANTI- Rihanna (Album). This album is everything. I've been listening to it a ton since it first came out about a year ago. I've loved Rihanna since the Pon De Replay days but this is by far her best album. The album features chart toppers like Work and Needed Me, but it's the lower key songs, such as Higher, Close to You, Never Ending, and Kiss it Better that make the album so great. If you're ever in that weird mood where you feel like listening to music but have no idea what to listen to, it's ANTI. Listen to ANTI.
3. Father Stretch my Hands Pt.1- Kanye West. 2016 was a very Kanye year, but isn't every year? The Life of Pablo was easily one of the most talked about releases in 2016. In typical Kanye fashion, the album features a variety of musical styles. This song, however, is my favorite. It also may be the most popular, but that's okay I'm kinda basic. I don't have much else to say about this song other than it rocks and you should listen to it.
INTERNET
1. Elijah & Christine (YouTube). I'm a girl who likes to laugh. Like, a lot. I say the words "I feel like laughing really hard right now" at least two times a day. Elijah and Christine fulfill this need for me. Christine Sydelko is easily the funniest person I have ever seen in my entire life. She started out on Vine but that died and now she's a YouTuber. Her and her friend, Elijah (sry don't know his last name) film their daily lives and post it to YouTube and I am so glad. I can't recommend just one video because they are all gems. Their humors together are unreal and if you like to laugh and also don't mind raunchy-ness, definitely watch Elijah and Christine on YouTube.
2. Lily Louise (YouTube). It's me. That's my channel. Subscribe.
3. Polyvore. Polyvore is my strange addiction and I have no problem with that. It's a website, and also available on the Apple App Store, that allows you to essentially create anything you want. I'm really into fashion and design, and I use Polyvore to put outfits together however I want. Basically, you create a set and look up whatever you're looking for in their search bar (i.e. distressed jeans) and it will come up with thousands of results that you can drag on to your little canvas thingy and add more of whatever you want. It's awesome.
4. A Color Story. It's an app for the iPhone that lets you edit your pictures beautifully. It's perfect for people who like to maintain an Instagram 'theme'. You can download different packages (it comes with two) for $1 or $2, but the app is free.
Beauty
1. Too Faced "Better Than Sex" Mascara. Holy eyelashes. If you didn't already know, 2016 introduced this trend of getting eyelash extensions. They're beautiful but they're expensive. Good news, broke girls like me! Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara makes your eyelashes look like the most beautiful things in the world. I always get asked if I have eyelash extensions when I'm wearing it. It's a little bit pricey ($23 at Sephora) but I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, it's worth it.
2. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. I'll admit that the first time I heard of this stuff I thought it was stupid because it is mostly just water. BUT it's so much more than that. You put this stuff on a little cotton pad round thingy and it removes your makeup in seconds. Not only that, it also cleanses your face like a pro. It's under $10 and it's worth so much more than that. I live by this stuff. Holy grail.
3. 'Fake' Beauty Blenders. The brand name Beauty Blender makeup sponge is $20 and I don't know about you, but that's a lot of money for me. I wanted one for so long but I couldn't get myself to spend that on a sponge. Then I saw a replica, but literally the same thing, at Forever 21 for $3 and I got that instead. I was a little iffy about it at first because I figured if the real one was $20 it must be better, but I was wrong. The Forever 21 beauty blender worked better, in my opinion (!!!), than the name brand sponge. Pro Tip: Dampen the sponge before you use it, otherwise it won't work, it'll just take your makeup off.
4. Maybelline Fit-Me Concealer. I own like, 2 high end makeup products. Partly because I'm broke, but mostly because a lot of them aren't worth it. I once had a Sephora gift card that I used to buy NARS concealer and it was amazing. I was so sad when I ran out because I knew I would neverfind a better concealer. Until a week later when I bought the Maybelline Fit-Me concealer. The packaging is identical to the NARS concealer, but the formula is so much better. It covers up the ugly amazingly and I don't think I'll ever buy a different concealer.
FASHION
1. Stan Smith by Adidas. Obviously, Adidas Superstars were everywhere this past year. They're classics, I get it. However, I never really was attracted to those shoes personally, which is weird because I'm sickly obsessed with sneakers. Lucky for me, I found a good alternative one day at Nordstrom. Stan Smith sneakers by Adidas are the loves of my life. I have two pairs and I rotate between them every day, they are literally the only shoes I wear. I have one white pair with a little pattern detail on the heel and then I have a pair of fully metallic gold ones because I love doing too much. These shoes are legitimate perfection and they're such staples because they won't ever go out of style like Superstars will (still cute though).
2. Backpacks instead of purses. F*** a purse. Honestly. They're so cute but so inconvenient. I just absolutely hate the feeling of actually carrying a purse. I'm not sure if that's a 'me thing' or what, but it bothers me so much. So thank god for backpacks. And no, I don't mean Jansport or Northface, I mean cute ass backpacks that add so much to your outfit while also allowing you to look cute. My favorites are by Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, and Louis Vuitton (maybe someday).
3. Big Sunglasses. I don't think I've ever seen someone look bad in big sunglasses. Like really big. Like takes up half your face. Sunglasses are my go-to on days where I hate the way my face looks. They cover half of it and make me look mysterious but also fashionable. I don't know. I really like them.
SHOPPING
1. H&M. Obviously, H&M has always been a great place to shop, but this past year I found myself shopping there so much. It has all the basics you could ever possibly need and everything is so affordable. There's literally not a single thing wrong with that store.
2. E-Bay. It's there! Use it! It has absolutely everything you could ever want and it's cheap! Just make sure you're buying from a reliable seller and you're set. I love ebay. Love it.