Dainty Alice


A pretty little LUSH, Beauty & Lifestyle blog.


Reflecting On 2018

As we enter 2019, I'm so happy to be able to say that 2018 has been a fantastic year, and by far the best one yet.

At the beginning of 2018, I wrote myself some goals for the year. Not quite 'resolutions', but things I wanted to personally achieve over the coming year. I didn't post these anywhere, as I felt like that added an extra pressure of having to publicly achieve so many things. Instead, I kept them stored on my phone in the 'notes' section and have been quietly working towards them over the last 12 months.

So what did I achieve in 2018? I've broken down my previous goals below, and how I went about ticking them off...

Get back on my tablets

Completed January 2018

An easy-peasy one that I had built up way too much in my head. For a little bit of context, I have been taking the antidepressant Fluoxetine for about 3 years now. At the end of 2017, I left it too late to collect my prescription from the chemist and it got returned, meaning I would have to undergo a whole re-evaluation before being prescribed again. I went to the evaluation, had a quick chat with the doctor, then collected my tablets from the chemist an hour later. Done and dusted.

Get my MUA qualification

Completed May 2018

Going back to college to complete a make-up artist course really challenged me in more ways than one. I had to adjust my work schedule so that I could get there on time, meaning I was getting up and going to work an hour earlier than normal. I then had to fight my fear of driving to travel 40 miles there and back each week in the dark, rain, and even snow (something I had never done before.) It was a new situation that I haven't dealt with since Primary school, starting in a new class knowing absolutely nobody and having to make friends as an awkward adult.

It was worth all the stress though. I made really good friends with a girl called Kayleigh (who has now gone on to run her own freelance makeup business), increased my driving confidence, and achieved a Distinction grade in the course overall.

Read more books

Completed June 2018

I kept this one simple. I picked up the first book from a series I'd started reading in my teens, then just kept going. In June alone I read a book each week, which is something I'm really proud of. I'm classing June as my completion date as I didn't actually specify an amount of books to read in my initial goal.

The reading slowed down a little in the second half of the year, however I am now just finishing book 8 of The Morganville Vampires series, and have also read a couple of stand-alone books too (including 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', which I recommend to everyone and anyone.)

Find a new job

Completed September 2018

I didn't actually find a 'new' job, however I did receive two raises and a promotion at my full time job, alongside picking up a second job working at LUSH over Christmas, which I am hoping to be kept on at.

I now have a lot more responsibility in my role, which has led to me enjoying my work a lot whole more than I did this time last year (in October 2017, I was signed off work with depression caused by my work environment.)

Save £4,000

Completed October 2018

Now this is one achievement I am incredibly proud of. Over the last 12 months I have managed to save the grand total of £5,550. I feel like this was a completely wild, unattainable, random goal - yet I absolutely smashed it by October and finished 2018 having and essentially saved pretty much half of a house deposit.

It wasn't easy, and I learned a lot about myself whilst working towards this goal. Mainly that I had a major shopping habit that I needed to sort out ASAP. However once I got into the habit of budgeting and planning my spending in advance, it started to feel like a second nature to me. I found resources such as the 'Money' tab on Girlboss incredibly useful, and tried to dedicate at least an hour a week to updating my spreadsheet and reading up on financial advice.

Get a tattoo

Completed November 2018

This is one goal I never thought I would be able to achieve! Ever since before I turned 18, I have been desperate to be absolutely covered in beautiful, floral tattoos. I finally made the first leap on the 28th of November when I had a little bee tattooed on the inside of my right arm.

It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, and I'm already planning absolutely loads more to get in 2019.

Launch my LUSH blog

Completed November 2018

For some reason, I felt like this would be a much smaller deal than it actually was. I was initially planning to ditch this blog and write solely on there. Then I changed my mind and imported all my posts. Finally, I settled on the idea of having changing my entire blog name and URL, having a fall out with Go Daddy, and waving goodbye to 'Dainty Alice' as I knew it.

Get engaged

Completed December 2018

My final remaining dream was ticked off on December 28th when my boyfriend got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!!! Something I had written down a year prior as a silly daydream 'goal' suddenly became a reality, and it felt absolutely surreal.

We had trekked up the 199 steps to Whitby abbey and were exploring the gardens, when Adi suddenly pulled out a ring box, but more on that another day!

I already have some goals drafted up for 2019, and I'm very excited to begin working towards them. I want to save more money, go on holiday, and grow my hair for starters!

How was your 2018?