Helloooo and happy 2021!! I hope you all had a safe and lovely start to the New Year with loved ones! Joe and I were in Chicago which was very chill but so nice. We had delicious Italian food for dinner, celebrated the ball drop at my brother's apartment, and then slept most of January 1... haha. It was a relaxing, lovely weekend. Also included watching an entire season of the Crown and lots of good food :)
At the beginning of each month last year, I shared my monthly favorites, so I thought I'd kick things off in 2021 by sharing my favorite things I tried, used, ate, enjoyed, etc. from 2020. You can expect my goals for the year to come in the next few days, as well as the January mood board! So, let's get into it!
LISTENING
My top 100 songs from 2020 can be found here (Spotify, and here for Apple Music)! My top artists were Taylor Swift, FKJ, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Dominic Fike, and Mt. Joy!
WATCHING
I watched more shows in 2020 than ever before... which makes so much sense considering 1. the pandemic and 2. my boyfriend and I love having a show to watch together! Without a doubt my top three shows of 2020, in no particular order, were:
1. Money Heist
2. The Queen's Gambit
3. The Crown
WEARING
It's hard to remember what I wore in the beginning of 2020, but I think my favorites from the year overall would have to be:
1. These boots and my Veja sneakers - I love them both. They go with everything.
2. My lululemon align leggings - I have three pairs and wear them almost every single day.
3. All-time fave jeans -Wore these whenever I wasn't wearing my aligns basically!!
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention this sweater set!!! So comfy. I've worn the top and pants both separately and together and it was by far the comfiest thing throughout the last few months of 2020.
READING
I read 19 books in 2020 and loved many of them. If I had to choose... these are my top five-- I couldn't choose three (but all of the books I read and how I rated them can be found here!):
1. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (probs the best book.)
2. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn (a psychological thriller)
4. Verity by Colleen Hoover (another psychological thriller)
5. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand (my fave author)
SKINCARE
The best thing for my skin in 2020 was drinking a lot of water and getting outside as much as possible. I was also much better about wearing sunscreen, which is the key to skincare success.
I used a customized skincare routine built for me by Haldi starting in the summer! I continued to use the same cleanser I've been using forever, and then introduced this moisturizer which I have been loving for months now.
This is my favorite mask of the year, and this is my favorite serum.
If you try out Haldi, you can add my name (Fran Acciardo) as a referral!
EXERCISING
Throughout the year, my exercise routine changed frequently depending on the weather and my mood. I ran mostly throughout the spring and summer through September when I did a 50-mile running challenge.
In addition to running, for the past couple of months, my routine has consisted mostly of incline walks on the treadmill, an occasional pilates video in quarantine, and that's it! I feel like I didn't do many "intense" workouts in 2020 because my favorite workout class in Madison was closed due to the pandemic, but my idea of a "good" workout has changed a lot in the past year-- I just work out now because it makes me feel good, and I no longer feel a need to do anything too crazy to achieve that!
WELLNESS
Loved loved loved my Hush & Hush capsules throughout the year. I take the Mind Your Mind capsule for sleep and the Time Capsule as my daily vitamin. I love both of them... a lot. I didn't take vitamins or capsules of any sort before the company sent me these to try, but I have truly been loving them so much for the last 4-5ish months.
The Mind Your Mind capsule does a great job of calming me down and diminishing the racing thoughts I usually have before bed. I notice a huge difference in my ability to fall asleep on the nights I don't take it. I also am super prone to nightmares and have not gotten a nightmare once when I've taken one of these before bed, so that is huge for me!!
As for the Time Capsule, I just feel that it's such a great combination of essential vitamins for someone around my age, and I feel good knowing that I've been giving my body a little boost of good things every single morning. Some of the benefits listed on the website include: acts as a beauty supplement for the skin; protects against environmental damage and blue light damage; reduces redness and breakouts; boosts immunity with zinc, vitamin C, and ginseng; and replaces the need for a daily multivitamin!
HAIR
By now you're all probably sick of me talking about the Revlon hair dryer brush, but it was truly a game-changer for me in 2020, so I had to mention it! I feel like everyone probably has it by now, but if you don't... it probably will change how you style your hair forever. I have naturally curly hair and can get a fabulous blowout without barely doing anything, in under 10 mins! It sparks joy for me every single time I use it haha.
EATING
Oh wow. I ate so many delicious things in 2020. I don't even know how I would begin to go through what was most delicious, so I'm not going to. But I do want to take this moment to acknowledge the truffle hot sauce I found in my stocking for Christmas.... it's unreal. Insane. So good. Please try it. I put hot sauce on everything in 2020 and this one really knocked all of the others out of the park in the end.
DRINKING
My favorite wine of the year has to be Matua Sauvignon Blanc. Can't even tell you how much of this I went through this year... haha. It's usually between $10-12 and the best sauv blanc I've found at that price. Fun fact: many restaurants serve it by the glass as it's delicious while also being a great price point. Super light and crisp, just how I like my wine. I've found it everywhere, so it should be easy to get your hands on if this sparks your interest!
Non-alcoholic: the highlight of my year in terms of coffee was my French Press! At just $25, it's one of my best purchases of 2020. I use it every single morning and it makes such smooth, delicious coffee. Easy to clean, eco-friendly, quick to make, and perfect for 1-2 people.
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What were some of your favorite things in 2020?
xoxo
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