My Top 10 Favorite Things of 2016

It’s time for the annual linkup over at 320 Sycamore in which I share my favorite things from this year!

1. Outlander – I have been OBSESSED with this show, the soundtrack, everything about it! I finally got around to watching it earlier this year, and now I know why everyone is hooked! I even got Joshua into it! I’ve also started reading the books. Love, love, LOVE Outlander!
2. Fifty Shades of Grey – My guilty pleasure this year. Some people love Twilight, for me it was Fifty Shades of Grey. I’ve watched the movie more times than I’m willing to admit, I’ve listened to both soundtracks on repeat, and I’ve read all the books including Fifty Shades Darker twice after the trailer came out.
3. Leaner Creamer – Between reducing my sugar intake and reducing my dairy intake, this was the solution for my morning coffee.
4. Harney & Sons Peppermint Herbal Tea – I became a big fan of peppermint tea this year, in particular this brand because it tasted the strongest. I was put on medication earlier this year to help with my PCOS which in turn made my tummy a little sensitive, so this tea definitely helped with that.
5. Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Dry Oil Finishing Spray – I was already a fan of the Dryspun Thickening Spray so when I saw this on display at Sephora I was intrigued. I started with a travel size and worked my way to a full-size bottle. This stuff is great for my brittle, dry ends, especially on day no shampoo days. Definitely a new beauty staple!
6. Philips Hue Lights – It started with iJ’s house tour video. One of the challenges in my house is that there are no ceiling lights in any of the bedrooms, but there are light switches that will operate anything plugged into a light. This can be very limiting depending upon where the light is in relation to the switch. I figured app-powered lights could solve that problem and turns out they do. Not only that but I love the automation settings I can create as well as “go to sleep” and “wake up” modes. I could dedicate a whole post to talking about how much I love Hue lights. I’ve been in the process of gradually replacing all the lights in the house.
7. The Legend of Tarzan – This actually turned out to be my favorite movie I saw this year. There were things about it that reminded me of The Mask of Zorro, historical fiction mixed with a great love story. It was a nice movie compared to all the action-heavy movies I had seen prior in the year. It went at a nice pace, had just the right amount of action as well as humor, and of course always love watching Christoph Waltz as a villain.
8. Disclosure – I think how I heard of them was when one of my coworkers played their music one day at the office. Then I discovered they collaborated with Sam Smith, who is one of my favorite artists. I mentioned to my sister their music sounds like something I’d hear while shopping in Sephora. I love their style and hearing their tracks keep me upbeat.
9. Selland’s Market Cafe – Best gluten-free pizza, hands down. It’s hard to find a place that has good gluten-free pizza, but the Selland family knows how to do it. While they also happen to be a client I work with, they really do make great food and this year I became a big fan. I can’t tell you how many times we got their food for Friday lunches at work because of my cravings for their pizza.
10. Morphe Brushes – I ordered my first Morphe brushes online at the beginning of the year, and then a few weeks ago I visited their store in LA. I love their makeup brushes because not only are they super high quality but they are very affordable. Seriously, it’s like $5.99 for the same brush from MAC for $40 and lasts longer.