January 2019 Favorites + Happenings

Yep, it’s already that time… January has quickly slipped away. And with the end of the month comes my annual Favorites + Happenings blog post where I round up everything I’ve been loving this month across the boards. I’ve changed things up a little bit so that my 2019 installments will be a bit different from last year. I hope you enjoy it and get a glimpse into what life’s been like lately!

January brought an abnormal amount of favorites thanks to the holiday season so I decided to film a video too to talk through some of my fashion and beauty favorites. Be sure to show it some love and subscribe if you’re new to my YouTube channel!

Give this video a like if you enjoyed and want to see more on my channel!

Fashion

It’s been a month of good fashion as far as I’m concerned. I find myself really enjoying January fashion because I get to style all of the pieces I picked up while shopping the post-Christmas sales + holiday finds. This month I’ve loved styling jackets. They are such a fun way to dress up a casual outfit or add a little something unexpected as far as outerwear goes. SheIn has provided me with so many cute styles but I can’t resist my white fluffy coat from TJ Maxx. Over the knee boots have been a must as they pair so perfectly with jeans and a sweater which has been my go-to outfit combination lately. There’s nothing easier (or more practical) to slip on each morning for school. My snake-skin booties from Payless have been another must and they’ve received tons of love each time I’ve shared them with you all! In fact, animal print in general has been the best this month. I’ve loved getting to play around with this trend.

Accessories

I had a few jewelry favorites this month – my gold Fossil watch and ‘Dream Believe Achieve’ Mantra band are worth mentioning because they’ve been my everyday accessory combo. I love the cute reminder and the practicality of wearing a watch again. Oh, and these scrunchies from Nordstrom Rack! I wish I had picked up another pack over the holiday season because these are a major favorite of mine as of late.

Workout Wear

Had to throw in a little workout wear section this time around because I’ve bene on such a kick. With baseball season (well workout season) in full swing as of January, I’ve been loving the opportunity to wear my activewear. Nothing does the trick quite like a matching leggings + sports bra combination. Pop on a quarter zip and pair of statement sneakers and I’m good to go! My favorite brands this month are Joy Lab, Lilybod, and Yogalicious.

Makeup

I had two very generous gift cards to spend at both Ulta and Sephora this month so I picked up tons of new goodies + I’ve received a few PR packages that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by. It feels good to be excited about makeup again after being in such a slump towards the end of 2018.

• Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation – I was sent this foundation via PR and I have loved it. It’s super lightweight, blends beautifully, and has a pump making it very user-friendly. Oh, and did I mention it has SPF as well?
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer – This was another PR gift that I’ve really enjoyed getting to use. It helps keep my makeup in place all day and prevents my foundation from seeping into fine lines.
• Laura Mercier Flawless Lumière Radiance-Perfecting Foundation – This came with the primer and it’s another new favorite. This is my first ever full coverage foundation and I’m a big fan of it. It feels a bit heavier than my typical foundation but it doesn’t look any heavier which I really enjoy. This is my new go-to for a shooting day.
• Violet Voss Creme Brulee Palette – Picked this up from Sephora when I had a gift card and I am so incredibly impressed with it. Up until now, I had never used anything from Violet Voss. This palette comes with ten stunning shadows – eight of them with some sheen or metallic finish. These apply very generously and look even better with Mac Fix Plus on your brush.
• Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions Palette – This palette is far different from the one I just mentioned. I’m typically someone who loves warm toned shadows but this palette is entirely pink. I’m obsessed and love the Huda formula. I do feel that this palette is a bit overpriced but I don’t regret purchasing this with my gift card as I’ve been dying to give Huda shadows a go for quite some time.
• Tarte Color Splash Lipstick – This lipstick came in a little three-piece Tarte set that I picked up and I love it. Not only is it a super gorgeous color on, but the mini size makes this super easy to apply.

Beauty

Also had a few skincare and hair favorites so thought I’d give them their own little section.

• Dry Bar Triple Sec – I picked this product up with my Sephora rewards points and am so glad I did. I use the Dry Bar velcro rollers to help add volume to my hair and paired with this it does just the trick in freshening up second day hair. There are few hair care products that I think are worth spending money on but I gotta say, the full size of this may be coming home with me soon!
• Tarte Drink Of H2O Hydrating Boost – I love a good moisturizer especially when it’s a water gel! This stuff smells amazing and hydrates my face. I don’t find that it does anything out of the ordinary but it definitely feels good after a hot shower.
• Peter Thomas Roth Green Relief Calming Face Oil – I received this for an upcoming campaign and am really impressed with it. I’ve never used a face oil before but knew that Peter Thomas Roth would be the right brand to start with. I kid you not this reduces redness and inflammation in less than fifteen minutes. This is my new ‘spot treatment’ if you will.

Faith

I’m not going to sugarcoat it, faith has been really hard for me lately. I’ve struggled to find desire in opening up my Bible to read the Lord’s word. I’m going to make a conscious effort to work at this next month. If not in opening the Bible, then in dissecting the reason as to why I’ve put it off for so long now.

However, I have been in touch with God as far as talking to him goes. Many of you know that one of my good friends Katie and I go to church together and with her home for Winter break meant me back in the church. It felt really good to be together again and I’m hoping to continue my habit of going each Sunday despite her being back at college! I would say fingers crossed that I follow through with this but I suppose I should just pray on it.

Entertainment

I’ve always been a Lady Gaga fan but my love for her has taken off this month. My twin sister Madison and I have spent far too many hours of this month screaming A Star Is Born lyrics at the top of our lungs. I’m not sure what I’m going to do without those moments next school year!

As far as books go, I’ve been reading the LIKEtoKNOW.it coffee table book Stories From An Influencer Next Door. It’s a book centered on sharing the stories fo various different bloggers and their advice and insight into the influencing world. I’ve loved getting to know more about some of my favorite bloggers and it’s left me really inspired to better myself. I’ve got You’re A Badass on my radar for February if AP Lit doesn’t throw too much Hemingway my way.

Sat down to watch You on Netflix after hearing so many good things about it and finished it in two days. I found it to be so interesting. Though slow at times, it managed to keep me intrigued and entertained throughout it’s entirety! Though a little creepy, I can’t say I’m not excited for Season 2.

Looking Back on January

My January was nothing short of incredible. I was absolutely blow away by the love and encouragement I was shown from everyone as I celebrated three whole years of StyledbyMcKenz on January first. I cannot even begin to explain how much that day meant to me – there’s something so rewarding about looking back on all that you’ve accomplished over the years. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all of your kind words and messages.

Aside from that, in January alone I took 8+ brand deals, landed that plus a handful for February, was reposted on Carvel’s Instagram, and finally reached 4,000 Instagram followers. I met my view count goal for the month and was able to provide more shoppable links for you then ever before. To some these may sound like small strides but they were huge leaps for me to be taking so early on into 2019. It’s left me so very excited for what’s to come.

Looking Ahead to February

In February I hope to make posting on Instagram a habit. There are still so many times that I catch myself forgetting to post because it’s gotten so late and I want to be better about this in February as well as continuing to engage via Insta Stories. I wasn’t the best about my posting schedule in January so I’m hoping to get back on top of that this month which should be easy considering the abundance of content and collaborations I have planned/lined up.

I’ve spent the month hustling harder than ever and I’m hoping to see it pay off come February! With Prom, Spring Break, and dorm room shopping all in the near future it’s going to be pretty busy around StyledbyMcKenz. Stay tuned; I think you’re going to love what I’ve got planned.

My Month At A Glance

My January as a whole was really good. Mostly because I had a fantastic blogging month but for other reasons as well. Baseball started back up again which has left me as happy as ever. There’s nothing I love more than getting to spend time with those boys – friendship comes so easy with them. Last week finished off my first semester of Senior year which means we’ve entered the home stretch as of now, how crazy that is to even be typing! Feeling so unsure and yet so sure at the same time. I’ve been told that’s normal for this stage of life so I think I’m going to leave myself with that. Trying to enjoy this season of life as best as possible.

Let me know what you’ve ben up to this January below. Here’s to the start of something fantastic!

With love, McKenz

This Month On StyledbyMcKenz

• StyledbyMcKenz Turns Three
• What I Got For Christmas 2018
• I’m On A Jacket Kick
• Trying Out New Makeup From Sephora
• Weekly Wrap Up #1 2019
• A Monthly Fashion Subscription
• First Zaful + SheIn Haul of 2019
• Weekly Wrap Up #2 2019
• Setting My 2019 Goals
• Four Sweater Styles To Rock
• Weekly Wrap Up #3 2019
• Travelon’s New Parkview Collection
• Silver Sparkles + SheIn Picks
• My Latest Style Obsession
• Dressing Room Diaries: TJ Maxx
• Weekly Wrap Up #4 2019
• January 2019 Pinterest Outfit Recreations