June 2020 Favorites + Happenings

Face, Fashion, and "Finding Myself"

I truly cannot believe we are officially halfway through the year. It feels like 2020 just started and yet with all that’s going on in the world right now, January feels like lifetimes ago.

For those who don’t know, I made it my goal to upload daily to both my blog and YouTube channel throughout the month of June. I am pleased to report back that today is my 30th day in a row for both! I don’t think I have ever worked harder in my life than throughout the month of June. It has been challenging, demanding, and so insanely rewarding. I could not be more grateful for the growth I have experienced this month and am so ready to spill the details + manifest for July!

FASHION

: loving this leopard

: edge it up!

: country girl shake it for me

: chill saturday

: best shoes omg

: just the basics today

June has been bringing the heat man! If I’m not wearing denim shorts and a cute top, I’ve been sporting a romper, two-piece set, or dress for a mindless yet cute summer outfit idea. I haven’t necessarily been gravitating towards specific items over and over as I’ve been trying my best to style a new piece every single day. This is forcing me to step out of the box with my style and really mix new items with old ones.

I will say, white denim, shirts that require no bra, and anything cropped have been my best friends as of lately. Some days I like to keep it simple and others I like to go all out. It honestly just depends on what I’m feeling that day/what’s on my agenda.

Aside from my favorite outfit of the days from June, here are a handful of my favorite styled outfits this month. With daily uploads has come far more looks than I’m used to. I have been trying to share some more basics recently since you all seem to love those looks but I’ve also kept things very “me” and shared quite the variety of western, edgy, and ultra-feminine looks. Anything that involves my cowboy boots, shoes that lace up, and leather have been my obsession!

ACCESSORIES

: a new buckle belt!

: beach babe

: love my new hat!

: digging these gold chains

These last few months I have truly learned the power of accessories. More than ever, I have realized how much they can really change the dynamic of your outfit and take it to the next level. The best part is, accessorizing does not have to be expensive! My more expensive items are things I wear almost daily— my dainty M necklace, my Mantra Band cuff, my Fossil watch, and my Kendra Scotts.

For accessories I don’t reach for daily, I like to buy lots of super affordable options that way I have a wide variety and can easily mix and match. For example, belt bags, straw purses, bangles, layered gold chains, statement earrings, and chunky belts. I also have been addicted to my cowboy hats this month—the white one was a birthday gift and I cannot even begin to tell you how much use I have gotten out of it already.

BEAUTY

Okay, not a whole lot going on in this category this month, I’ve truly been sticking to the basics when it comes to my skincare, haircare, and makeup. You can read all about my daily products in this blog post here. However, there were items I received for my birthday that I promised I would report back on…

Gel Nail Polish Starter Kit: As many of you know I got this all in one gel nail kit for my birthday and here’s the verdict. I like it so much better than actual nail polish. Regular polish chips so fast on my nails and I found myself having to repaint them every 3-4 days. It was so annoying. My gel nails last about 7-10 days. I am pleased because this is significantly longer than regular polish would last but I know I must be doing something wrong because my sister borrowed my machine and her nails lasted 30 days and most of you say yours last 2-3 weeks. I need to practice a bit more with this, however, I do think the value of this kit is so worth the price.
Revlon One-Step Volumizer Hair Dryer: I also got the infamous Revlon roller brush hairdryer. Now let me tell you, I was expecting to look like I just walked out of the salon every time I used this. And honestly, that just isn’t even remotely the case for me, lol. I have been practicing every few days and it wasn’t until the Sunday night that I got even remotely close to the result I expected. Part of me thinks my hair is a little too thin/long for this product but I am going to keep practicing as so many reviews have said this takes time and practice to get used to/to nail the perfect blowout.
Boscia White Charcoal Mattifying MakeUp Setting Spray: The last beauty product I’m going to mention is this setting spray. I’ve been using this for six months now so it’s definitely not new to me or to my blog, however, it’s been really keeping my makeup in place throughout the hot, humid days we’ve been having and for that, I felt it deserved an ~honorable mention~.

ENTERTAINMENT

I have been so busy between the blog and YouTube that I haven’t watched a whole lot of anything. The only things I’ve watched this month are Sweet Magnolias which I would give a 10/10 and about five Netflix originals with Connor that were so bad they aren’t even worth mentioning. I’m starting to think Netflix is incapable of putting out a good movie, lol.

As for music, I’m about ready to marry Morgan Wallen, hahaha. I think I’ve listened to ‘Talking Tenessee’ 756 times in the last week. It’s just that good. You can check out my current Spotify playlist here.

LOOKING BACK ON JUNE

As I mentioned earlier, June was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. I didn’t promise daily uploads to my blog only to my YouTube channel and I managed to do both which was a huge accomplishment for me. This left me working up a storm but it was so rewarding to see the payoff.

My Instagram goal for the month was 9K and on June 16 I finally hit the 10,000 follower mark. I have been working to hit this huge milestone for years and could hardly contain my excitement when it finally happened. We grabbed balloons, put on a fancy dress, and did the whole thing. I cannot tell you how many sweet messages, DMs, and texts I got from both followers, friends, and family. I could not be more grateful for this community I’ve built. Today I am sitting at 90 followers short of 11K.

My YouTube goal for the month was 12,000 and I’m happy to report last Thursday I hit 15,000!!! I am currently sitting at 15.4K. I experienced an increase of 5,000 subscribers in one month and 590,000 views. My blog views doubled this month, my monthly page viewers just 2,000 shy of how many I had throughout the entire year of 2019.

I have never in my life experienced my hard work pay off so clear right before my eyes. I cannot believe this is my real life right now and am selfishly so grateful for COVID-19 keeping me home for the summer and giving me the chance to try working full-time for myself. It has been the most incredible year so far and I have officially met and far surpassed every end of the year goal I had set for myself. I could not be more excited to see where I will be six months from now.

LOOKING AHEAD TO JULY

I’m honestly so speechless with how my month went that I’m not even sure where to begin with my July goals. As much as I would love to daily upload for another month, I need a few days of rest, lol. And honestly, so does Madison! As far as posting goes, that’s up in the air but expect a minimum of four posts a week as per usual on both my blog and YouTube.

I am hoping to do the same amount of blog views in July as June, hit 12K on Instagram, and am aiming for 18K on YouTube. I don’t know if those goals are too ambitious but I’m starting to understand the power of manifestation. And for some reason, every time I put an idea out in the open I speak it into existence. So here I am, putting my goals out into the open to hold myself accountable.

MY MONTH AT A GLANCE

In all honesty, between working full-time for myself this month and the world still being mostly locked up, I haven’t been doing a whole lot in my personal life. I spent the first day of the month at the beach with Connor and his fam but it was back to business the following day. Our golf courses have opened up so we’ve been going and taking advantage of Connor working there. I’m not good by any means, but it’s fun to go and hit a few balls at the range with Chase.

Two weeks ago our restaurants opened up to outdoor seating so we were finally able to get back on our Hornet’s Nest grind and eat out as a fam! Stores and malls just opened up a few days ago but honestly, I haven’t been. I’m not too eager to go shopping yet and am pretty content just chilling at home.

: time with my people!

: golfing

: first meal out

It will be interesting to see what happens these next few months. Kent keeps switching their back to school plans every few days and with all the rising cases I’m trying to appreciate the time I have at home and keep an open mind. Who knows if we’ll go back!

Despite all the craziness in the world right now, I would be lying if I said June wasn’t one of the best months yet. I’m sad to see it go; July always makes me feel like summers almost over even though it practically just started! Love you all and would not be here without you. Thanks for joining this wild ride with me!

With love, McKenz