November 2020 Favorites + Happenings

Time is moving so quickly that I didn’t even notice November ended! I was looking at my posting schedule yesterday trying to prepare for today’s blog post, only to realize it was December 1 and never uploaded my November recap. Not to fret, I’m here today ready to share all of this month’s highs and lows. While I definitely fell short in a lot of areas, I also exceeded my expectations in many others. Can’t believe there’s only one more of these for 2020—let’s get on with it!

FASHION 

I’ve had quite the month of styling here at school. We had about a ten day stretch of 60-70 degree temperatures and I took full advantage and packed in all of the shorts, dresses, and skirts I could! Good thing I did because about a week later we had our first snow, lol. I did a really good job of sharing more mirror outfits with you this month including lots of Thanskgvjng outfits so it’s no surprise that I pulled out the tights this month. I love how classy they look and have so much fun styling them in the fall. Other pieces I reached for tons this month include flared jeans (Fashion Nova has the best!), my Spanx leather leggings, and black sock booties. I’m either dressed in heels or loungewear these days—there’s rarely an in-between, lol.

After spending half of October quarantined, unable to shoot photos for the blog, it felt so good to get back in my groove this month! I took full advantage and scheduled photoshoots on practically every free day I had. I had the pleasure of shooting for some awesome brands: Lulus, Windsor, Fashion Nova, Chinese Laundry, and Boohoo just to name a few. I found myself reaching for so much plaid this month—whether it be a knee-length coat, shacket, or a cute pleated skirt. I fell back in love with preppier styles too and had a blast photographing pearls, tweed skirts, and button-ups!

And as much fun as I had, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t itching to start shooting holiday content. There’s nothing better than breaking out the Christmas attire, even if things are looking a little different this year.

ACCESSORIES

I upped my accessory game significantly this month with a few key items. For starters, fake glasses and I have been having our moment. I’m back on my blue light grind and placebo effect or not, my eyes have been thanking me for it. I get all of my pairs from Discount Glasses! I also picked up some new gold necklaces from SheIn and Romwe. I’ve been loving the look of thick gold chains and layered coin necklaces.

And for my hair, I’ve been obsessed with claw clips! I have super fine hair that’s on the shorter side (especially after getting my hair cut/curtain bangs) and so this hairstyle works perfectly for me. It’s also been helping me push my hair to day three/four which is so good for it. Oh, and how could I forget—I got a few new pieces from Ana Luisa that I’ve been wearing daily.

BEAUTY 

I know I talked about my crimper in October but I brought it back to school with me and wore my hair this way so much! Mine is from uSmooth and is sadly out of stock right now. I switched back to my Maybelline Fit Me Foundation towards the end of the month and I’ve got to admit, I definitely missed it. It’s such a lightweight foundation that blends like a dream; for being under $10 it really can’t be beat.

My last beauty shoutout goes to self-tanner because I’ve been back on my grind this month. I used the Jergens Wet Glow while home for Thanksgiving Break and forgot how much I used to love it. It never leaves streaks and is so easy to apply! The Tanologist face drops mixed into my moisturizer do just the trick for a little confidence boost.

ENTERTAINMENT 

It was another crazy busy month without a lick of TV watched. I watched one movie, Holidate on Netflix and I’ll be honest, it was one of the better cheesy Christmas movies I’ve watched. I’d definitely recommend it for a cozy night in. Similar to the last few months, I’ve still been on a major music kick. Chris Stapelton just recently released a new album and I’ve been loving it. Starting Over and You Should Probably Leave are hands down the best songs on the album. I also have been enjoying Randall King’s new single Hey Moon and Cody Jinks!

I saw that the Netflix original Virgin River just came out with a season 2 so I started it yesterday! I’ll have to get back to you in December with my thoughts. I have a feeling I’ll be watching a lot of Vlogmas this month too.

LOOKING BACK AT NOVEMBER 

I said go big or go home when setting my November goals and it just didn’t happen for me. I fell short on both my Instagram and YouTube goals and have honestly been feeling sort of stuck these last couple of weeks. I’ve been cranking out the content and have felt proud of what I’m producing and yet the payoff just doesn’t seem to be there. I’m trying to remind myself that it’s finals season for so many people and that most students are swamped but I can’t help but feel a bit discouraged.

On a happier note, I set a huge goal to reach 65,000 blog views and I met it on the final day of November—woohoo! In my five years of blogging, I have never had a month of views so good. I am so proud of myself and If I push just as hard in December I should be able to end the year with half a million page views in 2020. Eek, I’m so excited!

While I didn’t have the best month of numbers by any means, I did take a step back to look at the goals I set for myself at the beginning of 2020 and realized that I surpassed every single one of them by a long, long shot. So, if you’re feeling a sense of discouragement too, this is your reminder to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. You may be surprised at what’s in the frame!

LOOKING AHEAD TO DECEMBER 

What’s crazy (and scary and exciting) about setting my December goals is that we’re in the home stretch—whatever I do this month will be the cherry on top for 2020. I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I want for my platforms this month and here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Daily upload until Christmas on YouTube: I decided not to do vlogmas this year simply because there’s no use vlogging every single day if nobody is going to watch. But, I did decide to daily upload every day until Christmas. There will be some vlogs mixed in throughout the month but there will also be college videos, try on hauls, guest vlogs, and more. I think that mixing up the content will be really good for me and I’m excited to see where the month takes me.
• Hit 35K on YouTube: Originally I had hoped to hit 40K on YouTube to close off 2020 but I’m realizing that 35K is a much more realistic goal for me. So, that’s what I’m sticking with! I’m currently at 33.4K so fingers crossed!
• 17K on Instagram: I’d really like to end the month off with a flat number on Insta, preferably 17K since 18 feels so far off. Although my original 2020 Instagram goal was to hit 10K so truthfully, I’ll be pleased regardless. I’ve worked my butt off this year and it’s paid off big time.
• 42K blog views: I’m just 42,000 views shy of hitting half a million blog views in 2020. I could cry just typing that out because it feels so surreal. I have no doubt that I’ll be able to reach this goal but you know what they say, writing out your goals makes you 42% more likely to achieve them…. an ironic number, right?!
• Post more Instagram stories: I know this is a very general goal but it’s the last thing I want to really focus on this month. I did a really good job towards the end of November sharing sales, daily deals, and affiliate links to new items and I want to make sure I keep this up in December to really increase my commission and my engagement!

MY MONTH AT A GLANCE 

Personal life-wise, November was so much better than October. Quarantine life really threw me for a loop and getting back to campus made getting “back in the groove” so much easier. At the beginning of the month, we had four days of baskets leading up to big-little reveal. I welcomed my twins, Sophia and Logan, into the fam and spent much of November getting closer with the two of them. We also had Alpha Phi initiation which was short and sweet thanks to it being held virtually.

I spent lots of time catching up with my roomies from last year, eating Barrio with Liv, and running around taking photos in between classes and completing assignments. I also had a mini 5-year anniversary celebration with some of my closest friends as we’ll all be states apart the real day. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such an awesome support system—they make my job so much more fun! Plus, this was a sweet glimpse into the actual day, January 1!

I went home for Thanksgiving last week and enjoyed a week of eating and spending time with the fam. I did a lot of laying on the couch and if I’m being honest, it felt so good. I’m feeling well-rested and ready to tackle these last few weeks of the semester. I’ve got finals on the horizon and am loving living alone in my college apartment! As much as I love my roomies, I’ve been able to accomplish so much more on my own these last few days.

We’ve made it to the home stretch, baby! Time to give it all we’ve got—the finish line is oh so near.

With love, McKenz

THIS MONTH ON STYLED BY MCKENZ 

1. Weekly Wrap Up #44 2020
2. 5 Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas
3. 50 Gift Ideas For Girls/Girlfriends
4. 50 Gift Ideas For Guys/Boyfriends
5. 25 Gift Ideas For Moms/Mother In Laws
6. 25 Gift Ideas For Dads/Father In Laws
7. Booties Every Girl’s Closet Needs
8. 4 Shoe Trends You Need To Follow
9. Weekly Wrap Up #45 2020
10. 3 Trends I’m Following This Fall
11. 10 Ways To Wear Sweaters This Fall
12. 5 Holiday Wedding Guest Dresses
13. Weekly Wrap Up #46 2020
14. 10 Last Minute Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas
15. 3 Ways To Look Comfy Yet Cute
16. My Sorority Sister Chooses My Outfits
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18. 10 Pieces You Need In Your Wardrobe This Fall
19. How To Wear: Fall Hues
20. 40+ Sales To Shop This Cyber Week 2020
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22. 15 Closet Essentials For Fall 2020