January 2021 Recap + Favorites

Clothes, College, and Catch Ups

Holy cow, I’ve never been so excited to sit down and write a favorites post…. I’m typically a big fan of January. In fact, it’s usually one of my favorite months of the year—I love the fresh start and find myself eager to stay on top of my goals and resolutions.

And while I hate to admit my year has been off to a rocky start, my ~traumitizing~ car accident on the first really set the tone leaving me eager to kiss the month goodbye. It’s been a whirlwind of a month and despite some aspects of my life crashing and burning (literally) others have really flourished and taken new shapes.

I’ve got lots of favorites to share and even more to chat about. Grab a cup of coffee and get comfy, it’s going to be a long one!

Outfit Of The Days 

I’m laughing at my outfit of the day photos from this month because there seems to be a different background in each one, lol. As you can tell, January was also the month of my room makeover but we’ll get into that later. Most of January I struggled to find the motivation to get dressed each day. While home for winter break I didn’t do much besides work in bed so the thought of putting on jeans was less than appealing. However, I made it out with some cute outfits.

This flannel was constantly on repeat as were my Spanx leather leggings. I found myself obsessed with sweater vests (something I never thought I would say) and was a big fan of chunky heeled boots. My nude leather puffer coat was the only jacket I really reached for while home—it’s the perfect size and pairs with literally everything. I wish I had brought it back to school with me!

I also got hightop platform Converse in both black and white this month and have been reaching for them like crazy. I especially love them with matching sweat sets. However, my number one fashion favorite from the month of January were these crossbody purses! I have this style in three colors now and wear them all the time. They are spacious, classy, and fit everything you could possibly need! Plus, they are under $15 which is such a steal.

Fashion 

Aside from my usual outfit of the day, I also took my fair share of photos for the blog—styling everything from straight leg jeans to ball gowns. These looks were some of my favorites. I’ve been super into asymmetrical waist jeans, collared shirts, shackets, sweater vests, and a little blazer moment. Oh, and how could I forget—these two-toned boots from SheIn are incredible. I’m a big fan!

While home for break, my sweet friend Meg took all of my photos as Madison was busy working every day. It’s been so fun getting to mentor Meg and show her the ropes for her own blog (subscribe here)! However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to be back shooting in Kent. There are so many more locations to shoot photos here that are all within a 5-minute drive which is so convenient.

Beauty 

My beauty routine is almost always the same so I rarely have any new favorites for this category. However, my mom stuffed my stocking full of new goodies that I’ve been loving throughout January that are worth the mention!

  • Scar Patches: If your skin is anything like mine then you need these scar patches in your life! They are little star stickers that you place over your acne scars and wear overnight. They are infused with witch hazel and seriously work wonders! These have saved my skin.
  • Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Glosses: I’ve always loved Buxom lip glosses but hadn’t tried their plumping version until recently. If I’m being honest, I don’t feel like they do a whole lot. There’s no major difference in your lip size but they have a faint vanilla smell that’s different from their usual formula which I love. Plus, the colors I grabbed were super pretty!
  • T3 Curling Iron: I’ve been dying to get my hands on a new curling iron for ages now and decided on the T3 after hearing so many people rave about it, my roommate included. So far I’m loving it! I used to use a 1.5″ barrel but this one is a quarter-inch smaller giving my hair a tighter curl that looks really good with my shorter cut. I also tried their flat iron and loved that as well! If you have a Costco membership, I highly recommend purchasing T3 products from them. They are only $60 as opposed to Ulta’s $160.

Entertainment 

I haven’t watched a wink of TV this month as I’ve barely even found time to breathe (kidding but not, lol) but I have been listening to quite a bit of music. Typically I’m a tried and true country fan but Tik Tok has gotten me hooked on a few very random songs this month. I really enjoy something a bit calmer in the background while completing blog work and such. Follow me on Spotify to see what I’ve been listening to.

This Month’s Top 5: Afterglow by Ed Sheeran // Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo // Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift // Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus // Beers and Sunshine by Darius Rucker

January Reflections 

Although January was a rocky start to 2021 as far as my personal life goes, it was the start I dreamed of in regards to Styled by McKenz. If I’m being honest, December was a bit discouraging for me. I fell short on a lot of my goals and was feeling a bit disappointed at how stagnant my growth was becoming.

And then January came. On the first, I celebrated five years of Styled by McKenz. I was overwhelmed with love and sweet messages from you all, congratulating me on such a special milestone. Year five was everything I had hoped for and more; taking that time to reflect got me so motivated for the year ahead.

The fourth quarter was rough for me on YouTube. I went from gaining nearly 200 subscribers a day to a mere 30, averaging less than 1,000 new subscribers a month. And then one morning I woke up to a dramatic spike in my stats and here I am, closing out January with 4,000 more subscribers than I started with. I owe much of this growth to a handful of older videos that are suddenly gaining traction—my bikini hauls (it’s officially summer in Australia!), a random week in my life (who knows, but I’m not complaining???), and my how to grow on YouTube (people tend to search this at the start of the year).

Regardless, it’s been really exciting (and encouraging) to see this spike in my stats again and it’s left me eager to keep creating content—something I was lacking at the end of 2020. I saw average growth on Instagram, ending the month with 17.1K and racked in the exact number of blog views necessary to keep me on track with my 2021 goal!

I also had a killer month of commission, doubling what I did in December. I lined up some super exciting brand deals for the month of February and started pitching a few brands I’m eager to work with in the new year. I’m walking out of January feeling good. I’m motivated as heck and so reminded that you get out what you put in.

February Goals & Manifestations 

My big goal for February is 40K on YouTube. If I keep up at the rate I’ve been going then I have no doubt I’ll be able to reach this one. Celebrating 30K with my college friends and family is one of my most cherished memories—I’m excited to reach this big milestone and do it all over again.

I really want to up my Instagram game this month. I’ve been slacking on the daily uploads since getting back to school and have been feeling super unmotivated with the platform in general. Time to start engaging with my followers, responding to comments, and sharing more real-time outfit of the days to the stories. I’d like to hit 17.5K this month but no pressure!

I’m also considering changing up my posting schedule here on the blog. I have an 8 am class on Fridays that’s really throwing off my blogging mojo, hence today’s post getting up on a Saturday. I may switch to M, W, S, Sun for blog post uploads to make my life a little easier. We shall see!

Life Lately 

Let’s state the obvious—my year *really* started off on the wrong foot. On January 1 I got into quite the wreck on my way home from Kent. I had gone up for a quick New Years’ visit and ended up totaling my car in a weather-related accident. Thankfully I walked away without a scratch but it was truly the biggest wake-up call and such a learning lesson.

Driving has never been my favorite task so it’s been especially hard for me since the accident. I’ve spent much of the month in the most anxiety-ridden state I can describe and yet I’m reminded more than ever how lucky I am to just simply be here. I did end up getting another car and am now driving a Hyundai Santa Fe. It looks almost identical to my last car and I’m really liking it so far! I shared a look inside of it in this vlog, if you’re interested. I won’t get into much else but I’ll be honest, I think I’ve cried more in January than I did all of 2020 combined, lol. When it rains it pours baby.

One exciting thing that came of January was my new room! I collaborated with IKEA to give my bedroom at home a major makeover and it turned out incredible. I wish I had more time to enjoy it before moving back to school but am so excited to go back to a fresh, clean space in the summer.

Last Thursday I drove back to school to start my spring semester at Kent State University. I’m definitely not loving my schedule the way I did last semester—I’m taking a full 16 credits online and am still getting used to my new professors and due dates. I have faith it’ll get better, the first few weeks always seem to be chaotic. My roommate Griffith also decided to move out and into an open bedroom so that we could both have our own space. It’s weird not having her around all the time but I am grateful for the extra closet space and time to film!

Updated pictures of the apartment to come. Other than that, it’s felt really good to be back on campus surrounded by my friends. Life’s about to get so busy, I can already feel it! Baseball starts up in just a few weeks and I can’t wait to watch my friends do what they love. Plus, I could use a little time at the field.

Well, that’s a wrap for January, folks! Here’s to a better February full of friends, fun, and ~love~.

With love, McKenz

This Month On The Blog

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