September 2021 Recap + Favorites

Not sure how but it’s already that time again. September slipped away and my heart feels full as I sit here and reflect on what an incredible month I had. It was a month full of growth both in my personal life and in business. School has officially begun to pick up and I’m in the midst of mid-term season aka every ounce of my free time is consumed these days. Wouldn’t trade it for the world though! Let’s recap.

OUTFIT OF THE DAYS 

Fall temperatures are slowly but surely coming around, meaning the first of the chunky sweaters and heeled boots have been brought out. I’ve gotten so many packages over the last few days and I’m so excited to discover some new fall favorites. I loved this star sweater from Romwe and this little black dress from Fashion Nova—two of my favorite outfits from class. Going back to in-person classes has been so nice for finding the motivation to get dressed each day!

However, I still catch myself lounging around in a few staples. My Aerie crossover leggings + yoga pants have been on repeat. Not only are they so flattering, but they are the perfect weight for this transition time. I wear them to work out and to hang around the apartment. I’ve also loved these seamless camis from SheIn! They came in a four-pack and are the perfect amount of crop + work well without a bra. I wear them nonstop. Oh, and since I’ve finally started going on daily walks again, these Old Navy joggers deserve their moment. I have four colors and they are the bomb—make your waist look tiny and your booty extra perky.

Another honorable mention goes out to my Koolaburra by Ugg slides! I have a couple of pairs of their slippers now and they are the best for wearing around the apartment + out for a few quick errands. If you’re looking for a good Christmas gift, grab your girl a pair of these!

FASHION 

I’ve had the best time styling outfits this month. I still haven’t gotten into a shooting routine here on campus but I did go to New York City and managed to shoot 15 outfits over the five days. These were truly some of my favorite looks to date—this green puff sleeve dress + floral boot combo went major viral on Tik Tok, scoring me all kinds of love. However, the orange dress, white feather moment, and black sock booties were all favorites as well.

I know temperatures will drop soon which means pumpkin patch content, flannels, and sweaters are all on the horizon. Stay tuned, everyone.. it’s almost my favorite fashion time of the year.

BEAUTY 

If you know me then you know my beauty routine doesn’t change very often. I have no new products to share with you but I did have a couple of procedures done at the Neo Skin Center in Hudson, Ohio that I wanted to share with you!

I mentioned a few months ago that I began getting laser hair removal. This week I went in for my third session out of six and I am loving it so far. I’m getting my armpits and a brazilian and although it’s a little uncomfortable, the whole process takes less than two minutes. Despite only being halfway through, my hair has thinned out significantly and is growing back much, much slower. I will go back every six weeks, three more times, and then I *should* be hair-free for about ten years. Woohoo!

The Neo Skin Center is a Med Spa so they also offer other procedures like botox, lip injections, facials, and more. I also got a lip flip this past week and I am loving it. Lip flips are not to be confused with lip injections. Lip flips are just a little bit of Botox in your upper lip, to keep your upper lip from curling under when you smile. It’s rather painless and super quick. Plus, it’s temporary. So in 6-8 weeks, my lip will go back to normal. I have a few more days until it fully sets in but so far I love it!

ENTERTAINMENT 

Something about the school year always gets me re-obsessed with YouTube. There’s nothing better than getting ready in the morning with a Brooke Miccio video playing in the background. She’s my go-to but I’ve been watching some Danielle Carolan too when I catch a free moment.

Of course, I’ve been listening to my country too, adding new songs left and right but truthfully, I’ve been listening to a lot of Adele too. Something about her voice is just so soothing and helps me unwind after a long day!

This Month’s Top 5: What Are You Listening To by Chris Stapleton // Traveling Man by Zack Bryan // From Where I’m Standing by Curtis Grimes // Let’s Build A Fire by Cody Johnson // Love In The Dark by Adele

SEPTEMBER REFLECTIONS

September was a whirlwind! I flew to New York City for my second New York Fashion Week and it was quite the experience. It went nothing like I planned for and yet somehow that made it so fun. Sam and I didn’t get into as many shows as we had hoped but it left us even more time to shoot content. And thank God it did because my NYC posts were some of the best performing posts I’ve ever shared. I was blown away by the love and so overwhelmed with the number of new followers joining me each day.

I had a Tik Tok go viral and hit 30K + that also helped me grow my Instagram to 27K—surpassing both of my 2021 goals. My blog posts did fantastic despite not posting as often as I would have liked and my YouTube is inching closer to that 60K goal!

For the most part, I was able to keep up with my uploading schedule on YouTube and I contracted in some huge brand deals for quarter 4. I feel so excited about this month and although it was different than I intended, it was nothing short of fantastic.

OCTOBER GOALS + MANIFESTATIONS 

In just two weeks I’ll be jetting off to LA for my fall break. I’m staying with two of my best content-creating friends and I couldn’t be more excited. I know exploring this new area will be so fun for me but more than anything I’m excited for all the content that will come out of it. Fingers crossed I can use this trip to grow my platforms and hit 30K on Insta.

I mentioned last month that I wanted to start sharing more “real” photos to my Instagram feed of me and my college friends + life and I made huge strides with this in September. I hope to keep that up in October, as it’s made me feel far more connected to my audience.

My biggest goal for the month though is to land a hotel partnership for winter break. I’m already thinking of fun ways to fill up my month-long break from school and am hoping to make it to Hawaii + squeeze in two other mini trips. We’ll see! My media kit is strengthening itself every day and I have no doubt I’ll look back to this post in a year and smile at how far I’ve come!

LIFE LATELY 

Like August, September is one of my favorite months of the year. There’s so much going on and yet it’s not quite at the overwhelming stage. Everyone’s riding that post-summer high and there’s all the excitement of a new school year. My friends and I have been trying to make the most of this last year in Kent. We went to our first Cleveland Indians game and I bought Riley Green tickets on a whim. I went with my baseball friends and we had an absolute blast, not to mention he was incredible!

Another fun night was spent at the sunflower patch with Logan. So many wholesome moments; we’re hoping to make a bucket list to make sure we check off all things we’ve always said we’d get to.

Every ounce of time that wasn’t spent working or completing school work was spent with my sorority sisters. I’ve been spending so much time with my littles and finally feel like I’ve found a friend group within my chapter. We went through sorority recruitment the last two weekends and brought home thirty-five new members on Sunday. Woohoo!

The weeks are absolutely flying by and I’m trying my hardest to take them all in as they come. Love these people and love this place. Cheers to a full, full season of life.

With love, McKenz

THIS MONTH ON STYLED BY MCKENZ 

1. August 2021 Recap + Favorites
2. 5 Ways To Style Express Body Contour Tanks
3. Weekly Wrap Up #36 2021
4. 4 Comfy Outfits To Wear To Class This Fall
5. Weekly Wrap Up #37 2021
6. Styling My Top 10 Favorite Pairs of Express Jeans
7. 6 Outfits I Wore To New York Fashion Week
8. 10 Outfits To Wear In New York City
9. Weekly Wrap Up #38 2021
10. The Best Places To Eat In New York City
11. Weekly Wrap Up #39 2021
12. 5 Fall Outfit Ideas With Target
13. New York Fashion Week Recap Fall 2021