Favorite Things of 2013!

I keep seeing so many great and cool posts about 2013 so I decided to join the bandwagon, once again. I have my favorite moments of 2013 post up now so go check that out to see a re-cap of my year! 

An overall favorite of the year has been my blog! I have put my heart and sole into this blog and I feel it is starting to pay off. As I will talk about in this post 2013 wasn't the best year for me between school, relationships, and friends. However, I took my energy and focused it into this blog. I have made it 100x better then what it used to be in just a few months. So thank you to anyone and everyone who has read any post! It means so much to me that I can help or entertain someone :)

But I want to talk about my 13 favorites of 2013 from people, songs, beauty products, things, and fashion favorites! 

13. Beauty Youtbuers: First favorite goes to Sarahbelle93x which is my favorite Youtuber EVER! (In general I love beauty/ fashion gurus! They are a nice study break for when I am super busy at school.) She is so funny, down to earth, and I love her style and videos in general. I think she is such a sweet person and she makes the best videos in my opinion. Not to mention her Instagram and Pinterest are PERFECT if you are preppy or a wannabe prepster (I'm a wannabe prepster I admit it.....). So you can see her channel by clicking here and her Instagram is @Sarahbelle93x! 

P.S. I got this blog post idea from her video! 

12. Statement Necklaces: One of my absolute fashion favorites is statement necklaces! You probably don't want to know how many statement necklaces I have bought in 2013. Its crazy! But, I honestly think they are the best way to spice up any outfit. I love the dash of color or sparkle they add to a look. If I am ever struggling with an outfit I feel like a necklace fixes all of my problems! I specifically am obsessed with J Crew statement necklaces. I have gotten some for super cheap on sale or at the outlet store. So be sure to look out for a good deal on them!  Here are a few of my favorites: 

J Crew 

L: Dry Goods; R: J Crew 

L: Juicy Couture; R: Dry Goods

11. Bracelets/ Bangles: Another one of my fashion favorites were bangles and bracelets. I never really wore a lot bracelets in the past. But ever since I got my Henri Bendel bracelet I have been obsessed! Now I stack bracelets everyday. I feel lost without them to be honest. Henri Bendel is one of my favorite places to get super gorgeous bracelets. But, since I got my Alex and Ani bracelet I haven't taken it off! I got it on my Disney World trip because they have exclusive Disney bangles. Mine has the Magic Kingdom castle on it, however there are ones featuring Mickey and Minnie as well. Here are some of my favorite bracelets of 2013.....

L to R: Henri Bendel, J Crew, & Alex and Ani

10. Preppy Anything: Can we please talk about preppy things. I don't know why, maybe it's Sarah Belle's influence, but I love anything and everything preppy. From monograms to Vineyard Vines I love it all! More and more I find myself wanting things that are super preppy, such as puffy vests, monogramed anything, and baseball caps, and basically the whole J Crew store. I love wearing hats like my Vineyard Vines and monogram hat on a bad hair day. They have saved me on many Saturday and Sunday mornings in college.... Also, I find myself wearing my puffy vest so much. They are surprisingly versatile! Here are some of my favorite preppy things/ outfits of 2013........

 

9. Iowa State University: College is one of my favorites this year. I know it seems silly but I was so happy to leave high school. Don't get me wrong by no means was my high school experience terrible. But, it was so nice for a fresh start and a new set of totally different people. Hardly any kids from my high school went to my university. So, I was lucky enough to start completely fresh. With an overdramatic senior year I was glad to be done with it and to start something new! A lot of seniors don't want to leave high school. If your'e a senior reading this..... The best is yet to come I promise! I can't wait to see more of what my school has to offer for 2014 and for the rest of my 4 years here. 

{A photo I took of my campus in the fall. I am in a photography club for freshman and this was one of the pictures I took!}

8. New opportunities: Since I have started college I have gotten so many more opportunities then I have ever had. Living in a Chicago suburb has had its perks with fashion opportunities, compared to most people. However, since I have gotten to school I have gotten so many amazing opportunities for my major (Apparel Design and Journalism). I have joined the style section of my schools newspaper The Iowa State Daily and I recently got a exec position on my schools fashion magazine Trend. Also, I am in other clubs that have given me a lot of knowledge and experiences that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten. Also, I am an intern for the Rent the Runway on campus program. It is such a great opportunity and a great way to learn how to promote a brand. 

{Me at my committees photo shoot for Trend magazine!}

7. Sorority Life: Along with starting college I went through rush which was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was iffy about the whole sorority thing because I have had my fair share of girl drama (between school and dancing my whole life I've delt with the worst trust me). But, if you are on the fence about it I have to say to DO IT! I met some of the best friends I could ever have in my sorority. I can talk to any girl in my house and know we have at least one thing in common. Sure, we aren't all the same but we don't have to be! Being in Pi Beta Phi has been such a great and positive experience. Between doing YLH (an event during homecoming) or Big Little reveal I can't preach enough how much I love being a Pi Phi! So I will stop before I get to out of hand but Pi Phi is FOR SURE one of my favorites for 2013. 

My AMAZING big and I! I love my Big to death and we are practically identical so there is that.... 

My pledge class at a sisterhood activity and on bid day! 

YLH for homecoming! In other words we get painted from head to toe and scream and dance around a stage.... I swear we are normal. 

6. One Direction: One Direction will most likely be a favorite forever! I went to the Take Me Home tour in the summer of 2013 and it was AMAZING to say the least. Their concerts are always entertaining and amazing.  They put on such a great performance and are such genuine and funny guys. And I'm in love with Niall Horan it is totally casual. Also, their new album is absolutely their best one. The songs are surprisingly a little edgy and very mature. All I have been listening to is the album since it was released. (and before it was released....) My favorite tracks include Story of My Life (here is the AMAZING music video as well.), Happily, and Half a Heart. But like I said the whole album is amazing. Not to mention their movie! (I can't talk about that without fan-girling hardcore) If you don't like One Direction I suggest you watch it... because you will like them after that movie! Also their two new music videos to Story of My Life and Best Song Ever are touching and hilarious. The Story of My Life video is really deep and personal to the boys. While the Best Song Ever video laugh out loud funny! So basically anything and everything One Direction is a favorite of 2013! 

5. Prom Dress: I was OBSESSED with my prom dress. Prom was..... well not my favorite weekend. Lets say my least favorite weekend of 2013. However, my dress is one of my favorite things I have ever worn! If I could pick one thing to describe me it would be that dress. It is purple, sparkly, and dramatic. What's not to love? Even though the weekend was a bust, my dress was a for sure hit!

4. New Friends: Speaking of more positive people I have made some amazing friends this past year. Mainly from going to school, I have met people I would never have met back home. I have made friends from my floor, major, and in my sorority that will be friends for a lifetime. So shout out to all my friends I have made! I love you all <3 

3. Teen Vogue: In the fall of 2013 I attended Teen Vogue Fashion University for the 2nd time. Yet again it was another great learning experience. Not to mention I love the city of New York and it makes me want to live there even more! Overall the weekend was great and made me want to work in the industry even more. Add on top of it I heared some amazing people speak. Click on any of these links to see my adventures in NY: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3,Outfits of the Weekend, and my NY blog haul

2. Bold Lips: I have been loving bold lipsticks all year. Starting senior year I really experimented with lipsticks and lip products. So now I am obsessed with them! For some reason I love buying new lipsticks. I can't go to Target without looking at the makeup section it seems like! My favorites include Revlon's Black Cherry lipstick, Revlon's Colorburst balms in Flirtatious, Standout, and Lovesick, Mary Kay's Red Salsa, Midnight Red, and Crimson Pouree, and then finally Tarte's LipSurgence in pouty.

Recent bold lip looks. 

1. Moving On: This is an odd favorite but it is so true! A lot of crappy things happened in 2013 not going to lie. So, moving on was a big part of my year. I learned a lot about relationships, friends, and life this past year. As I would say it was a character building year. Not only did I have to move on from high school but also from problems and toxic people. This year I learned sometimes you have to let people go and move on for your own good. (It actually happened a lot this year) A lot of friends I realized weren't that good of friends. So, I had to let them go. Also, I had my fair share of boy problems..... (we won't talk about that) However, all of these crappy things taught me so much. In a way I am glad that everything that happened happened. Moving on and overcoming all of my problems was for the better. I am so happy that I left bad things behind in my life and made room for better and more positive people. 

That are all of my favorite things of 2013! I hope you enjoyed!