Year in Review: Style and Beauty Favorites

Hello loves,

            Would you believe 2013 is over? Where did it go? Thinking back to last January, it’s crazy to see how much my personal style has evolved. I’ve grown so much, realized how eclectic my taste is, and decided to stick with it all. I had many inspirations throughout the year, and looking back, there were some pretty amazing pop culture and fashion icons that really made an impact on my personal style. Also, these are in no particular order—all of these trends and people had an equal impact on my style—it’s too hard to rank!

The Roaring ‘20s with Gatsby: After reading The Great Gatsby, I fell in love. I was even happier when I found out there was a movie in the works as well. I adore vintage, flapper dresses, and everything else associated with the 1920s. Seeing how the 1920s were brought to life in the film made me fall in love with this decade even more.

Link to clothes from Polyvore here.

Kate Spade’s Spring 2013 Fashion Week Runway: Literally everything about her collection made my year. The girly colors mixed with edgy accents is basically my style. The feminine combined with the textures and prints made the collection a perfect way to shape my wardrobe for 2013.

Taylor Swift: I’ve always loved Taylor Swift, but the class and confidence Miss Swift has exuded throughout the entire year is something that I envy. She never had a misstep stepping out on the red carpet for ANY event. She always looked fabulous, and after her incredible year, I can definitely assure that her wardrobe is matching her music success.

Clothing link to Polyvore here.

Embellishments—On Everything: One thing I’ve loved all year long—studs, gems, and basically everything sparkly. Whether it’s sunglasses, tops, earrings, jewelry, and well, the list can go on forever, it really doesn’t matter. Shining bright was one of my favorite fashion highlights of the year.

Clothing link to Polyvore here.

Luxe Leather: Leather has always been one of my favorites, but this year has been one giant leather crush for me. Whether it’s leather leggings, jacket accents, jackets in general, jumpers, shoes, or anything, I probably own it. And I have no regrets. It’s been one of my favorites, and I know I’ll be carrying it into the new year!

Clothing link to Polyvore here.

The Ladies behind One Direction: Whether you’re a Directioner or not, you must admit that the stylist and girlfriends behind these men have styles that make them stand out themselves. These leading ladies rock a sort of edge that is enviable—whether you’re Perrie, part of the amazing girl group Little Mix, Lou Teasedale, the wonder behind the perfect hair of One Direction and 5SOS, or Eleanor Calder, exuding the class of a perfect lady, their style has made a real, enviable impact on my year of style.

Lou Teasdale clothing link here.

Eleanor Calder clothing link here.

Blunt Bangs: Cutting bangs in my hair was one of the most terrifying things I’ve done all year, but seeing many celebrities, including the lovely Taylor Swift that I listed above, doing it, I figured I might as well take a chance and do it. And I loved it! 

Bold Brows: While I have these naturally, they have really been a huge statement this year. (Thank you Cara!) I personally like this trend, especially since it’s something that takes no work for me! We’ll see if this carries on into the new year…

Bright Pout: The daring colors and matte lips worn this year have been incredibly daring--and it was a trend I loved. I love trying risky shades and pushing the color boundaries.

Here were some of my favorite products: Clinique Chubby Stick in Curvy Candy, Maybelline Color Whisper in Cherry on Top, Maybelline Color Whisper in Berry Ready, Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Shock, Maybelline Baby Lips in Oh! Orange!, and Covergirl in Hot Passion.

Hair chalk/dye: To be honest, I think this is fun! I know there is much debate as to whether or not this is something a person should do, but I loved it. We are only young once, right? I might have to do this in the upcoming year—let’s hope I don’t get busted by the beauty police.

Here were a few of my favorites from 2013! I probably forgot about plenty of things, so if you have any favorites, please leave them in the comments below. Thanks for reading this year, and I hope to see much more of you in the year(s) to come. I will be posting a New Years resolution post tomorrow, so I hope you check back and comment what your fashion and beauty hopes for the new year will be.

Much love,

Maggie D. xx

My Personal Year in Review: 2013

Hello loves,

            The fact that 2013 is nearly over is crazy to me. This year has some of the biggest changes and challenges I’ve ever had to go through. However, it ended up being one of the best years of my life. I cannot complain at all—looking back, I realized how blessed I am. I have had some amazing times with some amazing friends. I’ve grown as a person, in my fashion, my personality, my independence, and my courage. In everything I have been able to do, I have grown as a person and realized what I want to do and who I want to be. So, without further ado, here is my year in review.

            It’s crazy to think I finished up the end of my senior year this year. It feels like ages ago! I was able to do some amazing things in my last months as a high schooler. I went on a mission trip to Mississippi, and it was a life changing experience. While I was supposed to be heading to Honduras, we had a little kink in the road, so we weren’t able to take that path. However, we were still able to go and help people somewhere, and I was able to create a bond with my team that I will never forget. I learned that electronics and makeup aren’t necessities—it IS possible to live without them, I promise!

My dad & I on the trip

            After returning from that, I went on a senior trip with my class to Kansas City for a Twins v. Royals baseball game, and it was a blast. We pulled an all nighter, I went to my first ever baseball game, and bonded as a class before heading our separate ways. What more can a senior ask for?

I'm the blonde one with my favorite pink raincoat :)

            I went to my senior prom, and while it wasn’t the greatest night of my life, I loved dressing up. Getting all dolled up for a night and feeling like a princess is one of the best feelings in the world.

            Then came finals, and graduation. This was a huge step for me. Throughout this whole transition, I ended up deciding on a college. It was a hard choice, I’m not going to lie. I decided on Drake, and looking back now, I am beyond happy with my decision. I was valedictorian of my class (yeah, I’m kinda a dork), so I had to give a speech at graduation. Gulp is right. I tripped going down the stairs during dress rehearsal, so don’t worry, I didn’t make too big of a fool of myself. It was an emotional next step—I would be moving away in the fall. What would I do?

A lovely picture of my grandpa and some of my cousins.

            We took an amazing, unforgettable trip to Los Angeles not too long after graduation. It had been my dream to go there for as long as I can remember, so going there was an absolute dream come true. Flying into LAX was one of the coolest things I can ever say that I’ve done. We went to Hollywood Boulevard, Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Huntington Beach. We drove to San Diego, after a huge traffic jam, and finally made it to Sea World. California was perfect, and I need to visit again. I definitely could have seen more sights, and, of course, done more shopping.

            Now, make fun of me all you want, but I’m a HUGE One Direction fan. So, the summer of 2012, one of my best friends and I bought tickets to see them in Kansas City. We thought we were absolutely crazy, but it was absolutely worth everything. We roadtripped 5 hours the day before the concert, stayed at her brother’s place, and did some concert prepping the night before the concert. Keep in mind, I fell in love with 5SOS as well, so we were an absolute wreck freaking out. The concert was incredible—words cannot even describe my joy. While we ran into some trouble leaving (don’t leave the GPS plugged in during a concert, your car will die…), it all ended up okay, and it was one of the greatest nights of my life. We also went to a Big Time Rush concert since they were a half an hour away, and I was able to touch them all. Enough is said about that… J

 I made this shirt for my concert. Just using my creativity. :)

I was this close to Logan. *Swoon*

            Then, August came. College. I was in contact with my roommate, so we were able to coordinate much of our dorm room décor. I was nervous, excited, happy, sad, and basically every emotion. Also, a random point to throw in here, this is when my blog began. Best. Decision. Ever. Packing up my van with all of my college gear made it real. We drove off, and after three and a half hours, we reached college. My parents helped me set up my dorm, went out to eat, and then it was time to say goodbye. We were all emotional, and when we said our final goodbyes, I headed up to start my new adventure.

I'm on the way left, just being my weird self.

            College has changed me for the better. This is the first place that I really feel like myself. I’m surrounded by so many incredible people that I am so blessed to have met. I am able to pursue my dreams and future career here, and I am loving every moment I’ve spent here. My roommate is amazing, I’ve met people who have the same interests (1D, 5SOS, YouTube, etc., you know how it goes), and I’ve had countless movie nights and memories made. I’ve already made some plans to try to study abroad in London in 2015, which is my absolute dream. More than anything. I’ve developed as a fashionista while being able to blog for DrakeMag online, I’ve learned the importance of being myself, and I learned that my dreams are bigger than anyone could even imagine. This upcoming year will be huge, I can already feel it. I want to thank you if you read this all, since I know it’s long! Thank you to all of you who have started this journey with me. I promise, this isn’t the last you’ll see of me; I will continue to share my journey with you all. My chic adventure still has a long ways to go, more people to see, and many new places to go. Thank you for supporting me, and I look forward to what 2014 has in store for me!

Much love and thanks,

Maggie D. xx

A Little Christmas Review & What I Got for Christmas

Hello loves,

            I can’t believe Christmas has already come and gone! I hope you all had a great day with your families. We kept it pretty low key in my household. I worked on Christmas Eve and then went home, changed as quick as I could, and then went to Church with my family. We came home, had my mom’s yummy chicken noodle soup, and opened gifts. I got some incredible things, which I’ll share with you below. On Christmas day, we had my grandpa over for lunch and watching movies all day. I didn’t end up wearing anything too fancy—just some leggings, my favorite Christmas sweater, and fuzzy socks. I had another party this weekend with some of my extended family, and I kept my outfit and make-up relatively casual. I went with my lighter chambray top with darker jeans and my combat boots. I wore my gold watch and some fun earrings to help me complete my holiday look. I wore my bangs down, and just applied some black eyeliner along my upper lash line, black mascara, and my Pink Shock Maybelline Baby Lips. It was a great day with my family, and I loved every second of it.

            I also received some adorable gifts for Christmas. While I didn't get many beauty & fashion products, I was still able to get some amazing movies and CDs, which I love just as much! Here are a few of the wonderful things that I got for Christmas.

            I would love to see what you lovely bloggers did to celebrate, so share some links below. I hope you all have a great end of year, and I will be posting a year in review and new year’s resolutions post soon!

Until I speak to you all again, much love,

Maggie D. xx