Favorite Outfits
nine | ten | eleven | twelve
I already knew this, but going through a year's worth of blog posts really drives home the fact that I'm definitely more of a neutrals girl. I'm all about black+white, cognac leathers, maroon accents, and stripes stripes stripes. I would say 2014 was the year I really started to define who I am, style-wise...
Least Favorite Outfits
one: Individually I like all of these pieces, but together, the proportions are off
two: Probably my least favorite of the year. The dress is slightly too short with see-through tights, and it all seems a little too young but risque at the same time. I wore a similar outfit this fall, and liked that version a lot more.
three: Everything seems a bit ill-fitting. I was trying to make an effort to wear items in my closet that I wasn't wearing a lot, and that dress was one of them. I didn't feel super comfortable in it though (reason I never wore it!) and after seeing these pictures, it quickly was sold.
four: A bit too much pink and too girly for my taste. It just didn't feel like me.
Favorite Purchases
My favorite purchases are all favorites for different reasons. My DVF wrap dress is something I've wanted for years and years, and while I don't wear it that often, it's one of those items I hope to wear for many years to come (I used a small portion of my tax return to buy it off eBay). The chambray shirt is one I wear at least once a week, if not more, both to school and to study in. The straight dress pants from the Limited are my favorite dress pants - I love that they are like a more appropriate version of skinny jeans. The scarf is a recent favorite (with my plaid scarf being a close second, of course!), while the earrings are a really trendy item I've fallen in love with.
Regret Purchases
ON Graphic Tee: Every else has one, so I wanted one too! It cost me under $10, but I haven't really worn it at all so far. I'm kind of scared to try to wear it to school, so I'm still playing around with it. Not a huge loss, but maybe not one I really needed to buy.
Target dress: I loved this dress when I first bought it, but when I bought the black and white version a few weeks later, the blue version kind of got left behind. I also find it less versatile than the black and white, so I may end up passing it along to a girlfriend who fell in love with it.
Most Pageviews
I'm slightly surprised about the most viewed posts of the year. The first one was at the top of my "most popular" widget for a long time, which is why I think it was viewed so many times (if you're a blogger and don't have a most popular widget, I highly suggest adding one!). The middle two are kind of surprising since they are pretty normal outfits, but the third one does have a video and some key words that people have searched for a lot this fall (about how to wear a blanket scarf and how to tie one). The last one I can understand because I've received a lot of questions about the diet I've been doing for close to half a year. I know some of you have tried it out - I would love to hear what you think of it, and if you have any must-try recipes!
Medical School Posts
School is obviously a huge huge part of my life, and so I love getting a chance to talk about it more, whether it's about my own study habits to what it's like to date in medical school (especially since I've seen it from all sides now!).
day in the life of a first year
day in the life of a second year
medical school and dating
medical school AMA
my study habits
cute study outfits
Favorite Products
I've always loved playing with hair and make up products, and like most women, I'm always on the lookout for the next miracle worker. I actually found a couple this year!
My hairdresser was using this dry texturizer on me every time I went in, and after accumulating a few giftcards, I finally purchased one for myself. It basically gives your hair volume without the teasing and fussing - just a quick spray and voluminous hair is yours. I initially bought the travel size just to make sure I really like it, and it lasted a full two months with almost daily use, and so I just bought the full size version.
Mascara is my "one item" - the make-up item I can't live without. I have relatively long eyelashes, but they are super blond and kind of thin, so I'm always always looking for the world's best mascara to thicken them up. My mom actually sent me a tube of the Better Than Sex mascara for my birthday and I fell in love. Usually I'm coating on mascara over and over again, but with this, I do one coat of this L'oreal primer, and 2 quick coats of the BTS mascara and I have beautiful thick lashes. My first tube lasted me 3 months, which is longer than many others I have tried.
I have really dry skin all year long. I've tried all sorts of moisturizers, from the basic drug store kind to the most expensive at Sephora. The Say Yes to Cucumbers moisturizer is the one one I keep buying over and over again though. While fairly expensive for a drug store moisturizer, a little bit goes a long way, and it's the only thing I've found to keep that tight skin feeling away.
My mom wants nothing more than for me to wear bright lipstick every day, but I feel it always draws attention to the fact that I have big lips but a small mouth. My boyfriend also hates lipstick, so this lip balm is a great compromise. It's a balm that obviously moisturizes, but also works with your own body's chemicals and heat to create a custom pink color. How much of that is actually true I'm not sure, but I do love how moisturizing it is while providing me with a subtle pink lip. It's pretty expensive, but if you're looking to treat yourself with a pretty lipstick, I recommend this one :)
Now that I'm in my late 20s (WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN), I've been trying to be very good about taking care of my skin. I've always been very good about taking my make-up off at night and all that, but know it takes a bit more than that the older you get. I added in this overnight serum at the beginning of the year, and I've noticed a pretty big change in my skin. It really does make your skin look better overnight! I just ran out of this after using the same bottle for close to a year, and I very willingly just ordered a second bottle.
While my blog is primarily a style blog, I have always seen it as an extension of my life, not just my closet. Here are a few non-outfit posts (some of course are still clothing related haha) that I've written over the year. Let me know if there is anything I haven't really ever talked about that you'd be interested in hearing about!
closet inventory (I plan on doing another one soon!)
outtakes, part 1
outtakes, part 2
how I edit instagram pictures
ask me anything: life and blogging
my experience with the 4 hour body
bloggers and photoshopping - how are is too far?
Thank you for following along - Happy New Year!
P.S. 2012 review + 2013 review
