2020 Favorites in Fashion and Beauty!

2021, I’m ready for ya! I’m so excited to see what this year will bring! With a new year, I always like to reflect back over the previous year’s accomplishments and set new goals for myself. Last year, I set a goal of dedicating more time to my blog and writing at least one blog post a month. For 2021, my goal is to write at least TWO blog posts a month! Today I am reflecting back at my 2020 favorites in fashion and beauty products! I have many favorites but I tried to narrow it down to only a handful of favorites per category (it was TOUGH!)!

So many favorites, where to start?! We’ll start off with my favorite stores (in no particular order!) and why I love them! There are several stores that are my favorite but I tried to narrow it down to just three! (Key word: “tried”!)

Favorite Stores

Nordstrom – I love the variety at Nordstrom, I feel like it’s a one stop shop! I’m able to buy pajamas, makeup, skincare, shoes, clothes for work, and clothes for everyday! I also love the range in quality and price points.
J. Crew – With the switch to a work from home environment last year, the majority of the clothes that I have been wearing recently are from J. Crew! I love the quality, fit, and comfort (most of their clothes are soft and stretchy!) of J. Crew clothing. They also have REALLY good sales so I find the prices for the quality of clothing to be reasonable!
Reiss – Reiss can do no wrong in my eyes! Since they are a more premium brand, I often turn to Reiss for classic, staple pieces that I will have in my closet for many years, such as a blazer or coat! I love the quality of Reiss clothing and the clothes always fit as though they were tailored made for me! I highly recommend checking out their sale section because you can get a GREAT deal on beautiful, quality, classic pieces!
Ann Taylor – Ann Taylor has been one of my favorite stores since I started working, many many years ago! They are one of my go-to stores for work wear but I also love that their clothes could be worn more casually as well. The material of their clothing is usually very stretchy, comfortable, and soft, which is ideal!

Favorite Clothes

Moving along to my favorite, most worn pieces of clothing from 2020!

Ankle pants – I wore these ankle pants NON-STOP since I bought them in early 2020! I love that they could be dressed up with heels and worn to work but they are perfect to wear while working from home as well because they’re stretchy and so comfortable! (I love them so much that I have them in several colors, including black, navy blue, and white!) Below are different ways that I styled them over the past year:

Sweater blazer – I am actually wearing this sweater blazer as I write this blog post right now! I love how versatile this sweater blazer is, it could be dressed up and worn to work or worn casually with jeans or leggings! I have this sweater blazer in a handful of colors but I seem to reach for the camel colored one the most! Below are some ways that I have styled it! (P.S. I sized down one size in this sweater blazer, I’m wearing it in an extra small.)

Striped shirt – Love how versatile this navy blue and white striped shirt is! It can be dressed up and worn with navy blue pants to the office and it also could be dressed down and worn with jeans! I also love that it can be worn all year round! In the summer I wear it alone but in the fall and winter I love to layer it under a cardigan sweater or blazer!

Madewell jeans – If you’ve been following me on Instagram then this will come as no surprise! My go-to store for jeans is Madewell! I have several different styles, from skinny jeans, boot cut jeans, and straight leg jeans, and love the fit of them all! Madewell jeans are made of a thick material but they have some stretch to them so they are very comfortable for jeans! I also find their jeans to be very flattering!

Favorite Shoes

High heels – I LOVE to wear high heels! These high heels are one of my favorites because they are not too high (the heel is about 3 1/2″) and they are well cushioned on the inside, making them very comfortable! These heels come in a light tan/neutral color and also black!
Strappy flats – I bought these strappy flats a couple years ago, and what a great purchase they have been! I wear them non-stop! Love that they can be worn to work or everyday with jeans! (I’m finding versatile pieces are a common theme in my 2020 favorites!
Red flats – I normally wear black or neutral colored shoes but I surprisingly wore red flats A LOT over the past year! They are a fun way to add a pop of color!
Espadrilles – During the summer, strappy espadrille wedges are my go-to shoe! Love the way they look with a flowy summer dress!

Shop my favorite shoes here:

Favorite Hair Care Products

I have been using Olaplex hair care products for the past year or two and it has made such a difference to my hair! Because I bleach my own hair, it’s a liiiiiiitle damaged but I think the combination of Olaplex and using less heat has saved my hair! I’ve been using the Olaplex hair mask every time I wash my hair (I wet my hair and leave it in for about 10 minutes, or longer, then rinse it out and shampoo and condition my hair). After towel drying and brushing my hair, I apply the Olaplex bonding oil to my hair, mostly concentrating the product on my ends. Then I blow dry my hair using my Dyson AirWrap (another hair care favorite, more on that next!). I usually wash my hair at night and the next morning, before I style my hair, I put a very small amount of the Olaplex bond smoother in my hair to smooth out any fly-aways and the bond smoother also keeps my hair hydrated. Since I use a number of products, I can’t quite pinpoint which one has saved my hair or whether it has been a combination of all these products, but my hair has been looking SO healthy over the past year! My hair is a lot fuller and I hardly have any split ends now! Olaplex just came out with a bond building treatment, which is suppose to help strengthen and protect hair. (And I’m all for that!) This product is applied to dry hair and left on for 10 minutes before washing your hair. I just picked this up and I can’t wait to try it out!

My next hair care favorite, the Dyson AirWrap, is a splurge but one of my best purchases! The Dyson AirWrap comes with several attachments, depending on the style you’re going for. I use the blow dryer attachment to get my hair to about 90% dry and then I usually use the round brush attachment to dry the rest! (This attachment straightens my hair and gives good volume!) My hair is naturally wavy, and I can’t believe how straight and bouncy the AirWrap leaves my hair! It’s the only hair tool that I use now!

To maintain my blonde, I use this purple shampoo and mask once a week! This leaves my hair with a cool, icy blonde color, which I LOVE! (*I leave the mask in for about five minutes or less. If I leave it in for too long then it leaves a purple tint to my hair, which washes out the next time that I wash my hair but I thought I should mention that!)

I’ve tried MANY dry shampoos and finally found one that works really good and smells really good! I’ve been using this dry shampoo for about two years now and can’t say enough good things about it! It comes in “Light tones” and “Dark tones,” I use the “Light tones.” I spray it at my roots and it leaves a white cast on my hair, which I use my fingers to rub into my scalp and absorb any oil. (The white cast disappears after I rub it in.) I would describe the scent of this dry shampoo as light, fresh, and clean!

Shop my favorite hair care products here:

Favorite Perfume

Ahh! I can’t choose just one! I’ve been wearing Miss Dior and Chanel Mademoiselle for a while now and love them both equally! Although, I tend to only wear the Chanel perfume during the fall and winter, not sure why that is?! A little goes a long way for both and I usually just spritz the air once and walk through the perfume and I find this is the right amount for me! Both are very long lasting as well! I’ll try my best to describe the fragrance! I find Miss Dior to be a soft, light, and sweet fragrance. I find Chanel Mademoiselle to be sweet, warm, and a little heavy (in a good way!), I think that’s why I usually wear it during the fall and winter!

Shop my favorite perfumes here:

Favorite Work Outfits

Sharing some of my favorite work outfits from the past year next! (I tried to link the exact items under the photos but some items are now sold out so I linked similar items to get the same look!)