xo Mia: 2013 in Review

The past year has really been a whirlwind for me, but in the best way possible. Like most students, my life transitions with the semesters. First, working too hard and graduating (with honors!) in the spring, full-time interning and traveling in the summer, and then the challenge of grad school in the fall. It's really been a blur!

With so many life changes this year, my blog has evolved SO much. I'm so thankful for all of you who stick around to read what I have to say. I wanted to sum up my best posts of the year as a way of looking back on who I was this year and welcoming the new year.

So let's review what happened this year - in high school superlatives, of course.

Favorite Outfits of Each Season

I decided to pick one per season because narrowing it down to my absolute favorite seems impossible! There are so many other outfits I am proud of or happy about for one reason or another, but here are some of my favorites.

Spring: Is it cheating to say my favorite outfit of the summer were the two I wore for my graduation ceremonies? I think they are simple for the weather but classy.
Summer: This Fluttershy-inspired ensemble was my favorite of the hot, Texas summer.
Fall: I experimented with a lot of different (for me) colors this year, but this wine and beige ensemble was one of my favorites!
Winter: My first time wearing thigh highs became one of my favorite outfits! The combination of my new favorite dress and the heels I never get to wear really pushed this outfit to my favorites list.

Most Popular Post of 2013

The post with the hits published this year was my Style Icon: Ramona Flowers post. Especially popular for Halloween costumes, but just popular in general since so many want that effortlessly cool and mysterious style, I can see why you all loved this post!

Most Popular DIY Post

COSPLAY 101: How to de-tangle a cosplay wig

After salvaging a ratty wig of mine, I wanted to share the method I used. My post about detangling a wig is now one of my most popular posts! I hope lots of people found it helpful.

Favorite Costume of the Year

I didn't debut a lot of new costumes this year, but by far, my favorite was Ramona Flowers - Video Game version! I loved making my first prop and have reworn this costume many times already.

Best Beauty Discovery of the Year

I had the opportunity to try a lot of new-to-me products this year, especially as I transitioned to using vegan, cruelty-free makeup and beauty products. By far, my favorite discovery was e.l.f. - their products are so inexpensive and pretty decent quality! After my first order, I have made three large orders from them so far and have discovered a lot of favorites.

Most Overlooked Post

When I went to the Texas Style Conference, I was blown away by how welcoming the community was. I wrote a post called Eliminating Blog Envy afterwards, discussing the realities of the blogosphere offline. It didn't get as warm of a reception as I hoped, but it marks a point where I began sharing more personal thoughts through this blog.