Tag! You’re it! Tell me your favourite things from 2012

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting a handful of bloggers from the Seattle area. Jessie was sweet enough to set up a collaboration for a photo shoot, which was extremely fun. We met up for coffee before the shoot to get to know each other and figure out the time, date, location, and styling for the shoot. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest I had always heard of people saying, “Beware of the Seattle freeze” (apparently Seattle’s known for being unfriendly?) and all the sweet people I’ve met in the last year totally disproves this “Seattle freeze” ridiculousness.

I don’t know how that rambling ended up happening, but anyway… Jessie did an awesome vlog for her favourite things from 2012 and tagged me to answer the questions. Almost 20 days in to the new year and I’m finally getting around to recapping the last bit of favourite things from 2012… oops! Better late than never?

Here goes nothing:
Favorite Makeup? Benefit Magic Ink eyeliner. 2012 was the first time I ever tried liquid eyeliner and am so glad I did! I don’t know why I was so afraid of liquid liner before. Before Magic Ink, I had been using gel liners, which smudged all over my eyelids a few hours after application.

Favorite Book? Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office taught me a lot last year. It’s a great read for any woman despite how new (or not) they are in the workforce. Actually, I take that back. The tips in this book can be applied to both men and women.

Favorite Song/Album? Last year was filled with amazing music, but I think the song that stuck the most was Ellie Goulding’s Anything Could Happen. The lyrics really resonated with what I was going through at the time. Plus! Ellie’s voice is just so incredible.

Favorite Movie? Honestly, I don’t remember the movies I saw before the summer. The last movie I saw in 2012 was the Silver Linings Playbook, which I absolutely looooved. I didn’t know anything about the movie before going into it and came out feeling… different. It’s hard to explain, but this movie pretty much made me think about life a little harder than most movies do.

One thing you’re grateful for? The support, love, and encouragement from friends and family. I don’t know what I would do without these people in my life! I struggled a bit more with transition than I would like to admit last year and am pretty sure I would’ve gone nutty without the support from loved ones.

Greatest challenge? Learning to stand up for myself. It doesn’t happen often, but I can be a little more naive than I want to admit at times and 2012 taught me a great lesson. I’ve always looked at new opportunities with an open mind for new ideas and get excited to meet new people. Unfortunately, one of the projects I agreed to do last year went awry and left me feeling a little used (more on this later). It took me a while before I was able to start collaborating again, but I guess it’s a lesson that I needed to learn in order to grow as a person. It feels empowering to know that I don’t have to compromise my voice and will continue to be true to myself. Always.

What are you looking forward to in 2013? Calling Seattle home. I don’t know if I’ll be in Seattle forever, but I know that after a year and a half here, it has finally sunk in that this is now my home. Despite how beautiful this city is, I have been so afraid to fall in love with it. Since I started moving around from city to city, I’ve been afraid to become too attached. I think it’s safe to say I will be getting a little more attached to the Pacific Northwest this year.

I’m going to tag the following ladies to answer the same questions:
Erica of Sweets and Hearts
Kimmie of Blue Paper Lanterns
Sorren of Classic Noise
Sandy of Sandy a la Mode
Kirstin of Kirstin Marie
Franziska of Franish… life under the lab coat