2013 – My Year In Review!

2013 has been the best year of my life to date! It’s always nice to look back on your year, reflect and be thankful for anything good that may have came your way!

For me, so much good came my way, I still cant quite believe it! Of course not every year in your life will run completely smooth, everyone has their crosses to carry and their problems to bare, but you have to remember to learn from what you experience and grow! Pain and hardships shape who we are as individuals and they come our way so finally when good things are happening, we learn to appreciate!

So if you had a tough year, brush it off! Everyone has hardships, it all boils down to how you cope and deal with them! See the silver lining, learn from what you went through and move on! Dont let pain make you bitter, let it make you better!

My 2013 Highlights

My Professional Life

1. Been flown to London by Diet Coke to interview and meet Mr Marc Jacobs himself

This was without a doubt a huge highlight for me! Meeting an iconic fashion leader such as Marc Jacobs is very daunting yet so amazing! He was actually such a lovely man and everythingI hoped he’d be!

You can watch my trip to London below!

2. Landing my very first TV job as a presenter/ stylist for Ireland AM

This came as a total surprise to me! One of my long term goals is to be a television presenter – I have wanted to be on the box since I was a little girl, so finally when the opportunity of  becoming stylist on Ireland AM came about, I jumped at the chance. For years I was the model on Ireland Am and now it is so good to be on the other side of the camera talking about the clothes on the model and really honing in on my passion! You will see lots of me this year on Ireland Am and I cant wait to become a regular TV stylist!

3. Getting to travel to London for London Fashion Week as the official blogger for Canon

Every year, designers, celebrities, journalists, bloggers, fashionistas and many other pretty people arrive in their flocks upon London Fashion Week in Somerset House…. and this year – I was one of them!! Canon flew me as their official blogger to document my trip and tell all you lovely readers about it! Experiencing LFW for the fist time was an experience and a huge highlight for me. I enjoyed it so much that I plan to attend LFW for the entire weekend in 2014! You can read my full diary LFW blog post here.

4. Creating my own SoSueMe MakeupBrushes that sold out in just 5 days!!

Getting to create anything that is your own range is something… but when that ‘something’ sells out in just 5 days – it’s a pretty incredible feeling! Over the years of working in makeup, I have come to learn that you really only need x7 types of makeup brushes, and if you have these x7 styles in your kit then you’ll be right as rain. Of course you can add to your collection as time goes on, but the x7 brushes I have featured in my book are a great starting point for any girl/woman who is looking to invest in a good makeup brush collection!

When CrownBrush Uk – a leading Uk Brush company offered me the chance to design my very own limited edition brush range with them, I was over the moon! As some of you might know – the concealer palette I featured in my YouTube video sold out in days over at the CrownBrushUk Headquarters after I mentioned it and so from there myself and the guys over at CB developed a really good working relationship! CrownBrush are sooooo affordable and amazing quality too – so when the time came for me to design my own range of brushes with them, I jumped at the chance!

A lot of you have been asking about my brush range coming back in stock… I might look into bringing them out permanently, so stay tuned 🙂

5. Starting my very own YouTube channel with over 270,000 views

I started my very own YouTube channel last April after MONTHS of debating with myself whether or not I actually had the balls to do it!

You guys were constantly asking for it and so I took the plunge last April and I havent looked back! Even though I have only posted 7 videos to date, the views reaching over 270,000 and 12,000 subscribers has motivated me to really put more work into my channel this year! If there was one type of feedback I heard repeatedly from you guys at my books signings, it was to do more videos and so thats my goal for 2014!! The reason I was so slack with videos over the past two months is, firstly I was completely tied up with book signings etc and with moving in my new apt etc I just couldn’t find the time. But now with everything sorted and completed I will be doing a hell of a lot more videos! I really want to become a HUGE YouTube Irish Guru, so this year I am going to give it a bash! Who knows 🙂

6. Reaching half a million readers a month on on my blog www.sosueme.ie

Reaching half a million readers a month was a magical time! To know 500,000 of you tune in monthly to see what is featuring on SoSueMe.ie is simply mind blowing! Thank you for supporting myself, Dave, Sam & Michelle! It means the world! x

7. Bagging my very first column with a leading publication starting in January

The details on this are kind of  hush hush right now …..but let’s just say, you will be seeing more of me in an Agony Aunty style for a leading magazine.. maybe two! I cant wait to involve you guys! I have always dreamed of having my very own column in a magazine and so having this as my new venture in 2014 is very exciting!

8. Being Crowed Irelands Sexiest Woman of 2103

Now this came as a total shock!!! I was up against some serious talent such as Georgia Salpa and Tiffany Stanley and still I won… amazing! In saying all of that, it was down to voting and you guys got behind me and voted me as the winner! The prize was €2,000 for a charity of my choice and so I put the power back in your hands to choose and in the end I split the money and gave it to the two you guys voted for… 1. DSPCA & 2. Aobiheann’s Pink Tie.

It’s always good to give back and I am so happy two wonderful charities have €1,000 each to help with their plans and goals for 2014

9. Featuring in lots of leading publications such as Stellar, U Mag and RSVP magazine!

Appearing in leading publications is such a great buzz. Being recognised as Irelands Top Blogger by the magazines that I have read for years is really something! From the very first day I stated this blog, I never in a million years thought it would grow to what it has today and I am so thankful to you the readers for you continued support and love. If I post to my Twitter,Facebook or instagram about featuring in a magazine you guys go straight out and buy it tweeting me and leaving me the most humble compliments and sweet words!

10. Being voted as one of The Top 5 Most Stylish Ladies of Ireland by RSVP

I never saw my self as a stylist, to be honest I still dont…. I just love fashion and have a passion for it! Once you have a passion for something and you love what you do, eventually you will become respected in that field and earn your title as a stylist or whatever it may be! Seeing myself being voted as one of The Top 5 in the country is pretty cool! My name was up there with some of the most respected woman in the country such as Amy Huberman and Yvonne Keating is really a lovely feeling!

11. Bringing Out My Very Own Best Selling Book

I dont quite know where to begin here, so I will keep it short and sweet !! I am a normal girl who has my own problems to deal with in life just like everyone else…… and to see my book up there as a BEST SELLER with some of the best is really something I still cant quite grasp! I signed the book deal last April, a week after I left my full time job in 98Fm with no security and I have had an amazing career path since! **take chances**

Thank you so much EVERYONE who bought my book, I poured my heart and soul into it and I am so glad to be reaping the awards of it now! I have never received such lovely compliments, emails and comments from a bunch of people like you guys in my life as I did over the last two months! It’s so uplifting!

You guys continue motivate and drive me to do what I love – write and share my passions with you and I really hope 2014 is just as good! As I said to my family the other night, if 2014 brings me half as much happiness as 2013 did, then I am one lucky lady!

My Personal life

To finish my 2013 highlights – I dont think they would be complete without some personal highlights and life lessons I learned and am still learning this year too!

1. Getting my very 1st puppy – Coco

A dog really is your best friend and I have never loved an animal as much as I do now! Coco brings so much happiness to my life and when I am having a down day, her little face cheers me right up! I love her so much and I couldn’t imagine the house without her!

2. Moving into my new place with Dylan

Myself and Dylan are nearly two years together and so moving into together officially to our beautiful, luxury new apatment in November was a huge highlight for me! Dylan is the first boyfriend that I have lived with and since moving in, I have fallen in even more love with him, which I didn’t think was possible! Dylan is the most kind, loving and honest boyfriend I have ever had and his loving actions proves to me more and more everyday that he is the one! <3

3. Learning to be proud of what I have achieved

One thing about me is I never congratulate myself, I suppose it’s a good thing because it keeps you humble as a person! After every ‘milestone’ or accomplishment, I never really think about it or reflect on it,but in the last few months I have come to believe that it’s ok to give yourself a pat on the back.

4. Learning to let go of the past

We have all been hurt and we all have unanswered questions from an experience… but in the last year, I have learned to let it go. Whether it has been a business deal that has fallen through, or a situation I’ve gone through – I just think to myself; will this really matter in 5 years…. the answer all of the time has been no! So I let it go, move on and look forward to the future and think to myself, ‘what’s meant to be, will always be’!

5. Learning to love myself more

We all have body hang ups, bad hair days, bad skin days, fights with our loved ones, bad personality traits etc…… but at the end of the day, if you dont love yourself, then no one will! You have to get over your inner demons and say to yourself….. “If we threw all our problems into a pile with everyones else’s, we’d grab our’s back”  and that is so true! This year I have learned to love myself more and not to dwell on the not so nice things I dislike about myself! NOBODY is perfect and I learned to appreciate what I have more this year!! Always love you – you are unique and there is no one out there like you!!

6. Learning to switch off

I am still new to this one, but I’m getting better.. I think?! haha! Owning a blog is 24/7 job, as it social media so I’m learning how to switch off and have some quality time with my family, friends, boyfriend and of course some ‘me’ time too! It’s important for the mind that you have some ‘me time’ – so try it if you haven’t already! 🙂

7. Started to save

I FINALLY started to save! We all need that little nest egg there and so this year I have started to save. Saving is crucial for a lot of things and now I am happy to be halfway there 🙂

They are just a few of my 2013 highlights, finally feeling like I have found my feet after a tough few years. I  feel blessed and very lucky!

Thank you everyone for being with me on this journey! I really love you guys!!! 

I will leave you with my favourite quote ever below!

Happy New Year!!! Sue xxx

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“Trust me, it’s paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven’t tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It’s probably worth it. You hope, and you dream. But you never believe that something’s gonna happen for you. Not like it does in the movies. And when it actually does, you want it to feel different, more visceral, more real. And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for, ’cause it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something, and if you find that moment… it lasts forever… “