Lifestyle Archives - Page 6 of 10 - Louisiana Girl in Pearls

Life Lately | December edition

Posted in Lifestyle

on 01/04/2017

Happy 2017! What the heck.. Can’t even believe I’m saying that. But before I can dive into all that is the new year, I’ll go ahead and recap my month of December. It was a great one, full of lots of work + a little play.

Merry Christmas from Alpha Phi! Our annual Christmas party was at the very end of November, + it was nothing short of a great time. I honestly had no clue what to wear, so I cut a bright green tee + laced some ribbon through the front. I added a bandana tied into a neck scarf (I’m thinking about bringing this trend back.. opinions?) + my Hunter boots for a Christmas themed OOTD.

Hi my name is Madison + I am a coke addict. In an attempt to stop drinking so much coke, I’ve taken up La Criox. This summer I drank La Croix constantly + now that I am home, I’ve started again. I loooove the carbonation of it + there are quite a few flavors to pick from! It’s helped me curb that coke craving pretty well.

Christmas this year was a super laid back day. We sipped on sangria, watched some football + a little White Christmas (one of my favorite Christmas movies), as well as ate a delish dinner. I styled my Adidas superstars with this adorable Free People shift dress. I unpacked it at work and minutes later I has swiped my credit card… Can you say compulsive shopper?

This faux leather number is such a fun piece for day or night. I styled in a blog post here. Cognac is a great color to transition from fall to winter + winter to spring.

Baton Rouge’s weather has been oddly warm, which was super disappointing during the holidays. I’ve been dressing for this warmth with light sweaters, jeans, and skirts. This sweater is a great oversized one, + I loved the look when paired with my black mini (similar)!

As a bargain hunter, I was extremely pleased with the amount of sales this After Christmas season! I ended up picking up a few basics the other day, but I’m hoping I can add a few more fun items to my closet (it’s in need of some new clothes stat)!

The holidays are for spending time with family + that’s exactly what I did. We had a fam pizza making night, complete with 9 different types of pizza (aka my heaven). Ahh, I’m drooling thinking back on it.

Hands down my new fave shoe. I swear I’ll find a way to make then go with everything I own. Comfort + style, it cannot get better. I’m doing a sneaker styling post next week so stay tuned!

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My music favorites for this month:

My music taste has slowly evolved into such a mix of oldies, pop, country + and pretty much anything in between. The 80’s has me enthralled + I’ve been jamming to a lot of older music.

Loves to Lay by The Weeknd

Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas

The Goonies ‘r’ Good Enough by Cyndi Lauper

My beauty favorites for this month:

Can we just say that I am the definition of boring + have tried zero new products this month. On the other hand, it’s called practicality, or finishing the copious amounts of what ya have.

I’ve been lusting after this month:

ring / booties / adidas superstars / clasp bracelet

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How was y’alls December? Did y’all do anything fun for NYE? What are y’all looking forward to in 2017?

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2016, college, fashion, instagram roundup, lifestyle, on my radar, ootd, picks

Life Lately | November Edition

Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle

on 11/30/2016

Honestly surprised I made it to the end of this month (lol). With computer problems out the wahzoo, semi, projects + some family issues – it’s no surprise this month was a rough one. December is here, which means I can finally start decorating for Christmas! But before that, I’ll give y’all a little run down of my November…

Ah, the best way to start the month is with a fresh new monthly view in the agenda. My planner is my literal saving grace. I would be running around like a chicken with my head cut off if it weren’t for it.

Who’s fun + brunette? That’s me! This MuMu tee has easily become a throw on and go for the month. Jeans, skirts, leggings – you name it, I’ve worn it with this shirt. MuMu has a fantastic line of graphic tees, but they can be pricey so if you’re looking into one, I would recommend getting something you’ll be able to re wear time + time again.

Football season has come to a close this month. I have to say, I am really going to miss heading over to Tiger Stadium to cheer on my boys. Picking out an outfit every weekend – that’s something I won’t miss. There’s a first time for everything + this was mine with the jersey. Let’s just say I looked more sporty than I am.

Back and better than ever! Serving on exec has been one of my best memories in Alpha Phi. This year I have been elected to be our VP of Chapter Operations. With our brand new home, there is so much to be done (we are still getting the hang of things over here). I am looking forward to working with my girls to have a year to remember!

Catherine (my sweet roomie + bff) turned 20 this month! The weekend was jam-packed. Semi took place Friday night + following that was the Alabama game. I snagged these gold foil balloons from Amazon for $5 each (talk about a bargain)! Her little gift from moi included, a sweet note (feat Harry Styles), kit kats, a choker, and a framed picture of us.

Semi was where it was at!! I can’t even begin to describe how much fun we all had! The night started hectically (what’s new), but once we got to the venue all was well. Bag of Donuts was our entertainment + I swear to you, they are one of the best cover bands of all time! Shout out to my best friend Brooks for tagging along with me ;-)

Alpha Phi took us to the Pelicans game + boy was it fun! Not only did I spend $16 on food, ride a bus from BR to NOLA for 3 hours, but I also got to go on the court + snap some pictures! My outfit was a total seventies vibe from the flares to the bodysuit to the hoops.

A successful friendsgiving was had! We chowed on some delicious food + caught up like old times. Seeing my high school friends is one of the best parts about going home. Did I mention how freaking cute our little photo shoot turned out?

Thanksgiving this year was quite an odd one. I was all over the place (NOLA, Mandeville, BR) + didn’t get much of a break. Louisiana weather still has not cooled down enough for a jeans, boots, and sweater look so I opted for a sweater + skirt combo.

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My music favorites for this month:

Love on the weekend by John Mayer

Blue ain’t your color by Keith Urban

Make your mind up by Moon Taxi

The chain by Fleetwood Mac

My beauty favorites for this month:

My daily routine for work has been pretty simple. CC cream, blush, brows, and then mascara.

Articles I’ve been reading this month:

Winter wedges by Lonestar Southern

One Direction update by Billboard

4 ways to add holiday glam to any outfit by A Pinch of Lovely

Michelle Obama’s final White House Christmas decor by Vogue

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How has everyone’s November been? Give me some feedback in the comments!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2016, beauty, college, fashion, insta, life lately, lifestyle, makeup, on my radar, ootd, weekly favorites

How to create the perfect Big Little Week | LGIP Blabbers

Posted in Lifestyle

on 09/28/2016

So…. I’m now a big!! Last week was so stressful (leading to no blog post) but I wouldn’t change a thing. Creating a lifelong friendship with my littles is going to be the most rewarding thing! To break things down, I’ll go through a bit of what I ended up giving my little bits each day. Hopefully this can help y’all if you are going through Big Little week!

DAY ONE

The first themed day was paintings. I had been scrolling through Pinterest since I joined last year, repining an assortment of crafts to make for my littles. Most of the paintings I saw were cheesy, and had bright colors and cheeky phrases on them. We all know that paintings of that sort aren’t going to be displayed for long, considering they don’t match much. My goal for the paintings day was essentially to create a few basic things that would go with any sort of color scheme or room.

Sticking to a warm/cool color scheme (each little liked something different), I made some watercolor prints on card stock. This was honestly one of the most simple crafts I had ever done, and super relaxing too. Water color and card stock can be purchased anywhere (for cheap), so this did not break the bank! I made two watercolor prints for each of my littles by simply free handing the background and the wording. To dress things up, I framed one print in a frame from Hobby Lobby (only my favorite store ever) that I spray painted gold and left the other one not framed.

I knew I wanted to include canvases as well in the baskets, so I made two. The first was a plain white canvas with the saying “let it be — Alpha Phi.” Again, I free-handed the “let it be” and I typed up “Alpha Phi” in one of my favorite fonts (download it here) to trace onto the canvas with a sharpie. Canvas number two was based on a pin from Pinterest of a gold ivy leaf print with our public motto “union hand in hand.” I mimicked that font onto a plain black canvas with some white acrylic paint (I totally free-handed it and just went with it).

For kicks, I made some tumblers with a gold “cheers!” sticker to add the basket as well.

Rounding out this basket was a simple hanging mini bulletin board. I painted one black with some acrylic paint and sanded it down to look distressed and the other I left its original beige-ish color. With metallic paint pens, I wrote “sweet home Alpha Phi” and added some ivy-like branches to the corners. They turned out so cute, and were easily one of my favorite pieces.

DAY TWO

The second day was hand-me-down themed. I gifted some t-shirts I gained throughout the year, an Alpha Phi hat, coozies, game day pins, and each little’s favorite candy. All around an extremely simple day.

DAY THREE

My last and final day of big little week was ivy themed (aka anything Alpha Phi). I themed my baskets black and white with some pops of red. At Hobby Lobby, I scooped up these amazing metal bins which inspired the days theme. I made a square canvas with “xoxo” on it (freehand) and that anchored the basket.

Square jewelry bowls with their initials, as well as a set of stadium cups with ‘Alpha Phi,’ ‘envy the ivy,’ and ‘a phi’ were made super simple by my Silhouette Cameo machine. I made some stickers as well with my Silhouette Cameo — one in a script font and one in a greek font.

I found some gold and white frames at Wal-Mart and put a super girly eyelash print in them. A little black and white makeup bag finished off the basket!

SHOPPING LIST

Do y’all have big little week coming up in your chapter? I want to hear what you’re making (or have made) for your littles!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2016, alpha phi, big little, college, diy, lifestyle, school

DIY gallery wall to jazz up any space

Posted in Lifestyle

on 09/07/2016

Happy hump day! I’m sending well wishes to y’all, considering my week has already been long and it’s only Wednesday. Juggling school and sorority has me stressin! In an attempt to take a break from all the madness, I wanted to share a fun DIY with y’all! In my last post, y’all saw a picture of one of the DIY gallery walls in my room this year. Here’s how to create your own gallery wall on a budget!

If you have been alive for the past 5 years, you know gallery walls are all the rage. I could scroll infinitely on Pinterest through pictures of gallery walls, costing anywhere from $20-$500. As a college student, I strive to ball on a budget, hence this tutorial for those of you who want to jazz up your room without spending a lot of money!

g a l l e r y w a l l o n e

First step is to start off with a statement piece. For my room, it was the golden deer head. After hanging that up first, we could get a feel for the arrangement of the two sides. Catherine and I had started off with some canvases that we knew we wanted to hang diagonally by each other (they spell out “alpha fleek”). We pretty much hung all of the big items first – the “alpha fleek” canvases, the abstract canvas, the arrowhead, the pineapple and the starbursts. Pro tip: draw out how you want to arrange the gallery wall first, lay out all of your pieces on the floor, and then you can hang.

Secondly, we hung up some square photos to add some color and fill in the gaps. The square prints are from Walgreens. They are a bit more pricey than 4×6 prints, but I love the uniformity that goes with them. Sticky tack (which will run you about $5) was a lifesaver! We stuck two pieces of tack to the back of each photo and they’re still up, two weeks later!

Lastly I would just check to make sure you’ve achieved what you wanted. We wanted something a little busy, but with lots of texture and keeping with our color scheme. I think we achieved it on our first wall, what do y’all say?

g a l l e r y w a l l t w o

For the wall above my bed, we wanted to display some photos. After seeing the square pictures, I quickly came up with this grid-looking idea. There really was no step by step process I took to create this wall, but I’ll give y’all somewhat of a run down of how this went!

I started on one side (at the bottom picture) and worked my way over. Varying the amount of pictures across and adding quotes we printed from Pinterest and Tumblr mixed the composition up a bit. Basically just eye ball it out. I didn’t want to make a perfect square of photos and quotes, so I made sure to scatter the mix of the two.

To top it off, I added this string of tassels, which I handmade for my dorm last year. It tied the wall together and added a pop color against the white wall and quotes on white paper.

Have y’all made gallery walls for your room? If so, how did you do it?

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2016, college, diy, lifestyle, room, school

On my radar

Posted in Lifestyle

on 08/17/2016

on-my-radar-aug-1-lgip

rodan + fields unblemish line // nyx soft matte lip cream in twerp // sally hansen airbrush legs // dolce vita for target zoey chunky lace up heels // nyx hd finishing powder // ban.do large agenda

IT’S BEEN TOO LONG, MY PEOPLE. To make a long story short: I moved back to LSU (can I get a heck yeah?!), started recruitment, but a massive flood hit us hard so recruitment has gotten moved back a week… I’m off silence (technically) as of right now so here’s a lil post for y’all!

As of late, I’ve been experimenting around with acne products + Catherine (my roomie) introduced me to this line, Rodan + fields. So far, I’m enjoying the multi-step routine a lot! Topical products normally take at least 4 weeks start seeing results, so I’m planning to use this Unblemish line while I wait to start my first round of Accutane ever (eeeeek)!

NYX has been a home run for me recently with all their products, especially the HD finishing powder, which I’ve been using to bake my under eye concealer (it ROCKS), and the Soft matte lip cream (beautiful matte finish and great staying power).

Being back at school, I have to say I’ve gotten lazy with my regular self tanning routine… My bad lol. If I’m going out and want my legs to look good, I’ll use this Sally hansen leg makeup. It adds some color to my legs as well as evening them out and making them look amazing!

If y’all have been following me for the past few months, you would know I’ve been HEAD OVER HEELS for any lace up shoe by Dolce Vita. Visiting my local target a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a Dolce Vita for target line. While hyper ventilating, I snagged a pair of these lace up chunky heeled shoes. Paired with jeans or even a simple romper/dress they add so much interest and contrast (since they’re black). I haven’t quite broken them in yet, but I’m sure once I have they will be the perfect going out shoes!

In reference to my previous agenda post, I decided to order this ban.do agenda! The size is perfect and I am so pleased with all it’s quirky + cute sayings in the inside. I would recommend!

Do y’all have anything that’s been on your radar lately you want to share? Leave me a comment below!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2016, beauty, college, fashion, going out, lifestyle, makeup, on my radar, weekly favorites

Life Lately | July Edition

Posted in Lifestyle

on 07/27/2016

HAAPPPPY *ALMOST* AUGUST FRIENDS.

This month can be easily summed up because it seems I have done nothing eventful but a little weekend trip to Houston, TX. The other 24 days of July have been spent mentally preparing myself for back to school (aka recruitment). August will be here before I know it, and I am jumping for joy knowing shortly I’ll be back in my favorite place (Baton Rouge) with my favorite people!

Can I start a petition to bring more Whattaburger locations to Louisiana? The second the wheels of the car hit the Texas state line, I quickly searched for the nearest Whattaburger to satisfy my craving. The bags are so cute I ended up snapping a few pics of it before I devoured my food #dontmesswithtexasyall

My gracious host for the weekend was none other than my freshman roomie, Olive. Words cannot describe how thankful I am that the two of us have gotten along so well (and survived freshman year). We both are rocking our own handmade necklaces!

Sooo another thing that needs to come to Louisiana… Sprinkles cupcakes. I’m telling y’all, you’ve never had a cupcake like this before. Salted caramel is always a favorite flavor of mine (especially in macaroons) and this cupcake did not disappoint.

Not sure how well y’all can see in this picture, but I made some subtle changes to my hair this month! After longing for a change but not wanting to give up much length, I stumbled upon the idea of balayage. My hairdresser ended up having to use two appointments to get my hair to this lightness, but I have to say I love how natural it looks. PS: my romper is from Tobi + I wrote a post on it here.

Obsessed with this off the shoulder Piko top in navy. The material is so soft + stretchy and the shirt can literally go with anything. I chose to pair it with my favorite NYX lip color as of right now, the Soft matte lip cream in Antwerp.

Yes, another picture of food. Do I have a problem? Maybe. But seriously y’all, this apple cinnamon crepe was over the top amazing. Being a big breakfast eater, I am always down for some crepes.

Not that I’m not makeup crazy any other month, but in July I ended up going berserk trying a whole bunch of new products. These pictured are my necessitates for the summer time. In case y’all haven’t been able to check out the post, I’ll link it here.

I snagged this little navy number from American Apparel for recruitment. The silhouette is a mix between a little bit of A-line and a little bit of a shift. Pops of pink +white completed the look. For recruitment, I’ll pair it with some nude wedges for a really classic polished vibe.

All my insta loves have already seen this picture, so if you don’t follow me on Instagram go ahead and give me a follow @lgipblog! Anyhow, the Sam Edelman heels were a diamond in the rough. I scored them for $40! Fall is just around the corner, and they would look fantastic with some flare jeans and a sweater!

July had it’s moments, but the best day of this month was my one year bloggiversary. Spending the day taking fun pictures with my “1” balloon (and losing it mid photoshooot) was really the icing on the cake.

Officially 16 days until I get to live in this beauty with my besties! August 6th come sooner! PS: would y’all like to see a college packing list or a room tour?

When it’s your bestie’s birthday, you have to go big or go home! I ended up setting up a cutie little photobooth complete with a champagne balloon and some tassels over a white back drop. The pictures turned out hella cute! We went out to dinner + I chose to wear my white super flare jeans and a statement off the shoulder top.

Here’s to July! You’ll be missed…

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : college, fashion, insta, instagram roundup, life lately, lifestyle, ootd, weekly favorites

Happy first birthday, lgip!

Posted in Lifestyle

on 07/17/2016

ps: this picture was taken right after my balloon escaped from my fingers + flew off into the sky… seriously a sad moment for me but what else would I expect?

Well hey, it’s been one year since my very first blog post on this little site called Louisiana girl in pearls. It’s been one hell of a ride (as I always say). To be honest, I really was not sure what I was getting myself into by starting my own blog. I admired beauty vloggers + fashion bloggers from afar, but I never did dare to dip my toes into the world that was blogging until last year. Something within me was telling me “you can do this, make a blog. Go head!” So I sat at my computer in Boston, ma and started my own blog.

One year later, and to be frank I still am not a master blogger. I haven’t become blog famous or anything, but what I can say I have achieved is recognition from my family + friends – which is all I could ask for and more. I still have oodles of things to learn, and I continue to work on this little corner of the web each and every day. I have learned that with most things, there’s a learning process + I’m not always going to get things right the first try around (although my type-a personality wishes me to).

More than anything, I am proud of myself. This past year has really had it’s trials + tribulations through which I have learned heaps about myself and the kind of person I wish to be. But this little blog, + the hope that’ll grow to something I can grow my career from it has kept me going. When I am after something, I will do anything in my power to get it. Louisiana Girl in Pearls will get to the point where it want it to be someday, but until then, I’ll keep my liquid liner-lined eyes peeled to my computer screen working on content, social media, branding, + scheduling.

In celebration of this glorious day, I wanted to give y’all a little trip down memory lane of some of my favorite blog posts from this past inaugural year of Louisiana Girl in Pearls. I’ll link them below for y’all to take a peek at, but for now I want to address one last thing.

In all sincerity, i would like to thank y’all for reading – it means the world it me. If you’ve read one of my posts, or every single one of them – I appreciate you so much! The constant support from y’all is one of the best feelings in the world! To my friends + family who have given up your time to help me shoot blog pictures, or shop for clothes, or even just let me be because you knew I was writing a blog post – you’re irreplaceable and your help has helped make Louisiana Girl in Pearls what it is today!

I have had the time of my life this past year, being able to document my life on this corner of the web + have people actually read it! Here’s to many more years – cheers to LGIP!

Here are some of my favorite posts from the past year:

How to rock bold lips

The only makeup products you need during the summer

Mani Monday | Essie Bikini so teeny

An ode to freshman year

NOLA daze | feat. Maddie + Zach

Life Lately | May edition

Life Lately | January edition

Two ways to rock the romper trend this summer

Blue jeans + a baseball hat | LGIP OOTD

My stack | The best baubles for under $45

Palmin’ around

lots + lots of love,

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2016, birthday, first post, one year

Life Lately | June edition

Posted in Lifestyle

on 06/26/2016

Looking back at my mumble jumble of photos from June, I’ll go ahead an conclude it was a very random and spastic month full of work, blogging, eating, and a few day trips to Baton Rouge and NOLA. How the heck is it almost July?! That means I’m one month closer to being back in my favorite place, Baton Rouge, (and my new home on the lake whee) but also it means one month left being home and seeing friends and family I don’t get to see too often during school. Ugh!! Such conflicting feelings about summer surround me. Well, I’ll get onto babbling about my June… here we goooooo!

A day trip to NOLA to see my bestie was just what I needed to get this month started off on the right foot! Peep our Ray Bans (classic look from both of us). Get mine here and Zach’s here.

Summer time reading is one of my favorites. I’m still delving into the Cuckoo’s Calling, but hoping I can finish soon because I’ve got quite the list piling up!

I think we went overboard with the pineapple pictures during our time at the beach… Oh well.

My diva bestie from NYC came to visit for a few days this month!! We celebrated with watermelon spritzers + cake!! Thankful that our friendship can withstand 1,150 miles.

My dad’s day OOTD consisted of my favorite denim, a simple white top, and my OTBT Bushnells (Update: still obsessed. Don’t plan on giving it up anytime soon).

Call me DIY queen. Summertime is my DIY season since I have more spare time with no school. I ran to Hobby Lobby and snagged all of this for six dollars (go me with my coupons!!). Three necklaces later, and I’m wanting to go back for more.

My future home is coming along quite nicely, don’t ya think? August cannot come soon enough! (Can’t you tell how excited I am to live in this babe with all of my best friends/sisters!) #rushaphi

Walked into Ulta for one thing, and walked out with four…. Oops. I’ve heard only rave reviews about the NYX soft matte lip creams, and Maybelline instant age rewind concealer, so I’m super exited to try!

Probably the best fifty three dollars I have spent this month. This lens is amazing y’all. It rivals the Cannon 55 mm lens (did I mention it’s half the price?!!). I’ll be using this bad boy from now on in my blog pics so stay tuned to see it in action!

Maddie meet LGIP readers, LGIP readers meet Maddie. She’s been with me throughout this whole process and I am so elated to announce that she will be partnering with me to grow my social media. We’ve already taken an online class and plan to take some more to expand our knowledge on the subject. I cannot wait for y’all to see her amazing work!! (PS: this is an upcoming OOTD post… My dress is from Tobi!)

Forever wishing I could take blog pictures 24/7. When an off day rolls around, you can one hundred percent catch me with my camera in hand.

And last but not least… my most exciting endeavor for the month of June… an official Louisiana Girl in Pearls instagram. I’ve been reluctant to branch out from my personal instagram just because I would have to start over with all of my followers, but so far the support has been amazing. If you get the chance go ahead and check me out here.

Let me know what y’all have been up to this month!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : beauty, college, instagram roundup, june 2016, life lately, lifestyle, ootd, ray bans, steal, summer

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Lifestyle

Life Lately | December edition

My music favorites for this month:

My beauty favorites for this month:

I’ve been lusting after this month:

Life Lately | November Edition

some mu for you

70s fever

My music favorites for this month:

My beauty favorites for this month:

Articles I’ve been reading this month:

How to create the perfect Big Little Week | LGIP Blabbers

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

SHOPPING LIST

Big little shopping

DIY gallery wall to jazz up any space

g a l l e r y w a l l o n e

g a l l e r y w a l l t w o

On my radar

currently loving

Life Lately | July Edition

Happy first birthday, lgip!

Life Lately | June edition