Chunky sweater + my faves under $70

Posted in Fashion
on 12/11/2017

chunky sweater // jeans (under $30) // chunky heels // purse // sunglasses

Well, the unthinkable happened y’all — it’s cold in Louisiana. WTF?! Ya gotta have some way to curb that chill so that’s exactly when the chunky sweater comes in. The chunkier the better in my book. They’re my favorite thing to wear with just about everything. While I’m not much of a cardigan gal since public school totally wore me out (had to wear one over every outfit haha) I do love pullover sweaters since they’re easy. Just one piece and then you’re done!

I dressed this lil #ootd up with my new favorite heels. I’m pretty late jumping on the bandwagon for these babes but now I see where the hype is coming from! They come in oh so many colors and have a great price point. I would also do the sweater with leggings (my fave are Spanx faux leather) for a super comfy look. Booties would be great if it’s a little cooler outside!

shop this #ootd

I’m linking a bunch of sweater options for y’all below. They’re all under $70 (shoutout to my gals #ballinonabudget) so happy shopping! I am loving anything chunky and colorful so you’ll see lots of that in my picks!!

my fave sweaters under $70

xo, Madison

Photos by Demi Lyons Photography

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Things I’ve bought recently | Edition 3

Posted in Fashion
on 12/04/2017

Hey hey! Happy Thursday y’all! I thought I would do a little roundup of a bunch of things I’ve bought recently because these are some of my favorite posts to write. Pretty much everything is under $100 because ya girl is #ballinonabudget. Go ahead and scroll down to check all the newness out.

buddha girl bangles

I am obsessed with these bangles. I wear them every time I dress up because I love the pop they bring to my outfits. They are weatherproof, TSA proof, and life proof! Did I mention they would be a good Christmas gift? The story behind them is so cool and I have been going crazy saying my serenity prayers on them when I get flustered.

mumu purple halter top

I snagged this top during the MuMu black Friday sale for around $35. Say whaattt? Yeah, I was thinking this would be perfect for game days (peep the lavender color) but also could be super cute during the holidays for a little party outfit!

black-cheetah-ootd-lgip-2cabby hat

It’s me trying to get on board with this new trend.. cabby hats? Can’t say I’ve ever been a hat gal before but I thought I should try it out. I found a bunch of budget friendly options at Forever (I’m talking under $20 y’all) so don’t be too scared to try this trend out! I love how it edges up a look.

joa sweater

Chunky. Pink. Perfect. Yep, that pretty much sums up this sweater. It is my new favorite thing ever and goes great with jeans and whatever else you want to pair it with! It’s under $80 and comes in a bunch of great neutral (and fun) options.

black-cheetah-ootd-lgip-9seychelles patent leather booties

I scored these babies off Revolve for $80. I was looking for months for a cute trendy pair of chunky heeled booties. Nude? Patent? Leather? Omg, how freaking fun! Since they hit right on my lower leg, I think they’re great paired with skirts, dresses, and would also be so good with a pair of cropped jeans (gonna rock em with these)!

marley lilly sweater

My favorite throw on and go sweater. I always grab this sweater for school because it looks great with yoga pants or active shorts. Every time I wear it, I get soo many complements on it! Plus, it’s on sale right now!

Thanks for reading! I’m taking my finals this week so by next Monday I will be a free woman (aka no school for a month.. wahoo)!

xo, Madison

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Black, leopard and a little bit of patent leather | Dressing for a Southern Winter

Posted in Fashion
on 11/22/2017

IT’S BEEN A LONG 21 DAYS SINCE I’VE LAST POSTED, Y’ALL. To be honest, those few weeks have been some of the hardest times of this year. But hey, I am back! Thank you lord for Thanksgiving break, although it may only be two days for me when I factor in my work schedule. Nonetheless, I am thankful to have some sort of break. The end of the school year is coming WAAYY too fast.

Let’s dive into this post — featuring a super simple, super chic neutral look. It’s so perfect for the Louisiana “winters” we have (cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon).

turtleneck // leopard mini // black crossbody bag (same style, different print) // cabby hat // patent leather booties

Black and leopard… WHAT A COMBO. I picked up this skirt from work a few weeks ago but I was saving it for a black turtleneck. I finally found this one at Brandy Melville while I was in NYC. I threw these patent leather booties on to lighten up the look! Neutrals are my jam always. I am so happy leopard is coming back into style cause man I was missing it from my 2005 days.

I took a few pictures with my cabby hat (which I get so nervous to rock) to show y’all how to edge it up a bit. These are absolutely everywhere (thank you Niall Horan for bringing this trend BACK) and I am starting to like hats? Never thought I would say that haha.

get the look

On a side note: peep my hair. Goodness gracious, it’s looking rough. That half and half thing? Not digging it. Bought myself some hair dye today so I’ll report back tomorrow with the results. Wish me luck!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y’ALL!

xo, Madison

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NYC recap

Posted in Fashion, Lifestyle
on 11/01/2017

As a girl who NEVER gets away, this long weekend up north was just what I needed. My roommate is living in NYC this semester due to her internship in the city. I was absolutely dying to get up there to visit with her, sightsee (this was only my second trip to NYC), and eat our way through the city.


I ended up taking the earliest flight I could find on Friday morning so I could get there with time to spare in the afternoon. I arrived in NYC at around 1:30 and got on a bus that took me to city. I was getting off at Penn station (they told me it was the second stop) so that’s where I got off.. turns out it wasn’t Penn station lol. So I bobbed and weaved through the streets of NYC with my suitcase in tow, headed to Catherine’s apartment.

We made a beeline for Ellen’s Stardust Diner (aka the most touristy restaurant in all of NYC, besides the Times Square Olive Garden lol) where your waiters do karaoke while you eat. Honestly, amazing. I felt like I was watching a Glee episode the entire meal but I was loving it!!

After the Stardust diner, it was starting to get chilly but we trekked over to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) to check out the fashion exhibit they had going. Oh, and we got in for free since it was a Friday! Add that to ya bucket list.

Omigosh, y’all. If you love museums and fashion history you MUST go visit this exhibit at MoMA. It was seriously the coolest thing. As a fashion student, seeing things that I have been learning about in my classes and being able to name the designer or history of it was such a great feeling. Fashion lovers unite!

burger + fries tees // spanx leggings (on me) // superega platforms

Catherine and I met up with my bestie from home Gav for a Halloween party. Obviously we had to be burger and fries. Literally the easiest, best costume (and comfy too). We had a little too much fun on Friday night! A slice of $1 pizza was absolutely needed after that night (Two Bros has my heart).

dress // sunglasses

Saturday morning started off on the subway headed to the Financial district. We got Joe’s bagels… omg the best bagel I have ever had and totally worth the 15 min wait. Then made our way to the Staten Island ferry (where we met up with Catherine’s friend from internship, Isa and her friend Sophia) so we could have a free shot at seeing the Statue of Liberty. The weather was perfect and honestly we were scared that the ferry would be freezing, but it was not bad at all!

After Staten Island was DUMBO, Brooklyn. To be exact, the HOME of Dan Humphrey from Gossip Girl. Yes, I was totally fan-girling. I can’t help myself y’all. It was the cutest little place. We ended up hanging out in DUMBO’s park for an hour. The view of the Brooklyn bridge and the city was so gorgeous.

A picnic in Central Park was up next. We racked up at Whole Foods on all the essentials: a baguette, brie, sandwiches, soups, cookies, and champagne. With the picnic blanket spread out, we feasted our hearts out (I was hella hungry).

Sunday was super gloomy and it was raining all day long. We visited our favorite founding father’s grave at Trinity Church, Carrie Bradshaw’s stoop in Greenwich Village and then went to SoHo for some retail therapy.

I racked up on some fabulous basics from my faves: Zara, H&M, Steve Madden, and Bloomingdales. My flight was at 5:55pm so I had to head back to the airport after SoHo. It got delayed so I arrived back in NOLA pretty late.

Thank you NYC for giving me a fabulous weekend and thank you to my hosts who made everything all the better (Gav and Catherine)!!

lots of love, Madison

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All black errything | Head to toe fall style on a budget

Posted in Fashion
on 10/29/2017

BLACK ON BLACK MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A BOSS and I honestly wish I had enough black so I could wear it everyday. I don’t think there is occasion when black on black isn’t appropriate? I am so digging this trend for the fall and winter seasons. Did I mention that everything I’m wearing is under $50? See, ya don’t have to spend a lot of money to look chic af.

black cami // black ripped jeans // black chunky heels (similar) // mini MAC cross body // belt // ray ban aviators

Each piece in this head to toe black outfit is under $50 (and mostly everything is from Target). No, this is not a sponsored post by Target… I wish lol but I do LOVE their women’s section for basics. I really cannot believe I lived my life without a pair of black jeans before this. I find myself wearing them all the time, but my favorite thing to pair them with is a black top! The cami trend has been everywhere this season and I have been dying to hop on the bandwagon. I saw this one at Target and I was drawn to the simplicity of it — no lace, no frills just a simple v-neck. It comes in a few colors too (I’m linking below for y’all)! I’m typing this as I wait for my delayed flight home from New York.. man did I wear ALOT of black on my trip. No city like NYC to do it in I suppose? :-)

all black errything

Madison

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Life Lately | September edition

Posted in Lifestyle
on 10/18/2017

Well hellllooo there friends. Better late than never to make a life lately post for September? Lol I am totally behind on blog posts due to my insane school schedule. I promise I will get back into the swing of things! September was the start of football season, and the continuation of some warm weather for us Southern girls. Most of my free time was spent outdoors tailgating or taking blog pics… what a life lol.

sept-life-lately-2-lgipFOOTBALL SEASON… MY FAVORITE SEASON. This game day was our first of the year and let me tell ya it was so great to be back in Death Valley again!! Due to the excruciating heat, I opted for a simple, light-weight outfit — tank, skort and tennis shoes (which literally took a chunk of skin off the back of my heel.. so painful. 10/10 would not recommend these bad boys for game day).

sept-life-lately-1-lgipBlack and brown… a combination I can’t get enough of. These booties are from last season and they’re still super on trend for this year. I am loving these black jeans too (only $25 from target) and I swear I wear them at least 3 times a week haha. I’ll link some similar booties and my jeans below.

Alpha Phifa was this month and man was it fun!! Super hot, but fun. We braved the heat all day and I got a little sun but hey, at least it was for a good cause! #forthehearts

sept-life-lately-6-lgipUgh, can’t say enough of how thankful I am to have a friend who enjoys this process as much as I do. Maddie is behind the camera for many of my posts and she’s one of the reasons why I can continue to do what I do on this lil corner of the internet!

sept-life-lately-7-lgipFun brunette tee for a fun brunette. I think I wear this shirt too much but ya know what.. we all have our flaws. I styled it for transitioning into fall considering it is still warm over here in Louisiana. Check out the post here!

 

xoxo Madison

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How to transition your wardrobe into fall like a pro | The suede dress

Posted in Fashion
on 10/06/2017

Suede is easily one of my favorite fall trends. It just brings a little something rustic to the outfit and I am so into it. We’re continuing with my transitioning into fall series and today it’s all about the suede dress. I know you have one in your closet, pretty sure we all do. I’ll show y’all how I style this piece while it’s still warm out!

suede dress (similar) // mini mac cross body // hoops // bracelet stack // ray bans // booties (similar)

I started off with the dress and then I added the boots…. and somehow I ended up being head to toe in suede oops :-) I think mixing the two suede colors was a nice way to add a little interest to the outfit. For accessories, I opted for more brown tones (these bracelets have been a recent fave).

get the look

Key piece: the suede dress

This lil number is from Tobi and I got the best deal on it! Unfortunately it was on sale last spring, but I’m linking a few similar options for y’all! I love a good shift dress and the lace up from just makes it all the better.

all suede everything

Madison

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Fallin for these finds… | My fall wishlist

Posted in Fashion
on 09/29/2017

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL! How is everyone’s week going? I for one am absolutely living for this weekend. It’s a home game here at LSU and I actually get to go (had to work the last game) so whoop.

I have been online shopping like no other lately and I’ve complied a list of a few things I’m “fall”ing for. Lol get it?! Let’s get into this!

 

tortoise hoops // over the knee boots // ruffled skort // pom pom earrings // pom pom sneakers // black aviators

FALL TIME HAS ME SO GIDDY YOU GUYS! I am really loving my neutrals (as always) with pops of color — like these fabulous pom pom earrings from Bauble Bar. Are over the knee boots still a thing? I feel like they’ll at least be in for another season or two so I’ve been wanting to grab a pair for this fall. Nordstrom rack has a few, along with 6pm too! These Dolce Vita ones have great reviews. Now I just gotta choose a color… this dark charcoal brown is amazing, but classic black.. Hm.. I’ve been on a skorts kick lately too and this $16 black ruffled number from Forever 21 is fun and flirty and won’t break the bank! These tortoise-shell hoops just scream fall to me! They’re under $15 and I cannot wait to wear them with all my neutral outfits this season.

What’s everyone’s current wish list? I wanna hear! Leave me some comments down below!

shop my fall wishlist

Check out my other fall post aka me chatting about transition season here. There’s so much more where that came from!

Madison

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