Louisiana Girl in Pearls

Wednesday blues | How to add more Show me your MuMu to your closet

Posted in Fashion

on 06/21/2017

Hey my people. I’m coming to ya today to share this adorable little blue and white look. Funny story: while I was trying to shoot this, I was dripping in sweat (TMI?). Gotta love that Louisiana heat.

tunic | jeans (under $40) | tkees | crossbody | ray ban aviators

This summer I’ve definitely become a Show me your MuMu addict. Good thing I have two roommates who share that obsession with me and let me borrow their clothes (lol). I’ve got some Benji tees that are currently en route to me (so excited to style them). I digress though. While I like the printed pieces, I find that their solid ones are more versatile (and less memorable aka you can get away with them more haha). This tunic top is so great with jeans — white for summer and medium wash for winter. The flowy sleeves are so fun and I love the cut of the v-neck. This blue color is to die for!

I am always all about the white jeans and this pair I love because of all their distressing. They’re super comfy and under $40! Y’all know I love me some Old Navy jeans. I’ll link my favorite medium wash pair here (both under $40).

My shoes… oh my gosh my shoes. They are seriously my favorite shoes for the summer! So stinking comfy and they look good with everrryyything. The gold adds a nice metallic pop to the outfit too!

How to score Mumu without breaking the bank

Along with my recent obession, I have learned to shop THE SALES. It’s amazing how many smaller boutiques and retailers have sales on MuMu. Fall merchandise is about to start rollin in so summer items are going on sale (including MuMu)! In addition to shopping boutiques, I check MuMu’s sale section pretty frequently and there’s normally some great stuff in there. If all else fails, you can get a Unidays discount for MuMu (10% off) for your full priced items! Ebay and Poshmark can be good too (ya might just have to do some searching) for gently used MuMu.

Is anyone else with me on being obsessed with Show me Your Mumu? Make me feel better and comment below!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2017, basics, fashion, mail day, mumu, ootd, ray bans, summer, white

Things I’ve bought recently | Edition 2

Posted in Fashion

on 06/14/2017

Hey pals! I’m back this week with a shopping round-up. I’ve been on a real shopping kick this month. Ooops. So I thought I would go through my most recent purchases. Let’s get into it…

blush set

I picked up this blush set at the beginning of the month for my cousin’s engagement party. I’ve been on a set kick this spring/summer. I just love the versatility of them — it’s like you get three outfits for the price of one (heck yeah)! The set is so cute together but to wear as separates I would probs do the shorts with a white tank and the top with jeans.

I would recommend sizing up in the shorts (they’re a little short). But the top ran true to size.

marc fisher “randall”

I talked about these babies in my last post a little bit. Since then I’ve worn them to work (twice) which is a huge deal for me considering I’m on my feet for 8 hours. They were surprisingly comfy. I know the hefty price tag is a huuuuge hurdle to jump over, but take it from a college gal, finding a wedge that’s cute AND comfortable… priceless.

blue layered tassel earrings

It’s no surprise I am a super fan for statement earrings. When one of my favorite bloggers posted about these I ordered them right away lol :-) The blue is really cute with white tops and I think I’ll get a lot of use out of these babies considering my wardrobe is literally all neutral. I’m linking some other options I love below.

boohoo shorts

If y’all don’t remember from my Life Lately May post, I literally have one pair of jean shorts to my name. So I thought it was prob time to pick up another pair. I grabbed these from boohoo for $15 (crazy right).

The sizing was super weird and I actually had to send my first pair back to get another size. I ended up with a size 8 and I’m normally a size 2. They’re tight around my legs and honestly hard to get on but sending them back again just wasn’t worth it. Hoping I can break them in and make them more comfy?

j slides sneakers

These just came in the mail today so wheee! I’ve been so in love with these sneakers since I saw someone wear them last fall. I found them on sale at Nordstrom during their 40% sale and I didn’t buy them then because I literally had $70 to my name. Turns out they marked them down further (after I got paid lol) to $69 so I grabbed the black!

The size 8 was sold out, so I got an 8.5. I’m normally between sizes (but mostly 8).

quay sunglasses

Branching out from my usual Ray Ban aviators was so hard for me (I’m a creature of habit). I picked up these QUAY sunnies just to have a cheaper, fun pair for football season (I lost a pair of Ray Bans last year RIP). The blue mirror is super fun and I love how big they are. Hopefully I’ll be able to convince myself to wear them more? Lol.

gold tkees

I am a self-proclaimed TKEE-a-haulic. These are the shoes I wear to work everyday because they are so dang comfy. I talk about them all the time because I just can’t get over it. The color options are endless. I’m already two pairs in, and I’ve got my eye on a gloss pair for my next purchase.

Have y’all bought anything recently? Let me know in the comments!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2017, basics, college, fashion, first impressions, instagram roundup, lifestyle, mail day, makeup, on my radar, ootd, steal

White on denim

Posted in Fashion

on 06/07/2017

Let’s talk simplicity. Although I *feel* (keyword: feel) like I’ve been getting more daring with my fashion choices, in all honestly I think all I’ve done is wear some overalls, neck scarves, and fun earrings. So yeah, I do have somewhat of a safe style, but ya know what, there’s nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day there is nothing I love more than jeans and a t-shirt.

Essentially the point of that entire blurb was to say this outfit is super simple, but it’s also a little fun with the pops of color I added (thank you for accessories). White on denim is one of my favorite combos year round, but I especially love it for the summer.

Another off the shoulder top I know… Lol. This one goes great with a skirt or even denim shorts. The skirt I’m wearing is on sale right now (wahoo)! It’ll definitely come in handy this fall during football season. If you keep up with me on social media, you would know I am head over heels for statement earrings. These mini tassels are from BaubleBar and they’re so fun to throw on with a simple outfit like this one. I have not worn these green mirrored Ray Bans in forever so I decided to add them to the mix too (more fun colors to this otherwise simple outfit).

Ooooh, those shoes.

Omg, I know right?! They were a huuugge splurge for me, but I finally bit the bullet after eyeing them for two weeks straight (a little obsessive, no?). They’re Marc Fisher, so the quality and comfort is there. This season’s must have shoe has been the “Adalyn” and I love the look of that wedge, but I felt like the “Randall” was more my style. They’re a great wedge to wear everyday with anything from dresses to jean shorts. I’d say they run pretty true to size and are well worth the hefty price tag. There’s a bunch of different colors to choose from (I love the blue) so I’ll link them for y’all below.

Do y’all find yourself playing it safe with your outfits? Lemme know your struggle below. Until next time!!

ByMadisonChurch

2 Comments

Tags : 2017, basics, bauble bar, college, fashion, ootd, ray ban, summer, white

Life Lately | May Edition

Posted in Lifestyle

on 05/31/2017

Happy almost June!

Here’s to another Life Lately and being one month closer to going back to school in August (so sad but happy at the same time)! This month was extremely boring. All I did was work all day, come home, make some dinner and watch a movie… so not much is goin on over here! I’ll try to sum up some of the *fun* things I did this month (they were scarce). Here goes!!

RIP sophomore year. If you’re in the sentimental mood, you can read my sophomore year recap post here. It was the end of a true era y’all.

After getting out of school, I headed to NOLA for Kings of Leon. They played at Jazz Fest and man were they amazing. I swear they sounded better live than on their CDs. My sister and I met up with some of our high school friends and our family so we had the best time!! It was hot as Hades so I wore jean shorts (surprised?) and a tank with a neck scarf (my fave accessory)!

Happy Momma’s Day to my beautiful Momma! The day was super chill — we chowed and hung out with family all day! I wore a romper and my fun earrings for church in the morning and ended up staying in it the rest of the day (it was super comfy).

This summer I’ve gotten into a daily routine of coffee and a bagel every morning (I feel old saying that). That little bit of me time is seriously the best. It gets even better when I have some minutes to flip through a magazine.

This is the product of my roomie Maria and I having an impromptu photo shoot outside of our apartment, lol. I love jean shorts (what’s new) so I’m experimenting trying to see how many different ways I can style them. So here’s one…

Ah the classic overalls pic. I think this was one of my most daring outfits to date (honestly it’s not too daring, I’m just boring) so I had such a blast shooting it! You can check out the post here! I definitely plan on dragging my sister around to take more of my pictures from now on since she did a fabulous job!!

This month I had the opportunity to attend Alpha Phi’s Emerging Leaders Institute at Butler University in Indianapolis. There was a group of 50 of us from all across North America (some even in Canada) who were selected to attend this 5 day institute. I came in not knowing a soul and walked away with 50 new friends. Having opportunities like this one are so dear to my heart because they really help me see Alpha Phi isn’t just for four years!

My music favorites for this month:

California Waiting by Kings of Leon

Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie

Touch and Go by Ed Sheeran

My beauty favorites for this month:

Since I started Accutane this month, it’s been all about skin care for me. I’ve had to revamp my entire skin care routine and I’m loving it so far!!

I’ve been lusting after this month:

Marc Fisher Randall wedges

Chan Luu neck scarf

Double buckle belt

TKEEs gloss in Sweet Smoke

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2017, alpha phi, basics, college, fashion, instagram roundup, lifestyle, on my radar, ootd, ray bans, spring

How to rock the overall trend this summer

Posted in Uncategorized

on 05/24/2017

Ok you guys, I know what you’re thinking. Overalls? WTF. Honestly, that was my first reaction too, so I don’t blame ya. Yeah, I know they’re so 90’s and honestly remind me of what I used to wear as a child BUT I’m sharing with y’all how I styled these babies that’ll make you feel fun and funky (double trouble). By the end of this post you’re gonna find yourself headed out to buy a pair.

First off, the overalls.

They’re from Target and were actually handed down to me from a friend (who texted me after she saw these pics saying she wished she would’ve kept them) so I literally paid nothing for em. I’m gonna link a similar pair from Target here (and more below all this). They originally had a rolled cuff, but I decided I liked the raw hem better so I took a pair of scissors to them!

Stylin’ the overalls

Before deciding on a PLAIN BLACK TANK I tried on about 7 shirts (OTS, plain t-shirts, printed t-shirts… you get the point). I was already nervous about rocking the overalls so I didn’t want to do anything too cray cray, which is why the black tank won in the end.

In an attempt to jazz up the outfit, I added a neck scarf (literally a $2 bandana from Walmart) and some blue mirrored sunglasses. Speaking of the sunglasses, I just recently purchased and I love them!! As a self-proclaimed Ray Ban freak — it was hard for me to step outside of the box and get a pair of sunglasses that aren’t Ray Bans. But… I did it (go me)!! These sunnies are from QUAY and they are so fun. I’ll link them here for y’all. My Adidas Superstars finished everything off (remember when I was die hard obsessed with these? lol).

Have y’all jumped on the overalls bandwagon? If so, DM me your pics on instagram or comment them below! I need more inspo on how I can rock these things.

madison

ByMadisonChurch

An ode to sophomore year | LGIP Blabbers

Posted in Lifestyle

on 05/17/2017

I always dread the end of the year. Saying goodbye to Baton Rouge, my friends, and all LSU’s little quirks (I’m talking to you traffic, Tigerland, hella good food) just makes me sad. V descriptive of me, I know lol. I thought I could take a hot minute to do a little soul searching/reflection on my sophomore year of college (peep my freshmen year post for reference).

Same pose, different year.

I had the privilege of living in my sorority’s chapter house overlooking the LSU lakes, and let me just say I think it’s become one of my favorite places in the world. Having 52 other roommates had its ups and downs, but man did we have the best freakin time. There was always someone awake to study with, watch chick flicks (10 things I hate about you became our favorite movie of all time), or go grab some late night snacks too (lol that happened way too much). How lucky am I to have been able to share so many memories with such a fabulous group of gals and even more lucky to be able to call our chapter house home for another year! If you ever have the opportunity to live in the house, do it. There’s plenty of time (the rest of your life) to live in houses and apartments, but to live with 52 other girls — there’s only one time and place for that!

School beat me up a little bit, but as I said last year I have gotten so much affirmation that I am in the field I love. Getting a job at Hemline and starting to gain valuable experience was one of the best things I have done thus far. I also think I finally figured out how to study for tests lol. In high school I didn’t have the best study skills, but once I got to LSU I knew I needed to gain some. After taking some challenging classes this year (@Econ @Costume history) and coming out with good grades, it feels like I finally got it down.

Much like freshman year, I learned life is about balance. Having to juggle school, a job, and Alpha Phi made my life nonstop chaos, but that’s the way I like it. Having limited free time for homework and studying actually makes me get focused much faster. I mean, I was constantly running from one thing to the next, but I would rather be busy making choices that will aid me in the future than hanging around watching Netflix all day every day. The key to balance: my planner, alarm clock, too much coffee, and a mimosa every so often (hah!).

As another school year has come and gone and I am still single I just can’t help but laugh. The words “where is my man?” have come out of my mouth too many times to count this year! Boys will come and go, but the girlies are forever (I’ll be living by that for the rest of my days). Maybe next year I’ll actually find a man but until then catch me on the couch watching corny rom-coms with the gals.

Some miscellaneous musings…

I also learned I like t-shirts and jeans a little too much.

I’m really really bad at checking/replying to texts.

Having a 17 year old car is awesome because it teaches you way too many life lessons (how to jump start a car, put coolant in it, fill it up with gas too often, go without heat etc).

LSU parking is my least favorite thing on this planet.

It’s never too late to make new friends.

I needed to step out of my comfort zone (and I honestly still do). This was probably one of the hardest things to learn this year. There’s only so much fun in playing it safe!

Shout out to y’all for sticking with me (as weird as I am) for another school year. I do not want to accept the fact that I’m growing up so quickly!!

GEAUX TIGERS!

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2017, alpha phi, college, lifestyle

Striped right | How to style an off the shoulder top + what’s in my bag

Posted in Fashion

on 05/10/2017

HAPPY SUMMER YOU GUYS.

I’m coming at you live from Baton Rouge (where I am staying this summer). Can I get a heck yeah?!! Lots and lots of new stuff is comin at ya this summer since I’ve got some more time on my hands!

Let’s get into this week’s post. Featuring this little striped number (I am obsessed with off the shoulder tops right now).

Off the shoulder tops.

So fun. So flirty. So summery. In my opinion, one of my favorite trends for warmer weather. Here’s how I styled this one (and I’m not wearing my jean shorts so go me!!). These jeans y’all… My absolute favorite pair ever. They’re under $40 and they’ve been to hell and back. Medium wash goes with everything.

No necklace today, in order to show off the neckline of the top. Instead, I chose some hoop earrings.

These platform sneakers (hello espadrille) are my go-to shoe (besides my TKEES this summer). They’re super comfy and the white and rope combo complements any outfit. Go out and get you a pair! I’m linking mine below (scored them for under $50).

What’s in my bag?

While taking doing blog photo shoots– this girl comes prepared. I fill my purse to the brim with all the quick fixes. When in need of a touch up, I always carry some lipstick or gloss, and mascara. My current favorites are this mascara (tried and true) and this lip balm. A few other essentials are sunglasses (can never bring too many pairs), extra jewelry (I swear I always decide last minute which earrings I want to rock), and my TKEES for when my feet get tired.

Super big shouts to my friend Maddie for the fabulous pictures. Y’all go give her instagram a peek, she is so talented.

ByMadisonChurch

Tags : 2017, fashion, ootd, platform sneakers, pops of color, ray bans, spring, stripes, summer

Life Lately | April Edition

Posted in Lifestyle

on 05/03/2017

Howdy friends.

I’m coming to you mid finals week to share my April Life Lately. I’ve been totally off my game lately, but dang there’s just something about the end of the school year that does it to me. Everything goes wayy too fast. April was one heck of a month — spring break and my last few weeks of sophomore year (can I get a WTF).

Maria’s birthday was this month so we celebrated with some Mexican food (always the best way). In classic Maria fashion, a photo shoot had to follow, so here’s the outcome. Honestly my face 99.9% of the time. My fringe top makes an appearance once again, along with my favorite pair of jeans (under $40), and TKEES (I wear these everyday).

Spring break was such a great break from school (even if it was only for a week)!! As I chatted about in my spring break posts (here and here), I went to Sea Brook, SC for the week! We hung around at the beach and took a day trip to Charleston.

Charleston (as I talked about in my most recent post) was life changing! Everything was just so charming. I’ve discovered that I love traveling to historic cities and I seriously hope I can visit there soon. The pops of color on mailboxes, doors and walls stole my heart!

As soon as I got back from Spring break, it was nonstop preparation for finals. In fact, I had a test the day I got back from spring break and a project due that Wednesday (life is rough). As I always say, my agenda can get my through anything and everything. I swear that thing has been glued to my hip since I got back. Lol, it’s seriously my life saver. My motto: write it down!

Our last social event of the semester was this month. The theme was Hangout and we had it at some sand volleyball courts about 20 minutes from LSU. Y’all, it was seriously so fun. I think I went a little too crazy on the hair and makeup. My swimsuit says “Champagne Campaign” and it went perfectly with my cutoffs. For funsies, I wore my tassel choker. I put glitter in my part (so fun) and some jewels on my face. An in-your-face matte pink lip finished off my look!

Embarrassingly enough, I think I have worn these jeans shorts at least 15 days of this month. I just looovve them. Sadly they’re 2 years old, so I don’t have a link for them :-/ But I am on the hunt for a new pair of cutoffs so if ya have recommendations, comment below! I actually made one of my work girlies take the pic of me since I was obsessing over this outfit. My tassel choker and white lace up top was the perfect mix of basic and fun!

In celebration of the end of the year, we went roller skating last week. Oh my gosh y’all, it was so freaking fun. I was a little shaky on the skates (I think the last time I roller skated was probably 7 years ago), but once I got comfortable again I was making laps and doing all sorts of fun stuff! I brought my camera on the rink (risky I know) but I had to capture a roomie pic. I’m gonna miss living with these girlies next year. RIP Coz :-/

FUN BRUNETTE strikes again, haha. Our seniors went out in Tigerland for the last time last week so Catherine and I tagged along! I decided to whip out the Fun brunette shirt, cutoffs (are you surprised) and funky earrings.

My mom, Bruce and I headed to Mobile this past weekend to see my brother in his last game of college baseball (so sad). The weather was awesome but a little windy (hence my crazy hair). I went simplistic with a white tee and cutoffs (see? I’m wearing them again). My huuugge monogram necklace is also making a comeback.