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Explorin’ Charleston

Posted in Fashion
on 04/19/2017

Happy hump day friends!! This week’s been a hard adjustment getting back to real life. *sigh* Spring Break was just too good to me, y’all. Speaking of, here’s a recap of our time in Charleston. Ugh, if you haven’t visited you need to. The architecture is so beautiful and the food is 100. I hope I can go back soon because I seriously fell in love.

We went exploring and I made sure we headed straight to Rainbow Row to look at the beautiful houses! We strolled along the Battery and then a bit in the “French Quarter” area (paging home) for some market shopping. Dinner was amaze. We went to Stars Bar and Rooftop Grill (I literally felt so adult-like) and it was sooooooo bomb.

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This set from Free People has been so fabulous this spring, I think I’ve worn it as separates three or four times. I paired the skirt with this open knit distressed sweater. I have always loved the look of a skirt and sweater so I was dying to recreate it with this set! My pearl on suede cord, MK watch and Jacks rounded out the look.

I’ll be sharing a few more pics from the trip in my Life Lately so stay tuned :-) See y’all next week!

madison-bronze-foil

Life lately | March edition

Posted in Lifestyle
on 04/13/2017

Wellll I assumed it was better late than never to get my March Life Lately up. So here goes nothin. :-)

I love when I can actually have a lazy Sunday; it seriously makes my week so much better. Flipping through a magazine and jamming to Ed Sheeran’s album makes for the perfect day.

 Are y’all tired of me talking about this fringe top yet? I swear this is last time for a while… But I’m just so in love with it. Such a risky purchase on my part, but I’ve been longing to stray from my basics tees and tanks.

Honestly, we all need a little motivation sometimes! I’ve been getting my monthly dose from my planner. Each month’s got a cute illustration/quote — they make the perfect insta pics.

I’m a firm believer that all you need in life is a good taco!! Life is better when ya have a lil Mexican food in ya. I always love grabbing some tacos to satisfy my craving!

Our chapter’s annual Red Dress Gala was this month! I ended up rocking my dress from last year since time crept up on me this year so I wasn’t able to buy a new one. My Dad came to support me and we had a fab time hanging out with my gals and their parents.

Since our Red Dress Gala was this month, we ended up making a family weekend out of it! Sunday was a mom’s tea and pop-up shop event. I had to work the Hemline pop-up so my lovely Momma (who was the best sport) came to help me. We caught up over some lunch after, making it an overall chill Sunday.

Songfest (an LSU signature Greek Life event) was at the end of this month. I was so so sad I wasn’t in it this year, but I had to go to support my girls! We came armed with low sticks and signs galore. Hard work paid off and our girls won third place!!

Here’s an outfit of the day pre Songfest. I’ve found myself doing adult things on Sundays lately, so cute clothes have been needed lol. I styled my OTS top (part of my new FP set) with some white flares (did I mention how excited I am that they’re back??) and my TKEES. Shoutout to my pal LJ for the fringe hoops!

 

My music favorites for this month:

Hearts Don’t Break Around Here by Ed Sheehan

Rock City by Kings of Leon

All my Love by the Beatles

I’m linking my best playlist for y’all here.

My beauty favorites for this month:

Two Faced Born This Way foundation

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Philosophy Purity Made Simple

 

I’ve been lusting after this month:

TKEES in Sweet smoke (gloss)

Tie front tops

Quay sunnies

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madison-bronze-foil

Things I’ve bought recently | Edition 1

Posted in Beauty, Fashion
on 03/15/2017

Hey ma ladies. How’s this week treating’ ya so far? I know I am just getting started lol. After an extremely hectic Monday, I was able to have a chillish Tuesday and now it’s hump day so things are picking back up. I got to thinking about this week’s post- scrolling through my instagram feed, reading my favorite blogs- and it came to me… a shopping roundup?! I’ve been doing a lot of shopping lately. I’m not sure what it is… I’m just in a spending mood which my bank account is not thanking me for. Good thing payday is coming up this week (thank you, thank you)!! Well, without further ado, let’s get into it…

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bauble bar tassel earrings

Statement earrings are definitely here to stay this spring. I recently picked up this pair from Hemline (shouts!!) and I am in love. Often times, I find myself wearing a simple outfit so some fun earrings like these will dress it up! I’m linking some other earrings I’m lusting for below.

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pink ray ban aviators

Y’all know my undying loyalty to the Ray Ban aviator, so when I shattered a lens over Mardi Gras break I needed to replace the pair asap. Luckily, my roommate had a pair she was wanting to get rid of. They’re a pink lens with a gold frame and different from anything I’d seen before! I styled them in my last post and they honestly made me feel like Hyde lol.

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steve madden platform espadrille sneaker

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that I have been on a sneaker kick!! Every time I get ready for work, I reach for them. They literally go with everything in my closet, I swear. I’ve paired them with a fringe top and skirt, denim dress, chambray shirt and black shorts… the options are endless.

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two faced born this way

I was in the market for a new foundation, so I ran over to Sephora last weekend. With some coaxing, I settled upon the Two Faced Born This Way foundation. It’s oil-free, medium coverage, and good for combination skin, which is what I’m about to have since I’m starting Accutane in a month or two (wheee!!). So far, so good.

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benefit hoola

In the height of my makeup obsession stage (sophomore year of high school), I used this stuff religiously. The shade is perfect for my coloring anytime of year and I always have great experiences with Benefit products. When the mini size caught my eye; I knew I needed to go back to it!

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philosophy purity made simple

I go back to this cleanser time and time again. I think this is my fourth bottle #noshameintherepurchasegame so if that tells ya anything.. I use my  Clarisonic Mia (which is a literal dinosaur) with it and I would recommend to any skin type!!

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denim shift dress

Pay day had me feeling on a high for about a week. I ended up scouring Asos and stumbling upon this little number. As a working gal, I am always looking for easy dresses I can wear for work. This one is sooo cute with a sneaker, chunky heel, or even sandal for the spring. It runs true to size. I normally wear a XS-S and went with the XS, which was perf.

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fringe top

Refer to my previous post for more on this top, but I am in looovvveeee and I can’t stop talking about it. Fringe is just so fun. It’s a nice change of pace for me with my basic tees and jeans every dang day. The top runs pretty true to size (I got a small for reference). I’m gonna link some more fringe pieces because I feel like spring/summer are the time to rock it!

Is it just me or have any of y’all been on a shopping kick lately? Leave me some comments with some stuff you’ve recently bought!

madison-bronze-foil

Life Lately | February edition

Posted in Lifestyle
on 03/01/2017

I’M BACK (as I always say after a hiatus). I could go through thousands of excuses, but frankly my inspiration was shot the past few weeks. Time slipped me by with a few tests and projects due, so blogging fell to the back burner. That’s definitely something I need to work on moving forward haha. Well, I guess I should let y’all know where the heck I’ve been this February while I haven’t been working on LGIP. Let’s get it….

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We jetted off to Dallas, TX at the beginning of this month for Alpha Phi’s leadership conference! The weekend was full of learning with workshops nonstop! I got to bond with my gal pals as our new exec board and we made some hilarious memories.

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Alpha Phi’s formal went down this month as well. I took Catherine as my date (not in the mood to deal with boys lol) and we went for a black and white color scheme. My dress was a serious steal at $20 off the sale rack at Hemline! I paired it with some black chunky heels, a black choker, and some hoops. I think the choker and hoops are quickly becoming my signature look.

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If y’all know me, you know I am a sucker for a hamburger. On my lunch break one day, I headed over to Five Guys to indulge in my guilty pleasure. Man, was this burger fab!! 10/10 would recommend.

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THE FGL CONCERT WAS LIFE CHANGING. I used to be a big fan of them when I was a sophomore in high school. I hadn’t really listened to country too much in the past few years but once their new album came out, I was brought back. I’ve been bumpin’ nonstop since the concert. Seriously, the best $80 I’ve spent in a while. I’ve seen FGL before but they stole my heart that night!!

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Holy cow, are Mardi Gras balls some fun! One of my pals from Alpha Phi was in Krewe DuMonde so she invited a huge group of us to celebrate with her at the ball! This red dress is from Asos (my sister’s from senior prom) and I loved rockin the red!

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Due to the fact I had work in Baton Rouge allll weekend, I was only able to hang in NOLA on Monday and Tuesday. Nonetheless, it was a great time! Monday we went to the night parades on St. Charles and on Tuesday we just hung around the house. Overall, a super laid back getaway.

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Kay, so I just think this picture is cute so it needed to be included. On Fat Tuesday, Catherine and I met up with my sister down in the Irish Channel area. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and hung around for a bit. No outing is complete without a picture to document, right?!

My music favorites for this month:

I’ve gone back to my country lovin days with my new found obsession — Florida Georgia Line.

God, Your Mama, and Me by FGL

Anything Goes by FGL

My beauty favorites for this month:

NYX gloss

NYX powder

Marcelle mascara

I’ve been lusting after this month:

 Marc Fisher wedges 

Steven Madden platform sandals

Ray Ban aviators

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Alright peeps, we can do it! Let’s take March by storm!

madison-bronze-foil

How to rock a sweater for spring

Posted in Fashion
on 02/08/2017

How’s it going girlies?! Is this week treating you well? I know I’m about knee deep in school work (considering I have two ginormous tests next week). So I feel y’all, but let’s finish this week strong! I have faith we can do it!

This week’s post goes out to styling sweaters for the spring time.

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Photos by Madeline Dunbar.

I got this coral chunky sweater recently so I had to break it out and style it for this warm LA weather we’ve been blessed with :-) Sweaters with shorts/a skirt is one of my favorite looks when you want to look warm, but it’s actually 75 degrees outside (thanks LA!!). Jean cutoffs def make the outfit a little bit edgier. Fun story about the cutoffs I’m wearing… they’re a pair of mom jeans from Goodwill I cut into shorts when I was in eighth grade (do y’all remember when DIY shorts were all the rage? Lol #tbt). I’ve been paring down my accessories lately so I focused on necklaces and layered a gold choker with my Alpha Phi bar. Ok wait, I almost forgot to talk to y’all about my booties! They’re so stinking’ fun! I have a taupe pair and Catherine (my roomie) owns the black. If you’re going for an edgy-er look, I would highly recommend you snag a pair! They’re currently on sale in a few colors!

I’m linking some adorable chunky sweaters (all under $50!) along with the rest of my outfit deets.

shop the look

I think that just about wraps up this week’s post. How do y’all like to style chunky sweaters in warmer weather? Leave me a comment below, I love to chat!

madison-bronze-foil

20 things I learned by 20

Posted in Lifestyle
on 01/25/2017

Hey my ladies! How’s everyone’s week going so far?

I celebrated my TWENTIETH birthday this week so you could say things are going pretty good. With 20 comes some *wisdom* so I figured I would make a fun, personal post for y’all. Dang have these 20 years been full of trials and tribulations.. But man, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I wish y’all could see were there to see the immense amount of struggle that went on behind these pictures.img_0006 img_0047 img_0081 img_0023 img_0030 img_0032 img_0096

Photos by Madeline Dunbar.

Twenty things I learned by 20:

  1. Listen to music — all kinds. In the car with the windows rolled down + volume maxed out. It makes life 1000000x more fun. I would recommend 1D (my men!!).
  2. Wear whatever ya want! Honestly some of my favorite outfits have consisted of things I was utterly afraid to wear (I’m talking to you MuMu bells).
  3. For the love of god, keep a planner. I swear I could survive WWIII if I had my planner with me. Oh, and get ya some colored pens, cute stickies, and washi tape too. I’ve learned that jammin’ on my planner is one of my favorite pastimes… #nerd
  4. WORK LIKE A GIRL BOSS! As a self proclaimed workaholic, I can already see the fruits of my hard work — in school, my job, LGIP, etc. Bottom line: if ya care about it, WORK for it! There’s no shame in a little sweat!
  5. When you work hard, you gotta play hard. Don’t be afraid to let loose every once in a while. Put on some jams, dance in your room; go out for drinks with the gals; go shopping — do whatever makes you happy! One of my favorite things to do is drive around the LSU lakes to take a quick break. It’s seriously the best sight!
  6. READ books, read articles on the internet, read magazines, read blogs, read something. Keeping your mind stimulated is muy importante. Some of my favorite books over the years have been: The Clique series by Lisi, The Sweetest Thing, and Lonestar Southern.
  7. Keep up with your nails. I feel most put together when my nails look nice. The all time fave polishes are OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and Essie Marshmallow.
  8. The gals are everything. Carrie Bradshaw says “Friendships don’t magically last forty years…you have to invest in them.” I completely agree. They’re who I turn to in any crisis, celebration, or just the in between. I’m extremely extremely #thankful to say the least.
  9. BUY THOSE SUNGLASSES. You can never have enough. I’ve become slightly obsessed with sunglasses over the past three years or so. Ray Bans are my go-to for ALL occasions. I love throwing em on when I look horrible walking around campus #mebeinsneaky. They’re just an all around life saver and they def make you look cooler than you really are.
  10. I am a total Netflix binger. I can watch like 7 episodes in a day without moving. Honestly, it could start to become a problem. But for now, it’s my relaxation time. I’ve seen it all… from SATC, Desperate Housewives, That 70’s Show, Grey’s, New Girl, and probs 6970708 more. Always down for suggestions for my que!
  11. Coffee is my lifesaver. Can’t live without it. I have become a Starbucks Gold member once in my 20 years, and man did I feel like a superstar. Regardless of my green level status now (I’ve been #downgraded), I still love me some iced coffee (skim milk, 2 splenda).
  12. Take more risks. If you fail, you’ll have learned a lesson; if you succeed, you’ll have learned a lesson. There is nothing wrong with failing everyone in a while. Hey, I’ve learned I suck at sports, fancy writing, and science. But I’m super great at organization, social media, and my fashion classes. LGIP in itself was a huuuugggge risk for me. It was so gut wrenching to put myself on display, but I conquered that fear! It’s become one of my biggest triumphs to date (mostly cause I’m so proud of myself for keeping up with it for this long)!
  13. LEARN TO BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. If you have succeeded, take a moment to be proud of your accomplishments. Often people that are proud can be confused with people that are “full of themselves.” THAT’S SO NOT TRUE. It’s called being humble in how you celebrate your successes.
  14. It’s okay to be single. Look you’re talking to the girl who had never had a boyfriend in her life! It’s nothin’ to be ashamed of. Learn to love being alone! Holy cow, do I love to be alone!! Car rides, bike rides, color coffee dates, shopping trips all make me heart sing! Your time will come, don’t sweat it. These boys don’t know what they’re missin!
  15. Things don’t always work out the way you plan them. Take this for example: I was supposed to go to Ole Miss for school, last minute I decided to go to LSU (more scholarships). I was not excited at first. I had a random roomie but I knew 879758 people from my hometown were coming here. I felt uneasy, I felt like I didn’t belong here. I was the girl that went to LSU. It seemed too comfortable, in a way. Fast forward to my sophomore year at LSU: what the heck was I thinking back then? LSU is where I was meant to be. I love my major, I love my sorority, and I even have a job I love here in Baton Rouge. Things really do work out. You’ve gotta try and take the losses with a grain of salt and turn them into wins.
  16. Shoes make the outfit. An extensive collection will aid you in any situation. Also find a roomie who shares your shoe size, you’ll practically triple your collection (thank you, CQ)!
  17. Mascara is life changing. If I could use one product, I think mascara would have to be it. It opens up your eyes and makes you look awake (something I can always use). But really, I just love the look of some long and lush lashes!!
  18. Your family makes for the best besties. No really. I literally call my Mom almost everyday. She is my support system and she’s always got great advice for me (and I have fashion advice for her). My Dad is always encouraging me to shoot for the stars; I def take after him with all of these computer skills and that never shut up thing I’ve got going on. My twin sister is always there for me to send some funny Facebook post to, or a random old picture of us when we were kids (we love to laugh).
  19. I am desperate to travel. Dang y’all, I swear I never leave the state of Louisiana. Eventually I need to see the world. Fingers crossed when I graduate I’ll finally be able to go to Europe (I’ve never been out the country.. lame I know)!!
  20. I love fashion. Always have, always will. I started to dress myself as soon as I could walk. As a little girl, I always dreamt of becoming a famous fashion designer, or just working in the fashion industry. That dream stuck with me all throughout school and followed me into college where I now study Fashion Merchandising. Going where my passion was gives me so much drive. I am so willing to put in the work I need to get me going! LGIP was a jump in the right direction!

DANG CAN’T BELIEVE I MADE IT THIS FAR!! But really.

Cheers to 20 years, and another 20 more just as great (or even better)!!

Y’all da best.

madison-bronze-foil

Chin up, buttercup!

Posted in Lifestyle
on 01/18/2017

I sat down to type my post for tonight and guess what happened… nothing.

chin up, buttercup!

Ya heard me, literally nothing. SO instead of what I had originally planned to post for tonight, I thought I would leave y’all with some mid-week motivation #humpdaaay. Here’s a personal favorite quote of mine from JFK (the most beautiful president to ever live).

Failing has always been one of my most gigantic fears. Being a perfectionist doesn’t help much either. In a way, I think that’s what held me back tonight. Putting out a post that’s not my finest work puts a bad taste in my mouth. It’s seriously such a nerve-wracking experience to put yourself out there for people to read. There’s a mental hurdle ya gotta jump over sometimes, and tonight was not that night for me.

Here’s what I got for ya. Hopefully next week, I’ll be back in action with some realll LGIP stuff.

Cheers to finishing this week strong! Y’all got this! #getshitdone

madison-bronze-foil

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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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)!

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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)!

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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.

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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?

madison-bronze-foil