Today I'm talking all things Wood Watches by JORD -- My favorite fall accessory! This wood watch company caught my eye about a year ago, and their products have only gotten CUTER with time. If you haven't yet entered my giveaway, this is your LAST CHANCE to win $100 toward your JORD Watch! Read till the end to see you you can enter.
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12 OF MY WORST #OOTD INSTAGRAM FAILS
It's about time I confessed something to you, my dear friends and followers.
I wasn't always good at outfit posts on Instagram. In fact, I was kind of horrible.
Especially in high school, when I thought denim shirts were #hipster, it was appropriate to sometimes wear leggings under shorts and bandage skirts were a staple in my school wardrobe. (And sometimes in my church wardrobe, too? Why did I think this was okay?)
If you feel like you can't win at Instagram, don't lose heart. We all have to start somewhere, which is why I'm sharing my worst #OOTD fails below. Likes and captions included.
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SHOP THE LOOKS FROM MY BUMBLEBFF SHOOT
Is there anything better than springtime in Austin? The sky always seems to be a deeper shade of blue, the grass a more vibrant green than the months preceding. My allergies may not be a fan of the season, but I'm a spring baby and always find myself feeling renewed and re-inspired when the wildflowers start to bloom on the side of Highway 290 each year.
When I was a kid, my mom had a tradition of surprising my sister and me with new outfits come March. I would arrive home from school on a random spring afternoon to find a few new tops, bottoms or dresses strewn across my bed (normally from Old Navy or, as I became older, American Eagle) and would immediately start stripping down to my undies to try them on. Now that I'm "adulting", it's up to me to complete this tradition—something I do very willingly.
While I haven't photographed all of my spring outfits just yet, I wanted to take the time to share the outfits that were worn at the BumbleBFF shoot I modeled for at the start of the month! I had such a blast shooting with Channing Baker from The Chan Chic and Kat Kitchen who works with Kendra Scott. We teamed up together to share our spring style secrets for this post.
My Spring Chambray
A lunch break-turned shopping spree back in February led me to purchase this adorable off-the-shoulder chambray top from Francesca's. I never have much luck there (the dresses are always HUGE on me!) but decided to give it a go since their window displays were so attractive. This top immediately caught my attention—I love the details such as the ties on the sleeves and the cross stitching along the top. These white jeans are from Madewell and my shoes, of course, are Adidas.
On my favorite spring colors
I am loving periwinkle and red orange as a color combination right now. I had periwinkle shellac polish on my nails for over a month recently and got so many compliments! Red orange is such a fiery color and the two play nicely off each other. See my spring mood board here!
What styles I'm loving this spring
My favorite thing right now is cropped jeans like these from Old Navy! And of course I'm looking forward to breaking out my pom pom sandals from last summer as well. Anything bright and funky is something I will be gravitating toward this spring!
Channing's Pop of Color
This bright and eye-catching off-the-shoulder top makes heads turn as you walk through the city. The ruffles and slightly-crimped fabric add a lot of movement to the simple fit. The saturated color is enough of a statement on its own, but can also be paired with fun spring patterns for a bit of a dimensional ensemble. Channing's top is from Beehive and her tasseled heels are from Steve Madden.
On why she loves spring style:
My favorite thing about spring style is how you can play around with color and experiment with silhouettes that are too warm for the wintertime! My favorite style for spring is anything with a Bardot neckline.
On how she came across this top and why she chose to wear it:
I came across my top at my favorite place to shop in Austin (Beehive in Westlake) and chose to wear it to the shoot because I thought the bright yellow color would perfectly compliment the flowers we would be shooting with!
To see more of Channing's girly style, follow her on Instagram or check out The Chan Chic!
Kat's Relaxed City Look
I loved Kat's look because it was something I could see myself running around in on the weekends or jazzing up with heels like she did for the shoot. A little black dress will never go out of style, especially when jazzed up with a cargo vest and statement accessories. Her dress and shes were from Target (always my favorite spot for a good steal!) and the vest is BP. from Nordstrom. Her necklace and bracelet are from Kendra Scott.
On what makes an outfit perfect for springtime in Austin:
I think making an outfit perfect for springtime in Austin means finding the perfect balance between cute and comfortable. There's nothing worse than sweating and sticking in your new digs! Make sure you are choosing to buy and wear pieces that will get you through your busy Saturdays shopping on South Congress and your all day brunching on Sunday.
On what she looks for in purchasing new clothes:
I always ask myself one question: Will I get good use out of this? It's better to have a bunch of pieces you can create countless looks with than a few statement pieces that you can't get away with wearing more than a few times. Simplicity is key. It goes a long way.
To see more of Kat's colorful style and adventures working for Kendra Scott, follow her on Instagram!
All of these photographs were taken by the very talented Laura Dominguez of Laura Alexandra Photo. She had such a natural eye for locations and captured these memories perfectly! We took these photos all around West Sixth and Trader Joe's, where the industrial textures and lines were very pronounced—allowing the colorful flowers and spring outfits to really pop. If you haven't already checked out why I love Bumble, click here to read why.
Like what you see? Follow Miss Madds on Instagram!
I WORE FALSIES FOR A WEEK: HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED
Getting eyelash extensions is something I have been going back and forth about for a few months. Do I ruin my naturally long and pretty eyelashes for a synthetic product to make them look fuller on the outer edges, or keep layering on four coats of mascara every day? Friends and followers have shared horror stories about their eyelash extensions on my social media and I wasn’t sure I was ready to try them out for myself.
Instead of spending the dough and risking my God-given lashes, I decided to resort to some old friends from my years of competitive dance—drugstore falsies.
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SXSW STYLE + WHERE TO BUY
If you haven't seen my Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter AND Facebook within the past ten days, I have some exciting news for you!
I went to South By Southwest... and I had a grand old time. I met Jon Hamm, almost met James Franco, only spent about $75 on Fasten rides and even managed to score two free chicken salad sandwiches in one day (more on that later.)
There was nothing like the feeling of being surrounded by thousands of people bursting at the seams with knowledge and ideas. That energy, coupled with some killer outfits and a good book, made for my perfect version of a "festival."
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WORK WEAR: FEMININE
There's nothing more inspiring to me than a woman who is strong in her beliefs, fearless in her pursuits and gracious to those who who wrong her. I am a firm believer that women can be both tough and feminine, bold and delicate. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by women who inspire me every day with their creative minds and kind hearts and credit half the chances I take to their showing me the way.
That was my inspiration behind this outfit -- I wanted something that made me feel feminine and beautiful but commanded attention and gave me an outlet to assert my confidence.
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WORK WEAR: TAILORED
A subtle ruffle is something that can't go wrong when placed correctly and the ruffles on each shoulder of this Zara dress are no exception. I like the variation of this pattern (typically it's white with black) because it feels very warm to me. My closet is pretty monochrome in the work wear department, but this dark navy with a pop of red is something that is still subtle enough for me to wear to a place of employment.
This is one of those pieces you can just throw on and head out the door in without much fuss. You can dress it up by putting your hair in a low bun with some volume or by adding a statement necklace if need be! I am wearing it with my suede peep toe heels from Aldo, but a nice white cutout loafer or pair of nude ballet flats would go great as well.
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WORK WEAR: ARTSY
Thank God it's Monday.
Yes, I said it! I LOVE Mondays, and here's why: they're the fresh start I need every seven days. Mondays get a really bad rap (Ugh... work! School! Life! No thank you!) but they've been my favorite day for as long as I can remember.
Maybe it's because my life is in a constant state of disarray -- I have places to be, people to see and things to accomplish... oftentimes all at once -- and Mondays give me a clean slate to organize my thoughts and plan my schedule. Nothing ever really changes from Sunday to Monday (I'm always a hot mess by midweek no matter how hard I try), but it always feels like it has the potential to be different. Who knows, maybe this week will bring me something I've never imagined in my entire life! Not to mention, a new week brings seven new opportunities to put together outfits, play with makeup and (hopefully) inspire friends and followers to do the same.
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WORK WEAR: URBAN
Some things never change, like my love for wearing denim to the office.
Oh no! Denim? In the office? Sorry business majors, this post may not be for you. I've never been a business kind of girl -- despite my stint taking business classes to earn a certificate in college. Try to put me in a button down and blazer and I feel completely out of my element. I do own a few blazers, of course, but I never pair them with matching slacks or a pencil skirt. Instead of the stuffy LinkedIn business casual look, I prefer a variation that consists of a cheap and lightweight button up short sleeve shirt with a jean jacket or light colored blazer.
Can and should jean jackets be worn to the workplace? It obviously depends on the profession, but since I'm chasing a creative one (and style is a big part of that focus) I think the answer is YES -- as long as you dress it up and don't look grungy.
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MINI SKIRTS & MURA SHIRTS
If ever I've loved a piece of clothing, it's this suede skirt right here. For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you know this to be true: it matches everything, it can be worn from hot to cold and cold to warm weather, it makes me feel a lot cooler than I really am.
Which is why I am wearing it in this winter weather that is, in fact, not wintry at all!
What's up with you, Texas? Why are you so sunny and warm at the end of January? Don't you know that Punxsutawney Phil hasn't even come out of his hole to predict the end of winter yet?
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MADDY'S MUST-HAVES: JANUARY 2017
Better late than never.
My forever motto, as most of what I do is something I've been working on for ages (like this post) and then forgot about (like this post) and then eventually got around to doing (like this post.) Let's all pretend like the first month of 2017 isn't more than halfway over and I have my life together just a bit more than the next person, okay?
So here they are, my favorite products of the new year. Cheers!
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DAY AT THE MUSEUM
Visiting the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is one of my favorite things to do when I come back to Houston from Austin for breaks. They have my favorite painting, The Corn Poppy by Kees Van Dongen, on permanent display as well as James Turrell's The Light Inside tunnel. When I was a kid, I used to believe that if you fell off the runway in the tunnel, you would fall into a "fog" forever and never be able to get out!
While I may be 21 and understand now that the drop off that runway is only a few feet down, I still find the museum to be just as magical and captivating as it was all those years ago. I always make a day of it when I visit the museum, starting with a cute outfit and ending with some kind of food or coffee. Since I've been limiting my caffeine intake lately coffee wasn't on the agenda today -- but we had an amazing lunch at The Black Labrador on Montrose. I'm not a fan of authentic English dishes like fish n chips, but I did find a pretty good chicken club sandwich and french fries to satisfy my 5-year-old's palette.
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HOLIDAY OUTFIT INSPO X ZARA
I never paid much mind to Zara until I visited Spain this March and had a revelation. These pieces were making me look like a fashion girl even though I wasn’t a fashion girl and I was straight BROKE! (For the most part. Some of the pieces are a bit pricey, but I’m always able to snag what I like without going too far over my budget.)
There are two definite methods when it comes to shopping at Zara: know what you need and seek it out, or shop by collection. I find their site extremely overwhelming and if I visit without a game plan, I always end up spending way more than I intend.
Brick and mortar stores for the brand are either hit or miss and can definitely impact what you’re finding as well. Zara in the Domain Austin is a no-go -- it’s small, dark and I feel like they have the lowest-quality pieces in the store. The new Zara in Willowbrook Houston, however, is a yes. I just visited this past week with my mom and sister and was pleasantly surprised with the layout and options they offered. They were showcasing a ton of great holiday pieces that I probably would have overlooked online.
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ACCESSORIZING WITH OLD NAVY
Today, something magical happened.
I re-discovered Old Navy.
When I say I haven't been there since I was ten years old, I'm not exaggerating. I gave up on the store when I realized I could only take so many colored short sleeve shirts in my life. I never thought twice about it until today, when my friend pointed out an Old Navy store next to Ulta. I agreed to go inside and was SHOCKED at what I saw!
The sales! The Accessories! The puffy vests! It's not like the pieces are any more high-quality than I remember, nor are they unique, but they have some seriously great and seriously cheap staple pieces.
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CHAMBRAY AND CHAMPAGNE
Okay fine, it wasn't Champagne. It was a never ending supply of Moscow Mules and I was happier than I'd ever been.
I'm talking about my recent trip to Rosemary Beach for Thanksgiving, where I was able to spend time with my family, sip on some yummy drinks in the sand and -- my favorite thing! -- shoot a few new outfits with my sister. This was one of my favorite little pairings, since chambray and brown leather are two basics in my wardrobe.
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RENT IT NOW: BLACK OFF-THE-SHOULDER ANGEL SLEEVE CROP TOP
You caught me -- I bought yet another off-the-shoulder top for the fall. I don't see it getting cold any time soon in the South, so who's to blame me?
I always visit Spice Village when I'm in Waco, but am sooner leaving with a new paper product (hellloooo, Rifle Paper Co.!) than a new item of clothing. I find a lot of the clothing that can be found at Spice VIllage to be a tad overpriced and I'm not always down for the price tag that comes along with the boutique pieces. I'm pretty picky when it comes to boutiques and have a few favorites I frequent while I look past the others.
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YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
I'm a girl who likes what she likes, especially in my day-to-day style. I used to make fun of my mom for owning so many neutral colors and "being so boring" with her clothes, but as the years have progressed, my closet has come to look the same.
Give me a denim top and black jeans and I'm a happy girl.
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RENT IT NOW: WHITE ANGEL SLEEVE DRESS
This. Dress. Right. Here.
I dragged my dad to Southern Hippie with me during Dad's weekend for my sorority, per the request of my roommate. She worked at the store and I was pretty much in love with her entire closet, so I thought I would go for a little shopping spree!
This dress is by The Jetset Diaries, a bohemian brand that has tons of unique pieces. I've never purchased any of their stuff before, but I'm happy with my first dress. I had to get the sleeves tailored just a bit shorter (they were SO long I could barely use my hands!) but I love that the back is just a bit lower than the front and how just tossing it on makes me feel super chic. There are so many small details on the dress as well -- you can tell that it's well made and lots of thought went into the design.
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MADDY'S MUST-HAVES: NOVEMBER
Hey guys it's me (!!!!) here to tell you about the things I'm currently obsessed with.
From makeup to bathroom products and other cute little things that are on my radar, these are a few things I'll be keeping on hand all month.
I know that product roundups tend to get some negative attention, but I can assure you that nothing would be on here unless I absolutely loved it. I've found these products, tried them out and I'm here to tell you why they're so great (so you don't have to waste your money on stuff that doesn't rock!)
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RENT IT NOW: FAUX SUEDE CUTOUT DRESS
I can't even remember how long I've had this dress, but BOY am I glad I bought it! Suede is all the rage right now and this faux suede number is perfect for everything from game days to Thanksgiving dinners.
My favorite way to accessorize this dress is with pops of turquoise, like my turquoise Danielle earrings from Kendra Scott. This dress has a very Texan vibe to me, so when I wear it I like to accentuate that vibe with little Southern touches like that.
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