Good Morning! I’m Caitlin Patton. – Morning Routine Series

by Madison
Good morning and welcome back to Vogue and a Latte! I hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July filled with loved ones and fireworks. <3
The V&L Good Morning series continues!!! I seriously love everything about this series… I can’t wait to dive into today’s blogger. Introducing Caitlin Patton! I am sure that so many of you already follow her, and if you do, I am sure that you love her! Caitlin is the gal behind the blog Sophisticaition. Her blog is filled with style and life tips that really lead to feeling GOOD about yourself. That is a blog that I can get behind. I think that it is so important to lift one another up each and every day. She is encouraging, uplifting, and so stylish!
Why I love following Caitlin: She is ALWAYS inspiring me to do something new with my blog or Instagram. She is immensely consistent with her blog and that to me deserves major props. Her style is always on point and I really appreciate the way that she genuinely engages with her followers. Here goes, let’s set the scene:
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My bedroom is a cozy little corner room of my apartment. It’s in the back, so I hear all the sounds of the city, and most importantly, thunder and rain from storms. My bed is on risers for extra storage, but it also makes it that much more of a retreat! It’s overflowing with throw pillows decked out in European shams and embroidery, and when I crawl in at night, I sink in, not wanting to be disturbed, and definitely not wanting to crawl out in the morning. (Madison here, I LOVE a good detail and this intro is everything I have ever wanted in life.)

7:30 – Wake up to my iPhone alarm. Promptly hit snooze.

7:36 – Actually get out of bed, open my blackout shades. Wash my face + brush my teeth. I use the Milky Jelly cleanser from Glossier and I swear by it! If my skin is dry, I’ll put on moisturizer (also from Glossier)

7:40 – Drudge over to my Keurig. Prepare coffee (chai tea latte on some mornings when I need an extra *oomph*). Mentally wake up.

7:45 – Drink coffee while reading + watching the news. I prefer BBC (completely unbiased compared to Fox & CNN) and then I just love Hoda, so I watch the Today Show.

8:00 – Glance at my to-do list for the day. I do it in a time block manner which really helps me visualize projects + events to see where I have free time. Figure out if anything needs to be moved around. Jot in a barre session wherever I have a couple of hours free.

8:30 – If my morning is free of calls or meetings, begin walking to Pure Barre. It takes me about 12 minutes on an average day.

9:00 – 9:50 – Get my a** kicked. Curse the day I ever hinted to my mom that I wanted to get back into barre, causing her to buy me a membership.

10:00 – Begin to walk home. Stop by the bakery down the street for a late breakfast sandwich. Text my mom, “Thanks again for the PB membership! I love it!!!” because, deep down, I do.
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There ya have it guys! The way that Caitlin starts her morning. I think it is so important to take some time for yourself and get your heart racing as well. I loved all of the details she shared! Make sure you stop by her blog here and follow her on Instagram here.
Each week I will have new morning routines for y’all! So keep heading back to V&L. 
In the meantime, stay up-to-date with my on my Instagram!

‘Til next time,Autumn in November

Good Morning! I’m Madison. ⏤ Morning Routine Series

by Madison

Hiiii babes! Thanks for jumping onto Vogue and a Latte. So glad you ended up here. 🙂

Today is the launch of a series. A series I am ECSTATIC about. I have a vision / goal  / dream / whatever of community and collaboration. It’s my favorite. There are so many bloggers that I follow who inspire me and always encourage me to think bigger and reach for my dreams. I think that bloggers coming together to help each other is KEY. We all want to be badass babes together so let’s just do it, ya know?

I was trying to figure out how to incorporate my desire for a series that highlights my favorite boss babes and shows their personalities: who they are and what they love, and how to make it easy for them to share. I want to shout out babes that I love following on Instagram and reading about on their blogs. I am also obbbssseessedddd with morning routines. I have no idea why. I love reading how empowering people start their mornings and get motivated. I also love hearing about new products and new ways of doing things. Like a full glass of H2O to start the day or a piping hot cup of joe? What’s your preference? I want to know.

So each week I will be highlighting a different one of my fave blog babes and their morning routines! Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled because there are some exciting names coming up. BUT to start off the series, I am going to share my own morning routine.

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Okay, let’s set the scene. This is my IDEAL morning. I am lucky enough to often have ideal days even on weekdays, not just weekends. Life is good, y’all.

I am normally suuuuper cozy in my bed with tons of pillows, blankets, and my pup. I love slow mornings. If that means I have to set my alarm extra early, that’s what I’ll do. I am all about being up early in the AM and heading to bed at a reasonable hour. On the weekends I love to grab drinks with friends and hang out, but if I am getting up for spin class, as I would on an ideal day, I will be in bed by 10!

6:40 – Alarm goes off and is immediately snoozed. The alarm goes off again in about 8 minutes and by then Boston is licking my face and begging me to get up and start the day. I grab my glasses and leave my phone on my nightstand to take him outside.

7:00 – Boston’s morning walk has been completed and I fix him his breakfast. While he eats, I pop a K-cup into the Keurig and drink a glass of water with a drop of lemon oil in it. I use his morning walk and breakfast time to just chill, clear my mind, and get ready for the day. I love peaceful mornings where I can be in the moment, enjoy my pup, and being without my phone or laptop for 30 minutes. After I have downed my large glass of water, I grab my coffee with dairy-free creamer in it and head upstairs to get ready.

7:30 – By now I am all decked out in workout gear and have grabbed my phone to begin engaging with and checking up on everything going on in my phone. Instagram DMs, Facebook message replies, posts, comments, all in a mornings work when your work is all from your fingertips! All of that being said, before I open up my social apps I always make sure to head on over to my Bible app, read and sit in the verse of the day, and chat with Jesus before I head into engagement.

8:00 – Time for morning products! I brush my teeth with toothpaste and a drop of orange oil for teeth whitening. I have been using the same face wash for years and I love it; it’s the Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser. It’s only $7 and it’s honestly a holy grail product for me. It gets all of my makeup off of my face in one wash. As I am learning more about the toxicity of skincare products, I am slowly switching all of my products out for non-toxic, clean products but this will be one that is hard to replace! After my morning face wash, I moisturize with my morning facial oil! I combine valor ( confidence, courage; a real boss babe oil ), frankincense, tea tree, and fractionated coconut oil. It’s light, refreshing, and makes me super glowy. I used to use a bazillion different products and now my morning facial routine is literally two steps – oils are magic.

8:30 – Spin class time! I go to Full Psycle and it is my FAVORITE. High energy, great instructors, and super convenient location. If you’re in OC or in TX, hit up a Full Psycle. I always spritz myself with my post-spin refresher that is peppermint oil mixed with water for a cooling effect and also so to help with the whole drenched in sweat situation.

9:20 – Grab a coffee or a smoothie from a shop near spin class. Grabbing breakfast / coffee after spin class is one of my favorite things. I’m not sure why… but I love it. Sometimes I will take it to go, other times I will bring my laptop and set up shop amongst the other creatives filling up the tables.

10:00 – By this time I am normally deep into my laptop and inbox. I am brainstorming blog ideas, checking out new oils that I need to add to my collection, creating content for my social media job, and outreaching to brands for Caitlyn! Often I am listening to a podcast while I work, multitasking at its finest. I would consider myself a workaholic but in the BEST way. I love what I do, every single second of it, and none of it feels like work. Truly living the dream over here.

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Well, I hope you loved diving into my morning! Every person has a different morning routine which makes me so intrigued. I love learning how people start their day because how you start your day really sets the tone and your mindset for the rest of your awake time!

Keep your eyes peeled for next weeks blogger morning routine! STOKED to share with yall. Make sure you follow along on socials to keep up with my daily life! –> @MadisonCrowley

A Day in the Life of a LA Blogging Intern

by Madison

Hi! Thanks for stopping by Vogue and a Latte <3 Would love to keep up with you on social media so shoot me a DM and we can chat like bffs.

If you have been following me for a while, thank you!!!! And also that means you know how I have moved around a bunch and have been changing up the job scene. Well, now I am now back in SoCal and have actually been loving every single second of life.

I recently have had the opportunity to become an intern for the fabulous writer and blogger, Caitlyn Chase of Caviar & Cashmere. Follow her at @CaitlynChase because she is actually the coolest, and she posts about me on her Insta 😉

I’m sure that a lot of you are wondering how I got this gig since many of you are probably bloggers. So here is some BTS action. Tbh, I don’t exactly remember how I got to her Instagram page… I think I was on the explore page or had found myself in a stalking/engagement hole and ended up on her profile because she was at an event. I started watching her story because I loved her feed and she just so happened to be talking on her Insta about looking for an intern! I was like, “Omg, what are the odds?!” I wasn’t actually looking for an internship. I had thought about it a lot but wasn’t actively searching because I wasn’t sure where to begin really. Once I saw her post that story, I was like, “YES, I want this.”

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Tabs I have open 24/7… And why I can’t let them go.

by Madison

It’s Friday Eve! Isn’t that the best feeling ever? Thanks for popping into V&L. Hope ya like it. Explore around, search some terms, read up on who I am. I am always ready to chat so DM me on Insta ( @MadisonCrowley ) if you feel like being bffs.

This was a post that I randomly thought about one night as I was closing multiple tabs before ending my work for the day night. I realized there were so many that I keep open and frequently use so I wanted to give those a shoutout. I am going to start polling about blog posts because I want to know what YOU guys want to read about. Have any questions or topics that you want me to research? Please let me know so I can write about them!

Most of these tabs are super useful!! I keep a lot open so y’all may be slightly stressed by this. BUT I have most of them “pinned” so that they don’t take up alllllll of the room on my browser.
Let’s jump in.

☆ Google Docs: I am always thinking, writing, and brainstorming so I always have a Google doc up. I categorize with a few different keywords like V&L | Brand or V&L | Blog Ideas and then if I am doing work for my internships I will do C&C | Partnerships or if I am researching a new oil I will do YL | Notes. So you get the idea. Everything in its place! And Google docs are perfect because I can be typing up a post on my computer and then have to run out the door and can finish on my phone. I love that I never have to worry about losing my work and I can always share the docs with someone if I want to collaborate or share what I have been working on.

☆ Coolors: This website is way too exciting if you are a blogger or into branding. I could spend hours on this site going through color palettes and finding new tones of blush to fawn over. You can also install a coolors plugin onto your bookmark bar and go through with a “picker” that allows you to pick the colors from your favorites brands and websites to see just what colors they are using to define their brand.

☆ Virtual Office: I always have VO up so that I can check on what my business babes are up to or look up an oil to see what it’s benefits are and what it does. I am constantly finding new Young Living products that I want to add to my home or oil collection. There is really an oil for everything and I love finding them. Virtual Office keeps track of how big my paychecks are going to be!

☆ V&L Stats: Alllllways using this! I love to see where people come to my blog from and what they click on after they get there. A lot of people use Google Analytics, I need to start using it as well. But for now, I just use the stats that come with WordPress and I devour them. I like to see what people search and what items they click because that really helps me write content that not only I like but what YOU guys like.

☆ Facebook: Let’s be real, I find myself scrolling waaaaaay too often. I normally catch myself doing it and then close FB and then go right back when I remember that there is something I need to do. FB holds all of my Bachelor groups and secret oily groups filled with my gfs who I use oils with so I am always finding inspo from them or a new recipe that I want to try, hence what always pulls me back to Facebook. I am working on sharing more of my life on FB as well, I just want to connect with you people!!!

☆ Back & forth between H+H and TSC ‘Relentless‘ post: As all of you guys know, I finally made the move to start a blog in 2016 after reading Hustle + Halcyon for the first time!!! Payton is my fave and every time I need inspo or need to remember why I started blogging I head to hers and am instantly inspired by her realness. That’s exactly what I want to be for my followers – real. No bs over here. Life can be hard and life can be wonderful. I want to share it alllll. I also fell in love with the word relentless from Lauryn Evart’s post on The Skinny Confidential. I’ve linked it here so you can read and I am writing up my own post with info on the word that moves me. It may be a long time coming since I want it to be perfect. #perfectionistbloggerprobs

☆ Canva: Being a blogger means making tonnnnns of graphics! I love making graphics and making my blog posts pop. It’s super fun for me. I make all kinds of things on Canva. Social media posts, labels, my media kit, you name it and it has probably come from Canva. I made the pic at the top of this post with Canva!

Honorable Mentions:

V&L Email / Yahoo Mail / Intern Email: Emails, emails, and more emails. Never a day where I’m not constantly checking my email. Personal, work, internship. There is always something going on!

Instagram: Engaging on Insta is SO much easier on a desktop. I like typing on my computer so much more than on my phone. I actually hate typing on my phone LOL.

Amazon: I am always popping things into my cart. Prime is life.

Nordstrom: Allllllways browsing as a blogger. And a gal who likes to window shop.

Well, there ya have it! My most frequently used / always open tabs on my browser! Hope you guys got a glimpse into my world and what I do on the daily. I am always googling and researching and looking things up so this definitely isn’t all that I use but it sums it up super well. What tabs do you always have open? AM I MISSING SOMETHING? I need to know. Share your tabs with me by commenting or whatever way you like to share.

‘Til next time,Autumn in November

The Essentials

by Madison

Hi babes! Thanks for stopping by Vogue and a Latte! This has been a highly requested post so I hope you all enjoy. Have a question? Shoot me a DM on Insta ( @MadisonCrowley ) or an email at madison@vogueandalatte.com.

Now, let’s do this.

A month ago I jumped into the oil world. I was SO hesitant because I did not believe that oils actually had power and I kinda just thought that everyone who used them was crazy or had fallen victim to annoying MLM marketing. I truly had no idea the impact that this world would have on me. My skin, my emotions, my sleep, my health, my community, and my finances… but here I am to tell you that it is not just a fad and that oils actually have power, whether I like it or not! ( Who am I kidding, I love it. )

REMINDER: I am all about transparency and honesty here on V&L – I like to keep things real. If I am bringing a topic or product to you guys, it is because I believe in it and I use it.

So, what exactly are essential oils, you ask? If you care to know the scientific info behind it, here is a blurb about what essential oils are:
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Everything you need to know about blowouts ⏤ Straight from an expert.

by Madison

Hi! So excited you decided to stop by V&L today. How ya doin? Hope you’re well and your day includes something you love.

I am sitting here with a tallll glass of ice water with a drop of lemon essential oil in it, and I am here to chat about blowouts. We all love ’em, we all need ’em, and sometimes we can’t afford ’em, which totally sucks. Honestly a picturesque morning for me starts with blowouts at Drybar and iced lattes from Nordstrom followed by wandering through the displays gathering ideas and inspo. Sounds ideal. Blowouts make me feel like a boss babe and I wanted to get all of the details on how to get the perfect blowout at home during those weeks we can’t make it to the salon.

I sat down with hairstylist Emma Weber for a trim and a blowout and asked her allll the juicy details about blowouts and what the perfect recipe for an at-home blowout is, all while sipping a venti iced caramel macchiato ( with soy of course ) and documenting the process with pics.

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What’s on my Spotify this week?

by Madison

Hi! Thanks for stopping by V&L – so happy to have ya. I am constantly listening to podcasts or playlists – my mind is always buzzing with thoughts so if I can’t work on my blog or on another project at the moment, I need something in my ears that is helping me learn or just entertaining my mind. Today I am rounding up my current playlist that I pop on in the car or on a walk with Boston. Let me know your faves!

+ Better Not – Louis the Child
+ Body – Loud Luxury
+ Feels Like Home – The Him
+ Kids – MGMT
+ Fire – Louis the Child
+ Sweater Weather – The Neighborhood
+ Line of Sight ( feat. WYNNE & Mansionaire ) – ODESZA
+ Youngblood – 5 Seconds of Summer
+ Santeria – Sublime
+ Essential Four – Soulwax
+ Youth ( feat. Khalid ) – Shawn Mendes
+ No Tears Left to Cry – Ariana Grande
+ Super Far – LANY
+ A Different Way ( with Lauv ) – DJ Snake

Some favorites I will be adding from the Billboard Music Awards last night:
+ Love Lies – Khalid with Normani
+ In My Blood – Shawn Mendes
+ Fall In Line – Demi Lovato & Christina Aguilera

I’ve linked my Spotify playlist here for listening enjoyment. My music taste is SUCH a collab of all kinds so tell me your thoughts and give me all of the recomdenations in the comments! 

‘Til next time,Autumn in November

Coachella: A need to know basis

by Madison

Thanks for stopping by Vogue and a Latte! And welcome to your inside scoop to Coachella. I decided to break the Coachella posts into 2 posts – things you need to know before going and things you need to pack before going. This post is going to highlight everything I wish that I had known before going to Coachella. That being said, even though I didn’t know these things prior to my fest experience, it was still an experience of a lifetime and I cannot WAIT to head for round 2 next year.

Seriously, if you can go, go.

PRO TIP: Tickets go on sale before the lineup is even announced. They go on sale in June/July the year before ( aka Coachella 2019 will go on sale in about 1 or 2 months ), so join the mailing list and keep an eye out for the pre-sale date! It’s the way to go. You can choose a payment plan or pay for it all at once, whatever your bank account allows. Also, you can buy two tickets at once, so to ensure that you and your friends can all go before they sell out, I would purchase two at a time and utilize Venmo for those payments. I also suggest will-call. Since I have been moving around so much, I had them shipped to one address and then I moved and they weren’t delivered and they do not reship bands. Those bands are like gold and if you lose them you are basically SOL. So will-call ensures that you don’t lose them along the way or in the mail and the process is super easy. Also, GET THE SHUTTLE PASS WITH YOUR TICKET. I cannot stress this enough. Unless you plan on camping, the shuttle pass will be priceless. Uber is a nightmare around the fest – it’s expensive and there is zero service.

Alright, I’m gonna break it down from start to finish
Coachella: A need to know basis. 

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Staying Organized and Connected with Basic Invite!

by Madison

 

Hii! Welcome back to Vogue and a Latte!

Thanks for stopping by! Today I am coming to you with the COOLEST stationary that you need to know about. They have everything you need ranging from notes for your desk, thank you cards, and unique graduation invitations or engagement announcements!

I am a gal who loves to write. (Obviously, I have a blog.) I write everything down – lists, thoughts, ideas; you name it, I have it on a pad of paper somewhere. I also love to write notes to people. Notes of encouragement, love, or just saying hi. Basic invite has made it super easy for me to write cute, personalized notes with ease.

They have tons of options, some like I have pictured here, and others that can include photos and foil, which is so cool and adds an extra nice touch to your announcements or thank you cards.

 

A couple things I think you need to know about Basic Invite:
– Foil cards are available in gold, silver, and rose gold. You can choose flat or raised foil on all of their foil designs. I am obsessed with foil and I think it gives the coolest look.
– They have an unlimited amount of colors so you can personalize your stationery and announcements! They also have TONS (40+ to be exact) of colors to choose from for the envelopes that your wedding/engagement announcements, unique graduation invitations, or college graduation thank you cards can be sent in!
– They provide samples so you can see exactly what your product is going to look like before you order the whole lot.

EXCITING NEWS! You can get 15% off of your next order using this code: 15FF51.

I will be heading to Basic Invite for all of my upcoming stationery needs. Run, don’t walk to Basic Invite for your upcoming events!!

My weekend morning routine | V&L x Wantable

by Madison

Hi babes! Welcome back to Vogue and a Latte.

Today I am bringing you my weekend morning routine thanks to Wantable, the easiest clothing delivery service for unique and trendy pieces.

I love weekends. I get to sleep in, go to workout classes, drink iced lattes, and spend quality time with my friends, exploring Atlanta and trying new places. You know what goes perfect with these plans? Versatile fitness outfits! (from Wantable, of course.)  My mornings during the weekend are one of my favorite parts because slow mornings are my jam. During the week I get up extra early just so I don’t have to rush all around in order to get to the office at a decent hour.

I normally start my mornings checking up on Instagram and making sure I didn’t miss any activity on my feed since staying engaged and up-to-date is kinda my job. I try to make sure that before I open up my phone I take Boston out and read the Bible verse of the day so that my mind is in the right place before heading over to my social feeds.

After I check up on socials and respond to any texts that I have gotten from friends over the night (west coast bff probs), I head to the kitchen to make my morning cup of coffee that often motivates me to get my butt out of bed. I love dark roast with a little bit of dairy free creamer when I am making coffee for myself. After sipping my coffee and enjoying my nice slow morning, I normally open up my computer and do a little social engaging or content planning for the week! During the weekends I try to photograph outfits for my week since I am so busy during the weekdays. I also write up blog posts or edit photos that I haven’t looked at yet.

After I have taken care of business, I get ready for a workout class! As you guys know, I am obsessed with spin class and go 4-5 times a week. On the weekends, if I can, I try to scope out a new workout spot and try it out in order to build on my series that I am releasing very shortly!! It is going to sum up all of the cool new workout spots in ATL that everyone has been dying to try. This past weekend I tried Fit 9 and I am obsessssed. Such a hard work out but so worth it.

I wash my face every morning and take my vitamins for the day before I hit the road for my workout class. Also, an interesting part of my day as a blogger is sharing my outfit. Whether it is in a post, on a story, or even a post about an outfit that I wore that weekend/earlier that week. I looooove my mirror from from Ikea for just this reason! I placed it near my window so that I can have the natural light for my pics. If you look at my Instagram (@MadisonCrowley), you will see mirror pics peppered into my feed because I truly l love this mirror.

After I get back from my workout class, I hop into a less sweaty workout outfit and plan the rest of my day! Wantable makes it SO easy to have lots of different fitness clothes that I can workout in, or just wear around for the weekend. The Wantable process is amazing and SO simple. The first step is taking the Fitness Edit quiz, which took a unique stab at figuring out what my favorite ways to workout were and what pieces I was interested in receiving in my box. I was able to specify that I really like high-waisted leggings and that the sports bras that they were going to send me needed to be extra supportive! They also have a Style Edit that allows you to take a fun quiz and give them a feel for what your style is, and they will send you 7 pieces that they think you will love.

Once you receive your box, you can try on all of the items and decide which items you want to keep! You can sign up for Wantable with 50% off of your styling fee by clicking here!

Items I got in my Wantable box:
– 2 pairs of high-waisted leggings, black and multi-color ( kept the multicolor)
– 2 super supportive sports bras, white and grey (I kept both)
– A white tank top
– A black workout top
– Good Hyouman sweatshirt

Once you’re done and ready to send the other clothes back, you pack it up in the pre-paid envelope they send you in the box and drop it off at your nearest post office! It is that easy. One. Stop. Shop.!!!

Well there yea have it guys, my weekend morning routine including the ease of not having to search through my clothes for the perfect, comfy outfit. I didn’t include the hair/face products that I use in the morning as I figure I can make another post (or even a video!) about this, when I get the chance. Thanks for reading guys!! I would love to hear your feedback on Wantable, if you try it or if you have previously tried it! As always, follow on social media for day-to-day happenings!

‘Til next time,Autumn in November