Roundup time!

April 25, 2015April 28, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Hey everyone! Sorry for being so absent this week. A lot has been going on including my little sisters prom, job interviews, etc. I have quite a few Instagram photos to round up for you guys! I will also post the code on how to get your first month free with Rocksbox again!

Now on to the Instagram roundup!

Sandals // Necklace (linked similar)
The clutch is sold out, but I found a similar one on sale for under $12!

Top (sold out, linked similar) // Cardigan // Necklace (sold out, linked similar) // Shoes

The watch and bracelets I actually received for hosting a Premier Design jewelry party. My consultant is linked HERE if you want to see her page or order anything!

Shirt (linked similar) // Jeans // Shoes

Sooo, can we talk about the Lilly for Target madness? I mean, did anyone expect it to be this crazy? I remember Sunday morning I was looking at everything online thinking “well, I guess I can just go to Target later and look at everything” boy was I wrong. I should have just bought it online while it was in stock! I did end up with a few items, but of course everything I had my eye on was sold out. If you were able to get there in time, tag me in your photos, I would love to see what you found!

I bought these earrings and necklace from the Metal Marvels flash sale! They have the cutest jewelry at an affordable price! Their website is linked HERE if you would like to go take a look!

Now, on to Rocksbox. I know I had a whole post completely dedicated to Rockbox, but I just wanted everyone to take advantage of the free month promo code! When signing up use code VALERIEBFF89 and your first month will be completely free. Don’t know what Rocksbox is? See my previous post linked HERE!

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

XoXo Valerie

Rocksbox

April 15, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ 1 Comment

I decided to give Rocksbox a try after seeing other bloggers post about how great it is. For those of you that don’t know what Rocksbox is, it’s a monthly subscription of $19 a month. You receive 3 pieces of designer jewelry that you can wear as much and long as you want, then send back to get new pieces. If you fall in love with them, you have the option to buy one or all at a discounted price. Each month Rocksbox gives you $10 to spend on jewelry.

Each box contains $200 in designer jewelry and shipping is free both ways! I mean, how awesome is that?

Today I received my first box and I’m excited to share it with you all! Want to try out Rocksbox for yourself? Use promo code VALERIEBFF89 to get your first month FREE!

Here is what I received in today’s Rocksbox:

House of Harlow 1960 Aztec Bangle in teal

Charlene K Gold Circle Chain Necklace

Gorjana Olympia Studs

I’m excited to wear all of these pieces! I will be posting outfits with them throughout the week, so make sure you check back to see them.

And don’t forget, get your first month with Rocksbox FREE when you use promo code VALERIEBFF89

Click Here to go to Rocksbox’s website

XoXo Valerie

Spring Shirt

April 13, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

I found this shirt one day searching through Forever 21’s website on clearance, and decided to buy it because I just could not pass up the price. Sometimes I debate on buying shirts like this online because the pictures of the detail on the shirt look different on their website than what it really is. But when I received this shirt, it was definitely better than what I had expected. The lace detail on the top was perfect for spring.

The shirt itself is a tank, so I like to wear a cardigan over top of it for cooler spring days. The look is complete with jeans and booties (or spring heels!).

Sadly, this shirt is no longer on Forever 21’s website, but I linked a few similar ones I found on their website that are just as cute! I also found one on another website that is a bit more pricey, but has a lot of crochet detail.

Shirt 1 // Shirt 2 // Shirt 3 // Shirt 4 // Jeans // Cardigan // Booties

Hope everyone has a great week!

XoXo Valerie

Weekly Round-up

April 11, 2015April 11, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Weekend! Hope everyone had a great week!

Every week (on Friday or Saturday) I will be posting a weekly round-up of all the outfits and Instagram photos I post throughout the week that will include links to where you can buy all of the pieces in the photos. Especially those outfit of the day photos I post on Instagram that aren’t included in a blog post.

The photos are in order from when they were posted:

Scarf (linked similar)// Blue Dress // Lipstick

Earrings // Top

Tee (linked similar) // Chambray // Shoes // Bag // Necklace (linked similar)

Shorts // Shirt // Shoes // Clutch // Necklace (linked similar)

Sea Urchin // Planner // Necklace (linked similar)

Hat // Shoes // Chambray // Yoga Pants // Necklace // Tee

I hope everyone enjoyed Styled Muse’s first week! What would you like to see more of? Let me know in the comments!

XoXo Valerie

Opening Day

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Since Monday is the home opener for the St. Louis Cardinals, and I am a HUGE Cardinal’s fan (like, I’m not even joking), I decided to post an outfit for opening day!

My ideal outfit for any baseball game is comfortable and sporty. Yoga pants, a plain or printed tee (or jersey. of course), Converse and a cute ball cap are perfect for opening day.

Pieces linked here (some are old, so I linked similar):
Yoga pants // Tee // Chambray // Necklace // Shoes // Cap

Happy Opening Day!

XoXo Valerie

P.S.: Want to get updates on new posts sent right to your inbox? Enter your e-mail address in the box on the right to subscribe! >>>>

DIY Painted Letter

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Lately I have been trying to re-decorate my apartment. But since I’m on a budget, a lot of it has been DIY projects.

My parents bought me white floating shelves for Christmas that I really need to fill up. So I decided to paint an H (my boyfriend and I both have last names that start with H, lucky right?) to put on them! This DIY project is SUPER easy and also fun to do, and it was all under $10!

Things you will need:
– Letter of your choice (I found mine at Target, but they also have them at Michael’s)
– Acrylic paint, color of your choice (I used a gray/silver color to match my living room)
– Paint brushes
– Ribbon, print or color of your choice (I chose a burlap one I found at Target)

First, you are going to paint your letter with the acrylic paint that you chose. For me, it took 2 coats of paint, but it just depends on the color you choose.

Once your paint is dry (usually it takes over night to dry), take your ribbon and tie it onto your letter the way you want. Since my ribbon was too thick, I decided to cut it in half before tying it onto my letter.

Above is a picture of my letter completed and my ribbon tied in half!

Above are pictures of how I placed my letter H on my floating shelves.

Do you guys like DIY projects? Let me know in the comments if you would like to see more! Also, if you make a painted letter, tag me in it so I can see it!

XoXo Valerie

Spring Shorts

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Tuesday! Hope you all are having a great week so far.

As I was skimming through the racks one weekend at Ross, looking for the perfect dress for my bestie’s birthday celebration, I came across these lace shorts. Let’s just say that falling in love with them is an understatement.

These shorts are perfect for those warm spring days (It is FINALLY starting to get warm here in St. Louis). You can dress these shorts up with a cute pair of heels and statement necklace, or dress them down with a graphic tee and converse (I was going to wear this to the zoo yesterday, but mother nature decided to bring a cold front through St. Louis instead).

I linked all pieces of this outfit below. Some of them are kind of old, so I linked similar ones.

Shorts: Linked Here
Shirt: Linked Here
Heels: Linked Here
Necklace: Linked Here
Clutch: Linked Here

XoXo Valerie

Welcome!

April 6, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to my new blog, Styled Muse!

Styled Muse is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog for young women where they can find affordable fashion and keep up to date on the latest trends.

The Styled Muse girl is in college or a recent college grad, making the transition into the real world. She loves fashion but is on a budget.

Here on Styled Muse, I will be posting some of my favorite outfits, reviews of certain products, a few DIY projects and beauty techniques. I will also be having giveaways every now and then, so make sure you are following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe to Styled Muse by entering your e-mail address in the column on the right hand side. >>>>

Now, I’m sure you would like to know a little bit about the girl behind the computer. Well, my name is Valerie

I currently live in Granite City, IL, about 15 minutes from St. Louis, MO. I am a contractor for Ancestry.com, a photographer for my own business Valerie Helton Photography and of course the brains behind Styled Muse!

I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography and a certificate in Entrepreneurship from Webster University.

In my free time I love watching movies, getting coffee with friends and shopping!

A few things about Me:
-Addicted to coffee & Target
-Animal lover (including my cat, Mya)
-Loves top knots, half buns, bow buns and winged eyeliner (or cat eye)
-Always wearing a statement necklace or earrings
-Could watch The Hills 24/7

Have any questions? Just e-mail me at styledmuse@gmail.com or follow me on social media!

Instagram: @valeriehelton
Facebook: Styled Muse
Twitter: @ValHelton

XoXo Valerie

Outfit details:
-Earrings are old, but linked similar ones here
–Top is also old, but linked similar ones here and here