Valentine’s Day Gift Guide For Her

valentines-day-gift-guide-1

1   //   2   //   3   //   4   //   5   //   6   //   7   //   8   //   9   //   10   //   11

Happy Friday! I’m so glad it’s finally the weekend, I have been so tired this week! What are your plans for the weekend? My boyfriend and I are going to the St. Louis Auto Show! We are going to check out all the new cars, hoping to eventually get a new one. My car is so old, she’s not going to last much longer! Follow me on Snapchat (valzors), I will be posting on there while I am looking at some of my favorite cars.

Isn’t it crazy how fast this year is going already? I can’t believe Valentine’s Day is only a few weeks away! To save you from doing any last minute shopping, I created a gift guide that’s perfect to give any lady in your life. If you have a boyfriend or husband that has no idea what to get you, just send him the link to this, haha! 😉

The prices on this list range from $18-$350 to fit every price point. My boyfriend bought me that Graphic Image planner for my birthday, and I’m absolutely in love with it! Not only is it chic, but it helps me organize my time. Also, how adorable are those Kate Spade heels!? They are a bit pricey, but so cute!

What is your favorite gift you have ever received for Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Valerie

Advertisement

Everyday Makeup Routine

4

5

3

Happy Wednesday! It is so warm outside today! I actually have the door and windows open, can’t beat that random 60 degree warm front. But, starting tomorrow night we are getting an ice storm for almost 3 days straight (that’s St. Louis weather for ya). Time to stock up on food and movies! What are a few good movies you have watched lately? Let me know, so I know what to rent tomorrow before the storm hits ;).

Today I’m sharing my everyday makeup routine. Since my full time job is extremely laid back (we can wear sweatpants to work, no joke), I don’t tend to get too crazy with my makeup during the week. I usually go for a more natural look. Also before I start, most of these products are for oily skin. So what works for me, might not work for you. The brushes I use are from Sonia Kashuk. I have the holiday collection from last year, but you can find this years HERE. Let’s get started!

Face:

1

Primer: I’m pretty sure I have tried every primer out there. I always end up coming back to the NYX Photo-Loving Primer. Not only does it keep my face from getting oily fast, it also holds my makeup in place so it doesn’t crease. Also, since I have oily skin, I don’t apply moisturizer in the morning, only at night before I go to bed, otherwise my face would look super greasy.

Foundation: Since I have oily skin, I try to go for a lighter foundation, but one that also offers coverage to cover my acne. Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream takes the cake! It is honestly better than any other liquid foundation I have ever used. I blend it in with my beauty blender.

Concealer: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye covers any imperfections you may have, especially those pesky dark circles under your eyes! I usually only apply this if I notice I have a pimple, otherwise I can go without. I got this in my Ipsy Glam Bag awhile back and fell in love. A little bit goes a long way with this stuff, the travel size has lasted me almost a year.

Contour: I love the ELF Bronzer Palette. It has every color you will ever need throughout the seasons. I usually apply a little to my forehead, nose, and under my cheekbones. I apply it with the ELF Contour Brush. If I’m in a rush before work, I usually skip this.

Powder: I tend to have very large pores, so I use the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pore Micro-powder. He helps keep my face matte throughout the day while also minimizing my large pores. I usually apply it with my ELF Kabuki Brush.

Blush: One of my favorite blushes is the Milani Rose Powder Blush. Not only does it have cute packaging, but the colors are perfect for my skin tone!

Eyes and Lips: 

2

Mascara: I love the Too Faced Better Than Sex waterproof mascara. I have pretty long lashes, they just don’t have as much volume as I would like. This mascara really helps with that! If I have enough time in the morning, I apply the L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Primer before my mascara. Using this combination makes it look like you have either lash extensions or fake lashes! I will have a blog post dedicated to my favorite lash products in a couple weeks.

Eyeliner: Depending how I feel that day, I either add a little bit of black eyeliner along the my bottom lashes, or I will do a little cat eye. I love using the Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner for both. It usually lasts awhile for me, and is fairly easy to apply!

Brows: I usually just fill in my eyebrows a little, and I love using the It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil to do this. It fits any brow color, just push a little harder for a darker color.

Eyeshadow: For work I usually don’t wear eyeshadow. Since I wear contacts, I tend to rub my eyes (I stare at a computer screen all day) a lot and it just gets smeared. But when I go out on the weekends, I always do. I love this eyeshadow palette from ELF if you are on a budget. I also love all of the Urban Decay Palettes (see my Gwen Palette review here) and Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette (I will be having a review of this one very soon!). Before I apply my eyeshadow, I always use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion to hold it in place and prevent creasing.

Lips: I love wearing nude pink colors. Right now one that I have been wearing constantly is the Too Faced Melted in Peony.

This routine usually takes me about 10 minutes each morning. If I have a little extra time, then it usually takes another 5 minutes to add the contour and eyeshadow. But keep in mind that I get up at 4:45am for work (I’ve been doing this for about 5 years now, and you never really get used to it!), so usually something like this might take someone way less time than me this early in the morning, haha!

What products are in your everyday makeup routine? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Valerie

Outerwear Under $100

outerwear

1   //   2   //   3   //   4   //   5   //   6   //   7   //   8   //   9   //   10

Happy Sunday! Are you watching the Golden Globes right now? That opening with Jimmy Fallon was so great! I usually watch the red carpet (I love seeing all of the beautiful dresses!), then end up just watching Netflix. I’m more into the Oscars and Grammys. A post that I am planning in a few weeks will show you how to throw the best awards show viewing party! So keep an eye out for that post. I hope that Stranger Things wins a few Golden Globes though! My boyfriend and I loved that show so much that we finished the entire season in a couple days. I hope the second season comes out really soon!

Since the weather has been SUPER cold all over the country, I decided to round up some of my favorite outerwear items to keep you warm. All of these are under $100 (just in case one of your resolutions is to save money 😉 ). Right now a huge trend are beanies with pom poms! My bestie got me the cutest one for Christmas, and it keeps my head so warm! The one I tagged above is very similar, but it’s under $9! I’m also obsessed with that leopard beanie, it is on my wishlist.

One item I really need to get is a coat to wear when it rains. This trench coat from Nordstrom is perfect for that. It’s also under $80! Of course, I tagged a few of my favorite winter coats and a cute faux leather jacket that can be worn on a warmer day. You also can’t forget about scarves and gloves. This blanket scarf is almost identical to the one I wore in this post. You can wear it so many different ways!

Who do you think was best dressed on the red carpet? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Valerie

2017 Goals

1

2

3

4

5

6

Shop The Look

Chambray Top  //  White Jeans  //  Ankle Boots  //  Crossbody Bag  //  Ring  //  Blanket Scarf

Happy 2017! I have many goals for this year. I always say goals, because when I think of resolutions, I always think of something that doesn’t last very long (like a month, if that). I also always set goals that are actually attainable, otherwise I would be super disappointed at the end of the year! Here are some of my main goals for this year:

  1. Take care of myself: This means by eating right and actually exercising. I know I need to lose a few pounds, but if I don’t set my goal to a certain number on the scale, then I won’t be disappointed. The older I get, the more I really need to take care of my body and listen to what it’s telling me. Right now I’m doing a 28 Day Challenge with Blogilates. It’s kind of like Whole30, but not as crazy. I’m really interested to see what foods affect my body. I will keep you all updated!
  2. Save money: This is something I really need to do. I tend to blow my money on things I don’t really need. This year my goal is to save up enough money to put a down payment on a new car (because mine isn’t going to last much longer!). Whenever I go to purchase something, I’m going to ask myself if this is something I really need, or if I can find something similar at a better price (especially with groceries and eating out).
  3. Blog more and be more organized: The past year I was really bad with juggling my time. I always had a goal to post new content at least 3 times a week, but time got the best of me and it ended up being more like 1 or 2 times a week. This year I got a new planner that will help me organize my time, you can see my new planner HERE! I also got a new white board for my editorial calendar! It’s so much easier than writing it on paper, because things seem to change a lot and it’s easier to erase! I will have a blog post up soon how I organize my time with my full time job, blogging, and social life.

These are my main ones for this year. Of course I have little ones like set a cleaning schedule for the house, and to attend church more. What are some of your goals? Let me know in the comments!

This outfit is one of my favorites for winter. The blanket scarf is so warm! I love wearing light colors during the winter, especially white pants. Don’t be afraid to break rules! I tagged everything above, if an item was sold out, I tagged similar items.

What type of posts would you like to see in 2017? Let me know in the comments, or shoot me an email at styledmuse@gmail.com. As always, thanks for reading! Have a great new year!

Valerie