Gift Guide: Mom

December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

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Ladies, Christmas is a little over 1 week away! So crazy to think about that. I feel like this year has flown by. Sadly, this weekend I am going to start AND finish my Christmas shopping… so bad I know. Luckily there are a lot of sales going on! It’s just going to be SUPER crowded. Wish me luck! Haha. I’m going to head to a few places this morning before it gets super crowded, then again tonight with my mom. Her and I always do a little Christmas shopping together for my boyfriend and my dad. I love our little shopping dates! It usually includes Bread Co (Panera if you aren’t from St. Louis) and Starbucks.

Today I’m rounding up some of my favorite items to gift your mom on Christmas! I always try to get nice things for my parents on Christmas. Both of them were very hard working when I was little. My dad worked the midnight shift, and my mom worked 8 hours then had to take care of us after school, which included soccer practice, basketball practice, girl scouts, etc. None of them really had a break. This is a way for me to really show my appreciation towards them for everything they did for my sister and I when we were little. You can find the gift guide for your dad HERE.

One of my favorite items on this list is the MacKenzie Childs tea pot! This is perfect for my mom, she likes to collect tea pots, and this one is so cute! It reminds me of Alice In Wonderland (one of my favorite books/movies). Something my mom always loved receiving is a picture frame with a family picture. Our family doesn’t have a lot of pictures of the four of us, so this really means a lot to her.

Right now Neiman Marcus is having a friends and family sale, so you can get this Viktor & Rolf perfume (I have this and it smells amazing!) and Kendra Scott necklace for 20% off with code FRIENDME. This is the first time they are having this sale!

I really love to get my mom cozy things to help her relax after work, like this robe from Kate Spade and this Pier 1 Imports blanket! I have a faux fur blanket very similar to this, and it’s so warm and cozy! I also love giving her some of her favorite shower gels and lotions. This one from Philosophy smells so good!

What are you getting your mom for Christmas? Let me know in the comments! Happy shopping!

Valerie

Stripe Dress And Green Jacket

December 7, 2016December 7, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 10 Comments

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Happy Wednesday! It has been so cold lately, I think I’m actually going to have to dig my coat out! Lately I have been getting away with just wearing a jacket, but with the temperature being 30 or less on Thursday, I don’t think that will cut it. I bring that up because when I shot this look, it was a tad warmer, but you can still wear it during the winter! Just add black tights/leggings or OTK boots! Since it is a tad short, I always wear it to work with leggings underneath. So cute and comfy! If you need it to look a bit more business casual, you can add a blazer instead of the green jacket and a pair of heels.

You can also notice in this picture that I’m a lot tanner than what I normally am! Yes, I’m pretty pale. Well, a tanning salon where I live was having a free spray tan weekend special, so of course I had to give it a try! Yes, my first spray tan #amievenhuman? But I have to say I absolutely loved it! I think I’m going to get another one here in a week or two. But this time I will make sure I don’t wear jeans afterwards, because you can kind of tell on my calves where the jeans rubbed it off…

A little update on the blog schedule: The end of this week I will be sharing my hair care routine, and a few products that are perfect for color treated hair. Next week I’m going to have a Christmas outfit post featuring a dress I found for under $3!!! Yes, you read that right. Also, the week before Christmas I will be having giveaways for you guys! Mostly beauty related. Is there anything you would like to see in the giveaway? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great week everyone, and stay warm! As always, thanks for reading

Valerie

Gift Guide: The Guy In Your Life

November 30, 2016November 30, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 9 Comments

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Did everyone have a great Thanksgiving? What about Black Friday Shopping? I got a few things (including that super soft faux fur throw from Target I mentioned HERE), but I still have a long way to go to have my Christmas shopping done! I have gone back and forth on a few things to get my boyfriend for Christmas. One thing I know for sure I’m getting him are these Marc Anthony button down shirts. Everytime we go to Kohl’s he eyes these, but he never wants to spend the money on himself. Luckily they are on sale for under $30, so I’m going to pick a few up for him.

These are ideas you can get for any guy in your life: your boyfriend, dad, grandpa, etc. My boyfriend’s dad loves this Polo cologne. Also, how awesome is this Self Stirring Mug!? My boss at work has this and he absolutely loves it! And it actually works!

Of course, another idea everyone always loves getting are gift cards. Uber gift cards are the perfect Christmas gift. You can literally use them for any occasion, like a ride home from the airport or a night out. Go HERE to order an Uber gift card for your loved ones!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Valerie

This post was sponsored by Uber. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible!

Black Friday Sales

November 22, 2016November 24, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 2 Comments

For the past couple years, Black Friday (or Gray Thursday?) has become a tradition for my boyfriend and myself. We start out Thanksgiving morning by looking at the online deals before heading out to dinner at my parents’ house. A lot of the deals you can find online in the morning, but they seem to go pretty fast. So we get everything we can, and then will get the rest at the stores. After we finish Thanksgiving dinner at my boyfriend’s parents’ house, we head out to do a little bit of shopping. With our tight budget, this is the perfect time for us to get most of our Christmas shopping done. Last year we got about 90% of it done on Black Friday!

How we plan:

We always look through all the Black Friday ads as soon as they start coming out. We make a list of all the items we want to get, and check the times the stores are opening or their online deals start. If stores open at the same time, we try and figure out which deal is the best and are priority over the others. Since both of us are not huge fans of crowds, we usually wait until the line goes inside the store, then we will go in. I noticed last year that a lot of stores had maps that showed you where all the deals were. Make sure you get one as soon as you walk in the door, and plan your route. It’s best to have more than one person with you, because you can split up to get everything if they are on opposite sides of the store. Once you have all of your items, expect to wait in the checkout line for a while, so wear comfy shoes! Last year it was about a 30-40 minute wait at Target, and the line was all around the back of the store.

Here are a few of my favorite deals I found so far (I will update this as soon as more are released) and what time they start. I also linked all the Black Friday ads so you can view them yourself!

Kohls:
Opening 6pm Thursday. Deals are also online (time not specified)

-Get $15 Kohls Cash for every $50 you spend.
-LC Lauren Conrad select jewelry, key chains (cute poof ball ones!), and trinket trays ($6.99 each).
– 10-20% off all fragrances for men and women.
-All Nike 25% off (they literally never have Nike on sale!)
-Select boots 50-60% off.
-60% off select styles of handbags and wallets.
-60-70% off all outerwear for women.

Target:
Opening 6pm Thursday, with some deals starting early.

-Tuesday November 22nd all beauty 25% off!
-30% off ALL apparel, shoes, and accessories.
-30% off all designer fragrances.
-Faux Fur Throw ($19.99)

Old Navy:
Online now, 4pm in stores.

-50% off EVERYTHING in store and online.

Nordstrom:
Online Thursday, in Store Friday.

-Too many good deals to list!
-View the women’s deals HERE.
-View the beauty deals HERE.
-View handbags and accessories HERE.

Macy’s:
Opening 5pm Thursday. Starts online Wednesday.

-Select shoes and boots 40% off.
-Select handbags starting at $19.99.
-Urban Decay Shadow Box Palette ($18).
-A lot of beauty sets on sale, see them all HERE
-Michael Kors Top Zip Tote ($149.99).
-View all deals for women HERE.

Bath and Body Works:
Online now. Hours vary by location.

-See the VIP Tote HERE ($25 with any $30 purchase)
-Entire store and website buy 3 get 3 free.

Ulta:
Opening at 6pm Thursday, online deals start at 5pm Thursday (central time)

There are SO many deals here, that I will just name a few. Click the link above to view all of them!
-NYX Box of Goodies Advent Calendar ($24.99) (this would make a perfect gift!).
-Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potions ($10).
-Philosophy Shampoo, Shower Gel, Bubble bath ($12).
-Select Lorac eyeshadow Palettes ($18).
-20% off Clarisonic Holiday Kits.
-OGX Hair and Bath buy 1 get 1 free.

Sephora:
Online now. Hours vary by location.

-Tarte Intro to Tarte Deluxe Discover Set ($10)
-Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 2 ($25)
-Will update more once it is released.

Tarte:
Online now.

-Everything 25% off.

Kendra Scott:
Online now.

-20% off everything with code SALE20

Charlotte Russe:
Online now. Hours vary by location in store.

-Entire store $20 of less.
-Free shipping, no minimum.

Starbucks:
Online only.

-Entire website 25% off with code THANKFUL.
-$20 off $100 purchase
-Free shipping, no minimum.

Tory Burch:
Online now.

-30% off $250 or more with code THANKS.

I will update this list once more deals are released. What stores do you plan on going to? Let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie

Thanksgiving Outfit

November 17, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 7 Comments

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Dress: Similar/Similar (Under $40!) // Faux Fur Vest: Similar // Clutch: Under $30! // Boots: Similar // Bracelets: Similar/Similar

Does it even feel like next week is Thanksgiving? The end of 2016 is just flying by. Didn’t 4th of July just happen like last week? Haha! This year for Thanksgiving we are doing the usual: visiting my family and my boyfriend’s family. Which means LOTS of food. Then of course doing a little shopping afterwards. I will have a post up this weekend with some of my favorite Black Friday sales! What stores would you like to see on the list? Let me know in the comments!

It’s always hard finding an outfit that looks dressed up but comfy at the same time. But this dress fits that perfectly! It’s somewhat oversized, so you can easily hide that full belly, while also staying comfy. I absolutely love the bell sleeves on this dress. They have been a huge trend this year, and I don’t see them going away anytime soon! I paired this dress with a faux fur vest (my favorite fall item) and ankle boots. If you plan on going shopping Thanksgiving night, just grab a pair of flats to change into! If it’s going to be chilly where you are, you can always wear a pair of black tights to stay warm.

Unfortunately, most of these items sold out really fast (I literally bought those ankle boots 2 weeks ago, and they are already gone…), so I tagged similar items. Both of the dresses are under $50! The leopard clutch is an exact duplicate to mine and is under $30!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you going shopping Thanksgiving night? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie

Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

November 9, 2016November 9, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 8 Comments

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It’s that time of year! Has anyone started Christmas shopping yet? Last year I got all of my Christmas shopping done on Black Friday. It was the first time I have ever done that, and it was such a relief! I was able to spend the rest of the weekends leading up to Christmas decorating the house and spending time with family, which is really what Christmas is supposed to be about.

When I was younger, my little sister and I would always get stockings full of little items. My dad worked nights, so he would sleep in for the most part on Christmas morning. My mom would always let us open our stockings to kind of “hold us over” until my dad woke up and we could open the bigger gifts. They always picked the cutest items out, like nail polish, socks, candy. I included some of those items in the gift guide above. These are perfect gifts you can throw in a stocking for your mom, sister, friend or co-worker. All of these items are under $20!

My favorite item on that list is the gold pineapple candle. I have had my eye on it for months, but it was always out of stock! When I found out H&M finally restocked it, I knew I had to add it to this list. The Forever Red Bath and Body Works lotion is my favorite scent by them! My boyfriend got it for me for Valentine’s Day this year, and I wear it every day. A huge trend this year has been the poof ball key chains. I have three so far that I change out on my purse everyday. They are a cute accessory that any girly girl would love to add to her purse or key ring.

What was your favorite stocking stuffer when you were a kid? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

Velvet Moto Jacket

November 3, 2016November 3, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 1 Comment

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Jacket: Soft Surroundings // White Tee // Jeans // Choker Necklace (similar) // Clutch (similar) // Boots

I have lived in the St. Louis area my whole life. So when Soft Surroundings contacted me to help them celebrate the 11th birthday of their St. Louis store, I did to not hesitate to say yes! They are headquartered right here in St. Louis.

I just love the atmosphere of St. Louis. There is always something going on every weekend, most of it being free! My favorite spot is The Loop. There are so many restaurants and shops for every occasion. Lunch with friends? Go to Blueberry Hill! Girls night? Go to Moonrise! In the mood to hear music? Check out The Pageant and Delmar Hall! Pretty soon they are going to have a trolley going down The Loop, and I’m so excited to try it out!

On November 11-13th, pay a visit to the Soft Surroundings St. Louis store (at The Boulevard, across from The Galleria), to help them celebration their 11th birthday, and enjoy drinks, treats, and a complimentary make over while shopping!

Soft Surroundings sent me this Velvet Moto Jacket to give you a taste of what they have to offer. They are known for their extremely soft fabrics. This jacket is SO soft and comfortable. The velvet trend is one of my favorites this fall. I paired this jacket with an oversized white tee, jeans and booties. Of course I had to add my leopard clutch! It has become my everyday bag (leopard is a neutral in my book).

What do you love about your city? Tell me in the comments, and let me know if you are going to the birthday celebration at Soft Surroundings!

Valerie

In collaboration with Soft Surroundings. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible!

P.S.: If you are planning to move to STL, or are just wanting a new house, two of my sorority sisters just got their real estate license! Check out their website HERE.

Fall Accessories + Giveaway!

September 5, 2016September 12, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 8 Comments

Happy Monday, babes! I hope you all had a relaxing three day weekend. I seriously cannot believe how close to fall it is. This means pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. #AmIRight? Sadly it has been SO warm here, that it doesn’t even feel like fall is near. To get in the spirit, I have been doing a lot of fall shopping. I found the perfect booties, nail polish, and watch. My absolute favorite fall piece is my watch from Jord. It is high quality, and will pair perfectly with my other fall accessories. I love that it is made out of wood, it makes it so unique.

My favorite thing about them? They are from STL! I love supporting local brands. Their customer service team is also amazing. Unfortunately, when my watch showed up, it was somewhat damaged. I sent an e-mail over to them, and they responded immediately with a solution. Afraid that a watch might not fit your wrist? Well they have wrist sizing! Just print out their sizing tape measure, and they will size the watch for you!

Now, can we talk about the box it comes in? Not only is the watch high quality, but the box is as well. It is made of wood, and contains a “pillow” for your watch to rest on while you aren’t wearing it.

Want to give Jord watches a try for yourself? They are giving Styled Muse readers the chance to win a $75 gift card! ENTER HERE! ALSO! Just for entering, you get a $20 gift card (excluding the winner, of course)! How awesome is that? The giveaway ends on 9/25/2016.

Here are a few of their watches that are on my wish list:

Their watches also make perfect gifts. I plan on buying one for my boyfriend for his birthday in January (Shhh 🙂 ). Here are few I was thinking about getting him:

Which one should I get for him? Let me know in the comments!

Now, on to some other things. I know I have been super MIA lately. But, life happens I guess. My boyfriend and I have been having major car issues, and have had to work A LOT of overtime the past couple weeks. By the time I get home and cook dinner, it’s time to go to bed! But things are finally starting to come together, and I will have more time to post! Thank you all for understanding!

I hope you all have a great week! Don’t forget to enter the Jord watch giveaway HERE!

This post was sponsored by Jord Wood Watches. All opinions are my own.