Oversized Sweater

February 2, 2016February 1, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Sweater // Jeans // Booties (similar) // Necklace // Tote // Lipstick (color is Seesaw) // Polish

Happy Tuesday! Is everyone needing coffee today? I know I am. First of all, I was FINALLY able to take outfit photos! The weather in STL has been crazy, and didn’t make for very good photo shoot weather, until this past weekend! It was 60 degrees! Second, I apologize for the quality of these photos (I promise they were taken with my DSLR!). Sadly, my computer crashed (we think the hard drive is fried 😦 ) and my uncle is in the process of trying to save it. So in the mean time, I have to use my boyfriends laptop, which doesn’t have Photoshop, which means I have to use the photo editing software on my phone, and from them being e-mailed back and forth so many times, the quality goes down. So please bear with me until I get my laptop back. If you know of any free editing software, please let me know!

Anyways, this winter I have been all about oversized sweaters. They are the perfect winter staple that you can dress up or down. I found this one for under $14 on the Target clearance rack! This one can be worn off the shoulder (my fav) or normally. Since it’s not online, I listed a similar one above that’s on sale for under $20. I love wearing a statement necklace and a pair of booties with mine. Everything is tagged above. If something is sold out, I tagged a similar item.

Also… what do you think of my hair? I may have chopped it off over the weekend 🙂 . I have been letting my hair grow for so long, and needed a little bit of a change! But now, my hair feels so much healthier, has a lot of volume, and takes way less time to style! So far I love it 🙂 .

Have a great week!

XoXo Valerie

P.S.: What did you think of The Bachelor last night? Let me know in the comments!

What’s In My Bag: Small Edition

January 25, 2016January 25, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ 1 Comment

Happy Monday, loves! I hope everyone had a great weekend. And what about that Patriots v. Broncos football game yesterday!? Go Broncos!

Haha anyways, every wonder what you should keep in a small bag when you are out to dinner or for a few drinks with the girls? Well I’m about to help you out!

Small bag: first of all, it’s best to carry a small bag around with you when you are just going to dinner or a few drinks. I don’t know about you guys, but it’s always hard trying to find a place to store my big bag when I’m in a small crowded bar, am I right? This bag is just the right size to hold everything I need, and isn’t too big. You can find a similar one HERE! You can find the puff ball HERE.
Wallet: to fit my small bag, I usually only carry around a small one that holds my most important cards and cash. I love this one from target.
A few obvious things would be my sunglasses (I can’t go anywhere without them), keys (similar key chain HERE), and breath mints or gum.
Hand lotion: during the winter months, my hands are always super dry, so I like to carry a small thing of hand lotion everywhere I go. This one is the perfect size and works great!
Lip moisturizer: I have the same problem with my lips as I do my hands, they get super dry! So I keep 2 different types of moisturizer with me this one I use to moisturize my lips if I want a tint to it. And this one for just a normal moisturizer.
Lip color: Whatever lipstick or lip gloss I decided to apply, I always carry with me for touch ups. I love this matte liquid lipstick from Colourpop!
The last thing I carry with me is my Blur Perfecter from YSL. Whenever my face gets oily, I apply this over my makeup to get rid of the shine. There is also a mirror in it, so I can also use it as a compact!

If you are carrying a smaller bag than this, you can get rid of the lip moisturizer and hand lotion (I can just get a little OCD about applying moisturizer in the winter months! 🙂 )

What do you like to carry in your small bag when you go out? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe for updates on new posts!

XoXo Valerie

Instagram Recap

January 22, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Fridaaaaaay! I know it has been awhile since I have done a recap of my Instagram photos, so I figured today would be the perfect day to do it. I linked where you can find everything in each photo. Some pieces were sold out, so I tagged similar ones.

Sweater // Scarf (similar) // Clutch (similar) // Jeans // Boots (similar)

Make up Brushes // Faux Fur Stool (similar)

Necklace (similar)

Sweater // Polish

Blanc // Ladylike // Butter Please (similar)

Lipstick // Mascara // Primer // Blur Perfecter // Polishes are tagged above

If there was anything that I missed, please let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on new posts.

Have a great weekend!

XoXo Valerie

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: Your BFF

January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

vday bff

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12

Happy Wednesday! Ever since I was little, I loved giving my BFFs a little gift for Valentine’s Day, whether it was just a card and candy, or a nice pair of earrings. To help you figure out what to give your BFF, I created this gift guide. All items are under $50! I mean, you can’t go wrong with a pizza tee that says “Take a pizza my heart”, am I right? Adorable.

Every Wednesday up until Valentine’s Day, I will be posting these little gift guides to help you find the perfect gift for everyone from your mom to your boyfriend, so make sure you subscribe to stay updated on new posts.

What do you give your BFF on Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments!

XoXo Valerie

Kerastase Resistance Therapiste

November 4, 2015November 3, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Wednesday, loves! I know it’s been awhile since I have posted anything on here, and I wanted to explain a little bit why. I have been extremely uninspired. I think it’s because I see all of these other blogs growing and getting thousands of new readers, and I feel like mine is staying in one place. I have debated about quitting this blog and giving up multiple times. But I always go back to remembering how much I loved doing it. So, fortunately, I decided to suck it up and do it anyways. Why quit something I enjoy doing? And to thank all of the readers who have stayed with me from the beginning, I will be having a giveaway soon. What would you like to see in the giveaway? Let me know in the comments below or send me an e-mail at styledmuse@gmail.com!

Now, on to what this post was originally about, Kerastase Resistance Therapiste! I received this hair treatment complimentary thanks to Influenster. This hair treatment is for us girls who color our hair a lot and use heat on it almost everyday (very damaged and over-processed).

This is a reverse hair care treatment, meaning you use the conditioner before the shampoo (weird, I know). The conditioner (Soin Premier Therapiste) acts like a caring guaze to protect the fiber before you shampoo. It makes your hair soft with a lightweight touch. The shampoo (Bain Therapiste) has a unique jellified texture that envelopes the fiber to reduce friction. Delicate, damaged hair is revitalized, shiny, and smooth.

After using this product for only two days, I really did notice that my hair was softer, smoother, and less damaged. The only problem? It does not clean your hair whatsoever. I have super oily hair and skin, so after washing my hair with this treatment, my hair was still oily.

I have to say though, this stuff is great if your hair is super damaged, but only use it if you don’t plan on going anywhere for a couple days, or just wear your hair up in a messy bun (which is what I did).

Have you ever tried the Kerastase Resistance Therapiste? Let me know in the comments!

XoXo Valerie

YSL Rouge Pur Couture

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy to say I was chosen by Influenster to review ANOTHER YSL VoxBox! In the VoxBox this time, is 2 Rogue Pur Couture lipsticks. One red shade (09 Rose Stiletto) and one pink shade (19 Fuchsia).

According to YSL, “In one stroke, get luxurious, rich color that dresses the lips with intense hydration and antioxidant care. With its signature, couture jewel-like packaging, this lipstick symbolizes edgy style and ultimate feminine strength.”

The perfect lipstick for me is one that has vibrant color, stays on while eating and drinking, and doesn’t feel gross on my lips (I know it’s weird, I just hate that slimy feel!). So to put this lipstick really to the test, I wore it while I went out for my friend’s birthday. My color of choice was Rose Stiletto. I really love this color. Its not too light, and its not too dark. My boyfriend isn’t a fan of dark lipstick, and he said he actually liked this color (and this is the first time he has ever said anything about liking my makeup). After a night of eating a burger and drinking beer, this lipstick was still going strong! Yes, it did fade a tiny bit, but not extremely. I was really surprised! To top it off, I could barely tell I was wearing anything on my lips. They did not feel slimy whatsoever.

I highly recommend this lipstick, and I am so excited to wear Fuchsia this weekend! You can purchase the lipsticks HERE. They have so many colors!

Have you tried the YSL Rogue Pur Couture lipstick yet? What did you think?

XoXo Valerie

All products received complimentary thanks to Influenster

Necklace Layering

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Tuesday! I know I have been really MIA lately. Overtime at work is really kicking my butt (many naps were needed). SO glad to be back at this! I have a lot of fun things planned, like fall outfits, reviews of some amazing products I just received from influenster, and friday favorites! What other things would you like to see on Styled Muse? Let me know in the comments, or send me an e-mail at styledmuse@gmail.com!

One trend that I am really loving right now is necklace layering. It really adds that perfect touch to your outfit. The trick is to find one really long necklace (one that hits your mid torso) and one shorter one (a monogram necklace is perfect for this). You can even add a medium length necklace AND short length necklace.

Since your necklaces are your statement pieces, it’s best to stay with small stud earrings like I am wearing above. Otherwise, it can be a bit too much.

I have linked similar necklaces and earrings below (the ones I’m wearing were from my Rocksbox). I also tagged a few others that would be perfect for necklace layering.

Similar to ones I’m wearing: Long Necklace // Short Necklace // Earrings

Long necklaces: One // Two

Short necklaces: One // Two // Three

Monogram necklaces: One // Two // Three

Earrings: One

Have you ever tried necklace layering? Let me know in the comments!

XoXo Valerie

Naked Smoky Palette

August 31, 2015August 30, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ 2 Comments

Happy Monday, ladies! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I have to say, I was a little on the fence about the Urban Decay Smoky Palette. I was SUPER excited when I first got it in the mail (like, I was afraid to use it, and couldn’t stop looking at it).

My little sister is like a makeup genius (follow her on Instagram! @midwestbeauty15), so of course I needed to get her opinion as well. I had her come over to my place and do my makeup for me for the fall tunic photoshoot, and of course made her use the Naked Smoky Palette. She loved the colors and how pigmented it was. But the first thing she said to me was “this does not blend well at all”. I did agree with her after trying to blend it all together. But then I told her to use a different eye shadow brush, instead of the one it comes with. After that, it blended perfectly (see photos below)!

I decided to use the palette on friday, and give the brush it came with a try again. Of course, I had to same issue. My suggestion is to use your own eyeshadow brush, because other than that, I seriously love this palette. I really love the colors of the eyeshadows. Creating a smoky look is my favorite thing to do, and I love that it comes with a look book of different smoky eyes you can try yourself.

The Smoky Palette is a bit on the pricy side, but like I said before, the colors are really pigmented, so It doesn’t take much to get the color you want, which will make the palette last a really long time. It’s a great investment!

I linked the Smoky Palette HERE. I’m also linking a few eyeshadow brushes that will work perfectly with it, HERE (less expensive, one I used) and HERE (more expensive, high end).

What do you think of the Urban Decay Smoky Palette? Let me know in the comments!

XoXo Valerie

The Perfect Tunic

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ 1 Comment

Happy Monday, fashionistas! I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. Even though I’m not fully ready to say goodbye to summer, I spent this weekend doing a little fall shopping. I found the BEST deals on jeans (Target had them 40% off!). I will do a blog post on some of my favorite fall jeans later on.

Lately, I have been on the hunt for tops that would transition perfectly from summer to fall. I found this tunic during the Nordstrom anniversary sale, and thought it would be a perfect transition piece. It comes in 7 colors. Yes, SEVEN. The color I am wearing here is Ivory. I eventually would love to have the Olive color in my closet!

For summer, you can pair it with jeans (for chilly nights) like I did here, or a pair of black high waisted shorts (for the warmer days). For the fall you can wear a black blazer over it with a pair of booties (I will feature that outfit next week).

I tagged the exact tunic, jeans and heels. The clutch and bib necklace are currently sold out, so I tagged similar items:

Tunic // Jeans // Heels // Clutch // Bib Necklace

Have a great week, everyone! I will be reviewing the Naked Smoky Palette on Wednesday!

XoXo Valerie

Ultra Matte Lip

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 ~ styledmuse ~ Leave a comment

Happy Thursday, loves! Can you believe it’s almost the weekend? I have had the worst cold for the past 5 days, and am finally starting to feel better. I literally did nothing all weekend because I felt like my head was going to explode, which means I wasn’t able to shoot any outfit photos. So this week I am going to review a few of my favorite products, and show you guys some of my makeup staples! Including products that I use on a daily basis and you need to have in your makeup bag.

I have been searching for a lipstick that is “kiss proof” for a LONG time. I was beginning to lose hope, then I discovered ColourPop Cosmetics, and their new Ultra Matte Lip. This stuff is seriously amazing. I put it on yesterday at 11:00am, and after eating and drinking all day long, it was still on, vibrant as can be at 8:00pm!

The Ultra Matte Lip comes in 33 different colors. The colors I bought are Lychee (top, violet color) and Sundae (bottom, pink color). The colors I would love to have eventually are Donut, Succulent, Buds, and Koala.

Application tips:
-Exfoliate your lips before you apply the product (it will look smoother)
-Apply with a lip brush (the applicator it comes with works great, but its hard to line the outside of your lips with it)
-Have makeup wipes handy to remove (like I said, this stuff stays on, which means it won’t come off with just water)

This is a lip color I am going to start using a daily basis. Have you tried the new Ultra Matte Lip? Let me know in the comments below!

XoXo Valerie