Christmas

The Best Gifts For Everyone

~ styledmuse ~ 9 Comments

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Only SIX DAYS until Christmas! Can anyone else believe that? If you are a last minute shopper (like myself), I’m rounding up some of my favorite gifts for everyone on your list. A lot of these can be delivered before Christmas, you just have to pay for expedited shipping! But, if you love something yourself, just use those gift cards you receive in your stockings ;). Also, make sure you enter for a chance to win a Soapbox bundle! (details are at the end of this post).

Soapbox Soaps:
I know I rave about this company all the time (they truly are the best, and the only products I have in my bathroom right now), but you really can’t pass up giving a gift that gives back. For each item you purchase, they donate a bar of soap to those in need. The bundles can get gifted to anyone on your list, including men! Use code bestgift17styledmuse to get 10% off your entire purchase!

Maria Shireen:
My favorite bracelet that hides your hair tie! There are so many designs and hair tie colors to choose from. Perfect for your mom, sister, or bestie. Use code FTW20 for 20% off your entire purchase!

Rachel’s Grove:
This is seriously the cutest boutique in St. Louis (but they also have a website)! I visited them for the first time at the beginning of this year, and found this wristlet that I use everytime I go out! They are sold out of it, but I’m in love with this velvet crossbody! 

Boho Betty:
I have a few of these wrap bracelets and I wear them all the time. This one is my favorite and is currently on my wish list! Use code STYLEDMUSE to get 20% off your entire purchase!

JustFab:
Lately, this is the only place I have been buying shoes from. Your first style is only $10 when you sign up!

Mala Prayer:
Mala Prayer has gorgeous handmade necklaces! You can see me wearing mine in this post HERE. Also, each purchase you make goes towards women entrepreneurs to help invest in their businesses! Use code VALERIEHELTON20 for 20% off your entire purchase!

WallsNeedLove:
For the person who loves decorating their home! WallsNeedLove is a company that makes removable wallpaper! I have the cutest banana leaf wallpaper by them, and I’m so excited to put it above my vanity!

Young Living Essential Oils:
I use essential oils for everything. Not only do they smell amazing, but they are free of harmful chemicals. You can use them for everything from stress and headaches to beauty and cleaning products! You can order your own essential oils by using the link above! I will have a lot of essential oil tutorials in the new year, so keep an eye out!

Ruth & Philomena:
The sweatshirt I’m wearing in the photos above are from this boutique! They have gifts for anyone on your christmas list! You can use code NEWFREE to get free shipping on your order!

Kohl’s & Ulta:
When I’m not sure what to get my sister or bestites, my fall back is always makeup gift sets you can find at Ulta and Kohl’s. This Lorac lipstick gift set is my favorite, and is currently on sale for under $22!

3GIVEAWAY! Win this Soapbox Coconut Oil bundle! To win:

  1. Comment on this post telling me what the best gift you have ever received for Christmas was.
  2. Sign up for the Styled Muse newsletters! Click HERE to subscribe to new posts and giveaway updates via email!

***CONGRATS TO REBECCA NILES! YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY! Please send an email to styledmuse@gmail.com with your shipping information!***

Thanks for reading, and happy shopping!

Valerie

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Gift Guide: The Guy In Your Life

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Gift Guide

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This is my first gift guide of the season! I’m starting off with the hardest person to stop for: the guy in your life! This can include your boyfriend, dad, grandpa, father-in-law, brother, etc. I always find it easy to shop for my mom and sister, but always have the hardest time shopping for my dad (he literally has everything!)

Right now Macy’s is having a HUGE friends and family sale, so all of these items are from their website! If you use code FRIEND when checking out, you can take an extra 30% off! Some departments are excluded, and will only give you 10 or 15% off. This code is good until December 11th, so it’s the perfect time to get your Christmas shopping done!

One of my favorite items I found on Macy’s website, has to be this wallet! It holds your phone, cards, money, and also has a phone charger built in to charge your phone with! I think I’m going to get this one for my dad this year!

My boyfriend loves button down shirts. I got a few of these for him last year, and he loves them! They are comfy, but can also be dressed up a bit. He also loves anything Nike, so these shoes and hoodie are on his list this year.

This Polo cologne is my boyfriend’s dad’s favorite. He gets it for Christmas every year. I feel like cologne for a guy is always the best present. You can’t have too much cologne, and it can last him all year.

For the guy that has everything, I love the idea of getting him a travel bag (if he travels a lot), a drone (if he’s into tech stuff) or this flask and business card holder set (for the business guy that likes to have a drink every now and then 😉 ).

Click here to view my full Gift Guide for the guy in your life on Maven’s website!

Next week I will have my Christmas post up with a bunch of my favorite items that would be perfect as Christmas gifts, so keep an eye out for that! My plan was to have that up at the beginning of this week, but my dad got really sick and was in the hospital for most of the week. He’s feeling much better, but still having a few issues, so please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers!

Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!

Valerie

This post was sponsored by Macy’s and Maven. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible! 

Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet Review

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Happy Wednesday! Y’all, my birthday is tomorrow. I can’t believe I will be 26! I feel like I just turned 21 yesterday, haha. So far I don’t really have any birthday plans. It sucks when it lands during the week. Maybe I will go out this weekend or something? Who knows!

Anyways, Influenster sent me these Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet lipsticks to review. I always get so excited when Influenster sends me a beauty product to review, I love trying out new products and being able to tell you all about them! They sent me shades Four Hundred For All (the red color) and Second Skin (the pink color).

These lipsticks are said to be ultra-matte, weightless, and long lasting. I will say the product is pretty weightless. After it dries, it has a matte look to it, and I cannot feel anything on my lips, which is a huge plus for me! My biggest pet peeve is when a lipstick feels really sticky and gross, or feels like I have glue on my lips. The colors are also VERY pigmented, so a little bit goes a long way. I wore the red color on Christmas, and it truly is the perfect red lipstick. The pink is not as light as it looks, It kind of showed up like a light red on my lips, but it was a very pretty color!

The only downside is they aren’t very long lasting at all. Unfortunately, while I was eating, the product was coming off on everything my lips touched. By the time I was done eating, you could barely even see the product, it was just like a little stain. I even accidently got some on the sleeve of my sweater! Luckily a makeup wipe took it right off. When I think of liquid matte lipstick, I think long lasting and kissable.

Would I recommend them to a friend? Unfortunately, probably not. There are way better matte liquid lipsticks out there at a cheaper price point. I think Colourpop Ultra Matte lipsticks will always have a place in my heart, haha!

What are some of your favorite liquid lipsticks? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Valerie

Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets received complimentary for testing purposes thanks to Influenster. All opinions are my own! 

Christmas Outfit

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Dress: Loft (Similar)  //  Blazer: Similar  //  Shoes: Charlotte Russe  //  Clutch: Similar  //  Tights: ASOS

Merry Christmas! I am finally starting to get over my sickness. I planned to have this outfit post up a week ago, but I ended up being way too sick to shoot the photos for it. Of course the day I shot these, it was so gloomy outside!

Anyways, I picked up this dress (I tagged a similar one since the one I found in store isn’t listed online) for under $3 (yes, you read that right!) at Loft Outlet at the St. Louis Premium Outlet mall. They hosted a blogger shopping event for the holiday season. I found SO many good deals including a Kate Spade tote for under $100, Nikes for $35, and a Loft layered sweater for $20.

We were also given the chance to have a bra fitting with Jockey, and it was so great! I actually found out I was wearing the wrong bra size. Their bras aren’t your typical cup size, they run by numbers, and are kind of in a way custom fit. It is one of my new favorite bras! If you get the chance, I recommend stopping in there.

Now, on to the Christmas outfit. I always love dressing up around the holidays. I guess it’s because my full time job is so casual, I never really have an excuse to dress up. This dress is perfect for Christmas and even Valentine’s Day. Since the dress is sleeveless, I paired it with a black blazer, black tights, and my Charlotte Russe stud heels. Of course, I had to add my signature leopard clutch. I literally wear it with everything.

Have a great Christmas everyone! Also, I’m having a Christmas giveaway on my Instagram page, make sure you head over to enter!

Valerie

This post was in collaboration with St. Louis Premium Outlet Mall. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible! 

Gift Guide: Mom

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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

Gift Guide: The Guy In Your Life

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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

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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

 

 

Holiday Drinks

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Happy Monday! Is anyone else having issues with how dark it’s getting at like 5:00 now? Today I shot a few outfit photos for blog posts, and we had to rush because we were running out of sunlight! But that does mean one thing, Christmas is coming! With it being so warm lately, it’s kinda hard to get in the holiday spirit. One of my favorite ways to get in the spirit is by drinking my favorite holiday drinks! Sometimes I have a hard time finding the perfect one that everyone will like, so I’m rounding up a few of my favorites that I found on Pinterest! All of these are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years! The first half will be non-alcoholic and the second half will be alcoholic:

Non-Alcoholic: 

Hot Cocoa: This one is super simple, but always a favorite. I start out by adding hot water (you can always use milk heated up on the stove or microwave) from my Keurig to my favorite mug, then stir in a packet of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa. I top it off with Jet-Puffed Mini Peppermint Marshmallows. You can even put crunched up candy canes on top. SO good!

Christmas Morning Punch: This is a mixture of orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and ginger ale! This is perfect to drink Christmas morning while opening presents. You can even add a little champagne to make it a mimosa!

Sparkling Cranberry Pineapple Punch: This one is similar to the one above, but more for parties! I will for sure be making this at my next Christmas party!

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Cider: Pretty self explanatory, but sounds so delicious!

Salted Caramel Egg Nog: I’m not a huge egg nog fan, but this sounds so good!

Alcoholic: 

Cranberry Moscow Mule: A twist on the classic Moscow Mule, but with cranberries!

Apple Cider Moscato Sangria:  Sangria isn’t only for summer! This one is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties.

Apple Cider Mimosa: This one is only two ingredients! A win in my book.

Rudolph’s Cranberry Fizz: Not only does this sound delicious, the Rudolph marshmallows are so adorable!

Jingle Juice Holiday Punch: I think I might make this one for New Years!

Which one do you plan to try? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

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

Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

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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