Fall Inspiration

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Happy Wednesday! Does anyone else have a hard time getting into the fall spirit when it’s 90 degrees outside? In the morning we have to turn the heat on, but in the afternoon we switch the AC back on. When can I just leave the windows open and enjoy the fall breeze?

My favorite way to get in the fall spirit is by buying pumpkin coffee, fall candles (hello, Bath and Body Works!), and shopping for fall outfits. To help you get in the spirit with me, I decided to do a roundup of some of my favorite items for fall! Of course, boots will always be in style during the fall and winter months. My favorite boots to wear are the ankle booties. The open toe ones are perfect for transitioning into fall, while the over the knee boots are perfect for chilly days that you can always wear during the winter months. I pair the OTK boots with a bell sleeve dress. Bell sleeve dresses and tops are huge this fall.

One trend that won’t be going away anytime soon (and I’m so happy about!) is off the shoulder tops. This off the shoulder sweater is perfect for fall and winter. Just pair it with leather leggings or white skinnies. Blanket scarves are also back again this year! They are so warm and cozy, and are perfect to wear with any fall outfit.

A few colors that will be on trend this fall are olive and burgundy. I’ve also noticed a lot of dark nail polishes, like this dark purple “Kimono-onover” polish from Essie, and dark lip colors like this YSL lipstick in “Dark Pink”.

What are some of your favorite fall trends? Let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie

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Sephora Play Review

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Happy Thursday! Did any of you watch American Horror Story last night? Let me know what you thought! I’m excited to see what this season brings.

There are so many subscription boxes out there! Ipsy, Birchbox, Sephora play… which one do you join? I have tried SO many of these. If you are interested in Ipsy and Birchbox, see my review of them here. I decided to try out Sephora Play for a couple months. I will show you what I got in each one for July and August, and let you know what I thought.

July: 

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Contents:
1. Nest Fragrances: Citrine
2. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay
3. Ouai Wave Spray (excited to use this!)
4. Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer (not pictured, I used it all as soon as I got it! I love Smashbox primers)
5. Beautyblender Blotterazzi (so awesome!)
6. Too Faced Soleil Matte Bronzer in Chocolate

 

August:

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Contents:

1. Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in I-544
2. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
3. Clean Reserve Blonde Rose (In love with this scent! I may have to purchase the full size.)
4. Lancome Energie De Vie Smoothing & Glowing Liquid Care Moisturizer
5. Caudalie Resveratrol Eye Lifting Balm
6. Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof in Flirting Game

First of all, it was really hard to get off the waitlist for Sephora Play. I think I waited about two months before I received an e-mail, saying I was finally off the waitlist. Sephora Play is $10 a month and you get 6 samples, whereas Ipsy and Birchbox you only get 5 samples at $10 a month.

I’m not going to review every product I received (if there is a specific product you want reviewed, let me know!), otherwise this post would be extremely long! But how awesome is it that they sent a Beautyblender? The first box was well worth the $10 with that alone!

Every month, your samples come in this cute draw string bag. They are easy to reuse as a makeup bag, or a dust bag for your jewelry while traveling!

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One thing that I really love about Sephora Play is that they send you a “Playbook” that includes a list of all the items you received, plus details about each item and how to use them. Attached to the front of the book is a “Play Card” that you can take to your local Sephora to get tips from the associates and also get 50 extra points if you make a purchase!

So far I really love Sephora play. Each item I have received is something I could use everyday. If I had to chose between Ipsy, Birchbox, and Sephora Play, I think I would still choose Ipsy. Only because I get mostly makeup products from them, and they tend to send full size items. The only full size item I have received from Sephora Play is the Beautyblender (which I’m still amazed about!). But, it has only been two months, so we will see what happens next month.

Have you tried Sephora Play? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Valerie

 

 

 

 

The Estée Edit Review

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Happy Tuesday! Does anyone else think Tuesday’s are the worst days? After you spend the weekend relaxing, you are usually pretty well rested for Monday. But once Tuesday hits, you a worn out again, and realize how far away Friday is. I hate it! What always puts me in a better mood, is new makeup. Especially being able to review it. I was so excited when I found out Influenster was sending me four products from The Estée Edit, including Beam Team Hydrate + Glow, The Barest Lip Color, Pore Vanishing Stick, and Flash Illuminator. Here is what I thought:

Beam Team Hydrate + Glow:

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The Beam Team Hydrate + Glow is a double duty Illuminating Hydrating lotion with a flip cap at the end that contains a touch-on shimmer concentrate. The hydrating lotion is what I put on first, before my primer. It does a great job of hydrating your skin, while also leaving a subtle glow. I have it on in the photo above (I know it’s so hard to see it!). My face also didn’t feel greasy or oily afterwards, which is a huge plus for me! I have very oily skin, so I have to be very careful which moisturizers I use. (I will share a blog post in a few weeks, showing you my skin care routine that helps with oily skin). I used the shimmer concentrate at the very end of my makeup routine to add a little extra highlight. I have to say, it really didn’t show up very well on my face. It was a little bit of a disappointment.

Pore Vanishing Stick: 

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I had a lot of you asking me what I thought about the Pore Vanishing Stick. I tested it out for a few weeks before I decided to write this review. After applying the Beam Team Hydrate, I applied the Pore Vanishing stick on my face where I have large pores (my cheeks and nose). Keep in mind, I have VERY large pores. This product did minimize them quite a bit. The box says you can wear this alone as a primer or over makeup. Since I have very oily skin, I wore this and my regular primer at the same time, to give extra coverage. After I applied this product, I applied my Photo Loving Primer from NYX, and it almost made my pores completely disappear under my foundation. I was very impressed. I think this is my favorite product out of the four that was sent to me!

Flash Illuminator: 

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The Flash Illuminator is a high impact highlighting cream that instantly illuminates skin while providing skin care ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid. This is perfect for highlighting and strobing. I was really worried about using this, since I’m so used to powder highlighters, not cream. But this is probably my new favorite highlighter. I applied it over my foundation at the stop of my cheek bones, to give that perfect highlight. Also, keep in mind that a little bit of this product goes A LONG WAY. Which I really love, because this bottle will last you awhile! Just use a little dot, dab with you fingers, and blend with a beauty blender.

The Barest Lip Color: 

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I have to say, out of all the products I was sent, this was my least favorite. But do keep in mind, that I am VERY picky with lip products. The color has to be perfect, not a gross texture, and it NEEDS to be long lasting. I usually stick with matte liquid lipsticks. Hello, Colourpop! If you follow me on Snapchat (valzors), you saw how many lip shades I have from them, haha. I completely cleaned off my vanity and reorganized my makeup!

With this lip color, the color just did not look good with my skin tone. The box says you can apply a little for sheer coverage, or layer for full on color. But it looked the same on me both ways. I think the color was just way too dark. It also says it is a lipstick/lip balm hybrid, but I only got a lip balm vibe from it. It is also not long lasting at all, it wiped completely off with the swipe of a paper towel.

Have you tried any of the products from The Estée Edit line? Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!

Valerie

All products received complimentary for testing purposes from The Estée Edit. All opinions are my own. 

Fall Accessories + Giveaway!

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.

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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:

  1. Frankie Zebrawood & Champagne
  2. Frankie Purpleheart & Plum
  3. Fieldcrest Maple

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:

  1. Frankie Dark Sandalwood & Smoke
  2. Frankie Ebony & Gold
  3. Frankie Koa & Ash

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!

Valerie

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


Mens Wooden Watches

Swimsuit Coverup

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Coverup: Sweetest Stitch (use code STYLECOLLECTIVE to get 10% off your order!) // Beach Bag: Target // Sandals: save; splurge // Sunglasses: Free People

I spent months trying to find the perfect swimsuit coverup. I searched on Amazon (can’t pass up free 2 day shipping!), but the reviews were always so bad. They were either way off on sizing or made really cheap. I also never had any luck looking at department stores for ones I liked. It’s always the same for swimsuits as well. I guess I’m just way too picky when it comes to items like this.

But then I came across Sweetest Stitch. I fell in love with all of their sundresses and rompers. They also have a lot of great prices! Make sure you use code STYLECOLLECTIVE to save an additional 10% off your purchase. I originally ordered this black dress to wear to a BBQ (I love the stitching details on the front!), but it ended up being a tad too short for my liking, so I decided to wear it as a swimsuit coverup instead, and it worked out perfectly! It made me realize that you can literally turn any clothing item into a swimsuit coverup, whether it be a dress or an oversized t-shirt. Just because it doesn’t say “swimsuit coverup” on the tag, doesn’t mean you can’t make it one! Also, what I love about this coverup is that I can throw on a pair of  white pants or jean shorts to go to dinner right after a day at the beach, and still look put together!

Everything in linked above. I purchased the Tory Burch dups last year from Payless (one of the best sandal purchases, ever!), but they are currently sold out so I tagged similar ones.

On a different note, did anyone know that they weren’t going to show The Bachelorette on Monday night!? I went to watch it Tuesday, and realized it was a repeat! I was a little upset, why didn’t they say something last week? Oh well, I guess I have to wait another week now. Do you have a favorite yet? Let me know in the comments below! I’m still torn between a few guys.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading!

Valerie

What To Wear For 4th Of July

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Top: Nordstrom Rack; Similar // Shorts: ModCloth (similar) // Bag: Similar // Wedges: ModCloth (on sale for under $15!) // Lipstick: ColourPop (color is Creeper)

Happy 4th of July weekend! Do you have fun plans this weekend? Sadly, it is going to be raining in STL today, tomorrow, AND Monday. They are calling for 3-4 inches of rain. UM, WHAT? My plans for BBQing and swimming went out the window. Hopefully the fireworks won’t be canceled!

But if you don’t live in the STL area, and plan on going to a BBQ celebrating the 4th, I have you covered on what to wear, while also feeling festive! My favorite thing to wear to a BBQ over the summer is shorts and a tank. Since it is 4th of July weekend, I went with the red white and blue theme. Most of the items I’m wearing are sold out, so I tagged similar ones above. The wedges are currently on sale for under $15!

Another one of my favorite things to wear to a BBQ is a dress. This chambray one is perfect for 4th of July! I love how it is off the shoulder (a huge trend this summer). Just add a red or blue crossbody and wedges, and you are good to go!

Have a fun and safe weekend, everyone! Let me know what your plans are in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie

How To Make Your Perfume Last Longer

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I’m really picky when it comes to my perfume. My favorites tend to be “fresh” smelling ones. Floral scents were never at the top of my list. They also need to be long lasting. By the time I’m finished with work, I should still have the scent on me. Especially if you are paying close to $100 for a bottle, am I right?

Influenster sent me this Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf perfume, and after reading that it was a floral scent, I was a little worried. But let me tell you, this smells SO good!

In my Flowerbomb box, I was sent the Precious Oil and the Eau De Parfum. In order to get the most out of your perfume (and make it last until the end of the day), you need to follow these steps:

  1. Create a foundation with shower gel, soap, or foaming bath. If I don’t have the exact scent, I use a neutral scent (vanilla, for example).
  2. Moisturize with a neutral or unscented body lotion or body cream.
  3. Apply Flowerbomb Precious Oil to your pulse points. I like to apply it to my wrists, neck, and behind my ears.
  4. Finish with your Flowerbomb Eau De Parfum.

After following these steps, I noticed that my perfume actually lasted longer! Do you have any tips for making your perfume last longer? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Valerie

Products received complimentary thanks to Influenster. All opinions are my own. 

 

Stay Comfy With Chrissy’s Socks

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Red tube socks

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Pink Cheetah Socks // Pink Tube Socks // Red Tube Socks // Patriotic Tube Socks

Happy Friday! Do you have any plans for the weekend? Some of my favorite things to do over the weekend include hanging out with friends, going to Cardinals baseball games, and relaxing. Chrissy’s Knee High Socks helps me out with all of those. They have socks for literally EVERY occasion and are super soft and comfy. They are perfect for lounging around the house drinking coffee while catching up on magazines and shows (who is excited for Orange is the New Black!?).

One of my favorite ways to wear them would be for cheering on your favorite sports team (like I did in the photo above). Just pair them with matching shorts, team hat and jersey. You can even show your love for your favorite holiday. 4th of July is coming up! Aren’t these patriotic socks adorable?

Some other ones that are on my wish list include these donut oneswatermelon ones, and don’t forget about the ice cream pair! My favorite thing about them? They are all under $10!

Which pair is on your wish list? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great weekend everyone, and thanks for reading!

Valerie

Thanks to Chrissy’s Knee High Socks for collaborating on this post! 

Bloom VoxBox

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Happy Sunday! Is everyone having a great weekend? I spent my Saturday in St. Louis at the Cardinal’s game! It is seriously my favorite place to be. Today I am grocery shopping and getting everything organized for the work week.

I received the Bloom VoxBox complimentary from Influenster with all these amazing products! I’m going to review each one and let you all know which ones I liked and didn’t like. Keep in mind that I let you know my honest opinion about each product. If I don’t like it, you WILL know. Haha! Now on to the reviews:

Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads: These are amazing, especially for traveling. The package says you can use it for 10 fingers or toes. Well this pad is SOAKED with nail polish remover, to the point where you could do all of your fingers and toes and also your friend’s fingers and toes haha! Totally worth purchasing.

Secret Outlast Xtend Invisible Solid: I always tend to have problems with Secret deodorant. Every time I use it for long periods of time, my armpits start to itch and burn. Since this was different from the normal Secret deodorant, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I still had the same problem. I gave it to a friend, and she didn’t have any issues. I guess it just depends on the person. I will stick with my Dove deodorant.

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SinfulColors Nail Polish: Influenster sent me the blue glitter polish seen in the first photo of this post. But since I’m not super into glitter polishes, I used my Kylie Jenner collection nail polish by SinfulColors. I absolutely love this color! It’s perfect for this season. I painted my nails on Memorial Day weekend with this polish, and it still looks amazing! It is long lasting, especially when you put a top coat over it. I suggest using Essie Gel Setter top coat.

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Sunbelt Bakery Granola Bars, Oats & Honey: When I get home from my full time job, I usually work on my blog before I start cooking dinner. During this time, I’m usually in need of a snack to hold me over until dinner, which tends to be fruit or cookies, haha! I know, so healthy. After trying this granola bar, I think this will be my go to snack. It tastes so good, and is a lot better for me than cookies!

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Not Your Mother’s Plump For Joy: If you are looking to add volume to your hair, I highly suggest this. When I went camping last weekend, I took a shower and decided to put this product in my hair instead of straightening it (It’s okay, I was in a camper, not a tent, haha!). Once my hair was dry, it had SO much volume. But it was kind of uncontrollable volume, so I suggest styling it like you normally do instead of just putting the product in your hair and leaving it be.

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil: I absolutely love this stuff! If you have fly away hairs, just put a small amount into your hand and smooth them away. If you have dry skin, apply a small amount and massage into the dry area. I love how you can use it for literally everything. The downside? It’s $29 a bottle. Like, whoa. I’m sure there are similar products out there that do the same thing (coconut oil maybe?). If I come across anything, I will let y’all know.

Which of these products are you eager to try? Let me know in the comments below! As always, thanks for stopping by!

Valerie

All products received complimentary, thanks to Influenster. All opinions are my own.

Crochet Wrapped Cardigan From Stacked

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California Moonrise Cardigan: Stacked (Save 10% with code WELCOME10)// Shorts: Shoptiques // Tee: Target // Clutch: Stella & Dot // Necklace: Similar// Heels: Similar

Happy Hump Day! I’m so happy this is a short week, for some reason I have been dragging alllllll week long. I’m already on my second Red Bull. I literally thought I was going to fall asleep while working today.

Last week I showed you an easy way to save money on designer items while also making money. Well today I’m going to tell you about Stacked, another great website where you can save money on designer pieces! Stacked’s goal is to help you upgrade your wardrobe with hand-chosen pieces by top influencers quickly, conveniently and at a great price. Each influencer for the month will choose items to create an outfit, and you have the opportunity to buy the pieces individually at a discount, or buy the entire outfit at an even bigger discount. Stacked is giving all Styled Muse readers 10% off their purchase with code WELCOME10.

I chose this California Moonrise Crochet Wrapped Top from last month’s collection.I fell in love with the crochet on the back. You can wear it as a long cardigan or tied up, and pair it with a plain white (like I did) or graphic tee, or a tank during the summer months. This cardigan is perfect for wearing to work, especially when you work in a cold office like me. Haha!

If you purchase anything from Stacked, don’t forget to use discount code: WELCOME10 and tag me in your photos so I can see what you purchased.

As always, thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of your week!

Valerie