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

My Weekend At Go Blog Social

Happy Hump Day! It feels so good to be back. I know I have been MIA for awhile, but my boyfriend and I were going through a death in his family, and it was a really hard time for him, and I needed to be there. Things finally are starting to go back to normal, and I’m trying to play catch up with my blog! This week I will post a few of my most recent purchases on Instagram (so make sure you are following), and in this blog post I will tell you all about the weekend I had at Go Blog Social!

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As soon as I found out that Go Blog Social was coming to St. Louis, I knew I HAD to get tickets. Being an introvert, I was really nervous about attending by myself, so my sister tagged along. This was good for her, because she is in the process of creating her own blog.

The conference was three days long, with days 1 and 3 being before parties, brunches, etc. Saturday was the actual conference. Sadly, I was only able to make it to the actual conference on Saturday. The conference started off with everyone registering, getting our swag bags/schedule and getting breakfast. The breakfast consisted of fruit, yogurt parfaits, and a breakfast burrito bar! The potatoes were my favorite… weird, I know. All meals were catered by 23 City Blocks Catering. The conference was at Lumen Private Event Space in downtown St. Louis. This space is seriously beautiful (you can see the photos below). I am going to keep this place in mind for when I eventually get married :).

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Since my sister and I got there a little early (we wanted a good parking spot, haha!) we had plenty of time to check out the brands that were there. This was my favorite thing about the conference. Brands from every niche had a booth set up where you can talk to them about their products (even gave free stuff and coupons away!), give them your business cards and possibly discuss collabs. There was even a booth set up to create flower crowns!

There were a lot of speakers at the conference! My favorite one had to be Bianca Jade. She spoke about video, and how it attracts readers to your blog. She really inspired me to add video to my own blog! So you may see videos soon ;). You can see the rest of the speakers below on the schedule and what was discussed. Towards the end, we even had workshops where we could learn different things, like video tips!

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23 City Block Catering provided a delicious lunch! Everything from quinoa salad, buffalo cauliflower, and chicken and avocado sandwiches. Soooo good! I was starving by this time, so I wasn’t able to snap a photo of my lunch, whoops! Here are some other photos from the weekend, including what I wore, and what was in the swag bag!

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I learned so much from the conference and I’m really inspired to try new things with my blog. Pretty soon I’m going to be switching my site to a self hosted site, and adding a new theme!

I know I said I had big news to share, well here it is! The first one, I have some AWESOME collabs that will be happening in June, so keep an eye out! The second one, my boyfriend and I will be moving from our small apartment, to a house!!! I’m really excited. It will be a fixer upper, which makes it even more exciting! I have binge watched the show Fixer Upper on HGTV so many times, and now I get to have my own fixer upper! My boyfriend is also letting me take one of the smaller bedrooms and turning it into a closet/blog office! Pinterest will be my best friend over the next few months :).

Have you ever attended Go Blog Social? Let me know in the comments. Also, any tips for fixer uppers would be great, haha!

Valerie

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Little Things

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Happy Fri-yay, beauties! Hope everyone had a great week. Mother’s Day is a little over a week away, have you gotten anything for her yet? If not, I’m here to help you figure out what exactly to get your mom for Mother’s Day!

A notebook: My mom loves to write down notes for everything from doctor appointments to sermons at church. This one would be perfect for all of that while looking stylish at the same time.

Makeup: If your mom is anything like mine, she needs a makeup update! Right now I’m really loving Milani’s lipstick and blush! They finally started selling it at my Wal-Mart, and I got way to excited.

Jewelry: These Kendra Scott studs are perfect for her to wear to church and out for dinner. You can get her this jewelry tray to store all her rings, earrings, and bracelets when she’s not wearing them!

Picture frame: I feel like the perfect gift you can give your mom is a nice picture frame with a photo of you and her, or your whole family.

Perfume: This Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume smells heavenly! It’s perfect for every mom that loves a flowery scent.

Candle and bubble bath: My mom is constantly on the run. Getting her a nice bubble bath and candle can help her relax after a long day at work.

House shoes: These are probably the most adorable house shoes! The print is perfect for her to wear around during the summer. They also come in purple.

What are you getting your Mom for Mother’s Day? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

Kylie Lip Kit Review

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Happy Friyay! I decided to start your weekend off with a review of the popular Kylie Lip Kit. I managed to get my hands on this one in Koko K. Keep in mind, these sell out within 15 minutes every time they are added to the website. In order to snag one, you have to literally sit on your computer at the exact time they are posted, and hit refresh until it pops up, and quickly add it to your cart. I learned the hard way after failing the first couple times. But is it worth the hype?

The kit comes with a lip liner and matte liquid lipstick. Both are exactly the same color, so when you apply the liner, you cannot see a difference. I have worn it with and without the liner and it looks the same both times.

I really love the formula for the liquid matte lipstick! Once applied, it dries within one minute. I put this lipstick to the test by applying it in the morning to see how long it lasted after eating, drinking etc. I was actually really surprised how long it lasted! After taking a drink from a water bottle, I didn’t even have any residue left on the bottle!

The price of the Kylie Lip Kit is $29, plus you have to add $8 for shipping. To me, that price is really high. I know you are getting a lip liner and lipstick, but like I mentioned before, the lip liner is pretty pointless. If this price is not in your budget, then I suggest getting one of the Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks from Colourpop! You cannot beat a long lasting matte lip for only $6! Plus they have over 40 colors.

Overall, to me the Kylie Lip Kit is not worth the hype. Yes it lasts awhile, but you can get exactly the same thing cheaper and not have to worry about stressing to make sure you are on the website at the right time.

What did you think about the Kylie Lip Kit? Let me know in the comments! Also, let me know what you would like to see reviewed next!

Valerie

 

 

Layered Sweater

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Sweater // Jeans // Heels // Bag (similar: save) (similar: splurge) // Lips (color: Koko K) // Necklace

Happy Monday! I know I haven’t posted in a week or so, but I decided to take a week off. I worked overtime a couple days at my full time job, then went out of town over the weekend to go camping in the Illinois country side with my family. We had a blast, even though it was super chilly (like got down to 28 degrees Saturday night, chilly)! Luckily my parents had a camper that we stayed in that had a furnace (and air conditioner, fridge, stove, shower, tv, EVERYTHING). To me, it’s not camping, but it’s their home away from home. Haha! But I have to say, there’s nothing like a little getaway, relaxing by a fire and drinking wine.

With it just being the beginning of Spring, the nights tend to be really cold. This sweater has that perfect spring look, while also keeping you warm! I really love the lace layered look. It also comes in a cream color! You can pair it with a pair of jeans and heels (like I did here) or booties, or white pants and heels!

What is your favorite thing to wear during the chilly spring nights? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

Cold Shoulder Dress

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Dress // Hat // Booties (similar) // Necklace // Lips

Happy Monday! How is the time change treating everyone? I woke up this morning super tired and felt sick! Luckily after a cup of coffee I was feeling a tad better (still super sleepy!).

My favorite thing about Easter from when I was little was always picking out the perfect dress to wear to church on Easter morning. My little sister and I would get SO excited to head to the store and search for the cutest one. I still feel the same way today! I found this dress online and knew this would be the perfect dress for Easter. With the long sleeves, it would be perfect if it is warm or chilly. You can pair this dress with gray booties like I did here, or a cute pair of nude heels like these.

The exact dress is currently sold out, but you can find similar cute ones here (my fav), here, and here!

What was your favorite thing about Easter? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

 

Friday Favorites

Friday favorites

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Happy Friday! I’m starting a new theme today. Every other Friday I will be posting 5 items that I am loving right now. The other Friday’s will be saved for Insta roundups. Enjoy!

  1. Fringe Bags: Right now fringe is everything. At first I wasn’t really a fan, but it really grew on me, and now I want all the fringe bags!
  2. Kendra Scott Spring 2016 collection: If you haven’t seen this collection yet, you really need to. It’s gorgeous!
  3. Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor: Matte lips are huge right now. I found this Revlon one at Target one day (does anyone else treat themselves to a new lip color when they go to the store, or is it just me?) and fell in love! I just bought a new color today called HD Devotion and I think it’s my new fav!
  4. Essie Gel Setter Top Coat: I put this on my nails after I’m done painting them, and it makes my polish last twice as long. It really makes it seem like you have gel polish on!
  5. Stud Flats: I’m in search for the perfect flats for spring, and found these for only $15!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Valerie

How To Wear A Graphic Tee: Week 3

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Graphic Tee // White Jeans // Blazer // Necklace // Heels // Clutch (similar) // Lipstick (color: Electric Pink)

Today is the last post for the How To Wear A Graphic Tee series! Did you enjoy this series? What other series’ would you like to see? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an e-mail: styledmuse@gmail.com!

If you missed the past two weeks, you can find them here: Week 1 // Week 2

I’m sure by now you can tell that my favorite pieces to pair a graphic tee with are a blazer and cute heels. It’s the easiest way to dress up a graphic tee. With this outfit, I added a pair of white jeggings. This spring/summer, these white jeggings will be on major repeat. You can of course dress down this outfit with a pair of converse and black cardigan. The original clutch from Accessory Lane is sold out, so I linked a similar one above.

If you are not a fan of white pants, you can swap them out for a pair of joggers or black jeans.

Have a great rest of your week!

Valerie

How To Wear A Graphic Tee: Week 2

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Graphic Tee // Suede Skirt (similar) // Blazer // Necklace // Booties (similar) // Lip Color // Clutch (similar)

Happy 1st day of March! Does anyone else feel like this year is just flying by? It feels like Christmas was just yesterday! Also, please excuse my super white legs, I’m in major need of a spray tan! 🙂

This is week number 2 of How To Wear A Graphic Tee (if you missed week 1, click here). This week I am styling a graphic tee with a suede skirt (this skirt has been featured on Styled Muse before in this post). You can also wear a graphic tee with other types of skirts like this floral one or this tulle skirt. Of course, I paired this graphic tee with a blazer (love them), statement necklace, and booties. I linked everything above, but if something is sold out, then I linked similar options.

I know I have probably said this before, but graphic tees are so versatile. They can easily be dressed up or down! I always seem to find really cute ones on the Target clearance rack, which leads to me having way more than I need in my closet. Luckily, my full time job doesn’t have a dress code (most people just wear sweatpants, no joke), so I always wear them there… with yoga pants, haha!

What is your favorite way to style a graphic tee? Let me know in the comments! Also, don’t forget to sign up with your e-mail to receive post updates straight to your inbox!

Valerie