Valentine’s Day Gift Guide For Her

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Happy Friday! I’m so glad it’s finally the weekend, I have been so tired this week! What are your plans for the weekend? My boyfriend and I are going to the St. Louis Auto Show! We are going to check out all the new cars, hoping to eventually get a new one. My car is so old, she’s not going to last much longer! Follow me on Snapchat (valzors), I will be posting on there while I am looking at some of my favorite cars.

Isn’t it crazy how fast this year is going already? I can’t believe Valentine’s Day is only a few weeks away! To save you from doing any last minute shopping, I created a gift guide that’s perfect to give any lady in your life. If you have a boyfriend or husband that has no idea what to get you, just send him the link to this, haha! 😉

The prices on this list range from $18-$350 to fit every price point. My boyfriend bought me that Graphic Image planner for my birthday, and I’m absolutely in love with it! Not only is it chic, but it helps me organize my time. Also, how adorable are those Kate Spade heels!? They are a bit pricey, but so cute!

What is your favorite gift you have ever received for Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Valerie

Everyday Makeup Routine

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Happy Wednesday! It is so warm outside today! I actually have the door and windows open, can’t beat that random 60 degree warm front. But, starting tomorrow night we are getting an ice storm for almost 3 days straight (that’s St. Louis weather for ya). Time to stock up on food and movies! What are a few good movies you have watched lately? Let me know, so I know what to rent tomorrow before the storm hits ;).

Today I’m sharing my everyday makeup routine. Since my full time job is extremely laid back (we can wear sweatpants to work, no joke), I don’t tend to get too crazy with my makeup during the week. I usually go for a more natural look. Also before I start, most of these products are for oily skin. So what works for me, might not work for you. The brushes I use are from Sonia Kashuk. I have the holiday collection from last year, but you can find this years HERE. Let’s get started!

Face:

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Primer: I’m pretty sure I have tried every primer out there. I always end up coming back to the NYX Photo-Loving Primer. Not only does it keep my face from getting oily fast, it also holds my makeup in place so it doesn’t crease. Also, since I have oily skin, I don’t apply moisturizer in the morning, only at night before I go to bed, otherwise my face would look super greasy.

Foundation: Since I have oily skin, I try to go for a lighter foundation, but one that also offers coverage to cover my acne. Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream takes the cake! It is honestly better than any other liquid foundation I have ever used. I blend it in with my beauty blender.

Concealer: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye covers any imperfections you may have, especially those pesky dark circles under your eyes! I usually only apply this if I notice I have a pimple, otherwise I can go without. I got this in my Ipsy Glam Bag awhile back and fell in love. A little bit goes a long way with this stuff, the travel size has lasted me almost a year.

Contour: I love the ELF Bronzer Palette. It has every color you will ever need throughout the seasons. I usually apply a little to my forehead, nose, and under my cheekbones. I apply it with the ELF Contour Brush. If I’m in a rush before work, I usually skip this.

Powder: I tend to have very large pores, so I use the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pore Micro-powder. He helps keep my face matte throughout the day while also minimizing my large pores. I usually apply it with my ELF Kabuki Brush.

Blush: One of my favorite blushes is the Milani Rose Powder Blush. Not only does it have cute packaging, but the colors are perfect for my skin tone!

Eyes and Lips: 

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Mascara: I love the Too Faced Better Than Sex waterproof mascara. I have pretty long lashes, they just don’t have as much volume as I would like. This mascara really helps with that! If I have enough time in the morning, I apply the L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Primer before my mascara. Using this combination makes it look like you have either lash extensions or fake lashes! I will have a blog post dedicated to my favorite lash products in a couple weeks.

Eyeliner: Depending how I feel that day, I either add a little bit of black eyeliner along the my bottom lashes, or I will do a little cat eye. I love using the Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner for both. It usually lasts awhile for me, and is fairly easy to apply!

Brows: I usually just fill in my eyebrows a little, and I love using the It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil to do this. It fits any brow color, just push a little harder for a darker color.

Eyeshadow: For work I usually don’t wear eyeshadow. Since I wear contacts, I tend to rub my eyes (I stare at a computer screen all day) a lot and it just gets smeared. But when I go out on the weekends, I always do. I love this eyeshadow palette from ELF if you are on a budget. I also love all of the Urban Decay Palettes (see my Gwen Palette review here) and Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette (I will be having a review of this one very soon!). Before I apply my eyeshadow, I always use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion to hold it in place and prevent creasing.

Lips: I love wearing nude pink colors. Right now one that I have been wearing constantly is the Too Faced Melted in Peony.

This routine usually takes me about 10 minutes each morning. If I have a little extra time, then it usually takes another 5 minutes to add the contour and eyeshadow. But keep in mind that I get up at 4:45am for work (I’ve been doing this for about 5 years now, and you never really get used to it!), so usually something like this might take someone way less time than me this early in the morning, haha!

What products are in your everyday makeup routine? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Valerie

Outerwear Under $100

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Happy Sunday! Are you watching the Golden Globes right now? That opening with Jimmy Fallon was so great! I usually watch the red carpet (I love seeing all of the beautiful dresses!), then end up just watching Netflix. I’m more into the Oscars and Grammys. A post that I am planning in a few weeks will show you how to throw the best awards show viewing party! So keep an eye out for that post. I hope that Stranger Things wins a few Golden Globes though! My boyfriend and I loved that show so much that we finished the entire season in a couple days. I hope the second season comes out really soon!

Since the weather has been SUPER cold all over the country, I decided to round up some of my favorite outerwear items to keep you warm. All of these are under $100 (just in case one of your resolutions is to save money 😉 ). Right now a huge trend are beanies with pom poms! My bestie got me the cutest one for Christmas, and it keeps my head so warm! The one I tagged above is very similar, but it’s under $9! I’m also obsessed with that leopard beanie, it is on my wishlist.

One item I really need to get is a coat to wear when it rains. This trench coat from Nordstrom is perfect for that. It’s also under $80! Of course, I tagged a few of my favorite winter coats and a cute faux leather jacket that can be worn on a warmer day. You also can’t forget about scarves and gloves. This blanket scarf is almost identical to the one I wore in this post. You can wear it so many different ways!

Who do you think was best dressed on the red carpet? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Valerie

2017 Goals

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Shop The Look

Chambray Top  //  White Jeans  //  Ankle Boots  //  Crossbody Bag  //  Ring  //  Blanket Scarf

Happy 2017! I have many goals for this year. I always say goals, because when I think of resolutions, I always think of something that doesn’t last very long (like a month, if that). I also always set goals that are actually attainable, otherwise I would be super disappointed at the end of the year! Here are some of my main goals for this year:

  1. Take care of myself: This means by eating right and actually exercising. I know I need to lose a few pounds, but if I don’t set my goal to a certain number on the scale, then I won’t be disappointed. The older I get, the more I really need to take care of my body and listen to what it’s telling me. Right now I’m doing a 28 Day Challenge with Blogilates. It’s kind of like Whole30, but not as crazy. I’m really interested to see what foods affect my body. I will keep you all updated!
  2. Save money: This is something I really need to do. I tend to blow my money on things I don’t really need. This year my goal is to save up enough money to put a down payment on a new car (because mine isn’t going to last much longer!). Whenever I go to purchase something, I’m going to ask myself if this is something I really need, or if I can find something similar at a better price (especially with groceries and eating out).
  3. Blog more and be more organized: The past year I was really bad with juggling my time. I always had a goal to post new content at least 3 times a week, but time got the best of me and it ended up being more like 1 or 2 times a week. This year I got a new planner that will help me organize my time, you can see my new planner HERE! I also got a new white board for my editorial calendar! It’s so much easier than writing it on paper, because things seem to change a lot and it’s easier to erase! I will have a blog post up soon how I organize my time with my full time job, blogging, and social life.

These are my main ones for this year. Of course I have little ones like set a cleaning schedule for the house, and to attend church more. What are some of your goals? Let me know in the comments!

This outfit is one of my favorites for winter. The blanket scarf is so warm! I love wearing light colors during the winter, especially white pants. Don’t be afraid to break rules! I tagged everything above, if an item was sold out, I tagged similar items.

What type of posts would you like to see in 2017? Let me know in the comments, or shoot me an email at styledmuse@gmail.com. As always, thanks for reading! Have a great new year!

Valerie

 

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

Novel Babes Book Club Announcement

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This is more of an announcement than a blog post, but I wanted to let you all know that 22 other bloggers and myself have started a book club for our followers called Novel Babes Book Club! We have been planning this for over a month, and I’m so excited to finally announce it. The first book we are going to be reading is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. You can sign up by joining our Goodreads group HERE!

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Here is our timeline as of right now:

January 1st: Start reading (or earlier, of course!).
January 15th: Twitter/Goodreads chat about the first half of the book.
January 31st: Twitter/Goodreads chat about the last half of the book.

The Novel Babes Book Club is open to everyone! Make sure you use #NovelBabes when you post about it on social media, and make sure to invite all your friends! Don’t forget to sign up HERE.

Let me know in the comments if you plan on joining. Have a great rest of your week!

Valerie

My Hair Care Routine

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It’s Monday, y’all! Did you have a relaxing weekend? Since the past few weekends have been super busy for me, I decided to spend this weekend doing absolutely nothing (which is why this post is going up today, haha). I think I left the house once, just to grab something to eat, no joke! But, I was able to try a new face mask and hair mask and watch a bunch of Gossip Girl. This is the second time I watching it by the way…

I shared with you a few weeks ago my skin care routine, and I thought this time I would share my hair care routine with you all! Before starting, I’m going to share what type of hair I have, since a lot of these products might not work for you. I have somewhat thin, wavy, very oily, hair. My hair is also somewhat colored (I have blonde on the ends). When I was younger, I had very thick, frizzy hair. But as I got older, it seemed to thin out a bit and is not as frizzy. My hairdresser told me that every 7 years your hair and skin changes, which I have totally noticed with my own. Now, onto my favorite products!

Shampoo:
When my hair is colored, I use Kerastase Reflection Bain Chroma Captive shampoo. It really keeps your hair moisturized if it has a little damage from coloring it. It also cleans my hair really well, which is a huge plus with my oily hair. Since I do have oily hair, I have to wash it every other day, which can really dry the ends of my hair out, and this shampoo helps out a lot! Once a week when I need an extra cleanse from having a lot of products in my hair, I use Pantene Pro-V Weekly Deep Cleanse Purifying Shampoo.

Conditioner:
Since my hair is somewhat thin, I like to use a volumizing conditioner. What really works for me is Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Conditioner. I apply it to the middle/ends of my hair (not my scalp), twist it up with a clip and let it sit in my hair while I wash my body, then rinse out at the end.

Hair Mask:
During the winter months I like to use a hair mask at the ends of my hair to give it a little moisture. My go to is the Kerastase Reflection Masque Chroma Captive. I use this in place of my conditioner once a week. It really adds the extra moisture my hair needs during the dry months. Once a month (usually on Sundays, see my Sunday routine here), I use coconut oil in my hair, and let it set for a few hours while doing other things around the house.

Dry Shampoo:
On the days I don’t wash my hair, I use Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo (the unscented one). This stuff not only gives your hair texture, but it gets rid of all the oil in my hair. This is a lifesaver for us ladies that have oily hair!

Styling Products:
The only styling products I use are heat protectants and texture sprays. My favorite heat protectant is the TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray. I spray it on my hair before I blow dry it and it makes my hair so soft!  If my hair is feeling flat, then I spray a little bit of the Not Your Mother’s Texture Spray. It not only add a little texture, but it also acts as a light hold for when you decide to wear your hair in a messy bun :).

Hair Tools: 
My favorite hair tool is my straightener. It’s so old (I can’t tag it since I’m pretty sure it’s not made anymore), I have had it since my freshman year of high school, and it still works perfectly! I can use it on wet or dry hair (but I never use it on the wet hair setting). On the weekends when I am going to dinner or out with friends I use my ConAir curling wand, which is also a few years old. Another one of my favorite hair tools are the ribbon hair ties. I take showers and straighten on my hair in the evenings during the week, so to keep my hair from getting super frizzy and oily while I sleep, I put it in a pony tail using these. It doesn’t leave a crease in my hair, and it’s super comfortable. And they hold really well! I found these in the dollar section at Target.

Vitamins: 
To help with my thin, volume-less hair, I decided to try out vitamins that I have seen a few other bloggers rave about. I went to Target and grabbed The Olly Undeniable Beauty gummy vitamins. They taste so good! Like grapefruit. I have been using them for a couple months now and they are seriously amazing. After my first month, I noticed my eyelashes were a lot thicker. Then the next month my hair had a lot more volume! Now, I can tell my hair is growing a lot faster. I cannot recommend them enough!

What are your favorite hair products? Let me know in the comments!

Also, I’m starting a book club with some of my other favorite bloggers! The first book we are reading is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. We will start reading on January 1st, and our first Twitter chat will be on January 15th & 31st! Sign up HERE!

Valerie

The Kerastase Reflection Line was sent complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. All opinions are my own. 

Stripe Dress And Green Jacket

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Dress (similar) // Jacket (similar) // Booties // Choker // Ring // Clutch (similar) 

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