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

Designer Clothes For Less With ThredUP

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Top: ThredUP // Pants: JCPenney // Bag: Similar // Earrings: Baublebar // Heels: Charlotte Russe

Happy Fri-yay eve! Do you all have any plans this weekend for Memorial Day? My family and friends and I are all going camping this weekend. Sadly, I think it’s supposed to rain all weekend long! Hopefully it will hold off until we get back :).

Have you ever wanted designer items, but the prices were way out of your budget? Well, let me introduce you to ThredUP! ThredUP allows you to shop for items (used and new) and also sell items! I was able to get this Loft top for $20 with the tags still on it.I love this top because it’s light enough to wear during warm days (just roll up the sleeves) but also warm enough to wear while sitting around the fire on a chilly summer night.

If you sign up using this link ThredUP will give you $10 to spend on your next purchase! There are a few handbags I have my eyes on :). If you order anything from ThredUP, make sure you tag me in your photos so I can see what you purchased!

Since my boyfriend and I will be moving into a new place soon, I decided it was time to downsize my closet (don’t worry, just stuff I no longer wear!). ThredUP will for sure be a big help with this.

Have a great rest of your week, and thank you for stopping by!

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

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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

 

 

Summer Whites

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Top: Similar, Similar // Pants // Heels (similar) // Bag: Similar, Similar // Necklace (use code valeriehelton20 for 20% off!)

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was super busy! I went to two Cardinals games, and I’m going to another one tonight. Once baseball season starts, I’m either at the games or watching them on TV at my house, a friends house, or a sports bar. I absolutely love baseball, and have been a fan since I was a little kid. I can thank my dad for that for taking me to my first game when I was little :).

During the summer, my favorite clothing item to wear are my white pants. To me they just scream summer, and are perfect for dressing up or down. I love wearing white on white with pops of color! This top (originally LC Lauren Conrad at Kohl’s, but sold out) has the perfect amount of white and color. You can also wear white pants with a white tank and a bright neon clutch and heels. To dress them down you can pair them with a graphic tee and white converse or sandals.

What is your favorite clothing item to wear in the summer? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

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Floral Blouse

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Blouse: (Similar, Similar, Similar) // Jeans // Bag: Similar (splurge), Similar (Save) // Necklace // Heels // Sunglasses

Happy Monday! To me, the weekend usually flies by. I tried to spend this one relaxing as much as I could. On Friday I went to bed at like 7:30, no joke. Training for my new position at work wore me out! It will all be worth it in the end though (hopefully).

First of all, excuse my wind blown hair! It was SUPER windy while we were shooting this. I originally bought this blouse at Kohl’s when I had a few coupons to use (you can save so much money there!). It’s by LC Lauren Conrad. I can’t find it online, so I tagged three similar ones above that are perfect for spring. I love pairing blouses like this with jeans or white pants, heels and a neutral bag. I bought this bag from She Inside for under $25! It’s a dupe to the Chloe bag that’s normally $1,800! I have to say, I’m pretty excited about this find. They also have a few other colors as well! I really want the red one, It’s on my wish list!

I found these sunglasses on the same website as the bag, and knew I had to have them! They are the perfect boho glasses that I can wear in the spring and summer.

How did you spend your weekend? Let me know in the comments! And let me know what other features you would like to see on Styled Muse!

Valerie

P.S.: This past weekend was my 1 year blogiversary! I will be having a post next week celebrating Styled Muse’s birthday, so keep an eye out!

Friday Favorites

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TGIF! I thought today would never get here. I know some of you already know this, but on Monday I started a new position at my full time job (I finally got a promotion, yayyy!). It’s more pay and a lot more work! I’ve been training all week, and there is so much to learn! But so far I’m really enjoying it.

There are so many items this week that I’m loving, so it was hard to narrow it down to only 5 items! I have to say though, that Jergens lotion is a pale girls dream come true. After the first application, I can totally notice a difference on my legs! It also doesn’t have a strong self tanner smell like other lotions.

I know when you see the price on that Chloe bag you are going to be like “Whoa, girl, I can’t afford that!” Trust me, I can’t either. But I did find a dupe that looks EXACTLY like this for under $25! You can find it here. I fell in love with this H&M lips tee MONTHS ago, but it sold out super fast. Now it is back in stock, and I was finally able to order one! If you sign up for their newsletter, you can get a coupon code that will make it under $15!

These Baublebar earrings remind me of a mermaid! So you know I had to pick them up last week when they were having a sale, and I’m really excited to wear them over the summer with adorable wedges like the ones above. Wedges are back ladies, so enjoy wearing them over the summer (they are seriously the comfiest heels you will ever wear).

Which ones of these are your fav? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

P.S.: In the next couple weeks, Styled Muse will be getting a HUGE makeover. I will be switching hosts and redoing the theme on the site. What are some things you would like to see on the site? Favorite places to shop? Outfit guides? Let me know! I want this to be a website for you to come and get outfit or beauty inspiration from! 🙂 ❤

The Perfect Tunic

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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

July Ipsy Bag

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Happy Friday! I’m so excited that it’s the weekend. I’m literally going to spend all weekend in the pool, hoping to get a little bit of a tan!

I received my July Ipsy bag last week, and I’m really loving some of the products I got! If you don’t know what Ipsy is, it’s a monthly subscription service where you get samples of makeup and beauty products delivered to your door for only $10 a month! All of your samples come in a cute collectible makeup bag. This months theme was summer! Click HERE to try it out!

Here is a look at each item:

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Read My Lips lipstick by Teeez Cosmetics: I really love the color of this lipstick. I’m excited to wear it longer to see how long it lasts!

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Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser: I’m kind of iffy on this product, not sure how it’s going to work since it’s soapless, but we will see!

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City Color Cosmetics HD Powder: I haven’t had a chance to try this out yet, but I will give it a try this weekend!

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Crown Brush Professional Tweezers: I love these tweezers! It makes tweezing my eyebrows easier, and will be using these from now on!

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Jor’el Parker Classico Perfume: I’m super picky about my perfume, and I have to say this isn’t my favorite. The smell kind of reminds me of sunscreen, but it goes with the monthly theme I guess?

What did you receive in your Ipsy bag? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great weekend everyone!

XoXo Valerie