what I wore

Easter Dresses Under $40

~ styledmuse ~ 19 Comments

Easter Outfit 6

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Easter Outfit 7

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Dress: Charlotte Russe – Similar, Pink, Olive, Coral (with bell sleeves!) // Bag: Charlotte Russe // Shoes: Similar // Bracelets: Similar, Similar // Lipstick: Nyx, Shade Lace Detail 

Happy Monday! I can’t believe Easter is only a couple weeks away. When I was little, my mom would always take my sister and I to get our Easter outfits. Luckily, we didn’t have to get matching ones. She would let us pick out our own. I was more of a tomboy when I was younger, so I would either wear a skirt and shirt, or pants and a nice top. My sister on the other hand, would always wear cute dresses. Of course as we got older, our styles changed. Now we are the complete opposite! I love wearing cute dresses, and she likes to stick with jeans and a t-shirt. Haha! Easter is always something I look forward too.

Since I’m trying to save money this year (new car, here I come!), I decided to show you guys a few dress ideas that will fit your budget. All of them are under $40! Of course as soon as I shot this dress, it sold out! But they have a lot of other colors available, so I tagged them all above. I even bought it in black!

I’m absolutely in love with this crossbody bag from Charlotte Russe! They have so many different colors, and you can wear them with any outfit. You also can’t beat that they are under $20! Also, The NYX Lingerie liquid lipstick in Lace Detail is the perfect nude shade! It’s long lasting, and you can’t even tell that you are wearing anything!

What are your Easter plans? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Valerie

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The Perfect Top For Spring Transition

~ styledmuse ~ 6 Comments

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Top: Soft Surroundings // Pants (similar) // Heels (similar) // Bag (similar) // Bracelets (similar)

Happy Friday! Do you have any fun plans this weekend? My mom and I are going to a Working Women’s Survival Show/Convention on Saturday! They have it in St. Louis every year, and we always go! We haven’t been able to go the past couple years though, but I’m so excited to finally make it this year! You can follow along with me on Insta stories (@valeriehelton) or on Snapchat (valzors)!

Has it been abnormally warm where you are? In January and February, it is usually pretty cold and snowing in STL. Well, lately it has been so warm, like in the upper 70s! My closet has been really confused, haha!

I found this top on Soft Surroundings’ website, and it is perfect for transitioning from winter to spring. The colors are perfect for spring and have cute beading details around the collar! It has long sleeves that you can easily roll up when it gets warmer. I paired it with white jeggings and nude stud heels. You can even wear this during the summer with a pair of jean shorts. It is a bit oversized, so I would go down a size or two if you want a more fitted look.

Soft Surroundings has so many new tops for their spring collection, and will have a bunch more in their summer collection! I think I’m going to add this one to my closet. Also, this swimsuit might make an appearance. Soft Surroundings plans to open 17 stores in 2017, so check to see if you will have one near you!

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!

Valerie

In collaboration with Soft Surroundings. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible! ❤ 

2017 Goals

~ styledmuse ~ 2 Comments

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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

 

Stripe Dress And Green Jacket

~ styledmuse ~ 10 Comments

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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

Thanksgiving Outfit

~ styledmuse ~ 7 Comments

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Dress: Similar/Similar (Under $40!)  //  Faux Fur Vest: Similar  //  Clutch: Under $30!  //  Boots: Similar  //  Bracelets: Similar/Similar

Does it even feel like next week is Thanksgiving? The end of 2016 is just flying by. Didn’t 4th of July just happen like last week? Haha! This year for Thanksgiving we are doing the usual: visiting my family and my boyfriend’s family. Which means LOTS of food. Then of course doing a little shopping afterwards. I will have a post up this weekend with some of my favorite Black Friday sales! What stores would you like to see on the list? Let me know in the comments!

It’s always hard finding an outfit that looks dressed up but comfy at the same time. But this dress fits that perfectly! It’s somewhat oversized, so you can easily hide that full belly, while also staying comfy. I absolutely love the bell sleeves on this dress. They have been a huge trend this year, and I don’t see them going away anytime soon! I paired this dress with a faux fur vest (my favorite fall item) and ankle boots. If you plan on going shopping Thanksgiving night, just grab a pair of flats to change into! If it’s going to be chilly where you are, you can always wear a pair of black tights to stay warm.

Unfortunately, most of these items sold out really fast (I literally bought those ankle boots 2 weeks ago, and they are already gone…), so I tagged similar items. Both of the dresses are under $50! The leopard clutch is an exact duplicate to mine and is under $30!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you going shopping Thanksgiving night? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie