Top Five Repurchased Beauty Products

It's rare that I actually empty out a product, whether it's makeup or skincare. I get super bored and I tend to mix things up after a while. I'll buy a beautiful new blush, for example, use it for a week straight and then not touch it again for a month before I go back to it. There are a few items in my arsenal, however, that I cannot live without, that work for me so well, and that I will always repurchase. I've narrowed it down to my top five for you!

Influenster VoxBox: Curel Itch Defense

Hello lovlies! I got my second Influenster VoxBox recently (freebies, woo!), and I received a complimentary bottle of Curel's new Itch Defense Instant Soothing Moisturizing Spray, as well as a sample of the matching body wash to try for review. I was so excited to get this box because I've always been curious about the spray lotions but have never tried one before.

Favorite Fall Makeup 2015

It's that time of year again, where we can ditch the light and bright makeup of summer, and change to the deep, gorgeous hues that reflect the changing leaves and the colder weather. It's fall! I did a similar post last year, but fall is such a rich tapestry of colors that I've decided to do a 2015 edition as well.

In the summer, heavy makeup often looks out of place. My favorite eyeliners, lipsticks, and shadows usually begin to collect dust because they just don't fit the mood of the season. Fall, however, is a great time to show off that winged liner, huge lashes, colorful eyes, and deep lips.

Update! Austerity August No-Buy- The Results

Well, folks, I did it. I survived the month of August without buying any new makeup. I resisted in the drugstore, I avoided Ulta, and I deleted the tempting sale emails from all my favorite brands (and there were some good sales). And as I emerge victorious in September, I wanted to tell you all how it went.

First off, it was tough! I admit I may have a slight addiction to buying makeup, as well as a major addiction to Diet Coke, but who doesn't have their vices? My retail therapy doesn't hurt anyone, and I only buy what I plan to use and try to get the best deals possible at all times. If I do buy frivolously, I also do it frugally and keep it to drugstore brands with coupons. When life gets a little rough, thinking about buying makeup gives me something to look forward to.

Austerity August: My No-Buy Goal

Hello my beauties! Have you heard of a No-Buy period? I sure have, and the words are usually terrifying to my shopaholic ears! However, I recently organized my makeup collection (yet again), and the size of it made me proud, but also made me realize I should probably take a break from adding to it for a while. Not only will it help ease some pain on my storage capacity, but it will also help ease some pain on my wallet!

This is going to be hard, I'm not going to lie. I love buying makeup! We all need a bit of retail therapy sometimes, and for me, buying makeup is the best kind. There's something magical about the possibilities that a new, unopened product provides. It's kind of like the thrill I get from a blank sheet of paper, full of untapped potential. Maybe this is the product that puts all others to shame, I think every time, maybe this will be my holy grail of makeup.

Spring 2015 Haul Part 3: Lippies

Hey, I know it's not spring anymore, but I just had to finish my ginormous spring haul series with the final chapter: lip products! This is probably my favorite category, as I just can't get enough lipsticks, lip glosses, and lip balms. My collection is extensive, alarming, and ever-growing, and this spring was no exception as six beautiful lippies joined my makeup family.

I'm already a huge fan of the NYX Butter Gloss, but recently they've come out with Intense Butter Gloss featuring "extreme color." 

The Pale Girl's Guide to Summer Survival

When I walk into a store looking for foundation, I usually joke with the sales clerk that my shade is "postmortem pale." That's how fair I am. I've heard all the jokes: you're a ghost, you're practically transparent, you make me look tanner, etc. The summer is probably the hardest, where all the people around me are soaking up the sun and their bronze skin practically radiates with a healthy glow. Meanwhile, I'm in the safety of the shade, or better yet indoors with the A/C at full! If you burn but never tan, if your only bronze coloring comes from your never-ending freckles, and if anything below SPF 50 is not worth buying, then stay tuned! With my Pale Girl's Guide to Summer Survival, you can protect your fair beauty but still get that gorgeous glow.

First, however, I want to say: it's okay to be pale in the summer! Think of it this way, your paleness makes you shine like a diamond in the rough. This guide is just to give some tips and tricks for getting through the hot summer months without burning that porcelain skin to a crisp!

Impulse Buy Monday: Chapstick Dual-Ended Hydration Lock

Happy Monday, lovelies! Welcome to another installment of Impulse Buy Monday, where I hope to make your Monday a little less painful with my latest purchase that I just couldn't resist. Today's beauty buy is Chapstick's Dual-Ended Hydration Lock. I purchased the Day & Night version.

I had a really bad case of dry lips last week. I thought dry, chapped lips were most prevalent in the winter, but things were getting painful and my usual lip balms were just not cutting it. Am I the only person who finds medicated lip balms irritating if they're used too much? I love the Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue medicated lip balm, but if I use it too frequently I feel like it does more harm than good. I was definitely in the market for something new.

Spring 2015 Haul Part 2: Eye Products

Get ready for the second installment of my huge Spring 2015 haul, featuring eye products! The spring months are the busiest time for me at work, to the point where there is barely a moment when I am not living and breathing work. In order to keep my sanity, I frequently turned to retail therapy in the past few months, causing me to amass quite a haul of beauty items. Here's all my new eye makeup goodies!

I love eye makeup. I have so much eyeshadow and so many different eyeliners it's borderline hoarding. The irony is that in my everyday routine I usually only have time to slap some mascara on my lashes! But that doesn't stop me from buying and dreaming of the weekends where I have more time. 

Spring 2015 Haul Part 1: Face Products

Hey beauties! I've been MIA for a while because I've been working incredibly hard. This weekend I had my first day off in over a month! Woo! In order to keep my sanity over the past few weeks, I've been treating myself and stopping into drugstores every so often and splurging on makeup. So I have quite the haul to share with you! It's so big I've decided to split it into three parts: Face, Eyes, and Lips.

First up- I stocked up on my favorite setting powder, Rimmel London Stay Matte in Transparent, since I had hit pan in my other compact. So not new and exciting, but nonetheless essential.

Birchbox v. Ipsy: April 2015

It's that time of month again: subscription box extravaganza! Two boxes once again enter the ring for a battle royale, only one box can step out a winner. Birchbox in one corner, ipsy in the other... who will win?

Birchbox: This month's Birchbox was a truly beautiful box, the pattern was so exquisite. Designed by Rifle Paper Co., it is a floral print box that I will be keeping for a long time!

Impulse Buy Monday: NYX Love in Florence Ciao Bella Eyeshadow Palette

Happy Monday...err Tuesday! It's my busiest time of year at work, and unfortunately I'm struggling to find time to blog lately. But have no fear, my blog is never far from my mind and I will post every spare moment! But all that's besides the point, today I'm reviewing a true impulse buy that I picked up a few weeks ago on clearance at Ulta. They were getting rid of some products to make room for new goodies, so I got the NYX Love in Florence Ciao Bella eyeshadow palette for a steal!

Happy Birthday to CKellyBlush! One Year Blogiversary Giveaway

My little corner of the internet has turned one this week, and I couldn't be happier! I feel like it's not just my blog's birthday, but the anniversary of a commitment I made to myself to dig into my passions of writing and makeup. In honor of CKellyBlush's one year anniversary, I'm doing my first giveaway ever!!

Before I get into the details of the giveaway, I want to take a quick moment to reflect on the past year. 

Birchbox v. Ipsy: March 2015

A bit late for this post considering it's already April, but hey, life can get a bit nutty. Two subscription boxes enter the ring: Birchbox in one corner, ipsy in the other... Only one can leave the victor! Who will it be this month??

-March 2015-

Stranded in Target! A Spontaneous elf Haul

Recently, I was driving home after visiting with friends and meeting their sweet little baby. Unfortunately, my journey was westbound during a March sunset, where the sun was so low and bright that it felt like I was driving directly into the center of the sun. I made it as far as I could, but about halfway through, I had to pull over and wait until the darn thing finally set. Luckily, there was a wonderful Target that I could take shelter in, and really, who doesn't love a good wander through Target? I didn't intend to buy anything, but of course I found myself in the beauty section and got some awesome deals on clearance elf products, plus a few I've been wanting to try!

My First Influenster VoxBox! The XOVoxBox

Hey, my beauties! Recently I had the honor of receiving a VoxBox from Influenster. If you're unaware, Influenster is a site that occasionally will send a box of sample products to selected members for testing. It's free to sign up, and uses surveys and your social reach as determining factors in who gets chosen to receive a box. I was selected to receive the XOVoxBox and it came in the mail a few weeks ago.

February 2015 Favorites

I'm a little late to the party this month, but there's still time to share what I was obsessed with in the month of February! February was a great month for beauty, but I've narrowed it down to my four favorites.

Impulse Buy Monday: Physicians Formula Super BB Cheek & Lip

Happy Monday, lovelies! Sometimes I hit the jackpot at the CVS kiosk that prints out Extracare coupons. Yesterday, I received a coupon for $3 off any Physicians Formula purchase, so I immediately headed over to scope out what I could buy. I've been wanting to try so much from their new releases, but nothing was on sale and I wanted to get the most out of the $3 coupon. I looked for the cheapest item out of the new lines, and I found something that I was really excited to get: Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Cheek & Lip in the shade Natural Peach.

February at the Drugstore: A Major Haul

As you may know if you're a fan of my blog, I love finding makeup at the drugstore. It can be a wonderful source for fantastic and reasonably priced cosmetics. What was once often looked down on as low quality, the drugstore beauty section has recently become the place to find trend-setting makeup that can hold their own against prestige competitors. 2015 has brought a huge crop of brand new cosmetics to the drugstore that has drawn me in like a moth to a flame. Along with buying some old favorites, my wallet definitely took a hit this February! Here's the roundup of what I got.

Impulse Buy Monday: CoverGirl Colorlicious Lipstick

Happy (freezing) Monday, lovelies! This week's featured impulse buy are two new Colorlicious Lipsticks from CoverGirl. These were bought during a recent drugstore haul where I had an expiring coupon burning a hole in my wallet, plus at CVS that week I could earn $1 in ExtraCare Bucks per CoverGirl item purchased. I really did not need any new lippies, but hey, a good deal is a good deal!

The brilliance of the Colorlicious collection is that CoverGirl divides the huge display into different categories: reds, plums, nudes, and pinks, making it incredibly easy to find the color family and shade you're looking for. The annoying thing about this collection is it's impossible to tell from the display what finish each shade has: are they shiny, satin, shimmery, etc. The plastic cap on the tube is completely colored, so you can't see the lipstick inside, and all the shades in each group have the same color cap. The only hint given is at the clear bottom. In the right light I was able to take an educated guess on each shade, whether there was any sparkle to them or not.

Birchbox v. Ipsy: February 2015

I've been a subscriber to Birchbox for over a year, and to ipsy for about four months, so why not start pitting them against each other in a battle royale! Two beauty subscriptions enter the ring this month, but only one can walk out a winner...

-February 2015-

Birchbox: Is that a Beautyblender?? YES, yes it is. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened February's box. I've always wanted to try a Beautyblender, but I really couldn't justify the $19.95 for a makeup sponge that will eventually need replacing. I currently use the Real Techniques dupe, which works wonderfully, but now I can compare the two and see if the high price tag is worth it for the Beautyblender. Plus Birchbox gave a sample of the solid cleanser to keep my sponge nice and clean!

Impulse Buy Monday: Tarte's Tres Chic Park Ave Princess Contour Palette

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm very excited about this week's Impulse Buy Monday because it's my first high-end impulse buy, and I'm absolutely in love with it! I recently picked up Tarte's Tres Chic Park Ave Princess Contour Palette, which is a special edition version of their original Park Ave Princess collection.

I'm fairly new to Tarte cosmetics. My best beauty buddy and I split a QVC Today's Special Value from December that included blushes, lippies, eyeshadows, and mascaras, and I really enjoyed my half of it. The Amazonian clay blush was especially gorgeous and very pigmented. I had also heard that the Park Ave Princess Contour Palette was a gem from the Tarte line (frequently mentioned by Tati over at GlamLifeGuru on YouTube, one of my favorite YouTubers). When I saw that this special edition palette was on sale on the Ulta website (here) I jumped at the chance to purchase it.

Impulse Buy Monday: CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

Monday has once again reared its ugly head, which means back to work and school. But it also means another installment of Impulse Buy Monday on my blog, where I review what item I just couldn't resist buying and trying this week. I may be a bit late to the party on this beauty product as it came out quite a few months ago, but I held off on buying CoverGirl's Ready Set Gorgeous foundation until recently. It always seemed like this foundation was marketed to a much younger age group, with its pink packaging and Katy Perry spokeswoman. But I kept seeing great feedback about it from all ages of beauty bloggers, so I decided to give it a try.

This foundation retails at drugstores for around $7.99, but price varies from store to store (wait for a coupon!). According to the package, it promises a "flawless, natural look that lasts all day." It's oil free and safe for people with sensitive skin.

Ipsy Fail: Hikari Cosmetics Eyeliner

I've been an ipsy Glam Bag subscriber for three months now, and I absolutely love it. Not only are the bags themselves adorable (and useful), but the samples and full size items I've gotten have been fantastic. With brands I've heard of, products I've wanted to try, and items that are new to me, ipsy has provided a special package full of my favorite things each month. However, in my January Glam Bag, I got the first product that I was disappointed in: Hikari Cosmetics Mechanical Eye Liner in Storm.

At first I was excited to get an eyeliner, as I love new eyeliners! I seem to be in a never ending search for my HG eyeliner, and I really enjoy trying new brands of them. The color scared me a bit, it is a silvery gray that I wasn't sure how to wear. Black is my standard eyeliner color, so any eyeliner outside that comfort zone color is intimidating. Do I wear it the same way as black? Do I put it in my waterline? What kind of shadows can I use with it? These questions kept me from trying this eyeliner for a few weeks.

Impulse Buy Monday: elf Studio 3 in 1 Mascara

Happy Monday, lovelies! Monday can only mean one thing: time to share with you yet another beauty impulse buy! Today's post features the elf Studio 3-in-1 Mascara: Lengthen, Define & Volumize.

I was recently on my way to a friend's house after work, and I stopped to beef up my makeup. Unfortunately I realized that my purse makeup bag didn't have mascara in it, and I wasn't wearing any! Instead of just going with the flow and not wearing any, I ducked into Target and headed straight for the cosmetics. Since I already have a ton of mascaras at home, I didn't want to spend much money getting a new one. At $3, this mascara seemed like the perfect choice to get me out of the pickle I was in.

January 2015 Favorites

Can you believe we are already finished with the first month of 2015? Seems like yesterday that it was New Year's Eve. But a new month means a whole new batch of beauty favorites!

CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara: If you read my Impulse Buy Monday post about this mascara, or if you follow me on Twitter, you know I adore the new Full Lash Bloom mascara from CoverGirl. Full Lash Bloom is the newest addition to the CoverGirl mascara line, and it has spread across the beauty blog universe like wildfire. It deserves all the hype, as this mascara is fantastic! It's not clumpy, it builds volume and length, it dries quickly, and my favorite part- it keeps your lashes feeling SO soft! Although I have many favorite mascaras that I would repurchase and recommend, none of them keep my lashes feeling so good. After typical mascara application, my lashes are usually untouchable and stiff, but this mascara feels like I have nothing on at all. Also, the packaging is adorable and I am a sucker for cute packaging. I definitely recommend this mascara if you're looking for a great drugstore option.

Impulse Buy Monday: NYX Butter Lipstick

I've been in a search for the perfect red lipstick. With my pale skin and dark hair, I have a theory that with red lips I will be a dead ringer for Snow White (in my imagination at least!). In my quest I've bought several different brands and shades, and this week's Impulse Buy Monday is one of my conquests: NYX Butter Lipstick in the shade Mary Janes.

I knew nothing about this lipstick before purchasing it off of Ulta's website one evening. Unlike the hugely popular NYX Butter Gloss, I hadn't really heard or seen anything about its sister lippie. I adore the Butter Gloss, so I took a chance on the Butter Lipstick hoping that it would be the same miracle of a product.

Top Ten Drugstore Beauty Products

I absolutely love drugstore beauty products. You can find some hidden gems within those aisles! The drugstore is perfect for a beginner looking to learn more about makeup while beefing up their supplies, and also for anyone who wants to find high quality cosmetics without spending the high end price. There are always going to be duds at the drugstore, but the wonderful items you can find prove that you don't always have to spend a pretty penny. Here are my ten favorite drugstore items that will never leave my collection.

Let's start with what's underneath your makeup:

Impulse Buy Monday: NYC Liquid Eyeliner

Happy Monday Wednesday! I'm a bit late... This week's Impulse Buy is an eyeliner that I've added to my huge collection: NYC Liquid Eyeliner in Black.

I will be the first to admit that I am an idiot when it comes to eyeliner. You'd think by my thirties I would have finally gotten the hang of drawing a line on my eyelid without screwing it up, but alas no, I'm still struggling. I need something that's easy, versatile, and long-lasting. For my everyday eyeliner, I usually go with Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner because it fits my needs pretty well (I even featured it as part of my October Favorites).

Impulse Buy Monday: CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara

Happy Monday, lovelies! Today's beauty item I couldn't resist picking up is the new mascara, Full Lash Bloom, part of the lashblast collection by CoverGirl.

Folks, I keep seeing this mascara popping up everywhere. TV, YouTube, blogs, magazines, Twitter, displays at the store, everywhere. You cannot miss this magenta tube. I tried, I truly tried, not to buy it. I have a whole drawer of unopened mascaras waiting their turn in the queue to be used, I really didn't need this. But...it's pink! I love pink.

Impulse Buy Monday: The Wet Brush

Happy first Monday of 2015! Today's Impulse Buy Monday is a true impulse as I had barely heard of this product before I bought it: The Wet Brush.

I have a major hair breakage problem. I know it's really bad to brush wet hair, but using the gentler option of a comb wouldn't work. I have really thick hair, and I'd never be able to get a comb through it! So my brush was really the only option even though it was probably damaging my locks.

How To Winter-Proof Your Makeup

As the winter cold sets in, our makeup faces challenges not experienced in any other season. The pelting of snow, the rubbing of scarves, the dryness of the chilly air; they all work against us in our pursuit of the flawless look. But here are some tips to keep your makeup in check until spring has sprung!

December 2014 Favorites

I can't believe it is 2015 already. 2014 just flew! No matter what happened in 2014, good or bad, my favorite part has been creating and maintaining this blog. I am so grateful for my readers, and I'm also proud of myself for sticking to it and posting as much as possible. I hope 2015 brings big things for my blog, and I hope to interact with and meet more beauty bloggers!

Now, on to the real reason you're here: December Favorites!