Top 10 Gifts Under $10 (Beauty and Otherwise!)

With the holidays quickly approaching, and my bank account just as quickly shrinking, I love when I can find an affordable yet quality gift. My savvy shopper radar is always on the hunt for great gifts at fantastic prices. I want to use my powers for good and show you my Top 10 choices for great gifts under $10! Many of these are great to go along with larger gifts, or for those folks you're just not sure what to get (teachers, coworkers, neighbors, etc). All of the Top 10 are of my own opinion (and gift giving), I have not been sponsored to include anything. If you're friends with me in "real-life" stop reading, no spoilers!

Awesome Autumn Makeup Trends

The air is getting crisper, the leaves have turned golden, and it's time to break out all that makeup that wasn't "summer friendly." That's right, get your liquid foundations, your darkest lippies, and your boldest eyeliner out, because it's time to play. Fall is one of my most favorite times of year, primarily because I'm no longer sweating the second I step outside, but also because I get to use all my favorite makeup without fear of it melting off my face. Out of everything the fall brings, however, my favorite fall makeup trend has to be deeper eye looks. While summer is all about light and natural, anything goes in the fall!

My Concealer Routine

Hello, lovelies! Concealer is an incredibly important part of my makeup routine each morning. Not only do I suffer from acne, but I have dark circles under my eyes. What a wonderful combination! Foundation doesn't always do the trick, so that's where my hero, concealer, comes in to play.

New Favorite Foundation? Neutrogena SkinClearing Mineral Powder

Hello, loves! I'm a huge foundation addict, I have a ton already and I'm constantly buying more. There's a definite sense of excitement when I buy and try a new foundation: could THIS foundation be the perfect one? Is this the magic foundation that makes my skin look perfect? More often than not, the answers are no, continuing the vicious cycle where I keep buying new foundations. All makeup has its pros and cons, and different foundations will work for different people. Half the fun of makeup is trying new things and figuring out what's perfect for you, hence my huge collection! Did I find my new favorite foundation in the Neutrogena SkinClearing Mineral Powder? Keep reading.

Favorite Summer Blushes

It's getting so dang hot! Summer is definitely upon us once again, which means it's time to look at our makeup collections and switch things up! The heavier foundations are hibernating until winter, the deep berry lipstick will wait until November, and the just-in-from-the-snow look is traded for just-back-from-the-beach. The three blushes I've been reaching for as the weather heats up all remind me of the juicy strawberries, melons, raspberries, and apricots the season brings. Give me the fun, fruity colored blushes this summer, I'm eating them up! 

These three blushes are not only gorgeous, but are wonderfully pigmented and all from the drugstore so they're affordable! 

Winter Favorites 2016

Happy Spring, lovelies! We made it through winter in one piece, and while everyone is looking forward to the changing season and the spring makeup, I'd like to take a moment and reveal what were my favorite products this past winter. These beauty goodies kept me looking gorgeous this season, and come with the CKellyBlush stamp of approval.

The foundation I was reaching for during these cold months was the CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous. This is a fantastic foundation, providing great coverage at an affordable price.

I Love a Good Haul: Makeup Revolution

I gotta admit, lovelies, there's something super satisfying about reading haul posts and peeking into someone else's life to see what they bought (and adding things to my shopping list). I love sharing my own hauls with you all, too! 

Makeup Revolution is relatively new to the States, appearing first on Ulta's website and select stores. However, it seems like they've expanded their presence by installing beautiful new displays in most of Ulta's brick-and-mortar stores. I'm so excited, and I hope Ulta brings over even more products from the line. My first purchase when the brand became available was the Mermaids Forever palette, which I love (more details in my Favorite Fall Makeup 2015 post). Now that it's in my local store, I went a bit nuts and got quite the haul!

One Palette Look: Wet n Wild "Coming In Latte" Tutorial

Hello, my beauties! One thing I get really excited about is getting a new eyeshadow palette. All the beautiful colors and finishes gathered and poured into one little spot makes me so happy. Sometimes just the look of a palette is too good to spoil by actually using the eyeshadows (but I always manage to get past that!). I'd like to start a series on my blog exploring the potential of some of these eyeshadow palettes, with each tutorial creating a look using shadows coming from only one palette. I'm by no means a professional nor an expert, merely an enthusiast who enjoys playing with makeup! I also find taking photos of my own eye incredibly difficult, so forgive me as I continue to figure out the best methods! We'll learn together.

The 90s Are Back: My First ColourPop Haul

Hello, beauties! ColourPop is all the rage among makeup lovers like myself, but since it's not sold in stores, I've never tried it before. I'm always very hesitant to spend my money online if I don't know whether I'll like the product or not. But a few weeks ago, ColourPop was having a sale that I just couldn't resist, and I'm so excited to talk about my first ColourPop Cosmetics haul!

Impulse Buy Monday: Lil' Scrubbies Facial Cleaning Pad

I have a deep love/hate relationship with Walmart. I love the wide cosmetics selection and exclusive brands like Hard Candy, but I hate the crowds. I will only go to Walmart if I can get there by 9:30 on a weekday morning, hoping to miss the inevitable hordes. Needless to say, I don't go very often, and when I do, I stock up. In my most recent trip, I noticed a hanging display with Lil' Scrubbies for $2.99 and I thought they might do well as a silicone mat type of brush cleaner. For $2.99, I figured might as well try it.

Laura Geller: Yummy or Crummy?

Every year, I eagerly await the release of all the beautiful holiday value sets put out by my favorite cosmetics brands. Makeup is my sport, and the holidays are the World Series and Superbowl rolled up into one. In 2015, some were great (bareMinerals) and some were a rehash of previous sets (Benefit), but one caught my eye to a brand I really hadn't thought about before. Laura Geller is known in the beauty world mostly for the beloved Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey, but I generally didn't take notice of her other products. Her holiday collection, however, stood out to me and I knew I had to try it. So Scrumptious, purchased at Ulta, is a 6 piece collection of full sized products that can be used to create a close to complete face look. Although it's a holiday set, I want to talk about the products themselves, since they are all best sellers of the line.

Massive 2015 Holiday Beauty Haul

Happy New Year everyone!! As you may know, the holidays are the absolute best time of year to buy makeup. Not only are there holiday gift sets galore, which are usually the best bang for your buck, but also companies are releasing new products and putting the old products on clearance. If you play your cards right, you can get so much makeup for very little investment. As I've taken advantage (quite a bit) of the deals this holiday season, I've gathered some of the standouts from my haul to share with you.