Here Comes The Bride...

....not me! Tomorrow (Saturday) my older sister Ciara is getting married! I am so SO excited for her and her fiance! They truly are an amazing couple! So please excuse my absence from the blog world lately, I am her maid of honor and have been pretty busy! I hope to be able to do more frequent posts after this weekend :) I hate to make this short, but I have last minute projects to get done, ahhh!

Wish us all luck!

XO, Kelsey

My Current Skincare Routine with Recommendations!

Hey lovelies! This past weekend my cousin asked me to talk about my skincare routine, so I am going to do just that! For a little background: My skin type is combination. This means that my t-zone area gets oily (very oily) and everywhere else is pretty normal, not really dry nor oily. The area right beside each side of my nose tends to get really oily too. Also, I have more noticeable pores in my t-zone.
 The t-zone is commonly shown to be similar to the shape of a capital T. This means that most of the forehand (top of the T), nose, and chin are in the t-zone. For me, this also includes areas on either side of my nose, but not completely onto my cheeks.

For my skin type, I focus on balancing the oil production in my skin, and controlling/preventing breakouts. I look for products geared toward those things, so here are a few of my favorites!

(Going clockwise): For face wash, I highly recommend Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Control Foam Wash or Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser.  Both do a good job of cleansing the skin without over drying, which is great for keeping oily skin in balance. When I was using Aveeno, I noticed some redness from my skin seemed to vanish while using the product. For moisturizers, I love the Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Control Lotion and the Beyond Belief ABH Facial Serum. I am not sure I could pick my favorite of the two, but I can tell you that these products make a huge difference in the health, oil production, and appearance of my skin!  When it comes to an eye cream, I can't say I have ventured too far out in trying a lot of brands. I have a few higher-end brands that I would like to try, but for now, I have been using the Dermactin-TS Serious Dark Circle Treatment (which I love!)After using this {morning and night} my under-eye area feels so moisturized! When I am breaking out, my spot treatment of choice is the Clearasil Rapid Action VanishingTreatment Cream. This stuff is magic...I am not even kidding! I also use something else as a spot treatment, but I will get to that soon!

I am ALL about face masks! I own more than these 4, but these are the ones that really make a difference in my skin. I clearly like the Freeman brand-having two just in this post (and more in my skincare drawer!) I recently purchased the Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Mask...and holy crap. Not only does it smell amazing, but when I wash it off my skin, I have the healthiest glow! The Freeman Avocado and Oatmeal Mask is great too...it really cleans out your pores, but is less exfoliating than the previous mask mentioned. The Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser Cleansing Mask has been in my skincare routine for a long time now, mainly because you can see results with it, it leaves your skin feeling refreshed, and it works great as a spot treatment! The last mask I use is the Ageless Derma Special Clay Masque. I was given the opportunity to try this for free, and I am so grateful! I have had it now for almost 2 months I think, giving myself a good amount of time to try it, and I have to say, I adore it. I have been only reaching for this and the Charcoal & Black Sugar Mask lately. Like the Freeman mask, it really purges your pores and leaves you with glowing skin. It smells earthy-which I don't mind at all, as it is probably from the clay in it. It only has 9 ingredients, which is awesome. I think with some masks your skin has an initial purging phase; I actually had a couple breakouts pop up after using it the first time, but I have had that happen with other clay masks, and I truly believe it is caused from the mask drawing out your impurities. After using this mask (regularly I might add!) I can see a difference in my skin. I have noticed the redness in my skin has diminished as well, which could be from one or two of the ingredients in the mask? Besides working its magic all over my face, I will use this as a spot treatment. I do think that this gives the Clearasil spot treatment a bit of competition! I will be purchasing this mask once it runs out, and as long as it is sold! Side note: I usually do a face mask 2 times per week, or occasionally 3 if my skin is looking a bit rough!

The last part of my skincare routine that has done wonders for my skin is the Face Complexion Brush. I got mine from Sephora after realizing I could not spend the $150 + on a Clarisonic (spinning skincare brush).
I use this in the shower, every few nights. I usually just move the brush in small, circular motions on my face for 30 seconds at a time (forehead, chin, nose, and each cheek). I think that this paired with the impurity drawing actions of the masks has changed my skin for the better. My pores seem smaller, I have less blackheads, and the texture of my skin seems to be improved. I highly recommend shelling out the $7 for this brush, as it could be an easy but powerful improvement to your skincare routine!

I hope this was helpful! If any of you out there with dry skin would like me to research the best products for dry skin, I can do so-just let me know! Thanks for reading!

XO, Kelsey 

My links:

Sunday Social!

Sunday Social

This Weeks Questions:
1. What is the first blog you ever followed? Probably Andee, from The Honeybee! Pretty sure Monica was right after, or maybe before. Ugh! Can't remember!
2. What was your first blog post about? It was about Spring Fashion. Pretty sure it wasn't that great of a post...you win some, you lose some! haha. The post after it made up for it though!
3. Who left you your first blog comment? Brandy was my first comment!
4. Who was the first blogger you ever met in person?I have not met another blogger in person, buuuuut I am pretty sure meeting Sara is in the works right now! Anyone else that blogs living in Cincinnati currently?
5. What was your first “blogging milestone?” Ahh...probably hitting 100 followers? I mean it is not really the number...I am sure I felt the same way about hitting 25 or 50, but when I would sit and think about 100 people actually being interested enough in my blog to follow, I was pretty excited and motivated to continue blogging!

That is all the questions for today! I will hopefully keep this day productive and study for some of my classes, and maybe write another post or two! I hope everyone is having a good Sunday!

XO, Kelsey

My links:

Wantable Personalized Box Review

Recently, I was approached by a company that offers monthly personalized boxes, one that many of you may have already heard about! The company is Wantable *, and that they are. (Fo' realz). I chose the makeup box, but they also offer an accessories box, and an intimates box. Also, it says on their website that they have a limited edition Halloween Makeup Box...which actually  seems really cool and distracted be from this post for a hot second!

Pricing: The way this box works is as a subscription, for the monthly price of $36, or a one time purchase, at $40.

Contents: The products you get depend on the category you choose (makeup, accessories, or intimates) and the results of your personal style quiz. I think the quiz is super helpful in tailoring products to you-not only does ask you if you like something, but it asks to what degree (like, love, or dislike). For example, it asked me if I liked gel, liquid, or pencil eyeliner. For each option, it asked me to rank it as being a product I "love, like, or dislike". I really think that this sort of customization gives you the best chance for receiving products you will like and use! You will end up getting 4-5 full size products in your box, that does exceed the price you payed for the box! #yesplease

Recommendation: I really do recommend this box. If you enjoy makeup, accessories, or intimates, I think this box service is a great way to try out new products you may not have stumbled upon before. Not only that, but like I said, you get products that add up to be worth way more than what you paid for the box, which is pretty much a dream, amiright?  Also, boxes like these are great as gifts...whether you want to gift someone with the monthly subscription, or you would just like to make the one time purchase for a box to give as a present.

See what I got in my September box!
Lise Watier Ombre Souffle Supreme Sample-no retail price, as it was just a sample!
Japonesque Angled Foundation Brush-retails for $25.00
Manna Kadar Extreme Curl Mascara-retails for $19.00
Michael Marcus Brow Pencil in "Brunette"-retails for $24.00
Lise Watier Hydra Shine Lip Stain in "Rose Classique"-retails for $20.00

This adds up to $88.00...more than double you would pay for the box!

All these products are something I would use, and get a lot of use out of. I completely fell in love with the brow pencil and lip stain; I have been consistently using them both!

Full size products
Sample Eyeshadow (The "Sunrise Peach" and "Vert Echante" are the 2 samples. Sorry for the terrible Iphone picture!
This is what a few layers of the lip stain looks like on. I usually only do a swipe or two of it, which gives me a bit of a softer effect, but I like that it can be layered like this, to the perfect color for fall! Also, ignore how messy I look. The only productive thing I have done today is this post, hence the "I-need-a-shower" look I am sporting! hah!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Do you currently have a favorite monthly box?
Thanks for reading! 
XO, Kelsey

*This box was sent to me for consideration. I chose to review it based on the customer service and the product itself. No one is paying me to do this post, and all opinions are my own!

My links: