garnier

Unboxing – Walmart Favorites Skin Kit (February 2019)

The Walmart Favorites boxes aren’t subscription boxes (or even mystery boxes) but they do contain a variety of curated boxes and I thought they would be fun to unbox. There appear to be about six boxes and I purchased four of them. I’ll cover each of the four in separate blog posts. I didn’t buy the “Extras” box as it contained a lot of nail products, which I don’t need. There is also a hair care box but I couldn’t find it at either of my local Walmarts. Each box costs $10 (at least where I live).

Time to stop yacking and start unboxing! Let’s start with the “Everything Skin Kit” box.

Overall Box Impressions: For $10 this is isn’t a bad box. There is a WIDE variety of items and brands you can receive, which is a great way to sample products. However, these are all sample size products, with the exception of the mask. And that’s where I take an issue with the box. The front of the box says its “valued over $53” and I feel like that is a stretch given these are sample sizes. There are 12 items, which works out to $4.42 per sample. Now, given that the full size of several of the products only costs $4-$5, I don’t see how the value of the items in the box is more than $50. So, I think $10 is reasonable to pay for the box, just know that the items in total are not worth the $50 plus stated on the box.

  • Neutrogena Make-up Remover Wipes – I like these but usually buy the ones made with micellar water instead as I think they remove make-up better.
  • Garnier Micellar Original and Micellar for Waterproof Make Up – I’m anxious to see if the one for waterproof make-up takes off my waterproof mascara.
  • Clean & Clear Lemon Zesty Scrub – I strongly dislike the smell of lemon (a la Pine Sol) so I will add this to the donation bin.
  • Found Fruit AHA Peel Pads – I need help with skin ton and pores so this sounds like a great product for me. This may be one I purchase a full size of although my Walmart doesn’t actually carry this product.
  • e.l.f. Hydrating Bubble Mask – will try
  • Olay Regenerist Whips – not sure if this will be too “heavy” for my skin but I might try a tiny amount. I know a lot of people rave about this for anti-aging.
  • Sky Organics Rose Water Toner – it looks like from the directions this can be used as a face mist OR a toner.
  • Physicians Formula Mini Rose All Day Oil-Free Serum – normally serums are applied before moisturizer but this product says it can be used along, under or over makeup.

So I’m not very excited about these three items and they will likely go in the donation bin. We received the CeraVe cream and the Cetaphil moisturizer in our Target box in January and the Jergens is coconut scented. So, none of those are speaking to me to try something new.

Unboxing – Target Skin Care Box (January 2019)

The Target beauty boxes aren’t subscription boxes (or even mystery boxes) but they do contain a variety of curated boxes and I thought they would be fun to unbox. Each box contains sample sizes and costs $7. These boxes are not carried in store and have to be ordered online (shipping is free). If you’re interested you will want to sign up to be notified when the boxes are available as they sell out fairly quick.

There are actually two different boxes, although both are referred to as “beauty boxes.” One box contains skin care products and one box contains general beauty items (makeup, body wash, deodorant, etc.). To avoid confusion (hopefully) I’m going to refer to one as the skin care box and one as the beauty box.

Time to stop yacking and start unboxing! Let’s start with the skin care box.

img_5513

Overall Box Impressions: For $7 this is a great box. There is a WIDE variety of items and brands you can receive but that’s part of the fun. I figure if I get something I don’t like or won’t use, I can donate it a local domestic violence shelter or add it to a future giveaway. You also get a coupon for $3 off a skin care purchase (facial skin care, hand and body lotion, natural skin care) of $15 or more. In this box I was impressed by the higher end products from Vichy, CeraVe and La Roche-Posay. 

Vichy Mineral 89

img_5514

According to the product description, this contains mineral rich water and Hyaluronic Acid and is intended to hydrate the skin and make the skin glow. The card from Target recommends applying two drops onto skin after cleansing in the morning and evening.  I will be giving this a try.

Cetaphil Extra Gentle Daily Scrub and Moisturizing Cream

img_5516

Historically Cetaphil products have been drying for my skin but they have worked well for my brother so I will be providing these to him. I do like receiving cleansers and moisturizers though, especially smaller sizes I can travel with.

La Roche-Posay Toleraine Hydrating Cleanser

img_5515

So excited to try this cleanser as it is labeled gentle. I will likely save this for when I travel since it is the perfect size.

La Roche-Posay Redermic R

img_4284

This is a retinol cream to reduce wrinkles, smooths texture and can also help with skin tone.  The Target card does have the hint to apply a moisturizer FIRST to water down its potency.  I’m planning to use this on my t-zone where I have some acne scars to hopefully smooth the texture.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream

img_5519

This is a teeny tiny sample.  So I might only get one application out of this, which makes it hard to ascertain if its helpful to my skin.  Anyways, the product is intended to restore your skin’s barrier overnight and should be used nightly before bed.

 

 

Unboxing – Target Beauty Box (January 2019)

The Target beauty boxes aren’t subscription boxes (or even mystery boxes) but they do contain a variety of curated products and I thought they would be fun to unbox. Each box contains sample sizes (although I did get one full size product) and costs $7. These boxes are not carried in store and have to be ordered online (shipping is free). If you’re interested you will want to sign up to be notified when the boxes are available as they sell out fairly quick.

There are actually two different boxes, although both are referred to as “beauty boxes.” One box contains skin care products and one box contains general beauty items (makeup, body wash, deodorant, etc.). To avoid confusion (hopefully) I’m going to refer to one as the skin care box and one as the beauty box.

Time to stop yacking and start unboxing! Let’s start with the beauty (non skin care) box.

Overall Box Impressions: For $7 this is a great box. There is a WIDE variety of items and brands you can receive but that’s part of the fun. I figure if I get something I don’t like or won’t use, I can donate it a local domestic violence shelter or add it to a future giveaway. You also get a coupon for $3 off a beauty purchase (cosmetics, skin care, hair care) of $15 or more. In this box I was impressed by the full deodorant product and the micellar water. We also got to cotton rounds (maybe to go with the micellar cleansing water) but I didn’t include those in the items below.

Garnier Micellar Water

For the longest time I didn’t understand (or really believe) the hype around micellar water but once I got some (I use the Simple brand) I discovered micellar water removes makeup, in particular waterproof makeup, much better than regular cleansers. While I love the Simple brand, I will give this Garnier product a try.

Schmidt’s Naturals Activated Charcoal Toothpaste

This product is supposed to help freshen breath and combat plaque, playing on the current activated charcoal hype. However, this product does NOT contain flouride so I will be donating it to someone.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil

This skin oil is intended to improve the appearance of scars and help even skin tone. I’d like to try this on my face but I’m a little worried it will be too greasy and cause a breakout. I will be doing some additional research to see if it is safe for acne-prone skin.

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise All Day Liner

Eyeliners. . .a common staple in boxes. This eyeliner has a brush tip and appears to be fairly thin. However, I normally use an eye pencil, not a brush tip. I was on FaceTime when I opened this box and my friend has already claimed this item since it’s not something I’ll use.

Method Body Wash Pure Peace

A body wash from Method with peony, rose water and pink sea salt. I use bar soap so I’ll be setting this aside for donation. The smell is not overwhelming but definitely feminine.

Love Beauty & Plant Deodorant

Lastly, I got a full size stick of deodorant in the scent lavender. It should be noted this is deodorant, not anti-antiperspirant and does not contain aluminum. I’m not sure I would want to use this for a workout or for a full day at work but I think it would be ok to use when at home or running a quick errand. It does smell great!