**REVIEW** Walmart Beauty Box (Classic Spring 2018)

Wow! Walmart really surprised me with this box. It's my first one and I was not expecting to be this happy with it.

I happened to have received my Birchbox for May today at the same time the Walmart box arrived. I thought for sure that, next to Birchbox, the Walmart box wouldn't hold up. I was so wrong. Not only did the Walmart box hold some real goodies, but it was right up there with Birchbox. Consider this: the Walmart box is $5 and comes on a quarterly basis. Birchbox was good this time, but Walmart definitely held its own.

These are the photos, because you know I always take some. And first off, the box was presented as nicely as, say, Birchbox.

Simple and kind of elegant

 Then, it got nicer as I opened the simple and elegant outer box to see more care in presentation.

 When I undid the tissue, I was really kind of wowed. This was a really packed box.

I was thinking, "Look at you, Walmart..." Like I said, there wasn't a disappointing item in the box. Let's see them one by one:


The Dove Exfoliating Body Polish is priced at $5.93 for a 10.5oz jar on Walmart.com and comes in 3 formulations: the Crushed Macadamia & Rice Milk that was in my box; Kiwi Seeds & Cool Aloe; and Pomegranate Seeds & Shea Butter. The box sample was a 1oz (30g) size. I'm not a huge fan of using anything exfoliating on my skin, but I might try this on my awful feet.

Dove Exfoliating Body Polish

 Next up, from a brand I hadn't heard of or noticed before is this Hello toothpaste. I got the Sensitivity Relief formula of Soothing Mint & Coconut Oil. Sounds interesting, right? Well, so does the Mojito Mint flavor I saw online... Looks like the full-sized tubes come in a few different sizes, including a toddler version. My sample was a .85oz (24.1g) tube and the 4oz tube online is currently priced at $4.82.

One of the most interesting items was this Advanced Therapy Ointment Body Spray by Aquaphor. I am always on the lookout for good moisturizers and I gave this a try right away. Love it. I got a .86oz (24.5g) sample and it doesn't take a lot to cover a large area of skin. The 3.7oz is priced at $9.97 and there are options for purchasing multi-packs of the 3.72oz size.

Some of you all know that I love me some Aussie Moist products, but I have never tried the hairsprays. When I saw this 24-hour Hold Mega Hairspray, I was leery and mentioned it to my niece. She mentioned that she will set her Bantu styling knots with a light spray so that her curls hold through the day. I gave it a try tonight when I did my twists for tomorrow. I will have to wait to see how this spray worked, but I can tell you that it smells good. I mean, it is an aerosol spray but it has a nicer scent than most. My sample was a 1.5oz (42g) Level 1 Flexible Hold. The 14oz size is priced at $3.43. I can work with that.

Another beauty product that I'm not fond of in general is facial masks - of almost any kind. I tend to use oils and serums on my face for cleansing and toning. This is an Acai Berry Revitalizing Sleeping Mask. I really will be leery of leaving something on my face overnight, but I will give this a patch-test try and get back to you. I can't even correctly pronounce the word "Acai" to tell the truth. The sample is a .35oz (10g size) and that's the same size sold online for $2.50.

I've tried shower lotions before so I was kind of familiar with the idea of this Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer. It's the "natural glow" part that makes this interesting. I got the 2oz (59mL) size for "fair to medium" skin tones. I have to say that this will be fun to try. The 7.5oz (221mL) size is $8.64 and there seem to be different sizes (and prices) that you can look at when you check for your shade.

 Another product I can't wait to try is the  Foam Conditioner by Pantene. I got a 1.4oz (4.g) sample of the "Sheer Volume" formula. There are formulas for several hair types and desired results with a price of  $5.97 each for 6oz containers.

I thought it was pretty cool that there was a 3-day Rembrandt (teeth) Whitening Boost Kit included since 3 days is what's suggested to see some results. In addition to the 3-day sample, Walmart included a $2 coupon towards the purchase of a 1-week kit. Seeing as how those kits run just over $22, that coupon is going to be great for someone who was thinking of trying the full week. I have a crown that is sensitive so the 3 days is a good enough trial for me.

Last up is another coupon and one that I will most definitely be using. It's for a free (FREE) box of Nice 'n Easy Hair Color. And they aren't playing about the "free" part. The coupon will cover a purchase up to $8.99 and the online price (always higher than in-store prices) is running at $7.99. Oh yeah! That one coupon paid me back and some for the subscription box cost.

Here's the thing: when I first heard of the Walmart box, a lot of the reviews gave the impression that it was just full of cheap items from the Travel-sized item section of the store. In reality, the sample sizes are generous and I had not even heard of two of the products (the Aquaphor and the Hello brand toothpaste), so there.

Maybe this was just a really good box, but the items more than paid for the subscription and I can use every single item in it (okay, except for the overnight mask). And even with the mask that I will only patch test, there was not one moment of disappointment like there was with the Sephora box.

Another good thing is that this box is $20 for the year and I can afford it. I sure hope Walmart doesn't start trying to compete with the pricier boxes if it means raising the subscription. Oh, and I don't want to forget that subscribers get to enter to win a $500 Walmart gift card by filling out a questionnaire type survey of the box. Done and done.

Peace
--Free




Note 1: I was not compensated for this review, nor was I requested to do the review.
Note 2: The prices shown are current for the date this post was written and taken from the online store.

**REVIEW** Sephora's Play Box Subscription

UPDATE: If you sign up for Birchbox because you read about it here, please use this link so that I get acknowledged Trudy Sent Me!


Of the many subscription boxes in the beauty and skincare categories, there aren't tons that are as affordable as the Birchbox and Sephora Play boxes. I mean, if you want to try new products every month, you really can't beat 10 bucks for some good-sized samples. I had decided that if I was going to join the subscription craze, I would only choose one box. Budget, budget, broke is my version of duck, duck, goose!

I've tried and reviewed the April Birchbox. I hope to try out Ipsy or another box in this price range. Today though, I am going to review the Sephora Play April 2018 box that I recently received.

It's finally here! Finally...

The box took forever to arrive but when I checked the dates, I can see that Birchbox took 10 days from the order date to deliver and Play took 11 days. So, they are about equal there. Since I do have Birchbox to compare to this one, that is what I will do throughout this post. Let's go look at what came in the April Play box.

6  items + the bag

With Birchbox, I got the cute little collectible box to use. Sephora sent this little bag.

very flimsy material

Birchbox wins this round. While I thought a bag would be more versatile to reuse than a box, this one is a cheap little Dollar Store type of thing that I'll probably just tuck some socks or maybe some laundry quarters in. It wasn't that cute to me. I was really hoping the other box items were going to be much better. So let's see...

.33 oz each packet

I have not used this shampoo/conditioner sample set from Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day line. The samples were a good size and I will review them once I try them out on my next wash day. The 8oz shampoo and 8 oz conditioner sizes are priced at $26 each.

 I give Sephora Play credit for including such a nice sample size of the product. I have thick, afro-curly (er, sometimes nappy) hair and I think the shampoo would be enough for a wash. I would probably have to dilute the conditioner to saturate all my hair from root to tip.

Next up is the item with the best name ever:

This one is the  Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial. Not only do I love the name, but I really liked the product. I used this on my chin and nose area. It tingled a little bit but not strongly and not for long. I left it on for 15 minutes instead of the 20 as instructed because I was worried it might be too drying. When I rinsed, I was super surprised at how good my treated skin felt. It's like it sucked close off the larger pores and my nose was really smooth and I kept touching it!  Normally, I don't use products like this. Most of you all know me by now and know that I would rather do a treatment with essential oil or use something from my kitchen.

I was so excited about this product that I scooted online with a quickness to check the price for a full-size. That stopped me right in my broke little tracks. This is priced at $80 for a 1.69oz/50ml pump (so this 15ml sample is worth about $24). That's just ridiculous. I'd have to be a drunk woman to put that in my cart. Besides, I can buy a lot of Manuka honey for that much money and it's all natural and what I don't use on my face, I could eat. Thank you, Sephora for the generous sized sample, but I can never buy more of this so... Whatever. Moving on.

The Purity Pore Extractor Mask is another item I haven't yet tried. My face was still so clean from the Drunk Elephant that I decided to wait a couple of days before I use the mask but I tested the clay on the back of my hand. It has some fine granules in the texture that were easy to wipe away once the clay dried. The mask dries quickly and the clay adhered to my hand until I rinsed it off. It wasn't sticky or unpleasant while rinsing as so many similar products can be. Since I liked the way the skin on my hand felt afterward, I think I would like this - but only on the nose and chin areas. My skin is too sensitive for any type of astringents or scrubs anywhere else. So I do like this item but, once again, I had sticker shock when I checked the price. It's $35 for 2.5 ounces. This is why I am glad to be a natural product gal. I have to be thankful, I guess that Sephora did supply a 5ml sample.

Next up is the Sephora Rouge Cream lipstick in the shade called The Red.

It's a great lipstick with good texture and a coverage that I love. One problem: that red is more for Marilyn Monroe/Rita Hayworth while I need something more Danai Gurira/Lupita Nyong'o or at the very least, Angela Basset after she's been in the sun for a few hours.

This photo doesn't fully capture how wrong the shade is on me. I even checked with my neighbor and she was like, "Uh... yeah. No. Not that shade. Not on you." I think what she wanted to say is that this shade makes me look like a starving harlot. There is just a touch too much orange in it to suit me. Usually, I can wear a deep red (though I prefer a more non-vampish color now that I'm on the upper side of 50). I think that I will save this and use it to mix with another unwanted shade to use as an eye color. I dunno.

That shade of lipstick is not
going with that shade of grey hair!

This was a big disappointment to me because I wanted to like this lipstick and I feel Sephora ignored my Profile when choosing the shade. I mean, they ask your shade and I entered mine as the darkest they had. ~sigh~ To add insult, this lipstick is one of the actually affordable ($12.50) items in the box.

The PeterThomas Roth Skin to Die For mattifying primer sounded interesting. I watched the little video that Sephora had up and was impressed with the difference the primer made on the model. On me, it felt great but didn't make much of a visible difference. I would be curious to see if it works as touted to eventually improve one's skin. I'm pretty happy with my skin so I will pass. The price is not that bad ($28 for 1oz), depending on how much and how often it would need to be applied.

For the very last of the items, I have to say that, once again, I was not thrilled. I was still hopeful though, even as I got down to the last item in the box. This gloss is from a favorite brand:

I adore Urban Decay and was glad that the box included their Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss, but...

... once again - for what? The third or fourth time? - I was not crazy about the color Sephora chose to send me. They're reading (or not reading) of my profile reminds me of the 80's when every drugstore makeup artist wanted to put vivid, shimmery blue eyeshadow on my black face.

If Sephora just wanted to send me a daring, lighter color gloss, they could have gone with the shade of Naked. I would have been very happy to get that or, better yet, the Beso, or the 1993. The one they sent was the SPL. It doesn't even have a cool name. And to beat it all, the stuff is a glittery-sparkling, minty-tasting concoction. Ugh. It's like something that a little kid would get for their doll. To be honest, I could have gotten past the glitter and the mint, but that bright pink... And unlike most glosses (because, yes, I do own gloss in light pink shades) this was pretty heavily colored. If the red lipstick made my lips look weird, this gloss made them look chapped as if I was in need of a lot of water. I gave it to my Caucasian sister-in-law and I haven't seen her wearing it yet.

I don't want to forget that the Play box did include a card with 50 Beauty Insider Points. That's a Plus. The downside is that I would not be able to get the offered extra 50 points because there is no store near me to walk into. So there's that. Birchbox just straight up gives you a discount if you decide to purchase something you've sampled. Now, that's what I'm talking about.

Decisions, decisions...

Birchbox vs Sephora Play

I told you all that I could only (barely) afford to do one box. If I wasn't waiting to try Ipsy, and the decision was to be between Birchbox and Play, Birchbox would be the winner by miles and miles. Sure, they sent a hair product I would never use, but it's not as if I wouldn't use it if I styled my hair differently. I feel like they paid more attention to my profile.

I already made sure to cancel the Play subscription so that I don't get stuck with a second box or payment. When I reviewed FabFitFun, I knew it was a subscription I'd keep if I could afford it. The Play box is just $10 and I know the products weren't cheap, but I had no regrets canceling. I think that Sephora often falls short on paying attention to customers. I'm I've posted about the $50 perfume certificate I never got to use because Sephora ran out of the perfume I wanted and never honored it. It's like they robbed my niece of the money she meant me to have.

Well. Sephora, I guess you kinda, sorta, maybe tried.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Birchbox April 2018

UPDATE: If you sign up for Birchbox because of this post, please let me get the referral points by using this link: TRUDY SENT ME!



The Birchbox I told you all was coming... arrived.

This was courtesy of my angel sponsor but, let me tell you what, I will be continuing this subscription. It exceeded my expectations.

The cute little collectible, um "upcycle-able" box is adorable and the contents were pretty awesome. For a $10/mo subscription, this is what the April 2018 box contained listed with the full-size prices:

1. Beautaniq Beauty Fill + Tame Brow Gel ($12)

This was one of my 2 faves in this box. Though I don't wear full-face makeup that often, I do like to do my eyes and lips. I hace unruly brows and I am a mess when it comes to shaping them. This gel has a brush that made it easy even for me to get my brows to behave. The shade would be best for when I over-pluck or shave the brows, but I would have preferred the Clear.


2. Briogeo Rosarco Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Crème ($24)

This was totally out of my beauty profile range. I wear my hair afro-curly and try never to use any kind of heat other than to deep condition. That being said, I can tell you that this product smells awesome. When I applied a little of it to my hand to check the texture, I found it to be very light and it didn't leave even the trace of a film on my skin. I hope that helps anyone who is looking for some kind of information about the product.

3. Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream SPF 20 - All Skin Types ($54)

First, let me say that I wanted to like this and I mostly did. Two things about it turned me off: 1 - there is a fragrance in it and I don't like fragrance on my face unless it's an essential oil I'm using for a specific purpose. 2 - Did ya see that price? OMG. If I had loved the crap out of this, I'd have to find it sold by a tenth of a milliliter.

I can say that it's the lightest and best-textured day cream I've seen outside of the Avon Anew that I typically use.

4. Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner ($22)

I love, love, love a good liner. This one is so easy to use because of the felt tip pen-like applicator. If you can write, you can use this. Mine came in black and it's a true rich black. I don't use eyeliner every day, but when I do, this will be the one.

5. Smashbox Cosmetics Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer ($24)

This is another of the products that I wanted to like. I do like the way it goes on - very smooth and non-sticky - and I loved that, once applied, it didn't dry out my lips the way a lot of matte-ifying products can. The one thing that put me off is that I am so particular about the shades of my lip products and this changed the shade ever so slightly. Maybe it will work better with some of the shades I want to change anyway, but it's not for my regular lipsticks. On the other hand, this is a super product for those who can have a little bit of variety in the lip color.

6. BONUS Lipstick Queen Frog Prince Lipstick ($25)

Remember I said I had 2 favorites in this box? This is the other one. This is my top fave and it wasn't one of the box samples. It was the bonus gift. 

You can see that the lipstick itself is green (frog prince green?) but when it reacts with my body ph or heat, it turns the faintest shade of blush red that's perfect for my complexion. I said today that I always envied people who have those naturally shaded lips. Now I can have that same look and the gift/sample is actually going to last me a while.

Free's Birchbox Rating

So that was my first box. It will be up to me to pay for it from now on and I think that, if I can swing it, it will be totally worth it. Based on this month's box, I give Birchbox a 5-star rating. It's affordable for most people, the samples are of a good size, and the items are all interesting.

If you are interested, you can use this link to sign up. Please do becasue I will get points as the referrer :-)

Another Plus to the Birchbox is that you get a discount when you purchase anything you have sampled. Also, you earn other rewards. This is from the Birchbox site:

"Each time you shop with Birchbox, you automatically get rewarded! The minute you create an account, you can start earning Points to spend on full-size favorites and gift subscriptions. Even better news: You’re on your way to bigger perks. The more you shop, the closer you’ll be to qualifying for our VIP Aces tier, which gives you access to exclusive added benefits."

Peace
--Free





DISCLOSURE The products reviewed in this post were paid for by an "angel" sponsor who is in no way affiliated with either product or brand or seller. My opinions are not influenced by the "angel".

**REVIEW** FabFitFun Starter Box

So. I finally broke down and tried this particular subscription box. I didn't even think about trying the fifty-dollar seasonal box, but I had a coupon to try the Starter box for $19.00.

INSERT PHOTO of the box outside

The box had some really good items in it and was well worth the intro $19.00 but I would never even consider paying fifty bucks for even a quarterly subscription beauty box.  Also, I happened to love everything I got in the Starter box but I looked back over some of the past boxes and wasn't impressed with the contents I saw.

This Starter box though... It was pretty nice. Let's take a look.

The box outside my door looked festive enough. It wasn't that heavy though so I was super curious to open it.

Anticipation...

The teasing just never ends. I like the care that was taken to nicely wrap the contents. Just like getting a gift. Well, one that you pay for anyway.

I'm not kidding about the tease. It seems to go on and on. The magazine inside was nice and there's the thoughtful note included.

Whew. Finally, right? It's almost like Christmas. You pay for the gift, but the element of surprise is fun. For about ten seconds, I was a little disappointed.  I saw these 3 items and thought, is that it?

Actually, there was more. Four items in total. I think that every box includes a bag of some kind. This one did not disappoint, but I can't help but...

I would personally never pay $62 for this one, as cute as it is. I think the name is the reason for the high price tag.

There's a cute and sassy little tasselI like and the strap is a good length. I couldn't wait to fill this one up. There are no inner pockets but I managed to fit my phone, wallet, some tissues, lip gloss, a tube of lotion, and a perfume roller inside easily enough. I do like this bag more than I expected to.  Simple and classy.

This Ahava hand cream... This is some luscious stuff. I have a thing for Dead Sea minerals and this lotion's ingredient list includes mineral waters and dead sea water. It feels wonderful and is immediately hydrating. I would definitely buy more of this in the future, but I don't know if I can afford the $33 price tag. I will be looking forward to seeing more products from the brand.

Doucce is a new brand name to me. I'm seeing more of the products. The tubes are so sleek and chic looking. What surprised me was how much I like this lip stain duo. I have issues with most lip stain products. Either they are very drying or, depending on the color, they look dry. This is a medium brown color, which I didn't think would suit my complexion.

It is a bit lighter than I like when I wear just the stain and it tended to look muddy-ish, but when I add the gloss, it looks nice and I have paid more for a good lipstick. Now, if I just do my hair the rest of my makeup and clean my bathroom mirror...

that's toothpaste on the mirror, not something in my hair

I saved my all-time favorite from this box for last. I LOVE the smell of this Marrakesh oil. If I could find a matching perfume, I'd stock up. This does add some shine to my hair, but the scent just makes me happy.

I can tell that the pricing given was pretty accurate because everywhere I priced this oil, it is as shown; $22.99.

Love the smell of this oil!!!

Honestly, everything in the box was good quality, and quality does cost. I really like that they include a bag. I needed a crossbody bag and the Summer & Rose bag replaces the poor, worn-out, raggedy thing that I've been carrying.

So...

Is Fab Fit Fun worth it? I guess it all depends on your budget and the kinds of items you like getting in a box subscription. Fab Fit Fun is just way out of my budget at that $50 each for the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall boxes.

If I could afford the FFF subscription, I would try it at least for a year. Since I cannot afford FFF, courtesy of my angel sponsor, I am trying out at least one each of the cheaper boxes from Birch and Sephora Play. I will be reviewing those as soon as they come in.

Peace
--Free