**REVIEW** Walmart's Classic Summer Beauty Box

Last week was a rollercoaster. I was a little bit sick but cheered up a bit when my Target beauty box arrived on Monday. Then, just as I needed another little pick-me-up, the Classic Summer Beauty Box arrived from Walmart on Thursday. The boxes are a nice little treat when you're often laid up in bed.

The Walmart boxes come out 4 times a year - one for each calendar season - and cost $5. The Target beauty boxes are $7 but you can't sign up for them in advance; you have to go to the site and order them (and they go fast).

 You might remember how much I enjoyed Walmart's Classic Spring box. Not a bad five dollars. Here is the Classic Summer box:


As before, the box is very pretty

And the inside was very pretty. I love that they use the tissue as if this really is a gift to yourself.

I have to admit that I liked the Classic Spring box better, but this one did not disappoint.

I really like the fact that Walmart and Target add in a lot of items that afro-natural folks can use. Comparing to the last box, the samples in this Walmart box really seemed smaller.

But there were some good one, starting with what I think is going to be my favorite.

1.Palmer's Natural Fusions set of   Micellar Rose Water Cleanser (it's a clarifying shampoo, folks) and Lavender Rosewater Conditioner ( a hydrating repair formula).

Full sizes (12oz)  are $6.77 each

2. Garnier is another favorite brand of mine and although I don't care much for facial masks, I kinda can't wait to try the SkinActive Soothing Mask.

Full size 6.75oz jar = $9.96

3. I'm not much for hair masks either, but this one will get a test. It's Garnier's Damage Repairing 1-Minute Hair Mask.

Full size 13.5oz $7.49

4. This is not something that I will use, but I sure will be telling a lot of my friends about the Nair Was Ready Strips. In my opinion, this would beat heating up all those wax beads in a special pot, but... I dunno. Oh, and there is a $1 coupon for the strips.

40-count box = $5.98

5. This is the second time I've gotten a Rembrandt Whitening Kit (and coupon) in a Walmart box. I'm kind of over it. I have a crown in the front and whitening treatments make the crown stand out. I will be giving the coupon away. This is a generous sample though. You get 3 treatments (6 strips) and in the full-size box, you get 14 treatments. For anyone wanting to try this out, this is a nice sample. Way to go, Walmart.

1-week kit = $22.27

6. I saved this last item because they will be the one thing I want to run out and get right now. These Kleenex Wet Wipes are going to be a huge fave of mine. The samples are just folded into the pouch, but I see that one of the full-size bags contains individually wrapped cloths. I LOVE that. I use wet wipes for everything from cleaning my face (especially for removing makeup) to refreshing my neck and shoulders on a hot day and cleaning my psoriasis plagued feet. I only like using the tissue style cloths - which are the gentlest on my skin and are flushable. For the last few years I have been using the Equate or Huggies brands but I find these Kleenex wipes to be thicker, stronger, and just as gentle. The individually wrapped ones are going to be perfect for on the go, but I will definitely be getting one of the doubles of the pop-up packs. They are just a smidge more expensive than my usual brands but I think I am in love.

25 wipes = $2.76

I started out comparing this less favorably to the last Walmart box, but I have to admit that there were some real gems in this one. The coupons are always a nice little Plus to any box.

If I remember to, I will do reviews on the Garnier masks and the Palmer's.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Target Summer Beauty Box

The Target "Hello Summer Beauty" Box just arrived and I am way more impressed than I expected to be. I think you remember me saying much the same about the Walmart Beauty box for Spring 2018. (By the way, the Walmart Summer box is on the way.) So let's just dive right in and see what the Target box had to offer this month. By the way, you are going to begin to see a theme as we run through the samples...

1. The presentation was very nice and I hate that I tossed the pretty interior tissue before I got a better photo. Please notice the generous sizes of the items.

shipping was SUPER fast

Expires in about 2 weeks though!

2. Much like with "fancier" boxes, the enclosed card details each product and even includes useful tips and bits of info for some items. That was a really nice touch. The $3 coupon is good for an in-store or online Target purchase of $15 or more of cosmetics, skincare or haircare. My only issue with this is that the coupon expires in a couple of weeks.

1.75oz sample
full size = 7.69

3. This Don't Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel is the only thing in the box that I didn't like. I kinda have an unpleasant history with Aunt Jackie and I'm glad I got to try this before I wasted money on it. This was a really generous sample though. I used it (as directed for best results) on washed and still-damp hair. It goes on a little glue-ey but it did help elongate the curl. Only problem is that it made my hair feel as if it had been shellacked. I literally ended up spraying on some water to unstick pieces of my hair because I would have ripped out chunks trying to comb it with my fingers. I just sprayed on some of the next product to see if that would help.

3.3oz sample
full size = $5.99

4. The Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Leave-In Treatment is a really nice treat. I've been kind of ambivalent about S.M. products. When they are good, they are awesome, but when they flop, they flop hard. This leave-in is amazing. It smells good without being overpowering and it cleared up that stiff mess left behind by the Aunt Jackie's. The scent is of a light coconut-water. This is on my list to pick up when I use the coupon. Good stuff and, I'll say again: it smells delicious. I can't wait to try this again after I've washed the Jackie's gunk out of my hair. If it softened my hair like it is, I can't imagine what it will do on clean hair.

2oz sample
full size = $5.99

5. The Cantu Leave-In Conditioning Cream is another new favorite. I don't buy a lot of Cantu products, but they scored with this cream. I love leave-in repairing treatments and I love one that moisturizes as well as this one. Like with product 4, this one has the light scent of coconut - very light. The cream is rich enough that it takes only a bit to treat my hair.

1.75oz each sample
full sizes = $4.59 each

6. I will go ahead and tell you that I love Palmer's products so, even though, I haven't tried these samples of the Coconut Oil Formula Shampoo and Coconut Oil Formula Repairing Conditioner, I have tried Palmer's shampoo and conditioner before (and it might have been these). Getting these samples just reminded me that I haven't used Palmer's in a while. I definitely will be replacing my products with these when I need more shampoo and conditioner again.

4 pcs sample
full pack 24pc = $3.49

7.  The Scunci No Damage Elastics for Thick Hair are perfect for this box. Since the theme is thick, curly, and dry and or damaged hair, a no-damage hair tie is genius. Of course, I cut my hair and still haven't grown it out enough to use these! 😁

0.5oz sample
full size = $7.99

8. Being down here in Iowa where the weather is so humid and changeable between hot and cold, you feel as if you're being sous vide, you need good odor and wetness protection. This Clinical Strength soft sold from Secret is good stuff. I've used Secret before and even though I try to use mostly natural odor protection, every now and then, a gal needs her Secret. This one is scented "light and fresh" and is nice.

Other than that gunky funky Aunt Jackie's, I loved this box. Did you pick up on the coconut theme? Usually, the Target boxes sell out so fast you can hardly grab one. I think that a lot of people were surprised by the afro-hair themed products in this one. If you are interested, there were still some of these boxes left on the website when I checked last night. There is also a Target box for men (which is only $5). Nice.

Now that I have gotten rid of Birchbox, Walmart is the only subscription I still have. Maybe I will be able to catch the Target box when it comes back around.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Birchbox July 2018

This month's box isn't awful, but when I see what other people got, I have to admit to being kind of disgruntled. I have always, always, always wanted to try one of the LaVanilla perfumes - which was in some of the boxes - and yet, none for me. Perfume is one of the things I put on my profile.

~sigh~

Okay, so what did I get? Well, yet another freaking Eyeco product. A brow liner. What is with the eyebrow stuff and Birchbox?

Anyway, I won't actually talk much about each product. I will just do a reveal of my box and end with some comments.

The brown stuff you see in the other pics? It's this. Leaked. EVERYwhere... 

And, like the INXS song, the Vasanti cloths are the one thing. The only thing I was really okay with. And I chose it.

Well.

I just hopped over and canceled my Birchbox subscription. I gave them a try and, apparently, either my profile means nothing or - and I have really wondered about this - they give the very best stuff to top "influencers". I don't know. Doesn't matter. This is 10 bucks I can save for groceries or something else.

Peace
-Free

**REVIEW** Birchbox June 2018

First off, let me set this down right here... Trudy Sent Me! Yeah, that's in case you want to credit me with sending you to Birchbox.

This is my third Birchbox and, while it brightened an otherwise crappy week, I have to admit it's not as awesome as the May box (which contained 3 items I loved). This June box only had 1 thing I'm crazy about and 1 thing that I like a lot. The rest was... We'll get to that.

Let's just go ahead and start with the best item of the box. That would be this amazing Waterfall Moisture and Shine Lotion from R+Co.

5oz full size = $29

This stuff is so good on these dry, afro-natural naps of mine. It's so hydrating without being greasy, tacky, sticky, or heavy. I applied it to my already styled hair and was blown away by how soft and touchable the curls felt. The smell is light and nice and the moisture actually lasted all day and through the night. For me, the biggest advantage was the softening effect. I could not stop touching my own hair!

The only downside is the price of the full-size tube. Thirty bucks is right up there with a full tank of gas, right? And I'm not sure how long a tube of this would last me. Right now, my hair is short (remember I did that big chop the other week) and I could stretch this sample size out for maybe a week if I'm creative. Eventually, though, my hair is going to be growing back out and,,, I don't know if I could afford this product. Still, I will definitely be telling all my afro-natural buddies about this.

My second-fave from this box is this Deep Dive Water Cream from Red Earth.

1.8oz full size = $29

Other than that creepy and new-agey upside down as-above type A, I do like this stuff. I've used gel moisturizers before but there was always something 'off' about them. Mostly it would be the texture - sticky or gluey - that made me dislike them. This one gets it right. It's really light and goes on like water. Seriously.

Once again, though, the price is the biggest flaw. I'm sure there are a lot of hidden costs in bringing a product to market, but I wonder about the markup. From reading the ingredients list, I'm pretty sure that I could pick up most of what I need from Making Cosmetics to throw together a generic version of this stuff. I like the product, but I don't like it enough to pay $30 for 1.8 oz. And, also, that Satanic-looing A really does creep me out...

This next item would possibly have been the second favorite but I can't really tell because the sample was too small for me to test it well.

I think most of us women have tried (or at least seen) the Beauty Blender makeup sponges, right? I don't wear foundation every day and I even have some of the sponges.

Like I said, this one from the Birchbox was too small to do anything with. I couldn't even grip well enough to test it with foundation. The one thing that was kind of cool about the sample - though it's not a feature I would use because I don't wet my sponges - is that you can increase the sponge size two-fold by adding water. The sample even came with its own water. And this actually did enlarge the sponge. It didn't make it big enough for me to use, but it did swell.

The watered sponge is on the right

Oh yeah, and the price - $20 for a full-size sponge - is, as with the other products, ridiculous. However, in the case of the sponge, I can (and have) found them at a much more affordable price. For under twenty bucks, I've gotten up to 3 sponges that work just as well.

The sample, by the way, is not round. It's flat as well as small.

in the center of my watch

Next up is this Glow Serum from Beautaniq.

0.67 oz full size = $22

I didn't like the gritty feel of this highlighter and the color was way too light for my dark skin. After falling in love with the Glowtion from the May box, this was a big flop. And that's about all I can say about that.

The next sample isn't bad but it's not something I could be crazy about. It's the Davines SU Hair & Body Wash.

250ml full size = $24

First off, I'm not a huge fan of this kind of thing. My hair and skin have totally different needs and issues. Second, I don't need anything to help "prolong my tan".This tan of mine ain't going nowhere, thank goodness. Third, I wasn't crazy about the smell of this. If there was any citrus scent, it was drowned out by the castile soap smell. So this was just kind of meh, but kudos to Davines for supplying such a nice-sized sample. That was cool because I know that some folks will probably really like this. It's getting almost 5 stars on Birchbox.

Finally, let me just say that the prices are probably the most disappointing thing. If a product knocks it out of the park and offers something you can't get just anywhere (think Whal Myung), then okay. But even the best stuff here seemed overpriced, in my opinion. What I do like about Birchbox is that when I love something in a box and can't afford to run out and get the full-sized version, I can always order a second box for $10. That's what I did with the Whal Myung until I can get somebody to remember it on my birthday! Haha.

So, yeah, that's this month's box. Not (terribly) horrible, but not my fave. That hair lotion though... Man, that right there made the box worth it.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Ipsy Subscription Box

Walmart has a good box, Birchbox is awesome, FitFabFun is great for those who can afford it, and Ipsy is...

Well, I got the first Ipsy box and I did like almost everything in it. It's priced right in there with Birchbox, that's a big Plus. Also, it comes with a little cosmetics bag, another Plus. So, if there are 2 great subscription boxes, both at the same low $10-price, how to narrow down which one to keep?

If this Ipsy box had included better profile-matched samples, I would have had a harder time choosing between it and Birchbox (which I loved for May). Let's take a look at what was in the Ipsy box and what I thought of each item.

The delivery came in a cute little hot purple (pink?) puffy envelope.

I removed the label so that I can repurpose the mailer for sending my little nephew a gift next month. He will love that color.

This photo reps the color better than the
above photo

There were 5 items in a cute little cosmetics bag that I will be able to use.

Patterned side of the bag

I will start with the one thing that I liked most and that is the Trestique Mini Matte Blur Stick.

It works great - easily tamping down shine and absorbing excess oils on the face. It was nice to see something like this in a stick instead of in a squeeze tube or bottle. There is a mild, powdery feel that is pleasant on the skin and I thought that this would be something I would actually use Ipsy points to purchase at some point. That's what I thought. I will come back to that in a moment.

Lord & Berry's Maximatte Crayon Lipstick is my 2nd favorite from this box even though I hated the color sent to me.

The shade choices for the bag were to be either "Spicy" or "Intimacy". Despite my profile indicating my dark complexion and preference for darker hues in lip products, Ipsy sent me the lighter shade of "Intimacy". Just looking at it, the shade wasn't so bad, but when I tried it on... Ugh. So why do I name this as a favorite from the box? Because although on my lips, the color makes me look like I'm in need of a water infusion, it works beautifully as a color for just under my brows. The soft, peachy shade is similar to colors I've chosen in the past to highlight my eyes. Still, Ipsy loses points for ignoring my profile preferences.

My 3rd favorite: Air Repair Skincare's Complexion Quenching Facial Mist. 

This almost tied for 2nd place because it did do a nice job of hydrating my face. The reason it came in third is that I wouldn't be able to use it "on the go" as is touted. When I sprayed it on, it left a slight residue and shine that would require me to blot my face. That's fine if going bare-faced but so much an on-the-go deal if wearing makeup. I do think this is excellent for having on hand during hot days when you want to cool and hydrate your face.

Next in the bag is this Slmissglam Eyeshadow Brush. It's cute and if I were younger maybe, I'd like it a lot for the playful colors of the bristles. If I used such brushes.

"Tools" was not a marked preference on my profile and neither was eyeshadow. 

The one item that I absolutely hate is the Jivi Lavender Moisturizer.

First off, there was nothing in my profile to warrant a product to "counteract redness". Second, this is so heavily scented that there is no way I would put on my face. I did a very small patch test near my jawline and my skin automatically began to react by feeling itchy and warm. Yeah, whatever Jive Jivi. (EDIT: Hated this so much I forgot to include a photo first time around!)

So, not only did Ipsy seem to care very little about my beauty preferences, I also found the samples to be skimpy and somehow not as high in overall quality as those in Birchbox. That's Reason #1 for not being impressed.

Reason #2 was that even for the products I liked, ordering them was inconvenient because of the odd shipping calculations Ipsy uses. Since I had earned some "points" to use toward a purchase, I wanted to see what the ordering process would be. Apparently, every product/brand has their own shipping prices. Um... what?

Now, remember when I mentioned maybe being able to use my points to ease the cost of future purchases - like if I wanted to order that Mini Matte Blur Stick? Well, whatever points I earned were eaten up in double when shipping was calculated.  I wouldn't mind losing just the points, but shipping went way over the points I earned.

Now, you know how you are going to cancel something (like one of these subscriptions) and you get roped back in because you are offered all kinds of incentives? Well, there is nothing Ipsy could offer to get me to stay with them after the hassle of canceling my account. It was tricky to find the cancellation page, then  I had to be sure to respond to a verifying type of email by a certain time and without closing the Ipsy page - or else my cancellation would be invalid. What the happy hell kind of runaround is that???

Whatever. I jumped through all the hoops and got the subscription canceled and now I have to add Ipsy to my SPAM folder to make sure I don't get any more of their "are you sure" emails. Why would I stay with them if I can't afford to buy any of the products because of the stupid shipping policy? And why would I want to stay with them when they don't care a flip about that pretty detailed "beauty profile" I filled out?

Between Ipsy and Birchbox, I can only keep one monthly subscription  - especially since Walmart has such an excellent quarterly box - and Ipsy didn't try that hard to win me over. At least with FabFitFun, it was just the price that scared me off. Also, I'll admit that shipping would eat up any "rewards" I would use after 1 month of Birchbox, but at least the shipping charges are consistent and set.

Of course, I know the whole "to each his own" rule of life so I'm not knocking anyone who prefers Ipsy over Birchbox. The whole idea of these types of services, I think, is to do a little something for ourselves. Birchbox just fits me better.

Oh, and I didn't do the price lists for the Ipsy box items because once I canceled, I couldn't access the Shop pages... Yeah, Ipsy, I see you being petty.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Birchbox May 2018

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


As I told you in my last post, this month's Birchbox arrived at the same time as the Walmart Beauty Box. I was really wiped out from a treatment so to come home and have two goodie boxes waiting... Nice.

I'm pretty happy with this month's box. There were 3 favorite items and 2 so-so products. Here we go. I will start with my favorites and work down to the least liked.

This Glowtion (love the name) from Wander Beauty was the top fave in this box.

I tried bronzer years ago and I looked like an electric clown. This illuminator is more subtle and really does add a glow that looks natural. I don't wear a full face of makeup on a daily basis and I love that, sans foundation, this gave me a fresh and pretty look.

Yeah, that's a soap spot on the mirror! LOL

The Georgette Klinger Coconut Cleansing Milk came in at Number 2 because of the ingredients and the price.

This is the key** ingredients list: coconut oil, coconut extract, grape extract, and cucumber extract. I found the full ingredients online and you can see them at bottom of this post. This is a really gentle cleanser and I love the way it smells - but there is added fragrance. Affordable is what topped it for me.

Next was the Ouai Volume Spray (and I had to Google it to know that you pronounce Ouai as "way").

One thing I have not used before getting the Walmart box is any kind of hairspray. This Ouai item is not a hairspray but it's not something I would have picked up to try before now. It is light and has a great smell. My hair wasn't sticky or crunchy after using this and it did give my curls the lift I like and added some shine. I am wearing some in the previous photo. The price isn't too bad so this is something I might purchase in a full size.

This next item would have been my top fave if not for the high price. It's the Whal Myung Skin Elixir.

It's great stuff but, dang, almost sixty bucks??? Nah for me, mon. LOL

I used this with a little bit of foundation and it made the color go on smooth and even while giving my face a lighter and less made-up feel. If I could afford it, this would be in my beauty bag all the time.

My least fave item ranks that way because it's just not something I'm at all interested in. If I ever get around to trying it, I will give a review. For now, let's just say, it's a skip for me.

All in all, I would say that this was a really good box. Everything except the lip mask was a hit. I'm happy to have discovered the illuminator and the volume spray.

Peace
--Free














** Full list of ingredients for the Coconut Cleansing Milk:
Deionized Water, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Peg-8 Laurate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin & Laureth-7, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Fragrance