I love getting a good deal, and I love beauty products. Beauty box subscriptions are great way to score both of those things, plus, it’s like Christmas every time a new box arrives in the mail. I thought I would share what I got in the Walmart and Target boxes this month as well as a few details about each program (because there are people out there who still don’t know! Shocking!).
You can sign up for the Walmart beauty box here. What I love about this one is, it’s cheap, just $5 including shipping, and you just sign up and get it and that’s it. You get one per season automatically charged to your credit card and mailed to you. (The Target ones? Not that simple.) A fun surprise in the mail four times a year, for a grand total of $20? Sign me up!
This program has two different boxes, Trendsetter and Classic, and which one you get is based upon your age. I’ve read that the cut off is 35. Apparently I am nine years too old to be considered a “trendsetter.” I’ve heard tell of people lying about their birthday to get the other box and/or signing up in their own name and in their mother/sister/daughter/niece’s name to get both. Also, in my opinion, the Trendsetter one has neater stuff. I’m just sayin.’ I’ve got the Classic, because I didn’t know about this trickery when I signed up.
Okay, so, what did I get? This month my box included:
1 oz. Pantene hairspray
1.8 oz. Caress Mystique Forever body wash (It smells awfully sweet for me. It works fine otherwise.)
1.6 oz Degree Motion Sense Sexy Intrigue anti-perspirant (Haven’t tried this yet, but it’s worth noting that this is a full size product.
1 oz. Banana Boat SPF 30 sunscreen. (I swear every box I’ve gotten from anywhere for months has included this. Stop sending me this.)
2 oz. Jergen’s Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer (I’ve tried this and really liked it, and this is a good sized sample.)
A packet of Burt’s Bees BB Cream with a $3 off coupon attached.
A packet of Nivia In-Shower Body Lotion. (I’ve used this. It works okay but makes the shower super slippery. Be careful!)
So my take on this one? It’s well worth $5 unquestionably. The Walmart boxes tend to be heavy on practical products. Which is kinda what you go to Walmart for, and it’s stuff we all need, but it’s also kinda not that fun. Though apparently the Trendsetter version had nail stickers this time around. I may need to look into that lying about one’s age situation.
On to Target!
Target boxes seem to be coming around at the beginning of each month these days. I say “seem to” because this is the downside of the Target ones. They don’t release at a set time, you have to grab them when they show up online, and they often sell out by noon. I’ve found the absolute best way to know when one hits is to follow the blog Nouveau Cheap. She seems to always know immediately when one goes live, and usually I see her post on Facebook and snag it before it’s sold out.
The Target boxes range in price from $5 to $10 depending upon what’s in them. Sometimes they’ll have two at once, like this month. Once or twice they’ve done a men’s version. This month the boxes were “Fresh & Fabulous” and “Simply Radiant” and they sold for $7 each, including shipping. You can use your Red Card and save 5% on your purchase, making them a bit less. Also, each box includes a coupon for $3 off a beauty purchase of $15 or more. This is a super bonus, except that they expire super fast, and I usually don’t get them used. It’s worth noting that the Target ones actually come in very nice black, lidded boxes. I save them and reuse them for stuff.
Anyhoodle…Fresh and Fabulous included:
1 oz. Dove Advanced Hair Series Shampoo in Regenerative Nourishment
1 oz. Dove Advanced Hair Series Conditioner in Regenerative Nourishment
NYX Butter Lipstick in Moonlit Night (I haven’t used it yet, but it looks DARK. It is full sized though.)
1 oz. Garnier Skin Active Clearly Brighter SPF 15 Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer (I haven’t used it yet, but I love their other skin care products.)
0.16 oz. Umberto Lifting Power
1 oz. Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque & Whitening toothpaste
Three packets of Sweet Spot On The Go Wipettes (Ummm…guys? Feminine wipes? In a beauty box? I guess this is where the “fresh” comes in? How about not next time?)
Simply Radiant Included:
8.5 oz Dessange Balancing Shampoo (This is a full size bottle.)
0.27 oz. Wet n Wild Max Fanatic Cat Eye Mascara (Also full size.)
1.7 oz. L’Oreal Color Vibrancy Nourishing Shampoo
1.7 oz. L’Oreal Color Vibrancy Nourishing Conditioner
0.14 oz. Dermae Firming DMAE Eye Lift
1 oz. Acure Facial Cleansing Gel (I haven’t used this, but I’ve gotten other products from them in previous boxes, and I’ve liked them.)
0.25 oz. Aquaphor (I’ve used this, and it’s greasy, but it works on dry heels, elbows, etc…)
Okay, so my thoughts overall? There’s an awful lot of hair care going on in the boxes this time around. I won’t be buying shampoo or conditioner for a while. I think I liked the “Radiant” one better than the “Fresh” from Target, but I do love that each box from them included a full size makeup product this time. Still, for the price and actual use I’ll get, I feel like Walmart won this round.
Have you tried these or other beauty boxes? Which one is your favorite?