Walmart Beauty Box – Summer

I’m seriously obsessed with this Walmart Beauty Box thing. Even though I cancelled my Birchbox subscription, I don’t even feel guilty replacing it with this, since it’s only $5 once per season!

Sample #1: Coconut Nail Art by Incoco Nail Polish Strips in ‘Double Dare’
My opinion went back and forth on these. It took me a few tries to figure out how to put them on the right way, and it was harder than I thought. Filing the edge off wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped, but the strip stayed on my nail until I peeled it off a week later! I wasn’t a huge fan of the design, but I’ll definitely look into them another time.Sample #2: Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer in ‘Fair to Medium’
Want to hear a funny story? I’ve used this stuff before and loved it, but for whatever reason, I completely forgot to wash my hands after using a little bit of it to massage Daniel’s shoulders. I woke up the next morning and my hands were slightly bronze…I knew why immediately. *facepalm* 
Sample #3: Goody SlideProof Spiky Soft Touch Hair Elastics
I was really disappointed by these. My hair is relatively thick, so my hair elastics have to be warhorses. These were an unfortunate combination of “too small to go around three times” and “got stuck in my hair while pulling it out.” The GOOD news is, I found the most perfect hair ties of allllllll time at Walmart a week or so ago..!!! I’ll post about them sometime. They are life-changing.
Sample #4: Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Diamond Color & Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner combo (link to shampoo)
I’ve created a mini mental contest with myself. Anytime I get shampoo AND conditioner samples together from the same brand, I’m going to use them together to see if I like anything better than MONAT. That’s the only reason I would stop using it – if I found something I liked better! And so far, I’ve found nothing. My hair definitely felt silky soft when I used this brand, but in a fake kind of way, not in a clean kind of way. My hair actually just stopped detoxing from using these two times…two weeks ago. *thumbs down* Using MONAT again felt like a huge relief.
Sample #5: Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Leg Makeup in ‘Medium’
The first time I used this, I laughed out loud at how dark the makeup looked when I squeezed some into my hand! Surprisingly, it blended pretty well into my skin. It was still a little dark for my taste though – I think a “Fair” color would be better than “Medium.”
Sample #6: Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Clean Mint Fluoride Anticavity Toothpaste
This was a welcome change from my usual disgusting-but-awesome toothpaste as far as taste goes, but it just didn’t whiten my teeth the way my favorite kind does! I always love getting samples of stuff I use every day though – anything to save a little money. ;)
Sample #7: NIVEA® In-Shower Cocoa Butter Body Lotion
Not really impressed with this stuff. I was disappointed, to be honest, because I thought this would save me step after getting out of the shower! It felt like it melted off my skin as soon as I rubbed it on, and rinsing the rest of it off seemed to defeat the purpose of using it at all, even though that’s how you’re supposed to use it. I was also terrified of falling down; it made the tub really slippery. When I got out and dried off, my skin didn’t feel any more moisturized than it did before I got in.

All in all, I consider this box a win! I’ve looked at half of these things in the store before (or similar ones) and wondered whether or not to try them. And now, I know! I can’t wait to see what’s in my fall and winter boxes.

Final Birchbox – July

Sample #1: Elizabeth Mott It’s So Big Volumizing Mascara
This mascara doesn’t live up to my personal favorite (Mally Beauty), but it was still a good option! I put multiple coats on and my eyelashes didn’t feel heavy or caked in mascara. I might use this on days that I want a touch of makeup but not full eyes.
Sample #2: dr. brandt® PoreDermabrasion
Haven’t gotten around to using this, but I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from dr. brandt! Although I don’t really struggle with noticeable pores, so I’m not sure how much I’ll actually get out of this..? We’ll see.
Sample #3: Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches with Soothing Cornflower
I liked these! Inside the package were ‘patches’ that went under my eyes. They were almost like stickers with a squishy foam outer side. I used them after a particularly long day, and they felt wonderful – soothing is an accurate description! I’ll definitely order a full size of these sometime soon.
Samples #4, 5, & 6: Living proof.® No Frizz Shampoo, Conditioner, & Nourishing Styling Cream
Yet again, another hair product trio that left me disappointed. Of all brands, I was sure that this one might make me reconsider MONAT, after all the amazing things I’ve heard about it. But NOPE. My hair felt soft, but it wasn’t as shiny as it is when I use MONAT, and I couldn’t get it to blowdry as smoothly either. It smelled good though!

Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of that little bottle on the bottom! It’s called Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil, and I actually really, really like it. It smells DIVINE, and I love the dewy glow it gives my skin without making it look or feel greasy. So far, I’ve used it on my face and on my arms when my skin felt dry. My only complaint is that it takes some work to get a decent amount of oil out of the rollerball, but the full size has a button that helps push the oil through. Overall, big fan!

Goodbye, Birchbox – at least for now. :) From this point, I’ll probably share my Walmart Beauty Boxes via Facebook Live, so if you want those updates, head over to Facebook and add me as a friend!

My February Birchbox was a big win! February is my birthday month, so I’m probably overly excited about everything in general, but I really was happy about this box. I only got one sample that I won’t use!

Sample #1: Dasein Winter
The ‘minimalist designer’ in me is OBSESSED with the simplicity of this brand’s marketing. The colors, the fonts…everything is so soft and pretty! The scent itself is really nice too – a little on the woodsy side for me, but with just enough fruit/flower notes to tone it down.

Sample #2: Not Soap, Radio Body Wash
Click the link to see the names of the different scents! I love creative marketing, and this box was full of it. I definitely got a good laugh out of it, but I’m not sure I want to spend $16 on body wash…

Sample #3: PARLOR® by Jeff Chastain Detangling Leave-In Conditioner
This is the one sample that I’m not going to use. I almost feel guilty not using it, but at the same time, I’m so sold on my MONAT stuff that I haven’t used any other brand on my hair since October! I wasn’t sure what to do with them for awhile, but some of my girls on Facebook suggested that I donate them to a women’s shelter – and I’m going to do just that!

Sample #4: ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm
I was the BIGGEST skeptic about this! I had the chance to pick one of my samples for this box, and I chose this lip balm because I was intrigued about the possibility of watching my lips change color (while, albeit, also nervous that it would turn my mouth 80’s bubblegum pink). The balm is really smooth and felt so moisturizing, and it left the tiniest amount of shine too, like lip gloss but not sticky! The color change was pretty subtle, but I’m definitely a fan. The real miracle will be if I can actually finish the entire tube without losing it.

Sample #5: (MALIN+GOETZ) clarifying clay mask
I LOVE masks. They are one of my favorite things to sample, and I’ve never used one I didn’t like! (MALIN+GOETZ) hasn’t failed me yet, so I’m excited to try this out.

Stay tuned for next month’s box!

I know, I know – it’s no longer January. I’m behind…sawwwry. *sigh*

If you’ve never heard of Birchbox, it’s a $10 monthly subscription service that sends you a box of health/beauty samples! They ask you specific questions about your hair, skin, style, and other stuff and tailor your boxes toward those preferences. They also let you review the samples you receive and earn points, which you can turn around and use on any full sizes on their website! I LOVE it. Mostly because I love getting mail, but also because it gives me the chance to try a bunch of different brands that I might never try otherwise! Not to mention the fact that nearly every single one of my makeup go-to’s (mascara, eyeliner, lip stain, etc) has been a Birchbox discovery.

This month, they sent a set of stickers inside the box with instructions to pick a word and attach it to the front of the box, declaring 2016 to be the year of ___. “Ambition” just grabbed me. I’ve got a lot of new things in front of me, but I believe the Lord will equip me for each one if I walk beside Him!

Sample #1: derma e® Hydrating Scrub
I was really happy with the size of this sample. Sometimes the bottles they send are wayyy too small and it feels like you don’t have enough product to sample. Haven’t used it yet, but the reviews on it are great! In a previous box, I got the derma e® hydrating night crème and it was AMAZING, so I’m excited to try this out.


Sample #2: TONYMOLY Delight Tony Tint
OH. MAN. You guys, this lip stain ROCKS. After it dries, it doesn’t feel sticky and it doesn’t wear off quickly. I wore this almost all day and only reapplied a little bit once. I drank from the same cup at work all day and never left red on the rim. And the color is perfect – kind of a cranberry red with the tiniest hint of pink. Two thumbs way up!


Sample #3: Supergoop!® Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream
I thought this eye cream was nice, but nothing really special about it. I’m not necessarily worried about aging just yet, haha. But Supergoop!® is a really good brand, so I’m not complaining! I’ll probably take it on our next beach vacation to use as face sunscreen.

Sample #4: Ciaté® Mistress Nail Polish
Nope. Nope nope nope. The nail polish itself might be grand, but this color was not for me. It was a kind of salmon/tangerine hybrid with gold glitter, more of a glitter polish than color. I was a bit confused when I saw the color, because my virtual box made it appear that I would be receiving the Mistress polish (red). I also discovered when I opened it that the lid had cracked in the middle during shipping and nail polish leaked into the crack. I will say one good thing though – the polish brush was awesome! I kind of want to give it another try, I just wish I had gotten a better color as a sample.

Sample #5: IPKN Flash Cream Radiant Primer
This stuff is like WHOA. I’ve used a bunch of different primers, but this one is probably my favorite. I don’t usually wear a lot of face makeup (like foundation), so I don’t necessarily need a primer, but I loved the natural glow this stuff gave me! It added a little more light to my face without feeling heavy. Really, really liked this sample.

FYI: Birchbox did NOT ask me to do this review, I just thought it would be a fun addition to the blog! However, if you like the idea and want to get your own boxes of samples in the mail, here’s my referral link.

I’ll review my newest box each month after it comes in the mail, but I’m thinking about doing a special post about my actual makeup bag – like, my favorite products and how I use them. Anybody interested?

Happy February, everyone! ♥