Walmart Beauty Box - Spring 2016

Each season, Walmart sends out a free box if you sign up for their subscription service as long as you pay the $5 shipping.  I just recently learned that there are actually 2 different boxes based on your age.  For the 35 and older crowd, they send you the “Classic” box, while those younger than 35 receive the “Trendsetter” box.

Being over 35, I receive the Classic box.  In the past, I’ve been somewhat disappointed in the Walmart box.  They’ve had a lot of rippy packets and sample cards, and some have had very few other samples.  But this box shocked me in a good way.  If you count all of the rippy packets and sample cards, there were a total of 14 samples!  I’ve never seen a box that full before.

Included were:

• Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream Moisturizer (rippy packet) – I’ve used a sample of this before and don’t mind using another.
• Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream (rippy packet) – This is one of my new favorite moisturizers, so I’m always happy to see another sample.
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup – Shade finder sample card with 12 colors.  I am so glad this is a shade finder card rather than just a single shade or even just a few colors because it can be so hard for me to find a foundation.
• Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Correct & Cover Pink Grapefruit Moisturizer – Shade finder sample card with 2 colors.  I am a fan of BB/CC creams and tinted moisturizers because it can be so hard for me to find the right foundation shade.  Like with the foundation above, I like that this is a shade finder card.
• L’Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream (rippy packet) – I’ve used a sample of this before and don’t mind using another.
• ROC Multi Correxion 5 in 1 Chest, Neck & Face Cream- Another face cream to add to my stack.  It seems like more brands are coming out with moisturizers specifically targeted to the chest and neck.
• Banana Boat Sun Comfort UVA/UVB Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 30 – I’m more of a fan of spray sunscreens, but this will be a good backup.
• Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer with Nourishing Monoi Oil – I’ve been getting a lot of samples of this, and am actually using a full-size of the coconut right now.  These aren’t bad, but they don’t give as much moisturization as they advertise.
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser – I’m actually using a full-size of this now.
• Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste – I hesitate to use whitening toothpastes because I have sensitive teeth.  I will probably be passing this on.
• Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Daily Moisturizer with Sunscreen and Restorative Night Cream – These smell wonderful, with a light berry scent.  I’ve been using them and they aren’t bad, though they’re not the best I’ve ever used.  After initial use, I unfortunately think they may be breaking me out.
• Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Almond Nude – I like lipstick crayons, and this seems to go on nice and smooth.  The color might be a little tricky for me to pull off; it’s a little lighter than I usually go.
• Vera Wang Embrace Rose Buds and Vanilla Eau de Toilette Spray – I’ll give it a shot, although I’m not usually a fan of rose-scented products.

So, when I signed the kiddo up for the Trendsetter box, there was some confusion and I wound up getting a second box.  The second box had several of the same items, some similar but not exact, but not nearly as many (only 8), and no makeup.  If I had just received the second box I would have been disappointed.  It was very interesting to see the difference.

Do you receive the Walmart Beauty Box?  If so, which version do you receive?

Walmart Beauty Box - Spring 2015

The Walmart Beauty Box is a free sample box that is shipped quarterly for $5 shipping fee.  This is my second box so far, so I don't have many to compare it to.

Lady Gaga Fame Black Fluid (sample spray vial) – I’ve gotten to use this a few times already, and so far I like it.  It actually has decent staying power, and goes well with other fragrances I like.  While I do think the black spray vial makes this look sophisticated, it does make it difficult to determine how much I have left.

Caress Adore Forever Body Wash (travel size) – I find this product really interesting.  It is supposedly a new type of body wash with a time release fragrance which releases on touch.  The scent isn't very strong straight from the bottle, so I wonder how much really comes across when it's used.

L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner (travel sizes) – I like receiving a matching set of shampoo and conditioner rather than just one or the other.  I’m sure these will get used along the way, either at the gym, on the road, or even at home.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula (travel size) – This is a good sized sample of the original moisturizer.  I love the chocolate scent, which really surprised the kiddo the first time she opened the bottle.  I've used some rippy packets of this before and liked it, so I'm happy to have a bigger bottle.

Burt's Bees Renewal Intensive Firming Serum (rippy packet) – I think this may also be a newish product, this time offered by Burt’s Bees.  After briefly reviewing the company’s website, I found that you are supposed to use this both morning and night prior to your moisturizer to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and improve the firmness of skin.  I haven’t opened this yet, but hope that this isn’t oil-based, as I’ve had some issues with oils in rippy packets when they weren’t truly single-use.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil (rippy packet) – I believe this may be a newer product in the Palmer’s line, so always a nice thing to try.  If I remember, I may give this a shot instead of my usual moisturizer.  I will, however, look into it more to make sure I use it correctly.

This box was all travel or sample sizes, and it’s a little disappointing that there’s no makeup this time .  Still, for a free/$5 box and 4 really good sized products (the travel sizes), it seems to be worth the money.

Did you get the spring Walmart Beauty Box?  What did you think?  What is your favorite product?  How does it compare to previous boxes you’ve received? 

Walmart Beauty Box Winter 2014/2015

Back in October, I tried to grab the Fall Walmart Beauty Box, but they had already sold out. In doing so I automatically signed up to receive future boxes starting with the winter box. These currently go for $5 each with free shipping.

The items included:

Pond's Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream (travel size/sample) – I plan on using this once my current night cream runs out, which should be pretty soon. Funny (and sweet) story: when I was showing both the kiddo and my hubby the box (separately) and I pulled this one out, they both said “but you don't have wrinkles”. It was really sweet if totally not true.

Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash; Dove Oxygen Moisture Conditioner for fine, flat hair; and Dove Oxygen Moisture Shampoo for fine, flat hair (all travel size) – These all seem to go together as kind of a nice set. I'm sure I'll use these at some point. I've used similar Dove products before without any issues.

CoverGirl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor in 626 Canyon (full size) – This one, I'm really excited about. This is the only full size product in the box, and luckily it is a color that looks very promising. I can't wait to try this out!

Pond's Wet Cleansing Towlettes in Original Fresh (travel size) – I think I mentioned in a recent post that I use face wipes every night, so these will be put in the rotation.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder (sample) – This is a small sample on a cardboard insert, and on the flip side was a coupon. So, OK, a powder sample is nice and seems to be about the right shade for me. But really, couldn't they spring for a coupon that expired a little more than 2 weeks from when we received the box?

Overall, I thought this was kind of a weak box. I will use the products, and the lipstick alone was worth more than $5, making the box worth the cost. However, compared to other similar boxes for similar cost, this was the weakest of the bunch. Also, it really kind of irked me that they sent a coupon that expired within 2 weeks.

Did you pick up the Walmart box? What did you think?