Allure and Birchbox - May

Both of these Beauty Boxes showed up in my mailbox on the same day last week.  I am so far behind on things I want to post about (new cookbook, a major antique cookbook score, and recipes) that I decided to combine both boxes into one post and shorten it up a bit!

• Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30
• Skinfix Foaming Clay Cleanser
• This Works Stress Check Breath In Fragrance
• Luxie Beauty Rose Gold Tapered Blending Eye Brush 205
• Doucce Eyeshadow Mono in "Jody"
• Kneipp Lavender Body Oil

I'm most excited about the Drunk Elephant sunscreen in this box.  I've been having an issue with facial sunscreen and eye irritation lately.  Even when I'm careful to keep it away from my eyes they will start to burn and water whenever I use SPF on my face. Not sure what's going there, but needless to say, I'm on the search for a new one because I am way too fair to go without sunscreen in the summer!

• Davines MINU Shampoo and Conditioner
• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day In-Shower Styler
• The Beauty Crop Fabulous Flocking Lashes Mascara
• Tocca Giulietta Eau de Parfum
• Vita Liberata Fabulous Self Tanning Gradual Lotion

Am I the only one who thinks it's fun that the Fabulous Flocking Mascara has a flock of flamingos on the package?! I'm going to assume "No"! :) And despite the fact that I have a laundry list of self-tanning fiascos under my belt, I'm still cautiously optimistic that I'll find one that doesn't turn me orange.  I will report back on my success or failure of the Vita Liberata in a future post!

Love It, Like It, or Lose It v.11

Time for another over due round of LLL!  I found a new love (that I wish was a bit less expensive), a couple of likes, and one product that I'd like to hurl back at the manufacturer on behalf of my youngest daughter.

Murad Hydro Dynamic Ultimate Moisture - "A luxurious, yet lightweight cream that provides 24-hour hydration to restore suppleness and visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles"

Thoughts:  I really, really like this moisturizer!  Hydrating enough for my dry skin without being heavy and no breakouts.  No visible reduction in my forehead lines but I don't think those qualify as "fine" at this point.

MAC Zoom Lash - "A mascara with a three-sided fiber brush that instantly volumizes and separates lashes."

Thoughts:  I was underwhelmed by this mascara.  Decent volume but not very lengthening.  A bit smudgy also.

Drybar Prep Rally - "A lightweight pre-styling spray formulated with biotin, vitamin B, and UV blockers to detangle, protect hair against heat, and refresh styles."

Thoughts:  Strongly scented and not in a nice "I wish they made this in a perfume" kind of way.  Lightly detangling.  Love the UV and heat protection.

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence - " helps improve the appearance of the five dimensions of beautiful, crystal clear skin—reducing spots and the appearance of wrinkles, improving skin texture and firmness and elevating radiance."

Thoughts:  I've been hearing good things about this product for ages but the price has always kept me away and sent me in search of dupes instead.  Once I got my hands on a sample though I eagerly tried it. Holy buckets this stuff is amazing!  Makes my skin feel so hydrated and honestly seems to improve the results of my other skincare.

Eucerin Eczema Relief - "Helps protect and relieve dry skin irritation and itching due to eczema."

Thoughts:  How this made it out of the lab I will never know.  This caused my daughter's dry itchy skin to to burn and turn bright red.  She looked and felt so much worse.  Definitely do not recommend for sensitive eczema prone skin.

Target Beauty Box - May

Target's Beauty Box for this month is focused on renewal and is filled with products to help you feel pampered and refreshed!  Shockingly, this box is still available (at the time of this writing) and you can snag one here.  These typically sell out the same day so I don't know if they stocked more or what!

• Nexxus Caviar Complex Shampoo & Conditioner
• Acure Pore Minimizing Red Clay Mask
• Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya Bath Bombs
• Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Lipstick in "Nice to Fuschia"
• Vichy Pore Purifying Clay Mask
• Nexxus Vitall 8-in-1 Masque
• Guess Dare Fragrance for Women
• Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish

Bath bombs, body scrub, and face and hair masks all in one box!  This is a recipe for a perfect at-home spa night!  If only Target had sent a bottle of Cabernet along as well...  :D

Wal-Mart Spring 2017 "Me Moment" Beauty Box

Remember the special edition "Me Moment" beauty box I mentioned that I had opted into in place of my Trendsetter box last month?  It finally arrived late last week!

Colgate Optic White Toothpaste

Ban Powder Fresh Roll-On Deodorant

Soapbox Soothe & Replenish Body Wash

Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer

Gliss Ultra Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

John Frieda Frizz Ease Moisturizing Conditioner

Sinful Colours Limited Edition Porcelain Matte Nail Color in "Mad Matter"

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in "50 Radiant Rose"

SOO AE Purifying Black Charcoal Sheet Mask

Aveeno Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial (sample packet)

Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial (sample packet)

Rimmel Stay Matte Lightweight Liquid Mousse Foundation in 200 (sample packet)

For a measly $5, I will never complain about the contents of Wal-Mart's beauty boxes, but I was a little disappointed to see so many duplicates from the Classic box I received earlier.  5 of them in fact.  The duplicates were the toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, and the splotch inducing* wet skin moisturizer.  I also received another Gliss shampoo and conditioner set albeit in a different formula so I'm not sure than counts entirely or not.

Out of the new items I received I'm most excited about the sheet mask and the Aveeno facial packets.  My daughter and I have declared Wednesday and Sunday evenings as "mask nights" so I've really been able to work through my stash of skincare lately!

I'm also pretty excited about the new LE Porcelain Matte nail polish from Sinful Colours as I don't own any matte finishes and I love neutral shades like "Mad Matter".   As for the last two items, I may pass the Frizz Ease conditioner on to my curly haired daughter since she deals with frizz more than I do, but the lip gloss is going straight into my bag since it's a very wearable rose!

Once again, a stellar box - few new items I'm excited to try and several staple items for only $5!

*I received the Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer in a previous beauty box.  Absolutely no “natural glow” is to be found with this product and I've tested it 3x now.  Varying splotches of yellow, orange, and brown are be found instead.  My legs end up resembling those of a short, splotchy giraffe no matter what I try