My first Glam VoxBox!

I’m excited to have been chosen for my first ever VoxBox from Influenster! If you’re not familiar with Influenster, it is a website/app where you can review and find reviews on everyday products, and based upon your social media influence, you can become eligible to test products for free. I’ve become eligible for two campaigns now, and one of those involved me receiving the Glam VoxBox which contained six products. All products I received are available at local drugstores, Target and Walmart. I thought I would share my thoughts on VoxBox and the products I received, so please keep reading!

Disclaimer: I received each of these products for free based on my social media influence. I do not receive any monetary compensation for this review; anything I say only influences my account on Influenster in regards to my eligibility to receive more products. Everything seen here reflects solely my own opinions.

Gillette Venus Swirl Razor and Venus with a Touch of Olay Violet Swirl Shave Gel
MSRP $8.49-$13.59, $2.99-$3.99
Rating: 8.5/10 for razor, 9/10 for shave gel

Each box came with a different Venus razor and a travel size can of the shave gel. I received the Venus Swirl razor, which was super exciting as I had been wanting to try this particular razor for a while! I honestly almost bought the men’s version for myself. As someone with quite a bit of muscular definition on my legs these days due to strength training, the swivel head is really nice for getting around the contours of my muscles and doing a good job around my knees. I was able to use it on my legs and armpits, but didn’t have as much luck with the bikini area, which is not a big deal. My biggest qualm is I wish that I could have this razor in sturdier material instead of standard disposable plastic, but I’m very happy to have finally tried this. I’ve tried the shave gel before and liked it; it is a really nice, creamy formula, good if you’re worried about a moisturizing shaving product. The Violet Swirl scent is nice but very potent, so if you’re not big on heavy fragrances (or fragrances as all), I would steer clear of this particular scent.

Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads
MSRP: $1.49-$3.99
Rating: 10/10

I really loved this little travel-sized pack of nail pads. The box claims that one pad can clean off 10 nails, and it lived up to that claim when I used them the other evening. I had a basic nude nail polish on (one of the new Wet n Wild gel polishes) and it all came clear off. Perhaps you’d have to work a little harder to get more heavy-duty/glitter polish off, but I think these are great to have on hand. They also didn’t leave my nails feeling dry, which of course I worry about with using acetone-based removers, so they live up to their “Advanced Revival” name as well. I’m definitely considering purchasing these to have around!

Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo, Unscented
MSRP: $3 travel-size ($7 full-size)
Rating: 6/10

This was honestly the most disappointing product of the bunch. I swear by Batiste dry shampoo, but I know a lot of people swear by this brand, so I was interested to see if it could unseat Batiste as my favorite. Not even close. For starters, I was not a fan of this Unscented variety; to me, it had a very weird smell, which was probably a general compressed-product smell but I did not enjoy it. The product claims to give you volume, which I can see, but for someone like me with thicker hair, it wasn’t anything extraordinary. I also had to use a lot of product to notice any difference in oiliness, and even when I did, I was again disappointed. It didn’t really look like it made much difference, and even if it had, again, I had to use a lot of product to get to that point. For just a dollar or so more, I can buy my Batiste and get the results this product claims with less product.

Q-Tips Cotton Swabs, 30ct
MSRP: $1.29
Rating: 10/10

This may seem like a pointless review because, well, these are just normal Q-Tips in a travel-size container. So why a perfect rating? Because I love these little containers! Easy to refill for on the go, but there are other uses for them besides holding your cotton swabs. My best friend showed me that she uses these empty containers for her bobby pins and hair ties for travel or just to throw in her purse. Something so simple, and yet I was honestly mind-blown. No more losing loose bobby pins and hair ties in my bag!

SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Facial Skin Care Collection (Face Wash & Scrub, Moisturizer, Face Mask) sample trio
MSRP: $9.99-$11.99
Rating: Face Wash & Scrub: 9/10; Moisturizer: 9/10; Face Mask: 8.5/10

I’ve always been interested by the SheaMoisture line and was happy to receive some samples in this box. The particular samples I received were the anti-aging samples, shea butter based with frankincense and myrrh extracts. Each item is very moisturizing and all feel very calming to the skin as well as creamy. I would definitely recommend the moisturizer for those in drier climates and/or for the winter time, and perhaps more for the night time, as it may be a bit heavy for the day. I did enjoy the face wash & scrub in comparison to most scrubs I’ve used. It likely won’t be a repurchase as I don’t use scrubs on a daily basis because I own a Clarisonic and use scrub masks. The face mask was comfortable, and did leave my skin feeling softer after, but I don’t think it impressed me enough to replace my First Aid Beauty Oatmeal Mask anytime soon. However, if you’re looking for an affordable line that’s good for dry skin, I would definitely recommended considering the SheaMoisture line!

Overall Box Rating: 8.75/10

This Glam VoxBox was definitely the perfect exposure to products I’d seen at the drugstore but had never picked up! I would love to keep receiving these boxes and testing out products, as I think they’re of great value. As long as you’re comfortable posting reviews on social media, signing up for Influenster is definitely a worthwhile venture for those who love testing out products.

Have you ever received a VoxBox? What did you receive?

Until next time, stay well, stay beautiful xx

PSA: Free shipping today on ANY Ulta order!

Good morning beauties and foodies and Happy Friday! We’ve made it through another exciting week, and as we dive on in to the holiday season, I know I’m going to have plenty to report on! Today is absolutely no exception.

Source: Ulta.com

Today only, Ulta has free shipping on any order. That’s right, any order! No code, no minimum, just place your order and away you go! As an added bonus, there’s currently a $5 off of any $10 purchase coupon*. Have an item that’s ~$10 that you’ve been wanting to try? Use the coupon, enjoy the free shipping, and then just worry about tax! This is a great deal for picking up some stocking stuffers and other gifts, or something for yourself.

And Ebates users can enjoy 8% cash back from their order!

This is a great deal, especially for lovers of NYX. I know how hard it can be to find certain items in store sometimes from the brand, or how terribly picked-over the display gets. It’s also a great deal if you’re looking to pick up from the drugstore-brand side of things, or for any orders you’ve had in your queue that you were waiting to be large enough for free shipping.

I’ll keep updating you with my choice holiday picks and deals on top of the other things I’m working on. If you’re looking to stay completely up to date on deals at Ulta, Sephora, Target, etc., I would definitely recommend following Nouveau Cheap. Gianna is always on her game finding deals, and I found out about this deal through her Instagram. Her mission is saving you (and herself haha) money on the products you love, and if you’re a drugstore product super fan, you definitely cannot live without her.

Until next time, stay well, stay beautiful! xx

* Exclusions do apply. Please see the coupon for more details.

Edit: I almost forgot one last added bonus – through tomorrow, ULTAmate Rewards members get 2X points on purchases, and Platinum members get 3X points. Make sure you have this offer activated if you decide to order today! To check if you already have it activated, log into your rewards account on Ulta’s website, click on My Rewards and at the bottom of that page will be your Bonus Offers. Happy shopping!

Update: Walmart Beauty Box

The Packers vs Seahawks game is on (GO PACK GO!) but I have to take a quick moment to post a follow-up to the post I made about the Walmart Beauty Box this morning.

Concerns have been expressed that the beauty box sign-up page is not noticeably encrypted/the URL is not an “https” URL. This can raise a red flag when you’re asked to give away something like your credit card info, as you do for payment for this. Nouveau Cheap has put out this great post regarding her phone correspondence and the email correspondence of one of her readers with the Walmart BrandShare* Sample Box Team.

*BrandShare is the third party company that is handling the distribution and fulfillment of Walmart’s beauty boxes, as well as their baby boxes.

I went a little further and Googled BrandShare for myself and discovered their website. I grabbed this bit from their Company page:

BrandShare™ is an integrated solution for national brands seeking to share their brand sample, premium, digital content, offer, literature or invitation to try with a very precise target consumer in order to reach mass-scale trial, drive immediate purchase conversion and create authentic word of mouth conversations online and offline.

Led by CPG, direct marketing, and internet industry veterans, BrandShare™ offers the most efficient and highest ROI campaigns for your brands — an industry leading cost-per-sample-tried by target consumers.

Founded in 1984, BrandShare™ is headquartered in New York, NYC and has offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago.

They also list their clients on the website, which includes many major brand names.

Based on this quick search, I am personally going to proceed with my Walmart beauty box subscription. I’ve also checked my bank statement and only see the $5 charge, which comes from BrandShare. However, I will be sure to keep a closer eye on it in the next few days to see if I experience any fraudulent charges, and will be sure to follow-up with another update if that is the case. From what I can tell, though, this is a reputable, trusted third-party company and we should have nothing to fear.

Any other questions or concerns should be directed to Walmart either by phone or email.

Now if you excuse me, I’ve taken a long enough break from football. Until next time, stay well, stay beautiful! xx

Walmart Beauty Box

Source: beautybox.walmart.com

Thanks to MUA, I was tipped off on another beauty box to hit the market. Walmart isn’t the first superstore to release its own beauty box. Target releases boxes a couple times of year, and it’s not a subscription; sales are first come, first serve, and once it’s sold out, it’s gone.

Source: beautybox.walmart.com

While the boxes will be similar in that they both contain products that can be found at the respective stores, Walmart will work on a subscription basis.

Source: beautybox.walmart.com

Every three months, or every “season” (living in the Midwest, we have endless winter, 5 minutes of spring, construction season aka. summer, and then 30 seconds of fall before we’re plunged back into winter), you will be charged $5 for a box that contains products suited for the appropriate season. Based on the picture above, these samples will be of cosmetics, skincare, hair care and personal care (there’s deodorant, and also looks like there might be a fragrance?). The box itself is free and the $5 fee covers the shipping and handling, much like the Target beauty box that costs $5 + tax and ships free. You won’t be charged the $5 until your box ships. I know in the Target beauty box I received, they included coupons either for the specific products found in the box or just a general $5 off of however much of a beauty purchase. I would expect Walmart will do the same, and I’ll be sure to let you know once I receive mine! My order is currently being processed, and I should receive it in a week or less once it ships out, so expect a review soon.

As a fan of Target’s beauty box and drugstore products in general, I’m excited for this. And $20 for the entire year? I could easily drop $20 or more in one shopping trip to a superstore!

The signup process is straight forward and simple, doesn’t take long at all. Like any subscription service, you set up an account, that way you can change any information such as address or payment info later if needed. If you’d like to signup, click here to be sent to the signup page. The Target beauty boxes always sell out quickly, and it’s yet unclear when Walmart will close their signup, so if you’re interested I suggest going to their site ASAP!

What do you think of stores like Target and Walmart creating their own beauty boxes? Do you like this? Will you signup for this? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, stay well, stay beautiful! xx