Beauty,  Subscription Boxes

Target Beauty Boxes September 2017

Now that the big scary hurricane post is out of the way, I can get back into some of the normal content that I have on this blog haha and we are going to jump right in with one of my favorite topics – some beauty boxes!

2boxes

Target Beauty Box

  • Cost: $5-10 – this month they were both $7
  • Frequency: Monthly, but you have to order it each time. I get emails from My Subscription Addiction to remind me when each box goes on sale!
  • Type of products: Deluxe samples and sometimes full sized versions of makeup, skincare, and body products
  • Reviews from my previous boxes here!

both!

This month, Target came at us once again with two different beauty boxes. This month they had two distinct themes, “Total Hydration” and “Your New Basics”. I was curious to see if the products were actually well curated or if it was just a way to get us to buy both, which I did haha

And just for fun and because I can, I’m not gonna tell you what box corresponds to which theme until the end of the post…see if you can figure it out based on the products or if the names are just completely arbitrary ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The inserts inside both have the same message about finding new stuff for fall, blah blah. The “themes” for Target boxes are honestly such a hit or miss, I feel like sometimes the items all match the theme really well and sometimes it’s just random stuff thrown in a box lol…anyway…the fall colors of the inside of the box are nice!

We’ll start with the box on the left with the maroon packaging:

open

This box features 8 items which is pretty average for Target boxes (check out my Target Beauty Box analysis post from a while ago if you’re interested in seeing ACTUAL averages of things like this!)

all

Let’s take a closer look at what’s inside box #1…

Covergirl Total Tease Mascara
$7.99 value

Yayyy I love getting makeup in Target boxes! This is what I assume to be a relatively new mascara from Covergirl (because I haven’t seen it before in the store haha) and it’s honestly a bit weird. The wand is…something:

What’s going on with that weird little nub at the end? It’s strangely large and honestly kind of awkward to put near your eyes haha. I tried this out after work the day I opened it, just to see if it had a noticeable difference on my already-mascara’ed-but-been-through-a-day-at-work lashes:

It’s on my right eye, so the left on these photos…can’t really tell a noticeable difference haha. I don’t know if I’ll use this a ton because the wand is so awkwardly large, but my current mascaras are getting to be a bit old and probably should be recycled anyway so this is a nice thing to get.

simple

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water
$1.27 value

I’ve tried a few different micellar cleansing water and I didn’t really get the point for a while, but I will say they’ve grown on me. There’s something really nice about using it in the morning to freshen up your face and just wake yourself up a little bit. I’ve used this one before and it’s quite nice and super gentle!

Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb
$1.50 value

Next is a moisturizer that I have tried before and loved!!! I received this for free from BzzAgent last year and I actually really enjoyed it. It’s a gel texture and feels lightweight but is still extremely hydrating. It’s very similar to the Neutrogena HydroBoost moisturizer I got in July’s box, as well as the Belif Aqua Bomb from Sephora. It also smells amazing!!

Sensodyne Strong & Bright Enamel Toothpaste
$1.60 value

I just ran out of toothpaste so this is a welcome surprise!! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may know that I love receiving toothpaste in beauty boxes because it’s something I always need but hate buying haha. I feel dumb describing toothpaste though because like…it’s toothpaste. It smells and tastes minty. What else can I really say haha

rounds

Up & Up Premium Cotton Rounds
$0.05 value

Seems weird to get just 2 little cotton rounds but okay haha. I use these normally anyway so like…thanks I guess? I’ll use these with the micellar water haha

acure

Acure Ultra-Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner
$2.50 total value

Acure is a brand that has been popping up a lot lately in Target boxes and I’m not mad about it! These are supposed to be hydrating shampoos which will be interesting since I feel like I need to actually dry out my hair sometimes but we shall see haha. I do really like the scent which I assume is the argan oil? Who knows. It smells good.

Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion
$1.10 value

Finally we have an in-shower lotion from Nivea. Again if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may know that I really…really…dislike in-shower lotions haha. It just seems so weird and I find it very uncomfortable to put lotion on to wet skin. BUT for the sake of the box I’ll give it a try. And it has almond oil in it and I do love almonds, so maybe that counts for something.

However, a weird thing about this was that the bottle was actually open when I opened the box:

The cap was very slightly open and a bit of product had actually gotten out of the bottle and into the box! I didn’t mind too much but it was just a little weird and inconvenient, and not something I’d ever had happen with a beauty box before. Just a bit weird!

And then of course inside we have the product list with all the details, and the $3 off coupon for Target beauty products:

card 1

That’s everything that was in the first box! The total value of this box was $16.01 – obviously the bulk of that was the $8 mascara, but considering the box itself only cost $7, if you think about it you’re basically getting the mascara for a dollar off with a bunch of other stuff thrown in. I’m not mad about that haha

stuff

Anyway…which box “theme” do you think that one was – Total Hydration or Your New Basics? Let’s see what’s in the next box:

box2

Box #2 has some bright orange tissue paper. Inside we will find…

open box

More fun things!!

stuff2

In this one we have 8 products as well. Starting off with…

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion
$0.79 value

I always feel like when Target doesn’t know what else to do with a beauty box they’re just like oh throw some lotion in there, everyone loves lotion! I have so many lotions at this point that I just kind of get annoyed when they show up in boxes but I digress. This stuff is really smooth and smells very nice, but – and you might have noticed from the first pic – this product was ALSO open when I got the box:

gross

Idk, it just seems a bit weird that I have never had an issue with items leaking in Target boxes before and now I get two in the same month? And not gonna lie, it looks really gross all dry like that so I might end up just tossing this haha

chapstick

ChapStick Total Hydration 3 in 1 Lip Care
$2.99 value

This is the second Chapstick total hydration thing I’ve gotten from a Target box and I really like it!

It smells great (just like blood orange in fact) and it’s completely clear and very moisturizing. I’m a fan.

curls

Curls Unleashed Curl Creme
$1.06 value

Next is a product that unfortunately I won’t be able to use 🙁 This is meant to be used on natural hair and mine is definitely not haha. But it’s not the first time I got something I can’t use and it won’t be the last. On to the next one!

mask

Look Beauty Pretty Animalz Panda Calming Sheet Mask
$3.99 value

I love getting sheet masks <3 I’ve used some of these animal ones before and actually had the panda one already in my stash when I received this box! I really like the animal ones because they have the animal design printed onto the mask, so it adds a cute and/or sometimes creepy touch to the experience haha. I think sheet masks are so much fun and especially the cutesy ones like this are really fun to do with friends as well!!

leave in

Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave In Conditioner
$1.50 value

This is a leave-in conditioner made specifically for curly hair, but it can also add softness and repair other hair types as well. It smells really good and made my hair nice and smooth, but I have to say that this is another product I don’t feel was really meant for me haha. It was nice nonetheless!

shea

Shea Moisture Smooth & Tame Shampoo and Blow Out Creme
$1.05 total value

I don’t really like getting these sample “packets”, but last time I got one of these from Shea Moisture it was super nice, so I’m interested to try this one too. It seems like they always use very interesting ingredients…last time I had one that like, rosewater or something in it and this one has marshmallow root??? How random haha not sure what that will do for my hair but I’m curious to try!!

st ives1

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub
$0.61 value

When I first saw this in the box I thought it looked familiar…that’s probably because it’s an insanely controversial product that has actually sparked a lawsuit?! I also recognized it from people talking about it on the Skincare Addiction subreddit. Apparently this product contains crushed walnut powder to be used as an exfoliant, which actually can cause irritation and redness in your skin because it’s too powerful.

st ives

I have talked before about how I’m not fond of physical exfoliation/scrubs because they’re too harsh on my skin, so…yeah, probably not going to touch this. If anything I will at least try to use it as a body scrub beacuse it seems like it could be well-suited for that – but I definitely won’t be going near my face with this!

Here’s this box’s info card/coupon:

card 2

And that’s everything! The total value of box #2 was $11.99. A step down from box #1, but still a good value considering it was only $7 to purchase.

all the things

So – which box do you think this one was? Total Hydration or Your New Basics? Let’s find out…

laid out

Box #1 featuring 8 products valued at $16.01 is the Your New Basics box…

laid out 2

…and Box #2 also with 8 products and valued at $11.99 is the Total Hydration box!

I feel like the fact that the chapstick was literally called “total hydration” may have been a giveaway haha but I also feel like the products were very arbitrary and the themes didn’t really mean anything. Which is not unusual…haha. Personally, I think I will find more value out of #1, aka Your New Basics – I’m excited about the mascara, moisturizer, micellar water, shampoo and conditioner and neutral about the rest. In box #2 I did get the chapstick and sheet mask that I like, but there are also two products that I pretty much can’t use (the scrub and the curl creme). Add to that an item that I will probably toss because it was opened, a leave in conditioner that doesn’t work for my hair type, and a minuscule sample of shampoo and I’m left with a box that doesn’t really offer me much, unfortunately!

both things

But – that’s just how it is with beauty boxes sometimes! I think I will start paying more attention to the spoilers on My Subscription Addiction to see if I really need to get both boxes every time there are two, or if I’d be better off skipping some. Either way, that’s all the products I got in my boxes this month! Which one did you like better?

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you’re interested you can check out the rest of my Target box reviews here or purchase it or any of the products here! Thank you for reading as always 🙂

<3 Kaela

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