Saturday, April 14, 2018

re: walmart beauty boxes, instyle & spring trendsetter 2018 boxes

hola! it's a rainy stormy day and i figured i should probably try catching up on at least one of the posts i promised i'd make this week..and haven't. 😅 ~Lindsay
as i previously mentioned, i've personally have had issue with this subscription as of late (like over a year or so now...), but unlike ipsy, i do think that this subscription is still worth keeping and has great potential.
let's start off with that second part... walmart beauty boxes are $5 and shipped once a quarter. occasionally there are "one off", limited edition boxes usually also $5. the contents of these boxes are not just makeup, usually they're a mix of cosmetics, skincare, and hygiene products. and you can definitely spend more than $5 on these items in their respective sections at your local store. these boxes come 4x per year (more often if you also get the limited boxes) which is great for me since i'm so freakin slow at getting around to using things these days. as far as value and variety of products, i think this is still a good subscription to have, considering they typically send stuff that i genuinely will need or want anyway and it's a great way to try new things.
and back to the first note i mentioned..the complaintsssss.
  1. the web dev team -- i'm beating a dead horse here, but i'd like to remind you guys that there was an endless email loop that yours truly was stuck in for about 2 hours last year. 😒
  2. the first of the following images.. not sure if this is a knock against the web devs or the marketing people....depends on how things are done over there...... but is it that difficult to ensure correct dates are used in emails before running the email job? because i don't think so. either way, this is pretty embarrassing in my opinion to send out an email in march asking you to perform some action a whole month earlier.
  3. the second of the following images... i'm not sure who'd be at fault for this one, but what happened to the january box for both 2017 and 2018??? as i rummage through my old posts, the one i linked above also has this complaint. these guys are "promising" boxes starting in january, march, june, and september (an image stating such is included in my linked post). my order history determined that was a lie. (to make things less confusing, the InStyle box is the 2/28/18 order.) honestly, i would be more ok with a "sorry, due to unforeseen circumstances we couldn't send out xxx box." than not hearing a word. on that note, subscribers are only billed when the box ships. this is not a huge deal to me that i'm not being charged for a product that isn't delivered upon. that should be how any business should be run. but i don't like being told or promised something, and it not being delivered within my expectations (ie. a product or an apology)--especially if you are the one making the promise.
i do want to let you know that i also voiced the above issues to a customer service person regarding my experience with these boxes. from the response i received, it sounds like i was somehow among the small few affected by items 1 & 2 above, and the issue was resolved for other subscribers. he apologized for this inconvenience, but didn't give any indication as to why i was not sent a followup email with the corrected date. the third item above, i feel like i received a less than satisfactory answer. the response given was more or less, 'we bill in waves, and you may not get your box at the same time as other people that you may see on social media.' this, to me, is an insufficient response to my issue. last time i checked, 3 does not equal 4. that's all i'm saying. at the end of the response, he thanked me for the feedback on how they can improve.

stahp complainin' and get to what you got!!

Walmart x InStyle box -- i didn't mention above, but if i recall correctly, the email advertising this included a product listing for me to better decide if i wanted to buy this.
  1. secret clinical strength deodorant -- this is a mini, but i used to go through this deodorant for years!
  2. pantene sheer volume foam conditioner -- this stuff is so freakin weird. i didn't feel like it did anything. i'm not even sure who thought this was even a good idea. you use it in the shower after shampooing, right? but you have to shake this metal can and not drop it with your wet hands, before you can dispense the foam onto your hands/hair. then once you work it into the hair it like vanishes. and then you're supposed to let it sit and rinse it out?? this product really baffles me, and even more so that this is 'award-worthy'.
  3. found coconut sheet mask -- i haven't opened this yet. i'll have to update in an empties when i use it.
  4. olay whip facial moisturizer -- i've only used this once or twice since i got it and i'm not sure how i feel about it yet. i do like the texture of the product, but as far as effectiveness, i'm undecided.
  5. olay cleansing infusions body wash in crushed ginger -- so..this product made it into my empties post before my 'haul' post, lol. i really liked this, the scent is amazing. i want to get a full size to try this again, because i didn't really get much of the exfoliating effect from it because i generally use shower poufs with body washes.
  6. crest 3D white whitening therapy toothpaste -- i haven't opened this yet either. i usually reserve travel tubes of toothpaste for..travel. i do think this is pretty new, since i haven't seen these floating around at my mom's yet.
Spring 2018 Trendsetter box
  1. aquaphor advanced therapy ointment body spray -- this is now the second of these that i have received from this subscription. that being said, i haven't even opened the first yet.... i will soon, i promise!
  2. p2 cosmetics polish in 440 double agent -- this is a really pretty creamy red, but i'm not into it for myself, and i passed this along.
  3. soo ae purifying brightening peeling gel -- another face mask that i am adding to the backlog!
  4. degree motion sense ultra clear black & white invisible solid -- while i'm not huge on the powder scent i received (or ever really, lol), i am interested in the black and white clothing promise to not leave marks or stains. this is currently in my travel bag since i don't like the scent.
  5. aveeno daily moisturizing lotion sheer hydration -- i really like aveeno body lotions, and i am interested in getting around to this sample at some point, since i don't like the heavy sticky feel, and this makes me think it's a thinner or faster absorbing product.

Friday, September 1, 2017

august hauls - planner and makeup

hi guys! it's september. what what! anyway, i wanted to share a few of the things i picked up this month! ~Lin-chan ^.~
just to try it, i got an aveeno amazon sample box. these boxes are pretty cool because you get a credit for products in the box (or in this case, brand) for your next qualifying purchase within the year. so i ended up ordering a 3 pack (not pictured) of the included body wash which was diabeetus in a bottle. it claims to be vanilla and oats scented, but i smelled straight up cake batter, and it was delicious. annnd i went a lil crazy in the skincare section at walmart. that shea moisture rose mud mask is really good, and i hate rose scented things! the yes to charcoal mask is nice, and i wanted to get the third loreal face wash that i didn't order previously.
this pic is a few different places and orders.. at sephora, i went in to redeem my play! points card and got one of their new clay masks. such neat packaging! then i needed some more parian spirit (not pictured) and i ordered a mini z palette from beautylish. at sally's i think i needed cotton balls? the bags are huge there and i picked up a macadamia natural oil healing oil spray and nail file--these nail files are super inexpensive and good. and finally, at ulta, i got the it cosmetics superhero liner, daBomb bath bombs, bronx cosmetics eyeshadow in bronze (which is in a non-magnetized pan....), and becca shimmering skin perfector in lilac geode. also, below is a swatch of all the becca highlighters i have in comparison to lilac geode if you want that reference..

it liner, bronx bronze, becca lilac geode

lilac geode (across top)
rose quartz, prismatic amethyst, rose gold, champagne pop, moonstone, opal, opal flashes jade

planner stuffs -- here's the link to my etsy list of purchased planner stuff
TheCoffeeMonsterzCO collabed with SparklyPaperCo and made this super cute unicorn set! i also ordered several sheets from the tcmc birthday sale!
and i placed two orders with WontonInAMillion! so kyoot!

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

fall 2015 walmart beauty box

hi guys! the fall walmart beauty box has arrived! and there's sooo many new things to try!! (if you'd like to subscribe, you can sign up here.) ~Lin-chan ^.~
  1. simple cleansing facial wipes (7 wipes--mini, ret. $3.66 for 25 wipes [$1.03]) -- do i even have to say anything about these?
    repurchase? duh
  2. aussie mega hairspray (1.5oz--mini, ret. $3.74 for 17oz [$0.33]) -- this has a strangely amazing fruity candy type smell and idk. i haven't tried many things from their line, but i feel like they're underrated.
     repurchase? maybe
  3. act advanced care plaque guard in frosted mint (1oz--mini, ret. $6.48 for 33.8oz [$0.19]) -- i haven't had an act mouthwash in a really long time. we'll have to see about this one.
    repurchase? probably not
  4. aveeno positively radiant daily moisturizer with sunscreen spf 30 (.3oz--mini, ret. $11.49 for 2.5oz [$1.38]) -- you guys know i'm not a fan of facial sunscreens. this, however, has a nice fragrance that counterbalances the sunscreen scent, making it more bearable. i'm interested in trying this out.
    repurchase? maybe
  5. jergens wet skin moisturizer samples in coconut oil and monoi oil (.25oz each--minis, ret. $6.84 for 10oz [$0.34]) -- we'll have to see how this goes. something about putting this onto skin while it's wet and it absorbs better? idk. we'll try  it out.
    repurchase? maybe
  6. biore self heating one minute mask (1 use (.25oz)--sample, ret. $4.39 for 4 uses [$1.10]) -- i've never noticed this product before. i'm interested in trying it out.
    repurchase? maybe
  7. nivea extended moisture body lotion (.14oz--sample, ret. $5.30 for 16.9oz [$0.04]) -- try all the lotions?
    repurchase? maybe
  8. dove advanced care deodorant in beauty finish (.5oz--mini, ret. $6.68 for 2.6oz [$1.28]) -- this smells soo freaking good. i've tried other dove deodorants before and enjoyed them, so i'm hoping this'll be a similar experience.
    repurchase? maybe
  9. neutrogena healthy volume mascara in black (.16oz--mini, ret. $7.95 for .21oz [$6.06]) -- i've been eyeing this mascara for a while now, but i haven't gotten it because...........i have too many mascaras or samples to still go through. ~.~
    repurchase? 
    maybe
  10. schick hydro silk disposable razor (1 razor, ret. $9.06 for 3 razors [$3.02]) -- i already love this line of razors. i have the non-disposables of these.
    repurchase? maybe
  11. coupons for jergens, biore, and dove
approximate product value: ~$14.77

sidenote: anyone else think that this is hilarious? usps is somehow disrupting the time-space continuum and traversing the state, nearly corner to corner, in a mere 15 minutes! ...or 21 hours. ya know... who knows?!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

review: aveeno positively radiant targeted tone corrector (influenstervoxbox)

 
hi guys! i signed up for an influenster account* around the end of june and got my first review box (free!) less than two weeks later! yay! i was sent a full-size tube of aveeno's positively radiant targeted tone corrector (ret. ~$14.99 for 1.1oz). #RadiantWithAveeno ~Lindsay-chan ^.~






packaging: 
i think it's really funny how different the tube looks in relation to how it's depicted on the box. i do like how it's nice and portable and easy to dispense from. the opening is just flat..not really much to say about it... after a while, i put a tube squeezer onto it to ensure i get every drop.

product & use:
this product is white & has a light floral-ish fragrance. texturally, it is like a light moisturizer. used to gradually fade dark spots or discoloration on the skin.

directions:
apply to desired area AM & PM before moisturizer. use sunscreen when using this product because it contains retinol (among other things) which may increase sun sensitivity.

my experience: 
i primarily used this on my chest and shoulders. in middle school through high school i had really bad acne on my face, back, chest, and shoulders; and as a result i have a lot of acne scarring in those areas [and i'm a picker!]. since it's kinda hard for me to get these kinds of products onto my back, i didn't bother trying for this review. most of my scars have faded back to something close to my skintone, but it's possible that it's because i used both clinique dark spot correctors in original & clinical several years ago when they first came out. aka: my skin wasn't too bad before using this product.

i did not take any pictures of my skin for the two weeks i was using this product, but i think that this product has helped. when we went on vacation at the end of may/beginning of june i got a really weird shaped sunburn on my shoulder..just one shoulder..? >.> anyway i feel like this product helped even-out the sunburned area faster than it would have on its own. i also think that some of my newer acne scarring (post-clinique products) has faded a little too; they're less red now and closer to my skintone.

at the end of the two weeks, just applying it to my shoulders and chest twice daily, i have used about half of the tube. i have combo/oily skin and occasional allergies that i regulary take zyrtec for--i had no issues with skin irritation or allergic reactions. and the scent is light and unoffensive--so no migraines!


the verdict: 
i do think that this is something worth picking up if this is something you're interested in. or if you are interested in investing in a high-end tone corrector, i think this is a comparable product at a more affordable price tag that's worth trying first.


disclosure:
I WAS NOT COMPENSATED FOR THIS POST, HOWEVER I DID RECEIVE A SAMPLE FOR MY REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN AND NOT INFLUENCED IN ANY WAY.

*Affiliate Link.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

a bed bath and beyond mini haul


so i decided to take a trip to bed bath to get a few things and here are my unplanned items... ~L-c ^.~

 
15 pc travel container set, aveeno skin relief with oat essence, revlon lip butter in gumdrop, color club covered in diamonds (flakie), color save lipstick sealer

ok; i admit i didn't really need another lip butter..but since it seemed like it was on the sheer side of the spectrum, i wanted to give it a try. i've been looking all around for travel bottle/container sets and never found one as perfect as this one--and it was only $10! this lipstick sealer sounded interesting, so i wanted to give it a try--will report back later about it! and the aveeno lotion: ulta occasionally has bonus sample bags and i got some of this lotion one time and loved it!
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