Friday, April 28, 2017

April 2017 Target Beauty Box

Every month Target releases a beauty box full of samples and sometimes full sized beauty products that can be purchased at Target either online or in store. Boxes can range from $5 to $10 and often sell out within a couple of days of release. It's a pretty smart business model that capitalizes on the current subscription box scam craze but I'm still a complete sucker for a practical box with affordable, easily procured items. Target released two boxes this month, the traditional Beauty Box and the Naturals box (both $7 each) and I was just greedy enough to buy both. I’m making two separate posts because otherwise this thing would stretch from here to China and I’m sure as shit not going to take the time to re-read this later on (I’m blogging as a detailed makeup journal to keep track of what worked and what didn’t), nor should I expect anybody else to. This post is about the traditional Beauty Box which is somehow, miraculously still available-sorry for the ultra delayed post.

Shhh... They're sleeping.



La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser actually foamed! It felt like it cleansed while not having an overt scent. Their information regarding being cruelty free is dubious in their FAQ section.
“La Roche-Posay does not test any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world nor does La Roche-Posay delegate this task to others. The only possible exception is if regulatory authorities required it for safety or regulatory purposes.”
Meaning they will test on animals if it is required by certain governments internationally to be sold for human use. Looking at you, China.



eb5 Facial Cleanser was underwhelming. I’ve tried two items from this company so far through Target Beauty Boxes and each time I’ve been underwhelmed. I imagine these products would be best suited for somebody with very sensitive skin or somebody who is ingredient conscious. Like the facial moisturizer I’ve tried in the past this cleanser was very hydrating, lacked any dyes and artificial coloring and is entirely devoid of a scent. It reminds me of the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser that I’ve expressed hatred for on a few previous occasions. There was nothing special about this cleanser to make me want to clean my face. Usually skincare is a joyous occasion for me however eb5 makes cleansing so uneventful that it becomes almost a chore of sorts. Give me a citrus scent or something, please. This is even more disappointing because I’ve always wanted to try out skincare containing AHA and BHA but I blasted through this sample (which contains AHA) and noticed zero difference in my skin. Is AHA generally this mild because I noticed zero brightening and renewal in my skin.


Dr. Teals Lavender Foaming Bath has the strongest borderline offensive lavender scent I’ve ever had the displeasure of being punched in the face with. I don’t take baths (I’m a big bitch and have a hard time folding myself into an apartment bathtub) but I will give this a whirl sometime in the future. I wonder if the “calming lavender” is strong enough to double as chloroform before bed?

Unfortunately the HASK Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner included in this box is a foil packet, albeit a huge one at 1.75oz, so I have not had a chance to try it out yet. I should note: it sounds like they don’t perform any animal testing in house but their FAQ page leave it somewhat open to believe suppliers are not prohibited from performing their own testing.

Banana Boat Dry Balance actually applied matte and did not feel greasy like too many sunscreens often do. Of course it smells like your typical no-frills sunscreen but I do appreciate having a diaper bag sized tube to keep on hand. Sadly I couldn’t find any info on Banana Boat’s parent company’s stance on animal cruelty but during my short delve I did find their policy on product sustainability

Sally Hansen Double-Duty Base & Top Coat was easily my favorite item of the box. It is the most useful, is a full sized item and as boring as a clear coat nail polish might be, I detest the one I’ve been using up to this point (I’ve had it for years now) but I refused to throw it out because… just because. But I digress. This top coat also doubles as a base coat (wouldn’t most clear coats though?) and it dries so quickly. Within a minute or two I had to wrangle a child, forgot about my nails, panicked and found to my great surprise that I did not do any damage to my newly painted nails.

Both full sized

Rimmel London Colour Precise White Eyeliner - what the hell am I going to use a white eyeliner for? I know I’ve been wanting to branch out and use different colors but what is my black ass going to do with a white liquid eyeliner? In positive news the tip is flexible and allows for an extremely fine line. The liner itself is also matte and one to two swipes can give me full opacity. This item was full sized so it should last me until literally forever. In the meantime I will be doing Google and Pinterest/Instagram searches to look for possibilities for this thing.

Pretty fine tip for being a felt tip
5 minutes later: Aaaaaaand… I realized I have no artistic skill. Welp, there goes that idea out the window.

Like a 3 year old palming a crayon

Looking back, I can tell you why this box is still available. It was underwhelming. The most useful thing besides the single use foil packet conditioner will be the Sally Hansen top coat, possibly the sun screen for a summertime diaper bag. The most fun product is probably the white Remmel eyeliner if I can ever figure out how the fuck to use it. The products were just boring though, and yet it didn’t stop me from buying a box. But with some small cleansers and two genuinely useful items and a total of two full sized items I would like to call it a net win? $14.51 is just over double the cost of the box. I cannot say what I would have rather seen in the box. More skincare maybe? I’ve loved the wet skin moisturizer and clay masks available in previous boxes.

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