Walmart Spring Beauty Box Unboxing

I came home on Monday to find about 6 packages waiting for me yay! But I wan't expecting 6 packages, at least not this one from Walmart. I remember subscribing to the Walmart Beauty box sometime last year and got the winter box. I guess I auto-subscribed to all the rest of the boxes to come. For $5 a box, I'm happy to subscribe to it. I get to try a bunch of drug store products that I would not try on my own, so I'm happy to get this surprise!

It's a pretty full box for $5! I got 1 full size lip crayon, 4 deluxe samples and 3 foil sachets. There's a covergirl coupon and a Maybelline ad as well.

Funny thing is this little intro card called it a "Winter" box. I'm a little confused on whether this is Winter Box #2 or Spring box. I'm certain I got a Winter box already because I used the same John Frieda shampoo sample before. Anyways, let's see what goodies are in this box

Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion

Smells like peach candy. It's moisturizing, but also have a sticky texture. I can use it, but won't buy it.

Nivea Smooth Sensation body Lotion

I love Nivea products and this little lotion definitely reaffirmed that. If I ever get through all my lotions and butters from my subscription boxes I'll go back to Nivea. That's a very BIG if!

St. Ives Apricot Scrub

Yes, good old St. Ives Apricot Scrub. The stable in every teenage girl's skincare routine. I remember, as a teenager everyone raved about this scrub and how it's the holy grail to anyone's routine. I too bought one and used it occasionally, but to be honest I'm on to bigger and better thing now. But I'll keep this around for traveling. 

Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain

My goodness, I love lip stain crayons! But why does every subscription company have to give me a nude color! I've gotten full size lipsticks from Birchbox, Wantable, and others and they were all nudes. I am already as pale as a ghost, if I don't get any color on my face I'll scare people away! LOL Side note: my bestie loves nude lip products so she becomes my nude lip product tester.

Dove Pure Care Dry Oil

Cute little tube of hair oil from Dove. I've used a lot of Dove due bulk buying from Costco, so I know Dove is reliable hair care brand. It's in the queue of hair oils to use. I wash my hair every other day so it takes me longer to get through hair products than body care products. 

L'Oreal Color Vibrancy Shampoo and Conditioner

I stopped coloring my hair 2 years ago because it was too much work for me to keep it up. I also have really dry ends already so coloring was not good for my hair. This shampoo really isn't gear towards me, but hey, shampoo is shampoo. I'll keep this one in my travel bag to use on business trips. 

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

This one's gonna go in my travel stash too!

TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

It seems like a lot of companies are pushing dry shampoos these days. This is the second can of dry shampoo I got from Walmart from their 2 boxes. Dry shampoo is another one of those things I just don't go through very fast. I usually only use it when I'm super lazy, recovering from sickness, or traveling. And so this will go in the stash of dry shampoo, and most likely gifted to friends who need one.

Here are the rest of the inserts from the box. I've stopped shopping at drug stores or even Sephora these days and have been focusing on Asian Beauty products. The US brands are just not as intriguing to me anymore and the only way for me to keep up with the times is through blogs and subscription boxes.

Holika Holika Make-up Starter Review

I got a sample of the Holika Holika Make-up Starter with my order from TesterKorea and decided to try it right away.

This make-up starter is an innovative makeup priming cotton pad. One one side is an exfoliating pad that removes dirt and dead skin cell, and on the other side is a soft cotton that brings moisture to your skin. The priming essence is suppose to make makeup adhere to my skin longer. So it's test it out. 

Here is a translated list of the ingredients of the essence. Nothing pops out at me as horribly bad so I decided to use it on my whole face. I'm really bad at patch testing, I basically patch test with my whole face. Especially when I only have one sample to test. 

Water, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Collagen, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract,Phenoxyethanol,Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract,Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract,Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract,Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Cereus Grandiflorus (Cactus) Flower Extract, Fragrance,Sodium Hyaluronate,Laminaria japonica  extract,Undaria pinnatifida extract,Enteromorpha compressa extract, Disodium EDTA,Sodium Citrate,Xanthan Gum,Adansonia Digitata Pulp Extract,Anastatica Hierochuntica Extract
(http://www.prettyandcute.com/Holika-Holika-Make-Up-Starter-p5002.html)  

Here is a close up of the exfoliating side of the pad. It looks coarse and painful, but the little exfoliating dots are very gentle, compared to my Mia brush head. I'm not sure why I need to exfoliate right before applying makeup since I usually start with a clean face already. But it's fun to use since this little pad actually has little pocket for my fingers. 

This is the close of the moisturizing side of the pad. It's very soft and full of essence, almost too much essence since there's only one pad and I want to use the essence more then once. But due to sanitary reasons I only used it once. 

I really liked this slightly gimmicky primer pad. It has a lot of essence and made my face feel moisturized. I'm not sure where to stick this in my routine. If I use it last, then the exfoliating pad will scrub off all my previous skincare. If I use it first, then will my skincare products reduce it's effectiveness? 

I would love to get more of these and test out my questions to decide the best way to use them. Looks like someone's making a TeskerKorea order soon (excuses to haul lol).

Banzai Living Cleaning Tissues

In February Beauteque BB Bag out these cleansing tissues instead of the it'S SKIN Mangowhite cleansing tissues as advertised. I wasn't happy to receive them for a couple of reasons but I decided to review them just in case.

Banzai Living: Aloe Cleansing Tissues

These cleansing sheets are sold for $4 for a pack of 30 sheets. As a comparison it'S SKIN Mangowhite cleansing tissues are about $5 per a pack of 50 sheets. I'm feeling like i'm getting cheated since I'm getting a less known brand with less product then what I was originally told I was going to get.

I checked Banzai Living's website and they are mainly based in New York, with a few brick and mortar stores in New York that sales Beauty Credit products. But online, their website doesn't sell Beauty Credit products, but do sell it'S SKIN products. This get's me wondering if Beauteque got their it'S SKIN supplies from them. I subscribed to an Asian beauty bag and I end up getting low end products from and unknown US company, just because they can argue that these are made in Korea. Ha no I don't think so.

On the back of the package, the ingredients list show that Methylparaben (a preservative) is present. Most companies are trying to stay away from the parabens because they could be carcinogenic in high quantities. I checked all my other cleansing sheets and noticed that almost all have some sort of paraben in them. So ok they are not that bad in the paraben department.

I'm current using these sheets to clean my hand and arms after patch testing for photos. They clean relatively well when I use it against highlighters and creams. These sheets have a lot of liquids in them and leaves my hands moist after each use. The aloe scent is noticeable, but not strong.

There's nothing much to complain about these sheets since they are pretty standard. But the idea of it is I would not buy them myself if I were given a choice between these and any other brand from Korea, after all I wanted to try Asian brands, not brands with Asian names.

March Birchbox Unboxing

I just got one of my March Birchboxes today. I picked the specially curated "Beauty Solutions" box for this one. I like how each Birchbox has a good mix of products to try. Everything in the box did follow the theme of the box.

 Laura Geller Beauty: Baked Blush-n-Brighten

This is a nice bronzer blush combination. Good for a natural bronzed looked. I like now this little cake is small enough slip into my purse. It even has a little mirror on the lid for my viewing pleasure.

Unfortunately, the shade is a little too close to my natural color, when swatched on my hand and you can hardly see it. 

derma e: Evenly Radiant Brightening Day Creme SPF15

This is an antioxidant-rich cream for smoother, and more luminous skin. It's suppose to combat dull complexion and uneven skin tone

This is a thick cream, a little too thick for a day cream in my opinion. Even though Birchbox is pushing this cream for UV protection, I don't think SPF 15 is actually enough for any real sun activities. 

I tried to spread the cream and and it was hard to get to blend into my skin. I will try it on my face more. Maybe it will help with my dry skin. 

Supergoop! Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream

Supergoop is a well known sunscreen maker, they also have a strong SPF BB cream that I tried before and enjoyed. I know this cream will be a good one too. 

This super tiny tube of eye cream hold even less eye cream I had to use some force to get this dollop out of the tube. Hopefully I still have enough to actually use it on my eye.  

Hardly anyone makes a strong SPF eye cream, so getting this one to test is very exciting. It feels moisturizing for an I cream. I'm not going to sit outside in the sun to test the effectiveness of the cream, but i'm sure it's strong enough for an average day out.

 Whish: Three Whishes Body Butter - Almond

I love body butter since my legs always suffered from dry skin. I'm always hunting for the perfect moisturizing butter for my legs.

When I first of the butter out of the tube and it looked gel like, but it was a nice think consistency similar to most body butters.  

I'm not a big fan of almonds or almond scented items. But since this stuff is going on my legs, it doesn't bother me.

Dear Clark: Volumizing Hair Tonic 

I have no idea what it actually did until I read the info card and the directions on the bottle. Your suppose to tray it on the roots of damp hair to relieve thin, flat, and tired hair. I sprayed some in my hair and it kind of feels like hair spray. I'm not going to use this due to the scent. It smells like herbal medicine, not something I can stand having hear my nose.

Lioele Nature for Me Skin and Cream

I got Lioele Nature for Me as part of a mystery bag sale and decided to try it. It is hypoallergenic and for sensitive skin. This line is free of alcohol, paraben, color, mineral oil, and Benzophenone.

Lioele Nature for Me Skin is actually a toner that is suppose to soothe irritation and remove dirt from pores. It is made of Ecocert certified ingredients:

The main ingredients are lavender water, sunflower seed oil, chamomile oil, green tea water, seaweed water, and organic jojoba oil. The full list:

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Betaine, Sorbitol, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Porphyra Tenera Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Triethenolamine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, PPG-26 Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Critic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Fragrance, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Magnolia Kobus Branch/Flower/Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Nelumbo Nuciferaflower Extract, Impatiens Balsamina Flower Extract, Rhododendron Mucronulatum Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Arbor-escens Leaf Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil , Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether, Poloxamer 188, Propylene Glycol
(http://www.lioeletexas.com/Lioele_Nature_For_Me_Skin_p/li166.htm) 

As you fan see the toner is clear and runny, but I wouldn't say it's like water. It is a little more viscous than water and it flows freely. It is light weight and hydrating when I am patting it on. Since there are no alcohols in this toner it stays on my face longer. 

Here I have a nice layer of it on my hand, I really had to rub it into my skin due to the viscosity of the toner. I would say this is a little too thick for a toner and works better as an emulsion. The toner doesn't have a scent, which is great for sensitive skin. But I have plans to use it as an essence for home made masks in the near future. My bottle will expire in less the half a year from now and I need to find creative ways to use it up.

Lioele Nature for Me Cream is a gel type cream that also helps alleviate irritated skin and hydrating using natural Ecocert ingredients.  

Similar to the toner, main ingredients are lavender water, sunflower seed oil, chamomile oil, green tea water, seaweed water, and organic jojoba oil. The full list:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PEG/PGG-17/6 Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Stearic Acid, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Prophyra Tenera Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Laminnaria Japonica Extract, Stearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Chlorphenesin, Fragrance, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Magnolia Kobus Branch/Flower/Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Impatiens Balsamina Flower Extract, Rhododendron Mucronulatum Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether, Poloxamer 188, Propylene Glycol
(http://www.lioeletexas.com/Lioele_Nature_For_Me_Skin_p/li166.htm) 

The cream is very hydrating when I first put it on. As you can see it is opaque, but not completely white like most creams. It kind of reminds of me Clinique Moisture Surge. It does not leave a sticky feeling on my skin after I used it. It has a very light scent, hardly noticeable.

The cream goes no clear and absorbs fairly fast, I like to use it as a morning cream before I put on sun block and makeup. Currently, my skin is going through a dry spell and it's pretty flaky and this cream is not enough for me as a winter cream I'm going to have to use it up soon since it will expire within this year.

Overall I would say this set is more combination to oily skin. It is hydrating, but not oily so it will not clog up pores for oily skin. Unfortunately, it's currently not working for me because of my dry flaky skin. I will try it again when summer oils around and my oily skin comes back.

Side note: I wasn't planning on reviewing this line since it seems like it's being phased out. But I see a few online retailers still selling and wanted to get my review out there in case there are questions. The ones I got were expiring this year, manufactured in mid 2012 and early 2013, that's what I get for buying a mystery grab bag I guess ha ha.

February Empties

I'm kinda disappointed in my empties this month. I could only count 4 of them since the fifth one in this lot is a sheet mask. But February is a short month so, I'll just have to use more stuff in March to make up for it.

Shiseido Perfect Whip foaming cleanser

  

This cleanser produced a microfoam lather that is suppose to clean your pores because the foam is so small that they can enter your pores. I admit that sometimes I forget to use a makeup remover before washing my face and this cleanser definitely helps rectify my mistake and remove all my make up. But this cleanser is also very dying, after every use I have to immediately moisturize my face or else my skin gets very itchy.

3/5 in my books. I'm not going to buy it again. Heck, I didn't even buy it the first time, it was a gift from a friend.

Royal Nature Pantone Shadeliner in Black C. 

I really liked this eyeliner, which I got from Memebox K-style 2 box. It hold a very special spot in my heart because it was one of the first items I received from Memebox before the big change. I love all eyeliner colors, but black and brown are definitely my go to colors. The Black C color is very black and works perfectly for me.

This eyeliner is a gel-type no-smudge eyeliner and it does not smudge. In the pictures above, the picture on the left is the eyeliner freshly applied and waiting to dry. The picture of the right was taken 30 seconds after the first one and I rubbed it really hard, definitely harder then I ever would rub the skin around my eyes and the liner hardly smeared. I do like to note that this eyeliner works better without a primer. In the beginning I used Urban Decay Primer Potion with it and I got a lot of smudging and creasing. But once I stop using a primer it was perfect!

4/5 in my books. Why only 4 points? because it's hard to find to buy replacements and because it didn't work will with my primer, I'm just taught to always use primer to keep things in place.

COW Cleansing Milk

I'm not even sure if this is call COW Cleansing Milk, but it is what my sales lady at my local Asian beauty store told me. It's a nice mild 1st step cleanser to a 2 step cleansing process. It does not emulsify, and that makes it not as appealing as the other cleansing oils. 

It has a slightly milking look and thicker then most other cleaning oils I used. It doesn't have a scent and should be good to sensitive skin. I'm just not feeling the clean from it mainly because it doesn't emulsify

3/5 in my books. The low score is mainly because I have no idea it's actually called. To be honest I'm not even sure if I used it correctly. My sales lady was not very good at explaining things to me haha.

Tosowoong Timeshift AP Therapy Serum

I loved this serum! It's not too thick and applies to be light and easy to absorb. It has galactomyces extrat (fermented yeast) for whitening, brightening, hydrating, and anti-aging. I personally am very pale already and I may be the only Asian who doesn't like whitening (I actually give away all my whitening products). 

This serum has a milky look, although you can't see in this swatch, and it just soaks into my skin. This serum definitely helped moisturize and brighten my skin since using it along with my long list of Asian beauty products. 

Innisfree It's Real Rice sheet mask

I bought is sheet mask from TesterKorea for $0.50 since they were selling it as a sample. I also believe it's from their old line of sheet masks and that' why TesterKorea sells them at almost 60% off. The current line is called "it's real real squeeze" I have a couple of those as well and will review soon. 

The essence in this mask is milky white and pretty thick. When I used it, the essence stayed on my face and didn't drip down my neck like other sheet masks. After leaving it on for 20 minutes there were still a lot of essence left on my face and I continued to massage it into my skin. It also has very light scent so having it so close to my nose doesn't bother me either.

5/5 in my books. I love sheet masks and it's actually really for me to find a sheet mask I didn't like. 

That's it for February empties! I'll be back with more empties next month!