Joy, Life and More

Unlike other beauty boxes, Target does not offer a subscription for theirs. Instead, you have to get lucky and grab one as soon as they are offered on the Target website . I missed the winter box, so as soon as I got wind the spring box was available, I grabbed one. The Target Beauty Box is only $5 and ships free though you will be charged tax if you live in a state with a Target store, which is every state I believe. If you have a Target Red Card, you can save a little bit on the tax. I paid $5.08 for my box with my Red Card. This box was definitely worth the price. There were 5 items and a coupon for $3 off any $15 beauty department purchase in store or online. The coupon has a quick expiration date of May 17, 2015. There was also a description card enclosed which described each item and how to use the product. According to the card, only one item was noted as full-sized but I happen to know another item was also full-sized since I already owned it. The noted full-sized it...

My April 2015 Birchbox subscription came early this month. I was so excited to receive this box because the box itself was designed by Rifle Paper Co.  and is just so beautiful. It just exudes spring is here! It is simply just gorgeous with gold lettering on the front. This box is not just a boxful of goodies but worth putting on display. As with all Birchbox subscriptions monthly, there are at least 5 deluxe sized samples. This month I received the Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturizing Shampoo and Repairing conditioner . They are a nice size with 2.0 fl. oz. of shampoo and 1.35 fl. oz of conditioner. I love that I can take these are great sizes to put into my travel case. The shampoo cost $15 for the full size and $16 for a full-size conditioner. The value of the samples in my box together were approximately $6.54. The next item I received was a small shadow palette by POP Beauty . It is described as a Peach Parfait Trio with colors of that shade. they are ...

April is already here. What happened? I have no idea. It seems like February whizzed on by and then March seemed to march quickly by, and now we are in the first weeks of April. Here are some faves from February and March: e.l.f. Kabuki Face Brush, $10 (Target, Walmart and online) No doubt the e.l.f. Studio brushes are one of the most affordable and best brushes out there in my opinion! I purchased this at the end of January and have used it almost daily to brush powder on my face after applying my foundation. I found no fallout of bristles and it was soft on my face. For the price, it really can't be beat! MUA Pro Angled Shadow Brush , $10 CVS As I continue to learn more about makeup and trying out different techniques, I find I need additional tools. I knew I needed an angled shadow brush to apply shadow on my lower lash line. I picked this MUA Pro Angled Shadow Brush from CVS when it was on sale. Even not on sale, it is reasonably priced considering how much make...

My latest box from Influenster  came with a product from a company I have used other products for many years. In fact, if you are woman, I would guess at some point in your life you have used a product from this company.  Carefree has come out with a thin body shape pantiliner with acti-fresh, which is supposed to leave you with a fresh feeling! I received a pack of 20 liners to test. These liners are so thin, I didn't even notice I was wearing anything at all. Plus I didn't worry about any yucky smells. C'mon now, we all worry about those things that time of the month and just about any time we need to use a pantiliner. I admit with age and after giving birth, my bladder muscles aren't the strongest. So in addition to the other Carefree products I have used in the past, I'm liking this new product. Another great thing is it doesn't take a lot of space in a purse! I'm not sure the retail price of these but I imagine it would be in the range of...

One of the first beauty box subscriptions I purchased a few years ago was Birchbox . To be truthful, I ended up canceling my subscription after three months because I didn't find the samples compelling enough to want to use any of them. After a couple of years, I decided to sign up again last August. I started watching videos on YouTube of beauty vloggers unboxing their beauty subscription boxes. I also got interested in makeup again and wanting to feel better about myself. I used to use makeup regularly when I worked but after I got married and started having children, I put that part of myself aside. It was just easier to get up in the morning and not have to bother with makeup. Now that my boys are a little older and don't need as much concentrated attention, I have time to primp in the mornings. Birchbox costs just $10 a month and comes with at least five samples. I wouldn't categorize all the samples as deluxe sized samples but you can usually get at least 2-3 ...

So I popped into my local Marshall's the other day to see what kinds of beauty products were available. You can find some makeup, skincare and hair products at prices much cheaper than retail. I used to think some of the products were discontinued or slightly damaged. But lately there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason why you can find certain products there. Be aware, many times there are only a few quantity of each item, so don't go expecting a large beauty section like in a drugstore or big box store. The biggest disappointment for me is when I find something I might like and it looks like someone has already "tried" the product be it a swatch or actually trying it on themselves! That is unsanitary and completely gross! On the other hand, I found this little gem which was nicely sealed with no way of someone getting in the box. It is a collection of three salves (balms) from the company Rose & Co. out of the UK. It is a company created by a mothe...

Wet n Wild Mega Slicks, Wet n Wild Natural Blend Lip Shimmer, Jordana Modern Matte I found two Wet n Wild lip products and one Jordana at my local Walgreens which looked interesting, and I wanted to try them. All these lip products are inexpensive and probably available at most Walgreens around the nation. The two Wet n Wild products were regular $1.79 each or 2 for $3 with the Rewards Card, the latter which you could also earn 500 Balance Rewards points. The Jordana product was $2.49. The Wet n Wild Mega Slicks  lip gloss was just okay for me. It smelled fine but when I put it on my lips, it was just too shimmery for me. Maybe if I was 30 years or more younger :) this would have looked just right for me. On the other hand, I may try to wear this over some lipstick. But this really isn't as sheer as what I would like in a lip gloss. The Jordana Modern Matte was in the color Matte Tease. It is a pretty color but other than that, I thought this was awful. It had a vanil...