Free Target 'Beauty For Every Body' Summer 2012 Sample Bag!

Every few months Target offers a free beauty bag! I saw on my facebook newsfeed that the summer bag was going to be released last month and got ready to click away. Like last time it took a few tries to get the facebook app to successfully process. I expected the bag to ship mid-July so I put down my new address. Nope, this baby was shipped only two and half weeks after I signed up. And here we have my FREE Target Beauty For Every Body Summer Beauty Bag.

Inside the cute blue patterned linen bag was:

• Aveeno daily detoxifying scrub (1.0oz)
• Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70 (1.0oz)
• TRESemmé Split Remedy Shampoo and Conditioner (1.0oz each)
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait (swatch)
• Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo and Conditioner (satchels)
• Book of beauty coupons

Okay Sarah why in the world did you sign up for the Target sample bag if last time you complained that the majority of the products were tested on animals? Well the facebook advertisement showed a canister of Revlon's Colorblast Lip Butter. Revlon is a cruelty-free drugstore brand, so I was giddy thinking I'd receive a full-size or at least a pint sized lip butter. Sadly the contents are just a swatch pad. I haven't even used the swatch yet since I dont want to waste it when Im not going somewhere special. But I am still really excited at the prospects of getting to try the infamous lip butters.

As I discussed in a previous post, Aveeno although marketed to be natural is made by Johnson & Johnson one of the biggest animal testing companies. So although I love trying out scrubs (and this one smells amazing) I'll have to pass this one along. Neutragena is another company that is owned by Johnson & Johnson, so the sunblock is no bueno either. Garnier is part of L'Oreal which test on animals. And while researching for this post I found out Garnier is sticky with human rights too (would not hire woman of color, link and sell toxic shampoos to children, link).

The good news is that with a little research it looks like TRESemmé is a cruelty-free company! If I hadn't signed up for this bag I'd have never found that out. On full-size bottles it is printed right on the bottle! The samples I received are split end remedy shampoo and conditioner. I have such thin hair that split ends are inedible when I grow my hair out. I look forward to trying these out and cannot get enough of the green apple-ish scent!

Maybe the best part of the bag was the coupon book. This time there was a coupon for $3 off Revlon and $2 Pixi! Next time I head to Target I better not forget my coupons!

Make sure you like Target Style's facebook page so you find out when the next beauty bag sign-up begins!

Influenster: Spring Beauty VoxBox May 2012

I was picked a few months ago to receive a free Influenster VoxBox. It was my first opportunity for a VoxBox since I joined Infleunster so I was super excited that it was a beauty box. 

What is Influenster? Influenster is a free community of 'trendsetters' that have the opportunity to test out products that are relevant to them. Each member unlocks badges that help the people behind Infleunster get to know you and your lifestyle. Unlocking badges allows you to be part of many different markets (beauty, moms, health-nuts, etc). As a member you may have the opportunity to try out new products,  receive free VoxBoxes (packages of products to test), and bonus rewards and deals after you give feedback. Influenster is not a one sided relationship, you have to share your opinions/reviews with others on social media and their website. The more you share, the more opportunities you have to receive free products! Anyone can sign up!

Click here to join Influenster.

Influenster: Spring Beauty VoxBox May 2012

I had no idea what Influenster was until I saw some other girls posting blog posts about it. I thought it was a paid membership subscription box or at least a paid community. Nope! In one day I unlocked all the badges that relate to me. And there were a ton! I have a technie badge, beauty badge, health-nut, green badge, a cosmo badge, and many many more. I was so pleased that I was picked to receive the Spring Beauty Box! I knew before I got it that there would be a few products that I wouldn't be able to try out, but that is what happens when you live a vegan and cruelty-free lifestyle. Sadly, the majority of the products I couldn't use.

Information Card:

Products:

ChapStick: Lip Shield 365

This new product offers all season protection & moisturization for year-round exposure to the sun, wind, & cold. With SPF 50+ it helps to protect from the sun's damaging UVA/UVB rays.

Full Size: 0.15 oz ($1.89)

Size Received: Full-size 0.15 oz ($1.89)

Although I am all about sun protection and moisturizing my lips, this product is not cruelty-free. ChapStick is owned by Pfizer and all products are tested on animals. No thanks. There are so many cruelty-free options with lip care, I'll be choosing one of those.

Sheer Cover: Duo Concealer in Light/Medium

Ideal for hiding blemishes, age spots, redness, scars, and other imperfections without heavy, cakey coverage. Duo shades can be blended to perfectly match your skin tone. 

Full Size: 0.1 oz ($29.00)

Size Received: 0.05 oz ($14.50)

I received the full-size of this product in my very first MyGlam bag. To this day it is still my favorite product I received from MyGlam. It is a very moist, creamy mineral concealer that does a great job of masking away my under eye circles and hiding imperfections. I use this product every single day. I use the light side to dab onto my under eye circles and I use the darker shade to cover up blemishes and redness around my nose. You can see this in action in the photo I reposted from the MyGlam post. My left eye is free of aby makeup whereas my right has the concealer on. It does a great job! I don't think it lasts all day but I have yet to find a concealer I like better. I would never rebuy it since you can't really buy it alone, you have to get a full-set of products within a monthly kit. Well I shouldn't say you can't buy it alone, you can, but waaay marked up.

Aveeno: Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

This body wash cleanses and moisturizes for visibly healthier skin every time you shower. It's light fragrances, soap free, dye-free, & hypoallergenic so it's gentle enough for sensitive skin. 

Full Size: 12.0 oz ($6.99)

Size Received: 2.0 oz ($1.17)

Aveeno may look to be a purely green and sweet company, but they are owned by animal testing powerhouse Johnson & Johnson. I'm not sure if they were ever a smaller company that at one time had ethical practices that was bought out by J&J or a creation of some marketing executives that knew 'green' would sell. Sometimes with buy outs the brands stay true to their routes and refuse to test on animals (St Ives, OPI) but either way Aveeno is not cruelty-free and they do test their products on animals. The formula itself is actually vegan by chance, too bad...

Sally Hansen: Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

Real Nail Polish Strips? This product wears like nail polish because it IS nail polish (with no drying time). Apply and you're ready to go.

Full Size: 1 pack of 16 strips ($9.99)

Size Received: Full-size! 1 pack of 16 strips ($9.99)

Aside from the fact that Sally Hansen is not cruelty-free I got sent some hideous nail strips. The strips are called 'Animal Instinct,' but would be more aptly named 'Lyk Oh em Gee I'm a Gurl!' These bright pink and black zebra print strips complete with glitter may have pleased my 12-year old self but not this old gal. I was horrified and couldn't even imagine wearing this. I think my friends would make fun of me or think I was having some sort of crisis. I love the idea of nail polish strips, but I won't be trying these out.

Bath & Body Works: Fine Fragrance Mist in Sweet Pea

Discover a better, more delicate fragrance experience with the NEW Fragrance Mist Collection. with over 20 Signature fragrances to choose from, it's love at first mist!

Full Size: 8 oz ($14.00)

Size Received: Full-size! 8 oz ($14.00)

My favorite product in the box!! I grew up in the 90s, meaning every birthday I would be bombarded with 20 different sets of Bath & Body Works kits. I never used the lotions, but always used up the fragrances and the body washes. I just finally finished my last bottle of Bath & Body Works body spray from my childhood a few months ago. Strangely enough it was Sweet Pea. I recognized the scent immediately, even though the bottle has been upgraded. I'm definitely happy with what I received, although I think I would have been happy with any of the scents from their new collection (Paris Amour, Malibu Heat, Wild Apple Daffodil, yum!). This feels like an adult version of what I used to have. A finer mister means a more complex scent. Sweet Pea is a fruity floral laced with raspberry, rhubarb, of course sweet pea, pear, freesia, and musk. I've been using it when I am just going around town and don't want to waste any of my expensive perfumes. It smells lovely and fresh! I'm in love all over again!

Soyjoy: Fruit Bar in Strawberry

Enjoy SOYJOY with all-natural real ingredients like real fruit and whole soy! Simply baked in their Souther California bakery into SOYJOY bars for REAL energy-sustaining deliciousness.

Full Size: 1 bar ($1.29)

Size Received: Full-size! 8 oz ($1.29)

I sure love my granola/fruit bars, well I should rephrase that...I eat Clif bars like candy. I was excited to try a SoyJoy bar until I flipped over and took a look at the ingredients. This bar had butter, egg, and dehydrated milk powder. Yuck. The company has so much marketing toward the fact that they are all-natural and geared to so many different diets and lifestyles. Apparently, they forgot us vegans. We may be a small community, but we are LOUD. You make us happy, we will promote and share with everybody we know. Veganism aside, I would never consider butter or cheese healthy options for an energy bar. It may be low caloric, but that means nothing. I want pure, raw energy!

Dr. Scholl's: Ball of Foot Cushions

Full Size: 1 pair ($6.99)

Size Received: Full-size! 1 pair ($6.99)

This was not listed on the product information card. I heard it was added at the last minute. These ball of foot cushions are meant to prevent high heel pain. It uses their gel technology to comfort your feet, prevent your feet from sliding forward, and massage your foot with every step. When I'm wearing high heels most of the pain I have is in the ball of my foot. I'll feel it after a few hours and be miserable! I got my VoxBox the day before graduation, so I used these in my pumps for the ceremony. I wore the same shoes for my undergraduate ceremony so I knew they were comfy, but these made them even better. I never once felt uncomfortable or any pain while wearing this. But I will say that once I finally took my shoes off and landed on flat ground I still got that massive wave of my feet screaming. These aren't the solution, but they sure make heels a bit more comfy.

Total value of my May 2012 Beauty VoxBox:$49.83

It's too bad that more than half the products were unusable to me. The ones I did get to use I knew I loved (Sheer Cover Concealer) or I fell back in love with (Bath & Body Works Fragrance Mist). The process after getting the VoxBox is very time consuming. Each product has separate badges to unlock and those badges include tweeting using specific hash tags, reviewing the products on their site, uploading photos, writing separate blog/video entries about specific products, and more. There are opportunities to win more prizes by completing them so there is some incentive. I'm only going to try and unlock the badges for the two products that I loved.

What did you think of the Influenster Spring Beauty VoxBox? Did you get a box too? What is your favorite product? Let me know in the comments below! If you aren't a member of Influenster, click here to join!