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Beauty Fix, $25+tax/month, assorted beauty products
Promo: August box at half-price with subscription, no promo needed
I paid $25+tax
Box retail value: $111, My value: $70
Enjoyment Factor: ❤
Beauty Fix is a monthly beauty subscription box from DermStore, an online beauty store and offshoot of Target which specializes in upscale brands. Their monthly boxes include an assortment of beauty products, though there is an emphasis on skin care. Boxes have up to 10 products, a mixture of full size, deluxe samples and foils/tiny samples. Beauty Fix promises a value of over $100 and they usually hit that mark. July’s box was really disappointing, but hopefully that was a one-time fluke. This box was very good.
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Products come in standard box with no extra padding – still, none of them have arrived broken. BeautyFix includes a card detailing the products in the box.
The one problem I had with this box was getting it. DermStore seems to have switched to a different shipping company which lost my box so I had to have it resent. This box usually arrives in the first week of the month but I didn’t receive it until the 26th.
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This box included a total of nine products, there were 4 full size and 5 “deluxe” samples. My box also included a couple of small extra samples, something which DermStore does with some of its boxes, but not all did.
The retail value of the products in the box added to somewhere between $126 and $185, depending on whether you buy the products at MSRP or on sale. The value of the products I will use is around $70 – though I would not have spent that much to get the products. Still, this month’s box is a great value.
This is what I got:
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Medicell Redness Relief Hydrating Cream, 1.7 oz (full size), $30 – 60
This is a moisturizer mixed with a powder that reflects light in a similar way to that of young skin, thus fooling the eyes that see you. It’s supposed to also make your skin look less red. Thanks to the many different products I put on my skin I no longer suffer from semi-permanent redness, but my skin could definitely look much better. I gave it a try, but I wasn’t able to note much of a difference. Then again, I probably wouldn’t. I’ll test it before my kids and see what they think.
Medicell is a DermStore/Target owned brand. This product is listed as selling for $60, but it’s been sold for $30 in the past. It’s probably overpriced at whatever its retail value is, as are most cosmetics. It’s made in the USA.
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Alterna Caviar Clinical Daily Densifying Foam, 5.1 oz (full size), $26 – $36
As far as I can tell you apply this foam to your hair and it coats them with a lightweight polymer layer that thickens each hair and prevents them from braking (sort of like when you plasticize a card). It gets fairly do reviews for doing that. It does seem pretty expensive, however, though it is a rather large amount. I have too many hair products as it is, so I’ll probably swap this. Made in USA.
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SmartFX Smart Eye Wrinkle Lift, .4 oz (full size), $15 – $60
SmartFX is another Dermstore/Target brand, which means that the prices on these products are “flexible,” to say the least. This item is currently priced at $60 at DermStore but at $30 at Target. According to the reviews it was recently on sale at DermStore for 2 for $30.
In any case, this seems to be a concealer which helps to disguise wrinkles and pufiness. It’s highly tinted. It gets mixed reviews which means YMMV. I have a few other wrinkle concealing creams that I don’t use, so I may swap this one. Made in USA.
Paula’s Choice Daily Skin Clearing TreatmentImage may be NSFW.
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, 2.25 oz (full size), $17
I used to really respect Paula’s Choice and I liked their AHA exfoliant quite a bit. However, I’ve realized that this is just another cosmetic company that puts profit above health. In a position paper on their website, Paula’s Choice goes on to defend the use of lead in their lipsticks and takes the position that as it’s legal to have some lead in lipstick, it must be OK. To justify their position they cite an industry group. Scientists, meanwhile, believe that there is no safe level of lead, particularly for children (and if you have children, you know there is more than a possibility that they’ll put on your lipstick). I e-mailed Paula’s Choice to let them know how their position made me very suspicious of all their other reviews and statements, and they basically said that their position was that lead is OK in small amounts and they’re not going to change it.
This product is not a lipstick and there is no reason why it should contain lead, so it should be safe enough to use. It contains 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, a chemical that kills bacteria, reduces inflammation and helps unplug pores. The price of this product is competitive with others in the market and, ironically, it’s the one item that I would have purchased anyway – as with two tween girls, I need to have something I can use as a spot treatment for would-be pimples and the like. So far, I’m happy with it. I used it this morning on a tiny white head that appeared on my nose and it was gone by the evening. I’ll report back on how well it works on more “established” white heads. Made in the USA.
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Patchology Exfoliate FlashMasque, 1 mask, $6
What can I say? It’s a sheet mask. I have so many bottled and jarred masks right now that who knows when I’ll get to try it. But I always like getting this stuff. Made in Korea.
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Glytone Step-Up Cleanse Mild Gel Wash, 1 oz (sample), $5
I love getting face washes because I know they’ll be used. This one has glycolic acid (an AHA) and according to reviews it’s often recommended by dermatologists. I’ll definitely be using it in a few months when I run out of the facial cleansers I’m currently using. Made in USA.
Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash, 1 oz (sample), $4
This face wash gets very mixed reviews, so I’ll be careful when trying it in the future. Made in USA.
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Keranique Scalp Stimulating Shampoo, 1 oz (sample), $4
Keranique Volumizing Keratin Conditioner, 1 oz (sample), $4
These are matching products, the shampoo just changed its name. They are supposed to help regrow your hair or at least thicken it. I’m not sure that there is enough in the samples to see a difference but I think I will try. Made in USA.
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Julien Farel Restore Treatment, foil sample
This is a product that you use twice a week to replace both your shampoo and conditioner. You put it on in the shower, you comb your hair and then rinse. It supposedly helps restore your chemically treated hair. I’m going to have my daughter with the chlorine-damaged hair give it a try and report back. Made in Italy.
vbeauté Undercover Agent Anti-Wrinkle Protecting Serum, 1 ml sample
This is an anti-aging serum filled with anti-aging ingredients. It’s very light, scentless and it felt hydrating on my skin.