First Look at Ulta Contour Kit - Review & Swatches

ULTA Contour Kit, Retail Price: $18 USD

Ulta has a new Contour Kit which retails for just $18. This is an affordable dupe of the It Cosmetics My Sculpted Face Palette (it looks almost identical in layout to it) and Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit . This would make a wonderful Stocking Stuffer or holiday gift to one of your friends/nieces/sisters or just any all-around makeup lover.

Sometimes when I'm using my Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit I have pangs of guilt in my heart because using it on a daily basis means my favorite shades will run out that much quicker (the pan sizes are smaller)! The ULTA Contour Kit, with its lower price tag, and overall good quality is quickly becoming my go-to daily face palette!

ULTA Contour Kit, Retail Price: $18 USD

Overview & Packaging

When you open the palette up, the powders are covered with a sanitary overlay which is meticulously taped down to the top and bottom of the palette (the great news is that there is no sticky residue when you remove this tape). This palette has a clear window, which is ideal for seeing the colors through the packaging - this is especially important for a makeup hoarder like me that rummages through so much makeup each morning. There's even a super useful guide on the clear front which shows you where to place bronzer, shadows and highlights for contouring.

The one downside to the clear window of the palette is that it makes this palette less than ideal for traveling since the window is rather soft and your powders can get gouged. If you must travel with this palette, I suggest using some cardboard in between the window and the powders before closing it shut to secure your products.

ULTA Contour Kit, Retail Price: $18 USD

What's Inside: Shade Breakdown

You receive two highlighters, one of which is pink-based (Radiance Highlighter) and the other which is yellow-based (Lustre Highlighter). For my complexion, I regularly use yellow-based highlighters because they cancel out the blue undertones in my under-eye circles and even camouflage rosacea (redness). Both of the highlights have a shimmer finish.

The Kit comes with a whopping four matte bronzers, yowza, one to match every skin-tone! There's a light golden bronze (Warmth Bronzer), a medium bronzer (Golden Bronzer), an orange-based bronzer (Bombshell Bronzer), and a cooler, taupe-leaning deep dark bronzer (Goddess Bronzer). I love that they are all matte bronzers and the you can choose the right color for your current complexion, no matter how light or dark you may be.

Swatches of ULTA Contour Kit

Swatch Quality

The matte shades all swatch very evenly, though I do have to admit that there was some powderiness to all of these shades, with some chalkiness being apparent in the Goddess Bronzer.

The shimmer shades feel the same to the touch but swatch more unevenly, the shimmer bits almost seem to separate from the rest of the base color when they are spread out. This isn't necessarily unusual for shimmery shades, but it is more apparent in this palette than in higher-end brands. I'm a little bit disappointed that the shimmer seems to disappear if you blend out the highlighter and doesn't remain as prominent on the face.

Dupes

This palette has a Goddess Bronzer which is darker than any found in the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit, and also has Lustre Highlighter which is a shimmery version of Banana from Anastasia's palette. The Radiance Highlighter is very similar to Sand from the Anastasia palette because it is a shimmery light pink illuminating shade.

The palette even contains one double-sided Get The Look card, explaining how to use the contouring shades and even suggesting ones to use for light and medium skin tones. I'm a little disappointed they only included these 2 skin-tones since there are olive and dark complexions as well. Of course, I always deviate from cards and suggest everyone just choose which shades appeal to them most!

Overall

ULTA got a lot of things right in this palette, it's light-weight and functional, shows the names of the products clearly and has them laid out in a logical manner. The shade curation was masterful and there's something everyone can love about this palette. The only critiques I have are about the durability of product packaging during travel and the way the shimmer disappears when the highlight shades are blended. Overall, I really think this is a great buy, especially if you can use any one of the promotional codes that ULTA sends out.

If you'd like to see more comparisons of this palette against others, leave me a message below and I'd be happy to work on those for you! I hope this review helps out because when I was purchasing this online I didn't see any reviews of it anywhere and it was really scary being the guinea pig, but I'm so glad I took the plunge!

Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks (Review & Swatches)

The Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks are something I initially tried out this past summer and now every time I see a display, I know I've got to pick up a new color. I am featuring the shades Dare To Be Nude, Natural Beauty and Wear Berries (pictured bottom to top on the photo above).

These lipsticks are comfortable to wear, moisturizing in a pinch, and easy to apply for a very flattering look no matter which color you choose. It's not a stretch for me to say that these are my most-used and most-loved lipsticks especially since they're kind of a no-brainer to apply (you don't need to use a balm or exfoliate your lips before, or even wear a liner). I find that the darker colors even have staining properties and fade off very nicely throughout the day if I don't re-touch.

The best part is that these lipsticks are very affordable, retailing for only $2.99 each.

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Dare To Be Nude

The Dare to Be Nude shade is a neutral nude shade which doesn't lean cool or warm. I really like the creamy smooth application of this lipstick as I've had other nudes which apply much more patchy and I just can't seem to convince myself to wear them. After having worn this lipstick on multiple occasions, this is my go-to nude and this is coming from a girl that really tends to be scared of them.

I've inserted a photo of a lip swatch from the other day so you can see what Dare To Be Nude looks like on my lips. I found it to be very creamy and comfortable to wear and it lasted 6 hours through eating and drinking.

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Natural Beauty

 The first shade I picked up from this range is Natural Beauty and I think this is the perfect every day shade, especially for more fair-skinned girls, it gives me a "my lips but better" appearance. It's a medium blue-toned peachy red. I am really a huge fan of this shade, and if you don't pick any other color up from this product line, I highly recommend that you get this one. The consistency is buttery, the lasting power is great and I'm highly addicted to this shade, so much so that it is always in my purse!

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Wear Berries

The shade Wear Berries is a little more bold and perfect for the fall - I always lean more towards mauves/plums/berries and terracotta shades for the fall. Wear Berries is a light fuchsia violet shade, equally as comfortable to wear as the previous colors. 

Here's a lip swatch of me wearing Wear Berries recently and you can see how beautifully it reflects light and applies smoothly, looking almost like a second-skin rather than a layer of makeup. 

Swatches of Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks

Here are swatches of all of the shades in Natural and Ambient Light, the coverage is fully opaque with just one swipe and becomes even more intense in color with further swipes.

Colors of Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks

Here are all of the colors offered by Essence in the Long Lasting Lipstick product line. In Canada, you can purchase these at Shoppers Drug Mart in the dedicated Essence display. In the US, you can purchase these from ULTA.

Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Brush Set (only at Target) - Review & Photos

 

Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Sets are on sale now at Target, for approximately 40-50% off, depending on the location. I picked up the Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Brush Set and this is my first impression of the product as well as a review of how these brushes perform after having used them for about a week. This set normally retails for $39.99 but I picked mine up for $27 during the clearance sale.

The brush set comes with 15 brushes and features a wide array of brushes, I can't even think of any others which you may need to complete your beauty routine, this is an all-inclusive set. The purple bristles, golden ferrules, aubergine weighted handles, and golden cap bottoms make them look very elegant and high end.

Let's start by reviewing everybody's favorites: the eye brushes. From right to left, the set contains: a large blending brush, a medium crease blending brush, a small crease brush and a flat eyeshadow brush. The flat eyeshadow brush is ideal for packing color onto the lid. The medium crease blending brush is great for applying a crease transition shade and the small crease brush is wonderful for targeted application of a crease shade.The large blending brush is for feathering out your shadows after application to achieve a seamless look. All of these brushes perform as well as any higher end brushes I own.

You also receive, from left to right, an eyebrow spoolie, a flat lipliner/eyebrow/small shadow brush, an angled liner/eyebrow brush, and a pointed shadow liner brush. I like to use the flat lipliner/eyebrow/small shadow brush (not its technical name) to apply powder to my eyebrows, and the angled brush is ideal for applying gel eyeliner. The pointed shadow liner brush is great for getting color just under the lower lashline, this has been my primary use for it. 

These are two very conventional brushes, one is a larger powder brush and the other is a blush brush, I use them as the names suggest and am very pleased with the results. The blush brush is the ideal size to cover the apples of my cheeks and up to my temples.

The dense brushes in this set are a an angled foundation/powder brush and a buffing brush. I use the angled brush to apply my foundation, but it does not provide the smoothest of finishes, so I go back over my liquid foundation with the buffing brush to make it seamlessly blend into my skin. Both of these brushes also perform very well with powders.

This contour brush is worth the purchase of this whole set, it is a dupe of the NARS Ita brush (which is a single brush that costs $55!) - I can tell you that it is varied from it in the sense that it is more densely packed, has a larger thickness and has slightly shorter bristles. I use this brush to deepen my contour after using a larger brush to apply a contour transition shade.

These are the liquid/cream brushes which are best used as a foundation brush and small concealer brush. I like using these with thick products because they provide a very precise application while not letting product drip all over my face. Ideally I find that these apply concealer well under my eyes and on spots. 

Overall, I think this purchase is a great buy, the brushes don't bleed when you wash them although I do suspect that they will start to fade a little bit after multiple washes. There is also no hair fall-out from these brushes, they are dense and stay that way through continued usage - so they are nice quality overall, especially for their value (they were less than $2 each for what I paid!).

Review & Comparison: Jordana Liquid Eyeliner Pencil (Aqua Stone)

I have been on an obvious Jordana kick lately and it has been fun discovering and trying out various products from the uber affordable line. The quality of their products has really knocked my socks off in the past few weeks and I'm happy to report that their 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua Stone is no exception.

I was instantly drawn to the greyish metallic blue shade because it jumped out at me in the display, it seemed so unique and pigmented just from the packaging alone. Thankfully, the swatch turned out just as amazing as the packaging! It glides on so smoothly, applies easily and stays on for at least 10 hours (I know the claims are 12 but I took my makeup off before the 12HR mark). There was no budging during the wear time, even though I had rubbed my eyes and my eyes watered some.

Here's what the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua Stone looked like after 2 hours of wear. Not too shabby, right? It has far exceeded my expectations and partially the opacity might come from the metallic and blue based nature of the shade (I have noticed blue eyeshadows and eye products in general last longer than other colors). Overall, this makes me want to pick up a few more shades from this line! 

The only negative point is that you have to sharpen the pencil yourself since it isn't mechanical (that's not a deal breaker in my opinion). 

I pulled out other blue eyeliners from my collection to compare the quality of them for you. Obviously this isn't so much a shade comparison as it is one of quality, wear and application.

You can tell from the swatches that the sparkle in the Jordana 12 HR Liquid Eyeliner Pencil was similar to that of the Makeon Waterproof Gel Pencil Liner in Aqua Deep Blue. I thought that the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (in both Flipside and Mainline) applied much more patchy and broken up when layered compares to the Jordana pencil eyeliner. The MAC Softsparkle Eye Pencil (in Peacocked, this shade was Limited Edition) was much harder and less gel-like, making it more difficult to apply - the sparkle is also not recommended for waterline usage.

This Jordana 12 HR Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua Stone is going to become my go-to bright blue shade as it is the perfect bright medium metallic blue, with a consistency that is gel-like and very long lasting power (comparable to the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils).

Have you tried this or similar products out? Let me know your recommendations in the comments below!

Beautyblender Dupe Sponges Round-Up

Beautyblender dupe sponges: SOHO Beauty Sponge (Coral), SOHO Petal Pop Beauty Sponges (Turquoise), Miss Adoro Beauty Sponge (Light Purple), Models Own Makeup Blending Sponge (Pink) - all sponges shown dry

I have rounded up various beauty sponges from different companies which try to duplicate or improve-upon the traditional Beautyblender. Since the Beautyblender can be quite expensive, around $17 for one, I chose more affordable options to show you.  The above photo shows the sponges in their natural state, they are not damp.

You can find the SOHO Beauty Sponges (in Coral and Turquoise) at Walgreens or online, the Miss Adoro Beauty Sponge is something I picked up from TJ Maxx (but have also seen them at Marshall's), and Urban Outfitters carries the Models Own Makeup Blending Sponge (it comes in a duo).

Beautyblender dupe sponges: SOHO Beauty Sponge (Coral), SOHO Petal Pop Beauty Sponges (Turquoise), Miss Adoro Beauty Sponge (Light Purple), Models Own Makeup Blending Sponge (Pink) - all sponges shown wet

After running the sponges through warm running water for a few seconds and wringing the excess out, you can see that the SOHO Beauty Sponges (Coral & Turquoise) have increased in size as well as the Miss Adoro Beauty Sponge. However, I see no change in the Models Own sponge's size.

To the touch, the softest sponges are the SOHO Beauty sponges, with the Miss Adoro sponge as a close second, and the Models Own sponge is very dense and hard comparatively.

Models Own Makeup Blending Sponge

Firstly, I have to say that I do not recommend the Models Own Makeup Blending Sponge, it is very dense, doesn't really hold on to moisture (this is reflected in the fact that when it is damp it does not increase in size) and is very difficult to blend anything with. Trying to use this sponge is akin to punching yourself in the face with a stuffed animal... it wasn't a pleasant experience and I have sponges I use to wash dishes which are much softer than this! This sponge sells in a duo pack which retails for $8.00 at Urban Outfitters.

Miss Adoro Sponge

I picked this sponge up at TJ Maxx for the very affordable price of $3.99 and I have been very pleasantly surprised by how useful the shape of it is. The top corner of it is useful for reaching under the eye to pack on concealer and the flatter edge is well-suited for buffing foundation into the skin. The contoured side edges are great for reaching around the nostrils to get foundation or concealer well-concentrated in that area. The sponge is soft, not quite as soft as a Beautyblender, but I found it very pleasant to use and it didn't seem to soak up too much product. This sponge expands when wet to about 33% larger than its original size, making it easier to cover a larger surface.

SOHO Beauty Sponge

The coral-colored SOHO Beauty Sponge (found at Walgreens) is my personal favorite (cost $7.99). The shape is ideal for reaching the inner corner under my eyes, the sides of my nose, and around my eyebrows for precise coverage with concealer and foundation. The sponge grows substantially in size when wet, doesn't seem to waste product (it seems to soak up even less than the Miss Adoro sponge) and is the softest. It has an elongated shape so that you can cover a larger surface area when patting it on the side to buff in foundation, and I found that this saves me time in the morning.

SOHO Petal Pop Beauty Sponges - Leftmost petal is pictured damp

The Turquoise SOHO Petal Pop Beauty Sponges come in a six-pack and retail for $9.99 at Walgreens (that's a pretty great deal for 6 quality sponges!). When wet, you can see that the sponge becomes about 33% larger and they are equally as soft as the Coral SOHO Beauty Sponge. These are my second-favorite of the sponges, since they have a nicely rounded edge for buffing foundation and two different corners. One of the corners has a sharper edge for more precise concealer buffing, I find this specifically useful for when I'm cleaning up the outer corners of my eyeshadow. The outer corner is more rounded, which works very well for blending out concealer in the inner corner under my eye. I really recommend these sponges if you're on a budget and you're looking for an airbrushed look to your foundation/concealer.

Product Review: L'Oreal Silkissime Eyeliner (in Highlighter)

L'Oreal Silkissime Waterproof Eyeliner (Shade: Highlighter)

Recently, I picked up a L'Oreal Paris Silkissime Waterproof Eyeliner in Highlighter from my local Walgreens since I have seen so many rave reviews for this product. I am happy to get to put this to the test myself, and after using it for a couple of days I have formulated my final thoughts on this. Now, this review cannot be for all of the different shades, as I have not tried them, but it will be for the shade Highlighter. I think the name is fitting because as I was purchasing this, I specifically wanted to use it to give my eyes a more "awaken" and refreshed look.

The shade is a neutral pink when swatched, you can see the opacity of the shade with just one swipe and above that, what it looks like when it is layered. These are not the type of liners to use for smudging because they set quickly. The formula of these eyeliners doesn't claim to be creamy, and I find that they are fairly middle-of-the-road in terms of how easily they apply. There doesn't seem to be much tugging when laying the color down, but it doesn't feel overly smooth or soft, either (this might be because the formula is waterproof).

This eyeliner is not a twist-up pencil, it is a traditional pencil and will require conventional sharpening (a sharpener is not included).

When applied, I had to layer the shade on about 5-6x in order to get a good amount of pigmentation on my lower lash line, and even though the formula is waterproof, it is not completely smudge-proof. If your eyes water, the liner may not have a chance to set in your waterline after application if it does not "cure" while your eyes are dry - this is what happened to me. I did apply the liner in the waterline AND lashline, and you can see here after about 30 minutes of wear, it had entirely disappeared from my waterline, but was holding up well on my lower lashline.

Overall, I don't think that this eyeliner is far superior to the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, specifically in the shade Highlighter, but I do recommend it if you like the color. I have tried gel-formula eyeliners by Makeon which are much more long-wearing in a similar rose color (shade name is Falling in Love), if you want a gentle, softer-applying formula. I would wait to pick up the L'Oreal Silkissime eyeliners on sale, as I do think that the retail price can be a little steep for the quality (regularly $8.99).

Product Review & Swatches: Cargo Shanghai Nights (Ulta Online Exclusive)

I'm so excited! I received my Cargo Shanghai Nights Palette from Ulta and I got a chance to take photos, do some swatches & create a look to show you! I was super drawn to this palette from when I first saw the promo photos of it because it has nice shades of gold, bronze, taupe, bright blue and purple! I think there's a great variety of colors to create a multitude of looks.

Now, I have to tell you the truth, I had never touched a Cargo eyeshadow before this, but I had a hunch they may be decent because they came highly regarded by Marlena from MakeupGeek during one of her videos. And let me tell you, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the quality, they are similar to the Lorac eyeshadows, but they feel even more smooth, buttery and richly pigmented to me, I noticed very little powdering from the mattes (this is to be expected of all mattes, though).

The packaging of the Shanghai Nights palette is to die for! It has a nice weight to it, although it's made of reinforced cardboard and its covered by a plastic overlay, it feels sturdier than some plastic palettes I own. I would feel very confident traveling with it and knowing it won't break. You are receiving a nice amount of product for $39, it contains 12 eyeshadows, each at 0.03oz (or 0.8g) - for comparison, MAC eyeshadow singles are 0.05oz full size (or 1.5g). The price here is amazing, this palette retails for $39 regularly, but I picked it up during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty Sale for $20!

The eyeshadows consist of a wide variety of brow-bone shades (Neon, Hu), crease/transition shades (Wai Tai, Bund, Jin Mao), pops of color (Lychee, Jade, Bar Rouge, Skyline) and shades with depth to them (Street Style, Night life). 

I noticed right away that there were 4 mattes (Wai Tai, Skyline, Bund and Hu), 5 metallic shades (Lychee, Jin Mao, Street Style, Ginger, Jade), 2 satin shades (Neon, Bar Rouge) and 1 glitter shade (Night Life).

So not only is there a great variety of shades that can be used for different purposes, but there are also many finishes in this versatile palette. All of the shades in this palette are limited edition.

Bonus! It even comes with a dual-ended eyeshadow/liner brush, which I used to complete my look today. This brush is versatile because one end can be used to pack on eyeshadow and the other end can be used for more precise application under your lower lash line and above your lash line as well. The bristles are flexible and soft.

These shadows were not applied over primer, they are very richly pigmented, the only one that wasn't as vibrant as I was expecting was Skyline which appears as a gem-tone blue in the pan but swatches more like a navy. I was extremely impressed with Wai Tai and Bund, they are very rich and smooth shades, especially for mattes, and they were very easy to blend out. Jin Mao and Lychee performed very well and true to the shades in the pan and Neon was a tad sheer, but very pleasant.

Night Life was much more pigmented than the black from the Everything Nice palette I reviewed last week, and I found during application that much of the glitter doesn't really stick to the eyeshadow itself and therefore won't show up much, if at all (I'm perfectly fine with this!). Bar Rouge is a stunner, I love this fuchsia reddish purple shade. Jade was also less its namesake and more of an army green with shimmer. Hu, Street Style and Ginger looked exactly the same when applied or swatched as they did in the pan.

Here's the look that I create today with the Cargo Shanghai Nights palette:

I used a whopping 8 shades in my look and I feel that it didn't turn out muddy at all and you can see precisely where I placed each shade, even though I did some major blending! The performance of this palette was spectacular and I highly recommend it. It has treated me better than many of my higher end palettes and I am very excited to start collecting Cargo's Limited Edition palettes.

Here's a guide to show you where I placed each shadow if you own the palette and want to try out this look!

Walmart Beauty Box - Fall 2014 Unboxing & Review

Today was a good day, my Walmart beauty box arrived in the mail!! This box is FREE but costs $5 shipping per quarter (that means you get 4 boxes a year, one per season). As far as I could tell there were two variations of this box, you can check them out out at NouveauCheap. I read from multiple sources that which box was received would depend on the age of the subscribers - I received the < 35 years old box, if this is true.

Contents of Walmart Beauty Box for Fall 2014

I received quite a slew of products, varying from small foil packets (yuck) to deluxe sized samples and even 3 full sized items! So far it's looking like a pretty good deal for just $5.

Contents of Walmart Beauty Box for Fall 2014

You can see I received the following products:

1. L'Oreal - Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha (Full size)
2. CoverGirl - Glosstini Glowing Nights Nail Polish in #AfterDark (Full size)
3. Secret - Clinical Strength Invisible Solid Deodorant in Completely Clean (Full size)
4. Dove - Pure Care Dry Oil (Deluxe sample)
5. Dove - Advanced Hair Series - Shampoo (Deluxe sample)
6. Dove - Advanced Hair Series - Conditioner (Deluxe sample)
7. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday Perfume (Sample)
8. L'Oreal - Youth Code Pore Vanisher (Sample)
9. Neutrogena - Nourishing Long Wear Makeup (Sample card & $2 off Coupon)

L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha

Before and After L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha

I'm so happy I received this item, it retails for $6.97 at Wal-Mart and I didn't want to shell out the almost-$10 it retails at my local drugstores. This chubby stick L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha turns out to be a "my lips but better" shade for me. It evens out the color of my lips and adds a nice shine to them, it's very comfortable to wear and you don't need a mirror to apply. This is going into my purse immediately. This product already paid for the shipping of the box in my case.

CoverGirl Glowing Nights in #AfterDark, Swatches from The Polished Spoon

The next most interesting product in the box is the CoverGirl Glowing Nights nail polish in #AfterDark (retails for $2.97 at Wal-Mart). This is a really beautiful turquoise color that is probably most suitable for spring/summer for me.

Secret Clinical Strength Invisble Solid Deodorant

The Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid Deodorant in Completely Clean is a full sized item which retails for a whopping $11.97 at Wal-Mart (I guess Clinical Strength means it's more expensive?). I don't use these types of deodorants so I will probably pass this on, I prefer to use natural deodorants without Aluminum, parabens, and as few hormone-disrupting ingredients as possible. 

Dove Deluxe Sample Products

The Dove Advanced Hair Series Shampoo and Conditioner (Value: $0.42) and Pure Care Dry Oil (Value: $1.42) were nice additions to the box, I like receiving travel-sized minis of hair-care products because it's just enough for a few uses and gives me a good idea of whether or not I would re-purchase them.

Foil Packets and Small Sample Products

I'm not even going to bother trying to calculate a value for these small samples because I'm sure you can get them for free in magazines or any store. I do like that Neutrogena included a $2 Off Manufacturer's Coupon with their sample card for the Nourishing Long Wear Makeup, so you can use this to stack with your store-rewards and sales. The perfume vial is a standard size of the Nicki Minaj Pink Friday, the smell is of some fruity candy so probably best suited for a younger person (or someone who likes cloyingly sweet scents). 

The L'Oreal YouthCode Pore Vanisher is basically a copy of any other Dimethicone-based primer, so you can expect that same slick feeling on your face when using it - these products always work well to "fill up" any large pores you may have (the cheapest alternative is always to use Anti-Chafing Gel as your primer, it's made up of the same ingredients and sells for a much lower price than cosmetically-branded primers).

Was this box worth it? Heck yes! For $5, I received stuff I'll use, stuff I'll give away, and a bunch of new things to try! The total value of my box was $24.17 (not including the 3 smaller samples) in Wal-Mart prices - this means that at my local drugstore, the price would probably have been closer to $35. The Wal-Mart Beauty Box is a wonderful program and I hope that it continues to have success so they keep it around in the future and more brands want to participate for the great exposure.