Disclaimer: I received complimentary samples of the items featured in this post in exchange for an honest review via Influenster. This post also contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase products through a link on this page I may make a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been on the lookout for some new beauty products that would be easy to pack and use while traveling, so I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to check out some #NewBeautyatTarget products from Influenster.
This box came with a Gillette Venus® Platinum Razor, Crest Gum Detoxify Deep Clean Toothpaste, Olay Regenerist Whip Facial Moisturizer, and Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Foam Conditioner. Since this was a self-care Sunday though, I tried out a new facial mask (also from Target) to include in this post!
I tried the mask first, a Que Bella charcoal mud mask that only costs about $2 from Target. After having check out Target’s website, I’m actually really surprised to see so many negative reviews for this mask. For $2 a mask that does the job and is not loaded with chemicals seems like a win/win to me, but a lot of the reviews online gave it only one or two stars because of the ‘burning’ that comes with wearing the mask.
Now this mask is meant to work as a deep clean for your face, and while this does cause more of a menthol sort of sensation in my opinion I was thankful for it because I could really tell it was working while I still had it on. If you’re looking for a more relaxing and soothing feeling this probably isn’t the mask for you, but if you’re frustrated by clogged pores and want an inexpensive and easy fix it may be worth a try.
This mask, or any mask really for that matter can also be perfect for a self-care Sunday routine because you need to leave the mask on for 10-15 minutes, or for one glass of wine.
I like to wash masks off in the shower, which worked out perfectly since I was able to try the conditioner and the razor next. I had really high hopes for the Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Foam Conditioner simply because I use Pantene’s conditioner fairly often and is usually works really well with my hair. I have really thick, curly hair, so I wasn’t crazy about “Volume” being in the name for the conditioner, but given my positive track record wtih Pantene I wanted to try it nonetheless.
This conditioner was interesting, and it probably works really well for someone whose hair is more fine or at least on the straighter side, but for my hair this one was a no. I liked how light it felt given that it has the same consistency as a foaming hand soap, but because of this texture I had to use much more of the bottle than I think was intended in one shower for there to be enough for all of my hair. It dissolved pretty easily once you put it on wet hair, and it didn’t feel like it was going to give me the moisture that I really need from a conditioner.
I can’t really speak to whether or not this conditioner helped with my hair’s volume (because quite frankly I don’t really need more volume) but judging by how it felt I imagine it would work well on hair that is basically the opposite of what I have going on. Not recommended for fellow curly-haired ladies, but if you are actually looking for volume and don’t have much of a problem with dryness this may be a good choice.
The Gillette Venus® Platinum Razor worked out much better for me and I may start buying cartridges for it and switch over to that. To be totally honest, I usually use a men’s razor because I think it just does a better job without all of the extra gel pads and other materials that women’s razors tend to have surrounding the blade. I usually find those to be unnecessary as they don’t really do anything except occasionally make it more difficult to cover the entire area you want to shave since part of the “blade” is actually plastic and gel.
With this razor however the gel actually helped moisturize my legs, and while I’m not used to having this extra material there in the first place the fact that it actually served its intended purpose and didn’t just seem to be in the way was impressive. And as far as razors go it was a close shave and it was comfortable to hold, so if you are looking for a new razor you really can’t go wrong with this Gillette from Target.
I tried the Crest Gum Detoxify toothpaste next and while I initially had mixed feelings about it, I’ve actually come to love it. This toothpaste is specifically meant to promote gum health, which is perfect for me because I’ve had sensitive gums ever since I had braces as a kid and I usually use Sensodyne. Overall, Crest is not my favorite toothpaste flavor-wise, but since this was from their healthy gum line I definitely overlooked that to see how the rest of it worked out.
With the same amount of toothpaste I usually use on the toothbrush this stuff really foamed up. It felt like it was expanding in my mouth the more I brushed and it was almost to the point where it was uncomfortable to use because I just wanted to brush my teeth but I had to keep spitting out loads of foam. After finally finishing brushing and rinsing all of the foam out though I was very pleased with the results. It definitely whitened up my teeth and as far as I can tell it helped give my gums a good, thorough cleaning.
Last up was the Olay Regenerist Whip Facial Moisturizer, which was super light and smooth and very easy to blend over my face, and it had a fresh powdery smell. Although I think it would work better for someone with dryer skin I can see myself using it occasionally in the winter when my skin does dry out or while traveling as sometimes my face does really dry out from being on a plane for a long time and this moisturizer would be an easy and comfortable way to fix that.
I really enjoyed trying out these new products and I can’t wait to see what other new beauty items we’ll be seeing at Target soon! Speaking of Target, has your local Target been redesigned? The one near me has and I’m finding so many more cute clothing options and home items there than ever before so I’m sure we’re going to start seeing a greater array of beauty items there too.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products or if you have other recommendations for travel beauty items in the comments!
