BEAUTY BOX 5: July 2012

yes that reads July. this post is more than 2 months late! gah!!

there were (are) several issues i had with the July box - one being that my credit card expiring but i was not notified whatsoever. when i finally realized that i wasn't going to get a box, i decided to contact BB5. first, i used the form on their website to contact them (July 20). after receiving no response for 3 days, i emailed them and they said they were making organizational changes and asked me to describe my concern again (even though i received the automatic message where it said that the first email went through). thankfully, we were able to resolve the problem and customer service said they would send me the July box. i got it sometime around August 20 - but most unfortunately, i was missing an item as well as the product card. i have since emailed them - on August 20th as well as on the 30th. to this day i still have not received a response. what is going on with their organizational changes!!!

-- update October 3, 2012 -- 
so after the 30th, i tried another method on September 5th: if you have issues, it seems that filling out the form on the "Contact Us" page on BB5's website would get you further than sending an email straight to info@beautybox5.com. they responded the same day. after a few emails going back and forth, the case was settled on the 10th and they said they would send me the missing item. i received it before the end of September with a nice post-it note apologizing for the inconvenience. i was also missing the product card and am glad that they included that for me - even if one of the products was different from what i got :) 

so in terms of BB5's customer service - they are really friendly and willing to work things out with you AFTER you are able to get a hold of them. their initial response time is what they have to work on. -- 

missing something...

i thought i was going to hear back from them sooner so i delayed doing this post. but oh well. i hope they reply VERY soon.

July's BB5:

oops - don't have the Curls item but the HollyRen eyelashes

1) Blinc mascara in "Black" - nice!! i was happy last month to test out the Blinc eyeliner and now that i can try the oh-so-popular Blinc mascara! however, i am holding back on opening new mascaras at the moment. i've actually been using just ONE mascara for the past two months - it's been hard but i wanted to test out the claims of what it can do (it's the Revlon Grow Luscious one). i would've loved to take very detailed pictures of all the tubes coming off and everything... maybe sometime soon? very very excited about this one!

size: 0.7 g

retail value: $26 (6 mL)

2) HollyRen Natural False Eyelashes - this is the first pair of eyelashes i've gotten from a beauty box before so i was pretty excited. but they really don't look all that "natural" to me - there's too much shine on them so you can immediately tell they are synthetic. i hadn't heard of HollyRen before so i checked out their website. the company isn't helpful in providing much information - first of all, i can't even tell what model my eyelashes are (typing in "natural false eyelashes" gives me 43 results on their site) and secondly, i have no idea how to purchase another pair even if i wanted to (there is no "buy" option, only "leave a message").

false eyelashes are always such a hassle so i'll take a picture with them on next time i go out! 

size: 1 pair (full size!)

retail value: $7

3) Spongeables Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer - i really needed this after my trip - sooo much walking. i brought some foot cream too since i knew it was going to be harsh on my heels. funnily enough, these Spongeables are made in L.A. what a coincidence! the scent is quite strong - even in its package i can smell it when it's placed nearby. the smell reminds me of men's body washes (not necessarily a bad thing). on the back of the package, it is noted that this Pedi-Scrub is "Patented Technology" - quite fancy. 

there are two sides to the Pedi-Scrub - the soft side for cleansing (pink side) and the scruffy side for exfoliating (white side). the pink side is thicker than the white. the heels of my feet still feel a bit rough but the tops of my feet are super soft. i rather like this product and usually i don't like anything touching my feet - i have an automatic reflex to kick anyone touching them so i don't think i can ever get pedicures. i checked to see where this item is available and the only store that i recognize in Canada is Wal-Mart. 

size: 1 buffer; 28 g (full size!)

retail value: $2.99

-- update October 3, 2012 -- 5 washes? really? i am STILL using this!! -- 

4) Bodyography Foundation Primer in "Clear" - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! missing item BOO  :(

-- update October 3, 2012 -- the primer is here! and it works great. its texture is like a clear gel but not quite as thick. be careful when you remove the seal and when you squeeze the tube because it exploded on me. my skin felt really smooth afterwards and i can still see that my foundation is still on, 9 hours later. usually by this time, any traces of foundation or blush has vanished off the face of... my face. so hooray! and i also feel that my face was not as oily as usual while using this primer. 
on their webpage, this particular primer isn't available anymore but they have an updated "Veil Foundation Primer" available in six different colors. --
size: 15 mL
retail value: $30 (30 mL)

so i'm really hoping to hear back from BB5 soon. plus, i already got my August box from them. that post will be up soon too! aside from my missing product, i really like the path that BB5 has taken in these recent months. it's a great change :)

updated picture of all the items: