TOPBOX: January 2013 [featuring Clinique]

oh my goodness.
it's taken me like a week to get this post up!! why?
well...

i am officially an office girl. you heard it here first.
i've just completed my second day, but holy moly, working 8-5 really tires you out. it's quite sad going in when it is still dark out and leaving when it is dark once again.
still, i am rather enjoying work at the moment since it is completely new to me and everyone is really friendly!

it almost slipped my mind that my blog reached its first anniversary on the 19th. YAYYY it's been a great year!

also, i want to apologize for the terrible pictures that follow... i haven't had time to play around with my camera and the settings so i haven't quite figured it out yet. plus, can someone please recommend me a program that does frames for multiple pictures (and where i can adjust the frame sizes)? i used to use PicFrame on my iPhone for all my previous blog pictures and that was so.much.simpler.
i tried PicMonkey and it's too much of a hassle since it won't let me do the collage thing AND add font at the same time. lame.
so any recommendations would be oh-so-much appreciated!!

i'm going to keep this post short and sweet since you have already seen plenty of unboxings and reviews and there was only 2 versions anyway.

this month everyone got a Privé Box which is the fancy new thing Topbox has going where they will send out a box featuring one brand. this month was Clinique and from here on out, Topbox will be sending out emails beforehand where you can select from the brands they are offering - it is no guarantee that you will get it though. if you do not, you will get a 'normal' Topbox.

Clinique samples:

1) Clarifying Lotion 3 (Combination Oily) - this product helps to clear your skin of dirt and oil. Clarifying Lotion 1 is for very dry/dry skin while 2 is geared towards those with dry combination skin (there's also a mild version). hmm i wonder why it is called lotion? use this with a cotton ball and rub it over your face after cleansing.
it is not really pleasant smelling... smells slightly like alcohol and i felt a slight burning in my eyes when the 'lotion' got too close. the cotton ball actually looked like it got some dirt off my face.. haha is that too much information? it also does not feel like it dries out my skin so that's a plus.

size: 30 mL
retail value: $16 (200 mL); $27 (400 mL)

2) Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent - wow this is really big. it will definitely last me some time, though i am not running out of makeup remover any time soon. doesn't feel oily and doesn't sting - hooray.

size: 60 mL
retail value: $25 (125 mL)

3) Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in "Strawberry Fudge" - this would have been the most exciting item had it been a different color... i already have a full sized version of this (included in the pic below since it was hard to capture the true colors of the sample with all that reflection)! just my luck :)
the case is really cute - slides out like a matchbox and can also double as a mirror.

colors are really pretty and shimmery. the pink doesn't show up as pink on my eyes - it looks more peachy. the pigmentation isn't amazing though - they are both softer colors and very wearable. i am putting the sample shadow duo on my swap list (on my to-do list).

size: 1.6 g
retail value: $25 (2.5 g)... my full size one is 2.2 g though...

4) Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector - seems like the other version (where they got a dark spot corrector) was not as common and i would've preferred that one since i became more aware of my dark spots recently. the Repairwear Laser Focus does have some effect on sun spots but the tests have been focused on anti-aging results.
the sample doesn't come with the dropper like the regular sized one would - you are supposed to use 3-4 drops twice a day which is approximately equivalent to flipping it two or three times onto your finger.

size: 7 mL
retail value: $57 (30 mL); $86 (50 mL)

so the first Privé box... was it amazing? ehhh.. it was okay. Clinique is definitely a higher-end brand but at the same time, these items are not really interesting. i am pretty sure i have gotten a couple of these items through gifts with purchase.
for next month, there were 3 brands you could choose for your 'wishlist': Benefit, Lippy Girl and Miracle 10. i chose Benefit since i haven't really tried many of their products though i have always wanted to and the other ones weren't as appealing to me. i guess we will see how this Privé thing goes!
what did you choose?