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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

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?

22 comments:

  1. Wow! Clinique products in a box?! Amazing :) I really want to try Clinique as it's being raved about then until now!
    Will wait for your reviews on these :)

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    1. yesss pretty crazy huh? :) Clinique was one of the first highend brands i've ever tried for makeup but i still havent tried a lot of their products. this is a great opportunity to!

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  2. I haven't tried much from Clinique before, I'd love to hear how you go with these items :)
    x

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  3. Hmm...might actually give TopBox a try. I'm trying to only subscribe to one box a month and got the ipsy bag for Nov/Dec 2012.

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    1. ooo ipsy is awesome so far. good on you for sticking to just one per month. which one did you get for Jan and Feb? i'll post a Feb Topbox once i get it and let you know more about it!

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    2. Awesome, thanks. I didn't get any subscriptions for Jan, but I'm now on the waitlist for Topbox. I generally like to take a look at the sneak peek for Ipsy then decide if it's worth it that month.

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    3. that's smart! i heard there is a waitlist for ipsy now though so i don't think i can do that... either way, i tend to avoid the sneak peeks since i like the surprise more :)

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    4. Ya, I only found out when I went back to the site to check, I'm now on both Ipsy and Topbox's waitlists, may be I'll get two next month! Keeping my fingers crossed!

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    5. nice! do you know how long these waitlists are?
      Topbox used to be a few months long.. not sure if it is anymore

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    6. I just got off the waitlist and I was only on it for 3 days :)

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    7. that's awesome! for ipsy or Topbox? :)
      i've seen some of the Benefit Prive boxes and they look prettyyy good! i am probably not getting one of those since i just got my shipping notification and everyone else seems to have already received their boxes!

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  4. I'm not a huge Clinque fan but these products do seem ok (not amazing though). I think it's more fun to receive a mix of brands. You can download Photshop CS2 for free and legally here if you're interested: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/index.html

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    Replies
    1. yeah skincare is always just.. ok - they're useful but i am not amazed. and thanks so much for the tip Christine!!!! i will definitely check it out :)

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  5. I was wondering where you had been hiding miss helen! congrats and welcome to the office workers club ;) We leave when its dark and come home when its dark but I like the stability of the hours, no evenings and no weekends!

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    1. aww NAT! thanks for noticing!!! so sweet!
      haha i feel welcomed indeed. it was only a 4-day week for me this week and i am SO looking forward to sleeping in this weekend yaaaaaaaay

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  6. I didn't choose anything for february, I didn't like any of them. :/

    Happy blog anniversary!!!

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    1. thanks!! :) i am curious what a 'normal' Topbox would be like!

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  7. I used to have that eye makeup solvent and I really loved it! This box is pretty interesting to me, I'd like to try more Clinique!

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  8. I've always wanted to try Clinique but the brand is really expensive :(
    Lovely blog, I am your newest follower! xx

    natalielovesbeauty.blogspot.ca

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    Replies
    1. it is rather expensive... it's always best to buy when they have the gifts with purchase though so u can try a variety of items!

      thanks for dropping by natalie!

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thank you for reading! i appreciate your feedback and i read them all!
have a fantastic day :)

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