LUXE BOX: April 2012

the Luxe Box arrived on the first of may - which i was actually surprised about since Loose Button sent it out so late in the month. apparently they upgraded shipping for the west and east coasts to make up for it but i don't see anything different on the box and the Canada Post tracking info still says the same "Expedited Parcels".
anyway, i am glad i actually got the item i reserved for the First in Line program fiasco. as mentioned at the end of my Topbox post, i wasted a lot of time on it. so a quick summary of the process in April:
Thursday, April 19
- program was supposed to start at 12 pm EST but was not active
- Loose Button began addressing the issue maybe an hour later
- some people finally able to log in and reserve a product, but not all
- Loose Button suspended program temporarily and decided to send emails out instead for people to reserve time slots; once you pick a time slot, you will receive an email with a password to log in during that time
Friday, April 20
- was sent the time slot email at around 2 am EST; quickly reserved a time slot for next day between 3-6 pm EST
- did not receive email with password so sent Loose Button an email inquiring about this
- received an automatic reply that the company will be responding to emails over the weekend
- received my password at around 7:30 pm EST; First in Line program was no longer active
Saturday, April 21
- around 11 pm EST, received an email saying that they noticed i haven't reserved a product
- surprisingly, i was still able to reserve an Essie nail polish

the choices for April's First in Line program included: an Essie nail polish, Seche Porcelain, Bobos Remi leave-in conditioner and Panty by Post. i found the last option interesting but i did not feel i had enough time to do a little research so i went with what i knew.

after all the kerfuffle (first time ever typing that word and finding that is how it is spelled - nice!), April's samples are:

1) Essie Nail Polish in "793 Pink-a-Boo" - yay actually got what i reserved. i heard plenty of issues of people not getting what they reserved on Facebook so i was a little scared. i believe this color may be too sheer for me though since it is a very light pink color. it is super sparkly though - with purple and green glitter from what i can see; i got a little dizzy when i stare at it too long trying to pick out the colors of the sparkles. i will have to do a swatch for you later since i just put on the Misa nail polish from Topbox yesterday.
i Googled the color and found out that this polish is part of the Essie Resort 2012 collection. it's pretty exciting that it is brand new.
size: 13.5 mL (full size!)... card says 15 mL
retail value: $8

-- update 05/07/12 -- so i got around to using this polish and here are the results:
with 1 coat; natural light - super sheer. you can only see the glitter.

with 2 coats; natural light - you can see a hint of pink.

with 3 coats; natural light - i can still see my nail ridges but i think this is a nice soft pink. i think 4 coats would also be great.

i tried to do a close up here; first in natural light and then in artificial light.

my nails feel smooth (you can't feel the tiny glitter particles) and dried really quickly between coats! i didn't smudge them at all this time! hooray!

2) Orlane Perfect Complexion Treatment Foundation in "Beige 23" - the sample itself was quite small - the box was much larger because it also held a pamphlet in many languages. i had to take the picture at an angle because the box was super reflective.
the daffodil pin was attached to the top of the box.

i used to think that since i am Asian, that anything "Beige"-y would be similar to my skin tone. thank goodness i figured that one out (don't think Loose Button did though). as you can see, i tried it first on my hand and it already appears really dark. since some of the products in the past have also appeared dark but blended really well, i tried to do the same thing with this one. it definitely didn't blend into my skin - i put some on my face and found that this is to be used as a liquid bronzer instead.
size: 3.5 mL
retail value: $60 (50 mL)

3) Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo + Conditioner - these came in the same cute black pouch that held the perfume sampler pack thing a few months ago. i like how they are in bottles rather than the style of the samples to be mentioned in like two seconds. i can't give you a review on these just yet since i alternate days where i wash my hair and i am just in between.
also i can already smell the product without even having to open it and it smells quite nice.
size: 50 mL each x 2 = 100 mL
retail value: $6 (375 mL) each

4) Fekkai Advanced Salon Technician Colour Care Shampoo & Conditioner - another shampoo and conditioner sample in the same box? i would have preferred a little more variety... and yet again with the hair products for coloured hair. what is going on with that?? as already mentioned several times, this sample packaging is terrible. you should open these before jumping in the shower because hands with any type of moisture will leave you extremely frustrated. at least we got 2 samples? :/
size: 9 mL each x 4 = 36 mL
retail value: $28 (236 mL) each
see #5) for pic

5) Fekkai Advanced Salon Technician Colour Care Rapid Results Moisture Mask - i have never used a hair mask before so i am interested as to how this will work. will update you soon on this.
size: 8.6 g each x 2 = 17.2 g
retail value: $45 (198 g)

since April is Daffodil month, we received a daffodil pin to show support for those affected by cancer. it is too bad we received this in May! i am glad that Loose Button is involved with the Canadian Cancer Society though. overall, i am mehh about the box. my favorite is of course, the Essie nail polish even though it may not show very well on my nails. nothing else is super exciting but i will probably use every single item in this box.

check out my link to Loose Button on the right if you are interested :)

LUXE BOX: January 2012

hello!
so i received my Luxe Box from Loose Button on January 30, which is a bit later than usual BUT i was definitely more than pleased when i found such a big box waiting for me when i got home. i was getting a bit impatient this month so i did start peeking at other people's blogs so i already knew there were two boxes this month but i was still squealing when i opened it. the extra box this month was labelled "Bath and Body" and was slightly smaller than the normal black box.

so the first normal black box - again, i love the sticker on the tissue paper. other than the sample list, there were a number of advertisements and coupons.

Box 1 (January's Luxe Box):

1) Pür Minerals foundation in "Blush Medium" - i think Loose Button knew exactly what i needed this month - i was running out of powder foundation and tada! i was sent a full-sized one! i am also impressed that this has SPF 15. it is important to use sun protection even when it is not sunny. i have combination skin and there is often a slight redness on the skin between my cheekbones and nose. if i apply just this foundation, my skin looks better but it doesn't cover all the redness. i think it will be better if i used a liquid foundation first and then touch up with some powder foundation.
size: 4.3 g (full size!)   note: this is the net weight; on the card it says 8 g
retail value: $31

2) Olay Regenerist wrinkle complex - i am throwing this in with all the other wrinkle products i have now... i know it is beneficial to start using anti-aging products early, but i do not currently have wrinkles. cross your fingers! but wait a sec... this sample costs almost $30? is that right? i'll definitely pass it on to someone else who can make use of it.
size: 7 mL
retail value: $60 (15 mL)

3) Loose Button's MyScent - there's a cute little drawstring pouch with a note saying that i was selected to participate in this program called MyScent (selected? it seems like everyone else was selected as well).

there were 6 perfume samples, 1 of which i have also received in December's box. all of them except for Prada's Infusion d'Iris had a cap on the sample where you can spray on the perfume (as opposed to just dabbing it on). i haven't been able to try all of them yet but here are some quick notes.

i: Prada's Candy
size: 1.5 mL
retail value: $96 (50 mL)
ii: Prada's Infusion d'Iris - smells fresh and flowery
size: 1.5 mL
retail value: $95 (50 mL)
iii: Nina Ricci's L'Air du Temps - very sweet smelling and floral - similar to potpourri
size: 1.2 mL
retail value: $72 (50 mL)
iv: Nina Ricci's Nina  - mm smells sweet and fruity like the apple on the cover
size: 1.2 mL
retail value: $65 (50 mL)
v: Paco Rabanne's Black XS for Her - floral but not too sweet smelling - it's a deeper smell (?? that doesn't make much sense...)
size: 1.2 mL
retail value: $65 (50 mL)
vi: Paco Rabanne's Lady Million
size: 1.2 mL
retail value: $80 (50 mL)

4) NYX lip gloss in "110 Cosmo" - last year i was obsessed with getting NYX lipstick and ended up getting 9 of their round lipsticks on eBay. i've been meaning to try other products by NYX so i was happy i was sent a lip gloss but was initially turned off by how much sparkle there is. seriously, they were not kidding when they called it "Mega Shine Lip Gloss". i also did not think this copper color would work on me. once i tried it though, it wasn't as bad as i thought. it has a sponge applicator and smells yummy, like cherries.
size: 11 mL (full size!)   note: huh? on the gloss itself, net weight = 15 mL... doesn't make sense
retail value: $8

5) Seattle's Best Coffee in "Level 3" - this was a bonus item which is nice, but i do not drink coffee. i prefer my green tea lattes, ice cappuccinos and french vanillas. but i do know plenty of people who would enjoy this!
size: 56 g
retail value: $9.99 (340 g)

Box 2 (Complimentary Bath and Body Box):
this white box contained 2 products, an info card on the razor and a coupon for bonus points at Shoppers if you buy a Fekkai hair product.
6) Schick razor - so this is the second product that Loose Button knew i needed. my other razor was getting dull and so this was perfect timing. apparently i will be one of the first ones in North America to try this razor. it has 5 blades and looks like it does not require shaving gel since there is a serum on the razor that works in the shower.
size: 1 razor & 1 cartridge
retail value: $13.99

7) Fekkai shampoo and conditioner - Fekkai has some pretty expensive hair products so it is nice that we get a sample. my hair is pretty long, probably reaching midway down my back, so i don't think i can get 2 uses out of this.
size: 9 mL each
retail value: ~$25 US for 237 mL (according to the Fekkai website that does not ship to Canada)

phew!! that was a lot of products! even though there was no Loose Button chocolate coin to be found, i am very pleased with my Luxe Box this month! a great variety of products and ones that will be quite useful for me. just look at all this stuff!

one thing i was a little sad about is that Loose Button has a feature where you can reserve a product in your box. however, they always reach the reservation limit so quickly!! this month they offered Donna Karan cleansing lotion, Benefit cream eyeshadow & liner, Benefit blush (POWda WOWza) and Curly Hair Solution control for frizzy hair. i would have most definitely loved either of the two products from Benefit!! but sadly, i checked my email 2 hours after they sent out a notice and i was already too late. i guess i should hook it up to my iPhone so i don't miss my chance next month!
ps. yay - as of now, i am all caught up on posting about my subscription boxes! whee!! i recently heard about this great promo from Julep and i am so very tempted. it won't hurt to try it for a month right? :)