GLOSSYBOX: January 2013

oh this is sad.
i was not motivated to write this post at all. Glossybox, what happened?? are you trying to compete for the largest amount of dissatisfied customers with Glymm?

i got this box 10 days ago. there was a Canada Post processing error and i didn't even notice.

onto the items (from V1)...

1) Wella Professionals Brilliance Leave-In Mousse - i enjoyed the other Wella products i have received from their Brilliance line. this one says it is for colored hair - why am i not surprised that i got this? all it says on the back is that it helps protect colored hair... i wonder if it does anything else. i am not much of a mousse girl so i will probably pass it on to my mom.

size: 190 g (full size!)
retail value: $17.99

2) Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme - i had to laugh at this. Glossybox hardly ever breaks from their drugstore brand preference so this is quite rare! but of course, it had to be the tiniest thing ever! it only looks large below because i had to zoom close enough to see it :D see below to see how it actually compares it size.
this lip plumper is clear and shimmery - something you can wear layered over a lipstick.

size: minuscule
retail value: $28 (6 mL)

3) Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion - i already expressed my feelings on the scent of this lotion in my previous Glymm post. i am not exactly willing to open a larger sized sample.

size: 25 g
retail value: $12.99 (170 g)

4) Nivea Essential Lip Care - so a plain lip balm... that's rather boring, no? i have such a variety of lip products that i never reach for a plain lip balm anymore. passing this off to my boyfriend - he likes the plain ones. haha

size: 4.8 g (full size!)
retail value: $2.00

5) *Glossybox Best in Moisture* Vitabath Fresh Citrus Twist Hand Creme - at first, i thought it sort of resembled my Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter in the recent ipsy bag but it's nowhere as delicious-smelling. in fact, for a citrus scent, it could've been much better (the Pacifica one is also better for you - no parabens!).
i also got the same scent for my Vitabath shower gel (received in my Glossybox November 2012) and found that this hand creme smells more 'diluted' or 'manufactured' than the shower gel.

my camera does odd things to red/pink backgrounds

size: 60 g
retail value: $15 (120 g) ... according to myvitabath.com

6) *bonus* BeautySoClean Cosmetic Sanitizing Wipes - uhmmm so i was very happy to get these half a year ago (where i received 4) but i haven't even used them yet! i should definitely make use of them. anyone out there that uses these regularly?

size: 12 wipes
retail value: $12.50 (48 wipes)

so this box... rather blah. i am probably going to give away most of this stuff since i have plenty of other alternatives that i actually enjoy.

let's not talk about the box anymore.
who has seen Gangster Squad? i saw it on Tuesday and i quite enjoyed it! it was bloody and had plenty of guns but there was also Ryan Gosling. hahaha and Emma Stone. i liked most of the characters and was constantly on the edge of my seat (although you can sort of tell who is going to die... or not). :) what other movies in theaters would you like to see?

BEAUTY BOX 5: October 2012

so i finally got my BB5 today - seems that many of my blogger friends already got their's last week. and what is up with the tracking info for BB5?? i always get an email with my tracking number and after listing "October 15" as the day i got my electronic notification, nothing else happens after that. not a very useful tool! i did not peek myself but i already heard the general consensus that October's BB5 was not that impressive.
so let's see, shall we?

October's BB5 "Tricks of the Trade":

1) Margania Pure Argan Oil - i know argan oil is good for you but i am still getting used to putting oils on my face after years and years of limiting myself to specifically marked "oil-free" products. the sample comes in the form of an eye dropper since you only need very little. it is clear and 'thin' (as opposed to thick... or should i call it runny?). it absorbed quickly into my skin and i can feel the difference between where i applied it as compared to other parts of my face - it feels sleek and smooth. do you remember the Vitamine & Sea serum we got in our Glymm June bag? well i much much much prefer this one! the Vitamine & Sea one was pretty much the exact opposite: hard to use, stinky and oily.
on the Margania site, it is recommended you use 2-3 drops on the neck and face, or you can also use it on your hair for some extra shine. aside from the "Pure" version, you can also purchase argan oil "with a touch of" amber, eucalyptus, lavender or vanilla.
size: N/A ... little eye-dropper size
retail value: $32 (60 mL)

2) City Lips Lip Plumper in "Clear" - so i do not need a lip plumper but to add to this, i got the most boring "color" available - Clear. everyone else seemed to have gotten a nice color! i think i am going to put this aside for a gift or a swap - even these sample sizes are quite pricey (the sample is worth $9.60 - or you can purchase 3 of these mini sizes for $39.99)!
i checked out the site and it seems that the company is also focused on eyelash enhancing - now that i need!
size: 1.5 mL
retail value: $32 (5 mL)

3) ShowStoppers Fashion Tape in "Black" - these are actually quite useful items but i've only used them a handful of times. the ones i got are black but i've seen others receive nude ones.
size: 2 strips
retail value: $9.99 (24 strips)

4) Goat Haus Dairy Lip Balm in "Sugar Kisses" - i have way too many lip products right now but this one is interesting since i can spot "glitter" as one of the ingredients listed. apricot kernel oil is the first ingredient so i am guessing it will smell like apricots.
size: N/A ... normal lip-balm size (full size!)
retail value: $2.50

5) Furlesse Elevens (Frown Line Reducing Patches) - i have never seen such a product before... it's very interesting. i wonder how well it works except i can't test it out since i currently do not have frown lines (why are we frowning so much anyway?).
size: 3 patches
retail value: $19.99 (30 patches)

6) Lash Card (Individually Wrapped Mascara Shields) - this again? twice in one month?! i got them already in my recent Glymm bag. go to that post to see what i have to say about this - i don't want to discuss how ridiculous this idea is again.
size: 2 cards
retail value: $6.99 (10 pack)

the majority of these items came with a promo code which is one of the nice benefits of Beauty Box 5. it also came with one of those useless NuMe $100 gift certificates that i have received one two (too) many times.

this is one of the lightest BB5 i've had in a while. the beauty samples are definitely on the smaller side this month. it appears that BB5 tried to compensate the smaller sample sizes by providing 6 samples (instead of the usual 5). there's not a whole lot here that i'd use often - i'm probably most excited about the Margania Pure Organ Argan Oil (LOL Aleksandra). what did you guys think about this box?