BEAUTY BOX 5: August 2012

so last month's BB5 was sent via UPS rather than USPS (for July anyway) and i found that it was much faster. i could have sworn that they used UPS before but we got a special email saying that August's box was shipped using UPS so who knows..

the box says it was sent on August 17th and my dad picked up the mail on the 28th so it was the first time i've received it before the next month rolled along.

check out August's box (it seems that a few ladies and i received doubles of two of the following items; thanks for extras!):

1) Blum Naturals Pro Age Daily Cleansing Towelette - this is evidence that Beauty Box 5 is picking up their game! they have stepped away from sending out only 1 one-use sample and now there's 3! hooray! now we can actually test the product out.
size: 1 towelette x 3
retail value: $3.99 (10 towelettes)

2) H2O Plus Marine Calm Restorative Eye Cream - i have quite the stash of eye creams now and they're the kind of product where you have to use them over a long period in order to be able to reap the benefits. this one has an almost undetectable scent which is great for those that are sensitive. it's 3 key ingredients are: Japanese green tea, Paraguay tea and aloe vera.
size: 4 mL (accident: x 2)
retail value: $32 (15 mL)

3) Ferro Cosmetics Sheer Crystal Veil - this is a very small sample of the veil which makes it a bit difficult to apply with a brush since i can hardly grab any of the product. i wore it today and can't say there was anything noticeable about my skin (then again, it was cloudy and rainy today making it hard to see any illumination!). i like how the veil doesn't rely on shimmer or glitter.
see swatches below (the swatch of the veil is before blending it in).
size: ~ < 1 g
retail value: $19 (4 g)

4) Ellis Faas Creamy Lips in "L109 Pale Coffee" - it seems that many people are very excited about this product - personally, i have not heard of it before. on their main page, the company boasts the names of several celebrities that use their products (including Cate Blanchett).

there is no scent or taste to the product. the pen shape is very sleek and shiny - Ellis Faas actually sells their own special holders and clips. you turn the bottom of the pen to get more product but be warned that it takes more than 40 clicks to get it started. the applicator is a fuzzy sponge which i like the feeling of - it seems to help to smooth the color out on your lips.

the name of the actual shade can be found on the website. the site also explains how you can wear it two ways: full on or as a stain. you will see very soon why i much much prefer the stain version on myself. the color is described as "pale" but when placed on my pigmented lips, it takes on a rather dark tan brown. the color is very pigmented but i do not find it appealing on me at all - maybe it was a color of a bag or something but not on my lips. the closeup is not that horrible but if you saw my whole face with this lip color, you would know that when i say terrifying, i mean AGGGGHH!
(i'm sure it probably works better on skin tones that are not yellow-based).

before completely giving up on the color, i decided to try the stain technique - just putting on a little bit of the product and blending with your fingers (or blot for a matte stain).

still not a fan of the color but much better. the formula itself is in fact creamy and moisturizing but may be a bit too creamy. when you press your lips together, the product moves around so you end up having splotches on your lips. it's important that you do not do that to keep the application even but it's so hard to resist! it transfers easily when eating or drinking too so this expensive product turns out to be just meh for me.

a couple of arm swatches:

size: 2.8 mL (full size!; accident: x 2)
retail value: $35

5) Blinc Eyeliner in "Black" - honestly if this was not a makeup product, i'd probably be unhappy that i got another duplicate from the June 2012 box. BUT it is the blinc eyeliner so yay. click on the link for my previous review and detailed pictures.
size: 0.7 g
retail value: $26 (6 g)

BB5 is really picking it up these months and they're gaining more and more fans. i finally got an email back from them today in regards to my missing product in the July's box. if they could improve their customer response time, then i'm sure they will be here for the long haul.
oh and the box came with a discount code for Ellis Faas products and a gift certificate for Ferro Cosmetics :)

i am still two boxes behind!! think i can go for 7 consecutive days of blogging??

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:

BEAUTY BOX 5: June 2012

got my June BB5 the same day i got my Glossybox (July 3). it's not as big as a deal since BB5 is shipping from the states so it's reasonable that it would take longer. on the box, it states that it was sent June 18th.
when you get these two boxes together, the Beauty Box 5 looks so much tinier in comparison. but i was still eager to open this since it was only my second one.
once you open it, you find all the samples in a little white transparent pouch. you'd think they would be all itty bitty one-use samples again but i was (for the most part) wrong! i am so amazed by this box! i guess i did not have the highest expectations but i was actually happier with this box than with my Glossybox.
AND extra points this month for introducing a card that lists the samples!! hooray! i really hope Glymm goes back to this because it is much more convenient and useful.

June's samples includes:

1) Blinc Eyeliner in "Black" - i already saw this sneak peek on their FB so i was excited about trying this out (i want to try Blinc mascara too). it's the first time i've had a sample sized eyeliner so i am not sure how long this will last me. it has a brush wand that i'd say is for more experienced users since it requires more precision. for liquid eyeliner, i usually prefer an eyeliner pen.

this particular eyeliner is different in that it it doesn't run, fade or smudge and it just slides off when you decide to remove it. i was curious how this "sliding" works. so i took a few photos...
swatches of the eyeliner and the other samples mentioned later on:

both pics were taken in natural light but the top one was indoors and the other one was outdoors.

even after the swatches of the eyeshadow and blush has rubbed off (since i pulled my sleeves down), the eyeliner remained as black as ever. and it is a really dark black. it also goes on thick (see how you'll need precision with this type of wand? that was my attempt at a straight line). i used the eyeliner to swatch once on my arm and then i applied it to my eyes and i did not have to grab any more product in between. it dries pretty quickly and at first, i can feel that there was something different on my eye. that feeling goes away though.

i tried rubbing my arm and it's true - the eyeliner does not budge. it looks like it is a permanent marker (Sharpies)! i ran it under the tap and it still remained that black - until you start to rub it. and tada! it comes off like a temporary tattoo.

i think it's quite neat. i really like how it is water- and fade-resistant. i think everyone needs an eyeliner that doesn't smudge.
size: 0.7 g
retail value: $26 (6 g)

2) The All Natural Face Vegan Mineral Eyeshadow in "Just Peachy" - i've taken an interest in loose eyeshadows lately so this one is definitely welcomed. it comes in a jar with a sifter seal. the color is also very pretty. you can definitely use it all over your lid or as a highlighting color. on my eyes, there is just a hint of color but the shimmer is more visible. the peach color is stronger when applied with a wet brush (see swatches above). i'm not sure if i was imagining it but i thought there was a fruity scent when i was putting it on but there's only 3 ingredients... maybe it was just me.
it came with a sponge tip applicator as well - and not one of those dinky ones. not sure how often i will use this though (i used it for the swatches though).
oooo and there's a 20% off your entire order with the code "BEAUTY" on their website valid until July 31/12. prices are very affordable! worth checking out!
size: ~ 2 g (just powder) ... ("full size!")
retail value: $3.50 ... or can purchase ~ 5 g of powder for $6.50

3) Blum Naturals Oil Absorbing Facial Tissues - so i've only used oil absorbing tissues a handful of times but it's always interesting (or gross) to see how much oil you have on your face. oddly enough, today was not an oily day! i tried it and barely saw anything. on the other hand, my boyfriend's tissue soaked up so much oil it ripped. he doesn't really have a beauty regimen - come to think of it, he hardly uses moisturizer. maybe i'll start keeping this in my bag since it will be handy to use throughout the day.
size: 50 sheets (full size!)
retail value: $2.99

4) Everyday Minerals Blush in "Girl Friday" - whaaaaaatt - you're kidding, this is the third makeup item in the box?? it's true! the blush is a soft berry pink color with no shimmer. love this! check out the swatch above (1).
size: 1.7 g ("full size!" of the mini version)
retail value: $6.99; also available: $10.99 (4.8 g)

5) Comodynes Easy Peeling Facial - okay, 1 one-use packet. i can handle that (especially since i got all those other goodies). will update this with my experience later.
size: 1 towelette
retail value: $12.99 (8 towelettes)

overall, very happy with this box. so many makeup items and the sizes weren't too bad either! the mineral eyeshadow and the blush may be mini sizes but it's perfect because these will still last a long time. hopefully BB5 continues to surprise me (in a good way!).

ps. thank you Candice for naming me her Fabulous Blogger of the Week at Mirror Image: A Beauty-Full Blog! i appreciate your comments :) thanks for reading!