TOPBOX: July 2014 [Regular]

hello everybody!
i'm on the last day of my vacation... after taking almost a week off for my boyfriend's sister's wedding, it's hard to picture going back to work tomorrow.

not only was the wedding absolutely beautiful and lovely ...

... this was what i was getting used to waking up to:

ahhhh Summerland, BC - you are gorgeous! food was delicious and the weather was super amazing as well!

i guess my Orlando trip is coming up just around the corner... it's going to be a hot one for sure!!

the July Topbox was delivered to my door July 17.

1) LA Splash Nail Polish in "12023 Foolish" 
size: 10 mL (full size!)
retail value: $7.50

i recognized this brand as being one of the cheaper brands on Cherry Culture. sure enough, the nail polishes are currently on clearance for $0.99. regular price was only $4.00 so i am not sure where the $7.50 price tag came from. in addition to this, this specific color is not sold through Cherry Culture nor LA Splash themselves.

i have too many hot pink shades like this that it would be a waste if i opened this up.

2) Clinique All About Eyes 
size: 5 mL
retail value: $62 (28 mL)

the texture of this eye product is more of a watery consistency than others i have tried. i only need the tiniest dab to get enough for both of my eyes.

3) theBalm Cosmetics IN-STAIN in "Swiss Dot"
size: 0.5 g
retail value: $23.50 (6.5 g)

IN-STAIN blushes are a super cute size and i love the magnet that keeps it closed. the "Swiss Dot" peach shade is very pigmented and blends well. sadly, i have already received this exact shade in a prior Luxe Box.

4) philosophy miracle worker miraculous anti-aging lactic acid cleanser & mask
size: 30 mL
retail value: $36 (236 mL)

this is similar to another philosophy cleanser i received from Topbox way back in the day. both are milky and gentle. "Miracle Worker" is scent-free. my skin is very nice and soft after using it but i am not sure how it could be used as a mask since it is such a watery texture.

andddddddd that's another boring Topbox for ya. i oughta stop missing those wishlist deadlines...

LUXE BOX: December 2013 [Winter Edition]

gooooooooood evening!
i've swung by today to give you a mighty quick post on the... last... December box i have? i might be wrong. there could still be one more hiding.

this is getting ridiculous, i know i know!

here goes:

1) Clinique High Impact Mascara in "01 Black"
ho hum - i've seen plenty of these included in the gift sets during Clinique bonus time.

size: 3.5 mL

retail value: $9.50 (8 g)

2) COVERGIRL LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in "245 Ruby Twist"

i haven't dabbled with COVERGIRL for a while and i was surprised with how quickly i fell in love with this - the ease of application, the color, the moisturizing and light feel it has - all of it! it's so summery too which i am sure everyone is anticipating the change in weather.

size: 314 g (full size!)

retail value: $10

3) Essie Nail Lacquer in "728 Dive Bar"

most of the Essies in my collection are matte shades so this is something different. Essie calls this color "a mysterious blackest blue with shimmer". i love how it is dark with a blue-green shimmer. must try on my nails next week.

size: 13.5 mL (full size!)

retail value: $11

4) EVOLVh UltraShine Moisture Conditioner 

hmm something seems to be missing...

oh what's that? shampoo?

that's right! i don't know why Loose Button decided to cheap out on us and just give us the second step and not the first... 

but i must admit, i loved this when i received it in my Glymm bag who-knows-when (actually i do - it was September 2012!). it's natural, smells lovely and makes your hair feel super soft and light.

which is why i wish there was a shampoo to go with this!! aghhh 

size: 75 mL

retail value: $25 (250 mL)

5) Honibe Honey Lozenges in "Lemon"

whaaaaaaaaaaaat? 

size: 4 lozenges

retail value: $5.99 (10 pack); $9.99 (20 pack)

6) Loose Button Gel Eye Pads

i don't own a set of these so i was feeling okay about getting these. but if you scroll down a bit and see the value Loose Button slapped on these, your eyes might fall out of your head and you will no longer be able to use such expensive gel eye pads.

size: 2 pads

retail value: $30 (yaaaaaaaa right)

7) L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Eau de Toilette

the heart of this scent lies in peonies - which i like. it's not 'heavy' and the tiny bottle is adorbs. i actually haven't tried any L'Occittane eau de toilettes before (or even knew they had a fragrance line...).

size: 5 mL

retail value: $47 (80 mL)

8) Simple Pleasures Hand & Body Cream in "Vanilla Bloom"

the scent is nice and not overpowering but i can tell that creams like this one tend to be sold in clothing stores who throw all their body care items near the checkout i.e. F21, H&M. the lotion is watery so it does not do much for long-lasting moisture.

(oh wait! it is the same brand as the cream in last season's box - no wonder the quality felt the same...)

size: 237 mL (full size!)

retail value: $10

i sort of wish i could've cancelled when i was strong. but now there is another Luxe Box sitting in the corner, waiting for me to get around to it. i must say i am happy to try the COVERGIRL Jumbo Gloss Balm. the Honey Lozenges counted as 1 of my 8 items which is sort of silly... the cost of those eye pads were outrageous... conditioner, mascara, lotion - nothing really grabs me anymore.

maybe it's time.

are you still with Loose Button? and are you happy? 

thanks for reading!

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?