TOPBOX: September 2014 [Regular]

i'm on ze late train again! posting about September when October is about to end.

speaking of which, what's everyone's Halloween plans?? as i get older, there's fewer and fewer things to do but i have more ideas of what i'd like to dress up as.

anyway,

September's regular Topbox:

1) Lancome : Genifique Yeux Light-Pearl Eye-Illuminating Youth Activating Concentrate
size: 5 mL
retail value: $88 (20 mL)

it's hard to imagine that this tiny sample is worth $22 but it is. the applicator is actually very fancy. it is an oval tip and it is bendable so it is easier to apply underneath your eye. it is also very soft feeling which is perfect for the delicate skin around the eye.

2) Amika : Perk Up Dry Shampoo 
size: 21.3 g
retail value: $29 (156 mL) / $11 (30 mL)

pretttttttttty bottle. not only is it pretty, it claims to be the only dry shampoo on the market that doesn't contain aluminum. i had no idea that dry shampoos even had aluminum in them. i checked my TRESemme and Redken dry shampoos and they both contain aluminum. however, my Batiste one did not. phew?
Sea Buckthorn Berry sounds so awesome and it does smell rather good too.

3) Bioderma : Sebium Purifying Foaming Gel
size: 15 mL
retail value: $19.95 (200 mL)

i know Bioderma is supposed to be really good for the skin so i am throwing this in the lineup for my next face cleanser.

4) Essie : Nail Lacquer in "Sand Tropez"
size: 13.5 mL (full size!)
retail value: $9.99

lurve. such a gorgeous color. very classy but not boring.

can i also just say how lighting makes a world of difference?? i took these pictures at my sister's boyfriend's new place. so. bright. i love it! :) :)

this is a decent Topbox. like most Topboxes, it's always very mediocre. probably because of all the skin care items... that nail polish color though is one of my new favorites!

AT THIS MOMENT ...
currently listening: "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" by Paloma Faith
just watched: Gone Girl
still watching: Doctor Who Season 3 // Walking Dead Season 5
now reading: "When God Was a Rabbit" by Sarah Winman

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!

POLISHED: Pink Ombre [Valentine's Day] Nails

i am a tad late showing you my nails for Valentine's but here it is! i tried doing a form of ombre nails - the much simpler version across my entire hand rather than having an ombre pattern on each nail. i'll call this the amateur version :)

i was actually inspired by the Ombre kits by The New Black on the Glymm website. i was tempted to buy a set but i figured i could do my own since i already own a gazillion polishes.

i picked a number of pinks from my collection and i was looking specifically at ones that were not shimmery or glittery so that the color morphing would look... erm.. cleaner... subtler? 

anyway! this is what i came up with:

natural light; artificial light

seems like the last two colors (my ring finger and pinky) are almost identical in the pictures. whoops!

from thumb to pinky, i used:

* Barbie Loves Joe Fresh in Light Pink

* Zoya in "Shelby" (Glossybox July 2012)

* Essie in "Off the Shoulder" 

* Nicole by OPI in "Something About Spring"

* Diana Manicure in "1104"

the two lightest colors, the Barbie one and the Zoya, required 3 coats while the other ones only needed two. this was the first time i did ombre nails and i thought it was really fun! i was hesitant at first, thinking that it may look slightly childish at work if my nails were all different colors but i think it works if the color changes weren't drastic. 

i am thinking of doing this again with purples next... it gives me a chance to use more polishes and to provide you with some swatches as well. win-win!

would you wear ombre nails like this? :)

POLISHED: Essie Nail Polish in "Beyond Cozy"

so this post is going up now instead of later tonight because i am having car troubles. and it's not even -20°C degrees. it's only -3°C right now! the battery is completely dead and my socks are wet. blaaaaarghhhhhhhh. and now my internet is constantly lagging. i can continue adding to this list of first world problems...

for Essie's Winter 2012 collection, the display centers on "Leading Lady" (pun intended?) which is pretty enough but it was "939 Beyond Cozy" that caught my eye. there are four other shades in the collection but "Leading Lady" and "Beyond Cozy" are the only two with glitter.

"Beyond Cozy" (13.5 mL) is described as "a decadent silvery gold glitter".

i tried so hard to capture the subtle gold in it but my camera was just not up for it. so here are my sister's nails taken with my sister's phone (doing these swatches was proof that the camera on the iPhone 4S is so much better than the iPhone 4).

the gold seems to show up much better in artificial lighting compared to natural sunlight.

natural sunlight:

artificial lighting:

"Beyond Cozy" was a breeze to apply - the glitter was thick and spread on evenly and easily. it had a very strong nail polish scent though. swatches are of 2 coats of nail polish.

when i was trying to get better lighting, i took this shot which made the polish look like a holo!! so pretty...

what polishes from any Winter/Holiday collections have caught your eye?

POLISHED: Essie Nail Polish in "Off The Shoulder"

so here's another great find in the Clearout section of Shoppers - $2.00 Essie polishes! i got "Off The Shoulder" which is a part of the Summer 2012 Bikini So Teeny Collection. there are 6 polishes in this collection and i just realized i own half of them.

i agree with Essie that "919 Off The Shoulder" (13.5 mL) is a bold color but i don't think it is high enough on the temperature scale to be called a "hot pink"... to me, it's more of a medium pink.
it's definitely for those girly-girl days since i am reminded of Barbie every time i look at my nails.

i was surprised by how opaque this polish was - one coat provides almost full coverage but i needed another one since it was on the streaky side. it also has a very shiny finish to it - no need for a glossy topcoat!
the polish was chip-free for three days which is pretty good considering i did not use a topcoat.

thanks for reading! hope everyone's having a wonderful Thanksgiving!

POLISHED: Essie Nail Polish in "Eternal Optimist"

ok this is going to be the first of many Essie posts. i'm actually surprised that i haven't gotten around to doing these yet. my sister has become a collector of Essie. she's starting to sound like me when she says "let's go to _____ to look at the nail polishes!!", to which i never object.
our current stash holds 11 Essie polishes - of which only 3 are considered "mine". i think she's keen on building her own nail polish tower.
"Eternal Optimist #144 [now #676]" (13.5 mL) appears to be a popular shade since it is from the Spring 2009 collection but is still being sold everywhere. i'd describe it as a dusty rose nude which is fantastic when you want something pretty but simple.

the following swatches are done on my sister. i am sure you can tell our hands apart since her nails are much longer whereas i tend to pick at mine whenever my hands are free.
3 coats of "Eternal Optimist". the application was smooth. removing it is not a problem either. in artificial light, it takes on a browner finish.

natural light; artificial light

by the way, my Glossybox seems to be stuck!! it's been in Mississauga since July 28th. i'm seeing everyone's posts pop up on my Blogger but i don't want to click on them just yet. the expected delivery date is tomorrow so i am hoping it comes through!

LUXE BOX: May 2012

luckily, i received my Luxe Box yesterday, just in time for me to put this up on the last day of May! strangely, i did not receive a tracking number for this either so i had no idea it was coming. what is up with that this month?

AND my dad found it on the front porch. it never arrives that way... like i said, strange!

hooray for the little bonuses from Loose Button! this month was "Thank You, Mom" Month so they included a complimentary Bath and Body Box like they did in January.

onto May's sample list:

1) Essie Nail Polish in "785 Navigate Her" - this is a very interesting green - i would describe it as a mossy green. it's not like anything i already own so i am happy to add this to my collection. this color is also part of Essie's Spring 2012 collection. i like how Loose Button includes colors that are in new collections like last month's "793 Pink-a-Boo".
note: mine has little cracks the inside of the polish. does that happen to anyone else?

oh oh oh i figured out why i like this color so much!!! i was applying it wen i noticed one of the snacks my sister brought back from her trip to Vancouver... this color reminds me of my favorite tea --> Matcha Green Tea!!! my fingernails look delicious! haha

sadly, i seem to have a bit of trouble with the formula. it won't apply evenly so i tried shaking it up a bit. now i have some little bubbles on my nails. i am wearing 2 coats (some fingers needed 3 since i could still see parts of my nail bed). 

left to right: natural light; artificial light

-- update June 7/12 -- as much as i love the color, it does not hold up very well - it honestly began chipping the day after i applied it (chipped on June 1). by June 2, my nails were quite gross. i did not use a top coat in this case since my previous Essie nail polish did not require it at all. Pink-a-Boo lasted a good week before i experienced the same kind of chipping i had with Navigate Her the day after. -- 
size: 13.5 mL (full size!)

retail value: $8

2) Orlane Active Active Hydration Body Care - another Orlane product?? they must have started hitting the Canadian markets recently because this is my third sample from them. the other two were a foundation from Loose Button and an eye cream from Topbox (both from April). again, similar packaging as the rest - it comes in a box but the sample is very tiny and there is a rather large pamphlet inside. since this particular sample is intended for the body, i would think a larger sized sample is needed. the other two were intended for the face and already the sample did not contain enough product in order to fully test it out. i didn't feel like this cream was anything special either. my hands did not feel very moisturized 5 minutes after i applied it. also, it felt like i used up like 75% of the sample when i was trying to get this picture!

size: 7 mL

retail value: $105 (250 mL) ... jeeeeeeebus. that is out of my price range! 

3) Paco Rabanne Black XS L'Exces for Her & Black XS for Him - i have received the Black XS for Him before in December's Luxe Box. i haven't tried to L'Exces for Her version but thank goodness it wasn't another normal Black XS for Her because i've received that twice from Loose Button. 

size: 1.2 mL each x 2 = 2.4 mL

retail value: for Her $74 (50 mL); for Him $56 (50 mL)

4) Goldwell Dual Senses Color Shampoo and Conditioner -  another shampoo/conditioner combo directed at colored hair and in this terrible packaging... why why why! i do not have colored hair!! i saw some people receive the Moroccan Oil and i am quite jealous :X i've wanted to try that for a while now. on the plus side, i like pomegranate (it has pomegranate extract).

-- update June 7/12 -- i loveeeee the scent. the shampoo lathers up quite well and i could get almost 3 uses out of it. however, the conditioner is a different story. i hardly feel like i have any product at all in my hair which makes me use more of it, so in the end, the conditioner portion did not last me 2 uses --

size: 10 mL each x 4 = 40 mL

retail value: shampoo $28 (750 mL); conditioner $32 (750 mL)

the complimentary Bath and Body Box contained: 

5) Gillette Venus & Olay Razor - i actually like receiving razors. especially now that it's summer time, i will be using them more often! 

size: 1 razor & 1 cartridge

retail value: $14.99 (according to Well.ca but that one includes a shower hook)

6) Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex - received before in the January's Luxe Box. i haven't used that one yet so this one will go in the stash as well. 

size: 7 mL

retail value: $37.99 (50 mL) ... according to Well.ca

the box also came with a post card you can send from P&G and a Goldwell advertisement card. there's also a $20 off a subscription promo code from Panty by Post (which was part of last month's First in Line program). i didn't choose it but the panties are pretty. still it is quite costly - with the code, it will still be $40 for 3 panties. one of the brands they carry is Blush which i've seen at The Bay and Winners. i'm pretty sure the panties were like $6.99 or something around that range at Winners. 

this box is just alright to me. i like the complimentary box and the Essie nail polish but it seems that all of these samples were just variations of some sample i have received before. as you can see from all my links above, i reference to another box quite frequently (usually from Loose Button again).

what did you receive this month? (if you are not subscribed and interested in doing so, click here!)

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 :)