TOPBOX: April 2013 [regular]

EEP!!!
it's been a week since my last post. i am sorry that i've been so busy! this weekend alone was filled with 2 birthdays and a funeral.
it may not have been as crazy as 4 weddings and a funeral but... i haven't seen the movie so who knows. (i hope this slightly comedic remark does not come off as insensitive!)

anyway,
quick post about the Topbox. yes i know, it came weeks ago. but i feel obligated (to myself?) to post this anyway! so here goes --

- - - - -

i interrupt this Topbox unboxing post to bring you an important message about Glymm:
what. the. eff.

i haven't been checking blogs and emails as often as i'd like last week but was able to find the news about Glymm shutting down operations from a Facebook group. sifting through my emails, i finally found the message from Glymm in my junk folder. Glymm's emails have always gone to my inbox before but this particular message of course, goes into junk.

i knew they were struggling the last few weeks since we did not receive our March bags. i believe that Glymm was saying that they were restructuring or something along those lines when they were bombarded with questions on their Facebook page.
well great. thanks for the heads up. all those Glymm points saved up for nothing. i could've, should've used them ages ago!! what was i thinking!!

the Glymm website, Facebook account, Twitter accounts, etc etc have all vanished. i'm hoping i can dispute some charges on my credit card bill... oh, the hassle. i am glad to finally wash my hands on this thing though. one less beauty box to be disappointed by.

- - - - -

back to Topbox!
like last year, they shipped all April boxes in the eco-friendly packaging in support of Earth Day (today!).

1) boxx cosmeticss Travel Foundation Brush - suh-weet! i was thinking of buying another foundation brush and this one is very neat! i like that the handle is travel-sized for convenience while the brush head is standard-sized so that it does not infringe on the brush's usability. 

the hairs are unlike any other brush i own - there is a mixture of goat and 3 toned synthetic fibers. it is very soft and thin as well. 

size: 1 brush - 25 g (full size!)

retail value: $28

2) Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye and Lip Makeup Remover - i've always wondered if you could use regular makeup remover on your lips but since this one specifically says so, i do not have to question it anymore! remember to shake well before use and rinse afterwards. i am not a fan of oily makeup removers but they are better at removing resistant makeup.

*shake shake shake*

size: 50 mL

retail value: $24 (100 mL)

3) KMS California FREESHAPE Quick Blow Dry - i've received this previously from LB and i'm still working on it. i think it does a decent job but nothing so convincing that i need to use it every time i blow dry.

 *also shake shake shake*

size: 30 mL

retail value: $18.75 (200 mL)

4) Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub - i had a d'oh moment with this. for some reason, i thought this was a mask. so i applied it on my face like you would a mask - thickly, while i was thinking to myself: "why is this mask so runny? now i have to apply even more!" and then my sister asks me how long we are supposed to leave it on for.

oops!

the scrub doesn't feel super gritty so i felt that it would be fine for sensitive skin. my sister said it stung a bit on her more acne-prone skin. i could barely smell the scrub which is a great thing since charcoal products usually have an unpleasant smell to them. 

left my skin feeling nice and soft. felt the need to moisturize after.

size: 30 mL

retail value: $18 (100 mL)

this Topbox was a decent one... the product that won be over is the boxx cosmetics brush for sure. the rest is just okay since i've received the KMS hair product before and i am constantly overwhelmed with makeup removers. what type of brush did you get?

there isalso a limited edition Mother's Day Topbox available where you can get vial samples of 6 fragrances and redeem the gift card for a full size. the cost of the box is $80. nice idea but not something i need. i've seen something similar at Sephora and Shoppers before.

LUXE BOX: August 2012 [Fall Edition]

in case you didn't know about the changes at Loose Button, here's a quick recap:

- now $26/season (one box per season) that contains 7-8 "trial-sized" items; you can also choose semi-annual or annual plans

- recently they sent out the Fall Edition box in August (received in September though); the Winter one will be sent in November (in reality, probably December!); Spring Edition in February and Summer Edition in May

there seems to be plenty of variations of this box - i thought my box was decent upon opening it but as soon as i saw other people's boxes, it went downhill for me. it makes me feel like a little kid - you know how you're happily enjoying your lollipop until someone with an ice cream cone walks by? yep, that feeling.

it's sad missing out on the Eyeko eyeliner, the Benefit Stay Don't Stray, the China Glaze nail polish, the Marcelle BB Cream or the Blinc mascara! oh well, what can you do! 

let's start off with the packaging:

Loose Button was definitely going for the appeal of exclusivity by having "Members Only" written on the outside of the box. all new members have to be invited - did you know that people can "speed up the approval process" by sharing with their friends on Twitter and Facebook? that turns me off because it is really unfair. it's like lineups outside of nightclubs - the majority of the time, it is not packed inside, but the bouncers are only letting in a few people at a time so there's a huge lineup to create the illusion that it is absolutely mind-blowing inside and worth standing in line for. 

the new box is rectangular - sort of like a thin shoebox - in an off-white color. the gold touches make it very fancy. and that monogrammed sticker with my initial! the products are wrapped in white silk-like fabric. all of these details scream "luxe". i am pretty sure a large portion of my $26 went into the packaging.

the card has a new format too (it opens downwards rather than sideways) and you can look up more information on how to use it online on your "Personal Product Dashboard". unfortunately, both do not offer information on pricing.

the Fall Edition contained:

1) Vichy ProEVEN Daily Dark Spot Corrector - this was actually hidden in one of the cute brown boxes. i was expecting something special since it needed to be stored separately but i was wrong. it's the one-use packets again! you'd think the transition to seasonal boxes would've eliminated these... i did hear good things about this so i guess i am glad to have 5 packets to try it. i actually have some spots that look like freckles on my cheek area - i don't really recognize them as freckles though cause Asians hardly ever have freckles (or the Asians i know).

if you go on the website, you can actually see a demonstration of how it may work for you - you get to choose the ethnicity, the skin tone and then you can choose all different kinds of spots to place on her face.
i've opened the first packet and i think i can get four uses out of it. it sort of smells like berries too.
see 5) for a picture of the sample.

size: 1.5 mL x 5 

retail value: $44.00 (at Shopper's Drug Mart; 30 mL)

2) Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in in "350 Misbehaved" - i've always been tempted to pick these up (and i think i may have... stashed somewhere) but i have so many nail polish swatches to do, i just never got around to it. i like the design i got though - it's like gold glitter polish with a fishnet design over it. 

size: 1 box containing 16 nail polish strips, cuticle stick, mini file & buffer (full size!) 

retail value: $9.29 (according to well.ca)

3) Marcelle Eyeshadow Quad in "Jungle Fever" - undoubtedly, my favorite product in the box. at first, i thought something was loose since i can hear something was shaking around inside it, but it turns out there is another layer underneath with 2 eyeshadow sponge applicators.

the colors of the quad is right up my alley - i almost always wear either greens, purples or golds/browns. "Jungle Fever" has a champagne color, a green, brown and a black - all very shimmery. the colors are similar to some of the ones found in my Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette. in comparison, the Marcelle quad actually seems to be lacking in pigmentation, as you can see in the arm swatches:

i wore it on my eyes today and all the colors except the champagne one lasted the day without requiring a primer. all that was left of the champagne shade was the shimmer though. i really like how the eyeshadows are shaped like little studs but for the price, i would've expected better color payoff.  

size: 4.6 g (full size!)

retail value: $15.95 (according to marcelle.com)

4) Calvin Klein Beauty Eau de Parfum Spray & Luminous Skin Lotion - a light scent of fresh flowers. it's not a scent that stands out to me so i won't be purchasing a bottle of this. i am glad that they included the lotion with the small perfume sample. the lotion is not moisturizing since it is only meant to accentuate the scent. the smell of the lotion is extremely light.

size: 1.2 mL (spray); 30 mL (lotion)

retail value: (according to nordstrom.com)
   spray: $51 (30 mL); $66 (50 mL); $87 (100 mL)
   lotion: $43 (200 mL)

5) Loose Button Exfoliating Pad - so this was the other item in the little box. uhm, this thing feels really rough, no? i haven't even used it in the shower yet - but i'm a little scared to. from what i've read, it unravels rather quickly.

size: 1 pad (full size!)

retail value: N/A

6) Madonna Truth or Dare Eau de Parfum - another perfume sample - this one is a long tube that can only be applied by dabbing it on. it's musky but very flowery at the same time. it's a strong scent and i think i rather like it. i prefer it over the Calvin Klein one.

size: 3 mL

retail value: $65 (50 mL); $75 (75 mL) (according to thebay.com)

7) KMS Free Shape Quick Blow Dry Spray - mine separated into two layers so i'd suggest shaking it before use! or so i figured, but the picture on LB's site and KMS' site shows it half pink and half white.

i have thick hair that almost reaches my lower back so blow drying usually takes forever. these days i usually just air dry. .. but then it looks flat. so i will try using this to hopefully speed the process up a bit. 

size: 30 mL

retail value: $17.96 (US according to drugstore.com; 200 mL)

so like i said earlier, i am not enjoying my "lollipop" as much as before! i am not sure if i see the value of $26 in the box... 2 of the 7 items were full size, 2/7 were fragrances and 1/7 were in one-use packets.
and doesn't the 3-month wait seem terribly long? since it seems that there are better boxes out there, maybe i will have better luck next time :)