TOPBOX: October 2014 [Regular]

happy happy new year everybody! i hope your holidays were fabulous. i went back to work this week and i must say i could've used another week - only because it was quite a busy holiday. there was not one single day where i was able to lounge in pajamas and binge watch Netflix all day. other than that, it was a great time. spent plenty of time with friends and fam. and yes... somehow i ended up at the mall on Christmas Eve again. thought i was going to be able to avoid it since i was doing pretty good even before December hit. but lo and behold, every weekend in December was busy busy busy! one weekend it was my company's Christmas party and then there was a friend's wedding and then bam! it comes and goes so quickly doesn't it?
and then New Years. i feel that as i get older, fewer and fewer people have actual plans on New Years. for the beginning of 2015, the boyfriend and i just stayed in with his sisters. watched the countdown on TV. also watched a bunch of French rap videos. some of it is actually really good! actually i can't exactly comment on the rapping but to me - whose French is limited to bonjour, pamplemousse and voulez-vous coucher avec moi - it sounded pretty good.

flashback to October! October's Regular Topbox featured products available at London Drugs.

1) Prestige Cosmetics : Makeup Eraser Pen
size: 2.5 mL (full size!)
retail value: $9.00

oo neato! this is a product i've never used before... the slanted tip looks like it would be great for creating the perfect winged eye. it would also be very useful if you are as impatient as i am waiting for my liquid liner to dry...
i have only encountered Prestige Cosmetics at London Drugs. this pen is from their Back to Black collection; oil- and alcohol-free.

2) Cargo Cosmetics : Cargo_HD Picture Perfect Eye Shadow Primer
size: 5 g
retail value: $25 (11 g)

i have yet to be amazed by Cargo Cosmetics but i am willing to give this 'HD' product a chance. at first, the primer is a nude shade but blends into the skin.

3) Vichy : Purifying Foaming Water Radiance Revealer
size: 50 mL (full size!)
retail value: $23

fancy words hey? radiance revealer... one pump dispenses enough foam to lather your face. it feels like you are washing your face in a fountain of flowers. after rinsing, my skin is is feeling utterly soft.

4) Lise Watier : Lift & Firm 3D Duo Serum 24 Hrs (Instant Lifting Day Serum & Firming Night Serum)
size: 2 x 3 mL
retail value: $78 (2 x 20 mL)

the packaging touts the instant effectiveness of these serums - as quick as 15 minutes! there are high percentages of people saying they had firmer, smoother, denser skin... but if you look at the tiny writing, you will see that they tested this on 25 people. not very representative at all.
still - lifting and firming are going to be real issues in the near future. will hold onto these. :)

first time in a long time that i've been slightly impressed by Topbox. the Prestige Makeup Remover Pen is a new product for me so that is pretty exciting. maybe it is the timing as well since i was in need of a new cleanser. not sure how well foaming water will be at keeping pimples at bay...

AT THIS MOMENT ...
currently listening: "The Beginning" by Ryan Arcand (if you haven't checked out the video 'Man on the street plays beautifully', then go! the song is absolutely beautiful and moving)
just watched: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (after re-watching the other two as well - LOVE the trilogy, which is not surprising since i was also blown away by LOTR. the final movie was amazing - i was in awe the entire time)
still watching: Doctor Who Season 4 // Walking Dead Season 5 // Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 1 // Vampire Diaries Season 5
now reading: "When God Was a Rabbit" by Sarah Winman (finally decided to pick it up again - on Part 2!)

TOPBOX: August 2014

i miss the wishlist for Topbox every month. seriously, every month. i don't know why i can't just check in a few days before the end of the month. i just never remember. ever.
and so, it happened again near the end of July while i was away for my boyfriend's sister's wedding. right after the wishlist closed, i emailed Topbox and asked if they could put me down for the Benefit box.
a rep emailed me back, saying that she would put my request in!

unfortunately, the request fell through and another regular, boring Topbox arrived in my mailbox August 19th.

1) Barefoot Venus : Macadamia Oil Hand Cream in "Wild Flower"

size: 60 mL

retail value: $5.99 [full size!]

i love the pretty details on the packaging of the hand cream. the cream itself is also quite lovely. smells great and is not overpowering. my skin feels lovely and soft afterwards. it's made in Kelowna - i was just there in July!

2) Pur~Lisse : Pur-Protect Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 Sunscreen

size: 15 mL

retail value: $55 (50 mL)

i just received this in the ipsy July bag - and i am still working through that one. i like how it is non-greasy and actually feels light on the skin. great size to throw in your bag and reapply throughout the day. today, Calgarians experienced our first snow after the summer season. up to 10 cm one day after we floated down the Bow River, enjoying 26 degree weather. so we will probably not see much sun for quite some time...aghhhhhhh! no fair! we can't just skip over autumn entirely! :(

3) Lise Watier : Prebiotic Micellar Water

size: 12 mL

retail value: $25 (200 mL)

prebiotic micellar water... such a fancy-sounding name. this the very FIRST prebiotic micellar water -simply because everyone else calls it 'toner'. prebiotic refers to sugar molecules that "stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria" - sounds like yogurt to me.
just like you would with a toner, you use this product with a cotton ball and dab it on your face. it doesn't sting a whole lot like some toners so that's why this is ideal for sensitive skin. 

4) Matrix : Oil Wonders in "Egyptian Hibiscus Color Caring Oil"

size: 5 mL x 3 = 15 mL

retail value: $22.99

seriously... i thought we were past the whole one-use satchet thing.
other than that, i've discovered i enjoy the scent of hibiscuses. you only need a tiny dab of this product or else it sort of weighs your hair down.
i've been using hair oils for a while now... after coming back from the hot and humid Florida weather, i noticed that when i curled the ends of my hair into a ball, it goes crunch.

crunch is not a nice sound for hair to make.

i have to admit that although this was an uninteresting box, i will be eventually using all of these items. still wish i had the Benefit box though!

TOPBOX: May 2013 [regular]

once again, i went with the regular box for my May Topbox. other choices included Coolway, Maskeraide, Elizabeth Arden or a February Favorites Topbox. there was also an option to upgrade to a Ferro Cosmetics or a PretendTAN Topbox.
i was slightly interested in the February Favorites Topbox that included a Deborah Lippmann polish, MUFE foundation and a B. Kamins cream but the colors available for the polish and the foundation was limiting.

here's what my regular Topbox looks like:

1) Cuccio Colour Nail Lacquer in "Tel-Aviv About It" - hmmm i think i've seen this brand before but i can't pinpoint where... was it Winners? or a liquidation store?

"Tel-Aviv About It" is a very neutral color - a "light tan" as described on the Cuccio website. neutrals tend to be more on the sheer side but Cuccio boasts a Triple Pigmentation Technology where you only need a max of two coats for opacity. i will put this to the test and update you on these claims at a later date since i am in the mood for some bright fun colors right now (it's too gloomy and rainy these days).

size: 13 mL (full size!)

retail value: $10

2) Lise Watier HAUTE COULEUR High Coverage Lip Lacquer in "Stylista" - doesn't the color look absolutely gorgeous in the tube? such a purdy shade of pink.

way way way back in my December Luxe Box, i also received a Lise Watier gloss but that was a sparkly nude and i don't think i've used it since then. "Stylista" is very pretty though and i've been using it quite often. the scent is actually the strongest fragrance i've encountered with a lipgloss. the color payoff is great but only lasts about an hour. 

size: 1.5 mL

retail value: $23 (6 mL)

3) Yaby Eyeshadow Refill in "ES553 Dragonling" - love the name! and the color is unique too - a matte lilac shadow (the photo is slightly more blue).
pigmentation is good at first but it will fade and become less intense throughout the day. it also applied patchy  (not super smooth as the card says) so a little blending is required.

i wonder if Topbox assumed that most of us were already ipsy subscribers since we all got a GlamRX Palette that is perfect for Yaby eyeshadows a couple of months ago. 

size: 15.5 mm / 3 g (full size!)

retail value: $3.15

4) Deborah Lippmann Smooth Operator Nail Buffer - it's a little hard to get excited about a nail buffer but this one has the 4 sides for shaping nails, buffing ridges, smoothing surfaces and adding shine. 

too bad this didn't come with a Deborah Lippmann polish! 

size: 1 nail buffer (full size!)

retail value: $12

so there we have it! looks like everything is a little small when i put them all together. it was an alright month... in fact, all the regular boxes i have gotten (last three months) were just okay, a little boring actually. it's too bad that even though there are more and more Prive box options available, none of them are appealing enough to me. i hope that next month will bring about better choices! 

also i was tempted to get something during Topbox's Spring Sale yesterday - but i forgot to actually get an order in. did you order anything?

TOPBOX: April 2012

aaaaaaaaand it has come.

hooray! it was shipped on the 11th and Topbox mentioned a batch that day was missorted so may take longer to arrive. the expected date was the 17th but i didn't get it until yesterday (19th). even with the delay, Topbox remains the first box i receive every month.

this month's box design was based on April's Earth Day. consumers are allowed to choose whether they receive this design or the purple design for their future boxes. i think this is a great idea - i like switching it up :) these boxes are great for storing makeup brushes or gift wrapping. i made a circle scarf recently and put it in this (it was a super tight squeeze though).

April's samples:

1) Benefit the POREfessional
YAY for a Benefit product!! i kept seeing people receive Benefit products in their boxes and this is my first time! i have some noticeable pores so this will come in handy! it comes with instructions as to how you use it. you can also use it under or over makeup. i tried it today using it over my makeup and the areas i applied it to became super soft. i didn't notice a big difference so i think i will try it again under my makeup. i like how it can also function as a primer! love multi-purpose products :)

the texture is very silky and there is a light fresh (lemon-y?) scent. it is an apricot color that blends into your skin.
size: 7.5 mL
retail value: $34 (22 mL)

2) Lise Watier HydraSmart
hmm.. does anyone else find that Lise Watier samples tend to be super tiny? plus, when i used it this morning it does not seem like the tube is even half full. not sure how many uses i can get out of this...
anyhoo, it is a "3D Hydration Tinted Veil". very fancy name. there is quite a bit of these fancy terms in the makeup market today like "3D", "blu_ray" (Cargo Cosmetics) and "HD" (Make Up For Ever).

this is also lightly scented like the Benefit balm but is much darker. however, it blends into my skin tone just fine. i am not really wowed by this product yet but will try again tomorrow.
size: 2 mL
retail value: $35 (40 mL)

3) Misa Nail Lacquer in "157 High Waist Hue"
this was actually the first item i pulled out and i was immediately overjoyed. love nail polish AND love the color. i don't know why but i have a thing with browns lately. not like super dark or dirty looking browns but pretty like this one!! this was a personalized shade according to the survey they sent out last month. i haven't seen any bloggers with this color yet. cute name too! i haven't been able to do a swatch yet since i bought some Orly polishes recently and immediately changed my nails like two days ago. will update with a photo soon!
on the side of the bottle, there is a special offer for 20% off your next Misa purchase.
size: 15 mL (full size!)
retail value: $8.99

-- update 05/01/12 --
i discovered that there is a blue shimmer to the polish when it is in the bottle, however it doesn't transfer to the nail when it is applied. i'm not a huge fan of the brush - it is too thin for me which makes me feel like i have less control.

here are some swatches of the nail polish: left pic was taken in artificial light; right in natural light.
sorry for all the imperfections again - i applied it before watching a movie and then became completely unaware as to what i did with my hands during it. oops! oh and this is 3 coats - 1 coat was way too sheer.

4) Bella Pella Tropical Flowers Body Lotion
ahhh i am having the hardest time pinpointing this scent because i am pretty sure i had a perfume that smelled exactly like this. hmmmmm...
so another body lotion. not very exciting but this is my first Bella Pella product and i like the scent. i find that is absorbs quite quickly.
size: 30 mL
retail value: $15.95 (175 mL)

5) *bonus* Cargo blu_ray Pressed Powder
i am considering this a bonus since it was just stuck onto the product card and is a "sponsored ad". in addition, this is not a deluxe sized sample since it is only for one use.

overall, i am happy with my Topbox (which is common). i especially love the Misa nail polish and the Benefit POREfessional. will have to try the color for the polish first to be sure but the shade seems lovely.
not surprisingly, Topbox is holding yet ANOTHER giveaway. click here to enter the Benefit Cosmetics gift set. you have until May 1 to enter :) 

a quick note on the First in Line program for Loose Button. it has been a super frustrating experience this month. it was supposed to open at 12 pm EST (or 10 am MST) yesterday. i decided to log in like 10 minutes after since last month it took me like 25 minutes to reserve a product. but of course, there were issues with the page. the program was not active on their website. Loose Button looked into it maybe an hour later? some people were finally able to log in - i figured they didn't want the site to crash or something so they were filtering access to certain people. but then for some reason, the program was suspended for everyone else. the company decided another approach - sent an email to everyone allowing them to choose a time slot. they would also be given a password so they will be able to reserve a product during that time slot.
again, problems arose. i was sent an email to register for a time slot 2 minutes before midnight last night. i selected 3-6 pm EST. did not receive a password, emailed them. the time slot has come and gone and i have yet to hear from the team. it is really too bad this is not working out because i really wanted the Essie nail polish i heard other people were reserving. i know many people think there shouldn't be complaints since this is supposed to be just an extra feature but the amount of time people have wasted trying to access it is ridiculous. hopefully Loose Button will be able to get things in order soon.

on a happier note, i reached 2000+ views today. yippee for another milestone :) thank you readers!

GLYMM BOX: March 2012

honestly, i have not been wowed by Glymm as of late, nevertheless i was antsy waiting for the box to arrive. partly because it arrived in Calgary early Friday but Canada Post chose not to deliver it and i had to wait all weekend! the weekend can feel super long in these instances, haha. it arrived today (well yesterday now that i posted it) - this time i had to go to my community mailbox to get it rather than find it on my doorstep. guess they have had enough issues with missing boxes? anyway, it is the smart thing to do.

removing the lid, i find the Glymm ribbon around the March 2012 edition card "Spring Fling". the lower pic is what it looks like when i remove the front card. the second card is an offer for a free Hydrafull lip gloss from Anastasia Beverly Hills with the purchase of any other 2 products. Anastasia products range between $16 and $85 on the Glymm website.

this month's samples include:

1) Anastasia Beverly Hills Hydrafull Gloss in "Sorbet" - well since we got a promo card, it is definitely nice to try the product out first. this is the tiniest sample of lip gloss i've ever received. at least i know i will be able to use this one completely since i have been getting a ton of lip products in my boxes. 

the applicator is different than usual - it is a paddle applicator. the only other time i've encountered this is when i bought my sister the tokidoki Prisma Lip Gloss. i took two pictures, hopefully you can see the paddle more when i applied the product. "Sorbet" is a nice coral pink but once i apply it, it just gives me a hint of color and some shine. it does not feel really sticky except when i tried to wash it off my hand after swatching it.

this product has apparently been clinically tested and is cruelty free! i never trust these test results unless i know specifics such as how many participants there were - "87% reported the lip gloss provides long lasting moisture" but 87% of say, 10 people, would not be very significant (okay i know you can't have 8.7 people but i am just giving an example!).

size: 1.0 mL

retail value: $27 (2.2 mL)

2) M. Asam Magic Fini - looking at the bottle, i had no idea what it was. according to other bloggers, this is a BB cream. there has been a huge BB cream craze, and this is the first time i've received one in a box. i already have one that my friend ordered from overseas which i really like already and i am glad that i can branch out and try this one too. as you can see in the picture, the color seems a little dark. it would've been nice if this had a safety seal on it or something. 

i don't know how to describe the smell, but the texture is similar to mousse. after putting it on my face, there was a noticeable reduction in redness and my skin felt very smooth. i've only used it once but so far, i'm a fan!

size: 5 mL

retail value: $38 (30 mL)

3) NuMe Feather Hair Extensions - i don't know what the name of this color is but to me it is an unattractive yellow-green. i already knew these were going to be in the box but i was hoping for at least a color i can MAYBE pull off like blue or purple (i have brown-black hair). but what to do with this one? i read someone suggested wearing them for St. Patrick's Day but that's a little too late now. a plus is that these are cruelty free and are made from real human hair. it also came with 5 micro rings. this sample was definitely a fun idea but risky for Glymm too since it would not be appealing to all age groups. but then again, you can't please everybody!

size: 3 feathers (full size!)

retail value: $25

4) Ocean Nail Polish in "80 White Opal" - so Glymm has also decided to answer my call for nail polish and kudos for that, but i probably got the most boring color out there! "White Opal" is not "vibrant, pastel and intense" like it says on the card. it dried pretty quickly but is it just me or does the nail polish smell seem to be stronger with this brand?

i decided to swatch this on my sister's hand since i already had nail polish on (she also has nicer nails than me). she has 2 coats of "White Opal" on her thumb, pointer and middle finger. i didn't do her last two fingers so i can show you how there is no color except for a bluish sheen. i have no idea if i will be using this color; possibly over another nail polish?

size: 15 mL (full size!)

retail value: $12

5) *bonus* Lise Watier Flash Lift Radiance Vial - oddly, this was not even listed on the card. guess they threw this in last minute. it is recommended that we use it in the morning to erase signs of fatigue so i have not used it just yet. the vial is a teeny tiny sample too. guess it is only for one use?

size: 1 vial (1 mL)

retail value: $27 (7 vials)     - according to the Lise Watier website 

so i am happy with my Glymm box this month. not a fan of the color i got for the feather extensions or the nail polish but i like everything else. i especially enjoyed the Magic Fini. if you are interested in finding out more about Glymm, click here.

as of today, i have not received any shipping notification from Loose Button or Glossybox. not sure what is going on there. Glossybox was sent out so early last month but they changed their policy recently so perhaps that was only a one-time thing?

i also wanted to note that i finally finished a book i started months ago - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. it was a hard book for me to get through since it was written in the 1800s - the language and style of writing were really different. there was also a lot of French - i had to type in paragraphs of French into Google Translate! i picked this edition up at a thrift store because i loved how it looked, well old, and i loved the gold lining on the side of the pages.

i can now finally watch the movie, HOORAY! (yes, i wanted to read the book first - i figured it must be good since there have been like 6 film adaptations). i think i will be starting on the Hunger Games trilogy (pressure from my sister) since the movie is coming out soon anyway!

LUXE BOX: December 2011

hi hi hi again! i am slowly catching up in posting about the sample boxes i received last month. today's post will be on Loose Button's Luxe Box, which i received back on December 20, 2011.

it arrived in a square-shaped cardboard box with the logo on the side. the products box itself was a sleek black color and opens by sliding off the cover (sort of like a drawer). i could definitely find another use for this box since i'm sure these will soon be piling up in a corner of my room.

i also love the fact that the products were all wrapped up in tissue with a sticker that said "Made for Helen". it made me feel special! even though none of the items were customized for me, i just liked how Loose Button went a little further in personalizing their box for their customers.

within the box was a card about December's products, a card about one of the products in particular, a card about the company, tissue paper and a bunch of the blue crinkled tissue paper.

products received:

1) DDF firming cream - definitely have not began to use this yet. at this stage in my life, i am not really interested in any anti-aging products. i hope that by completing some surveys on not only Loose Button's website, but also with Glymm and Topbox, i will begin to receive products i may be able to use. i'd hate to waste all these products. on the plus side - this is a good sized sample, especially since for a little over 3x the sample amount, the retail value is a whopping $140! ... so my sample is worth ~$41?!
size: 14 g
retail value: $140 (48 g)

2) Yves Rocher shower gel -hmmm shower gels... i do not really know what to say about them. i keep receiving them as gifts or part of some spa set but i never use them. i find that i just like to use soap or at most, body wash. i don't really understand the benefits of a shower gel; besides the fact that this one smells pretty yummy, like something you would like to eat.
size: 50 mL
retail value: $12 (400 mL)

3) Paco Rabanne Black XS for her & Black XS perfume sample - i haven't had a chance to crack these open yet but taking a look on the back of each, the one for males says "a fruity woody oriental" and for females "a fruity floral woody". i'm not experienced with the fragrance language - i don't really understand "woody" and "oriental". guess i will see for myself! however, i do not think my boyfriend would wear it - we have been together 6 years and i have yet to see him wearing cologne. he prefers to just wear deodorant and use some manly-smelling body wash.
size: 1.2 mL each
retail value: $56 (50 mL); $68 (80 mL) each

4) Lise Watier gloss in "Nude" - i haven't tried Lise Watier before but i have been tempted to so i was glad that i got this gloss. i must say i was sent a ton of glosses in December! anyways, the gloss is not sticky and like it's name, it does go on nude but it also is a tad sparkly. i like certain kind of nude lip colors, however this one makes me look ghostly sick. sadly, i do not think i will be picking up this lip gloss anytime soon. (bare lips on the top right, lips with the gloss on the bottom right).
size: 1.5 mL
retail value: $20 (6.2 mL)

one really great thing about the luxe box is - dun dun dun - the candy!! this one is a Belgian chocolate coin!! i loooooove chocolate. the logo on it is so cute too. maybe i'll actually eat one when i get my next box (so that i can keep one - is that weird?).

and so, my overall impression of Loose Button is: meh. i'm not very impressed by any of these products. they were not really geared towards me. it has been said that Loose Button sends anti-aging products often so perhaps they are focused on an older audience. for now, i have decided i will keep my subscription until i receive my march box and decide from there.

and now... BIG NEWS! i have discovered that another company has ventured into Canada and have started the monthly beauty samples subscription business - GlossyBox is now here!!! i believe they started in the UK first? anyway super exciting - but also sad to find out that they've already sold out for February! i signed up yesterday but i will have to wait for March - if only I had found out two days ago! anyway, still stoked since i've heard good things about GlossyBox. want to know more? click here. :) these boxes are really starting to add up - guess i will soon be forced to make some serious decisions. if you have any input, please let me know! stay tuned!!
for more information on Loose Button & the Luxe Box, please click here. thank you kindly!