Topbox.ca Feb 2012 edition! What was received.

My Topbox came in the mail today!
What a nice Valentine's day surprise. I was not expecting my box until next week at least.
If you are not familiar with Topbox, it is a monthly beauty subscription service that is available to Canadians.
Topbox.ca costs $10 a month and you get 5 deluxe and sometimes full size samples of "luxury" cosmetics.
Right now there is a waiting list for Topbox until June? or for quite a few months, as far as I know.
I signed up right when the company started, so this is my fourth Topbox!

What did I receive this month?

Topbox.ca Feb 2012 contents!

*Yves St Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils - travel size (3ml/.11oz) in a black shade.
I have not tried this mascara yet, but usually YSL products are very high quality and quite costly too.

**Update**
I did have the chance to try the YSL mascara last night and it is great! The mascara gave thge very full loking lashes that were almost a "fake lash look" :)
Now, I naturally have very long lashes, but they are blonde and do not show up very well without mascara.
In the past few weeks though I had been trying some natural mascara and did not have the same amount of curl and volume!
Also, I did get a few compliments on my eyes from a few people (one of them being a certain admirer, who I did not expect to notice...).
I think I might just have to add this product to my shopping list!

*Along with the mascara came a small one use sample card of the legendary Touche Eclat highlighter.
It is nice to be able to try this product once at least- stores do not always have sample cards to give out and this product can be hard to find.
I used to buy Touche Eclat a few years ago and it is amazing for under eye circles and making you look refreshed and awake.
The downside is the cost and small size of the actual product. Another "issue" was that it was always sold out every time I wanted to buy another Touche Eclat at the store.
At the moment cost is an issue with me buying this product again- but if you have the extra funds and want to splurge it is a very lovely product!

*C Booth Derma 24 Collagen Elastin Restorative Hand & Nail Treatment (full size 120ml tube/ $16 value).
I had never heard of this brand before, so it is nice to try new things!
The hand cream is not too thick or thin and has a good consistency. There is also not too much scent, so it should not distract too much if you use it during the day.
To me the scent reminds me of a clean bar of soap, but the back of the tube states that it is supposed to be a "soft citrus scent".
I still think it smells somewhat flowery and soapy. Usually I do not use hand creams with fragrance,but will give this a try when my skin settles down. My hands get very irritated during the winter, so I try and use fragrance free items more.
But trying this on the back of one hand the cream does moisturize well and absorbs very well, leaving your hands very soft.

*Pari Beauty Eyeshadow: 2 full size products ($11 value ea/ 2g).
Another brand I have never heard of before!
I enjoy trying new eyeshadow, but these are not colours I would have chosen for myself. Hopefully they will work out.
The eyeshadows do not have names, but there is a code on the back of the product and on the outside packaging. The first shade ES 18 is a light pink shimmery shadow, more of a pearl finish. (I will swatch it during the daytime and update here). The eyeshadow does go on smoothly on my hand- so I will be using this product!
The second eyeshadow is a royal purple looking shade and seems quite bright in the container. It is listed as ES 74.
The purple eyeshadow is also a pearl finish. It is not as pigmented as I expected and is more a sheer shimmery look. I was more expecting a very bright finish (as I am used to mineral makeup and the MUFE line that is very pigmented).
I think these eyeshadows would be very easy to use compared to some very bright pigments I have seen,but I still prefer mineral makeup at the moment.

*The last sample that was in the Topbox was two packets of Lilly Pilly Kakadu Plum hand and body creme.
This brand is fairly new to me as it was in the last Topbox. The packets are 3ml each and should be good for one use. I am saving them for a bit later. But I did like the tube of Lilly Pilly Tea Tree oil lotion from the earlier Topbox, so am sure this is just as good!
Lilly Pilly products also happen to be made in Australia- so that is pretty exotic too!!!

My thoughts on the Feb 2012 Topbox?

Overall it is a decent box, but I am not that exited about anything in it.
I was really hoping for a nail polish or nail product and maybe a body scrub.
The mascara is nice and will get used. I do not use mascara that often- maybe twice a week at the moment.
Hand cream is always useful to have as I do not usually buy a specific product for the hands (I do buy foot creams though).
The eye shadows are nice- not something I would have picked up.
But I guess that does seem to be the purpose of the box- to try items you would have never heard of or thought to pick up at the store. So for that aspect I am pleased.
For $10 a month it is still worth it to me. I also find that since subscribing to a few monthly beauty boxes (I) never stop at the mall or look at too many other stores wanting to buy new products. In a way I am saying quite a lot of money and time by doing this!

Topbox.ca Feb 2012 pic #2

Have you tried any of these items I received in the Topbox? I'd be curious to know what you think!