GLOSSYBOX August 2012 review!

Glossybox is one of the monthly cosmetic subscription services available in Canada.
My Glossybox was quite late showing up and actually came in September-but it seems that the company is trying to improve the shipment times and my September box should actually arrive in.....September!
Actually my Glossybox for Sept was supposed to be here yesterday according to Canada Post,but it seems my package is taking the long route and not here yet.

The theme for the August Glossybox is the last days of summer and getting ready for fall.
I do not really see this theme with the items I received,but do like the assortment that was sent.

Glossybox August theme!

Here are the items I received in the August Glossybox:

*Sebastian Potion 9 Lite (sample size 50, value $7.00/ full size 150ml, $20.95).

Potion 9 Lite is supposed to be a light leave-in conditioning treatment.

I have never tried this version of it and usually buy the original Potion 9 and have been doing so for years.

I'm sure I will enjoy trying this product and will update once I try it for a few days!

*Biore Makeup Removing Towelettes (sample 10 towelettes, value $3.99/full size 30ct, $9.99/60ct, $14.99).
I have not tried this product lately and have enjoyed using it in the past.
The Biore towelettes did leave my face feeling clean. I have not tried removing eye makeup with these though.
One funny thing is that the package says you can remove waterproof eye makeup, but then the back of the package states "avaoid getting into eyes". That is kind of a contradiction I find!

*Kryolan for Glossybox lipstick. (full size, special edition no price listed/assuming $15.00).
I have heard of this brand before,but have never tried any of their line.
Kryolan is a professional makeup line and they sell a lot of theatre makeup and special effects items.
The lipstick I got is a medium rose colour and has a bit of a powdery or flowery scent.
Usually I like lipstick to have no scent or maybe mint.
The lipstick did go on smoothly and was easy to apply.
The only dissapointment is that my lipstick was damaged and crushed into the cap. It is still useable but not that nice to look at. I will also have to use a lip brush if I want to salvage this product.ry

Kryolan for Glossybox lipstick!

*Layla eyeliner (full size 6ml, $12.99).

This is a full size product that was in the box. The eyeliner is a dark greenish brown colour and has very fine glitter in it. The brush for the liner is also very fine making it easy to do a thin line if desired.

The liner did last all day on me and did not bother my eyes. It is not waterproof though,but testing it on my hand now it does not smear at all once it is dry. 

I would definitely buy more from this line if I knew where to find this brand!

*Befine Fine Food Skin Care: (5 sample packets 10ml each, value $20??)

I really like this line and have tried their peel off mask in the past, as well as their scrub with brown sugar.

I'm sure I will enjoy trying the samples I received. What I got in the Glossybox is 5 single use packets: Gentle cleanser,Exfoliating cleanser,Pore refining treatment scrub,Warming clay mask,Night cream.
The packets are a very generous size and I'm pretty sure I will get several uses from most of the products.
Single use packets are somewhat better than small jars as the products keep better and they are usually cheaper to send by mail- the downside is trying to keep the packet for more than one use.
The best solution I have found for this is to put your opened packet in a ziplock bag and it is ok for a few days.
I have not tried these products yet,but will update when I do!

Glossybox Aug 2012!

Bonus items in Glossybox:
ed
*Elastoplast Sos Blister bandage: (single bandage, value $1.50/full size box of 5 units, $5.99)
This is a bonus item that was in my box!
The odd thing is my Glossybox product card lists this as a full size item and what I received was a booklet with one bandage and a guide to shoe sizes in other countries.
I'm not complaining about this, just pointing out that the card and what I got are not exactly the same.
These bandages are quite expensive,so having one on hand is really useful. Usually I have a few different types of bandages in my bag as dance classes can be hard on my feet- same can be said for new shoes!

*Trend Trunk mystery gift card (value $5-250).
This is a new service where you can sell new and pre-loved fashion items.
I have not used this service yet,but it sounds interesting and I will check it out when I have more time.
I'm pretty sure most people got the $5 credit- but if anyone did get something higher I'd love to know!

My thoughts on the August 2012 Glossybox:

Glossybox this month was a very good value!

My calculations have the items in the box worth $59.00- to me that seems a bit high and it might be because it is hard to put a value on the Befine skincare kit.
Maybe a value of $45 sounds better?, either way the Glossybox costs $15 per month and you do get more than $15 worth of items in it.
I really like how there is a mix of drugstore items and high end as not too many people can or want to use only high end items.
The only issue I have with Glossybox is that a few of the cosmetic and skin items I have received are hard to locate in Canada.
Where can I find the Layla brand cosmetics? I would love to buy some of the nail polishes....

Glymm Sept 2012 review!

Glymm is another of those monthly cosmetic sample subscription services.
I'm assuming most people will know how the service works by now....it costs $12 per month if you go on a month-by-month basis or $10 per month when you sign up for the year.
Glymm has made quite a few changes lately to how they present their boxes and product information and unfortunately I find it much harder to properly review the products they send.
There is no longer a product card and you just get info in a email. The problem with this is I missed seeing this email they sent and just have the info on the product packaging.
-or you could say lack of info... 

Here is a list of the products I received in my Glymm bag for Sept 2012:

*EVOLVh UltraShine Moisture Shampoo (sample bottle 60ml, value $7.50/full size 250ml, cost $25.00)
I have not yet tried the shampoo,but have bought the conditioner twice already.
So if the conditioner is great- I'm sure the shampoo will be just as enjoyable to use.

*EVOLVh Ultrashine Moisture Conditioner (sample bottle 60ml, value $7.50/full size 250ml, cost $25.00)
I really like this conditioner, the scent is very nice but hard to describe. Not really fruity, not a very strong scent either-there is apricot,mango,nectarine,wild pansy,clover listed on the ingredients label.
My hair type is quite dry and curly and I did find I had to use much more conditioner than if I used something with silicones in it.
The only issue I have with the conditioner is that it gets used up so quickly for me and is a bit expensive to use every day.
That being said I do plan on repurchasing this product once in a while as a treat to myself!

*BENTA BERRY: Super moisturizing face cream for girls (sample tube 3ml, value $1.90/full size 30ml,cost $19.00)
Last month I received a different Benta Berry face cream-so not exact and lly thrilled to get another face cream sample. The company does make other skincare items and anything else would have been nicer to receive.
Such as a cleanser, eye cream or maybe wait a month or two before resending the same brand?
I have not tried this cream yet and am not sure what makes it specifically for girls.
The tube states that the "active ingredients are  100% natural", but then reading the ingredients there are chemicals listed in the formula.
This is somewhat confusing as I thought this was a all natural line?
myristyl alcohol, hydroxyethyl acrylate,caprylyl glycol, behenyl alcohol,polysorbate 60.

Could this be kind of considered "greenwashing" by the company?? Maybe......


LA Fresh waterproof makeup remover wipes (sample 2 individual packets, value $1.00/full size 18 single use packets, cost $9.99)
The packaging for these wipes says that they are biodegradeable and are used for eye and lip makeup removal. There is also lavender added to this product.
I do not use anything fragranced near my eyes,so this sample is being given to someone else to review for me.

*Villainess Soaps: Whipped body cream Dulces En Fuego (sample jar 10ml, value $1.00/full size jar 170g, $15.75).
When I received this my first thought was how small the sample was.
But then after trying the cream on my hands I realized you do not need much and it is very concentrated!ry
The texture of the cream is really whipped and feels very light when you apply it, but then the cream feels quite rich on the hands as it is made with many kinds of natural oils.
The scent of the cream is like chocolate and spices a bit, maybe like holiday baking.
I actually ordered this cream with the matching scrub from Glymm the day I received this sample.
Right now there is a great deal for $22 you get the cream and matching scrub with free shipping!
In the future I plan on trying more products from this brand. I had never heard of this company before and everything else they sell on their website looks interesting.
The packaging also makes for some nice gifts and I will most likely be giving some of these products for holiday gifts.

Glymm Sept 2012 contents!

My thoughts on the Glymm samples:

This month Glymm did have a nice selection of higher end items.

The shampoo and conditioner were a very good size, while the face cream and body cream were very tiny samples.

The value of the samples I received was $18.90 and the cost of the Glymm bag was $10.00!

Considering I really like the hair products, I am coming out ahead just on that (excuse the pun...lol).
I still consider Glymm to be a good value, but really wish they would send an extra sample instead of a cosmetic bag.
Or even send some other kind of useful container...anything but a cosmetic bag.
If you received this bag what did you think of the contents? And are you just as annoyed about getting tons of cosmetic bags?

Topbox September 2012 review!

Topbox is a monthly deluxe cosmetics subscription service where you receive 4 premium samples to try out.
Sometimes you luck out and get full size items too!
The cost for this "tube" is $10 per month and there is a waiting list for new subscriptions.

This is what I received in the September 2012 Topbox:

Sept 2012 Topbox info card!

*Benefit They're Real Mascara (3.0gram tube, value $10.00/full size 8.5g,full size $29).
I have not tried this mascara yet as I already have a couple tubes open.
Eventually I will get around to trying this.

*Balenciaga Paris: L'essence by Balenciaga Paris (4ml vial sample, value $9.00/full size 50ml,$110.00)
The description states this eau de parfum has notes of leather and violet.
This is an interesting scent and not too strong.I  smell the leather more than the violet part.
The result is not too overpowering and does smell different from other perfumes out there. You could wear this during the daytime and evening-anytime really.
I don't really go for floral scents,but will use this one up. Usually I like fresh green fragrances more (like Verbena, Green Tea).
The sample would have been nicer with a sprayer top.

*Philosophy Purity made simple one step facial cleanser (sample size 30ml bottle,value $4.50/full sizes 90ml $13/ 240ml $26)
I have used this cleanser in the past and it is nice.
Really reminds me of a high end version of Cetaphil or Spectro Gel cleansers.
This is good for removing your makeup, but I always feel like I need to use a foaming soap or cleanser afterwards.

*M. Asam Perfect Teint (sample size 5ml jar, value $4.20/ full size 50ml, $42.00)
This is a clear primer. In an earlier Topbox? (or maybe another subscription) I received the Magic Fini and that has a whipped texture and a light tint.
Perfect Teint is a clear product and it makes your pores look invisible.
I have not tried this yet during the day and will update with my results at a later time.

My thoughts on this months Topbox:

This months box has a value of $27.70.
That is a pretty good value as the cost of a Topbox is $10.00.

I would reccomend this box for people of any age who like to try new skin and beauty products before purchasing them.
So far Topbox has done a very good job of providing higher end samples that I may not be able to get my hands on as easily and also introduced me to many new brands like M. Asam.