TOPBOX REGULAR EDITION NOVEMBER 2013

The month of December is already here!
What happened to the time.....something must have sped all these calendars up as I see how little I have updated my blog lately.
At least I did manage to get very good use out of this Topbox and have almost used up every item in it!
(Guess that happens when you skip another sub you have and have less samples you want to try out...).

November 2013 Topbox!

Here is what was received in my November 2013 Topbox:

I will have to add that this was not the most exiting Topbox I've gotten lately.

Not the most thrilled about this selection and first- seems more like some useful items to try out.
I've tried some Cover FX products before and know they are high quality.

 Shu Uemura I've tried some of the hair products I think. Currently I am using another Japanese cleansing oil by DHC, so that is not a new idea. Never tried such a FANCY cleansing oil though!
Perfume samples are nice and useful,I have so many to still try out...
The castille soap smells so nice, not very new to these kinds of soaps- usually health stores and farmer markets sell this kind of thing- not familiar with T Langhans products.
I do like how the November 2013 box has a nice mixture of face and body products and even has 2 Canadian-made items!

Now onto what I thought of my Novermber 2013 Topbox selection:

*Cover FX: CC Cream Time Release Tinted Treatment SPF  30.
(sample size 5ml/0.16 fl oz, value $7.50 // full size item 30ml, $45).
This happens to be a Canadian-made item! The 5ml size tube is a good size to try out a product for a few days. I do not recall trying out another CC cream yet- I've tried BB creams and many tinted moisturizers over the years.
The light shade I was sent makes me look a bit pale- usually I am a medium beige/olive skin tone and naturally tanned. The cream went on quite easily and has a bit of a scent- not enough to distract, but a light fresh scent. Usually I prefer fragrance-free skincare.
The CC cream left my skin with a shimmery finish that was quite natural. This product seems to work better for me with a face powder over it to make it look not as light.
I did enjoy trying this sample and will use it all up. Will most likely buy the full size in the future!

*Shu Uemura: Cleansing Beauty Oil.Received the purifying kind.
(sample size 20ml, value $7.00// full size 150ml, $50).
This sample bottle just seems so tiny, at least compared to my other cleansing oil from DHC (that is also Japanese). Usually cleansing oils are quite concentrated, but the Shu one looks quite liquid and watery in the bottle.
The scent is light and fresh, a clean scent. I'm not too sure what more to expect from a expensive cleansing oil, my other one is more resonable in price and works very well.
With such a tiny bottle I have to be careful not to spill the contents of this extremely tiny bottle, with a even tinier cap...
The oil is quite watery and if you are not careful applying it, you could easily spill it everywhere.
Now that I got the cleansing oil on my face, it does do a good job of taking off my sunscreen and face stuff.
You are supposed to rinse your face afterwards.
My face feels very clean and not at all "oily" from using just the Shu cleansing oil. I do not even need to use any toner after this as my face feels very clean.
After using the Shu cleansing oil once a day for two weeks I still have 1/2 the bottle left...amazing!
I was not expecting the product to be so concentrated and lovely!
Now I will have to put this on my wish list of cosmetic items!
I really want to try out samples of the other kinds of Shu Uemura cleansing oils to see how they all differ. Hopefully someone can send them my way..ry.....:)

Update Jan 11, 2014:
I am very impressed with how long the Shu Uemura cleansing oil actually lasted for such a small bottle!
I was expecting to get only a few days use, maybe a week at most and this lasted me 3 weeks with using once a day.
My skin also felt very clean compared to other cleansing oils I have tried.
Compared to my other cleansers I did not need as much product and that was very unexpected.
Next time I pass by a store that carries the oil, I am surely buying some!!

*Parfums Issey Miyake: PLEATS PLEASE.
(sample size 4ml vial, value $4.24// full size 100ml, $106)
After reading the description, no clue what kind of scent this will be. This is described as being "joyus,upbeat,graceful and feminine). Could be just about..................anything!
The sample is a nice size and came in a long vial- not the most practical thing, still very generous size!
When I smelled the Pleats Please fragrance, to me it smells light and floral. A clean and fresh scent that is quite unobtrusive. You could wear this to work during the day and not annoy anyone.
I can not make out what the notes of this fragrance are, but I will use this up.
Doubt I would buy this,but it is quite nice.

*T. Langhans : Handcrafted Castille Soap in Lemongrass.
(sample size 20grams, value $2.50// full size 105-135g, $12).

This was the item that made my Topbox smell very nice when I was unboxing it!
The scent of the lemongrass was very fresh and strong- great if you like lemongrass and lousy if you dislike it.
Lemongrass happens to be one of my favorite scents, so that was a plus!
Castille soaps are supposed to be very gentle on the skin as they retain all the good oils when the soap is made. Most "commercial" soaps they take out all the good things and they can dry your skin out.
This kind of soap is great for someone with very dry skin during the winter as it did not dry out my skin.
The small sample bar lasted longer than I expected, but I will have to give a somewhat lower score on this item because you can find castille soap for much less cost in a lot of local shops around here.
If there are no natural product stores or local soap makers in your area, then this soap is a very nice treat (or gift) for yourself.

Final thoughts about the November 2013 Seasonsbox:

Overall I did like this box and learned of one new brand.
Also, I had not tried any of the products that were sent to me before, so I can say Topbox did a great job of introducing me to some new cosmetic items.
The value was not the highest coming in at $21.24.
I did make use of every item in my box, so that was good!
Can't wait to see what December brings as that is the festive season!

TOPBOX OCT 2013 MURALE THEME!

My October Topbox showed up a while ago!

I was trying to use all the products that came in my package for at least a week or two before posting.

What I found interesting is that almost all the Murale branded boxes had entirely different items.
I'm somewhat surprised to receive this box as I did not make any requests for any of the branded boxes, as most of the products in them are not new to me.

Contents of the October 2013 Topbox:

Murale packaging! Fun and funky!

October 2013 Topbox contents!

I really like the contents of this Topbox because, while I am familiar with all the brands that were sent- I have never tried any of these products.
(Used to buy quite a bit of Clarins skincare and some Estee Lauder at The Bay, but not lately).Z
The variety in this box is good to as it covers hair, body and skincare.

My thoughts on the items sent:

*Clarins: Satin-Smooth Body Lotion: sample size 30ml, value $6.60/ full size 200ml, $44.

I have never tried Clarins body products, so this was nice to try out.
Like a lot of the Clarins line, this lotion has a fragrance that is made up of essential oils- it has a light "floral" scent.

So if you do not like fragranced body products, this might not be as enjoyable.

The lotion is more like a cream/gel and is quite light and absorbs very well, My skin felt refreshed and moisturized after using this lotion. If your skin is extremely dry a thicker cream might be better.
I think this lotion would great for spring and summer!

*Estee Lauder: Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum: sample size 7ml mini bottle, value $18.20/ full size 30ml $78.

I like trying out different face serums and have heard so many great things about this one!
Now I do not have any wrikles and can not really evaluate this product properly.

The serum is quite light and does have a fairly strong floral scent. (I usually prefer serums that are not fragranced).

The serum did absorb quite quickly and left my skin looking a bit smoother and moisturized. This is a good sample to see if the serum agrees with you- but to really test this product out the info from the product card states you need 4 weeks to see results.

*Ojon: Volume Advance Thickening Spray: sample size 55ml, value $12.00/ full size 125ml, $27.00.

I really like this spray. The scent is very light and not distracting at all!
I'm not really sure how to describe the scent though?
My hair is somewhat thin and quite curly. Lately I can not blow dry my hair, so can not really test this product out "properly".
I did spray the thickening spray before I air dryed my hair and it did have more shine and looked healthier.
Also, the spray did not make my hair feel crunchy and still like some of those salt water volumizers that have dried my hair out.
Overall I did really like this product and will put it on my shopping list once I use up some of my massive pile of hair products!

*Rodial: bee venom moisturizer: sample size 5ml, value $19.00/full size 50ml $190.

I've heard of the Rodial brand before and they seem to be a company that makes some very exotic, high-end cosmetics. I have never tried any of their line and was curious about what this bee venom cream can do!

The explanation from Murale's website is great and is easy to understand. I'm not sure I could do a better job with the explanation either...

"Rodial’s bee venom moisturizer is an advanced formula that revitalises and renews for naturally younger looking skin. Bee Venom works in synergy with a unique complex of plant stem cells to help visibly improve skin tone and elasticity. Cyclopeptide-5 and Juvinity™ refine the skin’s surface to help plump and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, whilst Hyaluronic Acid provides intensive moisturisation and long-lasting hydration for a radiant complexion."

I don't have any fine lines or wrinkles yet, so am prob not the best candidate for this cream.
My cheeks are quite dry, so I just applied the cream there. The bee venom cream is quite strongly scented- a bit too much for my liking.
My skin did feel very hydrated from the Hyaluronic Acid. The plant stem cells are supposed to do something also, but I have not tried this product long enough to determine that.

Topbox Oct 2013 Infocard.

Overall I am pleased with the value and contents of my Topbox this month!
The value was quite high at $55.80! Considering that Topbox costs $13 per month.
I will be keeping my Topbox subscription for a long time and am looking forwards to the November box!

Zyderma cream really helped my skin. Review after 10 day use.

When I saw that some other members of a cosmetic sampling "box" had received this cream and somehow they determined a different sample would be sent to me- (I) ended up contacting the company that makes Zyderma to see if they would send me a sample so I could try and review their cream.

Now, I have had several skin issues for the past year and had seen some ok results with some products, but most things I tried were just temporary fixes and did not continually work.
I did see several dermatologists as well- and even one derm that only works in a hospital clinic (and in case you are wondering that derm made my skin  WORSE!).
I had some skin irritation that was not going away and also a couple of very inflamed blemishes and they were injected with cortisone and at the t ime the Dr. was very rushed and only when I left  there did I realize my skin was not cleaned with alcohol beforehand and my skin looked worse and was quite inflamed.
(and this was a derm I had waited a year and a half to see.

I did not take any pics of my face for this review, but do have before and after of my elbow,arm and knees.
The way that Zyderma works is that their cream uses Microsilver BG silver that is made up of particles that are too big to penetrate the skin.
These silver particles then sit on your skin and deactivate the harmful backteria that can harm your skin.
There are quite a few silver products out there, but most I did see just use "colloidal silver" or "silver water" and you are not sure how much there is or if it is even a safe product to use.

The Microsilver BG ingredient is patented by a German company and has had many studies and quite a lot of research behind it. I also like that I know it is a safe ingredient to use and will not harm me if I use it in the long term.

The pictures below are of my elbow and arm. I had some mystery irritation and a patch of very itchy dry skin that was not going  away.
I was told to exfoliate more and that just made my skin more red the next day and still itchy.
I was told to use cream with AHA acids and my skin did look and feel a bit smoother, but was still very red and not getting better.
Was then told to try cortisone cream and that just made my skin feel like it was burning, the Dr. solution...use a stronger cortisone cream (yes, seriously).
I tried several creams that had tea tree oil in them and that did help a bit,but my skin was still red and itchy.
Also tried quite a few creams with oatmeal in them and many natural and organic things.
Even tried Benardryl cream- and that can be quite toxic as it is absorbed by the body and you are not supposed to take any allergy medications at the same time or you could end up with life threatening problems.

So far I have not had any issues with the Zyderma cream, well it seems more like a "lotion" as it is quite light and does not feel heavy on the skin.

BEFORE USING ZYDERMA CREAM

AFTER 10 DAYS USE: SMOOTHER AND NO REDNESS!

In the before picture you can see the skin on my elbow is red and rough looking. My skin had been like that for almost a year (on and off), so I am not expecting my skin to entirely recover in such a short amount time- but I did purchase some cream to keep using it and am very pleased with the results so far!

I have even had quite a few people who see me all the time ask what I was using on my skin lately as they were surprised how much better my skin looked.

My pictures were also done in the same location with the same lighting and camera, just to do a fair comparison.

Even now looking at the before and after pics myself, I am quite surprised!

If you are interested in trying Zyderma there is a trial offer on their website where you just pay shipping and they will send you a 30ml bottle.

It is not a recurring charge or any of those sketchy things, it is a one time charge and you can only get one trial size bottle per household (I think).

The website to order ishttp://www.zyderma.com/

or if you do not want to order online the toll-free number is: 1-855-331-7111

The company is located in Toronto, so shipping is quite fast and it is nice to not pay any duty or extra fees to get my order.

*I will be adding more to this post later during the week and also am going to do a comparison of two other silver products I tried in a separate post.

Still need to take pictures of the other products and do the writing part (and need more info from the other companies as they have no info about the kind of silver used or any safety info online..so need to get more info to do that post).

The other product containing silver I tried was:

Performance Remedy Mr. Fix It Antimicrobial Wound Rescue (1fl oz.)

by Jack Black

(you can buy it at many places online).

What it's used for:

Jack Black Performance Remedy Mr. Fix It Antimicrobial Wound Rescue is an advanced yet simple way to speed tissue regeneration while preventing bacterial infections. Its lightweight, non-greasy texture does not stain and adheres easily to the application area. Pure, micronized silver neutralizes even the most resistant strains of bacteria that often thrive in gyms and workout areas.

Ingredients:

 Silver, Water.

Considering there is no info on the kind of silver used and particle size and no info I can find about the Jack Black product, I am not using it- but I did not see any result from it either.

**I was not paid for this blog post and was only sent the Zyderma cream to evaluate.

The Jack Black product was bought with my own money.