Topbox June 2014 Review! 2 New brands and 2 Fave brands too!

When I received my Topbox in the mail I first was a bit underwhelmed as I had another green polish, but it is actually a shade I do not own and a new to me brand Teez cosmetics.
First not too exited by a lip balm, but then it is not a brand I have used...and it is Canadian.
KMS hair products I do like and had not tried anything new from them in a while...so that is fun.
Derma E did not thrill me at first as I already use at least ten of their products, but then I realized I do not own any of their hand cream!
Now that I've had some time to try these items, here are my thoughts on these products:

June 2014 Topbox contents!

*TEEZ : Chain of Stones Nail Laquer in Jealously Jade. Full size item!  8.5ml bottle, value $15.00

This is a brand I have seen in other boxes, but have never tried. I've always thought their packaging was nice and different from other nail polish, as most are quite plain-looking bottles.

The polish/laquer went on quite easily, but did need 2  coats as it went on fairly sheer and is not a very thick product to apply.
The wear of the laquer was just ok. Without a topcoat the finish looked a bit dull after washing my hands so much in one day. I also had to use some alcohol products to clean my hands and this actually made some of the polish come off on the alcohol wipes.
I do not think I have had this happen before with other brands.
Overall the nail polish is decent, but I think it is better to use a topcoat with it to get any durability.
If I saw this brand I would be interested in trying some of their face cosmetics.

Teez Chain of Stones nail laquer in JEALOUSLY JADE.

*Barefoot Venus: Lip Fable in Knock Out mint. Full size item!! 4g tin, value $7.50.

I had heard of this brand before and was always curious to try their bath and body products.

A little disappointed that I received a lip balm, as I have so many unopened tubes here. Still mint lip products are my favorite and I try to use a lot of natural items, so nice to have more mint balms.
Barefoot Venus is also a Canadian company and that is another plus! Also that the balm is 99.9 natural is good to know.
The balm does moisturize nicely, but I did not find the mint part very strong. Maybe it is wintergreen or another light kind of flavouring. My lips did not feel like they were on fire or anything and that is good.
Some balms I've tried before had too much of certain ingredients that did not agree with me.
Overall pleased with this lip balm. There was also a 20% off coupon stuck to the other side of the lip balm tin, that is a neat way to include a coupon. Might have to place an order soon!

Topbox May 2014 review!

My May 2014 Topbox came quite a few weeks ago and I was hoping to have used more of the products by now, but can not try out everything as I'm unable to use any eye products for a few more weeks.
(Due to a eyeball injury, also why I cut back on computer use).

The May Topbox I received was more fun this month as there was quite a few colour cosmetics that were sent and a new to me brand of nail polish in a quite unusual shade!

May 2014 Topbox items received!

*Kinetics nail colors: full size 15ml, value $9. (Splatter It! KP264)
www.kineticsnails.com

This brand of nail color is new to me. It is not really a shade I would have chosen, so it is fun to try new brands and finishes for me.

I thought this would apply like a solid black with white, but this is more a clear topcoat with black and white bits in it. Another plus is the laquer is made in France and that country is known for good cosmetics!

*I tried this topcoat on my bare nails and it did not look good on me that way- it made my nails look like they had dark specks on them. On top of a colored polish it looked really nice!

*Lancome Paris: Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara in 01 So Black: sample size 4ml, value $22    /full size 6.5ml, $31.50.
Did not try this item yet as I can not use any eye products at the moment.
Review coming soon.....



*Elizabeth Arden: Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion SPF 15: sample size 5ml, value $4.80/ full size 50ml, $48.
I have only tried this lotion once so far and found it quite nice and light for my combination skin.
Good for spring time, but for winter this might be a bit too light for me.
Trying this lotion a couple other times, it is very refreshing when it goes on and felt quite light the whole day.
There is also a kind of tropical floral kind of scent that is quite noticeable, so if you like products with no fragrance this is not one of those.
I also like how this came in a cute little pump bottle instead of a tube. Will most likely pick up some of this once I run out.




*Benefit Cosmetics: posiebalm- hydrating tinted lip balm: cute sample size 0.5g, value $3.70/ full size 3g, $22.
This balm goes on very smoothly and has a nice sheer light pink tint!
There is also a quite strong floral scent when you open the balm- I prefer balms with no fragrance usually.
*I asked someone to smell the balm for me and they thought the smell was more of rose. I could not exactly tell myself if it was rose or just other flowers.
You do not really taste anything when applying this, so that is a plus.
There is no sunscreen in this so will most likely use this when it is not super sunny out!

Total Value of my May 2014 Topbox:  $39.20

Overall I am quite pleased with the items I received in my box and plan to use them all.

I do hope I get less mascara, as I seem to get one from Topbox every second month it seems.
One of my favorite products in the box was the sunscreen lotion! I like how it is very light and feels so refreshing- will be buying more of it soon!

Foodiepages Tasting Box May 2014! Local Ottawa food even!

I got my May 2014 Foodiepages Tasting Box quite a while back and did not get around to posting until now.
This time I also managed to send one of the boxes to my mother as a gift, as I was sure she would like the items in this box.
Usually for gifts I like to give specific products, but when I saw this box I knew she would like all the products in it and I was right!

Here is a virtual unboxing of my box:

Opening my box!

Info card about products!

The first product I tried was the Rock Salt CRAVE! Skinny Crackers from enerjive!

This is a company that is based in Ottawa and I see their crackers almost everywhere I shop, yet had never picked them up as I was not too sure how they would taste.

The unopened foods!

Crave Skinny crackers right out the box!

The Crave! Skinny crackers were kind of sweet and also quite salty at the same time as they had a lot of rock salt on them. The crackers were also quite sturdy and crunchy and do not break too easily.

I think they would be good with any kind of item that is sweet or savory.

So far I've had the crackers with a tomato jam I had from a earlier box and with some cheddar cheese and both were delicious!

I really enjoyed the Tomato Jam and think it would be amazing with some cream cheese for some kind of dip or even as a sandwich topping with a grilled cheese.
This will be a product that I will be ordering soon! There are so many things I could think of using this condiment...I wish they sent a bigger jar!



*I also have some pictures of the amazing salad dressing. Just need to recharge my camera and find those images.
I also sent my mother the dressing and she could not stop raving about it and how she had some on a spinach salad with fresh berries too. Her dinner guests also enjoyed the dressing- she plans to purchase more.
The packaging for the dressing is also very unique and reminded me of a wine bottle as there was a cork in the bottle and the top was covered in wax!