Glossybox! A new beauty subscription service!

There are so many of these monthly beauty subscription services starting up lately in Canada!
It seems for a while these were mostly available in the United States.
Glossybox is new to Canada and was originally started in Europe. This also happens to be one of the most expensive subscriptions I have seen at this time, costing $15 per month.
Feb 2012 is the first month the Glossybox has started to offer their monthly box service in Canada.
*I will be adding some pictures shortly- my camera battery needs to recharge and that will take a few hours.

The actual packaging for the Glossybox is very classy and sturdy and it is a box I will reuse for sure.
A nice touch was that there was a personalized sticker on the welcome envelope!
There was also a nice good quality ribbon putting the whole package together inside the box.

Now on to the contents of the Glossybox!!

*Wella Brilliance shampoo for fine to normal colored hair. (50ml)
A nice travel size. Wella is a salon brand, so this is off to a good start. I happen to like Wella products. The shampoo smells very clean (I have a cold so can not smell super well).
The minus I have to give is there should have been a matching conditioner. Usually if I buy a shampoo at the salon I always get the matching conditioner. I'm sure other people probably feel the same way??

*Prevage Day anti-aging moisture cream SPF 30 (7ml).
I have always wanted to try Prevage face products,but not too sure I really need them yet and therefore have not invested in this line. My aunt has used Prevage and she did like the line.
Previously I did try the Prevage eye cream and that was very nice- not too rich for daytime. A bit out of the price range for products I buy though.
This will be updated once I try the Prevage face cream.

*Elizabeth Grant moisturizing stick (3.5g).
This is a brand that is sold at the Shopping Channel in Canada.
I am familiar with the line,but have never tried any of the Elizabeth Grant products.
The moisturizing stick looks just like a lipstick, but goes on like a light lip balm. This would be nice under a lipstick as it is not too heavy. There is a bit of watermelon flavor to the product as well. 

*Oscar de la Renta: Live in Love Eau de Parfum 4ml.
This is a decent size and very concentrated. I have never heard of this specific perfume before, but am familiar with the Oscar de la Renta brand.
As I expected this is a sharp flowery scent. It seems to be some kind of white flowers- not too sure what kind. This perfume could be worn during the daytime quite well.
If you are into flowery scents, this might be for you.
Usually I wear green scents like Bvlgari Green Tea. Verbena perfumes- so this is not up my alley.

*Ahava mineral body lotion 40ml tube.
A decent size. I have tried Ahava products before and they are nice, made in Israel as well!
The body lotion is not too heavy and is scented. I can not make out the scent, but it seems to be "fresh".
I prefer fragrance free body lotions,so will prob pass this along to my sister who loves scented products.

*The last product in the box was Beauty So Clean cosmetic sanitizing spray and 4 wipes.
I am familiar with this brand and have seen it at The Bay dept stores.
Beauty So Clean is a very useful product as you be be sure there are less germs on your makeup and that is better for your skin.
I already own two of the small sprays, but am thrilled to get another one. (I did give away some of my other ones last year).
So far I tried the Beauty So Clean on an older Chanel cream eyeshadow palette (from ages ago) and it did not affect the wear or texture at all.
The wipes I have not really used,but they could be useful for wiping down hard to clean items like eyeshadow sticks and other stick makeup I guess.

What did I think of the first Glossybox?

The first Glossybox for Canada was just ok. I had seen some preview boxes that bloggers had received with a nice Essie nail polish and so assumed there would be some kind of Essie product included (anything-even a nail treatment)?
Unfortunately there was no Essie in sight :(
The rest of the items in the box will be used and overall the items are useful- but nothing that I am overly exited about.
I would have loved a makeup product (lip product or nail item), as well as a body item would have been nice.
The size of the items in the box is very good and that is a plus. But for $15 per month I am not sure how long I will be subscribed for. I will wait until I get the March box to make up my mind.

Glossybox mail packaging! Fancy logo box!

Inside the box-personalized with my name!

Contents of Feb 2012 Glossybox!

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!

New Beauty Test Tube Jan 2012 edition!

Here is a pic of what I received in the New Beauty Test Tube for January 2012.
Also forgot there was a Macadamia sample kit inside.

New Beauty Test Tube January 2012

New packaging for Test Tube!!

There was also an unexpected change with the New Beauty Test Tube this season- the packaging now seems more sturdy and "eco friendly". It is made from a cardboard cylinder and no longer the plastic packaging.
This kind of packaging seems much more sturdier,so maybe this is better?

*So far I have had the chance to try the  Mirai purifying body wash. The body wash comes in a kind of airless pump and is a very nice sturdy looking container.
The body wash is quite thin in texture and has a very light citrus grapefruit smell-I think anyone who does not like strong scents would like this product.
The body wash did foam nicely and left my skin nicely moisturized.
There are so many soaps I have tried that leave your skin feeling tight and dry and this one did not.
 The size of the body wash is 150ml and retails for around $20, but if you go to the Mirai website they sell some travel size body wash and body serum for a very good price and those would be good for a trial and your gym bag.
The only minus I can see is the pump itself is kind of heavy if you have to carry it around.
Also this product works best with a bath puff or else you use up too much product.

So has anyone else tried anything from the Mirai line??

*I also sampled the Immunocologie treatment cream Venomax.
The jar in the Test Tube is 15ml (quite decent for such an expensive product).Full size jar is $275!
From looking at the Immunocologie website the cream looks like it is very good and has a lot of exotic ingredients.
I tried a bit on my skin as it is very dry from winter and my skin did feel very moisturizes right away and quite refreshed. But I have not used this product long enough to determine how it will work for me yet.
The only minus I see is that there is no size listed for the jar on Immunocologie's website and not sure how many people want to pay $275 and GUESS? how much product you might get.
Now is the jar 30ml,45ml,50ml,60 or 75ml- there is no "standard" size for jars of cosmetics yet,so this info is always helpful to know.

Topbox December 2011 Edition!

My December Topbox was received just as I was going on holidays, so did not get around to posting about it.
So far I am still very pleased with the items that were sent and they are all things I have never tried!
There was two full size items in the "box" (more like a fancy mailing tube) and two decent sample size items.
Here is what I received in the December edition of Topbox- as far as I know everyone gets the same items.

*Cargo Cosmetics full size lipgloss with timestrip technology. (value $25)
-The insert on the box says it is the Blu_ray version, but my packaging does not say this.
Mine says "Classic lip gloss" and is the shade Luxor.
I have not tried it yet as I can not use any lip gloss for another week or two!

*Bella Pella glycerine soap in Marula and Neroli (full size 125 grams $7.95).
I have never heard of this brand before and was speaking to my mother about this company and it turns out she bought some gifts there this year and they also make a lovely bar to wash your dog apparently!
I have not yet tried the soap, but it will be the next one I open from my big collection!
The soap looks almost too pretty to use (I did say almost.....)

*Cover FX Skinprep primer (sample tube 7ml./.full size is 30ml $45)
-The primer went on very nicely and my makeup did look nicer and last longer than usual.
The price is ok compared to my usual primer (DHC velver skin coat costs $20 for 15ml).
I will most likely buy this once I run out of other primers.

*Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 gel (sample vial 5ml/full size 30ml $78).
This product is great for very dry winter skin and helps the skin retain moisture. Also makes lines look more filled in as the gel draws water to your skin.
This product is great, but on the high end of pricing for me right now. If you have the extra funds it is nice, but I am using a similar product from another brand that is just as good (or almost as good).

Overall very pleased with the items I received and will enjoy using them.
I also hope to stop by the Bella Pella store next time I am in Montreal!

Topbox.ca December selection!

Topbox.ca new beauty box service! November box!

I am quite a fan of these beauty box services where you receive some full size and sample items every month.
When I heard there was a new company starting up in Canada I had to sign up!
Topbox.ca is $10 a month and you get 4 or 5 deluxe samples or sometimes full size products.
So far I have gotten the November box and the December edition!
Since the company is quite new they have a limited sign up period and are not taking any new registrations for now, but from what I read you might be able to sign up in Febuary.

The items I received in my first Topbox were:

*Cake Velveteen hand cream in It's a Slice (full size 3.4oz) $18
-It is nice on the hands and a lovely orange vanilla cake batter type scent!

*Deborah Lippman nail laquer in Some Enchanted Evening (full size 15ml $20)
-I tried the polish by itself and it had a nice sparkly festive look. Would also look nice over another nail polish.

*Dr Brandt Time Arrest Eye serum (sample tube 2.5ml)
-This is a kind of eye gel/serum/light cream. It absorbs well and did not irritate my skin at all. My skin was moisturized well all day and it is winter here.
The full size is quite pricy at $85 for 15ml. If I was not on a budget and did not have some emergency home renovations,I would be tempted to buy this product.

*Stila: was supposed to get the lip glaze but they ran out and subsituted the tinted moisturizer.
It is a small tube of 5ml (I think). Haven't gotten around to trying it yet as I have so many face items open right now.

Overall I am very pleased with the Topbox service and plan to continue with it!

Topbox.ca November 2011 edition!

Also, almost forgot that there was a sample of the Benefit toner included as there was some shipping issues and it was to make up for that.
Have you signed up for Topox yet or any other of the beauty sample services in Canada?
If there are any special codes or offers I will be sure to post them here!

Holiday shopping made easy online! Places with affordable shipping in Canada!

Happy shopping season everyone!
I happen to have a lot of gifts to send and do not like trekking to the post office, have to package and wrap the gifts carefully and then pay for postage.
Just seems like too much....work!
 In this modern time it seems much easier to buy gifts online.
The only issue is if you are not careful you can spend tons on shipping. Just thought I would post some of my favorite websites to buy gifts in Canada.
Most of these websites have free or very well priced shipping.

1) Well.ca free shipping for any item in Canada. There is a charge to send items to the US, so for  US based gifts something else is faster and better.
But for sending a gift in Canada, this is great! Well.ca also sells a lot of nice handmade soaps,candy,food!
Prices are usually better than a retail store for the most part.

2) Chocodirect.com
This is one of my favorite places to buy candy and gifts. Shipping is $5 for any order and I just noticed this week they made some gift baskets for the holidays!
The website is based in Quebec and usually an order takes at most 5 days to be received.
Chocodirect only ships in Canada, so not really good for US gifts.
The price of their baskets is quite good and compared to most of those "basket shops" shipping is very resonable. They do not seem to be charging a crazy ammount just to have items in a basket.
I calculated the cost of their $20 basket and the value of the items is $19 if you buy them without a basket!
Speaking to my mother who happens to order gift baskets for the holidays, she told me that she pays around $15-20 to send gift baskets from a local store (she is in Montreal).
I have been shopping at Chocodirect for a few years now and have not had any issues with shipping. One good thing they do for the environment is they seem to reuse or "repurpose" their mailing boxes. My last order, the outside packaging was a box used to hold a large  quantity of chocolate bars (it was a giant Valor chocolate box). The packaging inside to protect my items was mostly paper and my glass items had bubble wrap!

Hopefully this helps your online shopping. I will try and find more sites and add links later today!

Ribs at Alex's Bakery! Tasty Spicy lunch!

Last weekend I passed by Alex's Bakery on Bank st and saw they had some bbq chicken and ribs on the lunch menu that day.
From what I've seen they change the hot dishes they make every day and I think that ribs and chicken and just on the weekends?
I know the last two Saturdays they have had some very tasty spicy ribs and fish en papilotte- tilapia one day and salmon another time.
This is my lunch with the bbq chicken and I just asked for a tiny bit of ribs- this is not a whole portion. A whole portion I was told has "5 bones" in it. Not too sure what you call those. It is a decent size portion and the price is around $7.50 plus tax for the chicken or ribs.
The rice that day was jasmine rice and the meal also came with a side of guacamole!

Alex's Bakery Bbq chicken and ribs!!!