Topbox May 2012 review!

This week I received my May 2012 Topbox!
If you have not yet heard of Topbox, it is a monthly beauty sample subscription service that costs $10 per month (including shipping) and you get 4 or 5 deluxe samples. Often you can also receive full size items- in the boxes I have gotten so far there has been full size Cake handcream, Bella Pella soap,Deborah Lippmann nail polishes and more....

In the May 2012 Topbox I received:

Topbox May 2012 contents!

Orlane Anagenese 25+ First time-fighting Care Eye Contour (2ml sample tube,full size is 15ml $75 =value of aprox $11).
*This is a very nice eye cream. Actually it is more like a eye serum and quite liquidy. It does absorb well and makes the eyes look less puffy in the morning. I also like how this product is fragrance free and does not seem to have any colouring added to it.
I have not used this product long enough to see if it does anything for dark circles though. Dark circles are a concern for me lately due to allergies,but I have not had any product work yet.
I really like this eye cream and think it would be good for any age group and would consider buying this in the future!

Expressions Bronzing Powder Brush (full size, value $25).
This is a very nice and soft powder brush. I did not own any of these jumbo brushes, so this is a nice addition to my collection. The bristles are extremely soft on this brush and did not make my face itchy like on some cheaper brushes I have tried.
So far I used this brush for my mineral foundation and that went on very nicely. I'm sure this brush is just as good for bronzer and for applying shimmer to your body.
I am not sure where exactly you could get this brush,but the handle is imprinted with "imported for HBC" and my guess is that is the Bay??
I did see a not that Topbox is selling a set of these brushes for $49 as a special this month though.

Deborah Lippmann nail laquer in Whatever Lola Wants (full size 15ml, value $20)!
This is the second Lippmann nail lacquer I have gotten in a box!!
If I recall I might have gotten one in December or January from Topbox possibly? or maybe it was from another subscription....
This is a brand I have been meaning to try out, so I am very pleased to receive another laquer of this brand!
The colour Whatever Lola Wants is not really something I would have chosen myself,but I really do like it!
The nail lacquer is a light pink shimmer shade and there is some light green very fine shimmer as well.
In the photo it looks more like just a pink shimmery shade,but in the light it looks different.
The lacquer goes on quite thinly and I did need two coats to have it show up better.
Once applied to my nails, it did not look that pink but more of a silvery shimmer. Even with adding a third coat 4 days later I could not get as much pink to show up.
I still like this shade though, as it is not too bright and does not distract. You could wear this to the office or somewhere businesslike quite easily.

Cover FX: ClearPrep primer.

(7ml tube, full size is 30ml and $39. value of $10).

I have tried other Cover FX primers and really did like them. So I'm sure I will like this primer just as much.

This is supposed to be a primer and anti-acne gel in one....so this is great for me to try right now as I have a mild breakout I am trying to get rid of.

I have not tried this yet,but will update in a few days.

The Topbox description card can not upload at the moment,so that will be added shortly.

*Also not too sure why the formatting of my text is all to the right now, while I did select that it post on the LEFT hand side?? Very strange....

My thoughts on the May 2012 Topbox:

Overall I am very pleased with the May 2012 Topbox and will use up everything in this box.

If you are very patient,I would suggest signing up for the wait list to eventually get your own box!

So far I have been pleased with every box I receive so far!

 

GlossyBox April 2012 review!

If you have not heard about GlossyBox Canada before, it is a new monthly "mystery box" cosmetics subscription that costs $15. You usually get between 4 or 5 deluxe or full size samples of deluxe products.
So far I have received 3 GlossyBoxes and have been very pleased with the contents.
For the most part the skincare and cosmetics have been high end- but lately there have been a few drugstore products that I would not consider "high end" items.
It is still nice to receive Aveeno and Marcelle cosmetics,but to me those are not high end and you can pick those up at any drugstore and Walmart even. Now some of the Aveeno line is not cheap and Marcelle has some more expensive items lately....

I have not had the chance to try anything in my box yet,but will update with product reviews soon!
Now on to the contents of the April 2012 GlossyBox. The boxes showed up quite late this time and the April box came in May.

Glossy Box April 2012 contents:

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 (full size item 120ml, value $26).

Always nice to receive a daily sunscreen-I have never tried this kind.

Wella Brilliance Conditioner Fine to Normal colored hair: (30ml tube, full size is 250ml and $13.99, value $3).

Wella is a good salon brand! Trying new conditioners is always useful so I know what to buy next.

*So far I have tried the Wella Brilliance conditioner twice! It is a very light conditioner and did not weigh my hair down. But I did find I have to use a lot of the product as it is very light. The scent is very nice and not too strong,it does not overpowder anything. The conditioner also left my hair nicely smooth and untangled.
I plan on picking up this conditioner the next time I go to the salon store. The price is very reasonable too!

Wella Brilliance Treatment Fine to Normal colored hair: (30ml jar, full size is 150ml and $13.99).

Marcelle Xtension Plus Mascara in Black: (full size item 9ml tube, value $12.50).

This is also another drugstore brand item! But I do like the Marcelle line and that is is mostly made in Canada and good for sensitive skin.

I like trying new mascaras and pretty much never buy a mascara unless I get a travel size or sample first.

One thing I did notice with this mascara is that it is NOT made in Canada, but in Italy instead.

This is not really an issue for me, but more an observation.

I have not tried this mascara yet,but hope to do so soon....

Elizabeth Grant SkinCare shower gel in Island Coconut: (full size item 240ml bottle, value $20.00).

Elizabeth Grant is a skin care line that is mostly sold through the Shopping Channel in Canada.

It is a fairly higher end line that has been popular for quite a few years. I have seen Elizabeth Grant present her products on television, but never got around to trying them.

I did not know she had some shower gels,so this is a neat item to try. Unfortunately I HATE coconut scented body products and that is what I received. Some people got Apricot and I would have loved to get that.

My sister will enjoy trying this shower gel though- she loves coconut anything.

The only thing I dislike about the shower gel is that you have to take the whole cap off just to use it and it is not one of those press on caps.

Glossy Box April 2012 contents!

Description of products received!

There was also a bonus item in the box. When I opened the black envelope that had the description card there was a sample packet of Marcelle BB Cream Beauty Balm. The sample packet was 2ml and good for several uses (full size product is 45ml and costs $22.95).

The BB Cream was in a light shade and matched my olive complexion very well. The BB Cream was thicker than expected and I did get 2 uses out of the packet.

The only thing I did not like is that there is no mention of any SPF for this product.

Usually I use the Marcelle tinted moisturizer SPF 15 and prefer that to this BB Cream. The tinted moisturizer is also much cheaper than the BB Cream.

I did find the BB Cream had very good coverage- pretty much like a foundation, while the Marcelle tinted moisturizer does not cover as much.Both Marcelle products are good- it is just my preference for the cream I already use.

Bonus!! Marcelle BB Cream sample packet!

Glymm March 2012 box!

This Glymm box was received in March 2012,but I never got around to posting about it as I was quite dissapointed in most of this box.
Usually I like most items,but that I got a suspect nail polish really ticked me off. Then the hair extensions that are impossible to put in by yourself......
The M. Assam Magic Fini was great and the highlight of this box, but the Anastasia gloss was also great!
So, not a total loss.

Glymm March 2012 box!

Contents outside the box!

M. Asam Magic Fini!

The M. Asam Magic Fini was one of the highlights of this box and a great product.
It is a kind of primer and makes your skin look smooth and matte. The product is whipped kind of in a similar way to the Maybeline Dream Mousse products I have tried (hope that is the correct name for that line??).
The M. Asam primer looks much darker in the jar, but is a very sheer shade once applied!
I think most of the people who received this items ran back to the Glymm website to order this- it really is that good.

*The Ocean nail polish- now to me that was a suspect item. No info to be found online at all?
Also if you look at the very top pic you can see the cap is discolored..what is up with that??
-I will update more of this review when I have time later this week.....

Glymm Dec 2011 box contents!

My Glymm box from Dec 2011!
Kind of forgot to post about it and going through my cards now so great time to post an update!

Glymm Box Dec 2011 contents!

Here is what was received in my Glymm December 2011 box:

*Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream (1ml tube, full size 15ml $95)
*Ahava Mineral Hand Cream (20ml tube, full size 3.4oz $20)
*Yves St. Laurent : La Parisienne (7.5ml mini bottle, full size 3oz $85)
*Sula Beauty: natural lip gloss (2.9gram tube/0.167oz,full size 0.5 floz $8 in "First Kiss").
-A $10 off Glymm's store coupon. Nice if you are already buying something or else shipping is around $6 for an order.

Glossy Box March 2012 contents!

My box was received in a timely fashion, but unfortunately I kept on putting off writing the review for it.
The got caught up doing other things, but now that I am procrastinating on some house cleaning- it is a great time to post about Glossy Box!

Unopened Glossy Box!

Opened Glossy Box!

This is what the Glossy Box looks like when in comes by mail. There is an outer cardboard box that I did not photograph this time and then a lovely light pink sturdy reusable box.
I like that there is no logo as I could use it for a gift or storage. The second picture on the right is of the opened Glossy Box- there is some very tasteful black tissue paper and a nice pink ribbon.
The packaging is very classy and sturdy and I would hate to just recycle or throw out these nice boxes.

March 2012 Glossy Box contents!

Above is what was received in my March 2012 Glossy Box.

*Pandora's Box Blush in St. Tropez (full size, value $18).
I was exited to receive a full size blush as I really wanted a new blush for spring, but need to use up the 6 I already own before even considering buying anything.
The blush went on very smoothly and is a matte pink shade that seems like it would suit most people. The blush lasted all day on me and did not bother my skin.
I have never heard of this brand before,but it is Canadian and interesting. There was also a 40% off coupon included in the box. I am looking for a face powder and will see what this brand has to offer.

Pandora Blush in St. Tropez!

*Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (75ml, value around $4. full size is $11.99 and 354ml).
Not too thrilled about this product. Aveeno is good and great. I use Aveeno fragrance free almost every day.
I do not own a travel size tube though and did not realize they even had those (or maybe I forgot).
A big plus that the tube they sent is fragrance free! A good way to be sure people will not react to this product. This is more a "useful" product for me than an  exiting one.

*Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray (full size 50ml, value $7).
This product is fun and nice to have. I like getting these as it is not really something I would buy very often.
I just happened to run out of all my other mineral water sprays when this one showed up.
Evian seems harder to find around here and I am more l ikely to see La Roche Posay and Vichy sprays around here. The mineral water spray is nice if you are on a plane or when you come out from outdoors and want to refresh your face!

*BAILEY Cosmetics Fresh Lip Gloss in Berry (full size 8g $28.00).
I have never heard of this brand before,but it looks very classy and expensive.
The Berry shade is a sheer dark red with some shimmer in it. This does not show up as well in the box, but I did swatch that and will post that up.
Some other people received a face powder and I was really hoping to be able to try that out. Seems a lot of the beauty boxes are adding tons of lip gloss to their monthly boxes.
Still the gloss is nice and I would not likely buy a very expensive gloss these days as I am on a budget.
The gloss seems like it would be suitable for most skin tones depending on how you apply it.
Another plus with this gloss is there is no awful perfumey taste and it does not burn my lips at all.
I have bought some very expensive designer lip gloss at The Bay that started with a "G" and that brand burned my lips and smelled (and tasted) of perfume- I did try to use that one up as it was so expensive.

Bailey Cosmetics lip gloss!

Swatch of Bailey gloss in Berry!

*Sebastian Re-Shaper hairspray (travel size 1.5oz/43g value $6, full size is $22 in stores).
I have not tried this yet,but do really like the Sebastian brand and buy a lot of their other styling products.
This hairspray claims to be brushable and that you can restyle you hair easily. Also that it is humidity proof.
I do not use much hairspray,but will try to use this soon as it is very humid here.

** Little Extra bonus: Algemarin Foam Bath 15ml packet (value aprox $1).
Algemarin is a German brand of foam bath that has been around for ages. My mother has used this product for at least twenty years- if not longer.
This foam bath has a very ocean like scent and is quite strongly perfumed. The neat thing is it turns your bath water a bright shade of blue- like the ocean! And also makes tons of fluffy bubbles.
The back of the packet has Algea extract listed in the ingredients- so this is supposed to be good for your skin.

Info Card from March 2012 Glossy Box!

My opinion of the March 2012 Glossy Box!

You will have to stay tuned for my last paragraph as it getting very late here and I have to run.....!

 

 

Topbox April 2012 unboxing!

Finally...my April 2012 Topbox is here!!!
If you do not know what Topbox is, it is a monthly beauty subscription where you get 4 deluxe and sometimes full size samples per month.
There was quite a delay with the April Topbox and everyone was kept updated via Facebook.
I think the box was worth the wait and price I paid- but really hope that they will arrive in a more timely manner in the future.

Now here is what I received:

Topbox April 2012 contents!

* Benefit the POREfessional.
A face primer. The size is a generous 7.5ml (full size is only 22ml and costs $34!).
I have not tried this yet,but will update once I do so.

* Lise Watier Hydrasmart. 2ml sample tube in Teint Clair.(full size is 40ml and costs $35!).
I have only tried this on my hand so far and it blends in perfectly with my olive skin tone. The cream absorbs very well and does not feel greasy at all. My only issue is that the product is too scented and I prefer fragrance free face items.
Since this product has not been tried on my face yet,I will update once that is done.

* Bella Pella: Tropical Flowers Body Lotion. A nice 30ml sized bottle (full size is 175ml and costs $15.95). Very handy to carry in your bag.
This lotion has very cute packaging as well. Bella Pella is a Montreal based store that sells bath and body products. My mother actually shops at that store (I did not know this until I told her I got this lotion) and she buys some dog shampoo bars there. So, apparently they sell some house items like candles and pet care?
I like that the products they sell contain a lot of natural ingredients.
A big plus is that on the travel bottle all the ingredients and website are listed! I really hate when you receive a product and you have to hunt down that info.
The lotion is quite light and absorbs well for my hands. There is a lot of oils in this lotion,yet it does not feel oily at all and my hands are nicely moisturized.
The scent of the lotion is kind of hard to describe- kind of flowery and fruity a bit. I think if you used this all over your body,it would be quite scented.
I do not like flowery scents too much,but will look into what else this company has and hope to visit their store soon!

*Misa Nail Lacquer in Satin Slippers. Full size nail polish 15ml (value of $8.99).
I really like nail polish/lacquers and am pleased to see a brand I have never tried.
This is not a colour I would have chosen as it is quite light and pinkish with a pearl finish.
It would be really good to wear to an office or a job interview or more formal thing when you can not wear neon blue nail polish (or any crazy look).
I did try this polish on my nails and it was a very sheer colour and you need a couple of coats to get it to show up like in the bottle.
The polish went on very nicely and I will pick up some other shades from this brand.
Actually I almost did that a few days ago-but had forgotten the coupon that was stuck to the bottle of polish at home. From looking at the info card it looks like the nail polish may have been provided by Trade Secrets as they are mentioned on the coupon as well.

** Another issue I would like to point out about this nail lacquer is that at least it is from a known (or somewhat known) brand and you can easily find info about it online.
Also that you can find color charts online for Misa nail lacquer.
Unlike the "suspect" nail polish I received from Glymm that was OCEAN brand and has zero info online and no info on where to buy that.
And the Ocean nail polish also looked like it was sitting in the sun too long with a discolored cap....
(I could not resist adding this info and will make this a separate post).

Thoughts on the April 2012 Topbox:

Overall I really enjoyed all the contents of the Topbox and feel I got a good value for my expense of $10!
The only minor issue I have is the "personalized shade" of nail polish- I would never pick a pearl finish and rarely wear those.
But I did use the Misa polish and will use it again when I want something more business-like.
I also forgot to mention there was a sponsored Ad on the Topbox card for Cargo blu_ray face powder with a one use sample on a small card.
The powder was very nice and I plan to get some soon-the finish was very nice!

Glymm Box April 2012!! A Winning box this time!

Glymm box is one of these cosmetic subscription services where you get a monthly package with four "deluxe samples" and sometimes full size items.
My last month (March 2012) box was definitely not as good and I have yet to post my picture or review-but will do so this week as I did manage to try all the products in the box.
Yes- even the funky purple hair extensions (they did look nice on me as a small highlight in my brown hair).

But now for the Unboxing of the April 2012 Glymm box!

Unboxing! This lovely bow was there when I opened my box :)

This was the first thing that I saw when I unboxed my Glymm box! A lovely tried bow and a very seasonal looking card. Another picture will follow so you can read the full text on the colourful card!

After the bow was undone!

Now on to the actual contents of the box:

Lucia N0 6 guest soap in Wild Ginger and Fresh Fig scent.
*The soap packaging is too pretty to open and the size of the soap is 25 grams. On the Glymm site these are sold as a set of 8 soaps for around $20. I have not yet tried this soap,but really want to buy some just to put in a basket for guests who drop by. These soaps would also make a nice thank you gift if you slip one in a small card to mail to someone.
From smelling the soap I do notice there is some ginger scent,but fig is harder to detect (for me anyways).
The value of this item would be around $3,I find that is decent for this box.


Orange Sanguine perfume from Atelier Cologne.
This is a small perfume sample that comes in a glass tube with a stopper and instead of the usual card you get at the store, the packaging is a classy postcard you can reuse. Just the packaging alone of this sample looks very luxurious and expensive!
From my estimate the sample is 2ml and well filled. The Orange Sanguine fragrance (for English it is Blood Orange) is a very light orange scent. I kind of expected this to be like Body Shop Satsuma that hits you with the candy orange smell (nice for soaps,but not in an office or workplace).
The Orange Sanguine smells very classy and sophisticated. You could wear this anywhere and I don't think it would bother people.
I really want to buy this scent. A 30ml bottle is $60 though. Maybe when I use up more of my perfumes (I do own 40+ bottles and have at least 50 samples to get through- and this is just what I kept and did not give away to friends).
I think this is a very nice sample to receive and the value of this is aprox $4.
I plan to reuse the postcard as it is very pretty and tasteful (pic coming soon).

Free Your Mane Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner.
This sample comes in a small one use packet. Each packet is 7.5ml and this is a sulfate free product made with Baobab,Argan and Pomegranate seed oil.
I have not tried this yet,but will do so later today. My only issue with this sample is I have a lot of hair and 7.5ml of conditioner is not enough! (I have shoulder length curly hair,medium thickness...and very dry hair).
It would have been better to send 2 packets of each if possible. Still I like trying new hair products without investing.
The value of the samples would be around $1, ok I guess. Usually I can get tons of these sample packets from the salon I go to, so this is not too exiting for me.

Mai Couture Social Gloss in G'VINITY! Full size product worth $28!
I was very surprised to see a lovely full size lip gloss in this month's Glymm box. After the very small Mai powder papier sample last month,this was unexpected.
The gloss I received is a lovely beige colour with some pearl shimmer in it. The full size is 5ml. The info card states that this gloss does not contain any allergens and has a "complex mix of plant extracts". So far that sounds very good!
I am very pleased with the shade of gloss that was received as I had a similar one from another brand that was discontinued.
This sample was really nice to receive and will surely make me want to stick with my Glymm box subscription for the future!

Glymm Box April 2012!

The last "item" that was received was a $100 "gift certificate" for hair appliances and extensions from NuMe hair products online. The cheapest item NuMe has is a mini hair iron for $15 and shipping adds another $15, plus most likely tax and duty for Canadians.
To make this more clear, the $15 would be the cost AFTER your "gift certificate" was applied. The before cost is $115.
I have a US address, but do I really want to spend $30 at minimum on a hair iron from a brand I am not too familiar with?
Well, at least I am glad I did not pay for one of these "coupons". I see on many deal sites that NuMe is selling the same credit for $20.
Maybe if I really needed a hair tool I might consider this. But then again I can buy actual professional tools for a decent price and have them in my hand the same day without all the tax and duty and shippment waiting time.
If I was more familiar with NuMe products I might change my mind in the future.

What do you think of the NuMe products overall? I am very curious is anyone has used them. I see they now have a kiosk in some of the shopping malls here. Usually I buy my hair appliances at a salon or hair supply store that only carries professional items- they do have some good sales a few times a year.
At the moment my hair straightener is a Babyliss and a Isinis hot air styler (like a hair dryer,brush and curler in one...works super fast).
Has anyone also tried the NuMe styling products?

My conclusion is that Glymm Box for April 2012 is a great deal!
The value of the items in the box is:

Soap $3
Perfume $4
Shampoo packet and conditioner $1
Lipgloss $28

The total value of this box is $36 and my cost was only $10 for this!
Can't wait to see what the surprise will be next month!!