GLOSSYBOX November 2012 review.

As usual, my Glossybox arrived at the end of November.
Here are the products that I received for the Canadian edition of November 2012.
Do you think this box is worth the $21.00.......or should I unsubscribe???

Welcome letter!

Nov 2012 Canadian Glossybox!

Items in my Glossybox:

*Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor holiday shades. (All is Glam, All is Bright, full size 15ml, value $10.99).

OPI is a very good brand. I like that Glossybox also sent shades from the recent season. This is the perfect festive glitter polish! There is very fine red, silver and diamond like glitter. You only ne ed one coat to look nice with this one!

*Kryolan for Glossybox Blusher (shade Glossy Rosewood, size 2.5g, value $16.73/ full size............).
The blush I received is a very natural looking pink colour that is matte and has a very natural look.
It seems just as good as my MUFE blush. I will be using this product often!

Nexxus Salon Haircare: Hydration Kit. (Therappe Shampoo 89ml bottle, value $2.50/full size 400ml, $9.99//Humectress Conditioner 89ml bottle, value $3.75, full size 400ml, $14.99)
I've received this kit before in another beauty box (Topbox, summertime). Nexxus is a pretty good brand- but is now a drugstore/salon line. A few years ago you could only find Nexxus in expensive salons.
Now the basic items are in most drugstores. I think it might have to do with the company being bought by Alberto?? maybe....I'll have to look into this more.

*Vitabath Spa Skin Therapy: moisturizing bath and shower gelee. (sample size 6oz or 170g, value $6.00/full size 360ml, $9.99).
I have not tried Vitabath products in a couple years. The new design on my bottle is so pretty!
I'll have to report back on how the new shower gel works.
But I did notice Glossybox wrote the products are SULFATE FREE....and when I went to read the ingredients on my bottle it was written "SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE"..... I did not see any Parabens listed,so that is good.

*Maybeline MNY My Gloss. in colour 585. (full size product, 9ml, value $7.49).
This is not one of the Maybeline lip glosses from North America, but a European version that is made in France! The gloss is a nice sheer opal pink with very fine shimmer-I think this gloss would suit everyone.
There is also a nice kind of fruity scent to the gloss, it is a very light scent and not distracting at all.
I find it neat that Glossybox does send products that you can not always find locally,hopefully they will keep on doing that!

*Curel Hand &Cuticle Therapy Cream. (full size product, 100ml tube, value $3.99).
I am familiar with the Curel line, but have not seen this product in stores near me.
So far I have only seen the Curel foot cream and this hand cream sold on American websites online.
My hands are extremely dry during the winter- so any new hand products to try out are always welcome.
I will report back in a few days with how my hands are doing.
The Curel hand cream contains Ceramides, so I think it will be a very helpful product!

If you are in Canada, where did you find the Curel hand and feet products?

Product Info for Glossybox Nov 2012!

*There was also a Uber Beauty discount card with 50% all products. I've heard of the brand, but do not know anyone who stocks or sells it at their salon around here.

I'm not so sure I'll be placing an order, as I would like more ingredient info before purchasing.

Do you know anyone who has tried this line? I'd love to get people's thoughts on this.

GLYMM STOCKING STUFFER REVEAL! Dec 2012

Here is what I received in the Glymm Stocking Stuffer mystery grab bags.
You also get a $40 gift card to their online store!
I will update with written descriptions soon. 
Odered two (2) bags and they had the exact same contents. Most of it is items I received in earlier Glymm boxes,but I really like the selections I was sent!!!

Glymm Stocking Stuffer bag!

Naked Princess mini lip gloss set!

The Naked Princess gloss set is too cute! These glosses are super tiny.

Glossybox October 2012 review!

The October Glossybox usually shows up at the end of the month and in this case it was sometime in November.
I did not get around to writing up a review of this box as life got in the way.
Well, better to have a late review than to not post at all...
The theme of the October 2012 box was Breast Cancer Awareness and the cosmetic items had an overall "pink theme" meant to represent breast cancer.

Glossybox monthly info.

OCTOBER 2012 GLOSSYBOX CONTENTS:

*Jouviance Rejuvenating Anti-Aging Cream (sample size 5ml tube, value $9.35/ full size 50ml, value $93.50).

I have not tried this cream yet. Interesting that it says you can use it for face and eyes?

Usually I can not use the same face products for my eye area and face. My eye area is too sensitive and I usually can only use fragrance free very "plain" eye products.

I'll have to see how this goes sometime....

*Modelco Flipstick Lip Duo (special Glossybox size, value $38.75).
This is a brand I have heard of before and wanted to try. Also this item is a "special Glossybox edition", as I did not see this exact item on Modelco's site or at Dermstore where they sell this brand.
I did find the gloss and lipstick separately though.
The idea of having the lipstick and gloss in one portable package is a neat idea- but I do not think it was well thought out. The mirror is in the middle cap and you can not use the mirror until AFTER  you use the product as it is stuck to the applicator part you need to apply the product.
The gloss is a nice light pink shade with some shimmer in it. There is also a nice kind of berry scent to the gloss and it is a very glossy non-sticky finish. Overall I do like this gloss and it did not bother my lips like some brands do. The shade I received was  STRIPTEASE!
The lipstick is a nice kind of neutral dark pink that looks more like a cream finish.
The colour for the lipstick is DUSK.
The lipstick did not have long staying powder, but did moisturize nicely. Maybe if I used a lipliner it might help..but I never seem to bother with those.

*ZOYA professional laquer in RORY! (full size 15ml, value $8.00).
Zoya is a brand that is only sold in salons and the quality is very good!
I'm quite pleased to receive polishes from this brand. The colour Rory is a dark pink, almost purple shade with some silver/grey shimmer in it. I do not own anything that looks like this colour and do not usually chose pink polish, so this is fun to use!
I plan to buy more Zoya products in the future!

*Sebastian Professional Trilliance Shampoo and Conditioner. (Shampoo 50ml, value $3.20/ full size 250ml $15.79// Conditioner 50ml, value $3.35, full size 250ml $16.59).Sebastian hair products is a brand I really like, but for some reason have never tried many of their shampoos and conditioners.
I buy a lot of their styling product though.
The Trilliance shampoo and conditioner is supposed to make your hair very shiny and smooth and Idid find that was true! My hair even though it is curly still had a nice natural looking shine and was much more manegeable too. I will most likely buy both the shampoo and conditioner once I run out!

GILLETTE VENUS & OLAY single razor (full size, value $14.99).
I am going by the value that this razor sells for on well.ca!
Haven't had the chance to try this razor yet,but will update once I do so.

Glossybox info card!

Glossybox Oct 2012 contents!

Close-up of lip and nail products!

My thoughts on the October 2012 Glossybox:

coming soon........

Glymm November 2012 bag!

My Glymm bag came a couple of weeks ago, but I did not get around to writing about the products or taking pics until recently.
Many people online were also wondering if you signed up for the promotion  with the free monthly nail polish, would you be getting a second full size polish in your bag as well?
It does seem that the people who signed up under the nail promo received two nail polishes this month.
In my printed card there is The New Black polish that everyone received and my bonus polish is Cocolilly (in mature wine).

GLYMM NOVEMBER 2012 BAG!

What was received in my Glymm bag?

*Lys Parisien Shampoo (sample bottle 50ml, value $2.40/ full size 500ml, $24.00)

The shampoo has a nice light fresh kind of scent. Also the shampoo made a lot of foam while cleaning my hair, but my hair did not feel dry at all. I also did not need to wash my hair twice like with some shampoos that feel like they are not cleaning.
I also did not lose any hair with this  shampoo, some shampoo formulas somehow make me lose more hair. Not too  sure what ingredient can cause that.

*Lys Parisien Moisturizing Balm (sample bottle 50ml, value $2.40/ full size 500ml, $24.00).
The conditioner contains Argan oil and coconut. My hair was nicely untangled and not weighed down at all from this formula. I have curly hair and this did not make my hair look flat at all.
In the bottle the conditioner is quite light and is very easy to apply.
I would consider buying this conditioner when I run out of some of my other hair products.

The New Black nail varnish in Gold Grenade.(full size 4ml, value $5.00).
These nail varnishes look very cute and what I received is part of a set. The New Black packages their polish in sets of 3 or 5 themed shades. So really you would pay $15-24.00 for a set of polishes.
Now the polish I received is called "Gold Grenade". There is nothing at all gold in this bottle.
The shade of polish is a cream orange red that is quite bright and festive.
I also found the texture of the polish to be much more thin than my usual polishes. It did take two coats to get a nice finish.
I am very tempted to get a set of this brand's nail polish- the ombre sets look very nice and Glymm has a promotion on their website at the moment.

*VILAINESS SOAPS Bar in SCINTILLATING (Sample bar 1oz or 30grams, value $2.00/ full size 3.5oz or 100 grams, value $6.00).
This is the second Vilainess product that I have received from Glymm (hopefully they will have samples of the foaming scrub one day......?).e
I did sample a whipped body cream that I liked so much and ended up buying.
When I first opened up the soap sample I thought it was a chocolate mint scent (it does look just like chocolate mint fudge), but after reading the wrapper it is a vanilla mint soap (still good).
I really like how the soap sample is packaged in a nice black envelope with a great description and all the ingredients. So many companies never bother to list ingredients for samples and I find that very annoying and time consuming to look up.
*I haven't tried this soap yet,but will post an update once I do use it (I'm sure I will like it).

*The Beehive Scents: LuLu Lemondrop. Perfume vial on a card, eau de parfum. (sample size 0.7ml or 0.024fl oz., value $0.50 cents/ full size bottle 100ml, $35.00).
I really like the sample scent I received. The card states that it is supposed to be "lemongrass and citrus with a fruity blend of berries and spun sugar".
To me it just smells fresh and fruity. I'm pretty sure the name of the company has confused a lot of people on Facebook as I recall reading that people were wondering why this did not smell like honey at all....
The Beehive is actually a clothing store that just created their own line of scents.
My only issues with this sample is how tiny it is- how can you actually get 14 uses out of this?
And with such a small sample I think it would have been better to send one of each scent since there are three in this collection. It also seems kind of cheap for Glymm to even call this a deluxe sample.

**BONUS NAIL POLISH: COCOLILLY in MATURE WINE. (full size 15ml/value $13.00)
I am quite pleased with the extra nail polish that was sent this month. This summer I did receive another Cocolilly polish and the quality was very good. Now this darker shade is not something I would usually pick out for myself,but after trying it on one finger it did look very nice.
This is also a great colour for fall!
I did swatch both polishes I got this month:

Swatches of new nail polish.

*Top:China Glaze "Exotic Encounters"  from Topbox

*Middle: Cocolilly "Mature Wine"

*Bottom: The New Black "Gold Grenade"

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Product info/printed card.

This month I have to say I am quite pleased with Glymm and the brands of nail polish they sent.

Are you a member of Glymm and if so- what The New Black shade did you receive? or did everyone get red??

Topbox November 2012 edition review!

My Topbox just arrived right now- around 6pm!
Somehow the postal service around here has been all changed around. I kind of wish I had a video camera or tripod to do a "live unboxing" but for now some quick pictures will have to do!

Topbox contents Nov 2012!

Description card about the products.

I did not take a look yet to see what other people have received in hope of being nicely surprised this month.

Overall pleased with the contents so far...

What was in my November Topbox?

*China Glaze nail laquer in EXOTIC ENCOUNTERS! (full size product 14ml, value $10-12.00).
China Glaze is a very good brand of nail polish. I'm very pleased to see this in my box .
The shade I got can be described as a dark teal blue and has a cream finish- so no shimmer at all.
I really like this colour and do not own anything like it.
Giving my nails a bit of a break, will try this later during the week!

*I really liked the China Glaze nail laquer.Depending on the light source the polish went from looking like a dark turquoise shade to a more army green look.
The polish did chip easily without a topcoat,but I am also hard on my nails. The polish was also easy to apply and was not streaky or too thin like some brands I've tried that seemed almost "watery".
In the future I will definitely buy more China Glaze brand product. The price is very affordable too!

*Cuccio Naturale hand and body butter in "pomegranate and fig". (sample tube 9.24g or .33oz, value $1.00/ Full size 240g, $18.95).
I have not heard of this brand before. My first impression is how TINY the sample tube is for a body "butter". Considering this is supposed to be for anywhere on your body, this is a small amount to try out.
At least it is better than a foil packet.
Upon opening the tube I noticed the "butter" is quite thin and more like a lotion- when I think of body butter it is usually a much thicker consistency. I also do not really smell the pomegranate part and only really smell the strong "fig" or green scent. The product did absorb quickly into my hands and that is nice.
I'll have to try out this product a bit more to give a better opinion. Usually I like fragrance free items on my hands though...

*MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes eyeliner. (sample size 0.7g, around 1/2 reg product, value $10.00/ full size pencil is--- , value $20.00).
The shade that I was sent is 10 a black! I have never tried  MUFE eye pencils,but do use their blush and foundation- so I'm sure this a high quality item too.

*Roberto Cavalli eau de parfum (5ml deluxe size, value $8.00/ full size 50ml, $80).

I really like the box the perfume came in- it really reminds me of the designer's style.
It also made me think this EDP would be quite floral and strongly scented (and I was correct about that).
The floral scent of this is too much for me, but if you do like strong floral scents, you might enjoy this.
Most of my perfumes are either green/fresh or more fruity. I could actually picture the girls on Jersey Shore wearing this perfume to go out.
Still it is nice to try different perfumes or else I might always be stuck on the same five scents....

Thoughts on the November Topbox:

The value of this box is aprox $31.00. My cost for the box was $10 (and has now gone up to $12.00).

I like that the brands in Topbox are reputable and known companies (and some new ones too).

The full size nail polish and the eyeliner were my favorite items from this box.

I am still very pleased and am keeping this subscription.

Have you tried any of the products in this box? Very curious what are people's thoughts on these...

Topbox October 2012....where are the "real" deluxe samples???

I was so unenthusiastic about the October 2012 Tobox that I put it off until the very end of the month to bother writing about the contents.
My first thoughts on opening the Topbox were where are the deluxe samples, well more like there was 2 deluxe samples and two samples I can get for free at the store.

October 2012 Topbox contents!

Topbox description card

*Aveda Invati shampoo and conditioner (sample size 10ml tube each, value $2.70/ full size 200ml, $27)
One of the so-called deluxe samples was the Aveda Invati shampoo and conditioner- each sample is a cute little tube.......and only 10ml??
Aveda is known for being very environmental- yet these tiny samples are over-packaged in a cardboard box with a long flap that folds out and more written papers inside. I guess I can recycle the cardboard, but the shampoo and conditioner sample- what is supposed to be a deluxe size is just 10ml and I have gotten so many free hair product packets that size and bigger for free.
I have not yet gotten around to trying these hair samples, but will do so today and update later!

This afternoon I did get around to trying the Aveda Invati shampoo and conditioner.
The shampoo smelled nice, but really dried out my hair. There is one more use left in the small tube. The shampoo was also quite liquid compared to what I usually use.
The conditioner was thicker and did moisturize well. But there was almost not enough conditioner to do my whole hair. My hair was untangled and the scent of the conditioner did last a few hours.
I would consider buying the conditioner, but really did not like the shampoo.

*MaskerAide: hydrating facial sheet mask (full size, one mask/ value, $4.99)
These kind of sheet masks are very popular in places like Korea and many Asian countries.
My sister has actually brought me a few of these sheet masks over the years from China,Japan,Korea.
I also see these masks at the Korean grocery that I go to, but never think to pick one up.
This kind of mask is like a sheet with the cut outs for your eyes and mouth that you leave on as a concentrated spa treatment.
The mask from MaskerAide that I received was "All Nighter: Awaken,Replenish &Refresh".
I have not yet used this,but will get around to using this week.

*Stila eyeshadow palette: In the Garden (size: ?a paper palette with 10 one or two use samples, value: ?maybe $2.00 at most).
This was a neat sample to receive but,I do not consider this a deluxe sample when I can go to the store and get this for free. I might have been more ok with this is they sent more than one kind of Stila palette to try- like blush,concealer or whatever else they had.
Still this is a cool idea for sampling and a very sanitary way of trying samples. It would be nice if more stores had this for testing cosmetics as I never use the testers in the stores on my face (who knows what germs are there....).
I should be able to get two uses out of each eyeshadow colour if I use a makeup brush to apply.
Unfortunately I can not use any eye makeup right now for a few more weeks,so this will have to wait.

*Stila: Prime Pot in Taffy. (sample size 2ml, value $15.00/ full size 3.3ml, $26).
The Stila Prime Pot can be worn like an eyeshadow or as a primer/base for other eye colours.
I received a light beige shade that looks like it could be used by quite a few people.
Normally I prefer a eye base that is clear and do have a brand I usually use (Mavala eye base).
I'm not able to test out this product at the moment as I can not use any eye products for a little while.

The verdict:

Overall I was pleased with the value of this topbox, but still disappointed that two of the samples you can get for free.
The value of the topbox was around $25- considering I paid $10 that is still a good deal.
I am still going to stick with Topbox for now as I did enjoy all my earlier boxes.
If the price is raised I'll have to reconsider.

L'Oreal owns what???!!!

This isn't really a review post, but more in response to some comments I read online.
A few people on some social sites were saying  they do not use certain brands because of what company owns them.
That got me to look up some info online and I found this very informative!
I had no idea that L'Oreal owned so many different brands. But I did know that most of the large cosmetic brands are owned by only a couple of the large companies.

Here is the list of what L'Oreal owns:

http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/brands-l-oreal.aspx

We want people everywhere to have easy access to our products through a presence in outlets that match their individual lifestyles.

CONSUMER PRODUCTS

L'Oréal Paris

Garnier

Maybelline New York

Softsheen.Carson

CCB Paris 

Essie

PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS

L'Oréal Professionnel

Kérastase

Redken

Matrix

Mizani

Pureology

Shu Uemura Art of Hair

Keraskin Esthetics

Essie

LUXURY PRODUCTS

Lancôme 

Biotherm 

Helena Rubinstein

Kiehl's 

Shu Uemura 

Giorgio Armani 

Ralph Lauren

Cacharel

Viktor & Rolf

Diesel

YSL Beauté

Maison Martin Margiela

Stella McCartney

YUE SAI

ACTIVE COSMETICS

Vichy

La Roche Posay

innéov

Skinceuticals

Sanoflore

Roger&Gallet

THE BODY SHOP 

Hopefully you have found this list informative!
I will try and find out about who owns other brands and add to this list soon.