Ipsy June 2015

Ahhh Ipsy. I quit you. I came back. 

I love that the mailers are still stinking bright pink. I don't like how they appear cheaper.

I think I got a pretty good deal this month. I've reviewed some other boxes and I like mine. Perhaps that means the quiz they ask when you sign up really does fit items to your profile.

Three sheet masks. I'm going to try my first one tonight.

Another J-cat product but this one looks better than that goopy mess sent last time. I can't find a colour name, only numbers.
My "please come back" product of Smashbox Photo Primer. I'm glad to try this out, but I did want to try the Too Faced lip product.

This little eye pencil got me! I thought I was missing the cap for it. I checked the bag several times.

I also got a tool - a flat tom concealer brush. I'll be using this. Not sure for what yet.

Here's the eye pencil and the lip gloss. The eye pencil is very close (but NOT metallic) to Darling Girl's cream wonder wand in Honey Pot. I'm going to try to use that to keep myself from placing a(nother) Darling Girl order in my No Buy July. 

The baby immediately cried after swatching, I forgot about the lip stain and this happened. Le sigh. 

A quick comparion between marimoto pink pearl (top) and honey pot (bottom). 

I'll try to come back and update my Ipsy glam bag total shortly. I paid $14.95 US (about $22 Canadian with the current exchange rate) and received about $___ in value.

Topbox June 2015

Topbox is a Canadian Beauty Subscription box for $12 plus tax per month. I'm located close to the shipping center, so it took one day past the shipping date to get my box.  

Here is it!

Topbox includes a handy card to tell you what is in your box, and where to find it. 

Each month, Topbox sents 4 items to try out. I'm excited to see the Vasanti BrightenUp! as I love this facial cleanser. Estimated value $5.66 

I received this product in my spring Luxebox and it provides about enough foundation to swatch and find your shade. As such, I wont assign a value to this.

Teeez Nail Polis in Jealously Jade. This is pretty, but I have yet to use. Value $15.

So Susan dual brow powder. Full size. This is a super duper tiny brush. I tried to test it, and it started to hurt my hand. Value $18.

That's my complete box. I had two full size items, one trial/travel size that I love and one foil sample size. The total estimated value is $38.66 for this month. As long as I'm sent something I really like, I'm happy to get my Topbox. One of the reasons I subbed was to expand and refresh my beauty routine and I think this box fits that portfolio.  

I was able to get one full face out of the Buxon Weightless Foundation (but it's really too small to decide if I truly like this product) and I thought I'd share my look. The gloss? Shiro's Femme Fatale Last Chance Exclusive Smelt of Elderberries over Hello Waffle's First Born Child. I think I found love. 

What did you get in your Topbox this month?

Project Candy Box: May 2015 Review

Fortune Cookie Soap - Summer 2015 Soap Box - Straight On Till Morning

Fortune Cookie Soap Box is a sample box sent out quarterly of the new collections for that season. As usual, I feel like I am the last to get them as I'm up here in cold ol' Canada. The box plus shipping is $28 per quarter.

Such a pretty feather. I feel like the popularity has grown so much for these boxes.

I love this soap and it smells great too!

These are the scents I'm not as keen on. I don't love pineapples, and these have those kind of summer smells. I like the idea of the two-phase perfume and I would be interested in what other scents will be in this form. I will be testing these out, and I know I'll be using all of the scrub and lotion.

These are the scents I really don't like for the crazy strong pineapple. The Kiss is nice, I love the size actually, and it feels waxy. This might be great for the summer. I've also tossed the deodorant in my bag. The exception, I really like the steamer scent. I will be using it when I can get some me-time.

$28 U.S. for Canadians is getting a bit harder to budget with the current exchange rates. I do love the products. And each box comes with a coupon code to save $10  .. which every time has gotten me back to make a purchase... That I do love. Meaning, the temptation of how wonderful the Fortune Cookie Soap company makes this box dangerous for my budget. :) 

Here's the summer box! I'm really looking forward to the fall box as last year it was amazing and autumn scents seem to be my jam. I've already paid for it as I'm super early in the billing cycle, and I will see if I can resist spending my gift code until I really really know what I want.

How do you like your soap box? How do you balance buying soap online without over spending or hoarding? Do you like to switch your scents seasonally?

Glamour Doll Eyes - OTM May 2015

 Tattooed! Such a cute theme :) And a reminded I have yet to buy the Tattoo Parlour Box Set. ;)

Glamour Doll Eyes has a monthly eye shadow, now determined by waitlist for the remainder of 2015, that I love. It's called the OTM - of the month - and one eyeshadow, shipping and extras is included. To make it up to the snowy north, it's $15 US.

This is such a cute bag! I love the tassels. 

Business cards and the monthly sticker. I've been collecting these on my plastic pet food bin.

I don't know why, but the three-year-old is in a phase of ripping up cards. I'm glad I got the monthly one to the safe location. The others didn't make it.

So many goodies this month! I didn't get a charm :( but I did get sour patch kids. 

Named for Bernadette on the Big Bang Theory. This purple is so gosh darn pretty!

Side view of No Regerts and Apprentice. If you're wondering why I don't always have swatches it depends on how fussy the kidlets are. Today was a day that opening these beauties would lead to them likely ending up everywhere or no longer sanitary. Don't worry, the do get love! One day I might even get to take my swatch photos in daylight! :D  

Two more bonuses this month - a solid perfume from Black Violet and a purple lip stick from Native American War Paints. 

I'm so excited to get to try Shimmer Me in Bernie, and as usual I am loving the OTM colours. 

Beauty Box 5 March Review

Beauty Box 5 is a monthly subscription box for $12 a month plus $3 shipping to Canada. Those numbers are in US funds, so this box is costing me about $20 per month. I used to root hard for this box, because I thought it almost there, and I believed in it. But.... I'm fed up now. This is going to be more of a rant post. 

There's the box. You can't tell but it looks like it went through a mind field to get here. Upon first glace not a bad selection. This is March Box Combo 1. 

BB5 does send a nice card with pricing and product information on the back. FYI - these have been known to be wrong and incorrect. I received 14 mL of Elite Thereapeutics Eucalptus Body Cream. Sample value $1.18

Next a promo card for $5 off in the shop. If you want the promo, take it. It's shown at the bottom of the post. My January box had a completely broken product, and the best BB5 could do was offer me $5 off in the shop. I used to buy lots of stuff - but the $15 shipping to Canada had completely deterred me. While I do think it's likely fair, I don't see any exclusive products I need.
Ooo, you can also share on social media and win 5 products. Or get told you win, like I did in November, and I'm still waiting. Still waiting. Jumped through all the hoops, and I'm still waiting. Don't tell me I've won, and never follow through.
Lastly, there is a product, wrapped and sealed. Styli-Style Line and Seal Mechanical Eye Liner Pencil. This looks like it would be very precise. $4.99, full size. 

Scandalous by Nanacoco Mascara, full size, $4.99

Laugh Out Loud by Nanacoco, full size, $3.99

I was so appalled that both of these products were sent without any sort of seal or sanitary protection. In my opinion this makes them seem really cheap, and has me question if they have been used or not. But now I see they are the same brand, it might not be BB5's fault but rather a poor (cost saving?) choice by Nanacoco.

Eslor Foil Packets - The Second Introductory Edition

BB5 gave values for the full size, all samples sizes were 5 mL or 0.17 oz, so the sample values are $2.38, $3.23, $3.80, and $8.50 for a total of $17.91. I will be using these and trying to squeeze out more than one usage. 

As promised, my promo code if you want. First come, first to use. If it is like the promo code for my damaged product, you probably only have a week to use it.

so, to end my rant, I'm very disappointed in Beauty Box 5. Guys, you broke my heart! What happened?

Including the cost of the foil packets, this box was $33.09

without them the value was $15.15  ---> about what I paid ... with those two products I'm a tad afraid to use. It's better they came in the mail and not from the store... but still. I don't want an eye infection.

And I'm still choked I never got my "win 5 on us!" prize. 

:(

Luxe Box Spring 2015 review

Luxe Box is a Canandian Quaterly Subsciption box for about $26 per month. Rate goes down with longer subscriptions. I'm a bit hard on this box as it was the box I was the most excited for last year, and it has yet to live up to my expectations. From not sending boxes, boxes missing, products sub pare, not meeting the "guaranteed value", and spamming of upgrade emails, I am disappointed. I have faith it will get better, and I love that it is Canadian.. but I wonder why sometimes.

Boxes are shipped in these cute cardboard layouts that are never actually glued shut.

Cute logo on the internal box. I love using these for storage around the house.

Products come in a beautiful linen bag.

My information card was in much nicer condition this time.

A 24 K Gold Caviar Cotton sheet mask $3.00

A broken Loose Button Blending Tool $15.00

Buxon Show Some Skin foundation sample set $2?

Eyeko Brow Gel $15 (I want to try these two!)

Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliant, $14.00

DKNY Eau de Parfum $11.25

This is really pale. I'd rather wear Julep's Oxygen Nail Treatment as it's about the same intensity. $6.00

There's the total box. Overall, I love the packaging and there are two items I want to try out. I want to see what shade of foundation I might be, and I would like to try the brow. I will use the face mask, probably not the BHA nor the parfum. I will be gifting the nail polish. 

The total value as given by Loose Button for my box was $64 - which I think is low. Especially since the front page says every box is $70+. It's close.. but not.

Again, I want to love this box so much, but ... I'm very meh about this, and I don't even know if I care enough to ask about the broken tool. I think my husband equivalent can fix it, and that seems easier than trying to pull teeth. 

Cancelling is a bit of a pain too because you have to call and speak to a person. I might wait for one more box.

EDIT: I've contacted the super friendly customer service, and they are going to make my broken product right. I might not get the same item, but I will get a replacement. 

Topbox February Review

Topbox is a Canadian beauty subscription box that sends 4 samples monthly for $12.00 plus taxes. Shipping this month was incredibly fast again! I also suspect the shipping date has changed from the 15th. I received the box and confirmation of delivery on the same day, with another email updating my card information, and the next day received my Topbox shipping notice. I love it. I paid $12.60 for this box, and added on a surprise for $10.50.

This polish, I love the nightlife, was my surprise. Valued at ~$20, I'm not thrilled with it. I have better glitters in my collection. 

An angled Teeez brush! I can't wait to try this out. This is about ~$20 from what I can tell, and it is beautiful. Some bristles look loose, but I'll see how it handles wet for foiling.

Eyeko Hydrogel Eye Patch. $12g for $18, sample size 3g, ~$4.50. I don't mind trying these out. I've lot lots of under eye circles from the baby.

DERMAdoctor KP duty lotion. 30 ml. This was the product that was mislabeled. I was suposed to be sent a pore minimizer from DERMAdoctor instead. I'm happy with the hand lotion.

L'Occitane almond shower oil. I've heard really good things about almond oil and headaches - as in reducing them. 250 mL for $24, value of 35 mL sample ~$3.36



I'd say this was a pretty good month for Topbx. I come up with a total of over $27,68 for the regular box, and $20 for my add-on surprise meaning I am getting about double what I paid plus I'm excited to try all the items.

What did you get in your Topbox? Did you opt-in for the surprise?