Showing posts with label disappointments. Show all posts

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Topbox January

This month was such a let down I almost emailed topbox to cancel or request anything that doesn't suck as much as this box. Topbox is Canadian (yay!) and for $12 per month plus taxes 4 samples are delivered to your door.

This month I received duplicates of the last two years. Ugh. Duplicates I don't like.

SeaRx lotion that cannot be used by breastfeeding mom. So this was gifted.

la Roche-Posy Sustiane serum. I still can not tell what part of the body this is supposed to be used for - hair? face? skin? All the above? $59 for full size, $5 for this sample. Gah, I much rather have a latte.

Cuccio nail lacquer in baby puke brown. $4.21. I'm never going to use this, and I feel awful it was sent to me to be wasted.

Teeez Trend Cosmetics Read My Lips Lipstick. This I thought would be awesome! And the packaging is nice. Then you put it on and try to suffer the overwhelmingly strong crayon smell. I'm not keen on this formula at all. $28.94.

It is really nice they include the information sheet. So that's a plus. I opted for the environmentally friendly bag this month, so I don't even have the tube to repurpose.

So disappointing. I hope next month is better.

I paid $13ish with taxes, and this box was valued around $35. But most of that is the awful smelling lipstick.

I would go back in time and not buy this month if that was an option.

Monday, July 6, 2015

My beauty bohemia finally arrived!

Over 9 weeks past when I ordered it, and over 8 weeks after it supposedly shipped!

I'm so glad to see this package. I thought it just wasn't on its way. I was delighted to see the cute bag inside. My preschooler and I appear to be disagreeing as to whom the bag belongs.

My biggest concern with beauty Bohemia isn't the long shipping (Canada and Australia Post, what's up with that?) it's the absolute lack of communication from Omega the owner. It's so bothersome that she just blocks out and ignores customers. Maybe she has anxiety, depression or other issues. But I feel she also needs to be a business owner, or grow and hire someone who can help handle emails. It took over a week for her to inform me three of the items I ordered were out of stock and it would be two weeks to get them in. I asked if the part of the order that was in stock could be shipped. Eventually I did receive a shipping notice.

After two orders paced after the shipping notice for this order shipped and arrived I contacted Beauty Bohemis again to ask for a tracking number. A week or so, and an email back indicating shipping is expensive (true, it was $14 to ship; still cheaper than Canada 😜). Another two weeks and I emailed again. No response. Earlier this week I emailed asking if the two items out of stock were back. No response.

From what I've read online that isn't all sunshine and roses is that you do eventually get your items from beauty Bohemia but no one really knows how to get through the black out of communication Omega puts up. I am sure she's lovely, has a great accent but she isn't what I want to see in a business owner. Trying to get information on a missing order (and a I'm sorry, I can't help because policy here is totally cool!) is like trying to talk to a boyfriend who wants to break up but is just phasing you out. You know they are still alive as they are active on Facebook, they sign emails appearing like they want you to keep contact, but leave you feeling needy, ignored and unloved.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Beauty Box 5 January Review

Beauty box 5 is a monthly subscription box for $12 a month plus $3 shipping to Canada. I prepaid $99 US for a year worth's of boxes.

This box has been heavily critiqued, and it makes sense why.

The theme is "Hello!", to welcome the new year?

I was lucky to get a costal scents pallet in colors I like. Both nude and amber bronze are lovely and work for my skin tones. Value (based on a larger pallet) $.67

Sample of Soft Soap Body wash and Fructis sampoo. Both of these were impossiable to get out of the packages. Estimated $1 each, but I don't think I have the patience to use them.

I received a nicer pattern than most for my salon effect nails. Rumour has it that these were the $9.99 claimed but now can be bought for $1 most locations.

Ultraflesh mascara in Blackout. As suggested in a review I read, this is a swipe of the mascara. Straight into the trash. Apparently this mascara hasn't be available for 2 years. Assigned no value.

Things are ALL bad:

My beauty box 5 boxes (and Luxe Box boxes/Julep boxes) make great storage organizers. Perfect for holding my heart rate monitor.

Is this worth $15 US per month?... I used to argue that all the items in my bb5 were used unlike other boxes. But when the value doesn't even come close to the regular price before shipping, this argument fails. This box is worth about $4, maybe less. I'd rather buy this shampoo and body wash myself in full sizes while still saving from the cost of the box. I hope the occasional deep discounts offered for this box haven't prevented the box from being better.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Luxe Box Summer Vows Review

Yeah... I hope the first thing you notice is that I didn't get my summer vows box. I received the shipping notice for both my regular box, and my summer vows which I had bought from the boutique for $35 because I was quite excited for Luxe Box and I wanted to try them both a regular box and a special limited edition. Retrospectively it probably would have been better to buy another subscription ($26, $25 or $24/box on quarterly, semi-annual and annual plans) and pay the upgrade ($6).

Here's what is included in the Summer Vows Limited Edition Luxe Box:

Summer Vows

SUMMER 2014 EDITION

Explore the soft world of pastels this summer with our very sweet edition, Summer Vows.

Whether you are attending a summer wedding or planning a romantic date, these eight discoveries will have you covered from head to toe.

Products Included:

Nails

Nicole by OPI | Sweet Surrender (3.75 mL)

Eyes

Eyeko | Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner in “Black” (1.18 mL)
Teeez | Spectrum of Stars Eyeshadow in “Vanilla Sunbeam” (Full Size)

Hands

Crabtree & Evelyn | Ultra-Moistuising Hand Therapy (25 mL)

Scent

Hanae Mori | Butterfly (4 mL)

Hair

Nexxus | Youth Renewal Elixir (4 mL)

Body

DERMAdoctor | KP Duty Moisturizing Therapy (30 mL)

* Bonus Product for Him:

English Laundry | Notting Hill Eau de Parfum for Him (5 mL)

Shipping Date: Mid-June

*The first 100 members to upgrade to the Summer Vows Edition will receive Engish Laundry, Notting Hill (5 mL) as a bonus product. Members receiving the bonus product will receive a confirmation email by June 15.

I ordered in time to get the English Laundry, Notting Hill bonus product. Which, due to a love of Hugh Grant films, I was excited to gift to my boyfriend.

I received both shipping numbers (for my subscription box and my limited edition box) on the same day. The second shipping number never moved from waiting to be received. I was good, patience and waited the 2.5 weeks as requested online before contacting Loose Button about a missing box. After a month of emails back and forth, I was told a replacement box would ship. I later received a tracking number that, just like the first box, never moved. I contacted Loose Button again after 8 business days of waiting. Somehow, my box made it into the mail that night. A few days later, it was at my door.

Here's what I got:

I will admit I do like these boxes. They are very nice and sturdy.

A look inside and at the pouch the products arrived in.

2 x 25 g tubes of Crabtree and Evelyn hand lotion. Both of these are on sale right now for $8, and both of these tubes look slightly ... damaged. $16

A very nice pair of tweezers, a 4 mL Nicole OPI nail polish in a cute bottle, and a full size teeez eye shadow. I believe this is the same shade of polish as the limited edition box. Tweezers $13, polish sample $3.99, teeez shadow estimated value after conversion $23.

The back of the shadow indicating the colour, paradise bird. Sounds pretty. I'm not sure how I feel about this being the only full size, non-damaged product. This is close to what was offered.

Vera Wang Lovestruck perfume sample. I don't like this scent, and I'm find the tube very awkward to use without spilling. Size 4 mL, currently selling at sale price of $32/3.4 oz (down from $78). Estimated sample value $1.28, regular price $3.12

Close up on the perfume.

Eslor sample package (actually this made me realize I probably didn't everything from my beauty box 5. That package only had two samples not four). Estimated value $15. But these are foil sample packages. It feels a bit like a let down to be the second highest value in the box, the third being tweezers.

Nexxus Youth Renewal, 4 mL sample. This does smell pretty, I'll use this. $14.99 for 28 mL, value of sample $2.14

The whole lot, total estimated value $ 74.42. Really?.. Doesn't feel like it.

I forgot to include the bonus package of crest white strips valued at $5 for all luxe box customers.

Customer service, although very polite, doesn't answer questions leaving me wondering what is actually happening. Unfinished thoughts like "we would love to send you a replacement box." with out indicating if one will actually be sent drive me a tad insane. I like it when professional companies are very clear, and I expect them to have experience with these kind of issues. I understand the limited edition sold out, so I think I was hoping for something fantastic. Worth the $35 plus tax from the boutique, the $71 plus bonus promised price tag. Something like the eyeko liner I lusted for. Something to say "we're sorry, we lost your order". Something nice.

Instead I got what looks like random stuff they had lying around. As my boyfriend put it "The tweezers are nice". Yeah.. That's about all I can say. Although the "value" is close to what I ordered $74 compared to $71, I feel really let down and I am not happy about this box. I have one more left on my subscription and I plan on calling to cancel in October. *sigh* I hate having to call in, I really thought I would love this subscription box.

If you love a gamble, and want to see if you'll get your own luxe box in the mail, please use my link. It apparently comes with a special discount, meaning your might save $1 or $2. There's a tempting Be a Bombshell upgrade (for $13).