TopBox March 2013 - Regular Box Review

Hello lovelies!

The mailman brought me my March TopBox today. This month, the Prive options didn't interest me much. On top of that, last month's regular Topbox looked great, so I opted for a normal box this month. I'm not feeling so great about that decision now. This is what I received this month:

Let's take a closer look:

Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush Perfume

Size: 4ml (Full size 50ml retails for $79)

Worth: $6.32

This is a fairly strong scent, but it's pleasant. I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to use it, though. It's just a glass vial with a plastic cap - no spray nozzle. This gives me vibes of those free samples Sephora gives out.
By the looks of things, other subscribers received a really nice little Marc Jacobs perfume sampler in a cute bag.

Aveda Caribbean Therapy Body Creme

Size: 25ml (Full size 200ml retails for $42)

Worth:  $5.25

I haven't tried any Aveda products before, so this is a nice opportunity. The scent is a bit too strong for my liking, but I'll give it a try.

 L'Oreal Professional Mythic Oil

Size: 2x 3ml samples (Full size 125ml retails for $26)

Worth: $1.25

This disappoints me the most. This really feels like a sample you'd receive for free from Sephora or a similar store. 

MaskerAide Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask

Size: 1 full size mask 

Worth: $4.99

My skin's been suffering lately with the cold, harsh weather, so I'm looking forward to giving this a try.

Overall value of box: $17.81

That's disappointing. Topbox costs me $13.80 a month after taxes making this box hardly worth more than I paid. I've been a subscriber for a few months now and this is definitely the worst box I've received. If this were a Glymm box, I'd be really happy with the contents -  but Topbox has set the bar high. I really hope this was just an "off" month and Topbox will continue to impress me like they have in previous months.

If you received a Topbox this month, what were your feelings? If not, how does this box make you feel about wanting to subscribe?

Glymm "February" 2013 Box Review and Rant

Well, my February Glymm box finally arrived today - March 7th. Normally, I try to see the positive in things, but this post isn't going to be all rainbows and butterflies. This is my rant.

I'm extremely fed up with Glymm. The last few months boxes have been far from fabulous. On top of that, last month's arrived very late and the contents were terrible. When I signed up for Glymm back in October boxes were selling for $12 a piece plus tax. Stupidly, I signed on for a year which brought the price down to $10 a month plus tax. Shortly after the disastrous January bag, Glymm announced a price increase to $15 a month plus tax, promising better service. Thankfully, this didn't effect me because of my yearly subscription, but a lot of people unsubscribed. February rolled around and there was no sign of my bag by the end of the week of the 10th - the time Glymm promised bags to ship out. On February 14th, Glymm posted a Facebook status claiming they were now going to be shipping bags out at the end of the month. Like are you serious?! Not only are you changing the terms of the product I signed up for and already paid for, but you don't even have the decency to send me an email about it, I have to find out through Facebook? Was this really the better service they promised with the price increase? On top of all this, they changed the point system in their store - you no longer earn Glymm points on purchases. The sketchyness of this company just keeps adding up.

Basically, what I'm saying is if you're considering a Glymm subscription - don't do it. Their recent dealings are far too sketchy, boxes are mediocre at best and their customer service about all these issues sucks. There's so many great beauty box subs out there, don't waste your hard earned money on this one!

Enough ranting, let's see what was in my box. 

Let's move on to the individual items.

The bag 

Honestly, I usually hate the bags that come. They're normally tacky and cheap feeling. This month's is actually pretty cute. 

Villainess Ginger Snapped Bar Soap - Full Size

Retail Value: $6.00

Yuck. That's all I can say about this. The smell is absolutely horrible. This will be going right in the garbage or to some poor family member who may enjoy the scent.

Femme Couture Monster Gloss in Vixen - Full Size

Retail Value: $9.00

This, I like. The brand isn't anything high end or fabulous - just the generic brand sold at Sally Beauty Supply, but the color is nice and it's a good sized tube.

Nailuv Gel Polish in Berry Sweetie - Size ?? (Maybe 5mls max)

Retail Value: Unknown, full size 15ml sells for $14.95

Being a Nail Tech, this is a nice item to receive. If I were just an average consumer, probably not. This gel polish requires a UV or LED lamp to cure, the average person wouldn't own either. I'm excited to give this brand a try. The size isn't marked but it's really small.

For comparison purposes, here's the gel polish next to a standard bottle of OPI. See how small it really is? 

Purely Pro Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Luxury - Full Size

Retail Value: $18.00 

This is your basic matte brown. I've never heard of this brand, but I'll gladly try it. From the quick swatch I did on my hand, the shadow seems fairly pigmented and creamy.

The last two items in the bag were from the Polish Me Up promo Glymm ran. It promised an extra bottle of polish every month with a yearly subscription. 

The New Black Polish - No color names marked

.125 oz each

Retail in packs of three for $9.00 

Total Retail Value of Bag: approx. $44

Overall, if it weren't for all the other problems with Glymm, I'd be quite happy with this month's bag. It's definitely a huge improvement from previous months. Unfortunately, the sketchy practices and bad customer service really dampens my feelings about it, though.

Topbox February 2013 Review - Benefit Prive Box!

February 4th and I already have my Topbox! How great is that?! This month, subscribers had the option to choose a normal box or a Prive box. A Prive box contains products from just one brand. There were only certain quantities available of each of the three Prive boxes. Topbox wanted to keep it a surprise, so nobody was informed which type of box they'd receive until it showed up on their doorstep! I was lucky enough to receive the Benefit Prive box that I was hoping for! Now onto the goodies...

I love the look of this box! All the packages are so nice.

First up is Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream for Normal to Dry Skin.

Size received: 0.3 oz

Worth: $42 for 1.7 oz @ Sephora = $7.41 sample size

Next, Benefit Benetint

Size received: 0.08 fl oz

Worth: $36 for 0.42 oz @ Sephora = $6.86 sample size

Benefit The POREfessional Balm

Size: 0.25 fl oz

Worth: $34 for 0.75 oz @ Sephora = $11.33 sample size

Benefit Dandelion Pressed Powder & Benefit Dandelion Ultra Plush Lipgloss

Size Received: 0.1 oz / 0.22 fl oz

Worth: $36 for 0.25 oz = $14.40 sample size / $18 for 0.5 oz = $7.92 sample size

Lastly, I received a paper (foil?) sample of Benefit Fine One One

Size received: ??

Worth: $36 for 0.28 oz @ Sephora = ??? sample size

Total of entire box: $47.92 pre-tax, $55.11 taxes in

Overall, I'm thrilled with this month's box. I don't own any Benefit products so this is the perfect opportunity to try some without breaking the bank. If you'd like to subscribe to Topbox for $12/month, head over to www.topbox.ca.

December 2012 Ipsy (MyGlam) Bag Canada

I'm so excited! I received my first Ipsy bag in the mail today. For those that don't know, Ipsy is a monthly beauty box subscription (which was formerly known under the name MyGlam). They promise 4-5 deluxe beauty samples or full sized products monthly. They currently charge $10/month with free shipping in the US or $4.95 for shipping to Canada. Enough talk, let's get to the bag!

Each month, the bag arrives in this adorable shiny pink bubble mailer. What a nice touch!

The bag itself is a gunmetal grey color with pink Ipsy lining. Inside is the product card which includes deals on the products in the bag.

This month's bag contained the following products:

• NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Eyeshadow in Charcoal Pearl
• Full size - worth $3.99
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero
• Full size is 0.04 oz and retails for $23 at Sephora.ca
• 0.03 oz sample - worth $17.25
• Mirabella Prime for Face and Eyes
• Full size 0.45 oz - worth $29
• Be a Bombshell Lip Gloss in Hot Mess
• Full size 0.11 oz - worth $14
• Mai Couture Highlighter Papier
• Full size is 50 papers and retails for $28
• 25 sheet sample - worth $14

Total value of December bag: $78.24 (wow!!)

Here's a few images of individual products received:

Overall, I'm extremely happy with this month's bag which included 3 full size products!! I hope that the months to come will be just as good. If you'd like to start receiving Ipsy bags, head over to www.ipsy.com to sign up.