TOPBOX: September 2012

I'm not going to post about last month's Topbox even though I received one. August was preparing for our roadtrip, going on roadtrip, then recovering from roadtrip so I decided to take a break from the blogosphere. Plus, there's a number of great reviews out there already!

September's Topbox came last week and consisted of 4-5 items, depending on how you count it.

 

The items were:

1) 30ml bottle of Philosophy Purity Facial Cleanser
2) 4ml tube of L'Essense by Balenciaga
3) 5ml pot of M.Asam Perfect Skin Primer 
4) 3g tube of Benefit They're Real Mascara

As with May 2012's Topbox, this box also included a voucher to redeem at Holt Renfrew for a complimentary make up bag. I guess you could call it a fifth item but....I wouldn't.

I didn't redeem last time even though I work down the street from one of Holt's locations. To be honest, I find these vouchers bit of a cop out. Why not just include the makeup bag in the box? Even if it doesn't fit, the same excuse can't be said for May's offer of a nail file. Also, it seems really unfair. I am sure that there are MANY subscribers who don't redeem them because they either don't have time and/or live too far away. Topbox is country-wide yet there are only 10 Holt's locations - 3 of which are in Toronto. Plus, it's while supplies last.

The actual products that came in the box seemed anemic upon reveal. Usually the box is a little more stuffed. But as we all know with cosmetics, size and price don't always add up!

So what's the math?

 The full size Philosophy cleanser is $26 for 240ml (also comes in 90ml for $13), the full sized Balenciaga is $150 for 75ml (also comes in 50ml for $110), the full size M.Asam primer is $42 for 50ml, the full sized Benefit mascara is $29 for 8.5g.

Based on a unit price calculation, the cleanser is worth $3.25, the perfume is worth $8, the primer is worth $4.20, the mascara is worth is worth $10.24. $3.25 + $8 + $4.20 + $10.24 = $25.69

1) 30ml bottle of Philosophy Purity Facial Cleanser
I've heard so much about this cleanser and have heard raves from close friends and bloggers alike but for some reason, I've never even though to ask for a sample at Sephora. So I was really glad to receive this. Plus, travel sized skincare is always useful for trips, especially brief ones with only a tote in tow.

This cleanser has only a slight scent. It's thicker consistency than a gel but thinner than a foam/cream style. Also, there's no grit in this. All in all, a very gentle cleanser although I would still recommend something from La Roche Posay or Cetaphil if you're prone to windburn and eczema breakouts in the cooler weather.

Purity did a pretty good job of removing all face makeup and most of my waterproof mascara. It didn't take it all off but then again, I've yet to come across one that does (I'm not even sure you'd want something that can take off waterproof mascara, though. Think what that's doing to your skin!).

That being said, I wouldn't buy this cleanser again. The price is not bad as some drugstore cleansers are in the teens for 100-150ml and this one is $13 for 120ml (when you buy the larger size). But for me, this one didn't particularly stand out from all the rest. And with so much product in my existing stash, something either has to be absolutely standout, a great deal, or both for me to purchase it.

2) 4ml tube of L'Essense by Balenciaga
 When I first put this on, I thought I was wearing Hermès Kelly Calèche. Which although I have to be in the right mood for, I do actually love. Although L'Essence is a more intense offshoot of Balenciaga's Balenciaga Paris, it has less of a "leather" note than the Hermès. Still, it is a bold fragrance and for those who are more used to say, Marc Jacobs Daisy, this may be just too much. It does smell very French if that's possible. Like something a woman in her 30's-40's who wears crisp white shirts, tailored pants, but beautiful lace lingerie would wear. There's definitely that juxtaposition of feminine and sexy versus strong and masculine. To give you an idea, here are the notes in this scent: vetiver, patchouli, violet, violet leaf, green notes, sandalwood and cedar.

I think this is a very generous tube (about 1/2 the size of most rollerballs tubes) and will last me quite a while. I just wish samples came in spray bottles or mini rollerballs instead of tubes with a stopper though but that's not specific to Topbox or Balenciaga.

3) 5ml pot of M.Asam Perfect Skin Primer 
I've never heard of this brand before but upon some research, it seems to be a TV shopping brand that originates from Germany. It's currently offered on HSN.com (Home Shopping Network) for $30US.

The primer is silky and a translucent white color although it goes on clear. I would say the consistency is very much like Clarin's Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Primer. The finish is matte and it does minimize pores but I don't think it's worth the price because it's nothing special. I would rather spend less than half the $42CDN price tag on something from the drugstore that works just as well.

4) 3g tube of Benefit They're Real Mascara
Benefit made big hoopla over this mascara when it first came out with Sephora appearances, email blasts, etc. But when I realized it was not waterproof (the only kind that holds a curl for me) nor had fibres (because I'm addicted to this innovation!), I was less excited. I was glad to see this in the box though as I am curious to try it. As expected, this didn't hold a curl for me.

No photos of the brush but it's similar to CoverGirl's Last Blast, which seems to be a holy grail for many. The sample brush seems quite big for the tube; I suspect it might be the same size as the full tube. I hate sample mascaras with teeny tiny brushes that tell you nothing about how the real deal would perform so this was a pleasant surprise. The brush really coats each lash with carbon black mascara, thickening and lengthening dramatically. I like the formul as wel - it's wet but not runny, almost like a gel. I wouldn't be buying a full size since it doesn't hold a curl for me but I will use this tube to apply a second coat over my usual.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with this month's Topbox. While the dollars & cents aren't high in this box and the box itself wasn't stuffed full of goodies, what was actually included were all items I would put to use. I hate months when half the samples just go into the junk pile.

Looking forward to next month!

TOPBOX: April 2012

Sorry, this one is way overdue as I was out of the country for a couple weeks in April and when I got home, I was distracted by ohhh.....life?

But here it is anyway:




April's box came with the following items:

1) Full sized Misa nail polish in Satin Slippers
2) 30ml Bella Pella lotion in Tropical Flowers
3) 2ml Lise Watier HydraSmart 3D Hydration Tinted Veil
4) 7.5ml Benefit The POREfessional PRO Balm
5) Dab card sample of Cargo blu_ray Pressed Powder

The full sized nail polish is $8.99. Based on a unit price calculation, the lotion is $2.70, tinted veil $1.76, balm is $11.63.

$8.99+$2.70+$1.76+$11.63=$25.08. I left out the pressed powder because I can't imagine that has enough product to even be calculated!

This month's worth dollar-wise is quite poor but let's move on to the review to see if it's worth anything product-wise...




FULL SIZE Misa Nail Lacquer in Satin Slippers - Full size 15ml for $8.99M
So boring. This color/finish reminds me of 80's and 90's. It's pretty sheer and streaky on the fingers, too. I love that this is "personalized". What??? What did I say to give away penchant for frosty streaky nails?? Maybe someone with a paler skin tone would enjoy this but my tanned yellow-toned skin is just not the canvas for this color.

30ml Bella Pella Body Lotion in Tropical Flowers - Full size 175ml for $15.95
I can't stop smelling this. The scent is quite strong so this is definitely love it or hate it. It reminds me of Hawaii! It goes on as a lotion but some might find it a little greasy. Consistency is the same as Bath & Body Works lotions but lasts slighty longer. I'm really tempted to buy the full size once I run out of this and the other scents on their website sound great. Also thumbs up for beijing a Canadian-based animal-friendly company.


2ml Lise Watier HydraSmart 3D Hydration Tinted Veil - Full size 40ml for $35
I'm loving this! There doesn't seem to be a color listed so maybe it's one-color-suits-most? Either way, the color is actually perfect for my NC35-37 skin. This seems to be marketed to those interested in tinted moisturizers and BB creams. I really like that it feels like a non-greasy moisturizer but has enough coverage to be a light foundation. The price isn't too bad either at 40ml instead of the usual 30ml for most foundation products. I'd consider buying this again.

7.5ml Benefit The POREfessional PRO Balm - Full size 22ml for $34
I already have the fullsized version of this product - read my review here.. Glad I received this as a sample because it will be perfect for travel!

Dab card sample of Cargo blu_ray Pressed Powder
I think these dab card samples really useless. Especially when they come cracked. There's also no further info on the product - it's just listed as the "sponsor" for this month's box. What does that even mean? This achieves nothing...there's no info for this product (what shade was provided, volume/cost of full sized product, etc.)

So overall, what do I think of April's box?

I'd say this was a fairly good box as it gave me the opportunity to try two products I'm interested in repurchasing at full size/price (the whole point of these, right?) and a travel-sized version of something I already own and like.

I just wish when they try to "personalize", they actually get it right. So far, they haven't. If the monthly survey questions could ask more explicit questions like, "do you prefer dark or light nail polish colors?", "is your skin too dry or too oily?", "which foundation products are in your daily routine: concealer, liquid foundation, powder, all, none?" that would help.

May's review is in the works! I should have it up later today

TOPBOX: January 2012

The first Topbox of the year has arrived! Check it the January 2012 Topbox below:











January 2012's Topbox features 4 sample-sized items - a dry shampoo from Principessa, wet shampoo from Shu Uemura, Benetint from Benefit Cosmetics, and Hand/Body Cream from LillyPilly.



I can't decide if I'm interested in this product or not. Dry shampoo has received so much hype in the past couple years but I have to admit, I'm still a little scared of trying out this concept. This powder looks like very finely milled cocoa powder and has a very light and pleasant scent (perhaps from the aloe and chamomile?). Maybe I'll try it in a couple days when it's time for a hair wash.





I had a bottle of Benetint a long time ago but swapped it away. It was hard to use on the cheeks (how the heck do you essentially watercolor your checks and get it to blend?!) but I did like it on my lips as a stain under lip balm. It also has a pretty rose scent.



I am a little disappointed at how small it is, though. The vial is about the size of a perfume sample but if you look at the photo below, it's only about 1/3 full! I mean, come on. 1/3 of a sample sized vial is a little stingy, no?

The tube of Shu Uemura Illuminating Shampoo below is quite a generous sample though (75ml!). Unfortunately, it's not something I'm really interested in on its own. I wish they had provided a smaller tube but along with conditioner. The musk scent is pretty though. I'll try it out once or twice but I imagine it'll be going into the travel-sized tupperware box for future travels.



This tube if hand/body creme with tea tree extract really interested me. I've been wanting to try a tea tree product since the Body Shop ones seem so popular and smell quite nice. It's also kind of cool to receive a product from Australia. The size is perfect for the various places I have stocked with lotion - office, purse, kitchen, bathroom, bedside, car, and the list goes on! I have very dry hands in the winter and can't live without moisturizer.

I was hoping this would be a true hand creme - very thick consistency and super moisturizing. Unfortunately, it's more light a light body lotion and does not last long. In fact, it's only been a few hours since we got home and I've already used this about four times!



All in all, I was satisfied with this month's top box. And by satisfied, I mean just satisfied. I really liked that they made the effort to cater to me with the dry shampoo specifically for darker hair and moisturizer product.

However, I was disappointed that the products in this month's box were all sample size including one very tiny sample of Benetint. This is coming off of last month's box which included a full-sized Cargo lipgloss worth $26 and samples of expensive products from Dr. Brandt, Skinceuticals, and CoverFX.

Oh well! Hopefully Topbox is starting off slow but will get better as the months go by. I'm not cancelling yet as this is only my second one but I'll be curious to see what Glymm and Luxe Box offered this month.

EDITED TO ADD: I think my Benefit vial is only half full. A quick search of other blogger reviews show photos of an almost full vial. If that's the case, I take back what I said about the sample being too small. Seems more like I just got a lemon!

REVIEW: Benefit POREfessional Pro Balm

Primers have become all the rage these days, it seems. 10 years ago, I don't recall seeing these many options. Now every brand has their own version and some have a variety to choose from - everything from redness reduction to acne treating to pore minimizing.

I have combination skin that veers towards oily in the summer months so sometimes I forgo moisturizer and use just primer to prevent that heavy caked on feel. Face sweat = yuck. I also have pores that are slightly larger than I'd like, especially on the nose and inner cheeks. So when shopping for a primer, I look for those with a mattifying and/or pore minimizing properties.

Benefit's POREfessional: PRO Balm doesn't promise to solve all your problems - just pore minimizing. But I was interested to see if it would do a good job at that. If so, I can always combat oily skin with a matte foundation and/or powder afterwards.











I really like the packaging and size of this product. Pots are a hassle to use (here's looking at you L'Oreal Magic Smooth and Clarins Insant Smooth bases!) and my other primers are too large to carry around (*cough* Lise Watier 3-in-1 Miracle Primer *cough*). But this could be because the POREfessional is meant to be carried around as a touch up during the day. It's about the size of a lipgloss as you can see from the comparison below.





The POREfessional has a light silky, powdery texture. It's as silky as the Smashbox primers but more powdery which (at least mentally) feels like it would mattify better. It is a light skin tone but goes on translucent. I imagine if you are very light or dark, it would be more noticeable upon application. But not to worry, after blending, it will no longer show. Since this is meant to be applied in a very light base layer and used sparringly as a spot treatment during the day so if the product is still visible, you're using too much.







The POREfessional primer comes in a cardboard box with a how-to pamphlet which shows you how to use it as a primer and then again as a touch up during the day.



I really love the texture of this product and the light citrus-floral scent is a nice little touch.

It feels weightless on my skin which is really nice but does mean that a moisturizer is needed before hand. It works decently as a mattifier - not strong enough to completely rid the shine on my nose but works well in the areas beside my nose.

As for the pore minimizing performance? To be honest, I don't really notice a difference. Unlike my beloved Clinique Pore Minimizer Refining Lotion, I don't get that tight feeling on my skin and the resulting shrinkage of pores. I would say, a name like "Weightless Smoothing Base" is more appropriate because it does make my skin feel silky and baby-soft.

I would buy this product again but not for what it claims to do. I like the packaging, scent, and texture and would buy it as a light base for my makeup. But for pore-minimizing, I would use something else.

Benefit POREfessional comes in a 0.75oz/22.5ml tube and retails for $29US/$34CDN. You can find it at The Bay, Shopper's Drug Mart and Sephora, in Canada.