Showing posts with label simple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple. Show all posts

Monday, June 11, 2012

TOPBOX: June 2012




June' s box came with the following items:

1) Full sized Bread & Butter Daily Face Cleanser
2) 2x 4.7ml samples of All Soft Argan-6 Multi-care Oil for Dry/Brittle Hair
3) 3.5ml tube of Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Memory Mascara
4) Sample tube of Pari Beauty Precious Glow Eyeshadow Primer / Intensifier
5) 3x 1.5ml packets of Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Light
6) 56ml Simple Eye Makeup Remover

A little card was added to the box indicating that in addition to the 4 deluxe samples, we'd also be getting some drugstore samples. The drugstore samples are the Simple makeup remover and Garnier BB cream - there is no further information regarding them on the product card that comes with each month's package.

There is no retail price listed for the cleanser but to give you an idea, it comes in a kit of 3 products for $35 and as an addition to the kit for $7. The Garnier packets are the type you can remove from magazine pages so I wouldn't really put a price on that. The makeup remover retails $7.97 online at Wal-Mart for 125ml.

Based on a unit price calculation, the hair oil is worth $4.04, the mascara is worth $14.93, the makeup remover $3.57.

I won't do an addition this month as there's not enough information on half the products. However, very approximate unit values put it at around $35 worth.

I'd say you get your money's worth but obviously not as much as last month's box.

**On a sidenote, I've checked out other blogger's June box and there are some similarities but some differences. One thing I noticed in particular was that most of the "different" products other bloggers received were things I received in previous months. I'm not sure how I feel about that - it seems it's less customization and trying out "new" products and instead just....fill the boxes with what we have in our storage and a particular subscriber hasn't received yet. What do you think?





FULL SIZE Bread & Butter Daily Face Cleanser - Full size 90ml in a kit of 3 products for $35 or as an add-on for $7
This was originally marketed as an item for the man in our life. The option was shave gel or cleanser. Since I'm greedy, I decided to get this for myself. This is a very light cleanser with what appears to be rice particles about the size of fine sand grains.

I've never heard of this brand before but a quick search shows that it's Toronto based and has been in a number of pubications like Nylon, Toronto Life, Fashion, Globe & Mail, etc. It's a unique business model. There are 6 products ranging from cleanser to moisturizer to lip balm. You can select a kit of 3 products for $35 or 5 products for $49. You then select the product combination (they give you recommendations depending on your needs) and they send you the items.

The products are marketed as non animal tested, bare bones, back to basics skincare. This cleanser has biodegradable exfolliants (I'm guessing the rice) and is free of fragrance, sodium laureth, parabens, and colors.

I have to admit, I didn't find anything interesting with the product itself. It still had a light rice-y scent but I believe that's natural but it just wasn't "fun". I like there to be some fragrance and/or color in my product although it's probably not good to admit such a thing these days.

I have this in my shower right now and will use it but I wouldn't purchase another one. I can see why people would like this though - natural or near-natural products are increasingly popular these days.

3.5ml Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Memory Mascara - Full size 6.8ml for $29
How is this high-end? This is about as good as the dollar mascaras from ELF and NYC. Which is to say....it's nothing but black paint on the lashes. It doesn't hold a curl, it doesn't volumize, it doesn't lengthen. Back to Maybelline and L'Oreal for me!

Pari Beauty Eyeshadow Primer / Intensifier in Precious Glow - Full size 10ml for $15
There is no size listed for this product but it's the exact same size as the Stila tube which is 3.5ml. I imagine there's a little more in a primer tube than mascara so let's say approx. 4ml in this tube.

This is an interesting product because it's marketed as both an eyeshadow primer and a highlighter. I see the two as completely different things - primer is meant for layering, highlighter goes on top. But I tried it out and it is very sheer so I can understand why it works as a "duo" product.

I didn't like it under eyeshadow but that's not product-specific. I like my primer clear so there's no color/shimmer affecting my eyeshadow. I do like how thing it is. It goes on liquid (slightly oily) but quickly dries and is non-stickly/oily on the lids.

I won't buy this again but I do appreciate getting this tube because it'll be great for traveling!



2x 4.7ml Redken All Soft Argan-6 Multi-care Oil for Dry/Brittle Hair - Full size $34.99 for 90ml
WOOHOO! This is one of my favourite lines. I love the smell of All Soft. I haven't used it for years as there's just been too many other products to try but I do love everything about All Soft so really glad to have received this. There's about 2-3 applications in each tube so I wish it was a resealable bottle (perhaps a small 10ml bottle with a twist or snap-top) that I could travel with. But regardless, it's a great product that I probably won't buy at the price so I'm glad to have some samples to play with.

56ml Simple Eye Makeup Remover - Full size 125ml for $7.97
The simple line is supposed to be gentle but this was a little too gentle - it took off my eyeshadow/eyeliner but barely removed my mascara. Although it looked oil-free in the bottle (no oil/water separation) and I wasn't expecting it to work well. I would say this is a great size for travelling but on trips I tend to use waterproof makeup. I think I'll keep this in my makeup drawer at work *yes, I have one!) as backup.

3 x 1.5ml Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-one BB Cream in Light - Full size $19.99 for 75ml
I've tried this before and neither Light nor Medium really works for me - it's too pink. But light? I'm NC35-37 and Medium barely works for me. This doesn't seem customized at all. I haven't done swaps in a long time but am starting to build up a collection of samples that won't work for me so perhaps I'll get into that again.

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

This wasn't a very "deluxe" month. As in some previous months, the majority of products here are the type you can get for free very easily from a cosmetics counter. When I think deluxe, I think of products that are essentially travel sized. Big enough to use for a week or two but not enough to be a permanent roster in your makeup drawer - thus the need to purchase the full-sized version.

However, I actually really enjoy this month's box. Every single product was something I am actually interested in and will use.

Can't wait to see what next month's box brings!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

TOPBOX: March 2012

This is long overdue but better late than never, right?





The March topbox came in the same packaging as before. Can I just say...the packaging is getting a little boring? I love the tube mailer but they need to make the outside wrapping a little more exciting!

As for the inside, it's always packaged with purple crinkle confetti and tissue paper to keep the products from jostling around. A card describes each product and indicates their full size and price. An extra note was included this time in celebration of their semi-anniversary.





In this month's box:

1) Two duopacks of Redken Color Extend Shampoo & Conditioner - 10ml each
2) Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara in Extra Black - 3ml
3) simple Face Cleansing Cloths - 7 cloths
4) mark. by Avon Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain - 1.5g (FULL SIZE)
5) mark. by Avon Nailed It Trend Mini Nail Lacquers - 2 x 2.7ml (FULL SIZE)

The full sized mark. gloss and nail polish set are $12 and $8. Based on a unit price calculation, 7 pieces of cleansing cloth is worth $3.08, 3ml of mascara is worth $10.29, 20ml of shampoo is worth $1, 20ml of conditioner is worth $1.36.

$12+$8+$3.08+$10.29+$1+$1.36=$35.71 Not as good as last time based on this calculation BUT this is actually one of my favourite boxes!

This month wasn't high on the "premium" brands which is a tad disappointing as that's one of the main reasons to offer a beauty box, right? Give subscribers an opportunity to not only try new brands but products that are too pricey for most to purchase without sampling.

However, I'm still a super happy camper because each item in this month's box actually interests me and is something I'll use (save for the MUFE mascara as I already have a sample size of).











FULL SIZE mark. by Avon Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain - Full size 1.5g for $12
LOVE this! I'll have to take some time and look into selling this mark. line. A few ladies at work sell Avon but it's never really interested me. Based on this and the nail polish though? I wouldn't mind tooting the horn of products that I will actually use myself. This is a really new interesting product on the market. Yves Saint Lauren's version -Rouge Pur Couture - goes for $34!! It goes on as a gloss and dries down as a stain. The best of both worlds!

The product is dispensed via click pen top, which I like a lot better than the twist style (think Stila and ELF lip glazes) as those often shoot out way too much product. The click seems to dispense less product each time although it takes quite a number of clicks to get product out initially - I thought was empty at first.

Bella Bella is beautiful and such a wearable color. I'm medium-yellow toned but I think it'll be gorgeous on a variety of skintones. I'm definitely interesting in purchasing other colors now.

3ml Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara in Extra Black - Full size 7ml for $24
I didn't test this as I already have a sample but this is a great mascara. It really does create a very soot black thick lashed look. I only ever use waterproof mascara as it holds a curl better but sample sizes only come up every once in a blue moon. For that reason, I personally wouldn't repurchase the full size but I wouldn't be surprised it others do after trying this!





7-piece simple Face Cleansing Cloths - Full size 25-piece for $10.99
I saw these at Walmart recently and had my eye on the cleansing clothes. I'm always up for trying new ones as I use them pretty much every day. They are an absolute godsend for airplane rides, camping, and post motorcycle rides. This one claims to remove waterproof mascara and it does, completely! Granted, it's not as fast or gentle as makeup remover but it's more than I can say for other clothes I've used including Pond's, Garnier, Olay, etc. The cloth is also thicker than most which means it doesn't stretch or rip, nor do you feel like your finger tips are doing the actual cleaning. This is a 100% definite repurchase for me.

FULL SIZE mark. by Avon Nailed It Trend Mini Nail Lacquers - Full size 2 x 2.7ml for $8
I LOVE these! After purchasing a few Essence nail polishes recently, I've really gotten into the smaller sizes. It's hard to finish nail polish when you have so many and I hate traveling with several full sized bottles. These little duos in complimentary colors are perfect for fingers and toes!

I tried the colors on my fingers and they're just beautiful. A stunning metallic violet and a pretty pale lilac. The wear is quite good on these, too. I didn't notice a difference between it and some of my salon-brand polishes.



2 x 2 10ml packs of Redken Color Extend Shampoo & Conditioner - Full size shampoo 300ml for $15, conditioner 250ml for $17
I've used every version of Redken shampoo by now - All Soft, Extreme, Smoothdown, Color Extend, etc. and haven't had an issue with any of them. My favourites are All Soft and Extreme. Color Extend didn't wow me anymore than drugstore versions so I wouldn't buy it at full price. However, I'm really glad to receive these as it's hard to find travel-sized products for color treated hair.

Overall, March was a really good month. In the past few months Topbox's facebook page had received requests to stop sending out lotions and cheap peel-aways samples and start sending out nail polishes and other product types they haven't offered before.

It really sounds like they're making the effort and I'm now excited to see what April brings! I'm keeping my subscription for now.

Did you receive any subscription beauty boxes this month? What did you get? Did you enjoy your surprises?

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...