July 2015 Beauty Box Five

The July 2015 Beauty Box Five* features products to help keep us looking cool during the hottest month of the summer. If you are unfamiliar with Beauty Box Five, it is a subscription service that sends its members five cosmetic samples each month. Subscriptions start at $12 per month and shipping is free!

Now let’s talk about the July items...

July 2015 Birchbox

This month, Birchbox collaborated with the wellness experts at Best Health magazine to create a box with products to help us have a happy, healthy summer.

The box features a customized design that is just as colourful as last month’s box (see the June box HERE).

The first three items in the box include a combination of makeup and skincare items.

Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara is one of my current favourite mascaras. It leaves the lashes long and thick without any clumps.

For summer skin, the Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Relaxing Sea Fennel Body Lotion moisturizes, smooths, softens, and calms with its paraben-free formula rich in marine extracts. This lotion is very moisturizing and it has a refreshing, ocean scent.

Next is the Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvinator that mimics the effects of microdermabrasion for glowing, smooth skin. While I think that this product will give some people excellent results, I found it very irritating when I used a previous sample that I received a couple years ago in a different beauty box.



The last two items are for hair.

First is the Fekkai Technician Colour Care Shampoo that hydrates with plant proteins to maintain colour-treated hair. Although this product sounds promising, I have always been sceptical of Fekkai colour maintaining products since they often contain sulfates like this one.

Also for colour-treated hair is the Bain de Terre Argan Oil & Passion Flower Colour Therapy Styling Oil. This product nourishes hair with essential oils. It smells very nice but I try to avoid oils since they weigh down my fine hair.



Overall, I’m sad to say that I was a bit disappointed in this month’s Birchbox. While the mascara and body lotion were nice, I would have preferred to save the monthly box fee and put it toward a product that I will get a lot of use out of. I have decided to remain subscribed until the end of the summer and then start searching for a new beauty box to subscribe to in the fall. Any suggestions?

July 2015 Glossybox

The products in the July Glossybox*, inspired by a beachside mediterranean getaway, feature waterproof formulas, skin-smoothing body perfecters, and luxurious ingredients. This box comes at the perfect time since skin often becomes the main focus during the hot month of July.

Before discussing this month’s products, I wanted to insert a quick photo of the Glossybox packaging since I haven’t posted one since my review of the March box. As always, the packaging is so pretty and the products are thoughtfully wrapped with ribbon and tissue paper.



While last month’s makeup items focused on nails and lashes, this month’s products are for lips and cheeks. The two lip items include Face Stockholm Lipliner in Yvonne and Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm in Peppermint. Although I don’t wear a lot of lip liner, this one sounds nice with its vitamin enriched formula. What I do wear often is lip balm, and this one looks very exciting since its 100% natural formula includes antioxidant-rich oils from fruits and berries. I also love peppermint.

I also can’t wait to try the Cargo Cosmetics Water Resistant Blush in Coronado. This blush is sweat and weather proof. The best part is its beautiful peachy colour that will add a bit of glow to summer skin.



The other two products in this month’s box prep the skin on the body for shorts, skirts, bathing suits, and long days on the beach. First is the Kueshi Anticellulite Booster which inhibits the formation of fat cells to combat existing cellulite and prevent its formation. It also increases blood flow and reduces swelling. For some extra smoothing, the Hey Honey I Peel Good! Biometric Creamy Honey Peel Cream hydrates, exfoliates, protects, and reduces stretch marks. I can’t wait to try out these two products before the summer ends.



Overall, I found the July 2015 Glossybox to be very impressive. Aside from the lip liner, I know that I will get a lot of use out of all the products. Not to mention, the items include very generous amounts of product, especially the cellulite cream.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Glossybox has in store for August.

July 2014 Beauty Box Five

The July 2014 Beauty Box Five features products inspired by the defining moments that make us the amazing people (and women) that we are.
If you are unfamiliar with Beauty Box Five, it is a subscription service that sends its members five cosmetic samples each month. The service is open to those in Canada and the USA, and subscriptions start at $12 per month. The best part is that shipping is free!
The brands that Beauty Box Five works with are also very impressive (see them all HERE).
Now let’s talk about the July items…

1. Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara – Aside from having beautiful packaging, this mascara lifts lashes without a curler, is smudge and flake free, and provides volume and definition. I can’t wait to try out this full sized product ($7.99), especially since it does not cause flaking which can be hard to find in a mascara.
2. Body Drench Candy Licious Lips – These cute lip balms come in a variety of sweet flavours (cotton candy, grape lollipop, lime gumdrop, and more). I received red licorice. It smells delicious and the packaging is very cute. Like the mascara, this is another full size product. It retails for $3.99.
3. Starlooks Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil – This creamy  pencil liner can be used for a dramatic smoky eye look. It also creates precise lines and can even be used as a base for shadows—just smudge with a blending brush. While this product sounds great, I’m not one for eyeliner so I will save this full sized pencil ($12.00) for a future giveaway.

4. HASK Argan Oil Intense Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment – This deep conditioner restores, nourishes, and repairs damaged hair with results that last for two weeks. This package retails for $2.49 and is good for at least two uses. Since I have fine hair that is not very dry during the summer months, I will use a bit less than half the package per treatment. I’m really looking forward to trying this product as I’m always looking for something to add a bit of extra smoothness and shine to my hair.
5. Anna Naturals Glowing Mama Walnut Face & Body Scrub – During the summer months, I love using body scrubs to keep my skin looking smooth and youthful. I can’t wait to try this vegan scrub that exfoliates and moisturizes without parabens, artificial fragrances, or harsh chemicals. I could not figure out how much product the sample jar contains, but the full size retails for $10.99 and contains 4 fl oz.
Overall, I am very impressed with the July 2014 box from Beauty Box Five. The three full size products more than pay for the box, and the smaller samples are perfect for summer. I’m looking forward to next month’s box!
To learn more about Beauty Box Five and to sign up, visit https://www.beautybox5.com/
*Although the products mentioned in this post were sent for review purposes, all opinions expressed are honest and are my own*

July 2013 Ipsy Bag

Last month, I received my first Ipsy bag (see my post HERE). While the bag included five full size makeup products, none of the items impressed me and I was not able to use any of them. Unfortunately, the exact same thing happened with this month’s July bag. I have been debating whether I should cancel my Ipsy subscription right away or give it another month or two.

Despite the fact that I will not be using any items from July’s Ipsy bag, I will admit that the items were much better and more age appropriate (for me) than last month.

First, let’s talk about the bag…

As a former subscriber of Glymm, I have accumulated many of these mini makeup bags over the past few years. Therefore, I will only keep new ones if I love the pattern. Sadly, much like last month, I really dislike the design of this month’s Ipsy bag.  It’s a sticky pink see-through plastic that feels cheap and very 90s in my opinion. However, I know that a lot of people love this shade of pink so I will send the prizes from one of my giveaways in this bag.

Now onto the makeup items…

1. POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon: This product is one of the better items that came in this month’s bag. It is also the only full size item that was sent this month.  I really do like lip crayons and this one is meant to be very hydrating and long lasting. My issue with this product is the shade (I received Rose Romance). While the name sounds pretty, the product has a brown base so I will not be trying it since colours of this nature often turn orange on me. I would have preferred one of the other shades sent in Ipsy bags this month.

2. BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample: The colours in this palette (purple, bronze, gold) are inspired by San Francisco, California. I decided not to remove the packaging from this product because the colours do not interest me so I thought I would save it to give away. I also do not wear a lot of colourful eyeshadow so I thought it would be a better idea to pass it along to someone who does.

3. Benefit Benetint: Almost everyone has encountered one of these little Benetint samples at some point, either from Sephora, Ulta, a Benefit kit, or one of the other sample subscription services. Since I love Benetint and use it often, I have a full size bottle that I bought two years ago. It’s still over 90% full so I can’t see myself ever needing to open this little sample. I will save it to give away as well.

4. Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray: I’ve said many times before that I really do not enjoy receiving skincare or haircare samples. I like my fine hair to look very fresh and clean so a texturizing spray is not something that I will ever use. I know that a lot of people really love that beachy look in the summer though so I’m sure that this sample will be welcomed by a lot of Ipsy subscribers.

5. Coola Mineral Sunscreen SPF 20: I have heard nice things about this brand but I’m pretty happy with the La Roche Posay sunscreens that I use and I know that they won’t irritate my very sensitive skin. I don’t like skincare samples because I’m not interested in straying from the products that I currently use. Hopefully Ipsy will personalize my future bags now that I have filled out reviews for products from the past two months.

Overall, I cannot really see myself using any of these samples. They are just not a good fit for me and it makes me wonder if Ipsy  actually took my beauty profile/survey into consideration when selecting my items. I have not decided if I will subscribe to Ipsy for much longer. I will wait until next month to see how I feel. I think that the price is right at $10 but I don’t like paying $4.95 for shipping. This additional fee makes the bag more expensive than Topbox which sends items that are more appropriate for my preferences.

What are your thoughts on Ipsy?

July 2013 Topbox (Regular Topbox)

I opted for the regular Topbox again this month. The prive box brands have yet to impress me since the Benefit Cosmetics box.
I was very impressed with last month’s Topbox but I can’t quite say the same about the July box. Four items were sent (one full size), and no makeup items were included (unless nail polish is considered makeup). While there was nothing really wrong with the items, they did not seem very exciting to me. I don’t enjoy receiving hair or skincare samples and they made up more than half the box this time. That said, I think that many people will enjoy the July box since it includes a nice variety of products and a full size nail polish.
For those of you who do not know what Topbox is, it is a service similar to Loose Button, Birchbox, Glossybox, Ipsy, etc., which offers monthly boxes of deluxe size product samples. Topbox currently offers its services across Canada. For more information check out topbox.ca

What did you receive from Topbox this month?

July Topbox

This month’s Topbox came with two deluxe samples, a full sized product, and one very tiny sample.
For those of you who do not know what Topbox is, it is a service similar to Loose Button, Glymm, Birchbox, Glossybox, etc., which offers monthly boxes of deluxe size product samples. Topbox currently offers its services across Canada for $10 per month with no shipping costs. For more information check out topbox.ca