June 2016 Beauty Box Five

The June 2016 Beauty Box Five* features products to help us get the most out of our summer beauty routine with its Made in the Shade theme.

If you are unfamiliar with Beauty Box Five, it is a subscription 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 June items.

June 2015 Beauty Box Five

The June 2015 Beauty Box Five* features products to help us look our best while travelling. 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 available 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 very impressive (see them all HERE).
Now let’s talk about the June items...

1. LOL Rotational Eye Shadow | Retail: $3 - This palette, created by a French and Australian cosmetics brand, includes six pretty shadows. I received a palette with shadows of green and gold called Splash That Cash. While it is very pretty, I don’t think these shades will be very flattering on me, so I will pass it on to someone else.
2. Nails Inc. Nail Polish | Retail: $9.50 for 0.33 oz - This nail polish is my favourite item in this month’s box since I have been wanting to try this UK brand for a while. I received the shade Bruton Street which is a pretty mauve pink.
3. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara | Retail: $22 for 0.4 oz - This pigmented mascara volumizes lashes with its creamy formula. I’m excited to try my first Urban Decay mascara.

4. Simple Skincare Micellar Cleansing Water | Retail: $7.99 for 7 oz - This on-the-go hydrator is perfect for travelling because it does not require a sink, it is no-rinse, and it hydrates skin. I am a bit disappointed by how small this sample is. I don’t think there is enough product in here for me to truly evaluate if I like this product or not.
5. Herbal Essences Body Wash | Retail: $2.49 for 11.1 oz - This travel-size bottle of body wash has an amazing citrus scent. I have always loved Herbal Essences hair products because of their delicious scents, so I’m looking forward to trying a body wash from this brand.
Overall, I’m very happy with the mascara, nail polish, and body wash in this month’s box. I did find the eyeshadow palette and cleansing water to be less impressive. I’m looking forward to next month’s box and can’t wait to see what Beauty Box Five has in store for July.

June 2015 Glossybox

With summer less than a week away, the June Glossybox* arrived at the perfect time. The box, inspired by the colourful streets of Miami, features products to create lush lashes, bold nails, and hydrated skin for sunny days and late nights.

Aside from wearing sunscreen (everyday!) to protect skin from harmful rays, it’s important to replenish moisture after exposure to sun, chlorine, salt water, wind, etc. My favourite product for moisturizing and treating skin in the summer is aloe vera, which is why I’m so excited that Glossybox included two aloe products in this month’s box. The first is Etre Belle Cosmetics Aloe Vera Ultra Moisturizing Gel, an oil-free hydrator with liposomes to hydrate, improve elasticity, and prime skin. Aloe also helps cure sunburn, frostbite, and bruises.

Another skincare product is the The Aloe Source Luminosity Masque, a luxurious gel masque that exfoliates and soothes skin to restore youth and radiance with ingredients such as pineapple extract, papaya extract, aloe vera, and willow herb extract.



As for beauty items, this month’s box includes mini, yet generous sized products that enhance lashes as nails. Too Faced Cosmetics Better than Sex Mascara volumizes and lifts lashes with its hourglass-shaped brush. The collagen-fueler formula is buildable for a customized effect. Based on the beautiful lashes pictured on the box, I can’t wait to try this mascara.

Aside from defined lashes, a summer look wouldn’t be complete without glowy skin. The Doucce Blush Brush in this month’s box seamlessly applies powder blush and bronzer with its dome-shaped head and natural hair fibers. I really like the size of the brush since it’s perfect for travel and quick touch-ups on the go.

The last item of the month is an Orly Nail Lacquer in the shade Oh Cabana Boy. Not only is it the perfect shade of hot pink for summer, this polish is also free of DBP, formaldehyde, and toluene. I can’t wait to paint my toes with this pink and slip on some colourful sandals.



Overall, I really love the June 2015 Glossybox. It may even be my favourite box so far! I will use every single product sent this month and I really like how all the items are summer-friendly. Also, the value of the box is very high this month since the aloe vera gel and brush are full size and the other three products are deluxe samples.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Glossybox has in store for July!

June 2013 Ipsy Bag

I have found that the biggest downside to a lot of the current sample subscription boxes is the selection of products. Some months I receive only skincare and haircare products which is very disappointing; I signed up for the services for their makeup products, and due to my sensitive skin and straight, fine hair, I don’t like trying new products for skin and hair.

This is exactly why I decided to subscribe to Ipsy! The bags feature beauty products from popular brands. This month’s bag is my first so I wanted to give you my thoughts and first impressions.

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, I really dislike the design of this month’s Ipsy bag. I am not a fan of animal print, especially when paired with neon. However, I know that a lot of people love this combo so I will send the prizes from one of my giveaways in this bag.

Now onto the makeup items…

1. Cailyn Cosmetics Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner: I received this product in the shade Iron which is a steel grey colour. The product comes with a built-in brush which I imagine will be too thick for those who like a thin, precise line. I will not be taking this product out of the box since I don’t use liner very often and will likely save this one for a giveaway. I was sent a full size jar of this product which retails for $21.

2. Starlooks lip pencil: I received this product in the shade Tipsy which is a matte coral colour. I don’t really wear lipstick so I have never had much use for a lip liner. That said, I’m really loving the colour so I may try to use it lightly to stain my lips and then top it with a clear gloss or balm. The one downside to this product is that the colour is cased in a wooden pencil which requires manual sharpening. This item is full size as well and retails for $12.

3. NYX Mosaic Powder in Dare: If you have seen my previous Glymm or Luxe Box posts, you will know that I don’t really enjoy receiving NYX products in these subscription bags/boxes. I subscribe because I want to try new or higher end items and NYX products can easily be found at the drugstore. This powder looks quite pretty in the pan but it contains a few orange and reddish brown shades that won’t complement my cool toned skin. This product retails for $10.99.

4. J. Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette: I received this palette in Voltage which contains sparkly creams in neutral shades. As someone who normally wears natural makeup, I know that I will never use this palette. I also feel that it is not age appropriate as I would have used something like this when I was a child playing with glitter. It seems very appropriate for theatrical makeup and dance recital makeup but I could not pull this off at work. The palette retails for $4.49.

5. J. Cat Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue (C32): While these lashes look very pretty and wispy, I’m really not a false lash gal. I would much rather sweep on a couple coats of mascara than glue something to my sensitive eyelids. Like the cream palette, these lashes seem appropriate for stage makeup and special events. This set retails for $3.99.

Overall, I liked that the June Ipsy bag sent five full size makeup products retailing at over $50 combined . However, I cannot really see myself using any of them, and I’m left wondering 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 a couple more months 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 age and preferences.

What are your thoughts on Ipsy?

June Topbox

This month’s Topbox had a good selection of skincare, haircare, and makeup products, and it even included a full sized product for men! It also came with two extra items that were not part of the usual four samples.
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