Topbox — November 2017

2017-12-272017-12-27 fivezero2 Comments

Well, I’m still subscribed to Canadian subscription box Topbox (referral link)! I didn’t expect to be, but they stepped up their game a bit over the last two months, which justified the low CA$12 shipped price for me.

Here’s my November 2017 box, which I’m late in posting. I have a couple of Topbox special collection boxes to post, as well as my December 2017 box, as well.

What I Received in My Topbox (November 2017)

China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Dope Taupe (0.5 oz) [CA$8]
Elizabeth Arden Lasting Impression Mascara in Lasting Black (2.5 mL sample) [CA$32 / US$24 for 8.5 mL, value: CA$9.41]
Laritzy Silicone Makeup Blender [US$14]
Sebastian Professional Shaper Plus+ Extra Hold Hairspray (38.5 g sample) [CA$19 for 300 g, value: CA$2.44]

Also, because I submitted a mild complaint the previous month (about getting disappointing, itty bitty samples two months running), they sent me a bonus this month:

BeneFit Dandelion Shy Beam (4 mL sample) [CA$35 for 10 mL, value: CA$14]

Box Cost = CA$12 + 1.56 tax, free shipping

Total Box Value = CA$8 + CA$9.41 + US$14 + CA$2.44 ≈ CA$37.55

Unfortunately, I already own China Glaze Dope Taupe, but it’s still nice that they sent a polish. It’s just a shame it isn’t from a more recent collection, so I’d have been less likely to own it.

Detailed pics follow:

fivezero's Ipsy Glam Bag "Snow Globe" (December 2017)

Ipsy — December 2017 Glam Bag “Snow Globe”

2017-12-222017-12-22 fivezeroLeave a comment

Firstly, I want to note that I recently discovered Ipsy offers a 12-month subscription for the cost of 11 months (so US$110 for a year, rather than $120 if you pay month-to-month). Well, I’ve been paying month-to-month this whole time! So I sent an email to Ipsy support and they gladly switched me over to the discounted year-long sub. Woohoo! So, if you’re a diehard Ipsy subscriber who never considers cancelling, hit ’em up for your 1-month discount!

Onto the loot! My December Ipsy Glam Bag finally contains a makeup brush! I had actually gotten a bit annoyed with the flimsy brushes I was getting, so I downrated most of them—then for a good stretch, Ipsy failed to send me any brushes at all. Lisa Frank, SLMissGlam, and Luxie brushes came and went and never found their way into my Glam Bag.

Finally, this month, I got another Luxie brush. It’s a pretty usable eyeshadow brush, and at least now I have the opportunity to rate it better so that I’m hopefully back in the pool for brushes.

Once again, however, I didn’t get the one nail polish they had on offer (a blue shimmer from Lottie London). I wonder how many Ipsters got that polish and are bitching about receiving nail polish?!

Ipsy December 2017 Glam Bag: “Snow Globe”

Image: ipsy.com

What I Received

Luxie Precision Shader Onyx Brush (239) (full size; ~US$24.26)
MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash (1 g sample; 13 mL for US$23)
NIP+FAB Dragon’s Blood Fix Plumping Serum (20 mL sample; 50 mL for US$19.95)
Pixi by Petra Mesmerizing Mineral Duo in Orchid Ornament (1.5 g 2-color duo; full size 5.76 g 6-color palette for US$12)
TonyMoly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Cream (10 mL sample; 60 mL for US$25)
Ipsy makeup bag

Glam Bag Cost

$10 + $4.99 (shipping to Canada) = US$14.99

Total Bag Value

$24.26 + $1.77 + $7.98 + $3.13 + $4.17
= US$41.31

The Luxie brush obviously provides the bulk of my bag’s value this month. It seems to be a Luxie × Ipsy edition, so I can’t find an exact MSRP, but the Onyx brushes seem to run approximately 35% more expensive than the Rose Gold line.

fivezero’s Ipsy December 2017 Glam Bag

Image: ipsy.com

Ipsy Coupon Codes

None of the brands I received have a code with Ipsy at the moment, so here are a few other good ones:

SLMissGlam: 30% off any purchase with code SLBLUEIPSY (through 12/31/2017, US & CA only)
Seraphine Botanicals: 25% off any purchase with code IPSY25 (through 01/31/2018, US & CA only)
trèStiQue: 30% off any $30+ purchase with code IPSYWINTER17 (through 12/31/2017, US & CA only)

Here are some more detailed product shots:

fivezero's Ipsy Glam Bag, All You (November 2017)

Ipsy — November 2017 Glam Bag “All You”

2017-11-202017-11-20 fivezero1 Comment

My November Ipsy Glam Bag (referral link) managed to arrive after the missing BLAQ Mask sample from my October Glam Bag—Ipsy were very good about re-sending the missing item, but it took a while to arrive. That’s Canada Post for you, though I am a teensy bit disappointed that Ipsy just mailed me the Mask, and nothing else to make up for the error (I’ve probably just seen too many people posting their extras, and it’s likely that Ipsy doesn’t normally do that!).

Anyway, onto this month’s bag, which I am quite happy with even thought it—gasp!—doesn’t contain a nail polish.

Ipsy November 2017 Glam Bag: “All You”, featuring actual Ipsters!

Image: ipsy.com

What I Received

ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in Baracuda (3.2 oz full size; US$6)
Mudmasky Facial Detox Purifying Recovery Mask (15 mL sample; 60 mL for € 69)
Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in Mother Nature #06 (0.5 oz full size; US$14.99)
tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Feisty (1.5 g deluxe sample; 5.6 g for US$29)
trèStiQue Brow Pencil in Espresso (0.005 oz mini; full size contains 0.007 oz brow pencil and 2.5 mL brow gel for US$24)
Ipsy makeup bag

Glam Bag Cost

$10 + $4.99 (shipping to Canada) = US$14.99

Total Bag Value

$6 + € 7.25 + $14.99 + $7.77 + $8.57
= US$37.33 + € 7.25
≈ US$45.87

I’ve had higher bag values, but I do like pretty much everything in this bag! Except for the bag itself—I think this month’s bag is poorly designed. I received the teal bag, but it’s still kind of ugly to me.

fivezero’s Ipsy November 2017 Glam Bag

Image: ipsy.com

Ipsy Coupon Codes

Mudmasky: 30% off any purchase & free worldwide shipping with code IPSY30 (through 12/31/2017)
Naked Cosmetics: 30% off any purchase with code IPSY30 (through 12/31/2017)
trèStiQue: 30% off any $30+ purchase with code IPSYWINTER17 (through 12/31/2017, US & CA only)

Here are a couple other good ones available:

Ling Skincare: 25% off any purchase with code IPSY25 (through 12/31/2017; US & CA only)
OUAI: 20% off any purchase with code IPSY20 (through 12/31/2017; US only)

Here are some more detailed product shots:

Topbox — October 2017

2017-10-182017-10-18 fivezero5 Comments

Canadian subscription box Topbox (referral link) is one of those things that’s so cheap that it can be hard for me to justify dropping it…but I think I’m close to being done with them, again. Each month, I am pretty underwhelmed, and I think I’d be better off just buying one or two nail polishes each month with the CA$13.56 it costs me, after tax. At least I know I’d be happy with what I got.

I mean, after last month’s 2 mL Michael Kors fragrance vial and this month’s miniscule BeneFit sample, I think they’re no longer living up to the “4 deluxe samples” promise.

Oh, and this month, I also got the option to pony up $10 for a Beauty Surprise, so I did it. ‘Cause I’m a glutton for punishment.

I’m going to give them one more month—hey, maybe I’ll actually see a Privé box I’d rather have, for once. If it’s a bust, Topbox are out for the second time.

All prices are in CA$ unless otherwise noted.

What I Got as a $10 Beauty Surprise

Doucce Freematic Eye Shadow Quad in Autumn Leaves (7)

Beauty Surprise Cost = CA$10 + $1.13 tax, free shipping

Item Value = US$35

What I Received in my Topbox

BeneFit Foolproof Brow Powder in Deep 05 (0.01 g) [CA$32 for 2 g, value: CA$0.16]
The Body Shop 100% Vegetarian Expert Face Masks (Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask & Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask) (2 × 5 mL) [CA$28 for 75 mL, value: CA$3.73]
Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Two Day Extender in Clear (1.2 oz) [CA$24.99 for 3.4 oz, value: CA$8.82]
Skin & Co Roma Truffle Therapy Essential Face Toner (30 mL) [US$27 for 200 mL, value: US$4.05]
Wella EIMI Perfect Me (6 mL) (freebie) [CA$19.66 for 100 mL, value: CA$1.18]

Box Cost = CA$12 + 1.56 tax, free shipping

Total Item Value = CA$0.16 + CA$3.73 + CA$8.82 + US$4.05 + CA$1.18 ≈ CA$18.95

Ahahahahahahahahahaha!

The box also came with a couple of coupons. One is for 20% off the masks from The Body Shop. I think it’s a coupon. There’s no barcode or anything, just says I can “Enjoy 20% off” if I bring it in-store. Super. The second came with the Wella freebie, and gives 50% off any Wella EIMI styling product at Chatters.ca (the online code is EIMI50), and it’s valid through the end of this year.

Soooo, ignoring the fact that I have a “deluxe sample” in my box worth 16 Canadian cents—we don’t even use pennies here anymore!!!—the bulk of my box’s value lies in the Redken dry shampoo. Also, I have no full-sized items this month; all are samples.

Detailed pics follow:

fivezero's Ipsy Glam Bag "Spellbound" October 2017

Ipsy — October 2017 Glam Bag “Spellbound”

2017-10-172017-12-11 fivezero4 Comments

If you’re counting right, you’ll notice that my October Glam Bag only contains four products! Yes, for the first time in 29 Glam Bags, Ipsy made a mistake. I was supposed to receive a BLAQ Mask—which totally makes me think of Jet Li, and not the Batman villain—but it didn’t arrive. I contacted Ipsy and right away they told me they are sending it out ASAP.

(By the way, this month marks my 2-year Ipsy-versary, though I did have a hiatus in the middle of it—we were on a break!)

So, here’s my October Ipsy Glam Bag (referral link) with just the four items that did arrive.

Ipsy October 2017 Glam Bag: “Spellbound”

Image: ipsy.com

What I Received

BLAQ Mask (15 mL sample; 60 mL for US$29)
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Powder (3 g sample; 9 g for US$29)
Pretty Woman Nail Medic Charcoal Infused Nail Polish in Volcanic Ash (10 mL full size; US$7.99)
tarte Lifted Sweatproof Mascara (3 mL sample; 7 mL for US$23)
TonyMoly Peach Hand Cream (10 mL sample; 30 mL for US$12)
Ipsy makeup bag

Glam Bag Cost

$10 + $4.99 (shipping to Canada) = US$14.99

Total Bag Value

$7.25 + $9.67 + $7.99 + $9.86 + $4
= US$38.77

I had a pretty low bag value this month, mostly due to the fact I only had one full-sized item in my Glam Bag! Quite a disappointment. I do like all the products I got, though, so it’s not that I’m unhappy. Yet, if I get another Pretty Woman nail polish next month while there are other cool nail brands available, I’m going to be fairly annoyed. (Seriously, I just got another Pretty Woman polish last month! I like the brand but I want to try new things.)

fivezero’s Ipsy October 2017 Glam Bag

Image: ipsy.com

Ipsy Coupon Codes

Pretty Woman: 30% off any purchase with code NMOCT17 (through 11/30/2017)

There were no codes for most of my items, so here are a few other good ones available:

Bio Republic: 30% off any purchase with code IPSY30 (through 11/30/2017; US & CA only)
Context Skin: 25% off any purchase with code IPSY25 (through 11/30/2017; US & CA only)
fatboy: 30% off any purchase with code IPSYFATBOY30 (through 12/01/2017; US & CA only)

Sokoglam: 20% off any purchase with code IPSTERS (through 11/30/2017)

Here are some more detailed product shots:

Topbox — September 2017

2017-09-222017-09-22 fivezero4 Comments

For my third Topbox (referral link) after resubscribing this summer, I once again just went for a regular box instead of a Privé box. I also didn’t choose to add on a $10 Beauty Surprise, as I don’t recall even getting that option this time around.

All prices are in CA$ unless otherwise noted.

What I Received in my Topbox

Avry Beauty (by Voesh) Ultra Nourishing Gloves in Chamomile (2 pairs, full size) [value: 2 × US$1.10]
GLAMGLOW YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment (0.5 oz sample) [$79 for 1.7 oz or $24 for 0.5 oz, value: $23.24–$24]
IBY Beauty Highlighter in Bubbly (1.8 g, full size) [value: US$5 (Topbox mistakenly put the value down was $14.98! Hmph.)]
Michael Kors Sexy Ruby eau de parfum (1.5 mL sample spray) [$135 for 100 mL or $110 for 50 mL, value: $2–$3.30]

Total Value: CA$25.24 + US$7.20

The box also came with a couple of coupons, which I am unlikely to use (Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara GWP only at Urban Decay in Square One, Toronto; and Bonus Optimum Points with a Michael Kors perfume purchase at Shoppers Drug Mart).

Obviously, the GLAMGLOW sample provides the bulk of the value of this box. I wouldn’t really have bought it, myself, so I’m not thrilled. It’s especially vexing when I see other people’s Topboxes this month include a very pretty, very full-sized China Glaze nail polish, instead of a small Michael Kors perfume sample—you know, the kind you often get for free!

Well, it’s a CA$12 box which includes shipping, so I should not really complain too much. I do wish there was a way to tell Topbox the kind of stuff I really want (all da nail polish, please), but they don’t do any form of customization at all. I guess they probably don’t have enough items each month to attempt it.

On the positive side, I do look forward to trying the gloves! They sound cool, and I’ve never used anything like them before. The IBY highlighter is actually quite pretty, and I think I could use it as a blush or eyeshadow. And, even though I complained about the small perfume sample, I do like getting perfume samples, and I haven’t tried Sexy Ruby. I’d just rather get a nail polish, instead!

Detailed pics follow:

fivezero's Ipsy Glam Bag "Like. A. Boss.", September 2017

Ipsy — September 2017 Glam Bag “Like. A. Boss.”

2017-09-212017-10-17 fivezero2 Comments

Before I start with my September Glam Bag, I just wanted to provide an update on my missing Ipsy bag from August. When August 23 rolled around, I noticed that Landmark tracking said it was delivered on the 17th but I had never received it. I contacted Ipsy and they immediately sent out a new bag for me, which arrived by the end of the month. I was super happy with their customer service—the bag was exactly what I was supposed to get, except for an item from theBalm which they replaced with a different item from the same brand. I will have to save the extra items for a giveaway.

Well, it turns out that earlier this month, my original Ipsy bag arrived! So much for Landmark’s tracking, huh? (I’ve had an issue with them before on a Julep order—Julep were similarly wonderful and quickly sent a new package; the original has never turned up.) I’d never heard of this Landmark company until this year; suddenly I’m getting more packages from the US handled by them. They also never responded to my inquiries regarding my lost Julep package. Hrmph.

Anyway, September’s Ipsy Glam Bag (referral link) arrived in good time (well, the 19th, which is a little later than usual but I did have a points redemption item in the mix, too).

Ipsy September 2017 Glam Bag: “Like. A. Boss.”

Image: ipsy.com

What I Redeemed Points For

ColourPop × Amanda Steele Pressed Powder Shadow Palette in Weekend Warrior (4 × 1.5 g full size; US$18 and recently discontinued) [750 pts]

What I Received

Beauty For Real I-LINE 24-7 Eyeliner in Champagne Buzz (0.28 g full size; US$14)
ColourPop Lippie Stix in Ipsy-exclusive shade Glam Bag (1 g full size; US$5)
E Nature Birch Juice Hydro Sleeping Pack (12 mL sample; 75 mL for US$28 at Sokoglam, plus 20% off code below or at official US site)
Pretty Woman Nail Polish in Girl Boss, formerly known as Cherry Bean (10 mL full size; US$7.99)
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in Radiance (0.25 oz; 1 oz for US$39)
Ipsy makeup bag

Glam Bag Cost

$10 + $4.99 (shipping to Canada) = US$14.99

Total Bag Value

$14 + $5 + $4.48 + $7.99 + $9.75 = US$41.22

Pretty typical value this month. I gotta say I’m pretty happy that the Canadian dollar has been moving up against the US dollar, lately! Whee!

fivezero’s Ipsy September 2017 Glam Bag

Image: ipsy.com

Ipsy Coupon Codes

Beauty For Real: 20% off any purchase with code IPSY20 (through 10/31/2017)
Pretty Woman: 30% off any purchase with code PWGLAM (through 10/31/2017; US & CA only)
Sokoglam: 20% off any purchase with code IPSTERS (through 10/09/2017; one-time use only)

There were no codes for my ColourPop and Smashbox items, so here are a couple of other good ones I saw:

Catrice: 25% off any purchase with code IPSY25 (through 10/31/2017; US only)
Ciaté: 30% off any purchase with code IPSTER (through 10/31/2017; US & CA only)

Here are some more detailed product shots: