Winter Loose Button Luxe Box United States Review and Swatches

This subscription was way too short lived for my taste! The Canadian subscription service Loose Button Luxe Box had a two season preview for the United States for both Fall and Winter Boxes. I opted into both boxes. To see my review on the United States Fall box please click here!

For two seasons, 2 boxes every three months, the cost was 50$, this is pretty reasonable considering the items were all a decent size and a bit higher end in terms of brands in comparison to other boxes. The presentation made me feel like i was receiving a luxurious gift which i guess goes with the name. A long, sturdy box, housed a draw string bag with the loose button emblem. Inside was also an envelope with the list of products. This looked more like a regal invitation than a list of samples. I appreciate simple attention to details, and at this price range it is right on point.

 The selection for the Winter season had a few hits and misses but overall i was happy. I would have loved to have continued this subscription however i did replace it with another Canadian box - Top Box which was a little bit more reasonable.

 What was included:

 Eyeko Mini Skinny Brush Mascara-
This has to be the tiniest mascara brush ever! You know that expression- size matters, and bigger is better, NOT ALWAYS! Just to compare- if you have tried the Hypose Star mascara from Lancome with its small bristles on one side you will know that sometimes the smallest bristles make the biggest lashes. I used this mascara and i was able to reach the base of my lid sweeping the mascara all the way out to the tip. Made my lashes look full but natural. I really liked this product. Plus the tube shape allows for less product to go to waste.

Essie Nail Lacquer in Leading Lady-
Essie is a great brand in terms of quality. I have never been disappointed- yet. Leading Lady is a red polish with red glitter throughout. It is not overly sparkly but does have nice shimmer. It reminds me a little of Dorthy's slippers in the bottle i wish that would have been the look on the nail but it isnt a deal breaker. Two coats was all it took for full and even coverage. I did not see chipping for at least 3 days (which is long for me since i am very busy with my hands)

Orlane Eye Contour-
This treatment is supposed to help rest the skin around the eye. I have a bit of dark circles and minimal lines. I found this to help diminish a bit of my dark circles but that was about it. Not a bad product and nice to have had in my routine while it lasted, but probably would not go out of my way to purchase this item.

 Marc Anthony Beach Spray-
We are far from summer but this spray allowed me to have soft loose waves like i had just gotten out of the pool. I like this hair product because it added some life to my sometimes lifeless and straight hair.

 Donna Karan Woman-
O am a big fan of Donna Karan fragrances so i was pretty happy to see a deluxe size perfume sample of Woman. I just wish someone had told me that removing the cap a little too quick will make the product spill everywhere. Everything smelled like a nice mix of citrus and warmth, just wish i would have had an opportunity to have really worn this.

 Kerastase Cristalliste Lumiere Liquid-
This serum left my hair feeling soft and looking shiny. I had to use almost half the little sample however. With very long hair it took more product than expected. I wouldn't switch from my current oil treatments though.

 Marc Anthony Strictly Curls
I was a little confused as to why this item was sent out to everyone even those with curly hair. Apparently Luxebox feels girls do their hair curly for the holidays. Not this girl, had no use for this item.

Loose Button Kabuki Brush-
I like how soft this brush felt. Though it is small i feel it did a nice job of blending in powder foundation and blending out blush.

Overall i will/do miss this subscription. I think overall for its price and frequency that it is a good value and contains high quality and decent sized items. The only other subscription box i could compare this box to would be Glossy Box. Hopefully Loose Button decides to give the United States another preview or gives us the opportunity to subscribe for as many seasons as Canadian subscribers.

Birchbox January 2013 Review

January 2013, a whole new year of subscription boxes! I was really excited to receive my Birchbox this month. I feel like, with anything, when starting something new, like a year, it is great to put your best foot forward and offer up something great to get the year started right. I do admit i do not normally check out the upcoming Birchbox videos, i did for January though! I saw so many great items. I was sadly once again disappointed with this subscription. I understand that Bichbox can not please everyone all of the time and there will be some down months but January should be a show off month and i just felt it fell flat. It wasn't what i expected and my hopes and let down may be a little bit of bias in the post but i will try to restrain.

This month contained 4 base item and one beauty extra.

Also included was this beauty poster that had different ways to start off the new year right (on reverse side).

What i received-

High Performance Hair Care Lumiere D'Hiver Clarifying Shampoo-
For the life of me i feel i have received this sample before. I am not sure from which box or by which company but i know i have tried it. This product isn't bad at all. It made my hair feel clean and refreshed and i think that IS a great way to start a new year. This was the largest product in my box and i did appreciate its quality and size.

Viva La Juicy-
This sample is something you can get for free at stores like Sephora and Ulta and here i am PAYING for it. I just shake my head at that. Anyway, in terms of quality, this is your run of the mill sample size bottle. There is nothing special about it. The scent is fantastic if you like soft fruit and floral scents. Feminine and flirty its a great wear. I would have liked to see a deluxe sample size of this though.

Put a Lid On It The Balm Eyelid Primer-
I recently bought The Balm Jovi palette from The Balm and i sometimes like to wear products that go together such as The Naked Palette from Urban decay with their Urban Decay Primer Potion. So i felt that receiving this was a pretty good thing. I tried it out (you will see how it preforms in my The Balm Jovi Review) and it preforms pretty well. I would say it is on par with Urban Decay but i probably would reach for my Mirenesse one's over either of those on a day where i am not using a matching product. It allows shadow to stay put for all day wear. I wish this sample size was a little larger but a little does go a long way.

 

Caudallie Day Cream-

I wear a lot of facial moisturizers, night creams, day creams, and the like and this was kind of just the same. I don't feel like this product ($75 for full size) was any different than my mid range products. I don't think i would go out of my way to pick this up. My skin did feel moisturized and i did like that it contained an SPF but it is not something i would ever splurge on. I only got about 4 days of use out of this so i couldn't even tell you about a week of use of this product.

 

Beauty Bonus- 
100% Pure Vanilla Bean and Honey Almond Nourishing Body Creams-
Listen Birchbox, I know you have your hands full with all your subscribers but these are ketchup packets filled with enough BODY lotion to use on the hands one time. Shame on you. Bonus my arse. I found these to smell nice and would have liked to really test these more than just one use.

Overall, really not the best month of Birchbxo but also not cancel worthy. I hope they do something special for valentines day. Did you get a Bichbox this month? If so what did you think?

If you would like to sign up you can do so here! For 10$ a month you will receive different beauty sample. While some months aren't fantastic there are good ones. Plus there is a point system! Every product you get you can review for 10 points, when you reach 100 points you get 10 dollars to spend in their shop. You can hoard these points for a year and use them on sale items. This month i got 5 items which is equal to 50 points/5 dollars. It balances it self out if your box isn't that great. 

Beauty Army December 2012 Review and Swatches

Even though this is late i felt it was still worth putting up. My beauty army box arrived pretty late this month. Since my window is at the end of the month i often do not get my box until the second week of the next month. The month of December had some great options however by the time i got to pick mine it was a little limited.

If you are new subscription boxes Beauty Army is a monthly box of samples that allows you to choose what your getting. It costs $12 dollars a month which includes shipping. If you do not like your samples (there are 9 to pick from), you can skip your month or simply retake your beauty profile until you see more suiting items. Your sign up date determines your monthly window and your samples arrive in a sturdy box with pretty tissue paper! You can sign up here!

Hello there!

What i chose-

Skin Fade Cream-
Honestly, i really did not need this product. I chose it because it was a bigger size then the other small one time use items. I do have some scars so i was thinking maybe i could use it on that, or if i ever get a dark spot or blemish i need to fight off.

 Not Your Mothers She's A Tease Volumizing Hairspray-
I was a little turned off by Not Your Mothers after receiving a really pointless sample from Influenster (why send a girl with straight hair a product for curly hair?????). So i am glad i gave them another try. This spray really does a good job at holding a voluminous style. I washed my hair and dried it while holding my head upside down. I sprayed this to my roots and as my hair dried my hair had a lot more volume. I also used it to hold in some teased hair at the crown of my hair and it lasted all day. So i am impressed.

 Glow Baby Glow Mark Lip Gloss in Blow Kisses-
I am not sure what i expected from this product. I do wear a lot of red lipstick and thought it would be a good idea to have a red gloss but this gloss is incredibly sheer. I got just slightly more color than a clear gloss. Not a bad gloss, just expected a little more pigmentation. I did like that it was not sticky like some other glosses i have received from beauty army.

 Enspri 5 minute anti-aging facial treatment -
 I have not had the chance to use this product yet however i do like that it is made with collagen and comes with a hydrator.

Ineke Hothouse Flower-
I have chosen this sample in the past. A lot of items seem to be repeating themselves. While i was not head over heels the first time i smelled this sample i wasn't disappointed. I never finished the first one so i am not sure when i will get to this one. Overall it is a very soft and floral scent. It isn't too strong but is feminine.

Emani Foundation and Serum-
This was another product that i have chosen to sample in the past. It seems a lot of items are repeating themselves now and while some i do not mind - Bath and Body works- it can get a little redundant. I did like this product first time around and i do not mind using it again but i have never purchased the full size and i am not sure that i will.

 Overall it was a decent month i just hope to see bigger sized samples along with more variety in the future!

The Look Bag Discontinued AGAIN!

Ok so i am the last person in the whole wide world of cosmetic subscribers to report on this but none the less here it is, The Look Bag is once again closing its doors. If you have been subscribing you probably already know and understand why this inevitable end came. This is the second time that The Look Store decided to abandon The Look Bag. Given that this was their second chance to wow everyone, i found it surprising that they were able to blow it. So few brands and companies get second chances after a fiasco.

Just to get you all caught up, The Look Store discontinued The Look Bag in the summer of 2012 after bags were sent out late. Many people were charged with no bag and some were never charged and got a bag. Customer service was seriously lacking as well. While the products were nice they closed their doors sending out bags to only some (mainly new) customers and the older ones got nadda. After a few months, and assumed improvement The Look Store reopened The Look Bag even being nice enough to offer previous subscribers a discount (.. did i mention they raised the price?). When subscribers received the first bag after the hiatus it contained discontinued and expired products. It really was all downhill from there. Sadly they had time to improve but instead only got worse.

The Look Bag was my first beauty subscription and though it was sub par it was a nice introduction. For a full list of other beauty subscriptions you can replace your Look Bag subscription with check out my list of subscriptions here!