Topbox: September 2013 - First Impressions

 

Last month I had opted for the Velour Lash option, so missed out on the fun and surprise of opening a regular Topbox...which made this month's regular box extra fun to open! Topbox is a monthly beauty subscription service which I've come to look forward to now as it's quite a bit of fun and deviation from my everyday routine :)  Please note this is just a first-impressions post so I have not fully tried these products and thus do not refer to this post as a "review"! Click the jump below to see what I got this month! Please share with me what you got in yours if you're also a subscriber!

 

This month's Topbox came in an extra tall canister and made me wonder what was in it that needed such a tall container!

 

A peek inside...

 

The first thing I pulled out was not terribly exciting as a Shopper's Drug Mart coupon, but there was more to come...

 

Next fell out Lise Watier's Ombre Souffle Supreme cream eyeshadow. I got the peach and green shade.

These samples look like little pills! I didn't swatch it as it looked like it could probably only be used once, and also didn't appear to be resealable so I'll save it to use tomorrow perhaps.  I'm not a big fan of cream eyeshadows in general (they tend to crease on my oily eyelids) so I don't have high hopes for these.  $24/10g

 

Next fell out the Cover FX Anti-Aging Primer. I always use a primer before my foundations so this I am happy to get! I don't have any Cover FX foundations so will try this under my usual MUFE foundation.

 

Next fell out Estee Lauder's multiplying volume mascara. I love mascara samples because I tend to only use a mascara tube for about a month before changing to a new tube, which means I pretty much never actually use up a whole full-size tube. Why do I do this?! No, it's not for germy reasons. I actually really like more runny mascara formulations which I find less clumpy. Unfortunately with ALL mascaras they start to dry out with use and get more and more dry/clumpy with use. I know some of you out there like a more dry formula (more volumizing), but it's just not for me :)

 

Next came out the perfume sample that goes with that Shopper's Drug Mart coupon.  I tried this, and initially quite liked the rich "floriental" fragrance. The top notes are very distinguishable and is a very complex and embodied scent. Unfortunately it's just too rich for my liking as I prefer more fresh and simpler scents.

 

Then came out another sample that came with a cardboard panel (3rd one this month!). This is a hair oil, which is unfortunately a TINY sample. I have shoulder-length hair and I can see being only used once. For long-haired gals this may not even be enough for one go! Just not enough to really be able to test this product unfortunately, and at $54 for 125 mL, I'd have much preferred to test it more with a bigger sample before purchasing.

 

So here's the stash...Let me know what you got this month!

 

 

Oops, then I realized there was still the magazine left.  Must be an unconscious slip... I used to subscribe to Chatelaine but stopped as I wasn't too terribly imipressed with the content. There is a very good offer inside though, as subscribing for one year would get you also a rose gold watch and another beauty sample box.  This offer made it quite tempting to sign up again...but I won't! Must resist...

 

 

Overall, I'm happy with Topbox as I love to just try new things, whether I end up liking them or not. Too bad there were so many tiny cardboard-panel samples this month, but I like the size of the Cover FX primer and the Estee Lauder mascara, so will be happy to use those! Let me know how you felt about your box this month!

 

 

Disclosure: none. I paid for this box with my own money and am not affiliated with the companies above.