All posts filed under: Subscription Boxes

Unboxing: BDJ Box August 2014*

Quick unboxing post of the BDJ Box for August 2014.* The theme for this month’s box is Luscious Locks, with 4 of the 7 items geared towards hair care. Spoiler Alert: I’m not too excited about this box, but that’s probably because I’m not very into hair products and also I just kinda cut my hair short so my hair care has been pretty low-key (lyesmith). I’ll let the contents speak for themselves! Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, 30ml (Php 3500) My sample size is 5ml. This is an essence to be applied after cleansing and toning in the morning and at night. It promises to make the skin supple and glow with health with just 1 week of daily use. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Shine in Foxy Lady, 4g (Php 350) I’ve never tried this range before, even though it’s pretty popular. I got a pretty sheer brown shade that’s quite similar to one of my favorite shades, NARS’ Vendanges. I like the formula of this, but it does fade away with a slight …

Unboxing: BDJ Box July 2014* & Some Thoughts on “Value”

On the last day of July, BDJ sent me the month’s box, which may explain why this is late. BDJ is one of the top subscription boxes in the Philippines, if you’re not familiar, and it only costs Php 580 (or a little over $13) each month. Here’s what’s inside the BDJ July 2014 Box*: To be honest, I was contemplating on not posting about this box because I didn’t really find it too exciting. Thought I’ve been sent these boxes for a few months (maybe even a year now), I was never required to write these posts. I usually find BDJ boxes to be quite OK, if not great… Good enough to post about anyway. BDJ has built a reputation for itself as a kind of reliable subscription box with thoughtful picks for boxes. This box was so dull to me that I didn’t even want to post about them, but going through each item, I had a thought (more on that later) and ended up writing up a post anyway. Here are the …

Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Lip Kit in Gemini’s Kiss & a Beauty Vault VIP Recap

For the last and final month of the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP Subscription, subscribers got a Kaleidoscope Lip Kit in Gemini’s Kiss, which features 8 lip colors (4 lipsticks & 4 crèmes or glosses) in split pans. I don’t have the individual names but I’ll email LMdB to ask then append this post if they are individually named! I wasn’t supposed to post this until much later. I just got this yesterday and haven’t been able to play with it much yet, but I wanted to get this post up because LMdB is closing their subs soon… and I wanted to show you what they’ve sent, so far, in case any of you are interested in subscribing to them. Here’s the last shipment for the first round, which went on from August 2013 to July 2014. Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Lip Kit (Gemini’s Kiss): left pans are lipstick, right pans are glosses/lip crèmes Swatches: Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Lip Kit (Gemini’s Kiss) Face Swatches: Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Lip …

Sample Stash Sunday feat. Benefit: BDJ Box 7 Day Challenge

I’m not sure for how long these monthly BDJ Box challenges run, but there was so much stuff to sample from the Benefit exclusive box by BDJ last month that I felt I should try and do it, so I could try everything out, at least! Here’s a diary I began some time in June. The products were used, collectively, for seven days. I tried to get a rotation going, but I missed using all my other makeup, too. 🙂 The eye cream was a mainstay, though, but I’ll put it out there right now—it wasn’t my favorite of the bunch! DAY ONE And on the first day, I used the It’s Potent! Eye Cream, and I saw that it was good. Intended for “brighter, younger-looking eyes,” It’s Potent! fades dark circles and helps smooth fine lines. I noticed that it has a more emollient texture than my current eye cream (Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream), but it also sinks in much faster and isn’t sticky. I’ll try to use this under makeup/concealer during this …

Unboxing: Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP for June 2014

The June 2014 Box, aka the penultimate box, of the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP came with one product and no note. The product in question is called the Daily Refresh Tonic, which retails for $50. First of all, this box is huge, and contains 4oz. of product. Here it is in comparison with another skin care item we received earlier in the sub period, the Peau Vierge Dark Spot Correcteur, which contains a mere 0.5oz of product—my main reason for not repurchasing it. It’s a great product, but I don’t have $125 to spend on 0.5oz of product. Anyway, here is the size difference: (The Peau Vierge bottle is so grotty; I apologize!) See? Huge. Product Description: “Freshen up: this skin-invigorating tonic is an essential step in any skincare regimen prepares the skin to better receive topical restorative treatments by stimulating circulation, restoring balance to the complexion, as well as conditioning and hydrating. It also re-energizes the skin, creating a freshly-flushed appearance. How it Works: Daily Refresh Tonic, featuring the Rebalancing Complexe, …

Unboxing: BDJ June 2014 Box*

Happy Monday everyone! Here’s a quick unboxing post, courtesy of the awesome surprise the ladies at BDJ Box left for me on Saturday. The June 2014 BDJ Box is another brand exclusive by Benefit. I’ve had great experiences with Benefit as a brand—in fact, one of my first base products was their tinted moisturizer, You Rebel Lite—but when I decided to focus on cruelty-free beauty brands, Benefit fell by the wayside, which was a tiny bit frustrating for me, as they have been releasing quite a few products that have been in development for a long time. One thing that Benefit does well is minis. I know that sounds really dumb, but when they want you to try their products, they really go all the way. Each sample in this box, for example, come as a mini version of their regular packaging, with some card packaging to mimic the boxes that full-size items may come in.

Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP May 2014

Just a quick post on the May 2014 Box from the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP. If you’ve been here long enough, this may be a familiar installment for you, since subscribers are on their 10th month of the service. The Beauty Vault VIP offering was a year-long subscription service by New York-based luxury cosmetics brand, Le Métier de Beauté. You signed up and paid up front, so it was a bit steep. The amount paid including shipping and handling was evened out by the 3rd or 4th month, though. For the May box, subscribers received two True Colour Eye Shadows, which are some of my favorite eyeshadow formulas. It seems like everyone received the same shades: Peachy Keen and Goldstone. Peachy Keen is very close to my skin tone, just a hair peachier and warmer. Goldstone is a very warm, medium gold. These swatches are made with one swipe, over bare skin. The eyeshadows come in a small round compact in a rubbery black plastic material, each with its own mirror (the …