Canadian myGlam Bag December 2012 by IPSY - Open Bag Time!

Time for another Open Bag session with the myGlam bag for December 2012 by IPSY! This month's theme is "Haute Holiday" and the contents in the bag should be able to help create a holiday party-ready look! I try to list as many prices in Canadian currency, but for those I cannot find online I will list in US dollars.

Of course it has to come in the usual hot pink protective parcel bag:

This month's bag is a silvery-grey fabric with a glossy finish. The shape is roughly that of a rectangle, flat at the bottom so it is very roomy. The inside is lined with hot pink material with "ipsy imprinted all over. The zipper has a silver dangling charm. Overall, a sturdy and useful make up case, or it will definitely work as a pencil case if you wish.

Also in the packaging is the usual greeting card and another card with coupon codes for the brands included in the bag this month.

First item out of the bag also happens to be the tiniest of the bunch: NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in LP13 Sky Pink Pearl. This is a full size item at 0.06 oz. (Sorry the lighting of my picture is making it appear more yellow than it really is.) This is basically a loose powder eyeshadow that is very finely milled and has a pearly sheen finish.

"It’s not hard to sparkle with one of our ultra-shimmering loose shadow powders that can be used on eyes, cheeks, even lips. These finely-milled mineral eye shadows are high-impact, long-lasting—and a little addictive." - NYX $3.99CAD

Next is Be A Bombshell Lip Gloss in Hot Mess (love the name!), another full-size 3gm product! The gloss is a bright, pigmented, blue-based red that has no sparkle or shimmer in it. The finish is semi-see through, thus giving a jelly-like appearance and is very glossy. It is smooth on the lips and not very sticky, which I really prefer! It has a doe foot applicator that is very easy to control. The packaging is reminiscent of MAC CreamsheenGlass glosses.This lipgloss is a great "starter" colour for those who are looking to venture into the red lips but are still intimidated by lipsticks, since the gloss is pigmented enough to give colour on its own, yet still buildable so you can control the intensity of the colour. What better time than holiday dinners and New Year Eve parties to rock the red lip? :)

"No Bombshell look is complete without luscious, shiny lips! The Bombshell Lipgloss formula is longlasting and will send whistles your way all day long." - beabombshellcosmetics.com - $14.00US

Next up we have a package of Highligher Paper (shade: St. Barts) by Mai Couture. This brand was first featured in the inaugural myGlam bag back when it first lauched in the US and was only available to US residents. At that time they had given the brand's blush paper and this time around, at the 1-year anniversary, we get to try the highlighter papers too! This is a half-size product with 25 sheets, with the full-size having 50 sheets per pack. The idea of these paper is that you can touch up on-the-go, as well as being super easy to use when you are first applying your makeup. Instead of using a powder product with a brush, tear off one of these sheets and dab/swipe it across the area of the face you which to use the highligher, and the product comes off the sheet onto the skin! Interesting concept, and I agree this will make touch-ups much easier!

"Baby, you were born to shine…with just a bit of help from Mai Couture Highlighter Papier. Wherever your day takes you – home, the office, 40,000 feet – just one sheet of Mai Couture Highlighter Papier will turn up the wattage on lackluster skin in seconds flat. Perfect for both the face and body and great on all skin tones, Mai Couture Highlighter Papier adds beautiful flawless luminosity hygienically and easily while letting you travel light. It’s time to say goodbye to messy brushes or things shattering in your bag. " - Mai Couture  - $28 for full-size.

Fourth product is the Mirabella Primer For Face and Eyes, full-size, 12.85gm of product. Mirabella is a mineral makeup product company. This primer is quite runny in consistency, and comes out clear. The product is very thin on the skin and provides a very smooth surface on your skin that becomes nicely prepped for foundation. I find that it does indeed prolong the wear of my foundation, allowing it to last nicely throughout an 8-hour work shift and a 2 hour dinner after that. I haven't tried it out on my eyes as I am very content with my Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but perhaps one day I will try it out! The squeeze tube is quite handy and I prefer this type of packaging as I feel I'm able to keep the product inside more sanitary. 

"Silky, smooth, clear formula primer slides on the skin creating the perfect base for any mirabella foundation. Avoid lash-line. Use sparingly. Paraben-free, Dye-free." - Mirabella - $29.00US

Fifth and final product this month's myGlam bag is the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero. We receive the travel size at 0.8g (full-size = 1.2g). This size of the 24/7 pencil is usually only found in the pencil sets that Urban Decay holiday value sets, but with 75% of the full-size amount, this is a very generous deluxe sample :)  This eye pencil is a personal favourite of mine for some time, as the formula is super creamy so it doesn't tug at the lashline, yet still delivers amazing staying power for me, including at the waterline and tightline. This is no longer the "blackest" eye pencil that Urban Decay offers (that would be the shade "Perversion") but Zero is more than black enough for daily use and appropriate for most special outings/evening parties. I'm really happy to have another back-up of this pencil. The pencil is quite pricey if you are to purchase at regular price from Sephora, so if you would like to check out something that is more budget-friendly, I highly recommend the NYX Slide-On Pencil range, as the quality is nearly identical (to me) and the colours offered are awesome too.

"Creamy, forever-lasting, award-winning and waterproof, 24/7 pencils delight you with lush tropical hues, deep metallics, and unusually vibrant neutrals." - Urban Decay - $22.00CAD

I am, once again, impressed and satisfied with this month's myGlam bag. For $10.00US + $4.95US shipping fee, I received almost $78.00 worth of product, all of which I know I will be making a use of. I am eagerly awaiting for the January myGlam to arrive at my doorstep in a few weeks :)

Disclaimer: Subscription to IPSY and myGlam bag is purchased by my own money, and all mentioned in the above post are my honest opinions.

TOPBOX December 2012 - Open Box Time!

The December Topbox has arrived today! For those of you who don't know, Topbox is a monthly subscription service that offers to deliver samples from top-rated brands once a month to your door step for a subscription fee of $12, shipping included. You have the option of cancelling at anytime before they charge you for the next month.

This month I did not choose the enviro-friendly version..and this is what my box looks like, unwrapped:

Such festive packaging!

Both the box's exterior and tissue paper is a beautiful red colour that is just oh-so-fitting for the holiday season :) Now what goodies are hiding underneath the paper?

1) Goldwell Sleek Perfection - 20mL - "Waterless spray-on serum for silky-straight looks that lasts. Full-size 100mL $20.95". I am, honestly, not much of a hair product junkie, yet products that promise to de-fizz always capture my curiosity, so I'm eager to try this one out.

2) Ferro Cosmetics - Ultimate HD 3-in-1 Foundation | Concealer | Powder - "A brand founded by Celebrity Makeup Artist Krissy Ferro, that makes 100% natural mineral makeup. Cruelty Free." I am not a big fan of powder foundations and mineral makeup. I don't have overly sensitive skin that reacts to cream/liquid foundations, in fact, my favorite foundation type is liquid! That could likely be due to the fact that I lean more towards dry skin, especially in the winter time, therefore anything that is powdery will tend to accentuate the dry parts of my skin. Furthermore, this product is so messy! :( Oh well, perhaps I can still give this a try, once I figure out how to get a decent-sized brush into the tiny container. If you can't tell already, I'm not too thrilled about this particular sample.

3) Kellett Skincare - Clarifying Acne Treatment (benzoyl peroxide gel USP 5%) - "Developed by Dr. Lisa Kellett, one of Canada's top dermatologists. Combines technologically advanced peptides." I don't know about the peptide part (theoretically, peptides may promote the regeneration of healthy skin cells which increases the rate of skin renewal and results in healthier, more radiant looking skin), but by looking at the main active medicinal ingredient listed right on the package, I know this is no miracle product for acne. Now for a bit of pharmacist ramble...benzoyl peroxide is a type of antiseptic that is able to breakdown bacteria's cell wall and promote bacterial death. It is, overall, quite mild, making it ideal for topical use on the skin to kill off the bacterial that most commonly causes acne. The same ingredient is found in drugstore products that costs as little as under $10 for a 60g tube. As far as I'm concerned, this is not a high-end product in my books, but I will use it up, since my go-to product PanOxyl is currently on manufacturer back-order haha

My favourite fragrance of all time :)

4) Chloe Eau de Parfum - 5mL - "Chloe's signature scent captures the creative, confident individuality of the Chloe woman. Full size $90 (50mL), $115 (75mL)" This is my all-time favourite fragrance, its notes are very unique and very feminine. It is on the rather strong side of frangrance but personally I still find it both day-time (work) and night-time appropriate. I currently have a 50mL bottle on my dresser, a rollerball in my purse, and a 75mL bottle unopened in my closet. If you can't tell already, I don't plan to go a day without Chloe EDP hahaha. The sample bottle from Topbox is really cute, and tiny as it is, it is still made of glass, giving it a minature luxury feel. However, I don't think that I will actually use this bottle because it has a little stopper top that tends to be a bit more difficult to open, plus I already have the full size item in use. I think I will keep it more as a small decoration piece. 

Here is the sample bottle next to the 50mL bottle, it is just so adorable I couldn't help but put one more picture in here!

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this month's Topbox, especially considering the fact that they recently increased the price from $10/month to $12/month. If only its contents were as appealing as the change in colour of the box itself and the tissue paper. However, this is only my second month receiving it since I came off the waitlist for November, and last month's box wasn't too shabby. I'll continue with the subscription for a little while and hopefully there will be some more surprises in the months to come! 

If you are interested in subscribing to topbox, you can visit them here: www.topbox.ca

Disclaimer: The topbox subscription was paid for with my own money and the above post was my honest, unbiased opinion :)

Thanks for reading!

Joanne