Even though its mid-June, I wanted to post the May Beauty Box 5. This shipped out on May 20th and I received it on June 11th. For all three of the boxes I’ve received, it looks like it takes 3 weeks to get to their Canadian customers.

Beauty Box 5 is a subscription service with more of a skin care and body product focus. Their boxes are normally $12/month if you buy on a month to month basis, but can be as little as $8 if you buy an annual subscription. For Canadians, they do not charge any additional shipping charges like Ipsy. I purchased a 3 month subscription, so this is my last box. Here’s what was inside:

Brazen Cosmetics Lip Gloss in LA Femme (incorrect info on card, no value)- I have to admit I was disappointed to see another Brazen sample because my info card said we were getting a Ferro Cosmetics sample and I really like what I’ve tried from Ferro. I think it’s a really pretty gloss, kind of a pinky-peach shade with a lot of shimmer. It is really thick in the pot but it doesn’t seem too bad to spread around.

Jean Pierre Tanning Towellettes x 2 ($8.99/10 packets. Value: $1.80) – These actually came at a good time for me because I have a nice tan on my upper body except my neck! I’m not normally a self tanner user but I will definitely use these to see if I can even out my tan a bit.

Model Co. Black Eyeliner ($18. Full size!)- This is a really soft, opaque liner. I like the little sharpener on the end too. Very handy if you have this in your makeup bag while you’re out.

Coolway Transform Styling Spray ($24.95/6.7oz. Value: $12.28/3.3oz)- This is a heat protective and styling spray. It has a really weird smell to it. I really like the heat protector I’m using now and I’ve been using argan oil so I’m not sure if I want to add another product right now.

LA Fresh Deodorant Wipes x 2 ($19.90/48 packets. Value: $.82) – These made me laugh! LA Fresh gets the crown on making any product into a wipe. My first thought was that I would never get a use out them but I think I will add them to my travel box because they would be great to take on plane ride. No one ever smells good after sitting in a plane!

I am happy with the products I received in my Beauty Box 5 boxes, but I will not be renewing my subscription. I didn’t have a chance to post April’s BB5 because of exams and school winding down, but it contained a lot of the same brands from March and May. Each box I received had a Brazen and LA Fresh sample and April’s had a Model Co. lip liner. I like a bit more variation in my boxes because for me the point is to try out new brands. If you’d like to see a quick post on April’s Beauty Box 5, let me know and I’ll take a few photos.

What do you think of Beauty Box 5? If you subscribe, are you getting tired of repeat brands or are you happy to see them? Let me know!

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Last week I popped over to the States to pick up something for my brother – nicest sister ever, I know! I live about an hour and a half from the Port Huron crossing and have gone over a few times, but I’ve never been shopping for makeup. To be honest, I never really understood the appeal of shopping in the States until I looked through some local flyers and really realized how much less expensive things some things are!

While I was down there, I stopped in a few stores to look around for makeup that isn’t readily available to Canadians. My first stop was Walmart. Not only are the prices so much less, a lot of brands don’t offer the same selection here as down there. Plus Walmart.com is so much more comprehensive than Walmart.ca so it’s easier to look at all the products and decide what I wanted.

I picked up two Covergirl Instant Cheekbones Contour Blush. In Canada, they retail for $7.47. I got them for $4.44 each. I chose Peach Perfection and Sophisticated Sable. I really love all of the shades in each one and can see myself getting a lot of use of each colour on their own and together. I haven’t purchased a Covergirl product in a long time but I used to wear a lot of their makeup. I think it’s funny that their packaging on certain products hasn’t changed over the years, it brings back some memories!

Next I stopped at Ulta. I didn’t even know Port Huron had an Ulta but I was really happy they do. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Sephora so it’s nice to see an alternative. I wandered around for quite awhile trying to find something I wanted, but couldn’t get in Canada. I was also searching for Stila’s The Natural palette. I saw the palette on The Happy Sloth’s blog and thought all of the colours were nice and easy to wear every day. Stila produced three Ulta exclusive palettes, The Natural, Dare to Bare and Not So Nude. I went for The Natural because I thought the colours inside were the ones I’d be more likely to use. I really liked the colours in Not So Nude, but I knew I wouldn’t use the lip gloss so I passed. I couldn’t find Dare to Bare tester so I wasn’t able to swatch the browns against my skin tone although I really like the looks of the highlighter. Actually, I really like the highlighters in all three, I’ll have to hunt around and see if they’re available individually.  Each palette is $20, which is really reasonable so I think it was a good purchase. Plus, it’s my first Stila product!

I was excited to see a good selection of Mario Badescu products available at Ulta too. Unfortunately their shipping is quite expensive and I don’t live close to any stores that carry them. Back in January, I was sent a bunch of their products to test and the Enzyme Cleansing Gel was included. I was getting close to finishing my bottle so when I saw the 16oz bottle for $20, I thought it was a good time to stock up. With every Mario Badescu purchase, Ulta was giving away two free samples. I received the Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 30 and the Whitening Mask.

I also bought a Studio Basics Expert Complexion Sponge. I have been wanting to try a knock off beautyblender for a long time. I love my beautyblender but I don’t want to spend $20+ when I need a new one. To be honest, I only purchased mine because I had a $20 gift certificate to The Shopping Channel around Christmas so I only paid about $4 for mine. I am really excited to see how this sponge stacks up.

Finally, I bought Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Baked Cheek Color in Pink Grapefruit. Laura Geller is pretty hard to get in Canada. We have to order off of Hautelook, QVC or eBay and normally the shipping charges are so high I don’t bother. I didn’t actually set out to purchase anything from Laura Geller but after seeing the display and swatching the blushes I really liked the way Pink Grapefruit looked. They were also giving away samples with purchase so I got a mini Matte Maker Invisible Oil Blotting Powder and a packet of Spackle primer.

I think I will be crossing again to hit up Ulta and maybe visit a few drugstores for their makeup selection. The US border guard looked amused when I said I was going to Ulta, like he couldn’t believe I drove all that way for makeup. If he only knew! Lol!

Do you ever cross-border shop? What are some brands or stores I should check out on my time over?

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June’s Topbox was in my mailbox today. My street is under heavy construction so I was surprised that it was delivered since the normal service has been placed on hold until its done. So, yay! Like usual, I opted for the regular Topbox. If you’re a first time visitor, Topbox is a beauty subscription service exclusive to Canada. For $12 per month, they’ll send out 4 deluxe sized samples or full size items for you to try by the 10th of each month. Similar to Birchbox and Glossybox.

June’s Topbox contained four items this month and all were either makeup or makeup related.

Here’s what was inside:

Belvada Cosmetics Mini Eyelash Curler – Compact and east to use, this curler will create a natural looking curl. Full Size $5.99. Thoughts: I don’t curl my lashes even though I have a couple of eyelash curlers so I don’t know what really makes a good one. I do like how compact this one is and it comes with an extra cover when you need to replace it. Not bad for $5.99.

Benefit Cosmetics Sugarbomb Ultra Plush Gloss – Silky and luxurious shimmering pinky nude lip gloss. Full size $19/15ml. Sample size $8.23/6.5ml. Thoughts: it’s a very pretty gloss, seems like a good consistency and it looks nice against my tan. I’ll probably end up giving it to a friend though.

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Fairy Lash Mascara – A mascara formulated to make eyelashes flutter and flap. Full size $24/8ml. Full size! Thoughts: That name! I’m guessing that this is a lengthening mascara. Mine kind of had a smell to it unlike regular mascara and I was a little put off that it wasn’t sealed somehow. I’m a volumizing mascara girl but ill give it a try.

Pari Beauty Colour Cubes – Multi-purpose mineral pigments in convenient stacks. Use as eyeshadows or mix for versatile use. Full size $30/5 stack, 7g. Sample size 2 stacks, colours 12 & 17, $12?. Thoughts: I’ve heard of Pari but I’ve never tried any of their products. I really like the colours, especially the tan colour. I could see using both of these regularly.

Value: $50.22

I think June’s box is ok. I have to admit that Topbox has piqued my interest when they let subscribers know about the future product launches coming out way. I will keep them on a month to month basis for now. I’m starting to think I need to start a sample rotation so I actually use up all of these items! I’ve heard that with the end of Glossybox, Topbox had an influx of subscription requests so I’ll be curious to see how the next few months go for them. I remember previous subscribers being disappointed with the quality of samples being sent out when the newest members started to receive their boxes.

If you want to sign up for Topbox, click here!

What did you think of June’s regular Topbox? Is it worth the $12 subscription fee? Are you over subscription boxes yet? Let me know!

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