January Luxe Box 2012 [super duper long]

     So I recently received my first every Luxe box from Loose Button! If you're familiar with the Birchboxes in the US, then this is basically a Canadian version. There are other companies that do this service as well, so this is just one company out of the many that have been popping up recently.

     For those of you who don't know, however, these luxe boxes are a service you pay $12 a month for and what you get inside are 4-5 regular and deluxe sized samples. The idea is that you can pay a manageable fee and still try out some products that you may not have thought about trying before. It's a great way to expand your knowledge of beauty and health products!

     Rather than a super in depth review for each product, this post will focus more on my first impressions of this company and this month's box as a whole.


     They shipped it out late this month, so I actually only got it today..

 
     So apparently I was lucky this month and got a complimentary second box (white) as a New Year's present of sorts. I think the packaging is very chic, but perhaps not as eco friendly as it could be. Actually, these two boxes were sent in yet another box, which I don't really like. They also have a bunch of shredded paper inside, which looks cool, but again it's pretty wasteful I think.

     Something I do like about it, is that it's somewhat personalized. They have your name on all the cards, as well as a thank you card from the company. I've exchanged emails with them as well, and they were very prompt in reply and very courteous.

     I'm not familiar with benefit (or at least haven't tried them yet), but apparently this isn't for sale. I suppose there's some value to that!

     I got the above in a full-size, which retails for $4 (Not outstanding, but it's still full-size). I wouldn't recommend this for use on eyebrows though, as it is just WAY too dark for a natural look. I suggest keeping it as a kohl eye liner. 

tip: for the appearance of fuller lashes, line your upper waterline.

from top to bottom: Lise Watier Plumpissimo le Gloss, benefit posie tint, NYX slim eye pencil.

     I don't think I'll be using the Lise Watier gloss that often, as the applicator was this weird brush thing. It felt gloopy on my hand and the tint isn't what I go for usually... it's a little too mature a shade for me I think. 

     The benefit posie tint goes on quite shear and has a cute pink colour to it. It has a liquid-gel consistency, so while it says you can apply it to both your cheeks and your lips I'm still hesitant to put it on my cheeks as the texture would kinda creep me out. It seems nice enough for the lips though!

     The NYX eye liner seems like your standard soft kohl liner. Not too sure what it's doing in a luxe box...

     This is a good sample size of a very expensive moisturizer. Although I wish it was targeted more towards my age.. however the benefits might still apply. The smell of this reminds me of old, dusty cottages. It has sort of a musky, wood scent for me which I'm not sure if I like it or not. The moisturizer itself is not sticky, greasy or oily. It seems to soak well and leave the skin feeling soft. Can't speak for it's long-term effects though!

     I don't drink coffee AT ALL, so this is rather useless to me. However, this is yet another full-sized product that retails at $9.99. In this sense, I can't be too angry as I've already made my money back with both the eyeliner and this packet of coffee!

That being said, here's what I got in the white box!

     I wasn't too crazy about the razor. It seems a bit weird to get something like this in a service that's supposed to provide luxury items we don't normally get to experience. I'm not sure if I would classify this as a luxury item. However, this is yet another full-size product that retails at $13.99.

     The shampoo and conditioner is a little more conventional to receive for a service like this. Everyone seems to like this brand online so I'm a bit curious to try it out! This sample also came with a coupon thing worth 8 000 bonus Shoppers Optimum points (which, if you know me, you know that I'm a sucker for these things) when you purchase any Fekkai hair product. This is REALLY tempting, but I took a peak online and it's pretty expensive. I'm gonna have to love it to the point of no return if I want to justify buying it.

     So while I'm disappointed in some areas, and impressed in others, I have to say that even buying one month is nice treat! There's the downside of not knowing what you'll get, but there's the potential of getting something you'll really love!

    Sadly, my subscription ends after February, so I have one more luxe box to go and then I'm done. I might try another service like Top Box, as that seems to be a very popular one. I think there's limited availability though, so who knows when that will happen.

     So if you're hesitant with buying products because you don't know if they're for you or not, this service is great because you make your money back and then some. It's super affordable to begin with anyways! This is also great for beauty noobs because it'll expose you to many different products!

If you'd like to try out Luxe Box by Loosebutton, then click here: Luxe Box website (this is a referral link, so that if you sign up from here, then I earn points for free luxe boxes. I can't afford this service all the time, so if you think I deserve a treat then I would be very flattered!)

If you live in the USA, then try out Birchbox here: Birchbox website

Thanks for reading this far, and if you decide to do it then great! I hope you find something you really love!