July 2014 TopBox

This month's TopBox offered a wishlist of items you could "ask" for. You are directed to the website and then select options that you would prefer to have. There are no guarantees but....

Wait, wait - let me backtrack a little. Some of you may know that I am hiking part of the Camino de Santiago in September. Why do I mention it? I will be taking mascara as there is zero possibility I will be making this hike empty eyelashed. Never. Gonna. Happen.

One of my recent favourites is Benefit They're Real and in happy circumstance, this month's Topbox wish list selection included a They're Real trial size combo pack - with the mascara!  Squeee!!!  So of course I rolled the die and asked for this as my first choice.  And I'm waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the mail...

Annddd... I opted to add a $10 surprise beauty item to this order. No clue what it will be but hey - I only go this way once.

So yesterday I received my order annnnnnddddd...

Wait for it....

Yep! I got the Benefit sampler box.  Inside was the (from left to right):

1. They're Real push up liner. Retails for $29
2. They're Real remover. Retails for $22.
3. Stay don't Stray in Medium-Dark. Retails for $30
4. They're Real Mascara.  Retails for $29

Before I move on I am going to chat a little bit on the Benefit sampler.

Mascara
As I've stated before - the mascara is a slam dunk for an excellent product. I favour waterproof formulas as I have oily lids which sometimes leeches down my eyes (resulting in raccoon looks). This is NOT waterproof and is a long lasting product. This container is compact, love the wand and is available in travel and full sizes ($12/$29 respectively).

Stay don't Stray in Medium-Dark
I use Light-Medium typically but since I only use it on my eyelid and cover it with shadow I wasn't too upset about a shade darker. I find this product (as I've used it before) fairly adequate as a primer. Not outstanding but not completely ineffective.

Remover
This is a new product in the line. I will give it a try on the Camino. That's a big deal and it HAS to work. Yeah, I'm taking a chance.

Push Up Liner
There has been a lot of buzz about this new product. I was curious because I favour a black liner with a flick. This sample is small. I repeat... SMALL. For the full sized liner: to start the flow you turn the body of the liner case and then apply to the eye. For the sample sized liner: to start the flow you squeeze the case. I applied it today and for a liner novice it's pretty forgiving and easy to use. For experienced liner-ers - it's fine and has pretty good staying power but it's likely you can do as good an application using your current technique.


Also included was a little surprise of:

 I like nail polish - I wish I had the patience to paint my nails. I usually get it done on the outside (to use a seinfeld quote about coffee).  Cost for a bottle is typically between $3-7 depending on sales and locations. I know Sally Beauty carries the brand in Canada.

Last up is my $10 surprise beauty item.  For this one I received a Be a Bombshell quad eyeshadow which typically retails for $16. It's called Madrid which made me chuckle as I am going to Madrid to start my Camino de Santiago!

Really Sunshine-y coming in the window

From Upper Right and Moving Clockwise: Starlet, Risky Business, Birthday Suit and Tempted

It's a nice combo with 1 matte and 3 shimmer shadows. You really have to apply a lot of the Starlet to have payoff for a smoky eye. All in all a nice, versatile quad.

That's it! This month's TopBox was a good one. I was not disappointed in anything I received.

Cheers,
Lori