Hello everyone! Welcome to my very first Box Rewind post!
When I started blogging, I developed a habit of stockpiling cosmetics. Despite really, really, really wanting to use them YESTERDAY ASAP, I kept them untouched because I've yet to take product shots. And who wants to look at fudgy, crusty makeup? Pretty shallow, I know. Like up until today, I can't even sniff my ultimate holiday wish list purchase, the Guerlain Meteorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer which I bought for myself during the New Year. I've been itching like a rabid dog every day I glimpse at that holiday bag, yet the box remains pristine and untouched.
And I'm only marginally comforted by the fact that I see the same thing happening when I hop across my blogroll... Hihihi! Hoarders unite!
And I'm only marginally comforted by the fact that I see the same thing happening when I hop across my blogroll... Hihihi! Hoarders unite!
Anyway! I wasn't on Hiatus when I got the SM Beauty Box (Php 799) on exactly August 1. It just had SO. MUCH. STUFF. in it that I couldn't even get myself started. So I left it in a corner in my room and kind of forgot about it. Pretty strange fate that my SM Beauty Box suffered considering how CRAZY I was over it but yeah, that's how rigid my don't-touch-'til-photographed rule is.
I remember this box was teased a week or two prior to it's release. I immediately scheduled the family driver to be at SM North EDSA (the closest SM to our place) at exactly 10am as soon as I heard about the box. I wasn't sure how fast this would go out and he had to pre-empt any UAAP-like lines! THANKFULLY, he is an awesome person who, obviously, found and got it for me.
Some quick facts: Priced at Php 799. 14"x14"x4". Magnetic Flap Closure. Has 21 items (though I've read reports that some boxes have varying number of items.) Weighs 8lbs with contents inside.
I DIE ALL OVER AGAIN JUST LOOKING AT IT.
Here's What I Got (Sorted by Product Category!):
Based on various teasers, the Olay Regenerist seemed to be the hype product. As it rightly should! At Php 1499, this alone almost doubles your investment. It's not old stock, comes from a reputable brand and is full size. Somebody slap me!
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| SM Beauty Box: Unboxing |
I remember this box was teased a week or two prior to it's release. I immediately scheduled the family driver to be at SM North EDSA (the closest SM to our place) at exactly 10am as soon as I heard about the box. I wasn't sure how fast this would go out and he had to pre-empt any UAAP-like lines! THANKFULLY, he is an awesome person who, obviously, found and got it for me.
Some quick facts: Priced at Php 799. 14"x14"x4". Magnetic Flap Closure. Has 21 items (though I've read reports that some boxes have varying number of items.) Weighs 8lbs with contents inside.
I DIE ALL OVER AGAIN JUST LOOKING AT IT.
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| SM Beauty Box 2013: Impressions |
Smells like heaven, too!
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| Best of the Bunch (L-R) Olay Regenerist Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo, Flormar Magnetic Nail Enamel in MG04, Essence XXXL Shine Lip Gloss in 15 True Love |
Based on various teasers, the Olay Regenerist seemed to be the hype product. As it rightly should! At Php 1499, this alone almost doubles your investment. It's not old stock, comes from a reputable brand and is full size. Somebody slap me!
While initially unimpressed with Flormar, I love the magnet on this polish unit. Instead of being built onto awkward rings or bulky lids, the magnet is set onto a fingertip guard allowing a comfortable polishing experience.
Lastly, gloss! I love some gloss, and it doesn't hurt that Essence is a pretty trust-worthy drugstore brand. It's in a safe, watermelon shade, too. I can throw this in my bag right now, without testing, and I already know it can be part of my "reliable retouch crew."
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| Hair RX (L-R) Opal Hot Oil Cream Conditioner and Nanny Rose's Gugo & Lawat Shampoo |
I don't know if it has anything to do with being raised in a Filipino household, but I have complete faith in coconut hair products! I am just in need of a hot oil cream such as Opal's. The huge tub will allow me to slather on as much product as my parched hair needs!
I can easily pair this with some Nanny Rose for my tortured, digi-permed, double ombre'd hair. I've been quite paranoid with hair fall lately!
How cute are those Quick FX sachets? I mean, come on! I must admit, I have no idea about this brand but I love the variety in the offering. I'll leave the tinted moisturizer and mattifier in my cosmetics box, and I'll probably leave the eyelift cream and pimple eraser in my skincare box. I've been itching to try the tinted moisturizer since forever!
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| Skincare Specialists (L-R) Quick FX sampler set of: Eyelift Cream, Tinted Moisturizer, Pimple Eraser and No-Shine Mattifier; Skinklens cleanser; Purederm Makeup Cleansing Tissues in Lavender |
How cute are those Quick FX sachets? I mean, come on! I must admit, I have no idea about this brand but I love the variety in the offering. I'll leave the tinted moisturizer and mattifier in my cosmetics box, and I'll probably leave the eyelift cream and pimple eraser in my skincare box. I've been itching to try the tinted moisturizer since forever!
On the other hand, I'm getting really excited and having complete faith on Skinklens after Kira of Elegantly Wasted tried it out as a Cetaphil dupe! She has supremely sensitive skin and this didn't react on her at all. Though she did mention that other people have reactions to it... bah. I trust her!
Also going by word of mouth, I'm pretty excited to put these Purederm makeup wipes to the test. Donna of My Lucid Intervals has raved about them and actually hoarded while they were on sale. I love keeping a pack of makeup wipes as an alternative to my full skincare routine. When I'm really sleepy or tired, I just use wipes instead of doing the full double cleanse-tone-serum-moisturize routine.
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| Hair Prettifiers (L-R) Palty Hair Color in Milktea Brown, Lucido-L Straightening Milk, Vitress Cuticle Coat |
I'm not really into ashy shades of hair color, but I would love to give this Palty box dye a run! I've only ever tried L'Oreal Excellence and Revlon Colorsilk. Random fact: even the Revlon box defers you to L'Oreal Excellence if you want 100% gray coverage. Are they sister brands or something? Anyway, this will be my first Asian box dye, wish me luck!
I've gotten the hot pink variant of Lucido-L from a past BDJ Box, but I've never tried it to this day. This straightening variant will lie in sample limbo 'til I ditch my perm.
On the other hand, I am a huge fan of Vitress cuticle coat! It's super inexpensive but does the job impressively. It's lightweight, so it doesn't give me that drowned duckling look despite having super fine hair. Of all the hair serums and oils I've used, this is the only one that has drastically changed both the look and texture of my hair, as if I've used conditioner! I've tried Kerastase Oleo Relax and honestly, it's just "surface" treatment for me. Sure, I get shine, but my hair doesn't really feel any bouncier or smoother.
I will never, in all of my existence, turn down a mask sample. I love masks! And to think this was sent during the cusp of the snail facial revolution. It's a 3D mask, too. You all know I love sitting back with a 3D mask snuggling my face!
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| Detox Buddies (L-R) Purederm Snail Mask, Purederm Exfoliating Foot Mask, Metabo Diet Coffee |
I will never, in all of my existence, turn down a mask sample. I love masks! And to think this was sent during the cusp of the snail facial revolution. It's a 3D mask, too. You all know I love sitting back with a 3D mask snuggling my face!
However, if there's one thing that I'm freaked out about, it's foot masks. Let that be the exception. I'm too scared to try one of these things but I might pick it up one day, just for the heck of it. People who suffer from chronic sinigang (tamarind broth) feet are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO TRY THIS. ehem, ehem.
Metabo diet coffee, no thanks.
I recently got a loofah and have been using shower gels when I'm in a rush. It's way faster and feels more "cleansing" than regular bar soap anyway! Not particularly excited about the Beyond Care lotion that came with it, but the sample looks really decent and it smells nice when I sniffed straight from the bottle. It's worth a shot.
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| Skin Care (L-R) Beyond Care Body Wash in Carribean Escape, Beyond Care Body Lotion in Moonlight Breeze, Snake Brand Prickly Heat Powder, Evas Vitamin Hand cream in Lemon |
I recently got a loofah and have been using shower gels when I'm in a rush. It's way faster and feels more "cleansing" than regular bar soap anyway! Not particularly excited about the Beyond Care lotion that came with it, but the sample looks really decent and it smells nice when I sniffed straight from the bottle. It's worth a shot.
Prickly Heat powder was a weird thing to give in August, but now that summer is supposed to come, I guess I'll find use for this Snake Brand sample. Actually, I'm not even sure because I stopped needing these things when I stopped playing running games such as shake-shake-shampoo. I think I still had a one-digit age. Or not. Yuck, I feel so old.
Hand creams, I usually do not care about. But given this month's freaky-cold weather, I have been drying up and cracking at the hands like absolute hell! A friend who smokes once commented that citrus products are great to have on-hand because they easily mask the smoky smell. That wouldn't really benefit me so I'm not really particularly excited about this sample especially since I'm still going through an Innisfree sample.
RECAP:
At Php 799, especially with the monthlies rated at Php 500-590, this box is the ultimate steal! It has 21 items and they are all premium to full size, with Metabo coffee being the only exception. As if I care! The monthlies usually have 5-7 items only, though BDJ often goes closer to 10.
Truth be told, I actually expected SM to throw in a lot of cheap-y expiring samples but this box is hands-down, grade A! The samples are mostly full-size and relevant, (meaning, new and hyped items, not "warehouse" items.)
There's a good mix of reliable best-sellers with a few discoverables inside. That's the ideal mix for a subscription box, if you ask me. I've always believed you can't have a purely "indie" selection in a subscription; it pulls satisfaction way down. SM got it right by throwing in a few sure-fire crowd pleasers. While this box has a lot of really budget discoverables (well, that's what SM is known for anyways) I'm left feeling ecstatic about the whole deal!
I probably could not sustain a monthly Php 799 subby, so I'm pretty glad this seems to be a seasonal offering. I hope they release another one in 2014!