USA Winter Luxebox and USA December Glossybox Review

So now that I finally have my January glossybox, it was time to review December's box.

Ecru New York Cosmetic Hair Care - Acacia Protein Oil - $30/1.7 oz

This multi-tasking elixir provides superb conditioning and moisturizing while reducing drying time, eliminating frizz and mending split ends. Protect your hair against heat damage with this restoring and smoothing hair serum.

Don't get me wrong, I love hair serums and oils. I use argon oil every day in my hair and have loved passed oils given in glossy boxes (and other boxes), but this I did not like. It did not reduce drying time and it made my hair feel greasy (so I guess it did condition and moisturize and eliminate frizz). I forgot what it was called, but the oil given to us in September I loved so much I actually bought, this I have used twice and now will most likely be thrown out. Not a winner.

Forest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda - Madurai Jasmine and Mogra Bath and Shower Oil - $22/6.8 oz

This after bath and shower moisturizer is a seductive blend of essential and all-natural oils formulated to leave your skin smooth with a subtle, seductive scent. Apply this oil on wet skin to seal in moisture. 

This product I liked. Because of the Jasmine it actually smells a bit like the Rodin oil (though far less luxurious). It isn't too greasy and does absorb pretty quickly into the skin. I'm also pretty sure I received a full size bottle of this stuff. Not my favorite bath oil as in I probably wouldn't repurchase, but not terrible either. It is moisturizing and I do enjoy the scent.

Heartland Fragrance Co. - Bath Salts - $10/30 oz

Indulge in healing aromatherapy with these 100% pure Epsom bath sales. Treat yourself to a full body boost with these herb-infused accents in your bathing routine. Use weekly to dramatically reduce tension and refresh your skin.

These smelled pretty good and came in a pretty large bag. I don't really use salts when I bathe (I prefer bath bombs and  the like), but these weren't terrible. Theres supposed to be a lot of amazing properties to bathing with bath salts. Made my skin feel soft, not a whole lot more to say about these.

Oscar Blandi - Pronto Dry Heat Protectant Spray - $23/4 oz

A dry spray protectant enriched with keratin proteins and paraban free. This product is your best defense against heat styling and hot tools. The unique formula strengthens and protects your precious tresses, enhances shine and ensures a firm hold - prepare for fabulous hairstyling.

I actually like Oscar Blandi stuff. I'm pretty sure this exact item was recently in birchbox, so I can imagine those ladies who received this again weren't too thrilled. I on the other hand liked this. I can't really attest for heat protectant as my hair stands up to the heat well enough, but it did make my hair shinier and held onto my style for a bit longer (I mean I shower every day anyway, but it lasted all day without frizzing).

Pleats Please by Issey Miyake - Eau de Toilette - $92/3.4 oz

A fashion forward fragrance inspired by world renowned designer Issey Miyake's iconic Pleats Please ready wear line. Enjoy the effervescent, sensual, and addictive notes which embody the essence of joy, femininity, and elegance. 

I really wish that subscription boxes would stop sending perfume samples. I like my perfume and will most likely not purchase yours. It is one of the reasons I cancelled my birchbox. With that said, this isn't a terrible fragrance and I have worn it a few times. I know that many others were really excited about this being in their box. I would have rather received just about anything else.

Zoya Nail Lacquers - $8/.5 oz

These uniquely ornate nail lacquers will transform your nails into jewels. The long wearing and toxin-free formula will keep your nails sparkling all season, and looking their glossy best.

I used glossy boxes zoya storm on all the nails except the accent nail which I used Luxeboxes Essie in Leading Lady. I liked this polish, it was very pretty and quite on season. It was a lovely black with white glitter in it.

Jewelmint - Various styles - $29.99

Inspired by the runway, vintage jewelry and on-trend celebrity style, Jewelmint.com offers a versatile jewelry collection each month and recommends pieces that match your personal style. 

I don't really like costume jewelry, so I gave this ring to my mother. I just feel bad because I gave it to her before I took a picture of it and you can't really see it in the original pictures. Oh well, I don't really think it was any great loss.

Considering how much I disliked the fall luxebox, I was really pleasantly surprised by the winter one. I used pretty much all of the products in here and some of them (such as the kabuki brush) I use everyday.

Eyeko Mini Skinny Brush Mascara

The dispersed bristles and slim design of our Skinny Brush grab and capture the shortest lashes to lengthen and extend. Use eyeko skinny brush mascara for perfect luscious lashes. 

I really liked this product. I loved what it did for the lashes. It lengthened them and thickened them without making them clumpy. They were lush and dark and wonderful. The only thing I wasn't warned about was the fact that this is a waterproof formula. I don't like nor use waterproof formulas. I ended up giving this to a friend, but had it not been waterproof this might have been my new favorite mascara.

Essie Nail Lacquer in Leading Lady

Get into the holiday spirit this season by decorating your nails with Essie's latest holiday collection with this supreme deep red with glitter. Free of DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde.

You can see the image of this nail polish above. It was a lovely red sparkle. It is simply a gorgeous color. I love this polish and will absolutely use it again and again.

Orland Eye Contour

A treatment specially designed to provide true biological rest for the fragile skin around the eyes.

This stuff burns for a few seconds after putting it on, but I can defiantly see the difference. It brightens and plumps up the skin under the eye. I just can't believe how expensive this is (and ultimately the price of the sample)! I might have recommended this to my mother if not for that.

Marc Anthony Beach Spray

Create natural, effortless, beach hair worn loose, soft, and wavy with this Marc Anthony Beach Spray.

I'm going to be perfectly honest, I have not used this nor the Marc Anthony Curl Defining Lotion (seen below). I wear my hair straight nearly every single day. I might try these out in the summer where I am more likely to let my natural hair out, but not now. I even wrote on their survey that I wear my hair straight so I am not particularly sure why they sent this to everyone.

Marc Anthony Strictly urls Curl Defining Lotion

This alcohol-free, lightweight, non-sticky formula enriched with Vitamin E and Vitamin B binds to the curl strands to create definition, while leaving your curls bouncy and soft.

Donna Karen - Woman

The strength and softness of woman is expressed through creamy notes of orange flower than delicately wrap the confident signature core of Haitian vetiver and sandalwood.

As stated above, I am not a fan of receiving perfumes in subscription boxes. However, this is an exception. I mostly hate them because they give you these tiny vials that I can get as samples anywhere.  This was an absolute deluxe sized sample (its the oddly shaped bottle all the way to the far left in the image above). It smelled really good as well. I gave this to a friend who loved the scent and was very appreciative!

Kerastase Cristalliste Lumier Liquide 

A weightless serum with a radiant shine that will leave the hair shiny, smooth, and soft to the touch.

I did not like the sample size of this. It was house in the sample size tubes one usually finds for perfumes. I did like the product. It did all the things the glossybox one promised. It made my hair lush and shiny, moisturized, and frizz-free. I might consider purchasing this in the future.

Loose Button Kabuki Brush

A kabuki brush that works with many different types of makeup, delicately made to accentuate every feature.

This was perhaps my favorite item out of both boxes. Oddly enough, I don't own a kabuki brush, and as such this was a welcome addition to my brush family. I now use this brush almost daily. I absolutely love this thing!

Loosebutton USA was only available for a promotional period and is no longer available to purchase in the states (one can still get the Canadian one if they live there). Glossybox is a monthly subscription box that is $21 a month and can be purchased from http://www.glossybox.com/

Winter USA Luxebox and December USA Glossybox

Today was a wonderful mail day for me. I spent a lovely afternoon playing at the Nars counter in Lord and Taylor and at Lush and come home happy to play with my new samples and low and behold I have my luxebox and glossybox waiting for me at my door! I'm sorry I haven't received last month's glossybox yet, but I still am waiting on that product that was missing from my box! I have to say, considering all the negative comments I had about the fall luxebox, loose button MORE than made up for it here. I am thrilled with what I received. This season the products came in a lovely silky bag with the loose button logo instead of the silky handkerchief from the fall. Well, without further ado, here are the things I received.

Eyeko Mini Skinny Brush Mascara

Essie Nail Lacquer in Leading Lady

Orlane Eye Contour

Marc Anthony Beach Spray

Donna Karen Perfume in Woman

Kerastase Cristalliste Lumiere Liquide

Marc Anthony Strictly Curls Defining Lotion

Loose Button Kabuki Brush

Ecru New York Cosmetic Hair Care

Forest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda

Heartland Fragrance Co. Bath Salts

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Heat Protect Spray

Pleats Please by Issry Miyake 

Zoya Nail Lacquers

Jewelmint ring

I am really excited about both of these boxes. The nail polish color from my glossybox is very similar to a Butter London color I was planning on purchasing, so I'm really pleased about that. Any of you get these boxes? Were yours the same? 

The USA loose button luxebox was a 2 season event and will not be taken forward. So it is not something you can subscribe to, but glossybox is a monthly subscription service for $21 a month and can be subscribed to at http://www.glossybox.com/

Review on Fall USA Luxebox Items and October Glossybox Items

I just realized I never reviewed these products after I posted what I received! Well, for anyone who might have been interested, here is my review:

The Vichy Purete Thermale Refreshing Toner:

It's Invigorating texture leaves skin feeling totally refreshed. The perfect way to finish a cleansing routine.

Personally, I feel most toners do the same thing. They clean off any remaining residue after you cleanse and Ph balance your face. Some moisturize while others contain alcohol and strip. Other than that I personally don't see a huge difference between the more expensive ones and the cheap ones. This was no different. It doesn't contain alcohol, which is nice, other than that it did the job as any other toner would.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner:

A precise, accentuating liquid eyeliner that will help you create the look you want without any smudges.

I'm not sure if I just received a dud, but I didn't specifically like this item, even though I am aware that this is a cult item. I thought it came out more of a dark grey than black. Perhaps I will take pictures later comparing it to my other liquid black eyeliners, but I thought it could have been darker. I also found that it did smudge worse than my Mac gel liner. I think I used this twice before retiring it to the back of my eyeliner drawer.

Marcelle Lux Cream Eye Shadow + Liner:

The waterproof ultra-silky texture glides on evenly for a quick and easy application and color that lasts up to nine hours.

This product I really liked. I didn't specifically like the color I received it in, but the product itself was pretty good. It has a double end, one with the color and the other side had a sponge smudger. I tried it both as an eyeliner and eyeshadow and both worked nicely. As an eyeshadow it didn't crease and it stayed nicely without smudging all day as an eyeliner. It kind of reminded me of the Makeup Forever Aqua Pencils.

Orlane Absolute Skin Recovery Polyactive:

This reinforced formula actively defends against extreme fatigue, a cause of skin aging. This formula creates visible results from the first few applications.

I'm sorry to say that I have not tried this product and won't be trying it anytime soon. I check out reviews of all products before I put them on my skin because I do have pretty sensitive skin and others warned that this was a very active product and can cause really bad skin irritation.

Orlane Super Moisturizing Concentrate:

This lightweight, silky cream works for 24 hours to restore the skin's optimal moisture balance, helping skin to regain its suppleness and radiance.

This Orlane product, on the other hand, I both tried and loved. I found it super moisturizing without causing greasiness and it absorbed super quickly into the skin. It is quite light feeling and has a nice, clean scent to it. It made my skin very silky soft. If this product wasn't so darn expensive I might have bought a full size jar.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects:

Sally Hansen makes it easy to get a salon effect any time, any place. It wears like nail polish because it is nail polish. With no dry time, you're always ready to go.

This was another product I did not use, but that is because I have tried it in the past and didn't specifically like it. I find that they are pretty hard to get on and thus don't think they are worth it. Two of my friends have tried it as well. One stated that they work really well when they are fresh, but if you get a box that has been sitting in the store too long, they become difficult to work with (which is maybe why I had problems) and the other person goes to a nail salon and the manicurist also had difficulties. Not my favorite product.

Schick Hydro Silk Razor:

This uniquely designed razor goes beyond an incredibly close shave to actually care for your skin. With moisturizing ingredients, this razor leaves the skin feeling silky smooth!

This is another product I have used in the past because it came in one of my birch boxes. Am I happy this came in my box? Not specifically. However it is one of the more useful items. It does give a really close shave without my legs feeling dry. It has moisture strips on it that make the shave smooth and moisturizing. I do really like this razor and will most likely be buying refills for it.

Essie Nail Polish:

Put your nails in the spotlight with the perfect manicure. One of our favorite nail lacquers all year round! This bottle is DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde Free.

Not a whole lot to say about this nail polish. I never have something to say about products that are typical. It doesn't chip, smell, and I like the color. Thats pretty much all I have to say about nail polish. I currently have it on my toes and it has lasted the two week mark quite nicely.

Luxebox is a loose button quarterly subscription service for $26 a quarter. It can be purchased here: https://loosebutton.com/LuxeBox

In this post I am also going to revue the products that were in my October Glossybox. As with all my glossy boxes recently, I have pretty much liked everything in it! Seriously, this is a box that you want to subscribe to.

Alessandro Pedix Heel Rescue Balm - $6/0.26 oz:

A perfect foot-care aid for dry, chapped feet imported exclusively from Germany. When used regularly, the rich cream with MarinaVital complex provides lasting protection against calluses.

I don't really use foot creams, so I used this once for the purpose of review and then gave it to my mother. It doesn't really have any odor to it, good or bad, which I like, especially in a foot cream. I found it was very moisturizing and is most likely a very effective product (if used daily).

Alterna Bamboo Luminous Shine Mist - $22/4 oz:

An eco-certified shine mist made with Indian gooseberry and organic bamboo that controls frizz and flyways. It is brilliant and weightless gloss for any hair type.

My bottle was mostly leaked when I received this and my replacement bottle has not arrived yet (most likely delayed because of the storm). So I only really got to try this once. It smells really nice and does leave hair with a nice shine without doing much else. It isn't greasy and doesn't weigh the hair down. there are much better products out there that control frizz and flyways, but it isn't a bad product.

Carol's Daughter Shea Souffle - $20/8 oz:

A superbly rich and fast absorbing daily moisturizer containing Shea butter, Cocoa butter, and Jojoba oil to help you reach your skin's optimal softness. This shea soufflé is non-greasy and free of paragons, mineral oil, and artificial color.

My lotion came in Almond Cookie, which is a very sweet and pungent odor. It kind of smells like baby powder. I couldn't decide if I liked the fragrance, and still can't, but I do really like the product. It does everything it says it does. It is really moisturizing without being greasy and doesn't feel thick on the skin. My only caveat is that it doesn't absorb into the skin easily and it takes a lot of effort to get it to. You also don't need a large amount of product to cover a large amount of area.

Heartland Fragrances Exfoliating Loofa Soap - $8/6 oz:

A unique hand-poured loofa soap encased in gentle glycerin provides the perfect blend of moisture and exfoliation. This soap is designed to increase circulation and is great for exfoliating. Use on rough dry areas.

I received this product in Blood Orange and this soap smells like heaven. I love keeping it opened in my bathroom because it makes my bathroom smell so nice. I just wish I felt the same way about the soap itself. It is very harsh on the skin and felt like it was tearing me up. I used just the glycerin part without the scrub and I did like that part. I think I would buy Heartland fragrances glycerin soap (they do sell the soap without the exfoliant) as it seemed to be soft and moisturizing, but sadly this soap has been relegated to my feet as I do not like it used on my body.

Modelco Lip Duo Lipstick and Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss - $39/lipstick

An ultimate pairing of lip color - a flawless, long lasting lipstick and an intense beaming gloss. Each may be worn separately or layered for an individually tailored hue.

I absolutely love this lipstick/gloss duo. I like this color even more than last months glossy pink lipstick. This is also a pinky nude, but leans more towards the nude side whereas the glossy pink was a pinky nude that leaned more towards the pink side. It is wonderfully moisturizing and lasts quite awhile. I have used the lipstick by itself, the gloss by itself, and paired them together and I like it all 3 ways. It is truly a fantastic product! I'm pretty sure it is my favorite out of this month's box!

Glossybox is a monthly subscription service for $21 a month and can be purchased here: http://www.glossybox.com/

Fall USA Luxe Box

So my first blog post is going to be about the fall USA Luxe Box by loose button. They are a Canadian beauty box subscription service that is going on a world tour and their first stop was the United States.

My Box Included:

Vichy Purete Thermale Refreshing Toner

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Marcelle Lux Cream Eye Shadow

Orlane Absolute Skin Recovery Polyactive

Orlane Super Moisturizing Concentrate

Sally Hansen Salon Effects

Schick Razor

Essie Nail Polish

Overall I was not pleased with this box. It was $26 and I think that it was really not worth it. Birchbox gave the same razor in their August boxes and I just really don’t get it. Either way I’ll update soon with reviews on some of these products like the Orlane.

Next time I will take a picture of the box before I take everything out. I also subscribe to Glossybox and am thinking of subscribing to sample society. If anyone has subscribed to sample society and wants to let me know their thoughts feel free to leave me a comment! =)

Luxe Box is $26 a quarter and can be bought from  www.loosebutton.com