Topbox July 2014 review and swatches

 Hello Darlings!

 

Today I am doing a review of July's Topbox! I love topbox because it is a Canadian subscription box therefore it arrives super quickly.

This is the first time I have requested one of their brand specific boxes. Each month they give you an option of a special box that will contain items from one specific brand with all items showing and listed, or you can choose the regular box, and all items will be a surprise! I decided to request the Benefit They're Real box because I really wanted to try their mascara that everybody adores and the push-up liner which I've heard mixed reviews about.

 

This is my pretty benefit tube, I like that their items come in this cylinder, I always keep all of them [not sure why, to be honest, maybe I will store make-up brushes in them when I travel, or store some art supplies]

 

 

The first item in my box was the Stay Don't Stray eyeshadow primer, I wasn't sure about it at first because the color says Medium/Deep as my skin is on the lighter side.

 

 

 

 

 

But then I swatched it on my arm, yes it is indeed a bit darker than my skin but hey, it's an eyeshadow primer, eyeshadow will be going on top of it so the primer will be covered anyway, I'm not worried about the color at all, will definitely keep it in my travel bag.

 

 

Up next is the They're Real make-up remover. I have not tried it yet, but I will soon, will not use this sample for travel though because I don't want to carry cotton balls/pads with me, I would much rather bring a bag of removing wipes.

 

 

And then I opened up the push-up liner! I was really excited to try it out, the way it was wrapped in a little candy-like wrapper made the unwrapping even more exciting!

I am not new to applying cat-eye liner, I've been doing it for years so I would say I am quite good at it, the tip of the applicator made me quite skeptical, as you have to squeeze the tube to push the liner get out [in the full-size product I believe you need to turn at the bottom of the tube to push the gel out]. This method made application very uneven, sometimes too much will come out and I will end up with a little ball of liner, and when too little comes out you have to go over it again in the same spot and you might mess it up and end up with an uneven line.

 

 

Swatch on arm, to show the inconsistency of the liner:

 



 

 

Liner applied, I ended up with a very uneven cat-eye, so this liner is a no for me.

However if you are just starting out at applying your liner in the cateye shape, this might work for you. I believe it did not work for me because I have mastered my own way of application and I am so used to it so it is the only way for me, and everything that is not how I do it and what I use just doesn't work. everyone is different, so try getting a sample/mini size of it first.



 

 

 

They're real mascara: I was super ecstatic to try this new mascara that I've been hearing so many great things about! My lashes are naturally dark and long, so I don't really NEED mascara, in fact I rarely use it, but I'd like to get more thickness to my lashes, as they're slightly on the thinner side, I need volume, not length.

 

 

The first thing I can say about this mascara is that a little goes a long way, the first coat I applied turned out PERFECT! I got absolutely flawless, natural looking, long lashes. I didn't get much volume from it, but definitely some length, but really, one coat is more than enough, it opened up my eyes nicely. As I applied a second coat I noticed that it started clumping, so I stopped right there. Overall this is a great mascara for length, if you are looking for a more high end mascara that will give you volume and thickness, Estee Lauder's mascaras are excellent for that!

 

 

Left side: with mascara. Right side without.



I also received two extra items in my box this month, the first one is a full-size nail polish by Ceramic Glaze in the color Blueberry Bubblegum, a pretty mint color.

 

 



 

 I also received this gorgeous eyeshadow quad by Be a Bombshell called Madrid. This is a full size product retailing at $16 USD

These shadows are super creamy and very pigmented, I will keep this lovely palette in my travel bag. I love it!

  

  

 

What was in YOUR topbox this month?

 

 



Julep Maven July 2014 Review and swatches

Hello Darlings!

 

Today I will be reviewing my July box of Julep Maven!

I did the customized box (you can choose the items you receive in your box if you commit to getting 3 boxes, but you can still skip months if you like)

I love being able to customize mine because by the time it arrives I totally forget what I chose so its still a surprise and I know I'm gonna like everything I get!

I was actually thinking about un-subscribing because I am starting to feel like I have so many nail polishes and I don't use them as often anymore (I used to have 'Nail day Monday', but now I don't because I don't really feel like staying up late while baby is sleeping because she gets up early, so I'd rather sleep than do my nails at night!), but then my box arrived and I fell in love with Julep again, I think I will be staying for a while, maybe I will get items other than nail polishes since I have so many! we'll see!

 

So this is my pretty box, I like how they change the wrapping paper according to the season and the theme of the month, this collection is called 'the poolside collection' and all the colors are bright and summery. Love it

 

 

 

 

And my colors are (left to right):

Beverly: A beautiful dark purple, I do not own any nail polish that is similar to this one, very unique color, I have a feeling this one will be my favorite for the next little while.

Lissa: A very pretty neon blue, it is literally the color of a blue highlighting marker, a very wearable color.

Vicki: A beautiful coraly neon pink, I did not think it would be as bright as it is, it did not look bright on the pictures online nor in the bottle, I assumed it would be the perfect Barbie pink, it isn't, but its a very interesting color, definitely out of my comfort zone.

 

Here are the swatches on my nails:

 

 

 

To subscribe to Julep Maven click here and receive your first box for FEE! Use code: FREEBOX you will only pay a tiny shipping fee of $3.99US and for 3 nail polishes/beauty products, that isn't much at all is it?

 

 

What did you get in your box this month?

 

Childcare search: 2000 days pre-kindergarten review

Hello darlings,
This will be a new series of posts reviewing childcare places I have looked into! The first one I will review is the first one I have ever looked into when looking for a daycare for my daughter.

Important note!
I have not gone as far as having my child at this daycare, this is a research-based review, everything in this post is based on online research and my interaction with the childcare providers and my observation. I have not visited this place, because I did not feel the need to before I knew this place wasn't right for my child. This review is my personal opinion on the service I received.

Alright, let's get to the review.
When I typed 'best daycare in Calgary' in Google search, this was the first daycare that showed up. Their website looks very well maintained and professionally done, overall it looks very promising. My favorite part was that they said "we are not a daycare, we are a school", as education is very important to me, as well as the arts. Me and my husband are both creative, artistic people and this place looked so perfect. It did not have a single negative review, not even one! And it was within walking distance from my home. Without hesitation I hurried to put my baby on the waitlist, paying a deposit fee of $150. A big mistake.

My issues with this place:
1) Removed/Deleted negative reviews:
I was researching this place every day since I filled out the application, slowly, the negative reviews started popping up. Parents were claiming their children did not receive the services that were promised, and claiming the owners are very confrontational and aggressive, and did not address the issues and chose to ignore them instead. I thought "oh well, one bad review among 10 good ones isn't that bad, right?" WRONG. As I kept checking the review website, more negative reviews came up.
However, strangely enough, many of the negative reviews disappeared as if never existed (poof!). I regret print-screening them. I am not sure how they did it (possibly marking the reviews as inappropriate, or not helpful, or something), but they got at least 2 negative reviews removed from a daycare search website (it was either Godaycare.com or Daycarebear.com), both have one negative review on each right now, but I am 100% sure there were AT LEAST 3 negative reviews.
Here is one negative review, somehow it did not get deleted.

 

 

2) Not getting back to me on time.
Their website guarantees to get back to you within 2 business days. My application did not get a response until TWO AND A HALF weeks. After two weeks, I asked for a refund of my deposit. So what if it says 'non refundable'. It is only non refundable if you get service and they keep their promises. I was urgently seeking childcare for my baby, and after two weeks I received a voice mail saying that their "system was down", how the heck do you have a functioning business when your "system is down" for two and a half weeks?! Does it really take 2 weeks to fix an email account? After I was denied a refund, I called the place, their customer service lady, mumbling and stuttering, after putting me on hold for 5 minutes, replied: "um... mam... I... I am sorry but... the website says the deposit is non refundable so....."
me "yes, and THE WEBSITE ALSO SAYS that you will get back to me within 2 business days, mot two and a half weeks. The deposit is non refundable if you get proper service, or any service at all. And since this was a mistake on YOUR end, I am asking you to make the exception and issue me a refund."
Once again the lady repeated herself saying the deposit is non-refundable. Did she even listen to anything I said?
After that awkward phone conversation, I have sent them an email, again asking for a refund, to which they never bothered responding. I guess once they realized I am not interested in their service nor willing to invest any more money in their business, customer service became non-important to them, all of a sudden.

3) This is something I observed based on the pictures from the facilities only, I have not physically visited the daycare. But as they say, an image is worth a 1000 words.

 

This is their baby room, one thing that really concerned me is nap time. It looks like the babies have nap time on the floor carpet, as I do not see any beds or anything that would be comfortable for babies to sleep on (other than those large pillows), so this was a big concern for me.

 

 

This is their art room. It looks nice and clean, but there are two things that concern me about this one:

- Their daycare costs $1000/month, and for that cost, I'd think they would invest in better quality furniture than the cheap Ikea bookcases, these are actually the old ones that are no longer sold at Ikea due to not being child-safe enough (Expedit), they were replaced with the almost identical but softer-edged one called Kallax (yes, I am an Ikea nerd)

-They claim to be having art classes for them kids, but I only see one easel ! Do they all share, or what?

It may be a little harsh to be judging a book by its cover, but those little details just make it more of a deal-breaker for me, personally.

 
4) Research of the owners names lead to awful reviews from their previous occupation as real estate agents. 
I have googled their names (as one negative review that got deleted advised), and these are the reviews that popped up.

Now I do believe in giving people a second chance, and it is unfair to judge someone based upon their past, because I, in all my naivity, believe that all people strive to better themselves. This was the last part of my research, and I was disappointed with the results, as I really wanted to give this place a chance. I hoped that the things said about their real estate are incorrect about their daycare, but judging by the way I was treated and the negative reviews I found, it all kept adding up and I just won't feel comfortable sending my child to 2000 Days. I refuse to compromise on less than the best care for my child.


And since they seem to be researching reviews about their business often, I would be glad if they commented on this post.