Category: beauty

My February box.

I completely forgot about my own subscription. When the delivery guy came to the office I actually said: “What’s that? Is that really for me? I didn’t order anything!”

The March box is a L’Oreal exclusive box.

What’s inside?

Fall Repair Hair Shampoo (PhP 110, 180ml) and the Fall Repair Hair Conditioner (PhP 119, 180ml)

UV Perfect BB Max (PhP 99.17 5ml sample; PhP 595 for 30ml) and the Youth Code Prodigious Rejuvenating Pre-Essence (PhP 249.17 5 ml sample; PhP 1495 for 30ml).

UV Perfect Longlasting UV Protector, PhP545

Shine Caresse (PhP 595 for 6ml) in 804 Faye

Color Riche Le Nail Art (PhP 395)

Though the box’s contents’ total cost once again exceeded the PhP 480 subscription fee, I wasn’t as happy with this as I was with the February box. I wanted to see brands I wouldn’t normally pick up from the store (Shiseido! Fucking expensive!), and I can easily grab the L’Oreal shampoo and conditioner from Shopwise. I was glad to see the BB Max, the Pre-Essence, and the UV Protector, but I would have wanted a different shade for Shine Caresse (Faye is an orange shade and makes my teeth look yellow), and the Nail Art, though playful, seemed like a random inclusion.

If the box is for summer, why not include a facial mist? A summery perfume or cologne?

The stickers looked grainy and cheap. Did BDJ use a different printer? Ran out of ink?

Oh well, at least I still got some products I could use. And BDJ still appears to be the best of all available subscription boxes out there. On to the next.

I got these babies from my February BDJ box, and can I just say that they work?

Here I am wearing the Shiseido Brightening Mask and trying very hard to smile.

Loving my skin now.

I have a problem with dryness. My legs look horrible (I have a feeling I have atopic dermatitis, which I’m treating with generic hydrocortisone), and my lips need constant application of lip balm.

I ordered these from Multiply:

The Vain Jane got me interested in Carmex (PhP 150), while Soap & Glory’s The Righteous Butter (PhP 450, but I got a 20 percent discount from the seller) was available in the same online store so I got it.

What it is:
An award-winning body moisturizing butter with softening shea butter and aloe vera.

What it does:
This body butter was formulated for very dry skin with a new dynamic moisture trap matrix to help hold hydration in longer. Its alluring scent of Soap & Glory’s signature Pink Fragrance combines fresh bergamot and mandarin, rose, jasmine, peach, strawberry, oakmoss, amber, woody notes and amber and warm vanilla notes on the bottom.

The scent perks me up! It is also lighter than The Body Shop’s body butter products, and heavier than Human Nature’s Mango Butter. I think this one’s right for me.

I first heard about the BDJ Box online from Carina. I resisted at first, but I thought: well, instead of buying cosmetics every now and then, why not pay a fixed amount and enjoy a surprise every month?

A BDJ Box surprise can either be a pro or a con. A box “contains 5-6 fantastic beauty products from premium brands handpicked for you!” You can subscribe for a month (PhP 480), three months (PhP 1400), six months, or an entire year. I subscribed for three months in January, but was not included in the January box list because they ran out.

Hence my first box is the “red hot” February box:

I even got a freebie! With a handwritten note. Thank you!

Flip side.

Unboxed!

Inside are: Shiseido’s White Lucent Serum (5 ml sample; full size 30 ml, PhP 5650), Brightening Mask (1 sheet sample; six sheets, PhP 3200), WrinkleResist24 Night Emulsion (15 ml sample; 150 ml, PhP 2400), Balancing Softener (25 ml sample; 75 ml, PhP 3250), and Perfect Rouge Lipstick (a mini-lipstick sample haha; PhP 1250; I tried this and it looks pink on my lips); 15% discount vouchers for Shiseido Products, and a Nippon 5-minute Touch-Up Kit that is perfect for traveling.

Me with the lipstick on. (And some HHN blush.)

Plus my free Celeteque cleansing oil (PhP 599, according to this; that’s worth more than the entire box haha).

I stuck the stickers on the fridge door:

I’ve tried all of the Shiseido products (save for the mask) and I am amazed by how quickly they softened my skin. I love touching my cheeks! Haha. It’s a great first box from BDJ. :) But I would love to get make-up next time.

Subscribe to get your own BDJ Box.

Want to receive beauty samples for free? All you need to do is sign up at the Sample Room.

I don’t even remember how I ended up on their site. Maybe from trawling beauty blogs one morning? Anyway, I signed up at the Sample Room, and received 100 points. I then used the points to shop on their site. (Unfortunately right now the site is nearly empty of sample products – wait for them to restock.) I only paid 100 pesos for the delivery fee. You will earn more points by reviewing the products you receive. You may only get three sample products at a time.

I got Moringa-O2 Malunggay Herbal Moisturizing Lotion, Venus & Mars Mineral Eyeshadow in Halo, and Neolia Olive Shampoo and Conditioner. I still have 40 points left. Please restock Sample Room!

Some short reviews:

Moringa-O2 Malunggay Herbal Moisturizing Lotion :I love natural products, and this is one that delivers. I used it on my hands and legs, and it instantly softened my skin – a plus in my air-conditioned workplace. (Dry skin has always been my problem.) The only drawback is the scent. It smells like an ointment. Hope they’d come up with fruity variants!

Venus & Mars Mineral Eyeshadow in Halo :This mineral eyeshadow has good pigmentation. Might be too shimmery for some people, but this will work for nighttime looks. The packaging, though, is a con – I’ve never been a fan of loose powders. This went everywhere when I screwed it open! It’s a waste of product. Pressed eyeshadow please?

I’d buy this, but maybe in another shade. :)

Neolia Olive Shampoo and Conditioner – This has organic products, but is not SLS-free. Bummer. Smell is mild, which may attract men and women averse to strong scents, and the shampoo and conditioner combo leaves my hair smooth, but I won’t replace my own hair products just yet.

I love my Human Nature hair products, but I’ve been also itching to try Snoe Beauty‘s products from their Hair Heroes line. After some snooping around (online), I decided to get Honey Olive Clementine shampoo (PhP 399), and Hair Heroes Super Fresh (PhP 499).

Honey Olive Clementine is a sulfate-free shampoo that moisturizes and regenerates hair. It is recommended for those with dry, damaged tresses. The bottle has a stopper, but dispenses a small amount of the product at a time. Might be annoying to those with long hair and little time to wash it. Better if Snoe Beauty used a squeeze-type bottle, like HHN. It smells good, though I don’t think it’s enough to soften my hair, i.e. I still have to use a conditioner.

Enter Super Fresh, which is recommended for those with persistent scalp conditions like dandruff, psoriasis, or just plain old itchy scalp. I bought this to share with my boyfriend, whose scalp is often itchy. I can feel the effect on my hair right after rinsing, taming it and making it soft, the mint tingling my scalp.

It has many uses:

• Cleansing Conditioner (You can use it without shampoo.)
• After-Shampoo Rinse-Out Conditioner
• Head Massage Stimulant Cream
• Deep Treatment Mask (Leave on for 20 minutes, and then rinse.)
• Leave-on Conditioner

The boyfriend uses it as a deep treatment mask, while I use it as a rinse-out conditioner. I love it!

Order Snoe Beauty products online.