Topbox December 2013 Review: A Farewell

Well, wouldn't you just know it? This is my last month receiving Topbox, as I've cancelled any further deliveries. As luck (or bad luck) would have it, this box is the best one I've got yet. There is nary a product to mock. Not even a repeat. Ugh.

Tiny, but smells like a soap 10 sizes bigger.

The first item is my replacement "gift". Last month I got a repeat sample of those gawd-awful lipstick pods, so I let Topbox know via email. To their credit, they got back to me within hours, promising to throw this little soap into my box this month. And here it is!

It's about the size of a hotel soap, so it should be good for a week or so of showering. It smells really nice, and doesn't seem like the kind of sample they just hand out by the handful at Shoppers. Nice!

Buttery and tasty!

Next up is a little pot of Belvada Coconut Lip Butter. This stuff is literally the same consistency of butter, and it tastes just delicious. I will definitely throw it in my purse to have when I'm out and about. Soooo much better than those cursed lipstick pods I've (apparently) gotten so hung up on.

Who doesn't want more and more bottles of nail polish?

This is a full-sized bottle of Cuccio Colour "Dare to Dazzle" nail polish. It is a gold-sparkle that goes on pretty opaque.

For some reason, I did not get a product card in my box this month, so I have no idea what the deal is with this polish. I also can't find any reliable pricing on it via google, so I'm going to guess it's worth about $8? More than stupid lipstick pods, anyway...

Smells like camping

This is a 3 mL sample of Estee Lauder's perfume, Modern Muse. It's a little musky and woodsy for my tastes, but the bottle is pretty and you get a decent amount at least.

If Topbox had stuck with department-store brands like this on a more regular basis, I'd probably still be a subscriber.

WTF is this, really?

This is, for me, by far the worst product in the box this month. However, it is a decent-sized sample of a high-end brand, so I won't complain about having it included. I just don't like it at all.

Elizabeth Arden's "Eight Hour Cream/Skin Protectant" is like a red-tinted, slightly thinned petroleum jelly (?!). It smells like Silly Putty. It is really gross. I've had it on my hands for about 45 minutes now, and they are still tacky-feeling. I suspect that if there were a fly in here, it would get stuck to the back of my hand. This is fly-paper turned beauty product at its best.

I would consider putting this on my dry-cracked heels, covered by a plastic veggie bag and a wool sock, overnight to soften my feet. Otherwise, not a useful item (to me).



So that's about it. Goodbye, Topbox. The excitement of getting parcels from you was all too often followed by crushing disappointment about what that parcel actually had in it. You marketed yourself as a provider of "high-end samples", and I suppose it is true that "high-end" is a relative term. Unfortunately, I just don't like paying $13.61 (tax incl.) per month for things that were often available for free in pretty much every drugstore. I will say that you offered excellent customer service, and I suspect it's difficult to turn away offers from Cover Girl and Loreal to be featured in your boxes. This program just does not represent value to me, but others seemingly really enjoy it - at least based on the ecstatic testimonials on your facebook page. Best of luck to all the other Topbox subscribers out there - let me know in the comments if things ever get better!

Thanks for reading! xoxo