Rubybox Scentsational box

Note:  I am still here, still blogging.  I just had an insanely busy time.  Internet at home was slow and would not upload pictures and work was too busy to write blogs at work.  Between all of that I never managed to post anything.  This post is long overdue, but I think still interesting enough to put out there.

I was driving down from Johannesburg and checking facebook (yes, you have fairly good internet reception on the N3 these days).  I was a passenger in the car if you were worried.  And then I saw a notice for the SCENTsational  box from Rubybox.  It promised one 5 ml fragrance or 75ml body lotion and 10 fragrance sample vials.  All of this for just R100. I ordered it immediately.  Imagine, buying something while stuck in a car driving down the highway for hours.

 

I have written a blog post previously about my inability to choose a perfume in a shop and how much I enjoy the sampler boxes you get at some shops around Christmas time.  This box is therefore precisely what I needed.

 

It arrived a few days later and this is what was inside:

Small vials (1.2 to 1.5 ml) of Acqua di Gioia, Armani code, Euphoria and Latin Sensation from Avon.   Two sachets each of Madly Kenzo and Kenzo flower tag.  A larger vial of Elie saab (4 ml) and Arpege as the 5 ml sample.  It also included two men’s fragrances; Armani code men and David beckham men in small vials.

The box is good value for money.  If my sums are correct I received about 22 ml of fragrance.  If we assume that fragrance cost R689 for 50 ml (the sale price for Forbidden Euphoria on the Rubybox site) then the box was worth R303.  Even if I threw the two male fragrances away it is still worth R262.  (Roughly, plus minus:  I was too lazy to find the prices for each of the perfumes, and I used a sale price.)

My complaints: 

I received a duplicate of Armani code, therefore I only got 10 different perfumes and not 11 as I thought I would get.  Since Armani code smells really nice and might actually be my favourite from the box I am not complaining too much. 

I received sachets for the two Kenzo samples.  The little spray samples are so nice to use and carry everywhere and sachets are just a  pain.  The sachets are also smaller, but they made up for this by giving me two sachets of each, so in the end it is about as much as a vial would have been.

My main complaint.  The men’s fragrances.  I do not want men’s fragrances.  I am married, but my husband dislikes all men’s perfumes and would never wear it.  I sometimes wear the male samples I get.  In this unisex universe of ours you can get away with it, but I do not really like it.  There was absolutely no indication when I bought the box that there would be men’s fragrances in it.  (They also did not state that it would be female fragrances only.  I just kind of assumed it would be.)  And judging from some complaints online I was lucky.  Some other Rubies got half men’s fragrances.  Rubybox, please, if you do this again leave out the men’s fragrances or tell us up front how many of the fragrances would be men’s fragrances.

Three of the fragrances I received were fragrances I have had samples from in the past, mostly from Rubybox.  I was less excited to get these.  I guess it is not their fault and it would be really difficult for them to figure out who have had what in the past and only send me ‘new’ samples.  But, in a perfect world it would have been nice to have received a box with 11 fragrances I have never tried before.  Heaven!

There were some complaints about the box online.  Some people complained about the men’s fragrances, which I think is a very valid complaint.  Some people complained about getting duplicates, which I also think is a valid complaint.  And then some people complained about getting bad smelling perfumes.  This is just a ridiculous complaint.  Perfumes are so subjective.  Just because you do not like it does not mean it is not a good perfume and it would be impossible to pack 11 random samples in a box and have everybody like all the samples they receive.  The whole idea of the box is to receive new scents and see whether you like them or nor. 

This box was really nice, I like it and I hope Rubybox does it again soon.  I would definitely buy it again (and hope that I do not get the same fragrances I got this time!)  Please leave a comment telling me what was inside your scent box.

 

Clarins Beauty Gift

I interrupt the Kiehl's series to highlight a special deal that is running at the moment till 9 June. 

I have written in the past how the best way to buy products from the larger beauty houses is to wait till they run specials where you get a free gift with purchase.  These come around once or twice a year and I manage to space my purchases to coincide with these.  This is what Clarins offers:

 

 

 

 

 

If you buy a serum or moisturiser and any other product you get a 30 ml bottle of Eau des Jardins (a perfume), a large bag and you can choose two of the travel sized products.  The travel sized products are fairly large, between 30 and 100 ml.  This is the list you can choose from:
Wonder volume mascara
Gloss prodige lip gloss
Extra-firming day cream
Instant eye makeup remover
Multi-active day cream
Beauty flash balm
Super restorative night cream
Moisture rich body lotion
Hydraquench cream
Hand and nail treatment cream

I was wanting to buy the exfoliating toner after reading about it on Caroline Hiron's blog.  And then I saw this special was coming up, so I just spent an additional R500 on a moisturiser I really did not need at the moment in order to qualify for the free gift. (It all makes perfect sense, I was saving.) All the while feeling so chuffed with myself.  To put things in perspective, the toner only cost R350.  I chose two of the moisturisers for my free gift and discovered a small sample of an eye cream in the box with my moisturiser.  I was completely baffled by the Eau des Jardins.  The writing on the packaging did not help much since it talked about picking you up and treatment oils.  Google is your friend and I have since discovered that it is a perfume.  Very citrusy and nice.

The bag is enormous, kind of pretty, but has Clarins written at the bottom all over it and does not have a zip at the top.  So I am not entirely sure whether I would ever use it.

So rush before 9 June, you have an excuse to do some shopping.

Kiehl's series Nr 2: Shops

South Africa has one Kiehl's shop inside the Edgars in Sandton City.  And a second (temporary?) one in Cape Town.  You can however order Kiehl's products from anywhere by contacting the Edgars Fashion Hot line.  It will then be delivered to a shop close to you. 

I was lucky enough to also bump into one on the Dubai airport.  I had a fairly long layover in Dubai and perused every single item in the shop to pass the time.  The shop assistant was very friendly and also gave me a few samples to try.  I also bought something small.

This is what the shop in Dubai looked like.  It was small.

 

And I think this is what the one in Johannesburg looks like.  Photo not by me, but I lost the source, apologies.

 

 

 

And some photos showing their pretty shops all over the world

 

 

I have no idea why their aesthetic appeals so much to me.  But it does.

 

Get some free stuff

They have a special running at the moment where you get the above products free with the purchase of two products.  These small samples are so handy, saves you money and introduce you to products you have not tried before. 
I do not get paid by Estee Lauder.

Someone else also thinks this is a great deal and actually wrote a much better post than me about this free gift.  Even suggesting what product you should buy to qualify.

Saving on cosmetics

There is no need to pay full price for skin care products.  I like using Clinique. For its price it offers good value.  I used to live in New York for a short while and started using it there because it was so much cheaper than anything else.  It is an American product and outside of America it is a bit more expensive relative to other brands than it was in America.  Lucky readers who travel can pick it up there.

Clinique runs specials from time to time where you need to purchase one or two products and then get a free gift.  I only ever buy my Clinique when these specials are on.  Just keep your eyes open when your bottle is less than half full and buy the next time the special comes around.

The last time I bought a special they had this offer.  The gift was claimed to be worth R1000.  It included: 

• A large cosmetic bag (one I actually use daily),
• Key ring change purse (which I also use in my handbag)
• 7 Day Scrub Cream
• Dramatically Different Moisturiser (30 ml)
• Youth Surge SPF 15 Decelerating Moisturiser
• Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector
• Eyes 1 2 3 Colour Compact
• High Impact Mascara
• Superbalm Moisturising Gloss (7 ml)
• Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream

 I liked all these products and have reviewed some on my blog; just click on the product above for the reviews on my blog. 

This boils down to half price cosmetics, since I paid about R 900 for the two products I had to buy to get this gift.

Someone else also thinks these gifts are cool.

I know this Clinique gift does not help the reader, since it is an old offer.
Currently Clarins has similar offers of free gifts of travel sized products when you buy two products.  These are worth checking out.

The best shoes in town

This started as a beauty blog, but I am going to deviate to share with you my favourite shoes.  I guess shoes and beauty go together.  I am not much of a fashionista.  I prefer my shoes comfortable over pretty any day.  But I do love a certain combination of comfort and beauty - I guess it could be described as very comfortable shoes that are pretty enough.  They are called Froggie shoes.

Froggie shoes are made in South Africa.  There is a giant factory store in Durban.  The factory store is a little bit cheaper than the stores, and sometimes offers specials such as buy 3 and only pay for two.  But the best attraction of the factory store is that it is enormous and has a large variety of shoes; much bigger than their stores in the shopping malls.   Since they carry old stock as well as almost new stock, it is also one of the only places in Durban where you can buy boots in summer.  (I once desperately had to buy boots for a January trip to the US in the middle of the South African summer.)



My selection of (dirty) Froggie shoes

The shoes are made of leather and are so so comfortable.  I kid you not.  You can wear high heels  all day and not have sore feet.  These shoes also last and last and last.   I have not yet thrown away a broken pair of Froggie shoes.  The only damage I have had has been scuff marks at the front.

They sell school shoes as well, which they claim support a growing child’s foot better than hard shoes.  It is called the barefoot science range and the soles are completely flexible.  The school shoes are expensive.  I would love to buy these for my children, but have not done so, yet. 

They have a tiny selection of men’s shoes.  I bought my husband the only pair they had and he was in love with the shoes.  It might not be the most snazzy pair of shoes ever (but my husband is not a good dresser at all.  I try !),  He claims it is as comfortable as going barefoot.  (His nickname in high school was “Barefoot” because he hated to wear shoes.)

The combination of comfort and beauty cannot be beaten.  And we should all support good home grown initiatives. 

Froggie shoes are sold in small Froggie shops all over Durban malls, and elsewhere in KwaZulu-Natal.  I am sure that I have seen Froggie shoes being sold in Woolworths under a Woolworths label (cheaper than in Froggie stores)  I could be wrong.  And then of course, there is the factory store.  Whenever my female friends and family come to visit Durban, they all insist on a visit the Froggie factory store. 

The most fun way to shop for perfume

I find it very hard to buy perfume.  It is such an emotional, personal and expensive purchase, with almost endless possibilities.  I tend to walk into a perfume store, smell about four perfumes, get completely overwhelmed, leave and by the evening when I have decided whether or not I like the four smells on my wrists and arms I have forgotten which is which and I basically start all over.  It just does not work for me.  For years and years my favourite perfume was something my sister gave me, since I could smell it in my own home and decide over a week or two that I actually like it.  I tended to only change my perfume when the brand was discontinued.  (Which happened.)

I think a big part of my enjoyment of rubybox lies in the fact that they normally include a perfume sample, therefore removing the need for me to choose a perfume while still having perfume to wear.  I love it when someone else narrows the choice down for me.

Which brings me to the best thing in perfume shopping:  perfume sample boxes.  I first discovered this in Sephora in the United States.  The concept is fairly innovative and brilliant.  Sephora sells a pretty box containing 10 (I think, it was long ago) perfume samples.  The samples were fairly small (1-2 ml each).  In addition to the 10 samples the box contained a voucher for a full size bottle of one of the perfumes.  Once you have used the samples and decided which one you liked most you could exchange the voucher for a full sized bottle.  The box cost approximately what the full sized bottle would cost, so in essence you received the samples for free. 

This is a marvellous gift, since I think, with 10 fragrances to choose from most people would enjoy one of the fragrances enough to want to have the full sized bottle.  The box I had contained fairly unknown (and maybe cheaper) perfumes.  I loved it.  I loved being able to choose which one to wear, I liked evaluating a perfume every day until I decided whether I liked it enough to get the full sized bottle.  I also think it was good value for money, because the samples added up to at least a ¾ bottle of perfume you essentially received for free. 

This link will take you to Sephora's description of these boxes. 

And this is their description:

This set of 10 fragrance samples includes a voucher for a full-size bottle, making it a perfect present when you're not sure what to choose. Its keepsake box opens to reveal a range of Sephora's bestselling women's fragrances that can be sampled right away. From the vivacious Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy to the sexy sophistication of Dior Addict to Life, she can try them all, chose a favourite, and then take the included voucher to a Sephora store to receive a full-size version.

Sadly, I do not live close to a Sephora any more.  Imagine my utter delight when I found exactly the same idea in Foschini.  For R355 or R595 you got around 12 samples of perfume.  The cheaper box had celebrity fragrances and was meant for a teenage market and the more expensive one had international favourites such as CK, Estee Lauder and Kenzo. 

This description comes straight from the Foschini website:

From top:
Celebrity fragrance box for her: R355
Designer fragrance box for him: R500
Designer fragrance box for her: R595

HOW IT WORKS:
Step 1: Purchase the fragrance gift box. Step 2: Sample the fragrances and choose your favourite. Step 3: Bring the voucher into Foschini and redeem it for your full-sized fragrance, specified on the voucher. Receive a FREE bonus voucher inside - save up to R100 off your next purchase.

I got the Celebrity box.  It contained:

Christina Aquilera, Royal Desire

Britney Spears, Radiance

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton, Tease

Shakira

Katy Perry, Purrs

Rihanna, Reb'l Fleur

Jennifer Lopez, Love and Glamour

Paris Hilton, Heiress

JLO, Glow

Avrin Lavigne, Forbidden Rose

Queen Latifah, Queen

I liked quite a few of these:  JLO Glow was fresh and grassy, Heiress was light and fresh and quite complex.  I got the Queen in the full size.  It is a heavy, sweet oriental smell.  I like it for winter and evening and when you want to feel sultry.

What do you think of these boxes?  Would you buy one?  Have you seen them anywhere else in South Africa?  Please leave a comment and let me know.