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

Birthday Bonanza! Free stuff you can get!!

It's birthday time again! That wonderful, special day, where you get tons of attention and adoration from around the facebook world. This post is about other stuff you can get as well: FREE stuff!

Last year I decided to make a project out of researching all the free stuff I could collect on December 5, and then spend my special day going around the city to collect the bounty. It took me about a month of research and planning to have everything in place. I wasn't initially going to do it again this year, but I started at lunch with a free Starbucks and Big Mary, and then I just couldn't stop. I felt compelled to spend the rest of my day getting more, more, more. I may have a bit of a problem.

A couple of people have asked me for the list, so here it is, with instructions on how you, too, can have a 6,000 calorie birthday for FREE!

There is only one rule for my list: it must be FREE. No BOGO, no % off, no need to buy anything else at all. You will be able to cash in your gift and leave the business without having to spend a single cent, if you so choose. I will include a list of what I call "birthday losers", businesses who require additional purchases, at the end of my list for those who are not so discriminating. So here we go...

No potatoes :( Would have to pay for them...

Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast!

I didn't actually do this one this year, as I was planning to not get free stuff at all, and so did not drag my a$$ out of bed at 5:30 to hit the 401 truck stop Denny's before work. However, last year, the waitress was pleasant and was lovely enough to offer the first birthday greeting of the day.

Just show up at any Denny's and show ID.

Retail value: $6.99 ($8.99 weekends)

Thanks! Like a card, only much, much better.

Starbucks!

Any size hot or cold beverage, or food item of your choice.

I went with my old standard venti non-fat latte. I should have looked to see which item was the most expensive, but I only thought of that just now.

For this one, you have to have a Starbucks card registered on their website, which I do. In fact, I have the app and just show my phone when it comes time to pay. On your birthday, they credit this card with your offer and send you an email about a week in advance to remind you.

Retail value: $5.95

Yeah, this is a terrible pic. Sorry. 

Lunch time!

There is only one Big Mary's in London, and it happens to be about 2 blocks from where I work, so this one was toooo easy.

You register at bigmarys.com to receive email from them, and about one week before your birthday you will receive a printable coupon to bring into the store.

You get your choice of a Big Mary sandwich or a 2-piece meal with fries. Last year I got the meal, but it was so greasy and gross I didn't even finish it (plus, I was still pretty full from Denny's.) This year I went with the Big Mary, and OMG it was amazing. It was so tasty and fresh and big. I might actually get one that I have to pay money for one day. Wow.

Retail value: $4.59

You get a "boost" by vomiting if you actually drink this whole thing.

After work, I began a 3-stop run for freebies that would take me to the north end of the city. First stop: Booster Juice, downtown in Wellington Square (formerly Galleria.)

This thing was fantastic. At 750 mL, it is far more smoothie than one person should consume, but I did my best to power through it. I got strawberry/orange/pineapple, with a "boost" of something for "energy" (I don't know what it was. Cocaine? No idea...) YUM!

As above, you have to register for email alerts from the Booster Juice website, and they send you a coupon a week in advance of your birthday.

Retail value: $7.95

There are several kinds to choose from, but I always get krispies.

Stop 2 on my round-trip tour to the north end was Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company for a FREE chocolate bar!

This gift is especially nice, because you don't have to eat it right away. You can save room for other, more urgent treats!

You have to have a Rocky Chocolate card, and register it on their website. You will get an email saying they've credited your card about a week in advance of your birthday.
Retail value: $2.00

Yes, those are Reese Cups and Sweedish Berries!

The last stop on my after-work adventure was Yo-Yo's Frozen Yogurt bar. These places seem to be everywhere in the last couple of years. If you've never been: there is a wall of self-serve yogurt flavours along the back, and huge bar of self-serve toppings and sauces in the middle. You pour your own yogurt and add toppings as you see fit. Then you take the whole thing over to a scale and they weigh it for you. The price of the product depends on how much stuff you have in that cup. Mine weighed in at $9.95.

You just go into Yo-Yo's and show them your ID - that's it! Then you walk out with a humongous bowl of yogurt and treats. This one is covered in plastic in the freezer at this very moment, because I was pretty full already by the time I got it.

Omg, soooo FULL.

For dinner, we went to Tony Roma's! There you will get a free entree up to $19, or $19 off your dinner entree. Prices have gone up at Tony Roma's the last couple of years, though, so there aren't many real entrees that are less than $20. There are, however, lots of burgers/sandwiches/wraps that would be totally free. This is a half-rib order, which I believe was only $18. I was so full that I only ate the potato and two of the end ribs, brought the rest home. The coleslaw was gross.

You just go in and show ID for this one. In fact, the server didn't even ask to see it this year! We must look like pretty honest people.

I can't even look at you right now.

This is a sideways picture of Boston Pizza Cheesecake Brownie. I got it last year, but decided to skip it this year.

If you sign up for Boston Pizza email blasts, they will send you a coupon for a free dessert about a week before your birthday. The catch is that you have to do dine-in only, so you will look like a loser if you don't at least pay to order a coffee or something, BUT it is possible. We ordered coffee.

Retail value: $5.95 (?)

Thank gawd I don't have to eat this right now.

This is a key-lime tart from William's Coffee House. I didn't go there this year, either, but last year I just walked in and showed ID, and they handed over a dessert to go. Sweet.

Retail value: $3.00 (?)

Whole lotta Fro-Yo

This is another Yo-Yo's from a different location: White Oaks Mall. At this point in the day, I did not even want to look at food anymore, but we were there for Sephora anyway, so why not? Dylan ate it.

Walk in. Show ID. Get treat.

Retail value: $9.65

Drinking this actually helped me feel better

This is a little cup of Tim Horton's Dark Roast coffee, which is actually pretty good. I'm not a fan of regular Timmie's, but this stuff I would definitely buy.

They were giving these out to everybody at the mall, not just birthday girls. Still, it was free, and I wouldn't have been there if not for my birthday, so it goes in the blog!!

Nice!

Sephora gives away a birthday gift, which you can technically get any time during the month of your birthday, but I think it's fun to go on the actual day.

I think this is a word-of-mouth promo? I get emails from them, but I didn't receive anything telling me to get a birthday gift - I just knew from before.

I couldn't be bothered to keep a Sephora card on me, which you are supposed to show in order to claim your gift. Nevertheless, I gave them my email address (again), and they rewarded me with this gift (and another card.) The gift is a little mascara and highlighter stick, neither of which I've tried yet. Last year it was 3 mini-sugar lip glosses, which were awesome.

Retail value: maybe $10?

I actually got this 2 days after my birthday. Post-workout
recovery item.

This is my last birthday freebie! It is a cone with 1 "mix-in" from Marble Slab Creamery.

As with so many other places, if you sign up for their emails, you will get a coupon about a week in advance of your birthday. You don't even have to print it - I just took a screen cap on my phone and showed that when I went in. The girl working did not seem to look very closely at it, either. Nor did she ring it into the till or seemingly make any notation whatsoever that a cone has gone missing from their inventory. Know what that means? I can probably get more free cones! The coupon is good for a whole week! There are 3 locations in London! Ohhhh - the possibilities!!

But I won't do that. I'm not a huge ice cream person anyways, so it's not something I'm willing to put the effort into. Maybe you could, though!



So that's the end of my birthday freebie adventure for another year. Here are a couple of other good deals I know about, but they don't have locations in London:

Mmmmuffins - free cupcake or muffin
What a Bagel (Toronto) - 12 FREE BAGELS!
Second Cup - free beverage

Here are some stupid crappy deals that are an insult to the birthday boy/girl:

Orange Julius - Buy one, get one free Original Julius :(
Milestones - Bring THREE people to dine with you, your dinner is free :(
Bodyshop - $10 off purchase, if you are a member of their club that costs $10 to join :(

Good luck in your own birthday adventures! Do you have any great or terrible birthday freebies that I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!! xoxo