Pink and Undecided: shobu

Unboxing : July Beauty Treats (Gold Box)

Hi y'all!

Before July officially ended, i have to blog about BTI's Gold Box July edition. Don't blame me for blogging about it so late, they only arrived a few days ago (not even a week ago). It was like, almost two weeks later after the Platinum Box arrived. I guess i was right when i called the Gold Box "the unloved step daughter". LOL. The service (and contents) are too different between the two boxes OMG.

And again, i didn't see any improvement with BTI's customer service, when i asked them where my Gold Box was, they only said "It's already been sent, we will check your status", but no further info afterward, even though i repeatedly asked them via Twitter and e-mail. WTF. I chatted with another beauty blogger and she agreed that the customer service sucks and not very friendly at all. I had so much faith in them, but now i beginning to see why so many people got so angry at them *LOL*.

But since this is the last Gold Box (and so far, Gold boxes-even though there are only two of them, been a total dissapointment for most of their members), i still have hope, that the next box (that will only be available on September) will be much better and they can redeem themselves. See how faithful i can be? LOL. Here's a peek into my July Gold Box.

Personally i think the box looks much better than last month's Gold Box, even from the first glance. It looks fuller and not as sad as last month's. But it's not great either *LOL*. Here's the low down.

I read Shasha's unboxing entry and saw how damaged her box was, and once mine arrived (two days later, i think), i saw from the outer box that mine was also in a pretty bad condition! Look at the dent on the right side!

Same box color as the Platinum one (different ribbon) and same booklet as well

See?

It's not as bad as Shasha's, but still dented!

PFFFTTTT! Seriously, i agree with those who said that getting beauty boxes is like getting a present (from yourself), so imagine how disappointed most people are (me strongly included!) to get a dented present box! Yes, it's just a box, but we paid for their services and the whole nine yard, box should be included, yes??? Told ya i am very particular when it comes to this kind of things, i was already so disappointed when last month's boxes arrived with tears on the corners, and this month one of it arrived in far from perfect condition, AGAIN? OMG. PPPPFFFTTTT!

My niece AU spotted my blue boxes, and she was like "SO PRETTYYY I WANT ONEEE GIMMIE GIMMIEE GIMMIEEEE" and since i kinda collect those boxes now (and use them to place my jewelries and make ups), one in every color, i told her she could get the dented one LOLOLOL. She whined and all, but i told her i think if she push the dent back and hold it for a few minutes, it would be undented. It worked, but of course there were some bumps in results, but since Au didn't seem to mind... *shrug*... I don't have any spare space for the extra box anyway :p.

Well yeah, at least with the festive gold ribbons (?) or whatever, it looked better when i opened it (compared to last month's)

First item :

Shobi Eyebrow Pencil (real size, worth IDR 35.000)

I've never heard of the brand Shobi before, so it was good, but the problem is... I don't wear anything on my eyebrow *____*. I don't even know how to draw them or whatever. I have super thick brows to begin with, and the only thing i need to do to them... is to pluck them every once in a while. Went to the Brow House in Jakarta once and the mbak (what do you call a person who works in a brow salon, anyway??? If they work in a nail salon they're called nailist, so... browist? WTF LOLOLOL) told me my brows are (each strands) super thick and hard to pluck hahaha.

So... i don't even know what i'm gonna do with this thing. Seriously, my brows are so thick and black, if i try to draw on them, you won't be seeing anything but my real brows anyway. Can eyebrow pencils be used as... say, eyeliners maybe? LOLOLOL. Haish. Dunno lah, might give it away. Not so happy with this item, but can't fault them because i think it's unreasonable to expect them to know that i don't use eyebrow products LOL.

Next!

Bath&Body Works Hand Sanitizer Pocketbac in Midnight Pomegranate (Real size, worth IDR 35.000)

Got the same thing (but thankfully in a different scent) in Platinum Box. I've said it before and i'll say it again, i love pocketbac and always use them, so i am actually happy to get it. Now i have stocks and don't actually have to buy them (i feel guilty buying lots of them, so i only have a few. I only use a new one when the old one is finished anyway). I know some other bloggers were super unhappy getting this, and also said "since when does a hand sanitizer considered a beauty product???", but IMHO, toothpaste or sweeteners are as far from being beauty products as hand sanitizers (both had appeared in Lola Box and Vanity Trove and nobody seemed to be too angry about it, so why should they be with this?).

I like pocketbacs because they are so cute and almost always smells so good (and the varieties are staggering), and if you might argue that a toothpaste can belong to a beauty box coz it's for your teeth, then i can also argue that hand sanitizers with such nice smells belongs to a beauty box because it's for your hands, and it'll not only make your hands bacteria free but also smells good, so it can be in the same category as a perfume or hand cream. You have an opinion, i can also have one, right? LOL. So yeah, i do like this item, and fortunately i also quite like the scent (even though i prefer the one that i got from the Platinum Box).

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Color Sensational Lipstick in BR 41 Windsor Rose (Real Size, worth IDR 35.000)

This is one item that i'd normally be super happy about. Remember, #Pink, make up junkie, will be happy with any make up items from any brand worth any price? Problem is... From the same Unboxing entry i read in Shasha's blog... She wrote that the lipstick that she got was 2 years old already! I immediately checked my own lipstick's manufacturing date, and she's right, it stated 01 2011, that means January 2011, right???

Honestly, i am horrible with this kind of detail, i would never check the dates or whatever, and i'd never realize that it's 2 years old already if i didn't read Shasha's entry. And i am so disgusting that i'd wear it anyway (yes, now), thing is you know how prone i am to suggestion! So now i am also feeling disappointed that they would give out old lipsticks! What's up with that! ZZZZ! Would've made my day if only they send a fresh lipsticks (or i never found out about the manufacturing date *LOL*).

Caring Colours BB Cream Test Kit

You know i am a BB cream (and now itching to get my hand on any CC cream, arghhh) junkie, and i am always always happy to get any BB cream sample, so i was okay when i got this. But i remember perfectly that i already got the exact same samples before, i just didn't remember from which beauty box and when. So i searched my own entries, and then i realized... That the box that gave me the exact same samples, it was BTI!!! WTF! Why would they give out the same exact thing twice? LOLOLOL. Isn't the purpose of a beauty box is for us to try new (or not so new) samples, but what's so surprising or exciting about getting the exact same thing, twice???

That being said, i'd be much more bitter if i were to get the same items twice if it's skin care products or whatever. I am not so angry because i love BB creams, and these samples are amazing for my travels. But i can imagine a lot of their members would be furious. Isn't it like, defeating the very purpose of a beauty box? I think if they paced themselves further, maybe giving out the same items after a year or so it'd be more acceptable, but it's only been two months! Tsk tsk tsk, BTI!

Last item :

Nivea UV Extra Whitening Serum (Real size, worth IDR 16.000)

I realized a lot of other BTI members were quite annoyed that they're getting this, they said it can be found in the nearest mini market *LOL*. Of course they are right, but you know how easy it is to please me, right? I don't actually mind this item. I already have this (because it's kinda new, and whenever there's something new in the beauty or bath and body care world, i'd immediately want to try them, and it was on an introduction promo so i grabbed it FTL), but i actually am quite pleased to get it. You know, hoarder's problem. Whatever thing i know i will use (and know that it'd be good coz Nivea's always good when it comes to body lotions, couldn't say the same for their facial cares though) is always good in my book. See. So easy to please me hahaha.

That's my Gold box! Just checked my booklet and realized unlike usual, when they'd at least have one or two interchangeable items, they don't have anything that can be different (except for the scents/colors) in every box. LOL. So weird. They need to stick to concept soon, because it's getting more and more confusing.

Value-wise, it's actually not that bad. Not including the BB cream testers, all of the other stuffs are actually full sized, and worth more than IDR 100.000 (when you pay IDR 95.000 only for a Gold box), but it's not always about the value-for-money, isn't it? I don't think it's the main reason for people to sign up to beauty box services, it certainly wasn't mine! I do wish they'd pay more attention to things like manufacturing date (or maybe they did, but they got a good deal from the brand and decided to wing it, hoping people wouldn't notice? Then they seriously under estimated the beauty community in Indonesia *LOL*) and stuffs! And most importantly, work on the customer service BTI! Seriously!

The whole gold box, platinum box, little black box (their new concept starting September when gold and platinum boxes will R.I.P-just two months old haha) thing also getting on my nerves. I signed up for the gold box for 6 months since July, that means i am subscribed until December and then i also got two free boxes (for January and February) from the affiliation program, but since there would not be any August box, they should change the dates in every member's data right??? Mine hasn't change, and that worries me. I tried to contact them *again, WTF, i dunno why i kept trying*, but they only said it'll move to the next month automatically. But how can i be sure if they didn't change the datas in the friggin' web, huh??? It still stated July to December until now. I am so annoyed zzzz.

There's at least one good thing about the little black box, it'll cost IDR 125.000 (yeah, they keep on changing the pricing as well LOL) and if like me you already signed up for the gold box (that costs IDR 95.000) for more than one month, you will still get the little black box with no extra charge (if you signed up for the Platinum one that's worth IDR 135.000 they give you back the extra IDR 10.000, maybe slip it into your box or something), so that's at least nice for the Gold box subscribers *LOL*.

I still have little hopes that BTI can shake all of the troubles away, and rise from this... mess. LOL. I hope their little black box would be better than the disaster that was their gold boxes (but personally i don't think this month's that bad. It's not great, but it's not horrible either. It can be better if only the box weren't dented and the lipstick wasn't old). And i hope they will work on the customer service area, coz it needs works ASAP.

I read sometime ago from a Malaysian beauty blog that the blogger was once almost too embarrassed to introduce the beauty box to her reader, and i now know how she felt. Judging from the last two Gold boxes, i cannot recommend BTI to you *so sad coz their first two boxes were fantastic. Maybe that's why it hurts so bad, to fall so low from one box to the next.. In just three months!*, but their Platinum box was really good this month, so if any of you still interested to give BTI a try *fingers crossed the little black box would be good*, you can click on the link below to get to their website via my referral.

http://beautytreats.co.id/?id=62

Toodles!