All September as I waited and watched people open their Beauty Box 5 subscriptions, I felt this sense of... numbness? I wasn't really impressed with the products, and I felt that a lot of the other blog posts I was reading were acting so fake in their appreciation for, frankly, what looked like a few dollar store items tossed into a box.

Finally I received my BB5 box on September 19, the latest I've ever received it, so I was understandably a bit miffed to begin with, and now that I've opened my own box? I know I wasn't wrong.

This month's theme: Balancing Act

Yeah, because when I think 'fall trends' I think cheap nail polish and toe spacers. TOE SPACERS. The ONLY item in this box that this theme applies to is the Nicka K Eyelight crayon. Literally. Nothing else here is new, fall-themed or trendy.

What I got:

Sally Hansen Toe Spacers | Retail $1.99 1 pair
Yeah, I've seen better versions of these sold at the dollar store. No thanks.

Natural Style by FUBU Deep Conditioner & Co-Wash | Foil packs
You guys know how I feel about foil packs in sub boxes, and this one is for curly hair and says NOT FOR RESALE on it, lovely. I checked on the website and they send these packs (to the US) for FREE and you only pay shipping and get multiple options. Seriously, go look.

My Beauty Spot Nail Polish | Magenta
Sigh, another cheap polish. I looked it up and this polish only EXISTS in big bargain sets sold on Groupon or on wholesale/clearance retailers. Think that I'm being snobby? The polish is thin and streaky and so stinky that you will never want to apply the number of coats you need for full coverage. My living room STANK just opening it and swatching on a piece of paper. Blech.

Nicka K New York Eyelight Crayon in Violet
This product seems pretty good, I've enjoyed the Nicka K products I've received from BB5 so far. My colour was a nice shimmery purple, so I'm sure I'll get some wear out of it. The tube actually has a decent amount of product in it and it's not flimsy.

LashEm 3 in 1 Eye Bright
I'm not sure if this qualifies more as a serum or an under-eye concealer. If it's the former I'm not impressed because I specifically don't want anti-aging products as per my profile, if it's the latter then it has some work to do. I'll try using this as a highlighter instead of an 'eye bright' and maybe that'll do the trick.

The Shipping Issue

Recently, BB5 informed Canadian subscribers that they were going to increase shipping costs to Canada, making their month to month box cost about $16.50, their quarterly cost about $14.25 a box and their yearly cost $12.25 a box. This is a big difference from $9.30, $11.30 and $13.50. Unfortunately around the same time as this announcement, I noticed the quality of products in the boxes began to decline as well. For the beginning of 2014, BB5 was position itself as a provider of natural, organic and alternative beauty products, but the last two months have swung in another more generic direction. This month was no exception.

I know I'm not the only one TOTALLY unimpressed with this month's box, I just hope that October, my final BB5 box in my subscription, leaves me with a good final look at the subscription, instead of this sinking feeling.