July Glymm Box/Bag

After this disappointing bag, I’m thinking about cancelling my subscription after the next 2 months. The reasoning behind that is that I will have accumulated enough points for that to get something off their online store. I hate being suckered into staying for another 2 months… because Glymm’s products have not been that impressive, and because I don’t think it’s worth the $12 a month. I have to compare them to Topbox… which still costs only $10 a month, and continues to surprise and delight me.

Yay for:

Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe Hair Treatment                          50ml   

As per the instructions, this looks like it’d work the exact same way as a conditioner does. I do really like Joico products, so I’m excited to try this out a few times. The sample size is decent. Scent is very nice.

Mane Teeze Hair Perfume                                                   8ml

I’ve never used a perfume that’s specifically catered to hair, but I do like spraying body spray/mist into my hair anyway, so I’m looking forward to trying this. I don’t think I’d ever pay for hair perfume (why not just use your own stuff?), and I like having most of my body smell the same.

Nay for:

The Glymm Bag                                                                     Orange

I’m getting mighty tired of getting these bags. I have 3 of them now, and they’re just sitting there. I can only use so many cosmetic bags! And I have some that are bigger/cuter/stronger. So why would I use these? Least of all 3 of them!

Meh for:

Coupon for 25% off any nail polish from the Glymm store

Honestly? I go to a discount beauty supply store to get most of my nail polishes. I get China Glaze for like $4, and OPI is about $5-6. So regardless of how much a discount is offered, it won’t beat the deals I can get. Plus I don’t have to pay for shipping… and their brands (RGB, Butter London) are in my opinion, more expensive than they have to be.

Cyberderm PM Anti-Age + Cyberderm H20 Hydration   2 creepy looking syringes

What bothers me most about these is that it implies that it gives the results that only surgical procedures would. I don’t really advocate that. Also, I pulled the little blue cap off, and product sprayed everywhere… so it isn’t exactly very user friendly. Okay, maybe I’m a little daft… but I don’t go around practicing how to use syringes. The product itself? Very light scent… no instant results. But yes, pretty hydrating. No more than other creams or serums I’ve used, though.

Mereadesso Beautiful Body Balm                          30ml

I got the body balm. Other people got the scrub. I wish I got the scrub. That’s the annoying thing about the internet… you can see how green the grass is on the other side. I have so much fn creams and lotions… I really don’t need any more!

Overall Impression of July’s Bag:

I think most people subscribe to these services to get makeup products. That’s my opinion, and it’s backed by most of the complaints I’ve heard. So far, Glymm has been slipping with what they deliver. Rarely do I get makeup from them… and if I do, the sample is typically small. I’m waiting to get impressed. Or for them to redeem themselves by lowering prices or having more promotions. Otherwise, I’m cancelling quite soon.

July Topbox

I got my Topbox nice and early this month, as usual. Unlike other subscription boxes, it never seems like I’m waiting forever for my box.

I got a few items I am very stoked about!

Yay for:

China Glaze in Purple Panic (Neon)                                                           Full size

I am so glad I didn’t get Innocence (I saw some other people got it), because I already have it. The card that accompanies the Topbox claims this colour is a personalized shade… and I’m inclined to believe them. The only thing about this colour is that it dries nearly matte. I do like my polishes shiny, so I just finish it with a nice topcoat.

NuMe Hydropunch Shampoo                                                                      20ml

I got the Conditioner version of this sample in my May Glymm Box, so I will say I am very happy that I got the Shampoo equivalent of this too. I tried the conditioner a few times, and I really liked it. At first I thought it was kind of runny, but it is definitely moisturizing. Plus it smells amazing and the scent lasts throughout the day.

Sampar Essentials Ultra Hydrating Fluid                                               2 Pouches

These came in two little plastic pouch thingys. I’ve only tried one, but I did generally enjoy it. It did leave a film-like layer over my skin. I’m not a huge fan of that, but since this product is marketed toward preventing polluting damage and so on, I’ll go on and suspend my cynicism. Sure, that’s the point of the film.

Nay for:

Nothing! I liked everything in this month’s box!

Meh for:

Pure + Simple Calming Cucumber Mask                                               20ml

I like the idea of this. I like the packaging (so cute!) and the scent is decent. However, it doesn’t seem to do anything! It kind of absorbs instantly into my skin and disappears! At first I thought it was because my skin was dry and needed more moisture… but then when I washed my face later a thin layer of residue came with it. I like masks where I can tell I’ve put a mask on. I just wanted to like this more than I did.

NuMe Gift Certificate                                                                                  For $100

I’ve gotten a gift certificate for NuMe from Glymm before, and I didn’t use it. I won’t be using it now either. Many people have mentioned how you can find NuMe products at Winners or other discount stores for about $30… No matter how you calculate it, that’s a good deal. Plus if you order online, the cheapest item is about $100, and you have to pay about $15 for shipping. I don’t like that too much.

Overall Impression of July's Box:
Enjoyed! Delighted! Can't wait for more!

Thought of the Day

Dialects in Beijing

For whatever reason, the dialect in Beijing is pretty much a form of Mandarin I've never come across before. It is nearly impossible for anyone who speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, or any form of Putonghua to understand.

Now, my trouble is:
I cannot read nor write in Chinese.
I can understand and speak in Cantonese.
I can understand most spoken Mandarin.
My parents can read, write, and speak in Cantonese, and Mandarin.

I know a lot of people from Taiwan as well, and they speak Mandarin almost exclusively. They too cannot make out 90% of the Beijing Mandarin Dialect.

That isn't my biggest concern is that people in Beijing don't know English. At all, it seems. I've been to Shanghai, and people there at least try to say a Hello or Thank You in English.
However, in Beijing... even the people in the hospitality industry (those working in hotels or in restaurants) couldn't speak a lick of English.

The airport? I got ignored if I asked someone a question in English. Cantonese? Ignored. Mandarin? I got a few questioning looks and then a sentence or two of unintelligible babble.

I've just never been to a 1st world city (the second most populated and one of the richest) and experienced a culture who didn't communicate in English!

Hmm. I wonder what the cause is. Well. I have my sneaking suspicions... China is pretty much in its own little bubble. That bubble is segregating the knowledge input of its inhabitants!

Pet Peeve of the Day

Traffic in Beijing

Namely, there being so much of it. Now, the government has already issued a policy where only 90% of all cars are allowed on streets at any given day.

So that means each person has one day (of 7) where they are not permitted to drive. This is supposed to lesson the amount of pollution and traffic...
Regardless of this policy, there is still such complete blockage that the 90% seems a whole lot more than that.

It isn't just cars. It's the bikes. The rickshaws. Thousands of bikes. Hundreds of rickshaws. And pedestrians. All vying for their way across streets and between stopped cars...

Crossing the street is the most precarious game of Frogger I've experienced. I rarely hold hands with people, but given the opportunity I will have a death grip on anyone near me.

These cars don't stop. They don't slow down. They honk, but only to indicate that they're not going to stop. Being in a tourbus? Even worse. People know tourbusses are slower, so they deliberately bully the tourbus by always budging in front.
Oh, the budging!

Not only is it cars, people, and cyclists, but the two times I've flown out of Beijing, both times the aircraft was even in a traffic jam.
Each time we've had to line up in a queue to fly. I have never experienced this out of any other airport. Don't they time this stuff? Don't they plan and organize so that they don't need to do this?

Yes, I understand that Beijing has a population of about 30,000+ million people. Which is the entire population of Canada... in one city. I get that.

But they could make it a whole lot more welcoming and less intimidating. Add more lanes. Actually enforce the laws you make about the number of cars on the road. Have safe pedestrian cross-walks. Note other major airports and follow what they do!

I don't like fearing for my life by just crossing the street...

Haiku of the Day

Cussing and complaints.
Trance music and Ed Hardy.
I am unimpressed.

Hotel Review: C Kong International Hotel

I have stayed in everything from hostels to actual 5-star hotels. I have experienced a lot of customer service, and lack there-of.

I very rarely feel inclined to complain about a hotel... but here I am.

My biggest issue is: If you market your hotel as being a 5-star luxury hotel, it better at least SEEM like a 5-star luxury hotel.

I stayed here as part of a tour group, and we weren't initially meant to stay in this hotel. However, they changed the hotel last minute and we didn't have much control over that situation. Also, one half of the tour actually changed hotels the first night... I don't know how much that had to do with service or whether it had nothing to do with service.

My biggest specific issues:

• Cold or not hot enough food during the morning breakfast
• Dirty towels being reused each day
• Only 2 sets of toiletries and towels each day (there being 3 of us), despite asking front desk about this repeatedly
• Crooked or moldy bathroom fixtures
• Wobbly bathroom floor tiles
• Dirty utensils during the morning breakfast
• I saw someone pour the coffee that was leaking and dripping out of the coffee machine (accumulating in a little cup) back into the coffee machine

Haikus of the Days

Communist China.
There's no Facebook nor YouTube...
I'm stuck in a box.

Crossing China streets
Is a bad game of Frogger.
Try not to get squished...

It's 40 degrees.
Umbrellas... Portable fans...
God alone can judge.

Everyone pushes.
Walk forward or get trampled.
Don't wear open shoes...