Mapleblume is a new Canadian beauty subscription (with shipping to both Canada and US) that released their first box in December 2016. I loved the contents of their first box (reviewed here) and was thrilled to receive their February 2017 box for review. Unboxing is always such a fun part of beauty subscription programs and Damon and I thought, what better to film than an unboxing video of the February box? It’s the first video I’ve ever made for my blog and we both loved making it.
Mapleblume offers two options for purchase. You can sign up for a recurring subscription at $120/box every two months, or a one-time purchase at $140. They ship to Canada and US. Prices are in Canadian dollars. Each Mapleblume box contains a minimum of 5 premium, luxury brand skincare and cosmetics products.
Contents of the February 2017 box
– Odacité Ba+S Eye Serum Concentrate (full size)
– RMS Beauty Living Luminizer (full size)
– Biodara Luminous Cleansing Oil (full size)
– FIG + YARROW Complexion Water (travel size)
– Hylamide Low-Molecular HA Rehydration Booster (full size)
– Hynt Beauty Lip Gloss in color Liquid Garnet (full size)
First Impressions
– Like the December box, it came beautifully packaged and I loved the unboxing experience
– I actually really like the box itself (lol). It’s has a magnetic flap lid that snaps shut and I’ve been using the December one to store things. Now I have a second one for storage!
– I love facial mists and immediately sprayed my face with the FIG + YARROW Complexion Water. This one is going in my travel bag for sure.
– Mapleblume now has shipping available to the US, which is great. I love that we’re introducing Canadian companies and products south of the border. This fills me with pride!
– There were 6 products (that’s 1 product more than they promised)
– There is also a cute maple candy hand made by White Meadows Farms in Niagara, Ontario (Ohhh Canada <3!)
– I love that so many products are full size. 5/6 are full size and 1/6 is travel size.
– I love the mix of skincare and cosmetics products. There are 4 skincare products and 2 cosmetics products.
– There’s a distinct focus on natural and organic products.
– Total value is over $220 CAD!
Now let’s talk about the individual items!
Odacité Ba+S Eye Serum Concentrate. Value of $54.75 CAD. This is their “feature product” of the month. Ba+S stands for Baobab and Sarsaparilla. Baobab oil targets all signs of aging around the eye area and helps to increase elasticity and reduce wrinkles. Sarsaparilla is known in aromatherapy to be cheering and reassuring. The serum claims to “reduce wrinkles, increase elasticity, and relieve puffiness and dark circles.” I need puffiness and dark circle relief so I was very happy to try this.
The Ba+S eye serum is best described as an eye oil. I’ve never used a beauty oil specified for the eye area so I thought that was really cool. Instructions say to use it as a targeted skin booster by mixing 2-3 drops into your daily dose of creme or as a targeted intensive treatment by massaging a few drops into skin, but a little goes a long way so I recommend using just one tiny drop. I mixed it in with my Estee Lauder eye cream for a few nights and used it on its own for a few nights. One caveat: if you have eyelash extensions, using this at night might reduce their lifespan due to the oils in this serum. I had a lash refill appointment coming up so I took the plunge and did it. I’m a huge fan of oils in general so I really enjoyed applying this around my eye area. It worked great mixed in with a cream and on its own, but I prefer using it on its own just because it’s too much product otherwise. I think it’s a great product and my eyes looked refreshed and less puffy the next morning. If you don’t have lash extensions, I think this would be an amazing conditioner for your lashes and eyebrows. After using this serum, I’m keen to try other products by Odacité.
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer. Value of $49.50 CAD. I’ve wanted to try this for ages! I was thrilled to find this in the box. I’m totally on the highlighting train right now and love how highlights bring out the cheekbones. This natural, coconut-oil based illuminator is very subtle and easy to use to give yourself a healthy glow. I applied it to my cheeks and I loved how it gave me a sheer glow. It’s a pricey product so I was very happy this was included in the February box!
Biodara Luminous Cleansing Oil. Value of $54.75 CAD. This full-sized cleansing oil came in a convenient pump dispenser and a reusable muslin cloth. Pump dispensers all the way. Everything should be pump dispensed. I massage this oil on dry skin per instructions, wet the muslin cloth with warm water and place it over my face to make it feel like a fancy spa experience. I use the cloth to gently wipe away the cleansing oil. This is a very effective cleanser and I love that it comes with a cloth. All of my makeup came off on the cloth and my face felt soft and moisturized. The cloth was easy to clean and dry. (I would avoid lash extensions with this one too).
FIG + YARROW Complexion Water. Value of $18.25 CAD. Yes! I love this. I looooove facial sprays. I love misting my face with a naturally-scented facial water in the middle of the day for a refreshing pick-me-up. Thank you Mapleblume for including this in your February box! I love it and use it every day. Smells like rose and sandalwood.
Hylamide Low-Molecular HA Rehydration Booster. Value of $20. I discovered the Deciem (“The Abnormal Beauty Company”) brand recently and was immediately drawn to their branding. Hylamide is one of their brands and when Mapleblume showed this product in a sneak peek I couldn’t wait to try it. I don’t have a lot of experience using hydrating serums. To “moisturize” is to replace oils in the skin and to “hydrate” is to replace water. Almost everything I use is in the “moisturize” category. I like my oils! Hydrating serums feel very different than oil-based products.
Product description: “Rehydration serum with 5 forms of hyaluronic compounds to target multiple surface levels. With smaller molecules of hyaluronic acid, Low Molecular HA Multi Depth Rehydration Booster is able to penetrate deeper and absorb easier to hydrate and repair damaged tissue and lock in moisture. Skin becomes softer, plumper and more radiant with regular use.”
The first time I used it I felt like my skin needed more. I kept using it to give it a fair chance because I knew it might take getting used to since I’m so used to oil-rich products. I applied it after washing my face in the morning and used my regular moisturizer on top. After doing this for a few days I noticed that I needed less of my moisturizer. My face felt comfortable and plump. My foundation also went on really really well. I also discovered that this was great for my neck. This was a new type of product for me and took some time for me to get used to but now I’m a fan!
Hynt Beauty Lip Gloss in color Liquid Garnet. Value of $23.50. This is a vegan lip gloss formulated with natural oils to help treat the lips. The color is a dark berry. Perfect! Very luxurious lip gloss with ingredients like jojoba oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. I think it’s so important for lip glosses to be made with safe and natural ingredients because you end up ingesting most of it. This was a great lip gloss that smoothed and flattered my lips.
I’m wearing the Hynt lip gloss in Liquid Garnet and the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer on my cheeks (it’s very subtle).
To summarize, the value of the entire box is over $220 CAD. It included items from brands that I’ve been wanting to try and products that I love to include in my skincare regimen. It was another amazing box from Mapleblume and I can’t wait to see what they include next. Order the April box here.