Bondi Box Unboxing and Review: August 2013

Update: At this time I no longer recommend doing business with Bondi.

Move over, Julep, Bondi is coming! You heard me rave about their polishes and the upcoming subscription service a lot last month, and finally, the inaugural box is in my hands! Bondi experienced difficulties with shipping, mainly because their local small post office was clearly not prepared to scan and send over 8,000 boxes in one day, so mine must have sat there awaiting its turn for a while before I actually saw some movement.

About Bondi Box:
Each month for $19.99 subscribers will receive three full sized Bondi New York polishes and a deluxe beauty gift. To make the deal even sweeter, each subscriber will get a 25% discount off all additional polish purchases from Bondi New York. All of BNY polishes are big 5-free, as well as cruelty-free. The beauty extras are natural and organic, and also cruelty-free.
Click here to subscribe.

This month everyone received a totally random assortment of colors from the current collection, plus a mystery beauty gift. It was a bit of a gamble, since the value of these gifts varied from box to box – some people received a $60 serum, while others got a few foil packets and a lip balm (like I did), but honestly I would still subscribe even if we just got 3 polishes and nothing else, so I didn’t care all that much for the extra.

The three colors I received were Uptown Girl (which I already have, but it will make someone very happy this Christmas), Horny Mistress that I was obsessing over, and everyone’s favorite Teal Magnolia that I didn’t even know I needed until I saw it on my nails.

I already have two separate posts on Uptown Girl manicure and pedicure, so check them out if you haven’t already. Funny thing, my pedicure post has three times more pageviews than my manicure one.

Teal Magnolia went straight on to my fingernails the moment I opened the box. I actually cleaned and prepped my nails when I saw that my box was out for delivery, just so I can be ready for when it finally arrives 🙂 Yup, I may or may not have a mild obsession with these polishes! The formula reminds me of Uptown Girl, it’s slightly goopy and pretty much a one-coater if you have a steady hand. It’s not very glossy, I’d even say it sets with a semi-matte finish if you don’t use the top coat, which I didn’t. I noticed that it’s unnecessary, unless you just want it for the gloss, since Bondi polishes don’t chip easily. In these pictures I’m wearing I’m Vers as a base coat, with two coats of Teal Magnolia.

(Inside)

(Outside)

Horny Mistress is not just your typical “yet another red”, it’s actually unlike any other red I own, and I have several. This might sound really gross, but the closest color match I can think of is arterial blood. It’s not too dark, and not too light, it can go on sheer with one coat and built up for higher opacity with more coats. In the pedicure swatches I’m wearing three coats, and in the manicure – two. Again, I went without a top coat because it’s completely unnecessary.

(Inside)

(Outside)

I knew those yoga lessons were good for something!

– “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Hand!” 

– “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Foot!”

Yeah… I’m weird 🙂

And here are my beauty extras: foil packets of Suki Firming Cream, Cleansing Lotion, Absolution La Creme du Soir, and Hurraw Green Tea lip balm. I have only used the Suki moisturizer so far and I must say it feels divine on the skin. The full size retails for something crazy like $165, so there’s no chance I’ll get it, but it sure was fun to try.

A little tip for those of you who don’t like Bondi’s large square caps, they actually come off (like Butter London ones for example)! You just have to wiggle them gently from side to side while pulling up, and it should just slide off. Some colors like Horny Mistress seem to have their caps pretty much glued on, but most others you should have no problems de-capping.

The verdict: Aside from the shipping issue that wasn’t even Bondi’s fault to be honest, I think this inaugural box was a huge success. I’m looking forward to receiving the September box with awesome new fall colors. Richard promised us olives, purples and grays, and those are exactly the types of colors I have in mind when I think of Fall 🙂

September Box Spoiler: We will be able to pick three colors we want to receive from the Fall collection! Also, the beauty extras will be the same in every box.

Are you a Bondi Box subscriber? What do you think of this month’s box?