I promised a full review of the products contained in my July Glossybox. This might seem a little late but I didn’t want to let my initial disappointment about what I received cloud my judgement of the products, plus you need a couple weeks to break them in before drawing any conclusions. If you’d like to read more about the service and my first thoughts on July’s Glossy box, click here.
So this is what I got and this is what I think of it…
Weleda P0megranate Body Oil (100ml RRP £19.50)
Despite looking like a bottle of cough medicine, this is undoubtedly the jewel in this Glossyboxes crown, and probably the product that’s saved my subscription. Glossybox promises luxury products and this is certainly LUXURIOUS. The rich body oil smells divine! It’s best used straight out of the bath/shower and applied to moist skin. I’ve been using it twice a week for three weeks now and I really think my skin’s softer, plus a little goes a long way. It’s not sticky either and it absorbs well, although I wouldn’t recommend wearing good clothes after application. I normally use it before bed or on a duvet day (which there’s been a lot of lately). Body oils have never been a product that feature in my beauty routine, until now! And that’s the whole point of Glossybox, to allow you to try products you wouldn’t necessarily choose. Yes this one is expensive, but depending how long it lasts, I’d probably buy it.
Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether (15g RRP £22)
Ok, this multi use powder is very nice BUT it’s not for me. The loose powder is a shimmering yellowy gold and can be used on the face and body as an all over highlighter, or concentrated to smaller areas such as the eyes and used as a shadow. The intensity is buildible and the colour is flattering but I have many products that already do that job, but better, such as Mac’s Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle.
Ciate Nail Enamel in Mohito (13.5ml RRP £9)
I tried, I really did, but SHREK green isn’t very wearable. I’ll probably give this to my teenage sister.
Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum (5ml sample)
It’s not offensive, nice to try but not a fragrance for me.
Ultra Sun Face SPF (15ml sample)
I haven’t used this yet, I’m saving it for my holidays in two weeks (can’t wait) but I expect it’ll be good and the 15ml size is a pretty handy handbag size.
Glossybox thoughts
So much has already been said about the service, so I won’t got on… too much. The question of whether or not this service is a good one and value for money is completely up to the individual. At face value this is a lot of products for ten pounds, but it’s only good value if they’re products you’ll actually use. In my glossybox this month I will use both the Weleda body oil and the suncream, so I’d say it’s worth it, still I’m left with three products I’ll not use. My main problem with Glossybox is the randomness of the products you receive. Each month there’s a pool of around ten products, of which you’ll get five. These five are apparently based on your preferences, although to me, it appears to be random. A lot of other Glossybox recipient got a Xen tan product and false eyelashes this monthly, which I would have been really happy with – GLOSSYBOX ENVY! Another huge problem I have with the service is that the price has gone up. When I signed up in May, the service was £10 per month the FREE delivery. Glossybox quickly realised that wasn’t viable and therefore increased the cost by £2.95 to include postage costs. To me this was a BIG mistake, I signed up to a “ten pounds all in” service!
I guess the best thing to do is balance up the pros and cons.
Positives
- You get five “luxury” products for £10 per month, plus postage costs
- Try before you buy and discover new products you wouldn’t necessarily choose
- GORGEOUS packaging and handy, reusable box
- It’s like a surprise present being delivered to the door
- No minimum subscription
Negatives
- You don’t know what you’re going to get
- GLOSSYBOX ENVY – from the pool of monthly products, you might not receive the products you’d have liked
- You might not like or use the products you receive
- The monthly price has increased from £10 to £12.95
I think I’m still undecided on this one, so I’m planning to keep my subscription on for another month or so. On the one hand, I’m obsessed by all things beauty and this is a new and innovative way to satisfy that need, but I also like control over what I buy and £13 per month might be better spent on products I know I want, rather than gambling on ones I might not???
Glossybox lives on, for now at least.
I’d love to hear you thoughts?
Caked in Make Up 