Glossybox

Well, I think Glossybox over the last few months have become slightly infamous across Twitter and Blogspot. Firstly, everyone wanted to praise them. Brand new concept to the UK (although the US have Birchbox), beautiful packaging, full size NARS Illuminator in the first box. Lots of people signed up, many of whom were too late to get the second box, and some of which were even too late to get the third box. That's success for you. They could do no wrong. Or so it seemed.

Cut to the delivery day of June's box. Plenty of eager bloggers desperately awaiting their pretty pink box full of goodies. By lunchtime, the glamour was beginning to wear off. Messages began appearing on the facebook page from disgruntled customers. Was this just greedy people expecting something for nothing and finding no NARS in their box, or was there really a serious issue happening?

Firstly, the box itself didn't have the wow factor of the first box. Now that didn't mean that the box wasn't worth as much, or even that it wasn't as good. But it didn't wow. Secondly, and perhaps most damningly, sitting in the beautiful pink box was a travel sized can of Batiste. That's right, Batiste. The little green bottle of dry shampoo that you pick up on a whim from your local chemist for £2.99 (and that is for a FULL sized bottle). As the Glossybox facebook page errupted, amid cries of 'you can buy Batiste in Poundland' (and I have to say, I'm jealous here. I have never once seen Batiste in the Brixton Poundland, otherwise I would be stocking up), Glossybox happily sent an email to their subscribers warning them that from September the box will be £12.95 including postage and packing, rather than £10.

Well, at least those waiting two months for their first box might find that they get one a bit sooner, what with all the unsubcribing.

So, was June's Glossybox REALLY that bad?
Ignoring the Batiste (yes, it's a great product but to be honest, a travel sized can of Batiste is more suited to a freebie bag at a summer festival than to a sample box you have paid £10 for); the first product was Bio Effect EGF Serum. This little bottle of goodness (and believe me, it is teeny tiny) is marketed as Iceland's best kept secret. If anything is going to make me excited about a product, then it is hearing that it is Scandinavian, and sadly, I'm not being sarcastic here! I have used this little bottle twice (and knocked it over the first time I used it) so at a guess I would say that at using once a week, I have maybe two months more usage in this. Not bad. The dropper is attached to a syringe which gives you the opportunity to carefully measure your dose. This product is designed to make your skin cells rejuvinate, which is great for slightly aging thirty-something skin like mine. Maybe not so good for younger skin that is prone to breakouts. It feels light on the skin and although it is slightly sticky, it does help to give the skin a fresh, glowing look (see right). I'm not sure I would be able to afford the price of this serum, but I am certainly sold on the use of serums, something I had never tried or even considered trying before. Result!

The second product in my Glossybox was a mini OPI nail varnish. As you can see from the photo (pictured handily next to a full sized bottle I happened to have lying around), it is mini. To be fair though, I don't remember ever finishing a bottle of nail varnish. Some of the Glossybox's had a silver coloured OPI so I am very glad that I received the burgandy, and as you can see, it looks good on. Another product I am happy with and which I will reuse again and again.


The third product was a rather delightful perfume. Perles de Lalique from Lalique. Another tiny bottle, and a product from a brand I had never heard of, and therefore never tried. This is a typical sample sized bottle and as such is a bit of a pain to get the lid on and off of. Why do they make samples so difficult to actually use? On first whiff it's not impressive. The top note is alcohol closely followed by rose. On contact with my skin however, the smell changes dramatically and it is as though it has become a completely different perfume. This is the kind of sample that Glossybox will really have success with. If I came anywhere near this in a department store, it would never make it onto my skin. In a sample, it's worth a try. On my skin (and I feel I must admit here that I make all citrus bases turn into Jif lemon and sweet scents into cheap gin. I don't know why. Possibly I am a changeling) it transforms itself into a deep musky, intoxicating peppery smell with a hint of Patchouli. Perfect. I'm sold. I'm a fan and will more than likely be acquiring a full size bottle at some point. However, there have been some really mixed reviews over this one, with many people thinking it smells old fashioned. I'll admit, I enjoy a good 'grown up' and complex perfume. My 'go to' perfumes are Bond No. 9 Nuits De Noho and the (now sadly discontinued) Jean Paul Gaultier Fragile, both of which also get very mixed reviews.

The final product in the box (again, I'm ignoring the Batiste - I'm sure most people know what Batiste does) is a Mama Mio exfoliator. The final product was different from box to box with some people getting a lip gloss, and some shower gel. I'm pleased with my Mama Mio. This is another once a week product and the first time I used it I absolutely slathered it on and used about half of the bottle. The next time, I was a lot more sparing and therefore this is going to last me a bit longer than I first anticipated. This is an incredibly fine exfoliator with very small (but effective) granules of pumice stone. The formula is gentle with a delicate fragrance that is reminiscent of lemon squash. The box suggests that it is gently enough to use on your face and indeed it is, even for sensitive skin like mine. I mixed it with my usual cleanser (Clarins gentle foaming cleanser) and have used it once a week for the last few weeks.

Overall, I'm happy with this month's Glossybox. I have used all of the products more than once and have no plans to swap/ sell/ or give away any of them. It's a shame the same can't be said for my own shopping sprees. It's a good, useful range of products, many of which I would not have bought for myself. It's doing what it set out to do and introducing me to new products.

Am I happy with the new inflated £12.95 price tag? I have to say here that I'm not. £10 a month is acceptable, but in reality, the box is a marketing tool for brands to sell their products to me. The idea is to get it out to as many people as possible and market the products inside to a new audience. I get that it costs to run something like this, not to mention the postage costs, but part of me can't help thinking that the business plan should be to reach as many people as possible and that your customers are also doing you a favour by exploring and reviewing the products. For that reason, from September, I'll be getting my samples from Boudoir Privee instead.