July's Glossybox - first thoughts

Yesterday, July's Glossybox arrived. After the controversy of June's Glossybox (Batiste you say? BATISTE?!) I think everyone was waiting with baited breath. The subscribers were waiting to see if it was worth continuing with the service after many of them were disappointed with last month's box. Glossybox was waiting anxiously to see whether they had got it right this month or whether they were sitting on another Batiste faux pas (note to Glossybox... the great PR fail afterwards is what will lose you customers, not the mistake itself. Ignoring bad feedback seems the easiest option, but in reality, it never goes away, it just gets louder). Those who unsubscribed after receipt of June's box were waiting to see whether they were going to be insanely jealous of those holding onto this month's samples.

The first thing that greeted me on the card were these words of warning:

"The products you receive this month pack quite a punch... Please remember that Glossybox is a luxury sample and product miniature subscription service. Wherever possible, we are happy to place full-sizes in Glossybox. We hope you appreciate it when you receive them, without expecting it to be a regular feature"

Ok, Glossybox, message understood loud and clear. But please don't forget that this is a service your subscribers pay £10 (soon to be £12.99) for. You are not doing them a favour, you are asking them to pay to be marketed to by luxury brands who are providing samples as part of their marketing budget and strategy.

So what was in my glossybox this month?

Firstly,we have Nouveau Lashes fake eyelashes. The last time I tried a fake eyelash I was 21 and made a huge mess with the glue. Ten years later and fake eyelashes are hot, hot, hot; not just for a night out but for many people they are also essential every day wear. I have had fake eyelashes sent to me as extras in Big Wardrobe and Make Up Alley swaps before, but they have always looked cheap and a bit clunky. I have flirted with the MAC false lashes when in the MAC store, but always back away at the last minute. These babies look very soft, very natural, and are reusable. I am still feeling the fear of battling with lashes, but you know what? These are tempting me into giving them a whirl. I'll let you know how I get on.

Secondly we have Illamasqua Sheer Lip Gloss in 'Explode' which is a pale pink with a blue tinged shimmer. It's a good sized product and a well known brand, but I know it won't suit me so I'm not even going to attempt it. Part of me thinks that this is the reason for Glossbybox and I should really do it justice, but I don't want to waste what looks like a quality product by using it once. Luckily for the Illamasqua, I have a make up junkie cousin who will adore this and I have already put it in a box ready for her to pick up and love.

Next we have Weleda Pomegranete Body Oil. On first glance it looks a little bit clinical in it's blue glass bottle. I associate Weleda with hair dye, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I also don't use body oil. So with this in mind, the Weleda very nearly finds itself on my swap pile. But looking through the Glossybox facebook page, I see that everyone loves the body oil and that lots of people have already gone on to buy it. Is it that good? My curiosity peaked, I take my natural suspicion about Body Oils and give it a good hard talking to. After all, the point is to try new things, not get freebies of things you already love. And what do you know? It smells LUSH, it applies easily and sinks into my skin instantly leaving no hint of greasiness and the softest skin I think I have ever had. Now that's what Glossybox is all about.

Next we have Ciate long lasting full coverage nail enamel in 'Kitten Heels'. Until the beginning of this month, I had never heard of Ciate, but Marie Clare magazine recently had a freebie Ciate lipgloss. Are they a new brand or have I just missed them? I can't give you the low down on how the nail varnish applied and how it wore because I haven't got around to trialling it yet, but you can be guaranteed that this little red beauty will be finding itself onto my nails very soon. It is a stunning colour, beautiful packaging, and I'm pleased with the size of the bottle. If it turns out to be as good as it looks like it is going to be, Glossybox will have introduced my to another product I will go away and stock up on.

Lastly we have Xen-Tan fake tan in dark. To start with, I am porcelein pale, which is not going to work too well with a dark fake tan. Also, this sample (although a fairly substantial amount) looks as though it has the danger of running out half way through application. Imagine if you got cracking with your sample fake tan and ran out leaving just one foot porcelein pale and the rest of you golden brown? It's a chance I'm not prepared to take! Having said that, if I was already blessed with a sun kissed glow, I would maybe try it on a smaller area (say legs or face). This will find itself a happy home, however, as I have already put it in a package going to one of my favourite Big Wardrobe swappers who I know will appreciate it.

Overall, I think last month's products were probably of more use to me than this month's. However, that is a part of the deal and perhaps it could be argued that my reluctance to try things (fake tan and pale lipgloss) is totally against the Glossybox ethos. Certainly, the products are all tempting and a decent size. I'm not overly concerned about how much the box itself is worth in relation to my £10 paid, but I think the point of a box like this is not to give you the kind of samples you can pick up in magazines or in department stores. You should be getting something that you don't normally come across.

I would hate to think that I was missing out on a fabulous product I had never heard of and that might become an all time favourite of mine because Glossybox was afraid to add it as the sample might be considered too small. Having said that, I do also believe that it is in the best interest of the company providing the sample to make sure that there is enough product to make a decision on. It is in Glossybox's best interests also to keep the wow factor. After all, there is a lot of space in those little pink boxes and it doesn't look so exciting when you open your box to a great expanse of black paper cuttings with a few tiny samples dotted around.