Glossybox: What is it? My July Review

What is Glossybox?

I signed up to the Glossybox subscription service at the beginning of the month, having heard much about it and admittedly found myself curious. I did my research, scouring YouTube for videos and the internet for blogs, and finally decided to take the plunge! For those who don't know, Glossybox is one of the subscription services whereby, for a fee of £10 and £2.95 for P&P you get 5 beauty products sent to your door. It seemed like a nice and easy way to try new things that I certainly wouldn't have had the guts to go out and buy. Signing up at the beginning of August meant that I received the July box as my first, and I admit that I took the opportunity to do some more video watching to see what  I might expect to get. Before I get to that, let me tell you a little more about Glossybox! Each box is shipped out around halfway through the month and payment is taken through direct debit. It’s a little like getting a present sent to you every month.

Products are chosen for you based off a beauty profile that you fill in when you start, although some products seem to be standard for boxes regardless of what you put in your profile. Products come in a mix of full size and sample size products. Also in the box comes a pamphlet with a list of the products, with a description/blurb from Glossybox and the price and size of the full size product. To figure out how much your box is worth may take a bit of time and a calculator, something I’ll be doing to write these posts. There is, however, a guarantee that the worth of the box will always be greater than the £10 you spend. By how much depends on the products and sizes received.

They have a number of affiliated brands which you can browse through on their website, from which the products are chosen by the elusive ‘Glossybox Team’. It seems that the service caters to more than the UK, but you should have a look at their website to see if they deliver to where you live!

July Review

The month’s theme was ‘Seaside Splash’. “Perfect” I thought, as I’m off to Sicily in a couple of weeks! In the pamphlet I found a note from the glossy box team, explaining the theme, information on a 10k charity run that glossy box is partaking in and how to donate to the charity in question. Also was an advert for an online shoe store, along with a discount code for an extra 5% off (I may very well go and have a peek for my weakness is definitely shoes!), and finally my list of products. All of this was housed in a cute, blue box covered in pictures of coral. Very beach-y. July box has been out for a while, so you may already know what to expect, but anyway, onto the fun stuff, what did I get?

1. Inecto Pure Coconut: Inecto Pure Coconut Refreshing Dry Shampoo

I can't rotate this!!!!!!!

I usually avoid dry shampoo because it makes my hair feel heavy, powdery and they tend to smell quite strongly. But this one I could see myself buying again. I got the full size, which is 150ml and available to buy through Amazon. It’s probably too big to keep in your handbag, but that’s not so much an issue when you need to use it as a hair pick me up before rushing out. Its light, feels as good as a dry shampoo can, and it smells great! I was really worried about using it as I thought it would be a heavy, cloyingly sweet coconut scent, but the mild scent really sealed the deal for me. If I were ever to be converted to the way of using dry shampoo, this would be the product to do it for me.

2. Alterna Haircare: Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist

That one is a real mouthful to say! When I opened up this box I was really interested in trying this one out. I like styling my hair, but I avoid hairdryers, curlers and the like if I can get away with it. So products are really my only way of giving it a go. This sample was a 1/5^th of the full size which retails at £23. I need to give this one more of a test before I can make my mind up. I’ve used it all of one time so far, and it left my hair a little crispy for my tastes. Next time I’ll use a brush instead of my fingers (like they tell you to in the booklet!) to spread it through and see if that helps. Unless this makes a huge difference, I’m unlikely to go and buy this again. I’ll try to have fun with it while I have it though.

3. Ciaté London: Paint Pot

With flash

Without flash 

You may or may not have heard of Ciaté, but they seem to be quite popular, and expensive. A full size nail polish is 13.5ml and costs £9. The longer I venture into the world of nail polish, I’m coming to realize that this may not be as expensive as I once thought. I received the colour called ‘Island Hopping’, a colour I might have bought for myself. It’s a very shimmery mixture of red, gold, and orange, much like O.P.I 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. Depending on how the light catches it, the colour looks different. I’m really happy with this, as a full size it’ll last me absolutely ages, I probably won’t hesitate to buy this again, depending on how it stays on my nails. (Weak nails means that most nail polish chips very quickly after I put it on, it drives me crazy!)

4. Coola Organic Suncare Collection: Coola Mineral Face SPF 20 Unscented

This was another product that I was quite excited about. Glossybox had three different kinds of the Coola facial sunscreen this time, but you won’t hear me complaining about receiving the unscented, uncoloured one. I’ve used a little to see how it works, but as the sun hasn’t been shining as much the last couple of days I haven’t had a chance to give it a proper go. Regardless, this is a pretty light cream, easy to apply with little to no white cast. My skin didn’t feel sticky or oily after application. So I’m happy. Unfortunately the full size product is £29.99 for 50ml, and the sample size was a mere 7ml. I’ll have to think long and hard before I consider buying this.

5. Ila Spa: Facial Oil for Glowing Radiance

The description of this was enticing, to quote “[Ila Spa Facial Oil for Glowing Radiance] has been named ‘a little miracle’ by celebrity make-up artists”. Nice right? The sample size is teeny weeny, but as they say you only need to use 3-5 drops, so a little goes a long way. Especially when it comes to facial oils. I have been using the Caudalie Divine Oil (a dry oil) as a moisturiser on and off for a while, and I really liked it, it sank into my skin quickly and didn’t leave it looking shiny or oily. This product boasts the increasingly popular Argan oil, rosehip oil, sandalwood oil and some others. When I tried it, I used only 2 and a half drops because it was damn near impossible to get it out of the phial that it came in. The first issue I have with it is the scent, it was pleasant enough but far too strong for something I would want on my face. I could have looked past that but even hours after application it still felt like the oil was sitting on my skin, making it uncomfortable and even impractical as my glasses slid down my nose every few minutes! In truth, while my skin does feel soft and healthy, I’m not sure I could deal with the inconvenience of it. The sample is 1.75ml and the full size is a huge £75 for 30ml. (Although I suppose that 30ml could last a very long time if used well). While I don’t see myself shelling out for a product that I wouldn’t be able to use as a moisture, I’ll give the rest of my sample a go as an overnight treatment, the other alternate use. Perhaps I’ll change my opinion on it as a treatment oil instead?

Conclusion

So there we go, not a bad selection of products there. Even though I did say that I was more of a makeup fan than skincare in my profile, I’m in no way displeased. There were two products I’d be happy to buy again, and one that I certainly would consider, and the final two I’ve decided need a longer testing phase. A much better result than I was hoping for. Before I forget, Next to the info on the facial oil the booklet also came with a 20% discount code for your next purchase from the brands website. This was a decent box, worth around £25, I’ve heard that they can go higher, but let’s wait and see!