Glossybox Review: July 2012

Glossybox usually sets a theme for their monthly boxes, and the July theme is “Summer Nights”.

About Glossybox:
Glossybox is one of the most popular international beauty subscription boxes, and now it finally came to the US. Each month Glossybox subscribers receive up to six deluxe-size to full size products from crème de la crème of international brands. At $21/month this is one of the most expensive monthly boxes, but the value of your box will always be above. Click here to join Glossybox.

I think that making box variations was one of the worst mistakes for Glossybox. With so many other issues and at $21 per month the last thing they want is box envy, because people will always feel that someone got way better value for the money. As you have guessed, I’m one of such “losers” 🙂 I really wanted my box to be awesome, I saw pictures and unboxing videos on Youtube and hoped that I would get the brown eyeshadow trio, so I was really upset when my box arrived with the lip gloss in it. At that point I was happy I cancelled, you can read my reasons at the bottom of the post. So, here are the individual items in my box – I tried to stay as objective as possible, despite  my disappointment.

1. Alessandro International Pedix Heel Rescue Balm
I didn’t know Alessandro made anything but nail polishes and manicure products. Those were the only items I’ve ever seen in stores back when I lived in Europe, so of course I was really excited to try this sample. This foot balm ended up being my second favorite item in the box. It has a nice minty scent and my tired feetsies really felt cool and refreshed after I massaged a dime-sized amount into each one.

2. Figs & Rouge Lip, Face & Body Balm in Sweet Geranium
*Drumroll* This cute little tin wins the crown for being my favorite product in the box! The packaging is very unique and colorful and I love the vintage inspired look of the tin, it reminds me of Alphonse Mucha paintings and he is one of my favorite artists.

The balm is rich and fragrant and it’s perfect for carrying around in a purse. My lips are permanently chapped at summer because of the AC, so having it around will help a lot. Since it’s lightly scented, it can also be used as a solid perfume if you’re into florals.

3. Sebastian Color Ignite Multi Tone Shampoo

Moving onto the negatives… I was not thrilled to receive this shampoo in my box for two reasons:

• First of all, this is a drugstore brand. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a snob that hates drugstore cosmetics, but when I sign up for a service that promises “creme-de-la-creme of international brands” and wants me to pay more than twice the price of a Birchbox [actually, make that 4 times if you consider Birchbox’s amazing points system], the last thing I expect to see in my box is something that I can get at Walmart. 
• Second complaint – poor quality control! Both Sebastian and Glossybox are guilty here. This “color protection shampoo” is deadly for color treated hair, as it contains not one but TWO sulfates and both of them are second and third ingredients after water. I don’t know why Sebastian decided that sulfates can protect your hair color, because we all know they do the exact opposite of that.

Quoted from buzzle.com:

“Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is also harmful to color treated hair as it tends to fade the color with every wash. As a result, you might have to color your hair very frequently, which in turn leads to more damage to your hair.” 

It’s a nice article explaining the dangers of sulfates, and how it ruins your hair color. So, Glossybox is to blame as well since they didn’t ensure that this product would not damage their already questionable reputation.

4. Sebastian Color Ignite Multi Conditioner
Not going to lie, I was expecting another disaster, since it comes from the same line as the aforementioned shampoo. It looks like a hair mousse, smells like a hair mousse and even feels like a hair mousse so I had to read the label a couple times to make sure this is really a conditioner and not something mislabeled as one. I squeezed out a golf ball sized amount, massaged it into my hair, let it absorb for about 3 minutes and rinsed it off. To my surprise, my hair didn’t instantly fall out and my color didn’t wash away, so that was a good start! [just kidding ;)] My hair also didn’t feel soft or silky, it simply felt dry. Very dry and very shiny, like fresh hay! Although my hair pretty much sparkled, I don’t think I’m ready to sacrifice its health for some extra glitter.

5. Senna Cosmetics Double Dose Lip Lacquer in Luminous
When I first opened my box, this was the item that made me go “oh nooo…:(” It meant that I was not getting the eyeshadow trio, which was kind of a bummer. Well, I had to give it a try of course, since I give all products a fair chance to impress me even if I’m not particularly thrilled about them.

The consistency is very thick and has a strong vanilla taste and smell [it seriously smells and tastes EXACTLY like Mary Kay lip glosses]. Since the formula is super dense It was pretty hard to get the gloss out and even harder to apply. The shade “Luminous” comes with light golden gloss on one end [and it makes me look like a ghost] and dark raspberry on another. Too bad I already own 3 lip glosses of similar color so this one will have to be given away to a lucky friend or relative.

6. Ruddy Water Blushed Fragrance
A tiny sample packet that Glossybox included as a little extra. The smell is so strong, when I opened box this perfume is all i could smell for a while, even though the packet wasn’t torn or damaged anywhere. The scent is pleasant but a but too strong for my liking.

This concludes my review of July-2012 Glossybox. Although I was not very thrilled with the contents, I still discovered a couple great items like Alessandro foot balm and Figs & Rouge tin. But was this worth $21? Considering most other monthly beauty subscriptions constantly deliver at least triple the value, no it was not worth it at all, so as of today I am officially unsubscribed. I may give it another try in the future if they switch to another logistics provider or at least lower the price.

I will not be using the shampoo, conditioner and lip gloss so the actual box value for me this month is only $12.41 🙁