Glossybox May 2015

Glossybox is a monthly makeup subscription box that cost about 21-22 dollars with tax per month.  You receive 5 products that range from sample size, deluxe sample size and full size.

This month was okay-good.  For me, an okay-good box is a majority of sample and deluxe sample sizes with a couple of full size products.

This month there were two sample sizes, which means they aren't that big (not foil packets at least, or else I'd unsubscribe!).  There was one deluxe sample size and two full size products.

Clearista refining gel cleanser (Sample size)
Glam Glow power mud dual cleansing treatment (Sample size)
Sebastian Style bird 9 multi benefit hair spray (Deluxe sample)
Doucce lipstick in 907 (full size)
Teez clear coat nail polish (full size)

As you can see, the two sample size products are as big (or as small) as the lipstick.  I don't believe in sample sizes, especially for the price of the box!  I could that size product in a subscription box that is half the price of Glossybox (like tipsy).  Plus, 99% of the time sample sizes don't really allow a person to see if the product is fitting, especially when it comes to skin care.

• I didn't bother trying the clearista product.  I'll just give it to someone, so no review on that.
• The glam glow mask, is one of this few cases where a sample size is sufficient enough (but of course I prefer full size!).  I've used the mud mask twice, and both times my skin has looked great.  When you apply it to your clean, dry face, it dries up instantly!  I leave it on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse it off.
• The sebastian hair spray will be great for my travel case.  This thing has some major hold as a hair spray.  I read that this also acts as a pre-styling product too, so I've used it before I've straightened my hair and it does make my hair look straighter and doesn't frizz.
• The teez nail polish has the most adorable and cool packaging!  the box was so colorful and pretty.  The polish bottle is clear with a gold cap and it has orange designs on it.  The product itself is amazing too.  I used it as a base coat and a top coat.  As a top coat, it makes my nail polish look so glossy and smooth.  It also doesn't streak that much unlike some cheap drugstore brands.
• The doucce lipstick is really nice.  Mine came in a nice rosy color that looks very natural.  The tube is very modern and cool.  The lipstick itself is nice for a matte color.  Matte lipsticks are usually drying to me, but this one is a bit better; it isn't as drying as other brands.

Overall, this box was okay.  There were too many sample sizes for my liking!  I feel like 2 out of 5 of the products should be full size.  I love the nail polish, like the lipstick, and am content with the hair spray and mud mask.  I didn't bother with the gel cleanser because of its disappointing size!

Glossy Box April 2015 Review

This glossy box had a unique "woman empowerment" theme to it.  Two of the featured products were from entrepreneurial women of the Estée Lauder and Aerin brand (it's funny that both founders of those companies are related).  The box had a super chic pop-art image of a confident woman putting on her mascara.  There was also a lovely surprise gift of a makeup bag with a mystery gift card to the website that created the makeup bag.

I thought this months concept was very cool, but I was a little disappointed with the box's products this time around.  I'm very happy with one product, the others are okay or too small (ugh, sample sized!) for me to tell if I like the product.

This month I received:

• Estée lauder Enlighten dark spot correcting night serum
• Julep Gel eye glider in navy smoke
• Marrakesh Endz: split end mender & preventer
• Aerin Waterlily sun fragrance
• Obsessive compulsive cosmetics Stained gloss in Rhythm box

 
The best product was the Julep eyeliner.  The formula is amazing!  It glides onto my eyelid like butter—that's how smooth the formula is.  It doesn't tug or pull on my delicate eyelid at all, and the pigmentation is spot on.  I'll probably buy this eyeliner for now on, I hope they have a lot of colors (like Urban Decay).
The only other full sized product in this box was the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic gloss, and I'm not a huge fan of their lip tars and stuff.  This gloss feels like high maintenance.  I found that anything and everything I ate/drank made all of the product come off.  I'll give this the benefit of the doubt though because the day I did wear this, my lips were pretty dry.
The Marrakesh hair mender seems nice, but the thing about sample sizes is that you usually can't tell if it will work because there isn't enough product that you can use over a course of time to see results.  Unless the stuff is potent, a sample size won't do it.  I like it, but I'm not sure if it's helping mend my split ends.
The Estée Lauder serum is super tiny.  It's cute and would make a great travel product, but it is not ideal for testing.  The card that comes with the glossy box says that this does wonders for your skin in 4 weeks, but this product doesn't have four weeks worth of stuff in it!  I've been using it for 3 or 4 days, and my skin looks exactly the same, so I'm not sure when I'll see results and if I will with  this amount.
The Aerin fragrance is pleasant.  It's a cute sample size that is great for traveling.  I like the scent; it is fresh and floral.

Overall, I thought this was glossy box okay.  I hope to receive more full sized products in the next one, or not such small samples!

Glossybox - March 2015

Hello! Here is another glossy box review:

Glossybox is a monthly subscription box full of 5 deluxe size to full size beauty products.  It is $21 a month (before tax), but there are other packages (like semi-annually) that charge more at once, but overall each box ends up to be cheaper.

This month I received some really good products!  4 of them were full size, which is always exciting. I received:

• Nexus salon care color assure rebalancing shampoo
• So Susan Cosmetics concealer quad
• Bella pierre lip and cheek stain in pink
• Model co more brows eyebrow thickening gel in medium/dark
• Orogold Cosmetics 24k Multi-Vitamin Day Moisturizer

My favorite product is definitely the Bella Pierre lip and cheek tint.  It is a beautiful and natural pink color; when I apply it to the apples of my cheeks and dab it over my cheek bones a bit, I get this natural rosy glow.  It's amazing.  I received a Bella pierre lipstick a few boxes ago, and I loved that too (check out my December box 2014 review for the lipstick).  I think I'm now going to be a bella pierre customer because I'm totally in love with their products!

I like brow gel by Model co also.  I have a Benefit cosmetics one, but that one is OK.  This one makes my brows look fuller, darker and thicker which is great for when I want a strong brow.  The only thing I'd say is that it makes my brows feel weird– like gooey a little, but then it is a gel.  I fell asleep while I had the brow gel on, and when I woke up (after having my face buried in a pillow) my right eyebrow hairs were all askew and it took a lot of effort to get them back into place!  This gel has a strong hold.

The nexus shampoo is nice.  I like the smell; it is made of white orchids.  I don't mind that this is a shampoo for color treated hair even though my hair is untreated.  It's supposed to help protect my hair either way.  I've only used it twice so I don't know if or when it'll show results.

The concealer quad is okay.  The Glossybox pamphlet said that the heat from my fingers should warm the product and make it easy to apply, but I found this product hard to apply.  It's dense, and I don't find that it does much for me.  I like the fact that there are 4 different shades that I can blend together to get my perfect color, but I have yet to fall in love with this product.

The moisturizer is okay too.  Nothing special.  Apparently it is made with 24k gold, but I'm not sure how exactly that makes it special.  The texture is thick and creamy, it's also scented (I prefer unscented moisturizers).  I've been using it the past couple of days on my decolige, and it is moisturizing, but I don't think that it works better than the moisturizers I have, so I also don't think the $120 something dollars is justifiable (note that I got a sample size of this product).

Overall, I'm happy with this months box.  I received a lot of full size products that will last me a while, and it's always great to try new brands and items so that I can buy them in the future.

I hope this review helped!  Stay tuned for the next one.

Try The World Box Review- Venice box

Try The World is a food subscription box that gives you about 7-10 food products (deluxe size/full size) from different cities around the world.  Each month there is a different box with a new theme; my first box was the Venice box.
I read about try the world in the March 2015 FoodNetwork magazine and was so excited to try it!  In the magazine, it said that you can either try their monthly box or the Paris box (which is sold year round) as your first box.  I was hoping to receive the Paris box (which I contacted the company about) but I received February's Venice box instead.  No biggie though!  So here is the review:




The Products I received:

• Pergunia Chocolate Tab 
• Apicoltura Luca Finocchio thousand flower honey
• Mogi ethic coffee
• Orlando U'piscatori anchovies
• Merico Maria Rosa Di Consiglia olive oil
• La Bandita pear and grappa jam
• Domori cherry chocolate treats

I tried a majority of the products.  I loved the Domori cherry chocolates, I'll probably buy them.  The flavor is so different, not like the type of fruit chocolates in the United States.  These cherries are sweet and succulent with a dark chocolate powder on them– it was delicious!

The Pergunia chocolate tab was lemon flavored.  I've never had lemon flavored chocolate, but it goes surprisingly well with the bitter taste of dark chocolate.

The Mogi coffee was strong but it had a beautiful bold flavor.  I brewed it in my French press.

The La Bandita pear and grappa jelly was great!  It was sweet with a hint of tartness that had a depth of flavor.  I ate it on a toasted crumpet with some butter; the flavor was so unique and refreshing.

The Apicoltura Luca Finocchio thousand flowers honey is sweet and floral.  I tasted a little.  The texture is thick and it is opaque.  I believe that is what raw/natural honey is supposed to be like, not the clear and runny kind we find in supermarkets.

I didn't try the anchovies or olive oil yet, I think I'm going to give it to my mom since she uses anchovies a lot and olive oil, so no review on those items!

I received a discount on the box because of a coupon code I found in the food network magazine.  The monthly (charged every 2 months) subscription price is $39; I don't think this box would have been worth it though if I paid full price.  I love the items, they were delicious and unique, but I only got 7 items and only two of them looked like they were full size, which was the chocolate bar and anchovies.  The other products were deluxe sample sizes.

The box also came with a pamphlet about Venice.  It had two recipes, one for tiramisu cups and an anchovy pasta.  Both recipes looked delicious.  There was also some information about Venice, and there were lists of Italian music and movies to try.  I thought this was a cute and nice addition to the box.  There was also a card with the items and some information about them.

Overall, I like this box.  I think this is a great way to try and discover foods and snacks from other countries; it always nice to be exposed to other cultures and their food.  I just don't know if the price justifies the amount of product you receive. 

Hope this review helps!

JUNE 17th 2015:  I accidentally came across another review for the Venice box from another blog who does many box reviews.  The stuff in that person's box was different and contained all full size products!  I'm assuming that Try The World makes special boxes for certain bloggers to review in order to score a 5-star review.  That is very disappointing if that is the case!  Reviews are meant to give potential buyers an all encompassing and honest understanding of what a company is going to provide them, not lure people in with misconceptions!

The website: http://www.trytheworld.com

Glossy Box- February 2015

Glossy box is a monthly subscription that contains 5 deluxe samples/full sized products that are delivered to your door each month.

TheFebruary glossy box was a pleasant surprise!  The box was Valentine's day themed, and I pretty much used all of the products for the occasion.  I adored most of the products I received.  This box had a lot of different options of products based on someone's beauty profile.

My Products were:

• Spa Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in Yogi Flow
• Unwashed Bio cleanising Conditioner
• Royal Apothic Lip Tinties in Pink
• Julep Color Treat in Heartleigh
• Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara

The Spa Rituals shower gel was fun to use, but I'm more into natural/organic products for my skin.  This has a lot of chemicals and I find that irritates certain areas of my skin.  I love the packaging though.  

The unwashed conditioner was a deluxe sample.  I used it once in the shower so I can't really form an opinion on it.  It's in my powder blue travel case right now!  It's a great concept though; it is supposed to have oils in it so it doesn't strip your hair of its natural oils.

The Royal apothic lip tint is amazing!  I love it.  The packaging is adorable.  It comes in a pretty box and when you take it out, it is this cute little class pot with a retro looking lid that is a silver color.  This is absolutely adorable!  The product itself is great too; it's a nice sheer pink color.

The Julep nail polish I don't like, but I'm not a fan of glitter top coats.  Who needs the trouble of spending an hour trying to take this polish off!  I actually went to get my nails done a little after I put this polish on my nails.  The woman who did my nails couldn't get it off with polish remover so she got out this device the spun and chipped the glitter off!  This is super cute if you love glitter top coats; there are pink hearts, different colored speckles etc.

The Jelly Pong Pong mascara is nice.  It works like any other mascara to me, not one of those amazing ones that do wonders for your lashes.  I love the name of the brand and the product though, it is adorable!

Popsugar Must Have Review 2015 - Bad Customer Service

Popsugar Must Have is a life style subscription box, meaning the box contains items like fitness, food, beauty, fashion, home and entertainment.

 I was so excited to try this box!  I saw the youtubers Tee and Ess (TeeAndEss) do unboxing videos of this subscription, and I would yelp with delight with them as they unveiled every item.  They received unbelievably great items like full size juice beauty moisturizer, in-style fashion scarves, and mouth watering cookie chips.  So I had to give the box a try myself and ordered one to review.

The box never came.  Unfortunately, I cannot rate the products which I'm sure are wonderful, but I can review the customer service, which is horrible.

Here is the story:  I ordered my box on January 12th.  I was so excited as I anticipated the goodies I would receive like a little girl on Christmas day because lets face it, who doesn't love opening up a surprise?!  So shortly after ordering, I receive a notification that there was an issue with payment and that I need to order the box again and check my payment.  I didn't want to order it again because I looked at my credit card statement and the charge was still pending.  <<Fast-forward>> [The moon sets and the sun rises, it's the next day and the charge went through]  So I contact Popsugar through e-mail, inquiring about my purchase.  4 e-mails, and 1 desperate instagram direct message to them (in over a 2 week period), and still I don't get a reply.  It wasn't until I send a not so amiable message about their horrible customer service do they grace my inbox with a short reply saying they have no record of my payment and to send them a screenshot of my statement.  I comply, but no answer after 2 days.

So yeah, I'm pretty annoyed at this point.  I send yet another e-mail saying that I'd rather receive a refund.  They reply less than an hour later saying they would be more than happy to refund me except there is nothing for them to refund me...they sent me a screen shot saying my order wasn't paid.  Okay that's pretty cool, except for the fact that I did pay for it as my credit card statement shows.  So what does this lead to?  Those dreaded phone calls to your credit card company where you must wait on the phone fiddling with your fingers and listening to waistline music.

Now I await to see if my dispute will reward me a refund.  I'm 99.9% sure it will be in my favor because (1) I paid for it as my statement reflects (2) Popsugar will not be able to prove they sent me my merchandise because...they didn't.  I have to wait 10-20 business days for the result in the mail.

I give Popsugar must have 1 star because their customer service is attrocious.  Companies like Amazon do so well because not only do they have an eclectic range of items and good prices, it's because they have excellent customer service, which Popsugar should look into.
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If you're interested in seeing reviews of the actual product, check out youtube.  I've added a video of TeeAndEss reviewing the box.  I'm sure this subscription box is great as long as they don't mess up your order.

Glossy Box Review - January 2015

What is GlossyBox?  It is beauty subscription service with monthly boxes curated with 5 high end products from different beauty brands (skincare, haircare, cosmetics etc.) that range from deluxe size to full size.  The products add up to way more than what you pay for, making it an ideal way to sample and try new products.  You can create a profile with preferences so that sometimes the products will be tailored to you.

Sometimes glossy box is a hit or miss.  One month the box will be really good, the next month the box will be disappointing.  Glossy box's rival subscription box is Boxycharm (which I have not tried yet).  Boxy charm is the same price as glossy box, except boxy charm is supposed to have more full size products, usually 4-5.  The difference between the two is that glossy box has more high end and exotic products where as boxy charm has more everyday items from decent brands.

Have you tried Boxyxharm?  You can leave a comment and tell me what you think about the box!

This glossy box was a little disappointing, but there were still some great products to try out. Here's a list of what I got:

• Lollipops long lasting eye pencil in goodbye moon
• Teeez beautiful eyes flat stiff brush
• Skin & Co truffle therapy serum
• Vichy Laboratories pureté thermale 3 in 1 cleanser
• Kueshi pure & clean revitalizing face toner

-The Lollipops eyeliner was probably one of the better products in the box.  It's very smooth and glides onto the eye easily.  Apparently it is infused with vitamins to make it more nourishing for our very delicate eye area.  I think this is actually better than my urban decay eye pencil!

-The Teeez brush was a nice addition to the box.  It has a very chic pattern on it that is pink and green. It's very versatile; it can be used for smudging, applying shadow, buffing etc.

-The Kueshi toner is also really nice.  It has a very unique smell, it isn't quite floral, but it is along those lines.  The first few ingredients are plant extracts, and then there are some chemicals.  I'm glad all the ingredients aren't chemically derived, although I prefer natural products.  This toner does feel refreshing though, it feels like a refreshing splash of cool water.

-The Skin & Co truffle serum is good, but the size is so tiny.  It's .17oz, making it barely enough to see if the product will actually work for you.  Granted the product is expensive in general, but the same size sample was in a birchbox before (I've never tried birch box but I've seen it in there before), and that subscription box is only $10 a month.  So this was a little disappointing.

-The Vichy cleanser was okay.  It gets rid of makeup, cleanses and all that, but I find most cleansers do that and they are more affordable.  I use Burt's Bee's which is affordable and natural, so I'd just stick to that.  

This box was okay, but there were some worthy products like the eyeliner, brush and toner.  Hopefully next month is better.  

I hope this helps you guys decide if Glossybox is right for you or not!

* Bold words are names of brands/companies.