December Glossybox Review

Last month, I received my first Glossybox, and I loved it! The quality of the products was wonderful, and I was impressed by the sample sizes. I couldn't wait to see what they'd be sending this month, and I wasn't disappointed!

As always, the Glossybox came beautifully packaged, and included a mini-magazine and a little note explaining this month's theme and a bit of information about each of the products. This month's theme was ""Glamour, Glitz, & Gloss". My box didn't include any makeup products this month, but instead focused more on the process of getting ready, with bath and body products, and the finishing touches, with nail polish, fragrance, and jewelry. 

(This picture is missing one product, the Zoya nail polish. I was having so much fun swatching it that I forgot to put it back in the box for the picture. Oops!)

 The first product that I received was the Moisture Replenishing Madurai Jasmine & Mogra Bath & Shower Oil from Forest Essentials. This oil smells divine! Apply this to wet skin after showering to seal in moisture. I can get really dry and itchy during the winter, and I love the way that this makes my skin feel and smell. This product has a very liquid texture; I expected it to be thicker and poured way too much the first time I used it, but it works into the skin really easily. The sample size was very nice at 3.38 ounces, so I should be able to get quite a bit of use out of this!

Next is another bath and body product, a single-serving pouch of White Tea Bath Salts from Heartland Fragrance Co.. The product information suggests that you either pour the salts directly into a warm bath or use a handful of dry salts to exfoliate your body. There was just enough in the bag for me to try both! The scent is subtle and soothing, and my skin felt amazing. I haven't had a long, relaxing bath in ages; I might have to pick up some more of this so that I can make a habit of it!

Now that my body is soft and glowing, it's time to do something about my hair. This Glossybox has me covered yet again! The next sample is the Pronto Dry Heat Protect Spray from Oscar Blandi. At first, I was disappointed, because I received a different Oscar Blandi product in my welcome Birchbox, and wasn't impressed. I decided to try it anyway, and I'm so glad that I did! This spray smells and feels great, and keeps my hair from getting all frizzy and static-ridden after blow drying.

But wait, there's more! Two smaller samples were included in this month's Glossybox. The first was a sample of Issey Miyake's Eau de Toilette Pleats Please. I was surprised by how much I liked this scent. It's soft and girly, with just a hint of something deep and spicy. Yum!

There was also a small vial of Acacia Protein Oil from Ecru New York Cosmetic Hair Care. This is supposed to condition, reduce drying time, eliminate frizz, and mend split ends while protecting against heat damage. I liked it, but the sample was really only big enough for one use, so it's kind of difficult to really determine how effective it was.

 I've begun to amass quite a collection of nail polishes for a girl who always gets them done at the salon, but this Glossybox included one of my new favorites! From the always amazing Zoya, I received a gorgeous nail lacquer in Storm. It's a rich black shade with multicolored holo glitter. It applies easily, is opaque in one to two coats, and wears for a solid week. I'm in love! Shown here worn with Bend Over Backwards from China Glaze.

Finally, (Yep, we're still going!) JewelMint included an extra gift in the form of jewelry! It looks like everyone got something different, and I ended up with this simple but lovely long necklace. It's made of a series of gold- and copper-colored circular disc beads, and I love layering it with my shorter necklaces. Jewelmint.com is a subscription-based jewelry website which also links to a variety of other "Mint" shops, including one for shoes, one for clothes, and one for intimate apparel. (The link leads to a personal referral, which gives me credit on the site if you sign up and make a purchase. Once you sign up, you'll get a referral link of your own! To check out the site without a referral, just click here.)

Glossybox is a beauty subscription service. You can subscribe for one month, six months, or a year, and boxes full of goodies get delivered right to your door. At $21 per month,this service is a bit more expensive than many of its competitors, but I certainly feel that I got my money's worth this month. 

You create a basic profile when your first sign up for the service, and then fill out surveys after you've received your boxes in order to further customize your content. Best of all, filling out surveys earns you Glossydots, which can be saved up and used toward free boxes! Click here for a referral and start getting goodies and collecting Glossydots today!

**Disclaimer: I purchased this subscription using my own funds and all opinions are my own, but the referral link posted in the above paragraph does provide me with points that can be redeemed for product. Once you sign up for your own Glossybox, you receive a referral code to give to your friends so that you can earn points, too!

November Glossybox Swatches and Review

I finally decided to sign up for some of those wonderful beauty subscription services, and my very first arrival was the November Glossybox!

Let's take a peek inside, shall we?

Ooh! Pretty!

So, what did I get? According to the insert and the little mini-mag in the box, "Tis the season to be glossy". The contents didn't have much glossiness, but there were certainly some goodies that would look great with a little gloss!

My first product was a set of Nail Polish Appliques from Incoco. I received a shade called Sinderella. It's a very pretty burgundy wine color with some subtle shimmer. This will probably end up being a gift, because my one really unnecessary indulgence is my weekly professional manicure, and I don't know how these would even work on acrylic nails.

Next, I found the Truffle Serum:Hydro-Toning Day Face Serum from Skin&Co Roma. I wasn't sure about this one at first. The texture is very watery, and it felt a little sticky to me. However, it absorbs really quickly, and it felt nice and smooth under my moisturizer. 

Skin&Co Roma also included a little card which told me to visit their website and enter a code to receive a "Free Ultimate Anti-Aging Face Set Sampler" containing a serum, gel, tuber face lotion, and truffle gommage. This turned out to be disappointing, though. After searching for a place to enter the code, I tried to just add an item to my cart and use it as a coupon code. Unfortunately, the website said that it was invalid. I can't help but wonder if the website is very new; some pages, such as the gift cards page, were still full of lorem ipsum (the "filler" text of nonsense Latin that is used as a placeholder for layout purposes). :(

My third product, the Arganics by NuMe Argan Oil, was from NuMe Style. I had never used an Argan Oil before, so I can't compare this to any competitors, but I love it! My hair tends toward the oily side of the spectrum, but it's rather long, and the recent change of color has left the ends wanting a little bit of love. This oil absorbs quickly and makes my hair shiny and soft without leaving a greasy feeling. I would absolutely buy this!

NuMe had a gift certificate in this box for $100 toward the purchase of hair styling tools or hair extensions on their website. I've been wanting to pick up a clip-free curling iron for some time now, but they tend to be so expensive! The ones that NuMe carries are currently on sale starting at $145, so that gift card will be put to good use. Merry Christmas to me!

This box also included two color products. The first is a Kryolan for Glossybox blusher in Glossy Rosewood. This girly pink blush is highly pigmented and goes on smooth. The color is perfect for winter, giving that "just came in from frolicking in the snow" flush, and will transition well into spring.

The second color product is a Lip & Eye Medium Pencil from Illamasqua. I got a bright red-orange shade called Spell. From what I've seen and heard, most subscribers received this shade, and some got a dark brown with purple undertones called Honour. The general consensus seems to be that most people aren't so thrilled with Spell, but I've already worn it twice! Now, I've been known to enjoy some bright colors, so this shade certainly isn't for everyone, but with this season's fluorescent lip trend, it's worth a try!

Wearing the blush and lip pencil; no flash. (Ignore the lack of eye makeup. It was late and I was tired.)

 

  Wearing the pencil with some lipstick and gloss. No flash, but under fluorescent lights on campus.

Lipstick and gloss are discontinued MAC shades Hibiscus and Geo Pink

Glossybox is a beauty subscription service. You can subscribe for one month, six months, or a year, and boxes full of goodies get delivered right to your door. At $21 per month,this service is a bit more expensive than many of its competitors, but I certainly feel that I got my money's worth this month. 

You create a basic profile when your first sign up for the service, and then fill out surveys after you've received your boxes in order to further customize your content. Best of all, filling out surveys earns you Glossydots, which can be saved up and used toward free boxes! Click here for a referral and start getting goodies and collecting Glossydots today!

**Disclaimer: I purchased this subscription using my own funds and all opinions are my own, but the referral link posted in the above paragraph does provide me with points that can be redeemed for product. Once you sign up for your own Glossybox, you receive a referral code to give to your friends so that you can earn points, too!