Glossybox is a monthly subscription box which sends you a mixture of five skincare and makeup items, both samples and full size. It costs $21 a month and is actually available in the US as well as various European countries. Glossybox often offers promos as well as deals on discount sites, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for them. It’s a very popular box but, until now, I had been dissuaded from subscribing for a couple of reasons (beyond the fact that I don’t need any more beauty products). One is that they seem to send out different boxes to different people. In particular, the boxes sent to bloggers seem to be better than those sent to many subscribers. This leads to “box envy” and unhappiness all around. The other is that Glossybox has a reputation for making it difficult to cancel subscriptions.
However, *today* Glossybox offered a deal on Guilt City that I could not pass up. You can buy a 6-month subscription for $70 and a 12-month subscription for $105 (to get those prices, use promo code WELCOME30 at checkout). The 12-month deal has you paying under $9 per box. Even though I have too many products, to me this is worth it just for the fun of reviewing the boxes (which is really what I enjoy). You can check my future Glossybox reviews here.
Meanwhile, I have swapped several products from Glossybox. This is what I’ve gotten.
From the October ’15 box
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De Bruyere Paris Lipgloss, .17 oz, $17.50
This lip gloss came in the “French” themed October Glossybox. The brand is, indeed, French, though the lipgloss itself is “made in EEU”. It turns out that the EEU is the Eurasian Economic Union, a free market zone which includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Belarus seems to be the most eager country to use the EEU designation, so I’m going to guess that’s where it’s made, but who knows where the ingredients come from. I’m going to guess that manufacturers are hoping that customers will confuse the EEU with the European Union, and think that these products are made in western Europe.
In any case, I’m a little worried that this lipgloss does not look like the lipglosses in the De Bruyere site, but perhaps it’s because they were specially made for Glossybox. The bottle doesn’t actually say what color it is, though it looks red in the bottle. Once you apply it, however, it looks more like a fuchsia. It actually looks very good on my oldest daughter. I swapped the pennant and cardboard coasters from Nerd Block welcome block for this.
From September 2015 box
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Julep Luxe Lip Conditioning Treatment in sheer coral, $24
I thought this would be a colored lip gloss, but it goes on pretty sheer. It’s not flavored, so it has a vasseline-like taste. It’s very moisturizing, but I don’t see what justifies the price. I swapped the Medicell peel from the DermStore Forever Young grab bag for this and the eyelash conditioner below. Made in USA.
From August 2015 box
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Manna Kadar conditioning lash primer, $24
This is an interesting product. You put it on before your mascara, being careful to not have it clump too much. It makes your eyelashes look fuller. It works pretty well. I exchanged this and the Julep lip conditioner for the Medicell peel from the DermStore Forever Young grab bag. Made in Italy, assembled in China.
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Lollipops Paris Lip Balm, $5.50
I also was hoping this was a pink lip gloss, instead is a clear lip balm. This one was very tasty, though, and one of my daughters claimed it. I swapped a bliss face wash from the August Beauty Fix box for this.
From June ’15 box
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Etre Belle Cosmetics Aloe Vera Ultra Moisturizing Gel, 40 ml, $25
I swapped for this lotion because the “aloe” in the name and the green color made me think it’d be a good after-sun lotion. As I didn’t end up getting burnt, I can’t really tell if it is or not. It works well enough as a moisturizer, but then again so do $1 lotions. The ingredients are rather ordinary – water, glycerin, aloe vera – and it does contain parabens. Indeed, there is nothing whatsoever on the ingredient list that provides a hint as to why this lotion is so expensive. It’s made in Germany, at least.
Note, I took the photo after using the lotion. It was full when it arrived. I swapped the Medicell Labs Instant Brightening Peel from the DermStore Forever Young Grab Bag for this lotion and the Estée Lauder dark spot serum below.
From April ’15 box
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Estée Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum, 7 ml, $15
My biggest skin problem is age and sun related discoloration. The top of my forehead is permanently sunstained and I have brown spots starting to appear on my face. I did some research as to how to get rid of them, and there isn’t a simple affordable solution. I didn’t have much hope for this serum, which was good as it was a complete failure. It did nothing to lighten any of my dark spots. On the plus side, it’s great to be able to try it as a sample to find out it doesn’t work. It’s made in the UK
I swapped the Medicell Labs Instant Brightening Peel from the DermStore Forever Young Grab Bag for this serum and the Etre Belle moisturizing gel above.
From June 2013 box
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e. Boooth Honey Almond Nourishing Dry Oil Mist, 2 oz, $4
I’m not particularly sure what the purpose of this mist is (adding moisture?), but it makes me smell like an almond croissant. I rather like it. It’s made in the USA. I swapped the purple tassel from the fall ’15 FabFitFun box for this.