My First Glymm Box (April)

Yesterday (about a week after the rest of the country recieved thier boxes) my first Glymm box arrived in the mail!

A lot of people were really disappointed with the box, and some have even been straight up rude about it.  

My two cents? We are getting 20/30/40$ worth of stuff for 11$ - including shipping and the hard work that goes into packing them all - so if your box was worth 20$ instead of 40$ this time, I really don't think that is any reason to complain. So long as it is worth at least the $11 we paid for...there's no reason to be upset. 

It's human nature to get used to great things, and take them for granted and feel entitled to them then suddenly be upset when things go back to normal. When you stop and think about it though - it's just silly. If your friend gave you a $50 gift certificate year after year for your birthday, and then suddenly one year because she was short on cash gave you a $20 gift certificate, would you be upset? Maybe. You might think - why doesn't she like me anymore?! Did I do something wrong?! Does she have a new BFF?! That backstabbing B*tch! But when you stop and think about it - that's ridiculous! She's still giving you a gift! The same applies for these Beauty-Box subscriptions. They are a great deal and worth well over what we pay for, so if some times the box is worth slightly less than other boxes (but still worth more than what you paid for) you should stop and have a think about the situation before you get into a huff.

If the reason you are upset isn't due to the "lack of worth" but rather due to the "lack of use" - say because you don't like perfume, or do not like lip gloss, or don't wear eyeshadow - then maybe 'surprise' sample beauty-boxes are not for you and you should stick to purchasing products at full price that you know you will actually use. I personally love the idea of trying new things that I wouldn't normally purchase but it's not for everyone. 

Either way - I do not think you have cause to complain - and you should think about these things next time before being extremely rude about your box.

Ok I'm done ranting I swear....onto my review/unboxing!

It came in this box which I like to call "tacky 80s barbie pink". It now lives in my recycling bin.

It came with a card that describes all the products/ how to use them/ how much the full size costs.

It also came with a $100 gift certificate for Nu.Me - it's only available for hair extensions or styling tools though - which are all over $100. The cheapest is a teensy straightener (about the size of your palm) for $115 + 15$ shipping (so you pay 30$). I already have a Sedu one of these for my purse because it came as a promo when I bought my Hai from Folica. The certificate is good until August I believe - so I may wait and see if some of the prices come down. I'm not going to buy something I don't need (HA  dear brain do as I say not as I do.....) but if the prices come down I may fork up 15$ shipping for a straightener or hair dryer. Any of you with Glymm Memberships - have you used your card? Do you know what you are going to get?

So this is what the box looks like inside. This is the only picture I took. I'm not going to let you see any of the products in full. Just try to guess what they are. Especially the upside down ones. KIDDING. This picture is pretty useless, unless you are one to really admire good packaging/crinkled confetti paper.

These are 7.4ml samples of Free Your Mane Shampoo and Conditioner. Some would call them one-time-use, but I am a firm believer in the dime sized dollop rule (maybe sometimes a quarter sized dollop...) so these should last me about 3 showers. And I have quite full/thick/ long hair- so don't try to rationalize using more shampoo/conditioner than you need by assuming I'm balding. The card that came with the box says: It gently cleanses hair and scalp whle natural oild help rebuild your hair's delicate moisture balance. With an exclusive blend of Brilliant Baobab Oil from Africa, ultra-moisturizing Argan Oil from Morocco, anti oxidant rich Pomegranate Seed Oil and Sweet Almond Oil, it will truly free your mane. I haven't tried either of these yet, but I'm excited to try a sulphate free shampoo - will keep you posted. The full size is 300ml each (@ 16$ chaque). So that makes these samples about 40cents each.

Update: I am in love with this shampoo and conditioner!! It actually makes my hair UNBELIEVABLY soft and silky and smooth! I don't really like the smell (kind of like a mens product) but I can put up with it for the results! So I will be for sure looking for another sulphate free shampoo that perhaps has a better scent, or hunting down this product and purchasing it! SO SILKY. Unbelievable. 

Next is this Lucia Soap in Wild Ginger and Fresh Fig. It smells very nice. I'm not really a soap-in-the-shower kind of girl because I have exfoliators/body scrubs/shower gels that I use, but this is perfect for washing my hands and smells so much better than a regular drugstore pump soap. The card says: These refined jewels are packed with pure botanical extracts and enriched with 100% certified organic Shea butter. Not only will your skin feel silky soft, it will also be thoroughly cleansed and smelling so seductive. The full size of these bebe soaps (I have a picture showing how tiny they are below) is a package of 8, which sells for $17.50 - making this sample (of 1) about $2.18.

 

The soap is only 25 grams - just a bebe - you can see how tiny it is next to my pinky finger. By the way, the purple polish is charlotte by Julep which I talked about in THIS POST.

This postcard came with the next sample - it has advertising for the full size on the back, but no hint of advertising on the front- not even the product itself hidden amongst the other objects. I can thus frame this pretty scene if I'd like. It's currently propped up by my bedside table because I like the feelings it invokes. What feelings? The back of the postcard pretty much describes it perfectly -  "It was the kind of momnt you would want to revist. Everyone was here, gathered on the terrace for breakfast, and the scent of fresh oranges was diffusing in the yellow heat. A symphony of laughter and waves hitting the cliffs played in the air" (That's supposed to be the feeling the perfume sample it came with invokes).

This is a sample of Atelier's Cologne in Orange Sanguine. It's a French brand. It literally smells like freshly cut oranges. You know that smell you get on your fingers after eating a perfectly ripe orange? That's this. In a bottle. So if you are one of those weirdos who likes to smell thier fingers after eating oranges - like me - then you'll pretty much love this. I would not buy this because it's not really in my style of fragrance (see my Fragrance Post HERE). Though I will definitely wear this because I like trying new things and it's a nice scent. The scent is supposed to invoke the feeling/moment described above on the postcard. The full size is 30ml for 60$ or 200ml for $165. Which is in the range of many other perfumes. Some people think that's ludicrous - but most people will know that unless you're buying Britney Spears perfume from Winners that this is pretty typical for perfume prices. (Not that there's anything wrong with Britney Spears from Winners (I love Winners!)...just that it's not going to be of the same quality/last as long on your skin as other types of perfume)

The Sample is a typical 1ml size - so worth about 2$. Some people were complaining that you can get these sample sizes for free at Sephora. Can you get Atelier Cologne? I THINK NOT. The point of these boxes is to try new things. I'm happy to have the chance to try this fragrance that I would not have seen/heard about/been able to try elsewhere. Again, the polish is Charlotte by Julep (See My Post Here).

The Last Product in the box was a Mai Couture Social Gloss. From the Card: Treat your lips with luxury you simply cannot live without. Not only will this gloss fill in unwanted lines and restore moisture but it will create full kissable lips. Your lips will be healthy and plump. This sheer forumla will create a sumptuous and luminous sheen. The secret: a complex mix of plant extracts naturally enhances your lip volume effortlessly without the allergen. Your lips will be the life of the party. ....What kind of party is this...My lips only kiss one boy shanks.

The Colour I got is "Flirtini" - i.e. completely clear gloss. I am super happy about the colour - some people got a nude type colour - which would look god awful on me, so I could not be happier about getting a clear gloss. The full size product is 25-28$ and they included the full sized product in the box! While I would not pay $28 for lip gloss, I am very happy to have recieved this and to try it out.

The gloss comes with a typical wand. I tried it on and it's not sticky at all - I despise sticky glosses. This gloss is smooth without the stickiness - I thought I had been turned off glosses and would never use them again, but this product just might change my mind....And against all my cynic expectations,  I actually did notice a tiny bit of the "plumping effect"

 So that's my Glymm Box + Review! I paid $11.30 (that includes tax and shipping) and got a box filled with over 30$ worth of products (plus a 100$ discount card) ....not too shabby.

If you would like to sign up for a Glymm Box subscription - I would really appreciate if you used my referral link:  http://www.glymm.com/share/zilliono

As mentioned, the box is $11.30 (tax and shipping included) and comes once a month. If you decide you don't like it or cannot afford more than a month or two, you can easily cancel by filling out a cancellation request email. The staff have been super friendly with me and super speedy to respond any time I have had questions - I think the key is that if you are freindly to them they will be friendly back, and rude to them, they will be rude back - this might explain the discrepancy with some people's experiences.