I knew this would happen the moment I did it.

Hello Everyone,

So I've did it. I unsubscribed from GlossyBox and BirchBox. Of course, I knew that the moment I did it GlossyBox would have something amazing in their September box an they sure do. The product I've been wanting to try for the longest time, HD Brow Kit. Of course! Are they trying to rub it in for all those people who unsubscribed because of the additional shipping charge? If that's the case, it's working.

But here is the thing. I'm a redhead, and I need a very specific brow shade and GlossyBox even admitted on Twitter that all products are mailed out on random, so most likely the shades I got would be totally wrong for me anyway. And I haven't been able to access my beauty profile at all since I filled it out back in May, to check and make sure that my tastes didn't change. That's not cool, not cool at all. The issue of price is a big one for me too. As you may or may not know, I don't get paid in pounds. I get paid in dollars! Ok, I don't get paid at all since I'm an unemployed student, so it double hurts. 

And simple conversion will show that 12.95 British Pounds = 20.44805 U.S. Dollars. Freaking $20!!!! I can deal with $16-17 of what it was before, and sure $20 is not that much more but it's a principle now! These boxes are supposed to be a convenient and affordable way to try samples, but $20 is not affordable anymore for me. I'm sure if I had a job then I would think differently, but right now I can't afford to throw away $20 on something that might not even work for me. And most products from GlossyBox don't. At this point some of you might say that GlossyBox been pretty good at including one full size product in every box, and kudos to them for doing that but see the above argument. What if the product doesn't work? Product that I don't care for, like those nail wraps I got in August. Hm.... GlossyBox, if you had actually followed my beauty profile, you would have noticed that I didn't want any products that had to do with nails because I don't really have any nails to apply those products!!! My nails are short naturally, and I can't keep them long because they are very thin so putting any kind of nail wraps on will only draw attention to that.

Anyway, enough of a rant about my nails. I've mostly gotten GlossyBox because it was a fun surprise every month, and I loved waiting for it. Hoping that I would like most of the products that I otherwise would not buy. But when it turns out to be $20 every month for products I won't use, that's a little too much.

I've also unsubscribed from the BirchBox, not really because of the price ("true" $10 I can stomach) but because the last two boxes I've gotten just left me feeling MEH..... The samples were super tiny, plus I got the stupid nail wraps again (and I CAN update my beauty profile on BirchBox) and there were only 4 samples instead of usual 5 for GlossyBox. At least the are not raising the shipping, so I might come back to them at some point in the future.

And their customer service is very good. My August box took a month to arrive, but I held off emailing them because I knew that APO mail can take longer. Finally, after a month I did email and got a response the next day saying that they will mail out the replacement for me. Of course, that same day I got my box, and I frantically emailed them back asking not to mail anything to me. Turned out they already did (they sure do work fast), and I was told to enjoy both of my boxes. I actually got my 2nd August box the same day I got my September one, but even then the contents were pretty disappointing. I know that $10 is not much, but the products included just were not worth it for me the price tag I paid. It's not really the money, but the disappointment.

At this point most of you are probably screaming at me to get some photos up, but I'm pretty upset right now (not a good day of reasons other than beauty boxes) so I really don't want to deal with photos. If I feel better, I'll add photos to illustrate my point. If not, just google the content of the boxes and see what I mean for yourself.

Lyuba

P.S. On the bright side, I ordered the new limited edition palette from Sleek. The one that is available exclusively on their website. It better not arrive smashed!

BirchBox vs. GlossyBox

Hello my lovely readers,

I am in a unique position where I live in UK, but still have access to some US stuff that I can buy in store and online. One of those things is BirchBox, which is US equivalent of GlossyBox. I decided to subscribe to BirchBox after I got my June's GlossyBox when I was so mad and disappointed I was very close to cancelling the whole service. So here is the comparison between the two July boxes.

 
As you can see, the first major difference is the size. I gotta say, GlossyBox packing is so much nicer and even bigger. I'll keep both boxes, but GlossyBox will last a lot longer. Another difference is the timing, GlossyBox is sent out at the end of the month and BirchBox at the beginning. Actually this month I got my GlossyBox over a week late because it wasn't sent out at all. So after talking to 3 other people on twitter (they had the same thing happened to them), we all emailed to GlossyBox and got told that Royal Mail didn't mail our boxes and they will sent the replacements out right away. They did, and I was very impressed with the customer service. Of course I wasn't very impressed with the wait, and then it got delivered on Saturday but I was sleeping so I had to wait till Monday to pick it up.

It is hard to compare these boxes objectively, but I figured because both of them were pretty special I could try. July BirchBox was a collaboration with Cynthia Rowley (please don't shoot me but I have no idea who she is, other than she must be a big shot. Ok, I google her, she is a big shot) and GlossyBox really outdid itself.

So this is what I got in BirchBox: 

KIND Almond & Apricot bar - YUMMY! Didn't expect that in the box, but supposedly Cynthia Rowley always had one of those in her bag. If I had access to it, I would buy it again in a heartbeat! 

 Redken Shine Flash - I'm not really sure what that is lol. Guess I'll just need to spray it on my hair and see. (the bottle doesn't have any instruction, and the  description says that it gives hair a brilliant finish)


AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream - I actually used this before and I love it. I would buy it if I had access to the brand and I'm not feeling like ordering it online at the moment.

philosophy Purity One-step Facial Cleanser - I always wanted to try philosophy, so guess now I can. :) 

Zoya Touch Collection Nail Polish in Shay - I wasn't very impressed with the shade until I applied it. It looked much better than I thought it would!

And this is what I got in July's GlossyBox: 

Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil - I never used body oils before but I love this stuff! It smells wonderful and I am pretty sure it will make my skin nice and hydrated if only I use it regularly like I'm supposed.

Blink+Go Ultimate Effect strip Lashes Tempress - I would have probably picked those for myself. 

Ciate Nail Enamel in Kitten Heels - how did they know that I would love the shade and the name? I am not very impressed with the application, but that could just be me. I'm terrible with applying nail polishes but I"m learning. 

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Conquer - my first Illamasqua product and I don't know if I want to use it. I already have pretty of other pigments and I don't want to open this one up only to have it sit around not used. I probably save it for a giveaway.

Etat Libre d'Orange Eau de Parfum in Archieves 69 (not imressed with the scent) and Like This (now I like the smell of that!)

As you can see it is hard to compare when GlossyBox had 4 full size products this month, but overall I am more excited about BirchBox because they promised to deliver me luxury samples and they did without going hit and miss like GlossyBox did last month. There were less samples (I don't count the snack bar, although that was nice), but they do promise to give you 4-5 samples each month. And they also don't promise to increase the price only 3 month after launching. I will be cancelling my GlossyBox in September, but I think I will stick with the BirchBox.

What do you think? Would you subscribe to either of those boxes if you could? 

~ Lyuba

GlossyBox Meh............

Today I finally got my first ever GlossyBox.... and I can't tell you how disappointed I am. Now I am probably overly grumpy for whatever reason, and maybe I just make it more of a deal than what it really is... So this is what I got:

This is what GlossyBox promises to give us: 

If you want to regularly receive luxury product miniatures from top brands that fit your care and styling habits, then simply register on our website. The unique appeal of GlossyBox is that as a recipient of the box you can create your own personal beauty profile on our site. This information will help us to choose the right products to fit your needs and tastes.                                    
The GlossyBox will be sent out monthly. In addition to high-end luxury product miniatures, the box contains product information, application notes and tips and tricks about beauty and style.

And this is what I have a problem with: 
Batiste? SERIOUSLY?! Ok, so I love Batiste and will buy it over and over again, but when did Batiste became a luxury item? I don't buy a lot (read: almost never) of luxury beauty stuff because I simply can't afford them, so I was hoping GlossyBox will let me try some stuff I wouldn't otherwise try. But Batiste? I buy that stuff on monthly basis, and I buy a lot of it! And I know I shouldn't expect much for the cheap price, but if I am promised luxury/high-end stuff, shouldn't I get them?

And here is the 'theme' of June GlossyBox:
GET SUMMER READY~ 5 Summer Essentials


Eh, I could probably go on and on complaining about my GlossyBox, but I won't. I don't think what I got in it constitutes as 'summer essentials' but maybe it's just the old picky me. Some of you might disagree and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but after seeing what was included in May's box, I feel very disappointed with June's picks. :( I was really hoping for a face makeup item... :( :(

I HATED the smell of the perfume, but that's hardly GlossyBox's fault, they have no way of knowing my favorite scents. I like the shower gel and I'm looking forward to using it. I also look forward to using BioEffect, that is DEFINITELY something I will never be able to afford otherwise. OPI nail polish is meh too, but only because I'm not much of a polish person. Again, not their fault. So this box is not completely 'bad', but overall I'm disappointed.

I might give it a go for another month to see if I like anything, but as the things look right now, I most likely will cancel the service. Oh, and I'm PRETTY sure I filled out the beauty profile but I can't find it again on their site. Why do they hide it, why?!

Have you gotten your GlossyBox this month? What do you think? Are you happy with it, or disappointed like I am? 

~ Lyuba