My Subscription Box Addiction

As some of you might remember, I'm a huge supporter of Birchbox, a monthly beauty/lifestyle subscription box featuring 4-6 samples a month.  It's like Christmas all year round!  Well, my family and friends caught on to my latest craze and signed me up for a few other boxes with different companies as holiday gifts.  I haven't received 3 of them, as they start next month, I believe.  But I did get a new one right before Christmas that I fell in love with.  Good thing, too, because my Birchbox was a holiday flop this month.  I know a few people on YouTube got the bad end of the stick a few times with their boxes, and it was bound to happen to me sometime, but  for my Christmas box?  That really sucked in my opinion. The boxes I was watching on YouTube were crazy awesome, but alas, mine was a total frowner.  Oh well.  Better luck next time, but I did include what was in it and my opinion on the product after the new box.

What is this new box, Night?  Well, it's called Glossybox.  And I was excited to read this on the website (this was taken directly from Glossybox.com):

"We currently only ship to the 48 states in the United States (not Hawaii or Alaska), and we do not ship to APO or FPO addresses. However, GLOSSYBOX is also available in the following countries: Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom."

YAY!  That's a lot of coverage!   :)  This box was $21 a month and in my opinion, well worth it! The samples were bigger, the product was fun and different, and I couldn't stop smiling after I got through perusing all my goodies.  *Get your mind out of the gutter*  Unfortunately, they don't seem to have a men's version in the US, that I could find.  There is one for Canada and one for the UK.  Those looked pretty sweet.

Okay, enough yapping.  I took pictures of the unwrapping process...

There was a little magazine with trends and what not for the winter, and then a greeting from Glossybox, wishing you a happy holiday and telling you the theme of the month.  Glamour, Glitz, and Gloss... right up my alley.  lol  When you opened the card, it told you all about the products in your box.  Like this...

I apologize for the terrible lighting.  My camera apparently has the flu. :/ 

Not only did I get a full sized nail polish, in the cutest color ever, I got a long necklace from Jewelmint.  Another addiction website of mine.  Jewelry lovers beware.  Overall, this box rocked my socks and I have a lot of things to test out and play with for the next few weeks.  See something you have a question about, let me know.  :)


Onto the worst Birchbox ever.  When I say that, I should mention that my previous boxes were out of this world.  So don't base your opinions on this one box.  Remember, Birchbox has men's boxes, too.  A little more expensive for you boys, but worth it!  Dan got this cute ass, knit skinny tie in his box and I was jealous.  Even though I don't wear ties.  *shrugs*  It was cute and valued more than the box alone.  Shutting up now, sort of.  Here it is.  (I put a pen next to the box to show how small it is compared to the Glossybox.)

Okay, cute so far, right?  Wait for it.

Eye gel pads, ANOTHER sample of fruity prostitute couture (aka juicy couture), and a bottle of clarifying shampoo in french, but made in California?  Lash perfection gel, enough for one use, a gift tag, a $50 off gift card to Rent The Runway... we'll get to that in a minute, and then my EXTRA.  Every month you get what's called a lifestyle extra, aka another sample, that's different from the rest of the box.  Boy, was it certainly different.

This was a redeeming sample for me, or so I thought.  I'm a skincare nut and I use masks and eye treatments on a religious basis.  After reading over this product a little, it says it's reusable.  Yay! It also states to initially use it 3 days in a row before making it a routine.  But to do that... you ready for this?  The pads may be reused if placed back in tray within 30 minutes of use, re-hydrated with Frownies Rose Water Hydrator and refrigerated in a sealed plastic bag.  O.o  Um no.  Wash and put in a bag, I get, but their laboratory process is non-sense, not to mention you weren't given this all-hydrating rose water crap, and what tray?  So... you can use it once and not get any results.  Awesome.  Excited about that.  No.  No, I'm really not.  Lies.

Oh sweet, a gift card!  For rich people, maybe.  I spend good money on clothes and what have you, but I don't spend good money to rent.  I'm not a boy going to prom in need of a 24 hr tux. I'm a girl that pays good money for clothes so I can KEEP them.  After going on this website, I discovered that you can be a glamour guru, renting designer dresses for only 15% less than retail, for at the very least... $160.  That's to rent, people.  Honey, I can go to Macy's and buy two designer dresses for less than that. And guess what, I can keep those in my closet for all the days of my life. So if you all have a shit ton of money to spend on a dress you'll wear once, outside of your wedding day, be my guest.  The code is BRCHBX50 ($50 off you dress rental of $125 or more).  Tricky bitches. Good luck getting out of there for $125.

And then... my personal favorite. My lifestyle extra.

John Varatos, Night?  Isn't that a men's cologne?  Well, yes, dear reader.  Yes, it is.  As my lifestyle extra this month, not only was it not worthy of wrapping up all cutesy-like, it was to give to a man for Christmas.  That's what they told me.  Pissed off about this, I went to give it to my boyfriend, because that's what I was supposed to do, right?  He smells it, makes a face, and says, "If I wanted to smell like spicy Pine-sol, I could get under the kitchen sink.  No thanks, babe."  *scoffs*  So I go to Dan.  Here take this. Just fucking take it.  He smells it, makes a face like a child sucking on a lemon, and shakes his head.  "No."  That's all I get.  So now a vial of John Varvatos is haunting me.  I feel if I throw it in the trash, it'll be like one of those tall tales about Ouija boards... it will come back and be lying on my pillow or something the next day.  I'm not up for that.  I'd have nightmares.  So now it's in the sample stash in my bathroom drawers, lying in wait to stink up some unsuspecting victim.  

And then there's the other side of this dilemma.  What if I didn't have a man to give this to?  How shitty would this make me feel?  Give this cologne to some man that you don't have and go cry about it.  *scoffs again*  This was a terrible idea, Birchbox.  No more demeaning or terrible smelling lifestyle extras.  Thanks.

That concludes my boxes for December.  I'll have more at the end of this month to share.  Do any of you use subscription boxes, and if so, care to share?  I love talking samples.  :D  

More to come later this week, busy girl here, and more Heart for Trade on Sunday.  Right now, it's time for bed.  Sleep tight.  

XOXO NIGHT TEMPEST