Glossybox :: December 2012

Welcome friends to my last beauty box review of 2012! Woohoo! And we end the year with the December Glossybox. Now I had some high hopes for this box in general with it being the priciest of my subscriptions and all the awesome reviews I've seen on other blogs and Youtube. My first box in November was a touch disappointing which I will get into after the review. Now we can always blame Hurricane Sandy on the issues with last month's box so I'm hoping this next box will make up for it, let's dig into December shall we?

 As always Glossybox wins most points for packaging. So pretty and Christmasy!

Product List/Value for the month:
Pleats Please by Issey Miyake .03oz sample $0* (full 3.3oz $98)
Denise Richards Finishing Spray 1.5oz sample approx. $7 (full 10oz @19.99)
Heartland Fragrance Bath Salt in White tea sample size 5.5oz approx. $1.67 (pack of 12 $19.99)
Mark. Lipclick Luxe Lipstick in M. Powerment Petal $12
JewelMint ring approx. $10 (requires subscription to purchase 3 rings for $30)

Wella Velvet Amplifier .05oz sample $0 (full 1.9oz $16)

Zoya nail polish in Electra $8 

Total Bag Worth: approx. $38.67

*Honestly I consider any minuscule sample sizes that you can get as freebies at any department store beauty counter or Sephora/Ulta type store to be worth zilch. Just my opinion, some may disagree >_<

So already I'm thinking the value of this month's box is just not there. there are three full size products if you count the ring but the value of the products featured in general is not what I would consider luxury.  

 So first off we have what I would consider a freebie size of Pleats Please by Issey Miyake. An overwhelming floral smell. One tiny spray was super overpowering to me. It's not a horrible smell just really strong. Some may like this but personally I tend to like cleaner lighter scents. This one will announce your presence before you've even turned the corner into a room. So if you are looking to make a statement with your scent this is the perfume for you!

Next we have Denise Richards Volume Extend Finishing Spray. Now I have not tested this on my hair yet, I don't really wear hairspray unless I'm getting all dressed up for something. I did spray a little on my hand just to check the fragrance and it smells nice enough, not too strong. I really do not like hairsprays that leave you with a crunchy  nasty texture. Any sprays I use need to let my hair feel soft, flexible and touchable. When I do curl my hair I use a volumizing spray from Bamboo for the lightest of holds. I'll be featuring that hairspray in an upcoming Favorites of 2012 post. so stay tuned for that. I will have to try this spray the next time I have a fancy function or night out.

Here we have Heartland Fragrance Bath Salt in White tea. Hmmmm....welll..how do I say this....I don't take baths -_- I am a shower person. I suppose I will try this however I have to say this isn't all that exciting considering its worth a measly $1.67ish. On the website you get this particular scent of salt in a pack of 12 for about $19.99. So again this does not scream luxury so much as dollar store. *sigh* It does smell nice.

 Moving on with Mark. Lipclick Luxe Lipstick in M. Powerment Petal. Now this is a little more exciting to me! Something I might actually use. The packaging is super cute and nice. The closure is magnetic so it makes a nice satisfying click when closed. 

 I really only wear the sheerest of lipsticks or tinted lip balms. So this nice, natural, dusty rose color is right up my alley. I'm just not big on having brightly colored, sparkly, shiny lips. I like to play up my eyes as they have to compete with my glasses most days. Plus, husbands just don't want to be kisses by goo-balls. Oh one downside I must point out, I searched their site high and low and could not find the color they sent me. So if I ever wanted to repurchase it's not available :(

 -_-.....ugh....this is ugly. 

Ewww....it's on my hand! This monstrosity of a ring is from Jewelmint, another subscription service as far as I can tell that features accessories. I tried to find accurate prices for this since Glossybox was claiming its worth to be $29.99. I found out that after subscribing to site pr whatever its really three of these ugh-tastic rings for $29.99 meaning this poor excuse for finger decor is only worth about $10. At least the cheap-ass ring Julep sent me was fun to make and decent looking.

*sigh* 'nother freebie sized product. This one is Wella Velvet Amplifier. It's basically a primer for your hair. I've actually used a hair primer before and it was nice. It made my hair soft and manageable and I think it did help my curls hold up better for a night we spent out downtown for a friend's birthday. This isn't terrible, it's just a bigger size would have been nice considering the already low value of this month's box.

 Finally! A full size product! Zoya nail polish in Electra. This is kind of a neat glitter polish. It's a silvery, iridescent stick glitter. Looks a lot like the Nailtini polish I got in the November Ipsy Glam Bag. Pretty!

Here is how it looks on the nail. It's a bit sparse with one coat but would look color over a more exciting color than the one I chose here which is Essie Ballet Slippers if you are curious. Would definitely need a layer of topcoat or two over this polish as it's a pretty rough dry texture alone.

Well, I suppose that's it for this beauty box! Gosh...I really hate to feel a little disappointed again this month. As I mentioned above my November box was less than thrilling due to the fact that, it was really late and the Truffle Serum and the Argan Oil samples were practically empty. I did contact customer service about it and they said they would send me replacements but instead of getting one of each they sent me two Argan oils and no Truffle Serum. At least they tried right? They did mention they were having a lot of trouble with the November boxes because of Hurricane Sandy. I don't know maybe Sandy interfered with the December boxes as well. I will give them another month I think. Maybe in the New Year they will really Wow me! Until then, let me know what you guys think! If anyone else get's these beauty box subscriptions I'd love to hear from you!