Ok so, I don't really have a great love affair with Glossybox and I don't really like being negative unless I really have to, however Glossybox has really tipped me over the edge this month :(
I signed up to the service a few months ago just in time for the Pearl Lowe collaboration box. Like most Glossybox virgins, I was really excited to receive it but that excitement was short lived when it arrived with the products within - they were so poor that I couldn't even bring myself to write a review and I actually think I've forgotten what was in it! Even though I was disappointed I kept it in mind that the whole point in Glossybox was that you receive random samples and that the boxes can be hit and miss, so I waited with baited breath for May's box.
May's box came and yet again I felt let down with what I received, one of the samples (a make up primer) had smashed in the box and damaged the other products. I have since read the Glossybox Facebook page and a lot of people suffer from damaged samples yet the actual box doesn't have a mark on it which suggests that the delivery service Glossybox use isn't up to scratch. But I thought I would give it one last chance and if June's box wasn't better than the previous two that I would cancel my subscription.
Well..... THIS is my June box..
The only word I can use to describe this is "pitiful". Its actually the worst box I have received which is saying something seeing as my previous two were really poor as well. So lets have a look at this months samples and bear in mind that this months box is the "summer" box, touted on the Glossybox site as "5 summer beauty essentials" :-/
Boss Jour
The first sample is the new Boss Jour perfume, I'm not really a fan of this as its too floral featuring notes of lime, honeysuckle, freesia and white birch. Seeing as my favourite perfume is Jo Malone Blue Agava & Cacao I knew I wouldn't like this. Many people don't like the fact that perfume samples are sometimes used in sample boxes as you can get them for free at most perfume counters. However, Glossybox does get new fragrances yet to be releases and they do let you opt out of receiving perfume samples as part of a box.
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Skin Tone Perfecting Booster
This little 15ml sample is obviously part of a skincare system and I received the last part of it. The Skin Tone Perfecting Booster has a similar consistency to Estee Lauder Advanced Night repair which I love. This is to be used alongside your current moisturiser. On first impression its inoffensive however it isn't as nice to work into the skin like Advanced Night Repair is.
Helen E Shimmer Eye Powder
FIGS & ROUGE LIP BALM - COCO ROSE
This is the best of a bad bunch here, a Figs and Rouge lip balm. Again, an inoffensive product but nothing special about it really it tastes like roses and gives a slight sheen to the lips.
MEMEME NAIL POLISH - INDULGENT
This is the second time I've had a mememe nail polish in a Glossybox. Considering its a summer theme this month, this colour is not what I would call summery. Its quite a thin consistency and would probably need a few coats to make it opaque, I'm sure my friends little sister would love it though.
Summary
Working full time in marketing & PR myself has lead me to believe that Glossybox has obviously suffered from either a big marketing FAIL this month or that its summer box brainstorm meeting probably wasn't the best, as this box has made me question whether they know their customers, or in fact their brand at all! None of the products listed above would make it into my summer beauty bag and having looked at the products that I could have received, again none of them I would deem as "summer essentials" - where's the waterproof mascara, a false tan sample, the SPF hair protector, a detangling comb, a luxurious after sun?? I could go on. This box could have been amazing if some thought and planning went into it and I would like to point you in the direction of the recent (and now sold out) Selfridges sample box as an example of a beauty box that works - £25 for a selection of amazing products from some top beauty brands like St Tropez, Bumble & Bumble, Models Own, Lancaster, Molton Brown.... the list goes on. Yes its £15 more expensive however its a specifically targeted Summer beauty box that is worth every penny and puts Glossybox's poor offering to shame.
Lets not gloss over (sorry for the pun) the facts - the blurb on the Glossybox site states "5 surprise deluxe beauty miniatures will be carefully selected by a team of beauty experts..." REALLY?? I think this claim is rather far fetched because if I was a beauty expert there is no way THAT eyeshadow would have made it anywhere near a box. Another fact is that yes, you only pay £10 per month to try out new samples or products that you may not have considered before, note the word samples, not full size products. However, this is a massive marketing machine for beauty brands looking to target customers who previously may have never considered their brand so why the poor quality from Glossybox? I am by no means naive - I certainly don't expect 5 full size products for my £10 per month but what I do expect is quality and a little bit of thought behind the samples selected by the "beauty experts" they speak of. It raises the question, does Glossybox really have close relationships with the brands it displays so proudly on its website? I'm thinking maybe not. Do its "beauty experts" carefully select the products specifically chosen for its subscribers month in month out? Again, I highly doubt this - its probably more like a conveyor belt with people chucking in samples thinking "that'll do" with no consideration as to whom they are sending it too. Again, I'm not expecting each box to be individually tailored to each and every person however, at least look at the samples offered in previous boxes and realise that no, I do not require ANOTHER mememe nail polish!
Having taken a look at the comments left on its Facebook page there are a lot of disgruntled Glossyboxers out there - some have the same balanced view as me and some maybe expect a little bit too much month on month. However, one thing is glaringly obvious - the bad comments outweigh the good and Glossybox only likes to reply to those that sing its praises. This isn't great customer service but I actually don't think Glossybox care which has made me vote with my feet and cancel my subscription - this is probably the best function of the service - the option to cancel at anytime.
It hasn't put me off subscription boxes in the future and I'm going to take my time and research more of the services on offer from other sample box brands. However, as a parting shot Glossybox (that's even if you have bothered reading this post) this is one PR girl that has seen through your marketing flaws and will not be won over by a generic "email our customer services team" response or "Glossybox is sorry to hear this, we make sure that our boxes are of the highest quality" blah blah blah because they clearly aren't!
and quite frankly me and my £10 have better things to splurge on.
What are your thoughts on Glossybox? Are you happy with the boxes you receive? x
