Glossybox July 2012: Glossy...Bex?

The July Glossybox arrived fairly late in the month, once again, and for the first time ever, I didn't get my box the day after it shipped. My boss received hers yesterday and I did wanted to go home and try out my products last night, but technically, it isn't late so I shouldn't complain too much. It feels like an even longer time since the last box than usual but I think that is just because last month's box was so mediocre. I like the HD Brows tweezers, but I wasn't a fan of the Glossybox brush or the BM Beauty bronzer and I thought the Vichy Dermablend foundation samples were too thick and cakey, and most were far too light for my yellow-toned, medium complexion.

But is this month's Glossybox, which contains a selection of essentials for the festival season, any better? Actually, yes! Here's what I got:

July 2012 Glossybox. Top: HD Brows palette, Elizabeth Arden samples.
 Bottom: Jelly Pong Pong lip frosting, Clynol shampoo, Monu
bronzing cream, Elizabeth Arden skin-balancing lotion.

1. HD Brows Eye & Brow Palette (full size). I think this was included in earlier Glossyboxes and as someone with very fair, faint eyebrows, I was sorry I had missed out. At the moment I use a Bobbi Brown eyebrow pencil in 'ash' but I'm looking forward to testing this out. £19.95

2. Clynol Salon Exclusive Enrich Colour Shampoo (50 ml). I don't have colour-treated hair but my hair is very fine and the ends become damaged very quickly, so this could work well, although the scent isn't that great. Shampoo and conditioner are two of the products I can never build up much of a backlog so I will definitely use this. £9.35 for the 300 ml full size.

3. Monu Golden Glow (30 ml). Apparently this is a moisturizing tanning treatment for the body and for the face. It comes in a scary yellow colour, not dissimilar to Clinique’s Dramatically Different moisturizer, and I’m a little fake-tan timid so I may have to test this out on my legs before I brave a facial application. £23 for the 200 ml full size.

My Glossybox products (and the Bexy bonus)

4. Jelly Pong Pong Lip Frosting (full size). This is a lip and cheek cream gloss. I got the Irish cream pavlova scent, which is a really pretty rosy, coral pink colour and the smell is gorgeous. I already have far too many lip products but I’m pleased with this. £10.

5. Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion SPF 15 (5 ml). I’m very excited to receive a moisturizer in my Glossybox that is oil free, suitable for combination skin and includes SPF—my top three most important traits of a moisturizer. £32 for the 50 ml full size (you can find it cheaper online).

Bonus product: Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference samples. There are tiny (2 ml) samples of the SPF moisturizer, an exfoliating cleanser and a skin serum, which I am looking forward to testing out.

This Bex W1X perfume came in my colleague's box, not mine.

Bonus product #2: Technically, this doesn't count because it came in my colleague's Glossybox not mine (she owed me for the false lashes I gifted her a few months ago), but I now have a sample of the W1X perfume by a brand called Bex Londoner. I don't really care what it smells like, but as a Londoner called Bex, I was very excited by the product. Incidentally, I do like the smell: it's musky and very slightly sweet, and probably my favourite of the perfume samples I've received in my Glossybox.

Total value of the products in this month's Glossybox: about £38.15. A lot of the samples were quite small this month, balanced out by the expensive full-size brow palette.

Overall rating: 4/5. This was the best box I've had for several months now. I like all of the products I received and am particularly excited to try out the HD Brows palette, the lip gloss and the moisturizer, but will use the other two products too.

As I mentioned previously, this will be my penultimate Glossybox; I have finally been able to redeem my GlossyDots and my free box will be coming next month. I have enjoyed receiving the boxes, but my bathroom shelves runneth over with beauty products and I need a time out. I will keep my eye on Glossybox and its US predecessor Birchbox, because I do think they are a clever, innovative service, and having watched a few videos with the Birchbox founders (this one on TechCrunch is informative), I am interested to see how the business plan will develop and the ways these types of monthly subscription services will continue to grow.