10:13 AM
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A while back, I subscribed to Wantable. For $57 CAD I received a monthly box containing four to six beauty products that were said to be hand-picked for me, based on a survey I'd filled out. The first few boxes were great. I got to try products from up-and-coming cosmetics companies and the colours worked for me. It didn't, however, take very long for the novelty to wear off.
The first issue is that I'm a bit of a brand name snob. I'm not twenty anymore and I'm picky about what goes onto my face and nails. I've had time to figure out what works for me and I've come to trust certain names. Secondly, the "hand-picked" factor flew out the window, at one point, and I started receiving shimmery products I wouldn't be caught dead wearing (unless I was cast in a terrible vampire series in which the sun doesn't cause the undead to internally combust and/or melt into a pile of goo). I cancelled the subscription and, for a while, forget about the idea altogether. In fact, the kids and I moved onto ordering Nerd Block. Everyone wins and they offer way more bang for our buck.
Lately, as my last, preferred Wantable items have begun to dry out or are used up, I've been craving the convenience that comes along with subscribing to a beauty service but, having lost my job, last October, and having become rather disillusioned with Wantable, I decided to hunt around for an alternative.
I was thrilled to discover that Glossy Box has started shipping to Canada again and, after looking up images of past boxes and doing a double-take on the monthly price, I signed up. That was mid-March.
I was a little disappointed that I got charged for April's box while March's box had yet to be shipped out and I reached out to customer service. They told me that my address was incomplete so the warehouse had been unable to ship. I logged into my account and, sure enough, there was my door number but my street name had vanished. Trying to change it myself was to no avail so I asked customer service to do it for me and they gladly did so. Almost a week later, I checked in to see if My March box had been shipped and they assured me that it had, as of the day before. They use a third party tracker that takes 48 hours to update and so, if you're the type to watch the pot boil, this is a pain in the ass.
As I waited for a box to arrive, I started looking up Glossy Box reviews (I know, I should have done this before but I didn't) and panicked a little bit. There are hundreds of unhappy subscribers out there. Some people are complaining about products that leaked or about receiving too many black eyeliners and whatever else, to which I paid no mind but, what did catch my attention is that Glossy Box seems to ship their items out late on a regular basis. You will get charged for the current month, even though you have yet to receive last month's item and that's just the way they conduct business.
A lot of people claimed that customer service never answered them and that, once they cancelled, they could no longer view the tracking information for the boxes they were expecting. Their facebook page is riddled with comments from angry people. Concerned, I emailed customer service again and asked them to suspend payment for May, as I was really not comfortable paying for a third box before I'd even received the first one. I really want to be given the chance to decide if I like this at all. Customer service responded right away and were very courteous about it all. I can still log into my account and see what's up with April's box which has, unfortunately, not been shipped yet, despite the fact that there are nine days left in the month.
Today I received March's box and, I have to say, I can feel the scales tipping, here.
The first issue is that I'm a bit of a brand name snob. I'm not twenty anymore and I'm picky about what goes onto my face and nails. I've had time to figure out what works for me and I've come to trust certain names. Secondly, the "hand-picked" factor flew out the window, at one point, and I started receiving shimmery products I wouldn't be caught dead wearing (unless I was cast in a terrible vampire series in which the sun doesn't cause the undead to internally combust and/or melt into a pile of goo). I cancelled the subscription and, for a while, forget about the idea altogether. In fact, the kids and I moved onto ordering Nerd Block. Everyone wins and they offer way more bang for our buck.
Lately, as my last, preferred Wantable items have begun to dry out or are used up, I've been craving the convenience that comes along with subscribing to a beauty service but, having lost my job, last October, and having become rather disillusioned with Wantable, I decided to hunt around for an alternative.
I was thrilled to discover that Glossy Box has started shipping to Canada again and, after looking up images of past boxes and doing a double-take on the monthly price, I signed up. That was mid-March.
I was a little disappointed that I got charged for April's box while March's box had yet to be shipped out and I reached out to customer service. They told me that my address was incomplete so the warehouse had been unable to ship. I logged into my account and, sure enough, there was my door number but my street name had vanished. Trying to change it myself was to no avail so I asked customer service to do it for me and they gladly did so. Almost a week later, I checked in to see if My March box had been shipped and they assured me that it had, as of the day before. They use a third party tracker that takes 48 hours to update and so, if you're the type to watch the pot boil, this is a pain in the ass.
As I waited for a box to arrive, I started looking up Glossy Box reviews (I know, I should have done this before but I didn't) and panicked a little bit. There are hundreds of unhappy subscribers out there. Some people are complaining about products that leaked or about receiving too many black eyeliners and whatever else, to which I paid no mind but, what did catch my attention is that Glossy Box seems to ship their items out late on a regular basis. You will get charged for the current month, even though you have yet to receive last month's item and that's just the way they conduct business.
A lot of people claimed that customer service never answered them and that, once they cancelled, they could no longer view the tracking information for the boxes they were expecting. Their facebook page is riddled with comments from angry people. Concerned, I emailed customer service again and asked them to suspend payment for May, as I was really not comfortable paying for a third box before I'd even received the first one. I really want to be given the chance to decide if I like this at all. Customer service responded right away and were very courteous about it all. I can still log into my account and see what's up with April's box which has, unfortunately, not been shipped yet, despite the fact that there are nine days left in the month.
Today I received March's box and, I have to say, I can feel the scales tipping, here.
I thought I knew what I'd be getting, thanks to the products now available for review, in my account, and was feeling more or less nonchalant about them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that that was an error on their part and I actually love what I received.
Addendum: In the bottom of the box, I also found an Emite micronized eyeshadow in DAMS and it feels like velvet.
My March box contained:
Proganix Anti-Fade Weightless Argan Oil. 3.3 fl oz ($12)
Nuxe Masque Crème Fraîche. 1.7 fl oz ($29)
Vince Camuto amore .25 fl oz (approx $25)
OPI "Pink Outside the Glossybox" ($10)
Emite micronized eyeshadow in DAMS ($20)
Total: $96
I'll take the time to review each product over the course of the next couple of days but I did dab a little bit of the Vince Camuto amore on my wrists and, I must say, it smells absolutely delightful and falls right in line with the Miss Dior: Blooming Bouquet that I received for my birthday, last month.
The best thing about this box? It cost me $26 CAD. For just a few dollars more than I was paying for one Wantable box, I can now receive Glossy Box and Nerd Block, satisfying two very important aspects of my personality.
Bang for buck: 5/5
It's $21 USD plus $5 shipping, for Canadians
Presentation: 5/5
I'm a sucker for black tissue paper and the box is pretty and sturdy and therefore reusable.
Products: 5/5
Even though I have yet to try them all, I know love OPI and I'm quite thrilled with the other items.
Customer Service: 3.5/5
I wish they'd alerted me about the address issue without me having to chase the problem down and I did have to touch base again to see if my box had finally been shipped out but they were courteous and dealt with the matter efficiently once I did get in touch with them.
Time Delay: 1/5
This is the one part of the experience that is the absolute pits. Nobody wants to be charged for item number two when the first has yet to arrive and there's no real reason that I should be getting a box up to five weeks after ordering it when they're in the Eastern States and I'm in Eastern Canada.
Knowing that I'm about to receive an amazing, Lichtenstein-inspired box containing an Estee Lauder product, for April's box, makes me want to click on resubscribe, despite the fact that I'll probably receive that box mid-May and May's in June. Really, I think these guys may have reeled me in for the long haul, but I'll wait to receive April's box, to be sure.
Oh and, if you're looking for something to buy Mum, for Mother's Day, Gloss Box is currently offering a fantastic box, valued at over $430, thanks to the Orogold mask, for only $40.
