Glymm: April Box

I received my April Glymm box a couple days ago. After receiving the most disappointing box last month, you don't even know how wary I was of opening this month's box. For those who haven't heard of Glymm, it's a beauty subscription program very similar to Luxe Box. It's $10 a month, and you get a box of four to five deluxe beauty samples sent right to your door. This program is good for those who want to try a different assortment of beauty products without having to actually buy the products. However, the products in each box are a complete surprise every month, so I would not recommend joining if you have certain expectations, because there are bound to be some products that you'll be disappointed in. As far as I know, Glymm is a Canadian-only beauty subscription program, but there are many similar programs offered by different companies all around the world.

This month, I received:

Lucia No. 1 Goat Milk & Linseed Soap (mini size, 25 g): I've used tons of Lucia's soy candles, and actually bought a Pomegranate & Redcurrant Organic Shea Butter Soap for the guest bathroom a couple years ago, so I'm familiar with this product. I'm not generally a huge fan of bar soaps for the body, but I don't mind them for washing my hands (though I still prefer liquid soap, either way). These mini ones are actually really nice as gifts and for use in guest bathrooms, and the packaging is gorgeous. Each bar is triple-milled and handmade with 100% Organic Shea Butter, so it leaves skin feeling soft but still clean. I didn't really like the scent of the one I bought previously (though the candle smells amazing), but the Goat Milk & Linseed one is actually really nice: soft, clean, slightly powdery, slightly sweet. I probably wouldn't buy these for myself, but they are lovely to receive.

Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue (sample size, 1 ml): I've read about Atelier Cologne in many fashion and beauty magazines, but it's not really widely available in Canada, so I haven't really been able to smell any of the scents until now. Orange Sanguine has notes of blood orange, bitter orange, jasmine, geranium, amber woods, tonka bean, and sandalwood. I actually really like this scent: it's citrusy without being too sweet, and it settles down into a soft floral. It is somehow fresh and warm at the same time, almost like peeling an orange while lying in the sun with a cool breeze. It has 15% concentration, so its lasting power lies somewhere between an eau de parfum and a perfume extract. It's definitely one of the longest-lasting citrus fragrances I've ever worn. If I don't get sick of this scent after a few wears, I would really consider buying a bottle.

Free Your Mane Sulfate Free Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner (sample size, 7.4 ml each): There is something about getting packet samples that really, really infuriates me. It is so cheap, so one-use-only, so drugstore, that it just turns me off completely from trying it. As snobby as that may sound, packets are just ridiculously annoying to use. Could they not put the same amount of product into small squeeze tubes? I know that these sample packets have at two to three uses' worth of product in them, and yet I know that even if my interest is piqued enough to try them, they will be used precisely once and then thrown out because I cannot stand keeping opened, oozing packets in my shower. And then I would promptly forget about them because one use is not enough convince me that a hair product is good.

Mai Couture Social Gloss in G'Vinity (full size, 5 ml): Mai Couture claims that this "luxurious treatment lip gloss fills in unwanted lines and restores moisture for healthier, fuller lips." It is made with "a complex mix of plant extracts that enhance lip volume effortlessly without the allergen." Okay, it has to be said that I didn't find my lips to be any healthier or fuller from the use of this gloss — to use this as a "treatment," you'd have to keep it on and re-apply it on an ongoing basis. But it feels great on the lips: non-sticky, smooth, slick, and hydrated. It kind of reminds me of MAC Plushglass without the tingly, "plumping" effect. I find that all glosses, because of their reflective nature, will always make lips look more voluminous or "juicy" so I didn't find that this one "enhanced" my lip volume any more than any other gloss. The colour itself is a semi-sheer creamy beige with white micro-shimmer. When it's on, it looks similar to MAC Lustrewhite Lustreglass or MAC Pretty Plush Plushglass. That is to say, it doesn't add a lot of colour, but mutes the lips and adds shine and shimmer. It's not a colour I would ever pick for myself, but it's versatile. This gloss has a good, solid formula that feels comfortable on the lips, but for $28 a pop, there are way more easily accessible brands with more colour options or better formulas (or at least better prices) than Mai Couture.

NuMe $100 Gift Certificate: A really nice bonus but, of course, it's only redeemable towards styling tools and hair extensions. Seeing as getting hair extensions is out of the question, I started browsing their styling tools. I already have a great heat styler, but I was tempted in getting a new hair dryer... until I realized that even with $100 deducted, it would still be $125 before tax. And for that amount of money, I would rather invest in a brand that is well-known and renowned in the industry. (Whereas I had never heard of NuMe until those hideous feather hair extensions I received last month that completely freaked me out.)

Overall, this month's box was much better than the last box I received — my only major complaint was the packet-style shampoo and conditioner samples (packets are the lowest of the low in sample packaging), which should be given for free all the time rather than in a beauty subscription box that costs me $10 a month. That having been said, I love the soap and the perfume, and the gloss was surprisingly nice as well, even if the colour is kind of boring. The NuMe gift certificate was a nice touch, but it's not going to be of much use to me since I'm not really looking to spend that much money on hair tools right now. If anyone is interested, however, I would be more than willing to give them the certificate code!