GLYMM BAG: July 2012

weird. i almost titled this post January 2012 instead of July. it does seem like the year is flying by though!

my Glymm bag arrived yesterday and as predicted, it's orange! i love orange but on the other hand, i do not know what to do with all these makeup bags! ideas anyone?

July's samples (with info taken from the Glymm site since there is no product card, boo): 

1) Mèreadesso Beautiful Body Balm 

This non-greasy, all over body balm, hand moisturizer and foot cream is the ideal skin solution for all skin types.

this is the second Mèreadesso product i've tried, the first being a "lip treat" from another Glymm bag (May 2012). the lotion smells something along the lines of musky lemons. personally, i'm not a huge fan of the smell but it does the job of moisturizing without leaving a greasy feeling. 

size: 30 mL

retail value: $54 (200 mL)

2) CyberDERM H2O Hydration 

This moisturizer will show your skin a good time. With more benefits than you can count, you can be sure to see some drastic results.

right after pulling out this box from the bag, i was confused. then i opened the box and i went from being confused to just being completely weirded out. these things look like syringes! and i absolutely hate needles. there's some faded lines (used to measure dosage) on the side which increases the likeness to an actual needle. there's also wording that says "Oral use only" which is very misleading (as well as calling themselves "the sunscreen company" when neither products turn out to be sunscreen related...)

it is a unique way of packaging their samples but it's just so very strange to me... 

anyway, enough freaking out over the packaging.

the company is actually Canadian, specifically from Ottawa, ON. there are two syringes - one is "H2O Hydration" and the other is "PM Anti-Age" (see #3). "H2O Hydration" can be used in the morning or at night. you take the blue cap off but be careful if it's the first time you're using it since the product immediately comes out without needing to press on the plunger. the moisturizer is unscented and feels nice on my skin.

size: N/A ... one syringe vial thing (lasts about 5 uses according to Glymm but i think it will last me a bit longer)

retail value: $60 (50 mL)

3) CyberDERM PM Anti-Age

Take a bold stance against physiological aggressors that age us with this powerful cream.

as the name suggests, it is to be used at night. i used it last night and oh.my.goodness. it smells terrible!! the whole time i was putting it on my face, i was like "gross gross gross". it has a very strong herbal smell (sort of reminds me of Chinese medicine). i do not think i'll be attempting this again.

size: N/A ... same as above ~ 5 uses

retail value: $115 (50 mL) ... which is almost twice as much as the one above!

4) MANE TEEZE Hair Perfume in "Social Butterfly"
Summer is a busy time for pretty socialites like you, so bring this hair perfume along with you when you need that little boost of luxury.

upon visiting the website for this company, you find their advertising slogan in large pink font: "EAT MY HAIR". seriously LOL.
MANE TEEZE is created by two Canadian ladies (T&M) and comes in two other scents for your hair: "Haut Mess" and "Black Widow". ***spoiler alert*** on their FB page, T&M says to "watch for our other two delicious signature scents in next GLYMM bags".

according to their site, 3 sprays and it's enough to last you 12 hours. the scent is a very strong vanilla and even with just 3 sprays i felt it was a little overpowering (smells good though). i'd prefer to use just 2 sprays next time. i like the idea but i'm not sure if i need a perfume specifically for my hair. especially since i don't expect my hair to smell bad... guess it's still a good idea to refresh mid-day when it seems like your other perfume has faded. Glymm says there is about 50 sprays in the sample so it should last you about 16 days!
size: 8 mL
retail value: $34 (50 mL)

5) Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe Bio-Advanced Restorative Treatment

This luxury hair treatment is clinically proven to instantly correct damage and protect against future damage.

the treatment is to be used on clean wet hair and rinsed off after 3-4 minutes. it's a slightly peachy colored creme and leaves my hair feeling extremely soft (it felt soft immediately after as well as 12 hours after!). this product will definitely be used up since the ends of my hair are quite (err...severely) damaged.

size: 50 mL

retail value: $25 (150 mL)

i like this month's Glymm bag - lots of variety in products. while i'm excited to try a few of them (the hair perfume is interesting and the Joico K-Pak treatment really works), i'm not a fan of the scents of certain products.
how do you feel about your Glymm this month?
also stay tuned for a semi-annual report card on the beauty box subscription companies coming up very soon!!

GLYMM BAG: May 2012

hello Glymm box that decided to show up finally (still earlier than Luxe Box and Glossybox - i was just anxious because i received the notification on the 11th)!
i already heard of the new packaging from other Facebookers and was aware of the price increase from $10 to $12 for new subscribers. you know how i was thinking of possibly dropping Glymm from my list? well i believe they have redeemed themselves! but i have to keep reminding myself that paying $10 instead of $12 per box is NOT equal to saving $2. i have a weird way of thinking when it comes to sales or discounts.

so even the outer cardboard box was slightly different (orange font and a Glymm sticker).
upon opening it i find the "Glymm Goes Green" note about how the company is taking a more eco-friendly stance. good for them :)
underneath that was the Glymm product card which also got a makeover. it opens up and is pretty big. i like the new format. i find that it gives you more information about the product and they've even included sample usage.
and underneath that was ... something wrapped in tissue. it was the new Glymm bag. it's very cute. i'm not sure if i will continue to like this when i've received more than 3 or something but i think i'll find some ways to reuse it.

the bag was super stuffed as you can see the zipper wasn't done up completely and there's a huge bulge in the middle.

this month's samples (it's a pretty long list!)

1) CK One Shock for Her and CK One Shock for Him - i haven't received this pair before and i heard that this smells lovely so i was happy. the CK Shock for Her does smell good - it's a non-overwhelming floral and i feel there's a touch of citrus-ness which are the two types of scents i prefer. since the card says i can have 35 uses from this sample, i think that's an adequate amount for me to determine whether i want to invest in a full sized bottle. i'll pass the CK Shock for Him sample to my boyfriend but he doesn't really wear cologne so we'll see. i just sprayed it on a blanket though and i find it a little too powerful. one spray is too much! i am not a fan of it. it sort of smells musky to me - i can't pinpoint any of the scents but it's on the card if you wanted to know.
size: 1.2 mL each x 2 = 2.4 mL
retail value: $45 (50 mL)

watermelon colors!

2) Coola Mineral Matte Cucumber Face Sunscreen - yay for sunscreen! i'm becoming more concerned about sun exposure so i welcome anything with spf. this one in particular has spf 30 and oddly enough, it says "chemical free sunblock" on the front. both ingredients on the back would be considered chemicals.  and on the back it also says "solar powered suncare" - so the sunscreen works when it is in the sun? ... how amazing...
also i don't think i'll get 4 uses out of this since in order to get the same amount of spf as listed, you're supposed to apply a pretty thick layer on your skin (like you were frosting a cake!) - i am guessing i can get maybe 2 uses?
size: 5 mL
retail value: $36 (50 ml)

the blanket is making me dizzy.

3) NuMe HydroPunch Hydrating Conditioner - i haven't tried any hair products with Argan oil so i'm excited to try this.
-- update July 18/12 -- tried this with the shampoo. it smells nice but my hair doesn't feel any different than from using other shampoos and conditioners. strange that my shampoo (from July's Topbox) was sealed but this conditioner wasn't. --
size: 20 mL
retail value: $24.99 (250 mL)

4) Mèreadesso Tinted Lip Treat in "Sheer Pink" - first time i've tried this brand even though i've heard other bloggers receive it in their previous boxes. i took off the lid and whoops! the whole lip product fell out. i took a picture so you can see how much product there is. oh well, i just shoved it back in. notice there wasn't a "Fragile" sticker on this month's Glymm.

swatches on my lips:

i'm happy with the color choice - for a "sheer" color, it actually builds up pretty well. it looks a bit frosty on my lips. also, even though it's moisturizing like a lip balm, this particular color brings out the imperfections of my lips (i.e. dry cracks). the scent reminds me of Dermologica Microfoliant (rice-based). 

i wanted to show you how you could build the color up. swatching it once gives the tiniest hint of color but 6 swipes gives a nice pink tint. 

size: 1.2 g

retail value: $28 (package of 2; 2.4 g)

5) Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Scrub - when i first saw this in the bag, i was like "what! they went back to jelly beans?" but nope. 

the jar is pretty large - the packaging is quite fancy for a sample. this is a best seller for the company but i don't think i'd be buying it even though i haven't tested it out yet. the scrub smells too strongly of ginger which i really dislike eating. i will still update you on my review though.

size: 60 g

retail value: $29 (150 g)

6) Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Thirst-Quenching Serum and Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet - after finding out that the other Caudalie product was not jellybeans, i was like "oh WAIT, there are candies!" but again, no.  these are really cute looking but odd at the same time. i don't know how i could reuse this because i'd have to lay it upright somehow and its current shape already makes it difficult. a card was included in the bag promoting these two products (promo: free lip balm with the purchase of 2 Vinosource products until June 4th). 

and since when did "sorbet" refer to a type of skin product? i want some actual sorbet!

size: 1 mL each x 2 = 2 mL

retail value: serum - $48 (30 mL); sorbet - $38 (40 mL)

there was no particular sample that was absolutely amazing to me but none of them disappointed me either. so i'd have to say that Glymm has definitely improved this month. i feel that i'm gonna stick around for a bit and see if this $2 increase in price will help them improve their sample selection and customer service. if you are interested in joining, please sign up via my link. i appreciate it!

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: did you hear that Julep is giving away an iPad as well as 80+ nail polishes!? that is an *astounding* amount of nail polish!!! so go enter the contest before June 15th!!