The battle
of the beauty sample boxes have commenced. GlamBox and RubyBox are two
relatively new players in South African beauty. The service they offer is
identical: You sign up and choose a package, customise your profile to your
skin and hair types/concerns, and wait.
RubyBox is
supposedly delivered the first week of the month (I received mine only on the
10th, with the explanation that the delay was due to some changes
that were implemented – including eco-friendly packaging, and a new courier
company. You can pay for your RubyBox with a credit card or debit order. You can
cancel your RubyBox at any time, regardless of the package you have signed up
with.
According to
their website, GlamBox is usually couriered during the third week of the month,
and they ask that one to three days is allowed from dispatch to receipt. The
November boxes were due out the week commencing 14th November 2011. (I
received mine on the morning of 14 November around 09:00. What a pleasant
surprise!) You can pay for a GlamBox by credit card or EFT. Only monthly
members can cancel their membership. Annual members have the option to “gift”
their subscription by changing the delivery address – presumably to a friend’s.
Both
companies promise you a box filled with four or five trial-size samples from
luxury beauty brands (with a value ranging between R200 – R400 according to
RubyBox). Each month will bring a different mix of makeup, skincare, fragrance,
body, and hair products.
So what’s
inside the November boxes?
RubyBox
This
November, based on your beauty profile, you can enjoy a COMBINATION of the
following products; a detoxifying mask, an oil-zapping primer, a smoothing eye
or lip cream, a hydrating serum or cream, a radiance-boosting moisturiser or
cleanser, three gorgeous fragrances (one to suit every mood), or a hand cream
so famous that one sells every five seconds around the world!
Here’s to
testing luxury beauty products before buying them!
AHAVA Purifying Mud Mask
Do a home
spa with this deep cleansing mask. Detoxifying Dead Sea mud and kaolin together
with energising minerals and moisture-boosters cleanse and zap excess oil
without stripping your skin. After a gentle exfoliation, apply an even layer
over your entire face (avoiding your eyes). Leave on for two minutes and rinse
thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Carita Ideal Hydration Lagoon Cream
Bursting
with restructuring and moisture-retaining ingredients, this cream ensures
thirsty, dry skin is continuously hydrated. Rich in noni extract; a Tahitian
fruit known for its revitalising properties, skin is energised, firmer and more
supple. For 24 hour hydration and a glowing complexion, apply twice daily to
cleansed skin.
Elizabeth Arden Intervene Radiance Boosting
Moisture Cream SPF15
Press the
pause button with this multi-benefit moisturiser. For an all-over, naturally
radiant glow, smooth over your face and neck after cleansing and before sun
exposure. Over time, your skin tone and texture look more even and fine lines
look less apparent.
L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Winner of
numerous awards and the hearts of beauty editors and L’Occitane fans around the
world, the celebrated combination of shea butter, honey and almond extract
together with jasmine and ylang-ylang ensure the super-smoothing combination
absorbs easily, moisturises and protects even the hardest working hands.
A gorgeous introduction to Guerlain
fragrances
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphea is
a delightful mix of syringa, orange blossom and honey.
Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial is an
introduction to the iconic original scent combining bergamot, rose and vanilla.
Guerlain Idylle is a precious blend of
Bulgarian rose, patchouli and jasmine.
I also
received a copy of the October Glamour magazine, because it featured an article
on RubyBox.
GlamBox
Innoxa Firming Bust & Neck Cream
Party season
is approaching and with summer tops, swimming costumes and party dresses in
demand we just ahd to include a cream targeting the chest and decollete area.
It's often neglected and yet shows the first signs of ageing so we hope you
enjoy this product and if you aren't already, start using a decollete cream and
sunscreen here regularly!
Decleor Hydra Floral Moisturising Mask
This light
creamy mask helps to freshen, soften and replenish the skin. It provides
continuous “drip-feed” hydration, reinforced by the technology of aquaporins,
true “water channels”, combined with an anti-pollution plant active ingredient
to protect the skin against harsh environmental elements. It is the ideal care
for totally dehydrated skin to bath the skin in moisture and leaving a glowing
complexion.
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
We're so
excited not only to have Dermalogica on board but to introduce our GlamGirls to
one of their best sellers - the Daily Microfoliant. Plus, as a Dermalogica
product purchaser, you can also help support the FITE initiative with each
product purchase.
Skincode Daily Defense & Recovery Cream
SPF 30
Skincode is
a brand new Swiss brand in South Africa! Built on the principle that the skin
is a living organ and its genetic “code” must be respected, the collections
provide consumers with high-performance, innovative skincare products
reflecting the precision, purity and quality that are synonymous with
Switzerland.
eyeSlices Eye Rejuvenator
Christmas
Party season is fast approaching...late nights, puffiness, red eyes, dark
circles... Has there ever been a better time to give these award-winning
products a try and make them part of your routine?
My thoughts
after receiving the boxes:
Let’s start
with RubyBox, since I received it first.
I was
utterly disappointed. The physical box looks bigger on the website, and the list
of brands on the website was a lot more impressive than the contents of my box.
I was particularly keen to try out Philip Kingsley’s products. The only product
I could almost, at a push, feign excitement about, is the L’Occitane hand
cream. It’s a brand I’ve been curious about, but I’m not big on hand or body
lotions/creams. I feel a bit cheated. I could walk into Sandton City and get
these samples for free – they weren’t a special size, and there is no way they
added up to the promised R200 value; not even R100, which I’m sure covered only
the packaging and the courier service. And on the topic of the courier service,
I was informed on the Tuesday morning that my box was dispatched. When I
finally called on Thursday after 11:00, I was told I could expect my parcel
later the same day.
Upon opening
my GlamBox, I was filled with a glimmer of hope.
The actual
box is much nicer as far as I’m concerned, as was the way the samples were
packaged. And these were decent-sized packages. I absolutely adore Dermalogica,
and I’m especially fond of the Daily Microfoliant, so when I received a sample
that was more than just a sachet (or even three) of it, the glimmer of hope I
had flared into a bright shining light. The rest of the samples weren’t exactly
spectacular – I’d received the same Inoxa sample in a magazine last month, and
a single eyeSlice is a little counterproductive (but having used the product
before I know how awesome it is, and I’m very happy about the prospect of
pampering my peepers, albeit in turn). Overall though, the presentation and the
fact that I didn’t get three different brands of the same product makes me wish
I’d known about GlamBox first.
I had signed
up for the one-year RubyBox membership after reading about this service on Kim
Gray's blog. I had to ask a friend to pay for me and refund him, since I don’t
have a credit card. Only afterwards did I find out about GlamBox, and decided I’d
just try it out for one month to see how the boxes compared. Now that I know, I
think I’ll sign up for Glambox’s annual package – a birthday gift to myself
that will show up on my desk every month until the next birthday.
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