Glossybox Canada vs. Loose Button

Have you guys heard about Glossybox or Loose Button? Or Maybe BirchBox in the US?

They are these beauty subscription programs where you pay $10 – $15 a month and then every month a little package arrives in the mail. I decided to try both out for a couple of months to see what all the talk was about and give a little review of both companies.

I love the boxes that they come in. I’m saving them for gift wrapping and craft supply organization.

…and then under that there are a variety of little goodies for you to try out.  The idea is that you pay a small fee and they try to give you products that are tailored to your interests. I love the idea of opening a package every month to see something fun and new.

Glossybox – May 2012

Curel Foot Cream – This is exactly what I need to get my feet sandal-ready. This product claims to hydrate and soften dry, cracked feet in just two nights! I tried it for the first time last night and I can already see a difference. It was super fast absorbing too.

Simple Eye Makeup Remover and Facial Wash Gel – I love to use waterproof mascara, but I have a big problem removing it at night. This stuff seems to do the trick and its hypoallergenic too, so it doesn’t leave me all red-eyed. I gave the face wash a try last night as well, and it left my skin feeling nice and soft. It only takes a little amount of product to make a good lather, so I’m hoping that I can stretch this product out for awhile.

Iman Red Luxury Lipstick – I’ve never really been a lipstick person. I usually just go for a little lipbalm or a swipe of vaseline. When the box arrived, I decided to try some on before I hopped in the shower post-gym. Half an hour later my mom dropped by for a surprise visit and kept looking at my face. It turned out that I had forgotten about the lipstick and had inadvertantly wiped it across my face. She kindly reminded me why absent-minded people should not wear red lipstick 🙂

Sebastian Professional Volupt Shampoo – They sent a WHOLE bottle! Awesome! I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m excited to see if it delivers the volume boost it promises.

I really like that Glossybox sends full-size bottle of products and they pick real-life things I’d use and then a couple of little luxury items to try.

Loose Button – May 2012

Cargo Lash Activator Mini Duo – This is my favourite product in the package. It includes one product to use as a nighly lash enhancing elixir or as a volumizing primer during the day, and then they provide the mascara to use during the day as well. I tried the elixir last night and it was really easy to use. Hopefully I’ll see some improvement if I keep it up for the next couple of weeks.

Nubar Nail Polish – Although this is not a colour I would typically chose, I do like that this brand is free of harmful chemicals and is cruelty free. Next time I’m looking for a little more pop of colour on my nails, I’m going to give this a try.

Paco Rabanne Black XS L’EXCES For Him and Her – I was disappointed with this being included in the box. These are just the exact same sample sizes I can pick up anywhere else. I haven’t tried them yet, but hopefully the scent will be nice, although I’m not really a perfume person.

Goldwell Dual Senses Colour Shampoo and Conditioner – Despite the fact that they give you two samples of these, I still don’t think it is a enough product to truly tell if you’d like it enough to buy the full size.

 In the box was a coupon to get a sample size of an IMAN liquid foundation which I had to drive to Yorkdale Mall to pick up. When I got there, the sales lady had nothing in stock (they hadn’t told her about the promotion and people had bombarded her supply), plus most of the colour were for darker skintones. She ended up giving me a little pinch of a loose powder in a container for me to try as a bronzer because she felt bad that I’d driven all the way.

The big difference I noticed with Loose Button is that they offered “travel size” products…and they really meant it. Everything was very tiny. I also wasn’t happy that I had to drive somewhere to pick up one of the samples (thankfully I was going there anyways) and then the product wasn’t even there.

But about a week after the package arrived, they redeemed themselves with a special bath and body surprise box in the mall. Inside was a Venus & Olay razor (I needed a new one!) and a sample of Olay’s Regenerist cream.

Glossybox provides much more product and they go above and beyond a “sample size” for many of them to let you really try out something and see if you like it. After this test, I went to cancel my Loose Button subscription and found out that they are changing it to a seasonal box (4 times a year, instead of monthly), and they would be charging $28 for 7-8 items once every 3 months instead of $13 for 4-5 items every month.

Just to give you an idea of whatelse you can get from Glossybox, here is what I got in the April 2012 package. I would have used it for the comparison, but my first Loose Button arrived much later.

Glossybox – April 2012

Marcelle Lengthening and Curling Mascara – Awesome mascara. This has become my go-to mascara. I really love it, and I will definitely purchase it once this one is done.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer – I haven’t tried this one yet because I try to shy away from soy products (they may be bad for people with nut allergies), but I want to look into this one more and maybe try it. I’ve heard good things about how hypoallergenic this brand is.

Wella Professionals Brilliance Conditioner – I took this along with me when I was away for a few days to use instead of hotel conditioner and it was great. I love the smell too.

Elizabeth Grant Island Coconut Shower Gel – Speaking of smells, this has to be the BEST product that was in there. Every time I open it in the shower I instantly feel like I’m on a tropical island…or maybe just swimming in a giant pina colada. It’s the perfect scent for summer.

Have you tried a beauty subscription before? Or maybe another type of monthly subscription?

I’ve found ones in the States for dogs (BarkBox), environmentalists (ConsciousBox) and even lovers of handmade gifts (UmbaBox)!