GlossyBox Subscription Review + Coupon – May 2020

ByMarne OrenichMay 13, 2020 | 36 comments

GlossyBox Review - May 2020

GlossyBox is a beauty subscription that sends five deluxe and full-size products to your door every month for $21.00 (with free shipping to the US). You should expect to discover new brands of hair care, makeup, and skincare in each box, wrapped up nicely with a different theme each time.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

FYI: GlossyBox sends out multiple variations of the box during some months. So there may be some variation between what we review and what you receive.

About this Monthly Beauty Box

The Subscription Box: GlossyBox

The Cost: $21.00 a month with free US shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.

The Products: 5 deluxe and full-size beauty products worth a total of at least $60.

Ships to: The US for free and Canada for $5.00

GlossyBox May 2020 Review

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GlossyBox includes an info booklet that tells you about each included item, their value, and a tip on how to use. This month has an animal print "Wild Thing" theme.

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Steve Laurant Wild Thing 9-Pan Eyeshadow Palette - Retail Value $40.00

I was surprised to see a shadow palette with these golden and brown tones for spring since it seems very fall or winter. The theme this month being wild does, however, fit in with the Wild Thing name of this animal-inspired palette. There are nine small pans of shadow that don't have names but include five metallics from silver to copper to champagne, rose gold, and bronze, as well as four mattes in a light beige, two browns, and black. The lid of the compact has a nice large mirror to apply and the shiny black finish is nice. The $40 value is suspect for me though.

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Here are the swatches for the nine shades, and an eye look I did, using several of them. I didn't notice any fallout and although I could ask for a bit more pigment, these do look nice on and were easy to blend.

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Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner - Retail Value $22.00 (on sale for $17.60)

I chuckled a little when I saw this black Eyeko eyeliner simply because of our April Fools post this year, but truth be told, I love it. I know there is nothing exciting about a black eyeliner and Eyeko is a subscription box staple, but hey- it's good stuff! I personally prefer liquid liner to a crayon and appreciate that this one is a little thick with a fine point so that I can control the width of the line. I was also pleased to see a celebrity endorsement quote on the box by my girl Alexa Chung even if it doesn't really persuade me too much.

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CBDfx Charcoal Face Mask - Retail Value $6.99

Well, I immediately fell in love with this mask for a couple of reasons. It smells the best out of any mask I've ever worn- sort of a sandalwood or other woody scent that perhaps is just the charcoal? It also has peppermint along with the specialized broad-spectrum hemp CBD so it has a tingly fresh feeling to it that I love. The soft black mask has the perfect amount of serum on it and fits my face really well while clinging tightly to the curves of my features. Once I removed the mask, I wasn't overwhelmed with the amount of serum left and my face felt extremely refreshed. I was also shocked to read that the directions have me rinse my face afterward instead of massaging the serum in. Still cooling and left with the faint scent that I love, this mask was an awesome experience!

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Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, 20 g - Estimated Value $12.19 (Buy a full-size 105 g for $64.00)

I'm really impressed with this cleansing balm. The formula uses rose and mimosa waxes with elderberry, starflower, and optimega oils to melt away makeup and dirt from the day. It's soft and spreads easily on my face while smelling fantastic, like lavender. I would think this was a super high-end brand and since I'm not familiar with Elemis, maybe it is? Haha. This truly got rid of a whole face of makeup I had on and left my skin feeling clean without being incredibly dried out. It can also be used as a mask for deep cleaning if left on for 10 minutes. This is perfect for travel in consistency and size.

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Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Crème in Rose Petal - Retail Value $20.00

Shades vary for this liquid lipstick, but I received a deep purple mauve called "rose petal." This color is gorgeous and a bit bolder than I normally go but I really like it on. The unfortunate part is that the formula is quite sticky and stays that way. There is a little bit of transfer to my hand at the edge of my lips, and it does the same on my coffee mug. The color is also quite powerful and almost acts like a stain once it's removed. Make sure you like this one or have cleansing oil (or balm, like the one that came in this box) to remove it. It definitely stays put.

Here are swatches for the lipstick and liner.

Here I am wearing the shadow, liner, and lipstick at once.

Verdict: This month's GlossyBox included three makeup items and two skincare items. I was on the fence about lipstick and although the formula of the lipstick wasn't great- the color was. The shadow palette retail value seems high but is still a very wearable palette in a compact size. The sheet mask, cleansing balm, and liner were the winners for me here and I wouldn't hesitate to rebuy any of them on my own. The five items this month have a total retail of $101.18. Not bad for a $21 cost.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? This box is now sold out, but sign up to get June as your first!

From GlossyBox

The month that you order in is the first month that you will receive. For example, if you subscribe any time between January 1-31, your recurring subscription will begin with the January Box. The only exception to this rule would be if the monthly box sold out before the end of the month. In its place, we will ship a special edition of the Classic Box, which is comprised of our top 5 items over the most recent months.

Value Breakdown: At $21.00 for this box, each of the 5 items in this box has an average cost of just $4.20. Alternately, here's what you're paying for each:

Palette: $8.30
Liner: $4.57
Mask: $1.45
Cleanser: $2.53
Lipstick: $4.15

Check out all of our GlossyBox reviews and our list of the best beauty and makeup subscription boxes!

Keep track of your subscriptions by adding this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of this month's "Wild Thing" GlossyBox?

Starting at $21.00

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GlossyBox

3.3 overall rating

480 Ratings | 116 Reviews

GlossyBox is a beauty subscription service box that allows customers to sample products monthly. Sampling lets the subscriber fall in love with new products and become life-long brand advocates. Each box is filled with five makeup, hair and skin care products from top brands.

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Posted in Beauty Subscription Boxes, Subscription Box Reviews, Subscription Boxes for Women

Marne Orenich

Marne is a lipstick connoisseur, record collector, and twice over cat mom. She loves discovering new clean beauty brands and has quite the collection of beautifully packaged serums and moisturizers.

Read More By Marne Orenich >

Marne is a lipstick connoisseur, record collector, and twice over cat mom. She loves discovering new clean beauty brands and has quite the collection of beautifully packaged serums and moisturizers.

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36 comments

Catherine

I’m so done with these beauty boxes. At one point I held all 3 Ipsy boxes but kept getting crap. I switched to Glossybox initially things were great I even held 2 subscriptions at one point. Then I started getting crap and in May I never even received my box or a notification. Yet they still charged me. I now realize that I’m better off picking out my own beauty products and paying a bit more for them. Seriously how much waste do I occur with these boxes? A ton. I’m lucky if I use 50% of the products I’m sent. I could better spend that money on good products that I need.

Deb B.

Steve Laurant? Lol. It’s literally Eve St. Laurent rearranged. Word association at it’s finest (or worst).

Sherry

Haha good one. It DID sound a bit too familiar.

Coco

In addition to the DLS issue, I wouldn’t even consider subscribing to GlossyBox after the way they treated some of their subscribers in April. Some of the people who already had a subscription did not receive the April box- instead, GB sent the high-demand April box to new subscribers and told their enrolled subscribers they ran out of the box. WTH? What’s the point of having a subscription if you’re not going to get the box so they can send them to new subscribers instead?? That’s total BS.

Agreed

Hana

Made in China ( aka prc) is a Good enough reason to pass for me..

Lorif631

As soon as I see makeup/skincare “Made in China” I’m not interested. Not something new, I’ve not bought any in years.

Marion

Again, this review shows the disconnect between MSA & its readers.

Many of us are very concerned about the DLS umbrella brands of private-labeled products (including Steve Laurant), & have commented about this on multiple MSA posts.

It’s not just us, either — the issue has gotten so big & so many people in the sub box world have emailed companies that both Ipsy & Fasionsta have told subscribers that they will no longer be working with these brands.

If MSA is truly committed to providing accurate info about sub boxes to its readers, MSA should be aware of these issues & should be reporting them to its readers.

Stephanie

I agree too Marion. We need to add more to these reviews and inform readers of the other issues. Another example, I’m sitting here with a OuiPlease annual with no box for 5 months and now they’ve stopped replying after they’ve agree to refund me. Ow dealing with my bank.

Beth in Oklahoma

I completely agree.

There’s an elephant in the room, and we’re tiptoeing around it.

Erin

could you please inform the rest of us?

Sherry

Just go to reddit and search for faccia dls. The tea is there. You’re welcome.

Marion

If you could look in the comments to the spoiler post for this Glossybox, that’d be great. : )

Debi

agreed – Thanks for telling it like it is !

Iggy'sRock

Can you please elaborate?

Tara W

Marion, please don’t step away from commenting! I’ve been following this DLS/Faccia Skin thing for a while now. There are people who have researched this whole situation in-depth with facts and evidence and shipping orders and everything. This is not about it being made in China. For good or bad, many cosmetics and beauty products are made there. This is about items being pre-made in China for any random company and costing $1-$2 and then Dirty Little Secrets and their subsidiaries buying those, slapping a label of their own on them and claiming they are worth so much more. If they hadn’t tried to claim that face item was worth..what was it…over $100, prompting a lot of intense research into it maybe they would be getting away with it today. If a company wants to give me a $1-$2 item made in China just send me to the website instead of trying to falsely claim it is worth so much. Don’t give up, Marion!

Marion

Man, I’m tired of doing so, TBH. Please look at the comments in the spoiler post for this Glossybox. I outlined the major issues that I have with the DLS umbrella brand there, & tried to do so in a concise, factual way (though obviously I’m biased at this point).

It’s like all the issues people had with LootCrate that MSA refused to acknowledge until it was pretty much too late — I just stopped commenting on LootCrate posts altogether, because after a while, I just look like a crazy person with an axe to grind. I don’t wanna be “that guy” who repeatedly posts the same thing every time a DLS brand comes up. I’ll probably be stepping away from reading & commenting on MSA for a while.

I really like the actual box, but the Elemis is the only product that I will use from this box. Still peeved about not getting the April box after paying for an annual in December.

Tiffany

Meh.. I’ll save my money on never buying this box. I have too much make up from Sephora anyhow. I don’t know what to do with it all.

Liz

I’m not usually a fan of the Bellapierre lippie formulas, but if I’m just looking at the gorgeous color on Marne (and don’t have to wear it myself 😉 then it’s a win win. Also, the palette color payoff looks meh on the arm swatches, but much better on Marne’s eyes, so maybe this is one of those brands/formulas that takes a little more coaxing to get it to shine.

Carol

I love that lipstick. That color looks so pretty on you!

Amy

Elemis is a much loved brand in the FabFitFun community – they are super expensive though so for me not worth purchasing. They did cheap or freebie sample sets a while back (free with $5 shipping but some of us once got a freeship code to work making it totally free!)

I like that cleansing balm as a mega intense moisturizer mask and a teeeeeeeny bit goes a long way!

Victoria

Phew if I had a dollar for every negative comment about that palette…..
Mainly from people that never even tried it! Just because something is made in China does not automatically make it cheap. The color pay off was great. And helloooooo so many of your favorite brands and making sample sizes with different formulas in China to supply to sub boxes. Do more research than just what the internet wants to show you.

Iggy'sRock

I had a Steve L. Blush. The color was intense! Isn’t that a sign of a good product?

JackieCupcake

The point is not necessarily that the products are bad – the issue is that there is no regulation or quality control and the seller is not being transparent.

Think of it as buying a steak. If I purchase a steak and am told it’s filet mignon, but when I eat it I realize it’s eye of round (and they slapped a filet sticker on it)- it’s still beef. Someone might enjoy that cut of meat just fine, but it’s not what I purchased and the seller was not upfront about what I was actually purchasing. They certainly didn’t pay a good price for the goods they sold me, but I paid a much higher price for a product that’s supposed to be of a higher quality.

Victoria

Yes girl, it is! If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times….just because a product is made in China does NOT make it bad.
What these over sub boxes subscribers do not understand is that their favorite companies are having their sample sizes (made for sub boxes) made in China. All they want to know is what is made under the Ali brand but what about the rest?! They’re using them without any research while persecuting the rest.

JackieCupcake

You are free to put whatever you want in your body or on your skin. People are also free to warn others about things they may not know about. Being an intelligent and diligent consumer is important to a lot of people, which I would assume you agree with since you are telling people to do their own research.

LunaLee

I think you should watch the documentary show Broken on Netflix and you would understand what most everyone means. It doesn’t matter how good a product works or how nice it looks. What matters is how clean it is where they made it and the ingredients they use and this product is just some random product that could have been made in a rat infested factory. They have found feces and many other disgusting things in these products. The woman just slaps one of her many brands on products and gives a value to them. For that you go to Alibaba or whatever and buy them yourself for $1. There are many good companies that have their own clean regulated companies in China, that is not the point.

What Stephanie said. And jeez Victoria, again? We’ve all told you on the last post about this palette. Just because you think it looks pretty doesn’t mean that the quality is good. We’ve stated FACTS about how that palette is manufactured, purchased, and sold that are deceitful and shady. There are lots of pretty things out there that are dangerous to put on your face, and especially near your eyes. Nobody ever said that this is bad only because it is made in China. You just keep focusing on that, and not the real problem. YOU need to do more research into where this company’s products come from, and I guarantee you will be shocked. But if you wanna be another sucker, go right ahead.

Sherry

AC, if Victoria wants to believe the earth is flat, why can’t she? Who are you to take that away from her? =)

tammy g.

your right AC…..I didn’t want to see this I guess, but I have checked into this and its true and not only that but there are chemicals in these products that cause cancer…so be careful and do the homework people…I now sub. to petit vour, Bombay and cedar, and vegancuts…their products are great..and without chemicals..

Victoria

AC, how may sub boxes do you subscribe to? Because I guarantee the amount of products you’re putting on your face come from China. The brands selling RV products from USA or Italy are supplying you with sample sizes made from factories in China. YOU need to do more research, I’ve done mine honey.

Stephanie

I’m not saying that everything made in China is cheap and yes, there are brands that manufacture in China. This is not the point. Other brands that do manufacture there formulate their own products meaning they tell the company what to put in their products. DLS buys pre-made products from a wholesale website and relabels them to her brand name. She has no control over what is put in the products. She has no control over the quality or even the working conditions. I choose not to support such deceitfulness. She’s looking to earn quick money with no knowledge of ingredients or the beauty industry.

Stephanie

You’re right about that palette not being $40. Try $1.50! This brand comes from DLS (Dirty Little Secrets) which has several brands, all of which the owner buys off Alibaba, relabels them and sells at a 5000% markup. These are all cheap Chinese made in a lab products with who knows what in them.

Debi

It sounds like sub boxes need more regulation. Why do they continue to ship their customers these bad products? Its really bad business.

NyQuesha

That eyeliner was super dry. I thew it away. The lipstick is super sticky. I put it on now when I’m bored at work and I want to time how long my lips can stick together under my mask. The eye shadow is so so. Gave it to my daughter. Other than that it was a decent box for the Elemis. 🙂

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GlossyBox Subscription Review + Coupon – May 2020

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