Beauty Review: MyGlam Bag

I’ll be reviewing MyGlam’s January bag today! I found out about MyGlam a couple months after discovering Birchbox (which I really love). I thought I would cancel my Birchbox review to give MyGlam a chance for the month of January. MyGlam states on their site:

Every month, you receive a brand new Glam Bag with 4 to 5 of our top beauty finds! These full-sized products or deluxe-sized samples are selected by our stylists for you to enjoy.

A lot of the brands that they boast about on their site are brands like Urban Decay, Tarte, NYX, and Mai Couture. Here’s what was inside the January bag:

1. Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Masque by Freeman: This smells awful. In my opinion, the whole “cucumber” scent trend has passed. I didn’t even try this because I don’t really use anything but Clinique facial cleanser and lotion. This retails for $4.49 in any drugstore.

2. Cleansing Conditioner by Wen: I actually liked the scent of this conditioner. On Amazon, a 16 oz. bottle of this conditioner sells for $36.80. I’ll be interested in using it soon – a hairstylist I just talked to said that many of her clients use it in between shampooing.

3. Hot Ticket Nail Polish by The Balm: I have never heard of this brand…but that’s not saying much. I mostly stick to Essie, OPI, Deborah Lippman, and Zoya. I didn’t particularly enjoy the color and the formula seemed cheaper. A bottle of this polish sells for $10.00 on their website. That’s INSANE. I can buy a bottle of OPI for $8.50 and it’s 10x better.

4. Cover Duo Concealer by Sheer: I actually like this mineral concealer. I looked up Sheer Cover and it looks like you pay monthly for a kit. I don’t necessarily know how much the individual concealer sells for but Amazon has JUST the concealer for about $25. I used it and I really like it. It’s more of a dry concealer and I like that there are two shades (summer and winter).

Now that you know what was inside, I’ll share some thoughts about the whole experience.

  • First of all, MyGlam’s website is lacking in many areas. I signed up for MyGlam back in December. They seemed to be adding features to their site every time I logged in to check on the status of my bag. Right now, they seem to display the current bag’s contents with links to the brands’ sites.
  • They don’t award points for reviews or referrals. They also don’t allow you to purchase any products directly through their site.
  • My MyGlam bag smelled like moth balls. Ew.
  • The total value of the bag did end up being about $45. You get full size (or deluxe) samples and you pay $10/month. No matter how unhappy I was with the choices, I did get a deal.

In the end, I decided to cancel my MyGlam subscription. I tried to sign back up for Birchbox but they are actually sold out of subscriptions right now so in February, I will be trying Turntable Kitchen’s Pairings Box. It’s a a curated food and music discovery experience, delivered monthly! Check back late February for my thoughts. You can also read my reviews on my November & December Birchbox and Julep Maven!

A Consideration

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Comments (9)

  • What a bummer. Thanks for the review, though! I will probably just stick comfortably with Birchbox for now.

  • Heather P

    My feelings about MyGlam have been well documented in the social mediasphere.

    I still haven’t received mine and filed a charge back complaint with my bank a few days ago. The website was VERY buggy and even the worst place I’ve done QA at wouldn’t release a site in that state. I attempted to sign up with my gmail- there was an error- yet every time I tried to sign up with it the site stated I already created an account and do a password reset… which I did… and STILL have never received a new pass. I ended up using an alternative email address and fwding all the correspondence to my gmail. I work in technology so I understand bugs, etc but when you’re accepting payment for ANYTHING you need to be damn sure your site is solid- it’s just a matter of consumer trust.

    I’ve cancelled my subscription to MyGlam as well and really with that selection Birchbox just embarrasses them.

    Next month I’m sticking with my Birchbox and am trying Foodzie. Foodize is actual food goods and you can choose from three themes. They email you the beginning of the month and you get to choose. It is $30 month but includes shipping. Anthony and I are total foodies so this is perfect for us to try new things. I’m excited about it- and can’t wait to hear about your Turntable Kitchen too! I wish I had a player for some vinyl- that sounds awesome!

    -HeatherP

  • Ahh, I had a feeling this was going to happen with MyGlam. For me, red flags went off when I signed-up, paid, and never got a confirmation e-mail. I also tried looking up my account information and it doesn’t tell me what month I’m subscribed for or when, either. They’re really … un-orgnized.

    They also don’t have a schedule of which month’s bag you’ll be receiving either. I figured I’d make it in time to receive January’s because I signed up on the 5th but that isn’t the case. Boo. I want to cancel my subscription now but I’m afraid that if I do I won’t get February’s bag and my money would have went to nothing. Instead, I’ve set up a reminder on my phone to cancel my account at the end of the month.

    • How disappointing! I agree, the whole experience felt very amateur-ish. If you’re handling money and subscriptions, you really need to step up your game!

  • I love Birchbox and am sticking with them, I signed up for MyGlam and haven’t gotten anything in the mail nor have gotten an email letting me know about a shipping date or anything.

    Also after your review, I think the quality of their offering is substandard.

    • Susan- that is so frustrating! I’m glad my review at least helped confirm your decision to stay with Birchbox!

  • Hi Allison! Thanks so much for purchasing a Pairings Box! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about it. I recently purchased a Birchbox as a gift for my mom and I think she likes it so far, but I think it might be dangerous for me. :) @HeatherP: all of the music that comes in the box is available to download digitally (in fact, each box comes with an exclusive digital mix, curated just for subscribers!). Of course the vinyl is also a fun collectible if you don’t yet have a turntable (though it’s such a sexy thing to add to your living room!)

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