December Glymm Box

So Glymm box was first to arrive this month too!  Because of all the great products I had in last month's Glymm box I was super excited and my expectations were high.  Also it provided a much needed distraction from my finals!  

Doesn't this scream Holidays?  It does.  And I'm so late on my Christmas shopping, but that's another subject.  

So this is what the box looks like when you open it.  It looks like presents thrown away in the snow.... such a romantic aren't I?

First item, a Caudalie enzymatic peel mask.  Ergh.  I'm sure it's very nice and all, Caudalie is a nice brand and everything... but another skin care item?  And not even a moisturizer or something I can easily drop into my routine to try... No.  A mask.  You know the thing I never use because I can never seem to find the time to take a luxurious bath in my not so luxurious small apartment bathroom.  So if I do end up trying it I'll review it, but don't keep your hopes up for a review from me for this one. 

Plus, for some reason, putting anything with the word peel on my skin scares the hell out of me.  

In case you're wondering - and I'm sure you aren't because my nails are chipped a little and my cuticles are as red as the reindeer's nose - the nail polish is China Glaze Holly-Day from their Let It Snow 2011 collection.

For the second item I thought ''yay a hand cream, that sure will be useful for this winter''. Wrong.  The texture is lovely, it sinks right into the skin and leaves it moisturized.  The online reviews I've read are raving about this hand cream.  So everything should be great no?

No.  It. smells. awful.  Very floral, very what you'd call old lady perfume.  I'm sure some people will love it and feel it's very feminine and whatnot but I hate it.  I'll try and ship it off to a friend or something.

There was also a lip gloss.  I thought how nice a pinkish MLBB shade that is very easy to dupe.  The packaging is super cute though and it looks like a full sized item.  I had never heard about Sula, so the brand was new to me.

Here is a swatch on my NW10-NW15 skin.  A brown based MLBB shade that is very pigmented for a lip gloss.  It seems nice quality enough and at 8$ it's really cheap!  So I put it on my lips to see how it looked and applied.  And then, I fell in love!  The smell, the taste!  So wonderful!  It's like liquid strawberries on your lips.  Just because of that, I'm pretty sure this will become an item that I'll use very often.  

Except... where the hell do you purchase those?  I've never seen them in any drugstore or at Wal Mart.  Hum, anyways, onto the next item!

YSL!!!!!! YSL!!!!!!

OK IT'S A FRAGRANCE BUT STILL!!!! YSL!!!!!

Call me shallow but yeah, high end brands make me all happy inside.  I was so excited to try this, I really didn't want to be disappointed.  The full size retails for 85$, but this sample size leaves enough to try it a lot.  

As you can see in this comparison shot, it's a pretty big bottle.  Way bigger than those sample vials you usually get.  

So I opened the cap (beware there's actually a hole the size of Texas under the cap - not really Texas you know, but more like q-tip size so still really easy to spill) and smelled. I was so disappointed, it was again all flowery with a hint of berries.  

But you know when you want to love something so much you just keep on trying to love it, just like when you have shoes that are a tad too small but ya squeeze your feet in 'em anyway?  Well it was like that with this perfume, so I tried it on my wrist just to see how it would react to my chemistry (hopefully well).  

And it did.  It smells much less flowery and a little more powdery on my skin, which seems to even it out and reduce the harshness of the initial smell.  I don't know how others will react to this, but I hope well.  Now I can feel like Kate Moss in Paris too (I wish).

So all in all it was an okay month.  I loved two items out of four so it ain't that bad, but the box didn't have a nail polish or an eye product which are usually my fave.  But no biggie!

This month also had a 10$ off promo code from Glymm to use on their website.  I used it to buy a Butter London nail polish which I can't wait to swatch! :) This definitely is a nice Christmas surprise for this month's box.

And the proverbial Jelly Beans, which sadly/thankfully were the same flavors that I got in my November box.  But they tasted real good anyways :).  Did you like your December Glymm box?