Glymm – A Monthly Beauty Box Subscription Service for Canadians

American beauty box subscription services have grown drastically in popularity, but as a Canadian, I constantly felt left out in the cold (no pun intended).   For a monthly fee, makeup and beauty lovers can sign up to receive a box of beauty samples that is delivered directly to your door.  Unfortunately, the companies that offered shipping to Canada were few and far between, and often had pricey shipping costs associated with them.

Glymm answered our Canadian beauty cries, and offers a monthly beauty box subscription service for just $10 a month (including shipping) to Canadians.  Based out of Montreal, a Glymm Box contains 3-5 luxury cosmetic, fragrance, skincare, tools, spa and body, nails, and lifestyle samples that are customized according to the beauty profile you build.

I jumped at the chance to try out this service, and when the pretty pink Glymm box arrived at my door, I felt like I was getting an early birthday present.  Each month, the samples are a complete surprise, and often include one full size product.  The first month of 2012 brought five different Glymm samples to my doorstep:

1. Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths (Full Size: $17.99) - These cleansing cloths are slightly more expensive than your typical drugstore variety, but for good reason.  They are free of parabens, alcohol, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances; each unbleached bamboo cloth is biodegradable and includes delicious ingredients like organic honey, sunflower oil, and oat amino acids.

2.  Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (Full Size: $34.00) - This brightening facial cleanser arrived just in time to fix my dull and dry winter skin.  I’m always apprehensive to splurge on a new cleanser because my sensitive skin can be slightly unpredictable.  This sample allows me to use it long enough to see how my skin will react, which means I won’t have to experience a bad bout of buyer’s remorse.
 
3.  Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel (Full Size: $21.00) - I don’t use brow gel on a regular basis, so I was happy to see this product in my beauty box.  The Glymm box system is a risk-free way to try products that you’re apprehensive to commit to, or aren’t part of your normal beauty routine.

4.  Burt’s Bees Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion (Full Size: $12.99) -  This gentle moisturizing lotion boasts 24 hour moisturization and features sturdy, but lightweight packaging.  These samples are perfect for travel, the gym, or on-the-go use.

5.  Cargo Cosmetics Eye Pencil (Full Size: $16.00) - This was my favourite product in the January Glymm box, since I don’t normally spend $16 on an eye pencil.  It’s a full size product, so not only did I get to try something that I don’t normally splurge on, it paid for the entire box itself.

But Glymm doesn’t stop there.  After trying your samples, you can purchase the full size equivalent from their website and rack up “Glymm Points,” which you can redeem at 100 reward points to purchase a full sized product.

It’s rare that I’m looking forward to another month of the damp Vancouver weather, but after receiving the January box, I can’t wait to see what February has in store.

To sign up or find out more about the Glymm beauty box service, click here.