REVIEW: MSM Box - A Lot in a Little

Launched on October, 2014, MSM Box is a fairly new competitor in the beauty subscription box market. MyStyleMile.com began as a beauty and fashion blog and have now ventured into the beauty box market with their two curated boxes: MSM Express and MSM Select box. 


Here's the blurb from their website:
"Simply put, MSMbox.com is a discovery e-commerce platform that offers consumers the opportunity to buy, try and enjoy beauty brands in the market.For a nominal subscription of either Rs 495/- for the MSM Express Box or Rs 995/- for the MSM Select Box, every month, you get a surprise goodie box containing beauty, grooming and lifestyle products from new and established beauty brands, and then some!For starters, the box contains full size products along with carefully curated samples. Besides that, to really delight the consumer, we don’t just take care of your beauty and grooming needs. We go the extra mile and offer something more through our collaborations and associations with leading salons/spas, cafe’s and shopping."

Pocket Pinch: Rs.495/- for the MSM Express Box or Rs.995/- for the MSM Select Box, every month.Get your box HERE.

Review: I had ordered the MSM Express Box and received it this week. Here are the contents that I received in my box.
The box itself is a cardboard one and came securely inside another brown cardboard box.


The card specifying the items contained/instructions:


Organica Tea:


Maybelline Color Show Mint Mojito Nail Polish:


Soultree Viola & Kokum Butter Lip Balm:


Soultree Turmeric & Indian Rose with Forest Honey Face Wash:

Soultree Apricot oil & Honey with Kokum Butter Moisturiser:


Innisfree Capsule Recipe Face Pack: This is about the only thing that I'm looking forward to using. 


Pros: Competitive pricing.
         Six full size and sample products (which is more than most beauty boxes offer).
         The box can be used for storage purposes.

Cons: Not in league with global subscription boxes.
          No mail with tracking links after shipping.

Overall, I didn't find the MSM Box very alluring compared to others in it's category. Most of the brands are available locally and doesn't wholly justify the price. I feel like the whole point of beauty subscription boxes is to try new brands that you wouldn't generally have gotten your hands on. Although the products contained in the box can be used daily and I find the concept of putting green tea (or food items in general) in a goodie box wonderful! Given the fact that MSM hasn't been in business a long time, I'm willing to give it another shot. :)

Beauty Box Subscriptions - Indian Edition

With the Beauty Box trend finally catching up here in India, as a beauty blogger I felt obliged to do a post on it so that beauty aficionados can discover (or get updated on) the variety of boxes and get on board the beauty box phenomenon. :)

To start with, here are some of the common queries people have,

So what is a beauty box?

A beauty box (or bag) is a subscription box full of sample sized/full sized deluxe beauty, skincare and lifestyle products delivered monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually to your doorstep in exchange for a minimal price.

Why should I subscribe to one(or all) of these boxes?

If you've always wanted to try out a sample of a deluxe beauty product or perfume with a heavy price tag before investing in it then beauty boxes are for you! Periodically you get to experience a variety of brands (both local and global, but mostly global) that you've always wanted to try (or have never heard of, but fall in love with them after you've tried samples) for a minimal price.

Can I choose the products I get in my box?

Different companies have different policies on this matter. But most beauty box companies based in India don't offer you to choose the samples. However, they do provide you with a beauty profile form and have Experts analyse it. So you're sure to get products customised to your needs and beauty profile. Plus it's more fun to be surprised by the products in your box, ain't it?! ;)

• The low-down on Beauty Boxes in India :

The beauty box trend started with blisscovered.com and a glossybox india promising deluxe samples in their beauty subscription boxes. The Indian edition of the globally acclaimed GlossyBox never saw the light of day while blisscovered discontinued their boxes after a single run! It was the indigenous Vellvette team who successfully introduced the indian masses to beauty boxes and continue fulfilling our subscription box dreams under a different name - The Fab Bag!

• List of Beauty Box Subscriptions in India :

Now-a-days we have Fabbag, My Envy Box, BeautyWish box and MSM box- a new addition, to choose from with countless others following suit. It's enough to boggle anyone's mind!
Here's a definitive list of the various beauty subscription boxes in the Indian market to help you choose the one to your liking and needs:

1. The Fabbag (formerly known as Vellvette box): is the longest running beauty box subscription and offers monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual subscription schemes. They provide three or more sample and full-sized products from both local and renowned global brands in a nifty bag. Personally I love the bags in which the products come, they are spacious and can be re-used for a number of purposes (make up bags being one of them). Pocket Pinch: as low as Rs.399!Personal Experience: haven't had a bad one yet!
   Find your Fabbag HERE.
                 
   
2. My Envy Box: also comes with a monthly, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year subscription scheme and a price tag of Rs.850 for their 1 month subscription box and is the closest one can get to an international beauty box. Envy Box usually supplies 5 trial sized deluxe samples from global brands like Clarins, Avene, L'occitane, Eminence Organics, H2O, etc. They even give you perfume samples and vouchers- ranging from makeover to discounts. It all comes in a beautiful box with magnetic closure. What's more is that they donate 1% of the subscription revenue to the Elle Breast Cancer Campaign and now you can join in and do your bit.Pocket Pinch: Rs. 850 for 1-month subscription!
   Personal Experience: I loved my pastel orange box.Get your EnvyBox HERE.
                             
3. BeautyWish Box: is a subscription box from The Nature's Co. and comes with 5 deluxe sized and 1 retail pack size beauty samples and delightful freebies at a price of Rs.595 per box. They have 1-month, 3-months, half-yearly and annual subscription schemes and you get all of The Nature's Co.'s products to try out before buying along with discount vouchers and store event invites. The Nature's Co. is a PETA certified Vegan and cruelty-free Indian brand who come out with wonderful bath and skincare products with all natural ingredients.Pocket Pinch: Rs.595 per month.Get your fix of vegan beauty HERE.
                
   
4. MSM Box: launched on October, 2014 is a fairly new competitor in the beauty subscription box market. I've subscribed to their January'15 Express box and am waiting for it, I'll be sure to review it for you guys as soon as I get my hands on it! MyStyleMile.com began as a beauty and fashion blog and have now ventured into the beauty box market with their two curated boxes: MSM Express and MSM Select box. Here's what their website had to say about the MSM Box."Simply put, MSMbox.com is a discovery e-commerce platform that offers consumers the opportunity to buy, try and enjoy beauty brands in the market.For a nominal subscription of either Rs 495/- for the MSM Express Box or Rs 995/- for the MSM Select Box, every month, you get a surprise goodie box containing beauty, grooming and lifestyle products from new and established beauty brands, and then some!For starters, the box contains full size products along with carefully curated samples. Besides that, to really delight the consumer, we don’t just take care of your beauty and grooming needs. We go the extra mile and offer something more through our collaborations and associations with leading salons/spas, cafe’s and shopping."Pocket Pinch: Rs.495/- for the MSM Express Box or Rs.995/- for the MSM Select Box, every month.Get your box HERE.
   

This post will be updated as newer and authentic beauty subscription boxes crop up in the market. Keep an eye out! 

Till then,

Subscribe and Stay Beautiful :)

A Rant and a Review : Nail Polishes from Revlon and Rimmel

The rant: 

A few days back I received a parcel from a reputed Indian beauty site (read Nykaa.com) with a trio of nail polishes. While two of those polishes were intact, the bottle of the third one(and by far my favourite) was broken and the contents were oozing out of it. I contacted their customer care and they offered replacement or money back, I opted for the latter. Two mails later I still haven't heard a word from them!
Has anybody else come across such unfortunate circumstances while shopping at Nykaa? I'd like to know what my next steps should be and whether they worked for you!
Just to clarify, I have shopped before at Nykaa, and this is the first time I'm facing such a problem from their end. :(

Anyway I ended up buying the Rimmel Lycra Pro Professional Finish Nail Polish again from a local drugstore! The things I do for pretty nails! *sigh*
Now to the review part. I got the Rimmel Lycra Pro Professional Finish Nail Polish in shade Beige Style(365) and Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel in the shade Fall Mood. (pictures below)

• Rimmel Lycra Pro Professional Finish Nail polish lives up to its name, in the sense that it truly gives a professional clean cuticle finish. That's right no clean up is required afterwords (and I, my friends, am a clumsy, clumsy person when it comes to nail polishes!). It has something to do with the brush I believe. It's a maxi brush and thicker and stubbier than the Sally Hansen ones. It coats the nail in one stroke and is an amazing life-saving little equipment! I am so keeping this brush, it paints like a dream. The drying time is also less compared to the Maybelline Color Show polishes.

The Colour & Formula: Beige style is a classic nude colour and goes with every outfit you can think of. It looks more posh and expensive than it costs. It gives a sheer colour in one coat and goes opaque in two coats.

(picture taken at the 9th day mark)

The Staying Power: Rimmel claims that it stays for upto 10 days. While I like to switch up my nail polish every few days (or keep my nails unpolished to let them breathe, it's important ladies!), I kept this one on for 10 whole days for testing purposes. Now it does stay on for 10 days with minor chipping at the top edges of the nail. But since every polish does that on my nails, I can't exactly tell you whether it's the polish or simply my wayward nails. The shine does go away within a couple of days though.

The Verdict: Priced decently at Rs. 255, it is worth every penny. The colour payoff, the staying power and the brush, especially the brush make it an amazing buy! I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The Rating: 4.7 out of 5 (for the dullness of nails after day 2)

• Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel in the shade Fall Mood is a beautiful holiday shade. It is a part of the new and revamped Colorstay Longwear nail polishes from the house of Revlon. And yet again, the brush, is the hero in this one as well! The handle of the brush is long and it helps to grasp the brush securely while painting the nails.

The Colour & Formula: It is a slightly holographic-y copper/rose-gold/bronze-y foil polish which looks different depending on the lights and the angle it is viewed in. It is a very beautiful shade and apt for the fall. With the holidays lined up, I can see why this particular shade is a hit among the masses. The formula of this polish is to die for. The tapering wide brush provides fluid motions, and the polish itself is a one coater. Whereas two coats definitely adds a subtle depth to the colour.
I did notice a bit of grittiness on my nails after about 2 days though, but it was nothing too concerning.

 

The Staying Power: According to Revlon website, the nail polish lasts for upto 11 days and provides gel-like shine. While I can vouch for the shine, however, unfortunately the staying power isn't that amazing. I should probably mention here that I tested out both the nail polishes without a top and a base coat, so I'm hoping that it'd last a tad longer with the base coat. The polish started chipping from the top and bottom edge after 6 days, one might argue that it is still pretty decent staying time.

The Verdict: The pocket pinch is Rs.350 in case you were wondering. I'd say the colour payoff and the colour itself is pretty darn good. However 350 bucks for a nail polish seems a bit too extravagant (for a student at least!). Do go for it during a Revlon sale, you wouldn't want to miss out on this colour. 

Buy Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel, Fall Mood 20, from Amazon.in

The Rating: 4.2 out of 5 (only if it stayed a little longer without chipping)

Till next time, Stay Beautiful :)