Recently I made a bit of an impulse purchase in the form of a beauty box, the second edition from a Korean company called Memebox. They've recently started shipping their beauty boxes internationally and they've received pretty good reviews. I personally was intrigued by the prospect of trying out completely different products, and experiencing something that you can't get hold of easily here in the UK. You pay per box and you can buy as many or as few as you like. This works really well for me, as I'm not normally one for subscription boxes because you never know what's going to be in them, therefore you never know whether it will be a complete waste of money or not. Well, having seen the reviews on YouTube (most helpfully from Coffee Break With Dani) I knew that I wanted to try all the products contained within the box, and that the shades and types of products were very likely to suit my skin.
Having waited impatiently for three weeks for my box to arrive, the moment finally came last weekend. I thought I'd give you a brief look inside what came in the box, and any first impressions I have; then over the next few weeks I will review each of the products in depth as and when I've formed an opinion of them.
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| Unpacking my exciting parcel all the way from Korea |
So the box arrived carefully packaged, and contained within the outer packaging was not only the actual Memebox, but some face masks I'd forgotten I'd ordered (oops...) and some extra free bonus samples from Memebox. Thanks, Memebox!
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| The box is a thing of beauty in itself |
The actual box is a cute shade of pink and it's pretty sizeable. When you open it up, there's a card with each of the products listed on it and a description of what it's for and how to use it. This is essential because a lot of the packaging is in Korean (unsurprisingly) so without this I'd be completely clueless.
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| Just look at all those products! |
Once opened, a real treasure trove is inside - just look at all those products! This is exactly how it arrived; they've taken great care to arrange everything neatly fitting together, not just rammed it in any old how.
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| There's plenty of excitement in store trying out this little lot! |
And here are all the products contained within the box. I'll take you through each one, as you can't see all of them properly in the picture.
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1. Tea Toc Water Clear Tablet, a;t fox // full size product
So this is probably the most intriguing product contained within this box. There are three pyramids in this plastic bag, each of which contains what looks like a pyramid tea bag. Inside the pyramid tea bag is some dried herbs, and something that looks like a large Alka-Seltzer. When I originally saw this, I thought it was actually a tea bag, and there's nothing I find more annoying than a tea bag in a beauty box. What has tea got to do with beauty?! It's just a space filler! But that's a rant for another day. Turns out, this product is not for drinking. You do put the bag in warm water and wait for it to infuse - but then you put the resulting solution on your face. It turns the water to pH 4.9 which is allegedly ideal for your skin, whilst the green tea extracts detox and soothe. Well, I'm not quite sure of the science behind that but it sounds like a fun experience to me, so I'm all in.
2. Tea Tree 90 Essence, LJH // Deluxe sample
This is completely hidden in the picture above - good job, Rachel - but is a small bottle with a dropper containing a clear liquid essence. It's supposed to be applied after cleansing (and before moisturising, I'm guessing) which soothes and hydrates the skin for up to 24h. It's clinically proven and is designed specially for sensitive and acne-prone skin. I'm not particularly acne-prone but I do have sensitive skin, and I applied this to my face this morning when I had a rogue whitehead which had formed overnight (TMI?). It's now the evening, and the spot has shrunk to almost nothing. I'm not sure whether that's to do with the essence or just because it was going to do that anyway, but I think this deserves further investigation.
3. Total Active Dual BB Cream, Dr G / Gowoonsesang // full size product
I have an extremely pale face which makes most BB creams just show up as orange, so I was particularly keen to try this BB cream which is not onlly a very light shade but also has a very cool undertone. It's also SPF50 and is one of those swirly products - it's got a swirl of BB cream and a swirl of essence so you're basically doing your entire face in one fell swoop. So far, I'm a little bit in love with it but I do need to wear it a few more times just to make sure the shade does really match my skin as well as I think it does. However in terms of formulation I think it's great, it goes on easily (a little goes a long way) and it lasts all day. Winner.
4. B.P cream, MIGUHARA // 2 small samples
This.... is amazing. I need to get my hands on more of this ASAP. Let me explain. This is a cross between an amazing primer (think Porefessional only better) and the most natural BB cream you've ever tried. The coverage is extremely minimal, but what it does do is even out your skin tone, refine your pores, and give your face that slightly blurred look, whilst being almost undetectable on your skin. My husband describes the result as "it looks exactly like your skin, only.... nicer?!" - and he barely notices when I have a major hair cut. I think this would be perfect for a true no make-up look, especially for places where make-up is frowned upon but you really feel like you need to wear something. Also, it controls oil so if you have an oily face you may find this even more of a godsend than I do. It's just genius, that's all I can say.
5. Raw Sauce, Maycoop // full size
An interesting product here, which is a 100% pure maple sap treatment. It's an essence which is supposed to nourish, hydrate and strengthen the skin. I've only used this twice so I don't think I can make any final judgements yet, but as yet I haven't noticed it doing anything in particular to my skin. Still, it's nice to apply and even though it's a very viscous liquid, it's not sticky at all. Also the packaging is pretty, so there's that.
6. Jayang Yunmo Anti-hairloss Hair Pack, Ryoe // full size product
There's a full size bottle of conditioner from this range, and then 6 sachets, 3 of shampoo and 3 of conditioner. This is a nice touch because it means you can try out the shampoo and conditioner together. The formula contains herbal extracts to keep your scalp and hair healthy and hydrated, and prevent hair loss. Well, I've got extremely thick hair so hair loss isn't something I'm particularly concerned about, however I gave one pack of shampoo and conditioner a whirl anyway. The products were beautifully and subtly scented, and left my hair lovely and clean and soft. I can't comment on the anti hair loss aspect, but a very enjoyable product nonetheless.
7. Skin&Good Cera Super Cream, Holika Holika // sample size product
This is a small pot of night cream which "not only hydrates the skin but also enhances the water holding capacity of the skin, thanks to its powerful hydrating ingredients 'Ceramide'". I've tried this a couple of times and it's a beautifully rich and smooth cream which does hydrate my skin very effectively. I'm not sure whether it really does enhance the water holding capacity of my skin, and I wouldn't say it's a wonder product, but this is a great cream which I'd happily keep using.
So that's my whistlestop tour of the box. What did you think? Are there any products you'd like to see a more in depth review of? Are you tempted to try a Memebox?
Til next time, have a great evening,
-Rachel
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