Memebox is a non-subscription beauty box focused on korean beauty products. In my case, I've not really paid too much attention to Memebox for a couple of different reasons. I've been interested in korean skincare for a couple of years and I've already worked my way through a variety of brands and products. I generally know what I like and what I don't and I know how to navigate the various terminology and steps associated with asian beauty routines. Also, while the hoarder in me loves the idea of having mass amount of skincare products sent to me on a semi-regular basis, the realist in me knows that would lead to a lot of wasted and unused product (I've been using a 1ml sample eye-cream sachet for a week with no end in sight). I'm also dark-skinned and I have curly hair which limits my potential usage of asian hair products (boo to sulphates/silicones) and asian makeup (not suited/pigmented enough for my skintone). Many of the non-skincare memeboxes include a number of makeup and hair products which means I would be wasting money on products I would be unable to use. Many of the skincare boxes also focus on issues I don't have or feature products that would probably hamper rather than help my skin. All this has led me to kinda ignore Memebox in general.
But when I saw Memebox #57 For Dry & Sensitive Skin, I thought "Finally, the box for me"! I maybe had too much faith in Memebox's curation methods but the frenzy surrounding these things got to me. I admit that I was also on a bit of a skincare bender because I ordered this box immediately (like with in 5 minutes) of my two Etude House hauls. The box shipped on the 20th of November (supposed to ship on the 18th) and arrived at my local post office on December 3rd. Sucky but unsurprising (thanks again Canada Post!). It featured 5 full-sized products and 1 deluxe sample sized product. The box cost $29.00 + $6.99 shipping.
Soooooooooo..............
There's some questionable stuff in this box. First off, let's talk about the biggest, most glaring issue – the inclusion of a cleanser. Finding a decent cleanser is one of the biggest struggles for dry and/or sensitive skin and I wish they wouldn't have bothered with it at all. Dry and sensitive skin (more so than oily skin) both have a variety of different causes and solutions and there's no one cleanser that is going to be able to solve those problems. Furthermore, dry skin =/= sensitive skin and vice versa. And a bar soap focused on troubled skin is really probably not going to help either skin types. On that note...
The first product in this box is Zamian Trouble Skin Handmade Soap. ??????? Why is there a soap for troubled skin in a dry/sensitive skincare box? Troubled skin is almost always code for acne-prone skin. Further, I've never heard of this brand (not surprising in itself) and couldn't really find any valid/valuable information on it. I couldn't find this product or any other Zamian products available on G-Market/11st/Naver Shopping. The only information I could find on Zamian was a couple of blog reviews and a few facebook stores marketed towards Thailand/Indonesia. I couldn't even find any reviews on any korean blogs. This brand seems like an made-to-export brand rather than a niche/indie company and I'm really wary of the practices of smaller, less-established skincare brands altogether. Furthermore, all the (English-language only) information on Zamian available focused on one set featuring a pack and two soaps (neither of which is the one in this box). I would also bet good money on this soap having a too-high pH level so I'm passing on this one completely. I was really disappointed to see this as the first item in the box and even more disappointed as I started researching it. Memebox values this at $18 (really???) and I have no way of disputing that as I can't really find any objective information on the product itself.
Oh and another thing was that I could smell this through the memebox before I even opened it and it smells terrible to me. Ugh.
The second product is The Yeon Jeju Hallabong Energy Mild All-In-One Serum. I somehow have managed to become a victim of CutiePieMarzia2 on my first Memebox order. Anyway, I'm just glad it's actually a facial product. This product is supposed to include the benefits of Hallabong (fruit native to Jejudo). It doesn't really seem to be marketed toward dry or sensitive skin in particular but the product is supposed to slow water loss and keep skin supple. This serum is supposed to combine the effects of an essence, emulsion, and a serum and it is super thick and viscous. Lots of promises so we'll see how it lives up. It has a 100 ml of product and Memebox values it at $20 while The Yeon's site values the serum at 16, 000 Won which is not too much of a markup.
The next product in the box is the Pedison Nutritive Infusion Cream. Pedison is produced by the same company that produces Rosemine products. The description of the cream emphasizes contains 0% preservatives (not necessarily a good thing), natural lipids, and non-comedogenic ingredients. Basically it's a fancy body cream. I suffer from eczema on my face and body so I will be making use of this. This product has 120ml (full-sized) and Memebox values it at $29 compared to the selling price of 28, 000 Won on G-Market.
Next is a deluxe sample of Anacis Triactive Dermatis Intensive Cream. Memebox tried to claim that this was a full-size product but the full-size of this product has 150ml and retails at 40, 000 Won. It is the only sample in the box and it was probably the one product out of all of these that I would have loved a full-size of. I've looked at a lot of reviews of this on korean blogs and it looks really good. It is supposed to contain a special blend of peptides that is supposed to strengthen cell walls and protect the skin barrier. I will be using this as it is officially winter here (say it ain't so!) and I'm currently on the hunt for more occlusive/emollient creams. I'll hopefully do a review after using it for awhile. This sample is 20ml that Memebox values at $12 while Naver Shopping prices the sample at 10, 000 Won.
Migabee Botanical Moisture Mist is the next product in the box. Out of the box this was smaller than I thought it would have been. I've never really used body mists or mists in general after trying a lacklustre TFS mist but a blog post I read pretty recently talked about using mists before hand cream for double the hydration. That piqued my interest and I'll be making use of this to maximize moisture levels in my skin. The mist features a variety of natural ingredients including my favourite – ginseng. It's another body product which is kinda ehhh in my book but in my case my body is just as dry as my face so I'll take it. The full-sized mist has 150ml of product in it and is valued at $22 by Memebox while Migabee's site at 18, 000 Won.
The final product is the Pureplus+ Honey Bee Lip Treatment. I expected and anticipated a lip product and I prefer honey to strawberry so no complaints here on that front. It's a lip treatment aimed at hydrating dry and dehydrated lips and features a number of ingredients including snail mucus. You can never have enough lip balms and I have really dry and peeling lips during the winter so I'm pretty glad to see this in the box. I hope it's good! The lip treatment has 10g of product and is $9 according to Memebox but my research prices the product at about 4, 000 Won.
Okay, now it's time to do some dreaded math.
The price of this box was $29 + $6.99 for shipping but I used a $5 off coupon which brought down my total to $30.99. Awesome. Memebox values this box at $110 dollars. If you subtract the value of the Zamian soap (which I personally value at $0 but can't actually find available for purchase anywhere online) Memebox's value of the box is $92. My research prices the soapless box at 90, 000 Won which is around $81 USD. In all, I don't consider that too much of a markup (especially when compared to what some other online retailers / ebay sellers try and get away with). I actually am pleasantly surprised because I expected a much greater overvaluation on the part of Memebox. In all, I paid $31 and received product worth $81 which is $50 in savings. Cool!
Other than the exclusion of the cleanser of mysterious origins, I would have also liked to see another facial product instead of either the body cream or mist. In any case, I will still make use of both of those products along with everything else except the soap. Seriously... I'm resisting the urge to use gifs/emoji to fully describe how I feel about that soap. In all, my opinion of the products included in this box has kinda shifted from disappointment to ambivalence and maybe slight stirrings of hope. While I'm not really wowed by anything included in this box, I am willing and able to make use of these products and that's something. Maybe as I start using the products I'll have even nicer things to say. I'll keep you posted.
I'm so sad because I missed out on the Next Best Thing Box by a mere hour (I needed to go to the bank) and that box looks amazing in terms of product. Just my luck! I feel like the frenzy surrounding Memebox has reached a fever pitch and you kinda have to be there right when the boxes are first released to actually get ahold of them. That, paired with Memebox apparently shifting towards internal production rather than re-selling products leaves me not holding my breath regarding my future access to Memebox.
If you're interested in picking up a Memebox you can head over to their site using either of the links below.
Affiliate Link: Memebox
Non-Affiliate: Memebox
hiyo Did you ever end up testing the pH of the soap or using it?
ReplyDeleteAnother blogger tested it and it ended up being something like an pH of 8. I don't know if I still have it but if I do I'll test it for you.
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