Writing this blog has given me some really awesome opportunities to try products and brands that I may never have stumbled upon before. Most recently, I was reminded of that when a rep from Althea.kr reached out and asked me if I'd be interested in a free gift card to shop their site. I've never responded to an email so fast - YES, of course! I freakin' love Korean beauty products and I love sharing them with all of you.
If you don't know what Althea is, it's an online retailer of Korean beauty products. They're based in South Korea but they ship to the US. You get free shipping when you spend over $50, and they've got all authentic products at some of the best prices you can find online. If you suspect you've received a counterfeit product, they'll refund you at any time and compensate you 200% of the product value. Now THAT'S customer service.
I had SO much fun looking through their website - I wish I was rich and could just order one of everything, please and thank you. I will most definitely make more orders in the future. Curious what I picked up? Let's take a peek... (OH, and everything you see here cost $100 US $ total).
- Skin Food Milk Shake Point Makeup Remover ($5.50) - This is a creamy two-part makeup remover, formulated with oil and liquid. Shake it up, throw it some on a cotton pad, and wipe your face clean in preparation for a second cleanse. I like that it looks almost like food packaging, maybe ketchup or something? I've never tried anything quite like it so I'm excited to give this a shot. You also get a lot for your money which is awesome. Skin Food is a pretty known Korean brand, you may remember it from a past Memebox haul.
- Calmia Oatmeal Cleansing Foam ($2.50) - This product was on a special sale when I was shopping, so I picked it up just for fun. It's meant to cleanse the skin while maintaining softness and moisture. It has a bunch of plant extracts in it to help with this. I've never heard of the brand before, but this product has 4.5 out of 5 stars on the Althea website, so I'm sure it'll be a winner.
- Apieu Gold Silk Blanket sheet mask ($1.50) - Not gonna lie, I was drawn to this because it's a mask that looks sequined. And that packaging is darn cute, too. It's supposed to nourish your skin, help with fine lines and brighten your complexion, but honestly... I just want to have a creepy sequin face for 15 minutes of mask time.
- Petitfee Ruby & Bulgarian Rose Eye Patch ($9.75) - These are little under eye masks infused with rose extract and ruby powder to brighten and improve elasticity. I've been wanting to try eye patch masks, and these looked nice. I love the packaging and it's a really solid metal-type tin that makes these feel like they should be more expensive than they are.
- Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam (samples) - These little samples were included with my order, but I'm excited to try them. Innisfree is another well-known Korean skincare brand and this product has a 5 star rating on Althea. This cleanser is meant to deep-clean clogged pores without drying out your skin. A full size costs $6.
- RiRe Lucent White Pearl Cream ($11) - Is it abundantly clear that I'm a skincare junkie yet? Ha! This product sucked me in because it looks like little pearls that you pop on your face and it does magical things for your skin. It has pearl extracts/powder to help with wrinkles and to promote a healthier, more radiant complexion. We'll see if that's true.... I just want to have fun with my skincare routine and maybe prevent a wrinkle or two.
- Dear, Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop ($23) - I definitely wanted to try a Korean face serum, and this one had great reviews and cute holographic packaging (I'm a sucker), and so I put it promptly in to my shopping cart. This is a vitamin C serum that helps shrink pores and even out skin tone and exfoliate the skin.
- Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($13) - Laneige is another popular Korean brand that you can find in the states at Target or Sephora. I've heard rave reviews about this product and I'm one of those people who can't fall asleep unless my lips are caked in some sort of balm, so this product spoke to me. Don't let the jar scare you, this comes with an adorable little spatula (like so many Korean products do, thank goodness) so you don't have to put your grubby little fingers in it.
- Tov Camellia Cleansing Balm ($14) - Cleansing balms or oils are my absolute favorite way to take my makeup off. I, again, was a sucker for this packaging and had to have it. Using this is simple, just grab a small amount with the provided spatula, rub it all over your dry, makeup-caked face, and watch everything come melting off. Rinse it away, and wa-lah!
- Holika Holika Magic Pole Eyeliner ($10.50) - This just plain interested me. I've never seen an eyeliner pen like this, and I live and die by black liquid eyeliner. As you can kind of see, the tip has a ball point end for stability. The formula is waterproof, and you can get it in either black or brown.
- Etude House Fix and Fix Tone Up Primer ($10.20) - I primarily got this primer because it has SPF 33 in it, and that's perfect for summer time. I opted for the rose-colored toner to brighten my skin. You can also get it in green or lavender. I think the packaging is really minimalistically cute, and the price was right!
...and there you have it! My super exciting Korean beauty and skincare haul. Definitely make sure to check out Althea.kr if you're interested in trying out Korean products. You can get lost on that site with all the goodies they've got to order. If you do make an order, let me know what you pick up!