Are you dying of cuteness overload yet?! Because I can hardly handle the cutest cat compact you're seeing above. I mean, I love a good cleansing oil, too, but CAT COMPACT!!! MEMEBOX recently sent me some goodies and it has reaffirmed my beliefs that Koreans have way cooler everything than we do.
That cute compact is the TonyMoly Cat's Clear Wink compact, an ivory pressed powder. The powder is velvety and soft and creates a matte finish on top of any foundation. It does a great job of keeping my face matte all day long. Another plus? This powder is formulated without parabens, minerals, ethanol, benzophenone, or tar coloring. How gross to think that stuff makes it in to other powders! One thing to note, if you don't have lighter skin, this foundation will make you look white. It is not translucent. In the market for a new setting powder that's too cute to pass up, AND you'll have a cute mirror compact to throw in your purse when it's all used up? Buy it for $8 on the MEMEBOX website here. The mini bottle next to the cute cat compact is the I'm Cleansing Oil, a MEMEBOX house brand product. This is the #02 formula for oily/combination skin. This lightweight oil gently removes makeup and impurities with ease. It has a lovely light floral scent that's not overwhelming in the slightest. Take a quarter size amount in your hands and rub it over your dry face, and watch as your makeup melts away. Rinse it off and your skin will be makeup free! I LOVE this cleansing oil. It removes my makeup so easily and doesn't break me out. I will definitely be buying a full sized bottle once I get through my makeup remover backstock, that's how much I love it. You can buy it on the MEMEBOX website for $14 here. What's your favorite cleansing oil? Let me know!
No package excites me quite as much as when I see a pink-wrapped Memebox sitting on my doorstep. I love Memeboxes so much because they're always filled with products that are entirely new to me, and they quality is always spot-on. I've had such good luck - all of the Memeboxes I've received have been simply amazing! (see the other boxes here and here) This month, I got the Superbox #65 - Korea's Most Wanted 2. This box is available globally on memebox.com. What's a superbox? Take it from Memebox directly: "Superbox was inspired by our Memebox lovers, looking for full-sized products catered to specific needs. Each Superbox series comes with its own theme, designed to target particular concerns. Boxes in each Superbox series always contain the same products sourced directly from Korea, and we at Memebox select only the very best-loved items to bring to you at highly discounted prices." Here's what you'll get in the Superbox #65:
elRoel Tone Up Sungel ($13 for ~1.7 oz) - This is a green cream, not really a gel as the name might suggest. It boasts high UV protection, and is meant to balance and smooth the tone of the skin. It claims to fill in lines and wrinkles and prep the skin so your makeup lasts all day long.
The elRoel sungel feels really thick when applied to the skin, but it does sink in rather quickly. I had a moment of panic because my face was whitewashed, but it blends - do not worry! It feels slightly tacky in a good way, you can tell it will hold foundation well. Once I applied my foundation I felt my pores looked diminished and my skin appeared very even and smooth. I really like this product!
The Tang Tang Kissy Skin Therapy Peeling Wash ($23 for ~3.3 oz) - This "peeling gel" is made for those of you with dry or sensitive skin. What you do is spread it over your clean face and let it sit for 40 seconds or so. Right before it begins to harden, massage the product all over your face and rinse it off.
There's not really anything in the US market that I can relate this to. It's a rather odd product. When you start to massage it on your face, it sort of bunches up; the texture makes me think of frosting that's sat out for a while... know what I mean? I think this is supposed to make you believe that you're sloughing off dry skin and impurities, but it seems like you're just washing the product off? Not entirely sold on this, but I'll probably keep using it now and then.
Kskin Emu Leg R-Free Massage Cream ($46 for ~3.3oz) - Don't be all grossed out when I say this, because this is an awesome lotion, but it's made with emu oil and snail mucus extracts.... as well as hyaluronic acid, peppermint oil and menthol complex. This is meant to soothe, moisturize, and de-stress tired legs.
When I applied this to my legs, the first thing I noticed was the strong menthol scent. If you've ever applied peppermint oil to your skin, you know how tingly and cold it feels... that's exactly what this feels like. This would be great for use in the summer when you want to cool down and soothe your legs after a long day. I definitely wouldn't wear this in the day time because the menthol scent is way too strong. If you don't want to shell out $46 for this lotion, you could probably just add peppermint oil to your most hydrating lotion and you'll have something similar.
Hiello Blooming Multi Firming Cream ($50 for ~1.6 oz) - This is a very rich anti-wrinkle cream that's formulated with poppy extracts, vitamin peptide, collagen, green tea water, Damascus rose water, and centella siatica (not sure what this is?!) It is meant to be used once a week, applied to the face before bed to clean skin and washed off in the morning.
I love this cream, as it has a really nice light floral scent. It's mega-hydrating and comes in quality glass packaging. If your skin doesn't take to rich products, you might want to avoid this. However, if you have dry skin, this just might be your new best friend.
I found this serum to be perfect for the morning time, as it was hydrating enough to use as my sole moisturizer. It doesn't have a strong scent, it's just nice and calming on the skin.
LadyKin One Touch Bling Glow Lipstick in Fall Rose ($11 for 0.1 oz) - This lipstick is simply amazing. It's creamy and ultra-pigmented, and can we just talk about this shade?! It's gorgeous... a my lips but better color unlike any I have in my collection! It's an every day shade that's appropriate for any situation - work, date night, an interview, you name it!
Unfortunately, it looks like these lipsticks are no longer available on the Memebox website. Shame! I'm sure with enough poking around the interwebs you could probably find a spot to purchase this amazing lippie.
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January discount codes have not yet been released for Memebox, but check back soon because they always have coupons that will save you money on any of your Memebox purchases! Once I receive them, I'll make sure to post them here!
This week brought some really exciting and long awaited goodies to my door! I've recently become more aware of the Korean cosmetics market and wanted to do a little sampling for myself. I hopped on eBay, and ordered a couple things from Korean cosmetics brand Etude House. From what I've gathered, Etude House is one of the bigger brands in Asia.
Take a peek at what I ordered....
A couple things piqued my interest that I decided to order - the Magic Tint Balm and the Sweet Recipe Candy Stick (love that name - translation is a funny thing).
This is Etude House's Magic Tint Balm in the shade #1 Magic Red. This is a pretty good size, it claims to be 10 grams, which for the rest of us means .35 ounces. It feels really smooth on the lips and leaves them looking more glossy than anything, but it does have the slightest pink tint. It certainly doesn't come out bright red, as the name might imply. The smell is amazing - it smells just like cherry, but it's not overpowering in the least. You could certainly use this on your cheeks for a little pop of color, too, but I'm not sure how well it would set or if it would just leave your cheeks looking shiny (as it is pretty hydrating on the lips).
Secondly I got the hilariously named Sweet Recipe Candy Stick in #1 Strawberry. This smells SO amazing, I could take a bite right out of it. Also, how cute is the packaging? I love that it comes in a little candy cane shape. This has a nice pinkish color, not unlike the Magic Tint Balm (see swatch below). It feels nice and smooth on the lips, but isn't super hydrating.
If you're looking to experiment with Korean cosmetics, head over to eBay and shop around. People rave about Korean BB creams, which I've never tried so that's one place you could start. Unless you're a lippie freak, like me - then maybe you'll want to give these two things a go. ;)
Have you experimented with Korean cosmetics? Let me know what you've tried!
