Althea Korean Beauty haul!

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! 

Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Foundation | Review

I'm fascinated by K-beauty products, and if you know even the littlest bit about K-beauty, you'll know people rave about Korean BB creams. Unlike most BB creams available in the states, many Korean BB creams have the coverage of a foundation (versus nearly all American-made creams that I've tried, which aren't much more than a tinted moisturizer). 

I watched a review by thataylaa on Youtube and was convinced I needed to give this foundation a shot. An easy decision, considering it only set me back a whopping $10 on Amazon.

Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream has SPF 20, UV protection, mint water for hydration and marine jelly complex for soft, supple skin. There's not a whole lot of description (at least in English) about this foundation to be found online - so you'll just have to take my word for the rest of it...

Upon first glance, you can tell it really does have kind of a jelly consistency. I tried my best to capture it in the jar. Despite looking thick and chunky, it's actually really lightweight and blends in easily.

The overall design of the packaging would make you think this is a spendy foundation. The thick frosted glass, cute blue top... all great. But my favorite part of the design is the MINI SPATULA applicator. How amazing and adorable is that? Not to mention functional. It makes it really easy to stir up and get a scoop out to apply. 

I purchased the shade Beige 01, which kind of freaked me out because I don't think I've ever bought a foundation with beige in the name - usually WAY too dark. Regardless, this color is a perfect match for me so if you've got paler-than-pale skin like me, you'll probably find this a great match, too.

Just for your own comparisons, I have normal to combination skin. I get a bit of oil throughout the day, but I'm not an oil factory by any means, and my face doesn't get too dry. It's just right, prone to a bit of a discoloration or minor break outs. If you have dry skin, you might need to wear an oil underneath this. If you've got super oily skin, this may slide around a bit and you'll want a good oil-controlling primer underneath. If you've got a lot of fine lines or wrinkles, you may find that this foundation settles in and makes itself comfortable in places you'd rather it didn't. 

Here's the wear-test. Excuse the bad iPhone photos and awkward poses because I was at work and in the car and trying to be inconspicuous both times. 

You can see it evens out my skin tone, covers up freckles and imperfections, yet still looks like my own natural skin.I don't know why the camera makes it look a little yellow, because it definitely doesn't look like that in person. My favorite thing about this foundation is that it provides good coverage, but feels lightweight and looks natural and not cakey. 

Overall, I don't see a ton of change between the time check ins. This foundation holds up pretty darn well. Sometimes if I have an oiler skin day, I'll notice a tiny bit of caking around my forehead T-zone area. My only real gripe for this foundation is that it can tend to settle in around my nose and forehead fine lines. Not as bad as some foundations do, and not badly enough to make me want to never wear or repurchase this foundation. I just smooth it out and all is well.

I'm super excited to have stumbled upon this foundation right before the heat of summer hits, and I think it'll be my season staple. SPF (check!), lightweight (check!), lasts all day (check!). Yeah.... we're going to be good friends, Aqua Petit Jelly BB Foundation.

MEMEBOX Superbox #55: Free From Oil & Trouble 4

Last week on my Instagram account, I alluded to a post that would be coming to Glazed Over shortly. I have to admit, I've been so excited about this post that I couldn't even draw out the suspense any further - today I've got for you my very first Memebox review!

What is Memebox (prononounced Mi-Mi Box), you ask? Memebox is the #1 beauty box provider in Korea - offering boxes full of awesome Korean cosmetic samples. Memebox carries 4 main types of beauty boxes: Memebox, Memebox Special Editions, Superbox and Luckybox, as well as full-sized items in their shop.

Memeboxes are not monthly subscription based, but rather selected upon release, so you never have to be disappointed! When you register at us.memebox.com, you'll get emails alerting you to new boxes being released, and you can choose whether or not the box suits you and if you'd like to purchase one. It's awesome!

Take a look through this post, and if you like what you see, I've got a coupon code to save you money! COUPON CODE:  Use code 1NQ1JQ at checkout to save $5 off your purchase of $30+! This code is good through Nov. 30, so make sure to order now to save some dough!

This month, I got the Superbox #55: Free From Oil & Trouble 4. Superboxes carry full-sized products catered to specific needs. Truth be told, I do have oily skin and am always on the look out for ways to cut down the amount of oil my skin produces. Here's what my Memebox came with:

Pro You Aroma AC Cream - This cream consists of green tea, grapefuit and other beneficial extracts that work to tighten up pores and control sebum. One thing I really like about this cream is that is contains essential oils like juniper berry, lavender and tea tree to soothe and purify irritated skin.

Benenet Herb & Bee A.C. Control Serum - This serum contains bee venom (eek!) which is supposed to repair and protect the skin. It is also formulated with herbal extracts like sophora root, eucalyptus, grapefruit, citron, and clove flower to maintain healthy skin.

The Skin House Dr. Clear Magic Toner - This is a spray toner that is said to soothe blemishes and balance the skin's moisture level. It's enriched with tea tree extracts for a healthier complexion. 

ideeB Goodbye Oil Compact - This is a translucent powder for keeping oil at bay, and is good for all skin shades. This is the perfect thing to throw in your bag for use on the go.

insobeau Acnic Blemish Spot Solution - This formula is half liquid, half pink powder, and can be used to target blemishes on the skin. This reminds me of a Korean version of the Mario Badescu drying lotion. 

Lindsay Linzy Egg Pack - HOW COOL IS THIS?! These 2 "eggs" are soaps. The white egg is made from real egg whites and witch hazel for cleansing and unclogging pores. The red egg is made with red clay and NMF complex to tighten pores.  These are meant to be used together. So fun!

BONUS - I also got sent this Halloween box (Superbox #59 Halloween Special), but since the package came after Halloween was over, it's kind of a bust, but I still wanted to show you what I got!

This Halloween Superbox came with a variety of fun things to spruce up any costumed look. 

There are three face colors: REVECEN Face Control Foundation which can be used to white out the face. It's suitable for all skin types and contains just natural preservatives like green tea extract and magnolia extract so it's nice and gentle on the skin.

REVECEN Cake Eye Liner in Black is a hard powder type formula that can be used as an eyeshadow, OR you can mix in a bit of water to make it a gel-like eyeliner. Cool that it can be used wet or dry! REVECEN Supra Lining Color in Purple is a face and body paint that can be used for a variety of looks. 

This box also includes REVECEN Eye Lashes, as well as REVECEN Liquid Lipstick in Blood. The lipstick is designed to resemble blood, and can be used on the lips or to mimic blood  elsewhere for a scary costume that includes a bloody scar or bleeding eyes, or whatever you want to bleed... ahh!

On top you'll see a couple different fake tattoos. On the left are the LALANC Real Tattoos which are easy to apply, long lasting and waterproof. On the right are Elizavecca Lip Tattoos, which I find to be a hilarious concept! These are actually made for use on your lips!



Have you ever bought a Memebox? Let me know your thoughts and whether you like these kinds of posts!