Memebox Global #12 Unboxing and Review

happy weekend everyone!  today i'll be reviewing Memebox #12 (part of their standard series of memeboxes).  i'll spare you the description of what memebox is and will direct you to my last few posts if you're curious (and please do check it out if you don't know what it is - it's awesome!)

without further delay: memebox 12!

First up we have:

1.  Ryo Anti-Hair Loss Treatment ($3 value)

Description: Infused with biota seed, coix seed, green tea and gold extracts, this hair treatment will not only prevent hair loss but also re-energize and strengthen thin, damaged hair. Its excellent cooling formula will gently soothe and nourish your scalp at the same time.

Thoughts: I don't really have any use for an anti-hair loss treatment, unfortunately (fortunate really) so I will probably give this away.  I've heard it smells strongly of ginseng, so even if it works well as an overall hair treatment, I probably wouldn't love it anyway.  The ingredients looked interesting though, so I looked up a few of them.  Biota seed is apparently often used for hair loss and baldness, but it has also been recommended to prevent the graying of hair (source), which sounds good to me!  I recently realized my gray hair count went up from 1 to 3 so while I'm not really worried about it now, two more years of this new job of mine and I might need this... Coix seed is also known as Job's Tears, allegedly to represent the tears Job shed through all his suffering.  I'm curious about 1) who saw these seeds and said "you know what? These don't just look like tears - they look like Job's tears and 2) who said "hmm these seeds of suffering sound like the perfect remedy to my sad, balding head".  According to this site, coix seed is valued for its "cooling" property, so I guess that's where the cooling comes into this product, though I'm not sure how that helps with hair loss.  It's also supposed to have a number of other benefits, though none I saw that had anything to do with hair.  Green tea, on the other hand, seems to be touted all over the place as a hair growth stimulant, though it looks like it may be related to increasing testosterone, which I'm guessing many Memebox fans have on interest in.  That being said, I doubt the topical use of a hair mask would be potent enough to affect anyone's hormones.  Last but not least (or perhaps it is the least (effective)), I haven't seen anything on gold extract (and honestly I'm not really sure what it is) so I kind of feel like it's either poorly translated or just there for show.

2.  banila co. Claypatra Mineral Salt Clay Pack ($2.52 value)

Description: The 100% pure mud extracted straight from the Dead Sea (consisting of 32% salt and minerals) effectively removes any excess sebum, dead skin and external pollutants clogged up in your pores.  The mineral-rich formula also delivers deep hydration and nourishment to the skin.

Thoughts: I'm a skincare junkie, so this was my favorite product in the box.  I found it a little bit disappointing, though, that not only was it a pretty small container from the get go, but when you turn it upside down, you see that the interior of the jar is even smaller.  Given how little product there is to start with, that extra unused space could be one more application of this mask!  Which is unfortunate, particularly since I liked it the first time I used it.  It was very creamy and didn't tingle like some other mud masks, nor did it feel like it was pulling on my skin once it dried.  I left it on for about ten minutes and when I washed it off, my skin felt pretty smooth.  What I was more impressed with was that my pores actually seemed to look tighter and cleaner (unlike when I use the Originals charcoal mask, which seems to draw everything in my pores to the surface but then leaves it there, making my nose look like a sebum version of Whack-a-mole).  I'll have to see if I still feel that way after using it a few times, but as of right now I'm pretty excited to keep using it, and may end up buying the full size if it keeps up.

3.  Plagentra White Mark Cream (plus foils of the cream, lotion and massage gel) ($5.7 value + some foil packets)

Description for the cream: Ever been stressed over stretch marks on your belly or on your thighs?  Plagentra's White Mark Cream will be your life-saver, with its scientifically approved formula to treat overly stretched skin and balance out any uneven skin tone on your body.

The foil packets were technically listed as a separate item, except that we were instructed to use the cream (bottle) on any areas with stretch marks, whereas the instructions for the packets say to apply the lotion and cream over your face, and then massage the gel on your thighs and legs.

Thoughts: First of all, I would not put stretch mark cream on my face.  This may be just a psychological thing - if they had just marketed it as a cream that targets uneven skin tone that can also be used on your body, I would try it on my face in a heartbeat.  But since it seems to be for stretchmarks and primarily for your body, I'm hesitant to use it on my face.  Also, this seems to be a three-step process - the cream is labeled step I, the lotion Step II, and the massage gel Step III - but the instructions and my instinct are all out of synch. First of all, I would typically expect to start from the lightest (the gel) and end with the heaviest (the cream).  Second, the instructions from Memebox don't indicate that you use these together, aside from applying both the lotion and cream to your face.  Lastly, it's unclear if these are supposed to do different things, but looking online at the manufacturer's website, it appears that the massage gel prevents and reduces stretch marks and helps slim thighs and calves with the "lymph drainage through cool massage and shrinkage of skin". Yea, ok. I'll report back to y'all about my newly slim legs next week. Meanwhile, the lotion appears to also prevent stretch marks and also help skin texture and tone (it does contain niacinamide as well as address wrinkles, pigments and "goose bumps".  This one is also said to reduce cellulite through removal of body water and waste in the cellulite layer.  I have a feeling that will be about as effective as the gel. And finally, the cream seems to be intended for older stretch marks.  I'm actually relieved that this one doesn't also promise some sort of slimming effect, though I still don't expect to see any different from using 15g of this stuff.

4.  L.vida Nail Polish (in Hyacinth Bouquet) ($7)

Do you need a description? This is nail polish. It is blue.  It comes in a pretty bottle.  I'll probably give this away as it's not a color I'll really use, but it seems like a good enough polish. The picture is one coat, and no top coat.

5.  Inter-cos Smooth Sensitive Removal Cream (250 ml (full size) - $43 according to Memebox)

Description: This unique spray-type removal cream allows you to remove any unwanted hair from even the most sensitive areas of the body.

Thoughts: $43 for hair removal cream seems a bit high to me, and I can't say the packaging makes it look particularly luxurious.  It is a pretty large bottle though, so I will get a lot of uses out of this.  Memebox is notorious for marking up the prices on these info cards, so I wouldn't be surprised if the retail value is actually less than this.  In any case, this is indeed a spray-on hair removal cream, presumably so designed to minimize the mess and getting it all over your hands.  That being said, I'm not a huge fan of the spray design.  I don't think a spray is a very good delivery system for cream - this comes out kind of thick, so I ended up with a very uneven layer on my skin - I kind of had splotches with big clumps of lotion and other areas that barely got any.  To get a thick layer all over, I think I'd have to spray a ton, which would ultimately waste product. Also, it's kind of drippy, so I would spray in one area but if I sprayed a lot, it would start dripping down instead of staying in place.  I think I might just spray into my hand next time and then apply that way for more control.  Anyway, Memebox says to leave it on for 15-20 minutes then wipe away, and that you may have to use it more than once for "perfect removal".  The bottle says to leave on for 5 minutes and then test to see if the hair comes off when you scrape it with one of the popsicle sticks, then leave on for another 1-2/5 minutes (it's not really clear) if you need more time.  Silly me, I thought I should follow the manufacturer's instructions because they must know what they're talking about.  Sadly, my hair did not really come off after 5 minutes and upon discovering this I had to reapply where I had scraped off, so I let it sit for another 5, then jumped in the shower because I was tired of it dripping everywhere.  At that point I still kind of had to scrub a bit to get the hair off, and it definitely left quite a bit.  That being said, it definitely did work, but I think next time I'll just leave it on for the full 20 (it didn't irritate my skin at all) and I think it should be pretty effective.

6.  Palan Crysence Organic Essence (120 ml (full size), $60)

Description: Highly praised by beauty experts and hair designers, Palan's famous hair essence is a non-greasy lotion type treatment for dry, damaged hair that you don't have to wash off.  Made from natural herbal ingredients, it's extremely gentle and deeply moisturizing.

Thoughts: Really Memebox?  Labeling this as being worth $72 when it says on the box itself that the price is $60?  Whatever, doesn't bother me, but it's just careless on their part.  It is a nice sleek (and quite large) bottle (and very substantial) and I very much appreciate that it comes with a little plastic stopper that keeps the pump from being pumped inadvertently (great for travel!).  Anyway, I was not particularly excited about this since my hair is already fairly healthy and I don't really use leave in hair products (or if I do, I use Beauty Protector, which I already love) because they tend to just weigh my hair down or make it greasy, and rarely have a positive effect.  So I was going to give this away, but for some reason I just couldn't resist trying it out (for the sake of the blog, of course).  It's a white lotion-type essence, similar to a lot of other leave-in conditioners out there.  I wouldn't say I love the smell, which is hard to describe but kind of like your average hair product with a slight herbal hint) but it's not bad either, and it's very faint and does not linger in my hair.  As for the product itself, I put in a quarter sized amount in my almost dry, medium length hair, and it actually did make my hair softer.  It didn't seem to do much else (but I don't style my hair either - just air dry) but I like soft hair, so I guess maybe I'll actually use up the rest of this.

Final verdict: this was not the most exciting box for me, given that almost all of the value of the box lies in the hair removal spray and hair essence, both of which I will use but neither of which will have me jumping for joy.  Throw in the anti-hair loss treatment, and you've got a pretty heavy hair-care oriented box.  Given that Memebox sells specific Hair and Body boxes that you can buy if those are your interests, it's a bit disappointing to see so much hair-related stuff in this box (though to be fair, the spray is really a body product, but if you then add in the stretch mark cream, this is that much closer to a Hair + Body box).  I also wish there were more skincare (or at least a bigger sample of the Claypatra mask!).  One of the biggest draws of Korean beauty products for me is how much they care about their skin, so what I really want is access to some awesome new skincare products.  But oh well, you can't win every time, and it's certainly not a bad box by any means, just not one I'll be remembering for years (or months, or weeks, really, until I get my hands on the next box...) to come.

Let me know if you guys had any thoughts or questions about any of these products as I'd love to hear other opinions!

As I mentioned in my last Memebox post, there are a couple codes I have to share which are still going on:

right now, if you order through here, through July 30 you can get $5 any order of over $100, and you can get $3 off the Bubble Pop Cosmetics Superbox (note: Superboxes are for full-sized products).  this box looks super fun and there are two spoilers already, the Brilliant Sparkling Powder Set and OSEQUE Melting Cleanser:

Brilliant Sparkling Powder Set:
The CO2 bubbles created when you blend the sparkling powders with water will penetrate deep into your skin, effectively removing all pore-clogging impurities and blackheads for good! These sparkling bubbles will not only leave your skin spick-and-span but also deliver deep moisturizing, brightening, and tightening results! 


OSEQUE Melting Cleanser ($40 retail value)
If you’ve experienced any skin irritations, break-outs, or dehydration from using skin stripping cleansers, OSEQUE’s Melting Cleanser is the perfect solution! Deep clean your pores with this gentle cleanser made from Co2 spring water, quillaja treeextracts, and 17 amino acids for a flawless and luminous complexion!
to get the discounts, you can also use the codes AFFILIATE-1806-RSVYH-XRLS for the $5 off $100 and AFFILIATE-5467-FXZ6R-OUBV for the Bubble Pop Box.   hope you enjoyed the review, and stay tuned for more coming up shortly!