Memebox Brightening Skincare Unboxing and Review + Coupon

Wow, I am so behind on my unboxings, it's slightly overwhelming.  I just got back from a much needed vacation, which was lovely, but left a long trail of unreviewed boxes waiting for me... The first of these is Memebox #24: Brightening Skincare.  I've always had uneven, ruddy skin (there is nothing I want more than flawless, even skin some people are so lucky to have!) so I jumped right on this box.  Brighten away!  I got this box for only $13 due to $15 worth of points that I had to spend, so it would be hard for this box to not be worth it for me.  Without points, it would have been $27.  (Sidenote: Memebox randomly gives out points to existing accounts, and each point is equivalent to $1 in credit).

 Here's the box:

The first item is the ISPREN Magic Eye Solution Wise Patch ($3).  This single use, hydro-gel (whatever that means) eye patch is supposed to sooth and lock in moisture and nutrition into your eyes, hydrating and brightening your under eye area.  More specifically, it treats "panda-eyes", thus, I suppose, the very enlightening diagram of a sad panda cheering up when he loses his black eyes (personally, I'm offended on behalf of all pandas out there who think they need to get rid of their spots... what are they trying to say here??)  Anyway...thankfully I don't really have dry eyes or dark circles, so even if this worked I probably wouldn't be able to tell.  I'll probably give this away or wait for a day when I really need it.











The second product is the Finco Solution Spot (full size, supposedly $42).  This is a clear gel that targets red, uneven spots or emergency break outs.  It's supposed to sooth and brighten up uneven, reddish spots and acne scars.  The "important" ingredient (I refrain from calling it the main ingredient, because the first two ingredients are water and glycerin) seems to be agrimonia extract.  Based on a quick google search, it seems to inhibit hepatitis b (just what I needed!) and have antioxidant properties.  It can also act as an astringent and is antibacterial.  I don't see any consistent material on its effect on acne scars, but astringent and antibacterial sound good for break outs.  That being said, I'd prefer something more obviously targeted at unevenness - I rely on prescription strength products for break outs, so probably won't be turning to this anytime soon for those.  I did try it on one red bump I had on my arm, and it didn't seem to do anything, but I'd have to keep using it to really tell.

 The next product is the CLEOSIS All In One Water Shining Finisher (full size, $39). According to Memebox, this combines a toner, essence, moisturizer and primer all in one.  That's a lot of functions for one product, particularly given that all of the above typically have different textures!  In any case, it's used as the last step of your skincare routine (though really, doesn't toner through primer just cover everything?) and it's supposed to hydrate, firm up, brighten, and smooth out uneven skin texture, using galactomyces ferments, rice bran ferments, pumpkin ferments and other ingredients.  This sounds like quite the multi-purpose product, though I'm doubtful it can achieve all of these things.  Trying to keep my expectations realistic, I've been using this as a moisturizer (and only a moisturizer) and it has worked just fine, but I haven't noticed anything noteworthy yet.  It does have an interesting texture - it comes out as a white cream, but once I rub it in, the feel left over on my skin is more like that of a serum.  Definitely intriguing, and I will continue to test it out.

The next item is the Yufit Eon Wheat-Germ 97 Essence (full size, $36).  I received another product from this same line in Memebox Global #13 (review here).  I liked the wheat germ cream, although when my skin was sensitive it stung a little, so I'm looking forward to using this.  It's a whitening, anti-wrinkle, brightening and moisturizing essence (a light serum) that moisturizes and balances uneven skin tone and texture.  This has a very watery consistency - just barely thicker than water, so it feels very light, which makes me feel like I could put it under my prescription treatments without interfering with efficacy.  I think this is another product that would require prolonged use to see if it works

The last product in this box is the Dermahouse Perfect Whitening Moisture Mask (full size, seems to be roughly $12 value based on looking at a few other sites).  This mask can be used as a wash off mask (washing off a thick layer after 10-15 minutes) or as a sleeping pack (overnight, on top of your skin care routine), and it contains niacinamide, which is a form of vitamin B3 that has anti-inflammatory properties and is useful for preventing moisture loss and evening pigmentation and dark spots.  I'm not sure how concentrated the niacinamide is, but I am definitely willing to give it a shot.  I used it as a wash off mask and it did sting a tiny bit at first (probably due to my sensitive skin and the fact that I had just used my Clarisonic), but it went away quickly and I didn't see any other negative effects.  It was a tad difficult to wash off completely, and I think it would be useful to have a Konjac sponge or washcloth to wash it off, though with enough effort my hands did the trick.  I think my skin did look slightly lighter (not necessarily more even though, just lighter all over), so  while not hugely noticeable, my first impression is that this does in fact do something.  Next time I plan on trying it as an overnight mask to see if the effects are more noticeable.  If so, I'll report back!

Anyway, as I said earlier, for $13, it would be pretty difficult for me to think I didn't get a good value out of this box.  While I don't think any item was over-the-moon exciting, I will definitely get use out of almost everything in this box, and everything but the eye patches are full sized so I will definitely be able to test them out over a long period of time.  If any of you have thoughts on this box, please do share!  I'm very curious to see other people's experiences with the products I test out.

If you're interested in trying out Memebox, you can use the code O4UP for $5 off your purchase.  Enjoy!

Memebox Global #13 Unboxing and Review

Happy Sunday everyone!  I won't waste time on silly introductory language (see my earlier posts if you don't know what Memebox is!).  Without further delay, I present to you Memebox Global #13!

First up we have the 23 years old CX Detoxifying Air Therapy. This mask is made from carbonated water, and the bubbles are supposed to penetrate your skin and cleanse your pores.  The mineral-rich carbonated water also helps brighten and firm up your overall skin for a revitalized feeling.  I have to say, I'm a sucker for interesting packaging.  While I love masks in general, I can't help but be fascinated by a mask that comes in a syringe.  That being said, it does seem to be purely aesthetic because I can't for the life of me think of a practical reason to package it like this - the directions just say to apply it to your face and then place the included sheet mask on top (then rinse after 20-30 minutes).  Either way, I'm excited to try it and will report back!

Next up: erm.... tampons? While these are apparently unique in that they're purely 100% organic cotton and made by the first Korean brand to make tampons, these Donga Tempo Eco Natural tampons are still just tampons.  Practical, I suppose, for some of us, but also quite possibly the least exciting item I've ever received in a subscription box (and that includes pens (in a beauty box), and a bag of nuts (I hate nuts)).  But whatever, it doesn't bother me, I just have very little to say about this.  Apologies if y'all wanted a better picture... but I figured this would be sufficient for most of you.



Next: CNP Laboratory Derma-Scalp Shampoo.  This shampoo contains tea tree oil extract and is supposed to deep cleanse and unclog the pores on your scalp.  I didn't realized clogged pores on my scalp were an issue, but I do have an oily scalp, and cooling and refreshing sounds good.  Initial thoughts: I'm sad this is small (25 g) - a decent size for a sample, but it's one I would definitely use (whereas I have tons of full-sized products that just sit around taking up space).  Also, this does have a tea tree oil scent - a bit medicinal, so probably not something I would use before a date, assuming the smell lingers in my hair (and I also have a feeling it won't go well with the smell of my conditioner).

I've definitely seen a bit of repeats from the same brands, and the next product is also from CNP Laboratory, and it's the Tone-Up Protection Sun (spf 42).  This is also kind of small (15 ml) but I have more than enough sun protection products, so that's quite alright.  According to Memebox, this SPF 42/PA+++ (sidenote: apparently PA+++ seems to mean the highest protection against UVA rays, so hooray for that!) contains powdery components to keep skin silky soft while deep sea water prevents your skin from drying out in the summer time.  It can also be used as a makeup base. As you can see, this has a tint to it and it's pretty light,

but once blended it's pretty translucent.  It may leave a slight whitish cast in photos though (my hand in the blended picture looks slightly lighter than in real life).  I have high hopes for this, though, because it was not greasy in the slightest - in fact, I can't even tell it's on my hand anymore.  This is great for oily-skinned people like me.  As I'm writing this, I'm starting to wish they included a bigger size!





The next product is the Yufit Eon Wheat-Germ Cream 75 (full size - Memebox says $48).  Memebox says: more than 75% of this cream is made of organic wheat bud extracts, which work to hydrate, firm, brighten and fight signs of aging.  It's gentle and lightly absorbing texture won't irritate even sensitive skin, and it will help tighten pores.  This is for both day and night.  All of these things sound good to me, but how does it perform?  I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but this has an interesting consistency. It's thick but not heavy, and it's almost matte-like.  Not a great description, but it's less "shiny" than other moisturizers, and it doesn't leave my face shiny, which I'm happy about.  I don't have dry skin, but it feels decently moisturizing, though maybe not heavy duty enough for those with really dry skin.  According to Dr. Oz (the most reliable source out there, of course), wheat germ has lots of antioxidants in the form of Vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins, which sound great, but that's in the context of ingesting it.  Most of what I can find on wheat germ in skincare is about wheat germ oil rather than wheat germ extract, so I will refrain from making any claims about this.  Fan-B has a useful post about the ingredients here. In any case, I  really can't tell any benefits from using this for a few days but I will definitely keep using this and report back if I have anything else to say about it!

Anyways, onwards and upwards! Next we have the Soy BIO + Fermented Lumpoule.  Yes, "lumpoule".  Whoever is naming these products in Korea should really get some input from English speakers because lumpoule just sounds awful - pretty sure I wouldn't think twice if I heard someone talking about the benign lumpoule their doctor found.  That being said, I will forgive the rather unfortunate choice of name (so named because it's a facial ampoule made from fermented soy bean lump) because 1) I love these tiny matte-glass bottles and 2) it's supposed to help prevent fine lines and wrinkles as well as brighten complexion.  You're suppose to use 2-3 drops after applying toner.  Normally I find it hard to get 2-3 drops of anything to apply to my entire face, but interestingly, this "lumpoule" seems to take a little time to absorb, so I can rub 3 drops around my hand and it spreads so easily without yet actually absorbing into my hand, which makes it quite easy to pat it in over my entire face.  These are pretty small bottles (about as tall as half a finger) but given how you really need very little, I think they will last a decent amount of time.  Like the wheat-germ moisturizer, I can't tell yet how well this works but will continue to try them.  I do notice that it leaves my hands slightly tacky after application, but it's fine on my face since I end up layering other things on top.

The last product is the Nuganic Customized Sun Base Color Control Cream (also full-sized, and worth $54 according to Memebox).  Boxes contained either this or the Nuganic Customized Pure Snail Color Control Cream, which I would have liked to try, but oh well.  That being said, based on the info card, I'm not sure what the difference is.  Both appear to list wrinkle improvement, whitening function and the same sun-protection level.  I'm also not sure if the product description applies to both of them, but it's apparently enriched with snail mucus extract (in both?), aloe vera, lemon and various plant extracts.  Memebox calls this an "easy to use" CC cream that will balance oil and moisture for a silky smooth finish, cover up imperfections and leave skin glowing with a natural shine ("dewy" makeup, anyone?).  Personally, I'm not sure I would call this easy to use.  It starts off white, and eventually blends into a beige-ish color, but it took a lot of blending for me (second picture is after a decent amount of blending, third is pretty much fully blended) and having to rub my face that much seems like it would be bad for my skin.  The amount of blending required is also problematic with the number of face products I use that are at risk of pilling of I rub too hard.  On top of which, it's still a little light for me, although that can be fixed with a tad of bronzer.  It's too bad, since this is full-sized, but I'll still give it a try.

Final verdict: I don't regret spending ~$26 on this.  While I may not love or fully use everything, I don't think it was a waste of money and it's always a pleasure to be able to try new things, which ultimately makes these boxes worthwhile for me.

If you guys have thoughts about this box or any of the products, please do share!