The Empties of January 2015

Aside from two products, January has been the month of K-beauty item testing. I went on a huge Memebox binge in October and November, and because of the sloooow shipping from Korea, I didn't get most of them until December. The result is that I am now drowning in Korean cosmetics, and have been using them exclusively in order to test out what works best for my skin.

Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat: I discovered the Julep Maven subscription last summer and have loved everything I've received from them since then. This base coat is no exception. I learned early on that this base coat shouldn't be used with just any polish. It's quite thick and opaque, and works best under glitters. For those who adore glitter nail polish, this base coat is a miracle worker. I used to use white glue before applying anything with sparkles so that I could just peel it off in one coat, and not sit there fussing with each nail for ten minutes. This Julep product works almost the same way, except you can use regular polish remover. It has the added benefit of allowing oxygen to permeate the nails, so that they don't turn yellow. It retails on their website for $18 (nuts), but there is always a way to get Julep products cheaper. I usually wait for the items to appear in their Savvy Deals section, Secret Store, or as an add-on option to my monthly box. A ton of coupon codes are also floating around the internet on blogs and coupon websites like RetailMeNot. There is no reason anyone should be paying retail prices for Julep.

Make Up Forever HD Primer: I have a confession to make. When I want to wear a full face of makeup, I use two primers. Underneath Benefit's POREfessional, I like to use Make Up Forever's HD Primer in Neutral. Up until a few months ago, I was obsessed with it and would have probably refused to use anything else to prime my face. Then I woke up and realized I was using $70 worth of makeup before applying my actual makeup. But that's a story for another day. If I'm spending $40 on a product, it better perform exceptionally well, and this does. I find that the MUF primer does a better job than the POREfessional at blurring fine lines and wrinkles, and doesn't leave my face feeling greasy or cake-y. It settles in nicely, and creates the perfect canvas for applying makeup. I'm hoping to find a hidden gem in my k-beauty pile or great drugstore dupe before I break down and just buy this again.

Purederm Tea-Tree Pore Freshener: This did nothing for me. I think it may have actually made me break out, even though tea tree is supposed to be good at controlling oil and reducing 'troubles' (read: acne). It left a weird film on my face, like it never got fully absorbed by my skin. Most k-beauty aficionados are Purederm fangirls, but this toner was enough to turn me off the brand completely.

Skinfood Egg White Pore Meringue Foam: I hated this foaming cleanser until I learned how to use it properly. It actually made it into the trash can a month ago, until my niece came to visit and saw it and wanted to try it out. Gross, I know. I'm glad she fished it out though, because it ended up being a really great working face wash. The trick is to use it after an oil cleanser (it's called double cleansing) and to not leave it on the face for too long, because it is way too harsh on its own. Even the oiliest face would be at risk of drying out and flaking if this was used improperly on a regular basis. Once I wash off my facial oil, I do a quick cleanse with the foam to get rid of the residue, and it ends up leaving my face feeling the perfect kind of clean.

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Liquid Nose Pack: I purchased this product on its own from TesterKorea because it was on sale. I need to use something to unclog my pores and this seemed like a good bet. It's liquid, so you can apply it to any part of your face with large pores. My issue was that I could never get the correct coverage. If I spread it too thick, it would never dry, and washing it off was a huge mess. Plus, my pores were still clogged. If I spread it too thin, it didn't grip on to the gunk properly, and peeling it off was a huge mess. Again, the pores were still clogged. I gave it five good tries until I gave up and tossed it. Goodbye $4.

Solucion 9 Aztec Therapy Shampoo: I need more of this shampoo, stat! I'm so sad I only received the tester in my Hair Salon Memebox and not the full size that they had sent out previously. It's a tiny tube, but lasted me a week because it cleansed my hair so well. I only needed to lather and rinse once. Forget the repeat. My scalp is also perpetually dry in the winter and the shampoo didn't exacerbate the issue like most of the others I've used before and after it. If anyone knows where I can get a bottle, please let me know!

La'dor Perfect Hair Filler: I also really liked the La'dor hair mask I received in the Hair Salon Memebox.  It left my hair shiny and feeling super soft, but also strong. I noticed I didn't suffer as much hair breakage during the styling process as I usually do. My hair still looked healthy after basically frying it with a flat iron. Yay for Korean hair care! The biggest downside of this hair treatment is that you need to mix it, 1 part solution to 1 part water, so you need to remember to have something on hand in the shower or bath to do that in.


Note: Memebox has notified it's international customers that they will no longer be shipping to countries outside of Korea, China, and the USA. For anyone who is k-beauty curious, I recommend heading over to the blog Fanserviced-b for reviews on a lot of great products and information on where to buy them.

December Empties (only a week late!)

HAIR+ Velvet Nutri-Injection: My niece got this in her Memebox #70 Thumb's Up! Bloggers' Picks box a while back. She has no interested in anything Memebox sends her besides cutesy makeup and therefore, it ended up in my stash. Memebox claims the value of this little tube is somewhere around $5. I'm pretty wary about trying new things in my hair because I haven't had much luck in the treatment/leave-in department in a while. This little baby changed all that. I applied the treatment after towel drying and then blasted my hair with a blow-dryer. It felt baby soft, but not weighed down or greasy, even after being subjected to about 10 minutes of hot air on the highest setting. I got about three uses out of the tiny tube, even though Memebox claims it's one time use. My hair is also pretty long, so if I can stretch it that far, this could possibly last someone with shorter hair about 2 weeks. A+ HAIR+.

 HolikaHolika Baby Silky Foot Mask Sheet: Another Memebox item, this time from #77 Foot Therapy. I love foot peeling masks and prefer to use those, so this sat around for a while. I'm not sure if I left it alone for too long, but the essence was almost completely dried up when I actually decided to put my feet inside the mask booties. Because of that, the treatment basically did nothing for my feet. Even if it the product was all there, I feel like I could have gotten a better result by using foot cream, putting on some socks, and then going about my regular business. They're not worth the discomfort of keeping them on, even if the cost is only $3.

Tonymoly Panda's Dream Eye Patch: I used about 8 of these last month. They came in really handy when I was running out of eye cream. There is so much essence in these packages, that even if the eye masks are one time use, the remainder can be stored and used at another time. They also work way better on my fine lines and brightening up my dark circles than any eye cream or treatment I used before them and better than the one I'm currently using. I really need to invest in another economy pack from BeautynetKorea. You get 10 sets for $7, which is a pretty sweet deal. I'm pretty sure they're $2 a pair at Pacific Mall.

SecretKey Color Recipe The PINK Cream: Hands down, this is the best cream for fine lines and wrinkles that Memebox has sent so far. I wouldn't have even known about this beauty if my niece hadn't tossed me her extra Thumb's Up! Bloggers' Picks products. At first, I wasn't really happy with the texture of the cream because it felt like the gel and cream capsules were leaving a sticky film on my face. That did go away after a little bit though, and it ended up plumping up the lines in my forehead, while leaving my face looking matte and fresh. That's no small feat considering I suffer from a constantly shiny t-zone and resting b*tch face (those anger lines are always there!). I've got about 6 or 7 more face creams to use up before I can justify purchasing another tub, but when I do get around to buying it, it won't be from Memebox. They feel that they can charge $34 for this. BeautynetKorea will sell it and ship it to me for $11.

Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream: Ugh. Just thinking about this cream makes me nauseous. I received the sample size in my first Birchbox and I was pretty pleased. It's winter. One can never have enough body/hand cream during Canadian winter. Then I opened it. This cream REEKS. It's supposed to be infused with the 'best selling' Harvey Prince Hello perfume, but they added way way way too much. I wasn't even able to discern whether the product did a good job at moisturizing because as soon as I applied it after my shower, I had to jump back in and wash it off. I have nothing against fragranced creams, but this is more of a cream-style perfume, and the scent was not appealing to me at all.

  

amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo: Obsessed!!! When I got this in my Birchbox I actually jumped for joy, because I had just finished another sample package of this that my hairdresser had given me. I've tried so many different kinds of dry shampoo, and none of them have worked this well for me. Batiste looked like it was stripping the colour from my hair, LUSH No Drought made my scalp itchy, and TRESemme was just all-around caca. I have black hair, and the amika blends well, adds volume, and smells pretty. As soon as I finished this, I bought the full size from the Birchbox website. All of the items they feature in their boxes have free shipping for the month, plus they give you points for product reviews, which can be applied to purchases from their store. I had 200 points, so the 5.3 oz can cost me a total of $6.50 CDN. YAY Birchbox!

November Empties aka The Great Topbox Purge of '14

This month's Topbox was such a disappointment to me that I decided to purge my stash of the remaining products I received. I want to start a fresh beauty routine in 2015, and there is no better way to do that to de-clutter.

Here's what I managed to use in November, from worst to best (in my opinion):

Barefoot Venus Lip Fable in Honey: This is from a Topbox I received ages ago. I was saving it for the winter since I had heard such great things about this product.  What a letdown. Their website lists the retail value as $7.50, but I probably wouldn't pay more than $2 for this product. Why? I find the moisture effects hardly last and it just sits on top of my lips, rather than absorbing like the many other balms I use. The texture is a bit like Vaseline, and to be honest, I prefer the latter for dry lip season.

Redken Extreme Rescue Force Fortifying Treatment: Yet another Topbox sample product, and another that didn't do much for me. This hair mask has actually been discontinued by Redken and so it's hard to predict the actual value, but it works just like any standard drug store conditioner. Also, I wonder whether it was sent out by Topbox before or after it had been discontinued. Just another strike against the subscription in my book. I swapped out my Moroccan Oil Smoothing Conditioner in order to use this up, and while it's not terrible, when something performs slightly less than what I'm used to, I notice right away.

 Skinfood Facial Water Vita-C Cream: Another product I am indifferent to, but surprisingly, this one came from my favourite beauty box, Memebox. My skin is quite picky, and while this one kept my face hydrated as the weather got colder, without causing me to break out, I've received products that are far superior to this from Memebox. I did love the light texture and the morning pick-me-up it provided. Skinfood recommends keeping this cream in the refrigerator, and to anyone who has it in their possession, so do I. The card I received with my Memebox lists the value at $13. This is actually less than most of your run of the mill drugstore brands, which is what I would have to run out and buy if I was in a pinch. The issue is that the cream isn't readily available anywhere nearby and so I'd probably purchase something from Neutrogena before I got my hands on this again.

Bioderma Sebium Purifying Foaming Gel: I really enjoyed this cleanser, which I received in my September 2014 Topbox. It did take me a while to get to it since I was mad at Topbox for sending me three Bioderma products in a row. I was planning on boycotting Bioderma all together, but then my Clarisonic died and their cleanser stopped being as effective. I tried a few other samples I had in my stash and this Bioderma gel outperformed them all. I didn't break out, produce any excess oil on my t-zone, and my skin didn't feel overly tight or stripped of moisture, I got a good two weeks out of the 15ml sample and considering the full size is $20 and 200ml, the value seems to be there. I am really considering buying this again at my local Shoppers Drug Mart if the cleanser I'm using from Memebox doesn't work out.

 

Mizon Magic Peeling Foot: I am a foot peeling mask convert. The whole idea of this product was gross to me, mostly because I think feet are disgusting, but after trying my first one, I am a woman changed. This little sachet saved me from spending $40 on a sub-par pedicure. I admit, it took a lot of patience not to move around too much while the booties were on my feet (for at least an hour and a half), but I got to catch up on Arrow in bed instead of making strained small talk at a salon. I received this in my Foot Therapy Memebox, and while they have a retail value of $11 listed, I managed to pick up a few The Face Shop foot peeling masks on Black Friday for 40% off. I'm set for the whole season!

The Face Ship Lovely Me:Ex BeBe Lip Essence: This is my holy grail lip product. I am absolutely in love. I will probably use about five of them before winter is over. It's not necessarily the hydrating aspect that sucked me in, even though it performs in that department, but it looks so pretty on! This is what I use during the day because it actually makes me look like I'm wearing an lip product and not a balm. It makes my lips look soft and pillowy, and enhances my natural colour. I just cannot gush about my BeBe Lip Essence enough. It's $9 at The Face Shop, but I bought a few during their 20% off sale, and then more of them on Black Friday.

I've got a (Miga)BEE Allergy

 

The one good thing about getting sick is that it forces you to slow down. I've had the My Honey Box from Memebox sitting around my house for a few days now, and I was finally able to play with it. This isn't a new box by any means, so I already knew what to expect when I bought it on a restock at the beginning of the month. I was mostly intrigued by the Edmong Honeybee Water Cream and the Migabee Antipollution RE-Peeling Gel. It wasn't until after I purchased the box and it shipped, that I went back and read the product descriptions for the two more closely, and picked up on a potential problem. The Water Cream was fine, but ...

"MIGABEE Antipollution RE-Peeling: This is a peel-off type of facial pack enriched with natural ingredients renown(ed) for (their) nourishing and brightening effects - honey, bee venom, propolis, (and) royal jelly. It'll work to exfoliate dead skin cells, blackheads, and whiteheads, and to control excess oil and sebum, by maintaining the skin clean and well balanced." (I don't even know how to edit that last fragment to sound like English, sorry.)

Honey, propolis, and royal jelly - I like all of those things. Bee venom, on the other hand, is one of the only allergies that I have not managed to grow out of. Unfortunately, no one on any forum, blog, or Facebook group could tell me whether I would have a reaction to this stuff. They only thing anyone could recommend was to patch test it. My bee sting allergy isn't life threatening, but it causes severe discomfort. I get red and swollen and develop hives. Since I was already feeling kind of gross, I figured today would be the day to risk it and try the stuff out. Not on my face, because I'm groggy, not insane, but on my hand.

Geez, I really wanted this stuff to have an insignificant amount of bee venom. I like to exfoliate dead skin cells and control my oil and sebum. But alas, it was not meant to be. The results of my patch test above tell my sad tale. It was fine upon initial contact with my skin, but after 10 minutes I could see that my hand was noticeably more red than before. After I peeled the dried gel off, my skin was much redder and felt pretty itchy, as well as burned a bit. It took a while before the swelling became apparent, but it came just the same.

So long, Migabee. I wish I could say it's been a pleasure. My swollen hand made me feel otherwise. Luckily, the swelling did subside after about 2 hours. I wish I could give a review on the actual product performance, because so many people adore it and have it on their holy grail skincare list. Unfortunately, all I can say is, anyone with a bee allergy, stay away.

Note: I've included my Memebox affiliate link in this post for anyone interested in checking it out. You can use the code XP1OWK to get $5 off any order of $30 or more. They are having a Black Friday sale tomorrow, but it seems to be only in their US Shop. Boo.

Heelloooooo Poppets aka Ettang's Mrs. Doubtfire Mask Review

 

I've been pretty impatient waiting for my Competition Box supplies to come in. In order to stop myself from getting upset over the fact that the face charts I ordered on Ebay were on regular computer paper and I could have printed them myself at home, or that my safety pins still have not arrived from Germany, I end up trying every 'miracle' product I've been hoarding in my bathroom cupboards. Whoa, run on sentence.

Anywho, I've been fiddling with these Ettang Modeling Take-Out Cup Masks, which I purchased in Memebox's Memeshop, for two weeks now. I could not get the consistency right for the life of me. It doesn't help that the instructions are barely in English. But today was the day ... I did it.  My Calendula and Oatmeal masks were casualties of my first experiments, so this time I fiddled with my least favourite mask of the bunch, Peppermint. Figures this would be the one I get right. I mixed it at about a 1:1 ratio of powder to water. I tried it at a 1:2 and 1:3 and both were just too watery. The masks ran down my face, neck, and chest, and didn't firm up like they were supposed to.

I got most of the information on these products from Amazon. I do wish Memebox provided at least a translation of the selection being included in the Ettang Take-Out Pack, and the purpose of each mask, but at least the information is out there somewhere on the interwebs. According to Amazon, the Peppermint Modeling cup is for skin soothing, skin refreshment, and skin conditioning. Nothing too earth shattering.

So, did it do it's job? I think so. I mean, when I took it off my face was baby soft, even though my skin itself felt a bit tighter. The photo above is a close up of what the mask looked like when I peeled it off my face. Besides air bubbles I don't know what the heck is on there. Could it really have pulled all that junk out of my pores? If so, the mask was probably worth all the attempts and the 20 minutes I had to sit around doing nothing while it dried.
Would I buy this product again? Maybe. They are pretty messy. I had powder and little bits of rubber everywhere by the time I was done. I might save the rest of the cups for special occasions only.

The funny thing is, regardless of the texture I achieve, I always feel like Mrs. Doubtfire. You know the scene where the case worker stops by and Robin Williams gets his disguise run over, so he he has to improvise and ends up shoving his face into a lemon meringue pie and calling it a  beauty 'mask'? That is what you look like in these masks. They even melt off your face 'like a snowcone', again, even after perfect mixing. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, I refer you to the video clip below:

 

(I'm sharing this clip from Yeah Okay's Youtube account. They had a Blogger share button so I hope it's ok to do so.)

Note: I've included my Memebox affiliate link in this post for anyone interested in checking it out. You can use the code XP1OWK to get $5 off any order of $30 or more.

It Takes Me Twenty Minutes to Wash My Face

For the past few months I have been ranting and raving to anyone who will listen about The Face Shop. They are a Korean beauty retailer who bought out the Fruits and Passion chain in Canada and converted all their stores into perfectly lit slices of kitsch heaven. My mall actually has two of them.

Besides a few masks here and there, my Face Shop purchases have been strictly makeup. I am pretty sure I own their full line of lip balms, lip tints, cheek blushers, nail tattoos and Mini Pet hand creams. When I decided to branch out to find other Korean makeup retailers, I came across Memebox, the online K-Beauty 'subscription box' service. Everyone knows I can't resist a sub-box.

I've received a few masks, cleansers, and serums along with the makeup I was after, but used them casually. I tried to integrate them into my Western skincare routine, but I didn't really think they were making much of a difference. It turns out, I was doing it all wrong. Each one of these potions and lotions serves an important purpose, which I'm still trying to understand. Honestly, I didn't realize the composition of the products and the order they were used in was such a big deal until I read this amazing blog post over at Harlot Beauty.

Today I tried it ... and my face feels like a baby's butt. I actually unwrapped all of the items I received in my Skinfood Memebox, picked up the missing essentials at The Face Shop, and did a full run through. It took twenty minutes and it was twenty minutes well spent. I mentioned previously that the skin on my face is comparable to that of an elephant, well, not anymore!

I'm going to give it a few days before I write a glowing review of these Skinfood and Face Shop items, only because this euphoria could be temporary. But for my face's sake, I hope not!

Note: I've included my Memebox affiliate link in this post for anyone interested in checking it out. You can use the code XP1OWK to get $5 off any order of $30 or more.