Review: Beauty Box Korea (January 2016)
Friday, April 29, 2016
Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog lately, I decided to start doing reviews on my Tumblr again but in the end, I decided it's much easier to post them on here instead. Today I have a haul and review of a site I haven't really mentioned before, called Beauty Box Korea! This is my first time ordering from them so I'll try to be detailed in case any of you are interested in buying from them as well. Sorry for the extereme lateness, I've been super busy with university!
Disclaimer: All items were purchased by myself and I'm not sponsored by or affiliated with Beauty Box Korea. Opinions are always honest and unbiased!
Beauty Box Korea (will be shortened to BBK from here on) is a Korean beauty site which is similar to others I've bought from and written about before, especially Tester Korea. Their name is actually a bit misleading since they're not a beauty box service at all, at least in the traditional sense that everyone uses. They are a pretty new site so there are currently a lot of incentives to draw in new customers. These include: a $5 store credit on sign up, a 10% discount coupon on sign up, generally cheaper prices on most items, earning store credit on each item purchased and also credit is given when you write a review about items in your order.
They don't have a huge range of products at the moment since they're quite new, but they have a lot of cult favourite brands and your popular roadshop brands too. They also add the new collections, such as Etude House Berry Delicious and Missha x Line Friends, super fast. They also sell sample packets for a reasonable price, which is why I think they're quite similar to Tester Korea.
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ORDERING PROCESS
I placed my order on the 26th of January and I was able to use my $5 store credit and 10% discount coupon which helped quite a bit with the costs. I also chose their EMS shipping option which was around $25, because I'm an impatient gal obviously. Unfortunately, they don't have a handy shipping weight indicator like Rose Rose Shop and other sites do, so I don't know the weight.
After a few days in processing, I noticed that they added the Aritaum Volume Up Oil Tint to their site, and for some reason I really wanted to try it. I tried to post on their forums since I saw some people doing it and I thought that might be faster than email. There's something weird going on with their forums though. I don't think they're configured properly since when someone actually replied to me, I couldn't even see it since it was password protected?? So I just emailed and it was much faster. I was able to pay for the tint through Paypal invoice and they told me my package would be shipping the next day. The staff member I spoke to over email was super nice, and their English seemed really fluent so we had no issues with communication.
The package finally shipped on the 1st of February and I received it on the 10th, which is about ten days or seven business days. This is super slow for EMS to be honest, but I guess it can't be helped since we had Waitangi day on Saturday and it was Monday-ised so that's two whole business days off.
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THE PACKAGE
Unfortunately, I didn't think to take photos of the box but everything was packaged super safely and nothing was damaged. They actually went a bit over the top with the packaging to be honest haha, everything was bubble wrapped and there was also a bubble sheet on the bottom and a foam sheet on the top.
The samples included:
- LeBelage Natural Mask (Pearl)
- Lee Ji Ham Tea Tree 90 Essence
- Nature Republic Shea Butter Steam Cream
- Skin 79 Orange Super BB Cream
- Skinfood Lemon Verbena Body Wash
- (mystery sample, it's in Korean and I already packed up my stuff since I'm moving to university soon so I haven't investigated it properly)
The free gift was a Missha Bubble Maker which I've found to be really interesting! I haven't actually used it yet but I've seen them around so I'll try it with my foaming cleanser.
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THE ITEMS
✧ Scinic Honey All In One Ampoule
I actually bought this on a whim, since the price on BBK was so, so, super cheap! It's usually around $25 on most other sites, but they had it for around $10. I haven't actually used this one, since it's for a friend, but I do have another jar of this that I have been using so I will still rate it.
Firstly, I love that BBK wrapped the jar in bubble wrap as well, because I've read a lot of reviews about this product leaking. Also, the packaging!! It's such a cute homely jar, and there's an adorable bee on it. It looks like glass, but it is actually plastic which is much safer and also not as heavy!
It has a 'clean' smell, I'm not quite sure how to describe it but it only smells slightly like honey. It find it is a bit sticky if I apply it to my face amongst the rest of my routine, so now I've adapted to using it on my neck, jawline and upper arm - I'm not sure if any of you have small bumps on your arms but I do, and this has helped! I've done this almost everyday for months and the amount of product is just under the top of where the label starts, so this whole jar would probably last you a very, very, long time.
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $10.15
Jolse: $17.83 (free shipping)
Tester Korea: $13.62
Rating for Honey All In One Ampoule: 4.5 / 5
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Look how cute the Missha x Line Friends collection is! Brown is my favourite Line Friend so of course I got two products which have his face on them ;u;
I decided to get the Water-full Tint in the colour Honey Grapefruit Tea since I don't really have any red coloured tints and I thought it would be something different. It is definitely a liquid-type tint, it is super watery but the colour is buildable. I found it a bit weird, but the tint wasn't actually filled to the top when I received it and it's actually like that in the product listing photos too (but I didn't notice at first). It doesn't matter too much since liquid tints last a while.
I found the tint quite easy to use, it is just a liquid tint after all. The lasting power is alright, it doesn't completely stain my lips for a long time though. I like how the colours looks on me, definitely a good tint but not my absolute favourite.
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $4.93
Rose Rose Shop: $6.06
Rating for Water-full Tint: 4 / 5
Unfortunately, I don't have an opinion on the Style 4D Mascara since I bought it as a gift for a friend, but you can just admire the cute packaging instead! 💗
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✧ Aritaum Ginger Sugar Tint Lip Balm + Volume Up Oil Tint
These are the two Aritaum lip products that I bought. The Volume Up Oil Tint was an impulse buy, purely because I liked the packaging, and I heard they were supposed to be a dupe of the YSL Volupté Tint-in-Oil. I chose the colour Cotton Blossom since I didn't really have anything like it, but I had some doubts about how it would look on my colouring. I was surprised, I really liked it!
It's an almost-fluoroscent light pink colour, but the colour looks a lot more natural when it's actually on my lips. I really do like the colour. One of my peeves is that it never really dries fully. I'm a very impatient person and I drink water a lot, so I'm very picky about having transfer from my lip products.
Another thing about this product, is the packaging. Of course, it looks absolutely beautiful and shiny, and the gradient effect is cute too... but the packaging is not functional. It's not completely tight, which means that the product can leak out!!!
When I first received the package, I noticed some pink staining on the bubble wrap that was around this tint, but I brushed it off and assumed it was simply due to tumbling around during shipping. But nope, if you just leave the tint lying down, it will eventually spill out and possibly stain whatever it was lying on.
Due to the problem with the packaging, I basically have to leave the Volume Up Tint at home since I can't have it rolling around in my bag as product might leak out and stain something. As well as that, it doesn't completely dry properly and since I have to drink water frequently, it's inevitable that it'll rub off within an hour. Both these problems severely limit my usage of this tint which is sad, since I do love the colour on me!
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $7.14
Jolse: $8.48 (free shipping)
Korea Depart: $9.77
Tester Korea: $8.01
Rating for Volume Up Oil Tint: 3 / 5
The other Aritaum tint that I bought was the Ginger Sugar Tint Lip Balm, which is just a tinted lip balm as the name suggests. The colour that I got was Dreaming Coral, which was the most popular colour I think, since it was sold out everywhere at the time that I placed this order (which was months ago... oops. It's back in stock in most places now). The colour is a bit more orange than coral though.
The only other tinted lip balm I'd had before was also from Aritaum, but it was their Honey Melting Tint in Bitter Rose. Compared to the Honey Melting Tint, The Ginger Sugar Tint is not quite as hard and is applied super smoothly and easily. The colour is a bit sheer, like with most tinted balms, but you can definitely notice a colour change and it is slightly buildable. If you have very pigmented lips, this might not show up, unfortunately!
It is moisturising, but not quite as moisturising as I would like. That's probably because I use Carmex religiously though. The Ginger Sugar Tint feels very lightweight, like a typical lip balm (definitely lighter than Carmex). While I can feel the sugar sometimes, the ginger isn't noticeable as there isn't really a scent.
Overall, I really like this balm though, it's super easy to grab and carry around when you want a bit of colour, but don't have much time. If you're looking for a more intense colour, I wouldn't suggest a tinted balm
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $4.06
Jolse: $6.78 (free shipping)
Rose Rose Shop: $3.41
Tester Korea: $4.47
Rating for Ginger Sugar Tint Lip Balm: 4.5 / 5
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✧ Etude House Monkey Wish Eyes + Tint My Brows Gel + Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Eyebrow Pencil
The first item is the Etude House Monkey Wish Eyes, in OR214. I have been loving orange eyeshadows for a long time and I saw how beautiful the swatches from the Monkey Wish Eyes collection were, so I picked up this metallic orange colour. It has an adorable monkey imprint in the pan, and the colour is super pigmented (swatches down further down!). I'm only not giving it a perfect score since it's not the most wearable colour so I probably won't be able to finish it properly, but it really is a nice eyeshadow.
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $2.82
Tester Korea: $3.20
Rating for Monkey Wish Eyes: 4.5 / 5
You've probably all seen those lip tattoo packs by now. They're fun and interesting to use, and just a different way to apply lip products. The Tint My Brows Gel works in a similar way to those lip tattoos. You use the brush applicator to take out the product and apply it to your brows - make sure to apply it precisely in the shape you want. I've seen some reviews where people used brow stencils, which is a great idea! I basically just freehand it and try to get it as close to my typical brow shape as possible, and I just clean up with a Q-tip since my left eyebrow always looks a bit more messed up.
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| The brush applicator! The product can be a bit goopy so be careful! |
When the 2 hours is up, you can then peel off the dried gel and you should have a nice colour underneath! It's supposed to be safe to peel from the tail end of your eyebrow (that's how it's depicted on their packaging), but I always peel from the head just to be safe and to preserve my brows. Also, don't be scared when the gel is a lot darker than the colour you want! I got the colour Brown and the gel looks almost brown-black, but I assure you it'll be a nice medium brown colour once peeled off.
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| The various steps of application of the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel! You should remove it after 2 hours but unfortunately it started peeling up at the corners a bit early, so I just removed it. |
I love the Tint My Brows Gel. I totally love it (♡˙︶˙♡) It makes my life so much easier! I only wish they had a larger variety of colour since Brown is a tad dark for me, but their Light Brown (it's pretty much blonde) colour is way too light. I'm sure they'll expand their range though, since this product has been so popular! It's hard to tell how much product is left exactly, but I've already purchased a new one... just in case.
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $6.37
Jolse: $8.78 (free shipping)
Korea Depart: $7.69
Rose Rose Shop: $6.18
rubyruby76 (RRS on eBay): $7.33 (free shipping)
Tester Korea: $6.81
Rating for Tint My Brows Gel: 5 / 5
I originally bought the Wonder Drawing Eyebrow Pencil since I was planning to dye my hair a bit darker... that hasn't happened yet so I haven't used the pencil at all. Therefore, I can't really rate it (⇀ 3 ↼)
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✧ Tonymoly Peach Hand Cream, COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch, A'Pieu Sweet Melon Sheet Mask
The Peach Hand Cream from Tonymoly is one of my favourite hand creams since the scent is amaaaazing and the packaging is super cute too. I'd just ran out of mine so I repurchased two more since the price was really good on BBK. There's not much else to say about it - lovely scent, cute packaging, and a moisturising hand cream.
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $3.33
Jolse: $5.58
Rose Rose Shop: $3.75
Tester Korea: $4.46
Rating for Peach Hand Cream: 5 / 5
I first bought these Pimple Patches from Rose Rose Shop and although there is a good amount of patches, I was using them up pretty quickly so I had to buy more. They're a kind of hydrocolloid patch that protects your blemishes/wounds and prevents a secondary infection happening, due to touching with your hands, etc. It also helps to treat them!
I just love COSRX as a brand because practically every product I have from them works so well! These patches are a godsend for when I'm having breakouts. It's recommended to put these on once the blemish reaches a red head, if you put it on too early it won't really do anything. I'm not exactly sure of how the patches work, but they essentially push out the pus from the blemish and it eventually goes away. Amazing ✨
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $2.97
Jolse: $4.00 (free shipping)
Rose Rose Shop: $2.55
Tester Korea: $3.11
Rating for COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch: 5 / 5
I've previously bought the A'Pieu Sweet Melon Hand Cream before and I loved the smell, it's just like Melona bars 💛! These were super, super cheap on BBK (85 cents for 3!!) so I decided to give them a try as well. The smell was the same delicious melon smell, but the fit was a bit awkward for my face - but it might be a good fit for you! I didn't notice a whole lot of unique effects, but the mask was super refreshing like all sheet masks, and my skin felt hydrated afterwards. Plus, it's nice to relax with the lovely melon scent.
Pricing comparisons:
Beauty Box Korea: $0.83 for 3
Tester Korea: $0.89 each
Rating for A'Pieu Sweet Melon Sheet Mask: 4 / 5
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SWATCHES
Shown L-R:
- Etude House Monkey Wish Eyes (OR214)
one finger swipe in pan - Aritaum Volume Up Oil Tint (Cotton Blossom)
one swipe - Aritaum Ginger Sugar Tint Lip Balm (Dreaming Coral)
one swipe - Missha x Line Friend Water-full Lip Tint (Honey Grapefruit Tea)
one swipe, then two swipes
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OVERALL RATINGS
Here is my general rundown + opinion on Beauty Box Korea as a website!Pros:
- Low prices
The prices are super affordable, their items are usually on par with other Asian Beauty stockists or at times even more discounted! Their prices for the Scinic Honey All-in-One Ampoule + A'Pieu Sweet Melon Sheet Masks were amazing. - Free samples and gifts
As you can see from the things I received with my order, they give out really generous free gifts with the orders. I don't even need free samples anymore (I've hoarded enough from previous orders) but it's always nice to receive them. - Good customer service
Their customer service was really great in my opinion. They replied quickly and it was easy to communicate with the staff members (over email though, I'd skip the forums) - Safe shipping + handling
All my items were wrapped up super securely! As well as individually bubble-wrapped items, the box also had additional protection to keep my items safe. - Good reward point system
On sign up, members get a 10% discount coupon as well as a $5 store credit, which makes your first order even more affordable (yes you can use them both at once! I did!). You earn store credit with each order, and you can also earn an extra $6 store credit for posting a review of your order on social media. - Quick to add new products
They add new releases from brands almost as soon as they're available, which is nice for international buyers that want their hands on new collections asap. For example, I hauled the Missha x Line Friends items just a week after they were released. - Stocks more obscure items
Although I do mention there isn't much variety in stock in my next point, they do carry a lot of different brands that other retailers don't. Examples would be Goodal, VDL, Whamisa, Pony Effect and others!
Cons:
- Not as much variety in stock
Since they are a newer store, BBK lacks the wide range of stock that some established Asian Beauty stores already have. They have many brands listed, but not as many items from those brands... if that makes sense. I have seen them adding more and more products, so hopefully they'll fix that soon! - Website functionality could be improved
These issues may have been fixed by the time I post my review, but as I mentioned earlier their forums aren't really that helpful since I couldn't see the staff's replies to my queries. As well as this, I don't really like how the majority of important links are on the left hand side, and it can be annoying to browse especially under brands, when the scroll menu is like 50 items long! I hope they can have a more intuitive website in the future. - Slow-ish processing time
I did find the processing time was a bit long, especially since my order wasn't too huge. It took about 5 business days which isn't that terrible but is also a tad bit long, in my opinion.
Overall, I was super happy with my experience with Beauty Box Korea. They add new products constantly which makes it easy to buy the new releases from brands and their rewards program just gives me a good incentive to keep buying from them. I just hope for their processing time to be a bit faster, and also to make their website a bit easier to browse. Otherwise, I really like BBK and would support + recommend them!
Thank you so much for sticking along for the whole way! I hope you enjoyed reading my review on Beauty Box Korea + the items that I purchased from them. Have a lovely day ( ◡‿◡ ♡)
5 comments
this was quite helpful! thank you!
ReplyDeleteMissha x Line Friends collection is super cute ♥ and I love the Aritaum Volume Up Tint, it's one of the best lip tint I own. Great post x
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