I think for beauty products, many on the affordable side and some on the high-end side, Korean beauty products would be the best. For me, being Asian and having the skin type, I feel like K-beauty products suit me more than French brands or American brands. I'm not sure if it's because of the way skin types work or I sometimes feel like Koreans are truly leading when it comes to beauty supplies.
However, I'm not a big fan of the whole whitening or do I believe in the face slimming products that everyone in Asia seems to be obsessed with. I think I draw the line there where it comes to fixing how your natural body is. Of course, I hate acne and having to battle acne ever since I was in high school, I'm very cautious when every single product I put on my face. Sometimes, a $200 mask doesn't work as well as a $2 mask but I think it varies between brands and of course skin types.
For me personally, I've tried countless moisturizers ranging from $500 to $60 and I finally found one that doesn't (hasn't) irritate my skin and actually does what it's supposed to do without the side effects. I think for masks, it's a little bit cheaper although I'm pretty sure the total amount of money I've spent on face masks would probably be able to put me through college now. OOPS.
So, I recently found this online(?) store called memebox, really rather randomly - I was looking for subscription boxes and stumbled across someone's review about a sheet mask box they ordered. Since K-beauty finally hit the states and have been highly popular last year, I thought why not get some (very cute) face masks to pamper myself - my routine is normally when you're in the shower and it's all steamy, the steam is supposed to help open up your pores which helps your skin absorb more minerals(?) - so I wash my face in the shower then the moment I get out, I put on a sheet mask or any mask. For me, I get the best results this way.
I read a lot of reviews and comments before making any purchases on any online store simply because I don't want to wait forever to finally receive something that is incorrect. I stumbled across some pretty bad looking reviews on Facebook where people were complaining that they did not receive their products correctly or that they have not received any emails about their order being shipped. But along side those comments, many people seemed pleased with the store so I decided to give it a try.
You will receive 20% off your first purchase or more of $25 and you'll get free priority shipping for orders over $30.
Doesn't sound to shabby at all. Right?
I placed my order on March 13, 2016;
Got a shipment confirmation on March 16, 2016;
Received my package on March 19, 2016.
I would say it is pretty fast but certainly not the fastest I've seen a company work. However, considering many many stores take forever to ship out your package, I would give memebox a 8/10 for the whole shipping process.
I took a week for me to receive my box but I am willing to bet that maybe not everyone received their package in this time period. Hopefully next time I order, I will get the same luck?
The outside of the box is just your typical brown cardboard box.
When you open the box, for me, this is what it looked like:
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| I will admit that I am a little bit obsessed with the hot pink and the cute receipt. |
After you lift the receipt papers, my products were underneath this wrapped securely in bubble wrap. Love how they don't just throw everything into a crappy plastic bag and ship it to you!
I bought a totally of 19 sheet masks for around $31 (total price after % off and after tax. Tax for Texas is 8.25%). I would say I paid an average ~ $1.63 per mask which is really not a bad price if you calculate shipping and tax into it. Since most if not all of the masks I purchased were on sale, I think it's best for me to state the original price and the sale price just to see if it was really worth the value.
Alright,
The list and price of the products I purchased:
Kokostar Slice Mask Sheet -
Why buy an actually cucumber for $1 or a pack of tomatoes or lemon for $1 and slice it when you can get the fake stuff! Am I right? LOL
Literally I thought this was the funniest thing when I first saw it on urban outfitters but they sold it for $5 and the packaging didn't look that nice. So guys, moral of the story is check other stores before you buy products (I actually bought 2 for $10 when if I found this earlier I would've bought like 8 for that much money). For $1.25 I think it's worth it to try out the masks, each comes with 6 "slices" that you can place anywhere to focus on that specific area.
The slices certainly won't cover up your whole entire face so I think for effectiveness, this wouldn't be on top of my list. You are basically treating your face like a pizza, some pepperoni here and there and that's about it.Tomato - brightens dull and exhausted skin
Cucumber - moisturize and nourishes
Lemon - brightens dark spots
I just checked again today and the price lowered down to $1!
Ciracle From Jeju masks -
I think out of all the masks I've purchase, this pack would be the most expensive if it wasn't on sale? The reviews were through the roof and the design is beyond pretty!
So the one with the flower is called: From Jeju Camellia Flower which is supposed to be anti-wrinkles, helps with firming and moisturize it skin.
The second one completely green with limes and cucumbers is: From Jeju Citrus Sudachi which is for whitening, vitalizing and of course moisturizing. (the mask is yellow when you open it, don't worry it's not rotten or anything, that's just how the color is! It does have a fragrance to it but it isn't exactly strong. I didn't get any irritations from it and in fact, I loved it so much I had it on for extra time!)
Third one with that one black rock is : From Jeju Volcanic helps with pore tightening, a charcoal mask that also helps with oil control and as usually, moisturizing.
Last and not least, the one with the horse: From Jeju Mayu is yet another anti-aging mask(?) with horse cream?
I have not tried these out because I'm still going through the batch of masks so I cannot say which one is my favorite out of the three but for now, I'm leaning towards the citrus one because I think it sounds the most relaxing!
Ariul Juice Cleanse Mask - $3 $2 each
Juice cleanse, the trend everyone has at least tried once since it popped up how many years ago. But have you tried juice cleansing your skin? I bet not! The big "Go try it" stands out reminding me how much people were raving about juice cleansing when they heard I haven't tried it. Well, I tried that type of juice cleansing and I hated it. None of the juices I tried tasted good, it all costed a hell lot of money and I ended up feeling dizzy all day because I couldn't function without food and coffee.
Pretty sure the masks can't do that much harm so I thought why not?! I think the concept is very cute but do I think it's effective? Probably not that much - especially with me only trying out one mask of each.
The Kale & Grapefruit mask is supposed to help with whitening while the Spearmint and Green apple is supposed to be pore tightening.
I honestly don't know why I bought so many pore tightening even though it isn't even on my list of concerns? I've never really had a bad pore problem as compared to my horrible acne problem so I think I will save the Spearmint and Green apple to try out last.
(I also believe Forever 21 sells these but very little variety to choose from and the prices are a little bit more)
Skin79 Fresh Garden Mask - $2 each
I swear, Korean brands come out with the cutest packaging you'll ever see! I saw the whole line of "fresh garden mask" and knew I couldn't resist buying a few of them. If these work well, I might go ahead and buy the whole set!
The honey is said to be able to get rid of unwanted skin problems which I expect out of something advertised as honey based; while the tea tree is said to soothe irritated skin and help fight acne causing bacteria (If that doesn't fit my check list, I don't know what does!). For those who have used tea tree oils and products before, the tea tree mask smells exactly like that, a bit strong but it means I does contain tea tree inside! My mask fits my face perfectly and is full of product so it should stay on at least for 20 minutes! It's very cool and doesn't really irritate the skin, more like a calm soothing feeling to me. I think I will definitely repurchase a ton of the tea tree one and hopefully the honey will be just as good! (I did actually get one zit the next morning I woke up - I let the serum sink in at night, really hoping it isn't because of the mask :( Hopefully the honey will be better)
Tosowoong Pure Mask - $2 $1.50 each
I'm on the hunt to fine the perfect green tea mask if you're asking why the double amount of green tea masks as well as why green tea masks seem to appear in every single order. Reading the description, I think green tea masks are what I need for my skin problems. However, trust me when I say just because it says it green tea, doesn't mean your skin won't react to it in negative ways.
I tried on one of the green tea masks, I like the smell, it's rather subtle and a lot more calming than some of the fragrances in many masks. The mask is a bit big and to me, there is a lot of product dripping from the mask which doesn't make the process less messy. The first few minutes, I really did like the product, it wasn't the best sheet mask I've used but it wasn't the worst; however, after 10 minutes, the place between my nose and my upper lip began to sting quite a bit, as well as my chin. That's a big no no to me because even if there's a little bit of a sting, that means my skin is reacting to it already. I did however lift that part up and continued till 17-20 minutes mark before removing it. When I removed it, there was small bubbles on my skin from the residue of the serum. Not sure if I've ever seen anything like that while using other face mask.
To be honest, I am a bit hesitant to use the last green tea mask after what I experienced. The price wasn't bad - rather cheap actually but I have seen a lot of sheet masks from different brands that have the same pricing that I would rather purchase.
I tried on the aloe mask and even though it smells amazing and did feel really comfortable during the first few minutes of having it on, it started to sting my skin a tiny bit after the 10 minute mark. I don't feel really comfortable putting it on but I do want to see the results after 15 minutes before taking it off so I tried to hold it in. I really bugged the same places the green tea one did and I think it's because they have the same formula serum.
I think if you have sensitive skin, it would be safe not to try this out just because of the irritation it may cause. I don't think one mask will hurt but if there is any negative reactions, I would suggest removing the mask because I've learned the hard way that you can break out if your skin doesn't like what's being put on it.
Innisfree It's Real Squeeze mask - $2 $1.25 each
The reason I bought two for this is because I saw the great reviews it had and since my skin is terrible right now - red and with a ton of blemishes. After I used it, I'm not really sure if that was a good move. The mask had a bit of a strong fragrance when I took it out and I'm not sure if maybe it was just my batch, but the mask did not actually have a lot of serum, it was rather dry. I tried it on and I would not say that I love it but I think it didn't do any harm. Now my face breaks out quite often so the small pimples that randomly popped up, I wouldn't say it was because of this mask in particular but I think people with sensitive skin should really be careful when using this, just because it does actually cause a bit of irritation.
Holika Holika Pig Nose Clear Blackhead 3 Step Kit - $5 $2.55
I don't really have a lot of blackheads so I don't actually use blackhead cleansers but I've seen these 3 step packs everywhere and heard good things about them so I decided to give it a try. Normally, I know that almost everyone uses that one product that hardens after a while and you technically rip it off of your nose - it gets rid of a lot of your blackheads but not all.
To be honest, I don't have a lot of blackheads so it's not a big concern for me (The last time I bought a nose strip was over a year and a half ago). I don't know if this will make a big difference one me since maybe, for people with this particular problem, it will set a better example for what to hope for.
I will however, try to try it on ASAP and see if its really worth the price it is.
Ettang Peeling Soothing Mask - $4 $2
A 2 step product with the first step claiming that it will eliminate all dead skin cells with second step soothing newly exfoliated skin. I've seen a lot of masks that have this multi step functioning and I really do like the thought of exfoliating then soothing the skin. I like this clean sleek design and I will try it and update this section!
Mediheal Healing Solution Essential Mask - $3 $2
So you can probably tell by now, that I did buy a lot of "tea tree" products. I read somewhere that tea tree is good for your skin if you have a lot of skin problems, which I have a ton. It's supposed to soothe your skin while healing all the imperfections. To be honest, that sounds way to good to be true. So what I settle for is, as long as it doesn't irritate my skin, it's already on my good products list. I don't believe for one second that me putting on a $2 mask will all of a sudden transform my skin. If you've been reading my comments on the sheet masks above, it is clear that finding the perfect green tea / tea tree mask has been a struggle. It normally tends to break my skin out.
I've heard very good reviews about this brand (MediHeal) and I think it's made of high quality. I know the Hmart in Houston has a beauty stand where they sell a few of this brand for $4 - $5 a mask.
So the texture of the sheet for this mask is a bit different compared to the other brands above, it sort of feels like a first aid bandage sort of material (hence the name mediheal right?) The mask itself is very thin, I had trouble just trying to unfold it. The smells seems to be very nice and settle, so unless you try and smell it closely, you probably won't see that heavy tea tree smell. It didn't cause any irritations so I think maybe this one is a win!
Since I bought 19 masks, I have been trying to get one on each day to finish the review but I still think it'll be a while till I can actually finish this post completely with every product fully reviewed! So check back again for more details!
I honestly liked memebox a lot. They have (to me) what seems to be good pricing and I believe Korean beauty products really fit Asian skin (such as myself) a lot. Maybe when I finish all this, I will see if I would want to order some more?
All for now,
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