3b Subscription Box First Impression and Review

Wow, today I got a lot of stuff in the mail which included three Memebox boxes and this new beauty subscription from 3b. Since I don’t want to inundate you with 3 blogs in one day (oh but I am tempted) I have decided to do a quick first impressions on the 3b subscription service. 3b is a new subscription box service that focuses on Asian beauty products (think of it as a Birchbox but Asian beauty). For $12.00 a month you get a pouch (pouch in a box and its purple this month) which has 5 deluxe Asian beauty samples. You can find more information about them at http://the3bbox.com/

Now onto the box (pouch)! 

I didn’t realize what this was at first so I just ripped it open like the beast that I am. Because of that you don’t get to see the packing box. It really just was a plain cardboard post office box so nothing fancy. 

This also came with a nice little note address to me. Yes, my name is Genie. I have heard all the jokes, yes it’s spelled that way, no I can’t grant wishes, yes I like my name, and yes I’m half-Korean and named Genie.

 

First product is The Face Shop Herb Day Cleansing Wipes – I’ve never used any cleansing wipes. Don’t judge me - I know I’m behind the times. This product claims to be a soft cleansing tissue that contains rosemary extracts along with healing herbs (I like when it’s that vague – what KIND of herbs Ye ol Face Shop? Hm?). I’m always very leery of new things that touch my face. Have you SEEN my face after a reaction to a product? If not take a look! It’s right over there (pointing). I’m going to have to spot test this before I even think about rubbing it on my crazy face and I’ll update you as soon as that happens. 

Next we have the Etude House Moistfull Collagen Kit – The kit contains 2 bottles of face stuff (technical term). The first (Freshener) is a toner and the second (Emulsion) is a moisturizer. The Moistfull Collagen kit supplies much needed collagen and hydration to your complexion as we head into colder months. Another brand I haven’t tried…you don’t know my life! I know it’s at Sephora and I guess what stopped me before was the fact that I was looking for things I couldn't find easily. Because…well who wants things to be convenient…? I think I have a problem.

This product I am very excited to try. This is the K-Palette 1Day Magic Liquid Eyeliner – This product is full sized. It has a brush applicator and is waterproof. I’ve been on the hunt for liquid eyeliner that would go on well and stay on without flaking. My eyelids/eyes are anti-makeup. Before eye shadow primers I couldn’t even think about putting anything on around my eyes. Well I could have but the raccoon look is so last season. Now…will this flake? Will my eyes like it? Will my eyeballs burn and turn red? Wait for the update! 

The last product in my pouch is Nature Republic Nail Polish – this is also a full sized product. This nail polish is red-orange and I’m not sure about it – laugh. I haven’t tried it on but seriously, I wear orange nail polish, so this shouldn’t be a big shock to me (smile). 

So what do I think? I think this was a pretty good sample box for Asian beauty. This is a new box so I don’t know what the next few months will bring but so far it looks like it’s going to be a good subscription. If you want to check them out this is their website http://the3bbox.com/

Also, just so you know. I bought this box with my own money. I get nothing if you click on the link above. I always give an honest review and will never tell you something is good or worth it if I don’t believe it is.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence 7 Day Update

This blog is going to be another short and sweet update on my use of the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. For those who did not read my last post about this product, I had a very bad reaction to a product I tried (never randomly put something on your face that you don’t research is what I figured out). It just so happens that as I was having this reaction I had also just received the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. Since this product was purported to help angry skin (and I researched the ingredients) I thought, let’s do this!

 

Now, I have been looking at myself in the mirror daily and I have seen improvement, but… putting the pictures side by side helps me appreciate how much my face has improved. I honestly can’t believe the difference. The reaction I had to the glow overnight refinisher is gone and the redness is either gone dramatically reduced. I do still have some discoloration but it’s only been 7 days and with these results I cannot wait to see what my face looks like after two weeks. I am very impressed with how this product has performed for me. 

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence 3 day update.

This is a quick update on my use of the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. I had a very bad reaction to dr. brandt glow face resurfacer and needed to calm down my face. These are my before and after photos for the left and right sides of my face. It looks as if the irritation is going down and the right side of my face actually looks like the lovely raised bumps are almost gone. The tone also seems to be evening out on both sides of my face. Not bad for 3 days. I’ll update this at day 7.

Soothingsistat X Memebox Collaboration box #9 Unboxing and First Impressions. Spoilers!

This is my unboxing and first impressions of the Soothingsista x Memebox Collaboration #9. Let me tell you that I was so excited when I saw a preview of this box. I am going to use every one of these products and that’s pretty rare with a subscription box. You know how it goes, can’t please everyone all of the time and there are usually one or two products that I don’t want to use (or can’t use cause of ma face). For those of you who don’t know Memebox is a subscription box service that gives you between 5 – 8 full sized Korean Beauty products. Memebox is different from other subscription boxes because you don’t pay a monthly fee (and seriously it’s all KOREAN beauty) but choose and purchase specific boxes that you find interesting. The boxes are released periodically and range from twenty dollars to fifty dollars depending on the type of box it is. The higher end brands of skincare such as the IOPE boxes have been priced at the top of the range. Since the boxes are shipping from Korean you have to also pay shipping. You can either choose standard ($6.99 for me in the US) or express shipping ($13.99). It can take a long time to get your box if you order standard (up to 20 days). So please keep that in mind when ordering – smile.

Of course this blog is going to contain spoilers so if you don’t want to see what will be in your box please stop reading. 

Now on to ALL THE THINGS! 

This box contains 8 full sized products which are well worth the price of $26.99 for the box and shipping (I used a coupon code for 5 dollars off). 

I grabbed this first box like a giddy little girl. If you know me, you know I’m not the giddy type, but this product really makes me happy. This is the Revecen Blooming Collagentox Sleeping Water Pack 90ml. Do you want to know why I’m so excited? It has snail mucus extracts and bird nest extracts! It’s so gross but I’m so excited. 

Now I can hear the groans of disgust and I understand that this might be a bit much for some people, but the benefits of both snail mucus and bird nest has been touted in Asian culture for many years (centuries for bird nest). Ever hear of bird nest soup? Do a search I’ll wait (listening to Bruno Mars). 

Welcome back. The Blooming Collagentox Sleeping Water Pack is an overnight mask. There is no funky smell to this product (which was what I expected truth be told) and smells slightly of Verbena. You of course wash your face and then gently massage the product into the skin until the yellow capsules are fully absorbed (it has little tiny yellow specks in it). Then go to sleep and wash it off in the morning – easy enough. 

Out of my box popped the Tonymoly Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm 30g in this really cute egg shaped packaging. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Tonymoly products and again am really excited to try it. This is a self-heating balm that opens up clogged pores with a blend of sulfur hot spring water and a heating agent (sounds odd – is it magic?).The egg contains white salt, charcoal powders, and egg yolk as well as calcium, minerals, acetic acid, amino acid and vitamins. Tonymoly may be familiar with some people Urban Outfitters carries the brand and there are also Tonymoly shops in NYC and California. 

This next product is a Shara Shara Miracle Capsule Cream 50ml. The cream is an anti-wrinkle moisturizer enriched with glacier water and nursing capsules (more capsules – maybe this is a capsules box) containing 24 kinds of oils. Pretty easy to use just put it on your skin – smile. The bear is cute but it kinda reminds me of something a tween would use. 

This serum is really very interesting to me. I’ve been going on a weird serum search as if I’m some kind of hero with a mission. I’m really not sure where this obsession is coming from but I digress… This is the Vicioni Super Aqua Soothing Serum 30ml. This serum has no carborner, no silicon, and no artificial ingredients or preservatives. It says it smells bad (I haven’t smelled it yet) because it’s all natural. If it smells anything like the dr. brandt glow, someone will be getting this as a gift – smile. As with any serum you put it on and wait for it to dry. They do say that it might take longer for the Vicioni serum to absorb into the skin because of the natural ingredients. Their suggestion is to pat it to help with absorption. 

Vivito Painting Matte Finish Lip Stick in Raspberry purple is what I opened up next from my box. I have never received a lipstick from any of my Memeboxes. I was interested to see how this lipstick smelled (yeah I’m also a crazy person that does not like intense smells) and the color. The smell is nice and I really like the color. I’m eager to use this later today.

The next product brand you also may be familiar with which is Etude House. Etude House has become an established brand in the US and is sold at Sephora. This is their Goodbye Pore Ever Primer Essence 20ml. What I’m really interested in seeing is how the sebum control powder works. I have two big pores on my nose (yeah seriously they wave at me, I think they’re a married couple) and I’m going to try this on those two little buggers and see what happens. 

Last but not least is the Dewytree Deep Detox Black Mask. It is only one mask and is considered a full sized product. This is a mask that is purported to clarify skin pores and rejuvenate dull skin with volcanic scoria clay from Jeju Island. It also contains charcoal powder, papaya extract, grapefruit extract, walnut shell powder, and centella asiatica extract. I have never used a mask because I’m a little worried that my skin will freak out. I will use this one soon but first I’m going to try my Benton Snail Bee. These two seem pretty soothing so I hope both work for me. 

I am really happy with this box. I almost can’t contain my excitement and I want to try all these products RIGHT NOW. However, I know that I can’t. I need to add these slowly because of my crazy angry face. So, as I slowly add these products to my skin care I will be giving updated reviews. Thank you for reading and remember that there will be a giveaway on my blog December 19th as part of a larger Korean Beauty Blog hop giveaway!

First Impressions of the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence and a Giveaway Announcement!

First things first – On the 19th of December I will be hosting a Korean Beauty giveaway. I won’t announce what is part of the giveaway until the 19th (smile) but it will be something you will like. I am limiting the giveaway to the Continental US unless you are willing to pay international shipping rates. This giveaway will also be a part of a larger Korean Beauty giveaway blog hop! This means that a group of us have collaborated to give you guys a chance to win some pretty nifty Korean beauty products. Keep an eye out - Now onto my first impression of the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence. 

I live with my lovely Korean mother who hates anything that is gross or bugs. When I say bugs I mean anything that isn’t a mammal. This includes snails, lizards, frogs, and anything that might crawl or bothers her (like the mole in yard). So, I have not had any exposure to the gross part of Korean life or beauty. When I told my mother I was going to be putting snail excretions and bee venom she almost fainted. Her actual words were “That’s gross. Why would you put that on your face? Don’t come to me when you get sick!” Now, if any of you have a Korean parent you know these lines “Don’t tell me when you get sick.” “If I can’t tell you the truth who is going to?” “I don’t care what you do, but when you end up dead don’t come to me.” or some variation of such. However, the Korean guilt didn’t work and I got it anyway! 

I shop a site called Memebox. I usually buy these awesome mystery boxes that have stuff in it that I may love or may hate. However, they also sell products and last month they put out some thank you sets. Since I was looking for a snail excretion product I was giddy to see that they were offering a Benton gift set that included all the snail. More specifically the box included a Snail Bee High Content Essence, a Snail Bee Night Content Steam Cream and a 10 pack of Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack. 

I recently had a problem with a reaction to a dr. brandt face cream serum (note to self, don’t put things on face that smell that bad). So, I made sure I patch tested the Snail Bee High Content Essence. My skin had no reaction and I didn’t grow a stinger so I put it on for the first time today. 

Product info

This is a 60ml product with a pump top. I enjoy the pump top on products. I need to buy a spatula for some things and I’d rather pay a few dollars more for a pump. 

The ingredients:

Snail Secretion Filtrate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Arbutin, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminana Digita Extract, Dios Pyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Ulmus Campestris (Elm) Extract, Bacilus Ferment, Azelaic Acid, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Cross Polymer, Adenosine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Arginine

Look at that gross first ingredient! I am so excited! Also, take note that there is no water in the Snail Bee Essence. This means you get product and the good stuff without it being watered down. 

The essence comes out of the bottle clear and has no smell (I was worried about what snail secretions smelled like). It has the consistency of watery aloe. It’s not thick but is not a liquid (as you can see from the photo). 

My first impressions

I thought that my face might be sticky from putting this on but when I did it went on easily and my face absorbed the Snail Bee Essence almost immediately. There was no smell, it was not sticky, and my face felt good after I put the essence on. My skin has not had a reaction to the essence and it looks a little better then yesterday (not as red) but we’ll have to see as the day goes on. I’ll update you guys on the essence tomorrow! 

November 2014 Horror Block Unboxing and Review. Spoilers!

Sweet Korean Baby Jebus – I am in love with my November Horror Block. No, seriously I’d marry it if I could! We had a few clues about what was going to be in this box. So, I knew we were going to get things related to NBC’s show Hannibal and something from The Nightmare on Elm Street. I love the show Hannibal and The Nightmare on Elm Street is one of my favorite horror movies. I was expecting maybe a small doll or some such but MAN was I wrong and so happy that I was. 

For those of you who don’t know Horror Block is a monthly subscription service that sends you horror related items (please tell me Horror Block gave that away). It ships from Canada but they do ship internationally. The service is 19.99 (plus shipping if international) per month. They also have other blocks such as Nerd Block, Arcade Block, and Nerd Block Jr’s for both girls and boys. Check them out here

I also want to make clear that I buy this box with my own money and my opinions are my own. Also, if you click on the above link I don’t get anything for it. Now, on to the box! 

I didn’t take a photo of the outside of the box because a) it’s a box b) I forgot c) I may or may have not ripped it open. 

First thing of course is the t-shirt. I was super excited to see this! I love Mads Mikkelsen (the actor who plays Hannibal in the show) and he does such a great job with the character. I think the shirt is worth the price of the box in and of itself.

The next thing I pull out is a Hannibal’s heart stress ball (heart?). Man I could have used this last year – smile. I like it. I don’t know why but I’ve always had a wee bit of an obsession with things you squeeze to relieve stress. HEY HEY get your mind out of the gutter I’m doing a review here…

I had no idea what this was at first. Well, I thought it was a just a Godzilla toy but it’s actually a climbing Godzilla that you put on say the wire of your headphones. It’s pretty cute and since I game (don’t judge me you don’t know my life) I have the perfect place for it! 

“Another DVD!” Was my first reaction to this Tales from the Crypt Keeper Myth Conceptions DVD. I’m not sure if this is usual (the DVDs) but the past two Horror Blocks have had them and I’m not complaining. This DVD has 8 episodes of a show I’ve never seen. I’m going to watch this tonight! 

This makes me laugh so much - first because I know someone who is obsessed with Cthulhu and second because I love hanging car signs. I was laughing so hard I couldn't keep the camera straight (ahem).

I thought we had reached the end of the box until I pulled out this issue of Fangoria. I just recently rediscovered this magazine and I’m glad it’s in this month’s Horror Block also…Darryl. Yes, I’m a fangirl of the show The Walking Dead and Norman Reedus can take me on a motorcycle ride anytime. 

I was wrong though this was not the end of the box for behold that under the Fangoria magazine I found things! 

First thing I found was Hannibal stickers! Not sure what I’m going to do with these but I love them all the same especially the one with the elk. 

Then…this. I am so ridiculously happy about this. This is a 35mm film slide cut from a The Nightmare on Elm Street movie reel. I’m such a dork that they could have sent me this in a box and I would have been like “Worth it”. I…have no more words.

This month’s Horror Box really blew it out of the water for me. Any of my subscription boxes could be cut at any time because I personally buy them and my money is important (think of it as the Hunger Games but with boxes instead of children). Horror Block is not losing me as a subscriber anytime soon.

What I’ve Noticed Since Starting a Skincare Routine

I’ve admitted before that I’m not a huge girly girl. I know it seems counter intuitive since I love makeup but it’s the truth. I’ve also never seen the purpose of a skincare routine. I can now hear the collective hissing of thousands of women with their sharp intakes of breath. Yeah that’s me. Even with Rosacea I would only put on the topical medication (which also had a moisturizer) and be on my merry way with my makeup. I recently ran out of my topical medication, had a flare, and decided to try something else besides medication to control it. 

Since I’ve had cancer I’ve been trying to limit the amount of medications and chemicals I use. Now, I’m not an extremist that think I can cure myself with tea, but if I can find something that will work without the use of more chemicals I don’t see a problem (I’ll never stop taking my MS meds. That you’ll have to pry from my cold dead hands – I don’t care if it is an injection). 

So, I went on a hunt to help my lovely angry face skin. Since I know adding a ton of products at once is not going to work (How will I know what product has made my face look like a rug burn?) I’ve slowly started to add products to ma face. I’ve used some great products such as the Dermatlogica Barrier Repair http://tinyurl.com/l59rahd), and the Korres Quercetin & Oak Moisturizer (http://tinyurl.com/l9ojtze) but nothing has been great. Then I found Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer. Hands down The Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer (http://tinyurl.com/n5fefak) is my Holy Grail moisturizer (I've added the links so you can check them out yourself. I don't get anything from the companies so don't worry about the links taking you somewhere weird - smile). 

There are two things I’ve realized since starting a skincare routine:

1. It’s not overrated – My poor skin needed it
2. My skin is not as dry as I thought it was. 

Since I’ve been taking care of my skin I’ve noticed that slowly, I don’t need as much moisturizer. My skin use to drink it up like a dehydrated marathon runner. Now, I’ve had to adjust the amount or I end up with a shiny face (It’s only sipping now). 

The rosacea which I've been dealing with forever has calmed down almost 100% without the use of a topical medication. For those with rosacea you know that this alone is a cause for celebration! I also don't need to use makeup primer if I don't want to, and I don't have any dry scaly patches of skin anymore. My skin just looks and feels better. 

Remember your skin is going to be different then mine. Use what works for you and don't be afraid to ask for samples! How else are you going to know if you like it or not? If you find a store/employee that wont help you, I suggest you take your business elsewhere. If you're going to spend your hard earned money on a pretty expensive product, you need samples (plus samples are awesome - laugh).

If anyone out there believes like I did that a skincare routine wasn't that important, or was a way for companies to make money, it’s not. It really will help your skin. Next, I’m going to add a Serum. Let’s see how that goes!