Memebox for beginners + beauty giveaway

A few weeks ago, Korean beauty box specialists Memebox got in touch and asked if I they could send me a box to review on the blog.

After I had LITERALLY exploded with excitement I whispered Yes, OK, if you like.

Only, I have clearly been buying more Memboxes than anybody can keep up with, because the box they sent me for review is one I already own. So what I’m going to do is offer those items to you as a free giveaway.

But first, what is Memebox and why are these beauty boxes so great?

Memebox is a Korean beauty box company. They also have a store selling individual items. They release new boxes three times a week so there’s no subscription – you pick out the boxes you like the sound of. Popular boxes sell out very quickly but don’t panic if you miss one – there’ll be another one along soon. Mostly they’re mystery boxes, though they also do collaborations with popular Youtubers which tend to have the contents already revealed.

Most boxes will have 6 full size products and a value in excess of 3 times what you paid. It’s not unusual to pay $23 for a box and receive over $100 worth of product inside. Each box comes with an information card containing English language instructions.The boxes contain cool, innovative, effective skincare, hair care and make up. Also one time they sent us tampons but we’d all rather not think about that now.

What’s the catch?
The catch is the long wait for boxes. The shipping date of a box may be as long as two months after you order it. It certainly teaches you patience. A lot of the brands included are very obscure and if you love an item you may not be able to find it again.

How do I pick a good Memebox?
This is the game we’re all playing! I would say around 80-90% of Memeboxes are great, with the occasional dud thrown in to keep things interesting. But even a dud Memebox is better than most other beauty boxes at their peak, and every box will have at least one great item that makes the whole box worthwhile.

In general, the best boxes tend to be focused on one particular ingredient, issue or theme. If a box theme is so general that anything could go in there, then maybe think twice.

Anything else I need to know?

Never pay full price for your Memebox, there are always discounts to be found.

In Korea, cosmetics refers to both skincare and makeup, so you might get both in your box. Korean products are often stamped with the manufacture date where you might expect to find an expiry date, so don’t panic if it looks like a product is out of date.

Currently, standard shipping is taking 9 days to get to the UK, and express shipping takes 2 days. Products come in a sturdy pink box inside a padded envelope.

If you’re buying these boxes, you need to be open-minded about unusual and sometimes strange ingredients. Snail slime pops up pretty frequently, and bee venom, spider extracts and boob masks are not unknown either.

For the most open-minded Memebox customer, there’s the OMG line, which specialises in the strangest stuff of all.

I LOVE a freaky ingredient so I have purchased them all up to OMG4 which is still on sale.

THE GIVEAWAY

So this is Memebox OMG2, which was sent for me to review. It was on sale at $29, contains six full size products, with a box value of $154. I’ve been using these products for a few weeks now and they’re great fun. If you enter the giveaway, you could win one of these

Cristallin Cellulose Mask x 2 ($10)
According to the card, this feels like an octopus wrapped around your face. I would say more like a jellyfish as it definitely tingles. These deluxe masks (one for whitening, one for anti-wrinkles), come as a sheet of jelly-like cellulose sandwiched between paper, so you have to be quite careful putting them on.
Ladykin Vanpir Dark Repair Cream (50ml $50)
Contains green tea extract to reduce wrinkles and get rid of dark spots on your face. After we’d both had a good hoot at the vampire teeth on this packaging, I passed this moisturising cream on to my daughter. She is now entirely wrinkle-free, but then again she is fourteen. If you theme your skincare with the seasons then this has got Halloween written all over it.
Milky Dress Bohr-effect Carboxy Gel ($24)
This is a really interesting sheet and gel mask, like a home spa treatment. Put half the tube of gel on your face, then the paper mask included, then top with the rest of the gel. Leaves the skin feeling refreshed and revitalized.
Priori Aroma Ac Moisture Gel Mist (100ml $24)
This facial mist earns its place in the OMG box because it contains bee venom, propolis, sophora roots and balloon flower roots. Since I don’t do misting I’ve been decanting it on to a cotton wool pad and using it like a toner. It has a lovely lavender scent which makes it great for using before sleep.
Seatree Syn-Ake Essence (45ml $20)
Syn-ake is synthetic snake venom and by all accounts is a bit like a mild Botox. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and whilst I haven’t noticed any visible effects, it’s a nice serum to use and sinks into the skin easily.
Haruen Dorothy Haruen-S ($26)
A volcanic rock rollerball which absorbs excess oil from the face, making it appear less shiny and more matte. This is a really sought-after product and pretty fun and effective to use. It genuinely works at mattifying the face and gives quite a nice facial massage in the process.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO WIN?

As you will have gathered, I already have all this stuff from Memebox OMG2. And since I’m on a decluttering mission, I’m going to give it away to you.

THE PRIZES

There will be six winners who will each receive one of the products as shown above from Memebox OMG2.

These are sealed, unopened, brand new Korean beauty products. It’s a random allocation so you won’t know what your prize is until it arrives.

HOW TO ENTER

Lots of options on the Rafflecopter below – do as many or as few as you want. The only compulsory entry is to leave a comment stating what’s your favourite item in the box (please note that there is no guarantee that this is what you’ll win).

WHO CAN ENTER

Open worldwide. One entry per person please.

CLOSING DATE

This giveaway finishes at midnight UK time on Monday 20th October 2014. Six winners will be chosen at random and the prizes will be posted out by me from the UK as soon as possible after that. I will make every effort to get your prize to you promptly, but I do not take responsibility if anything gets lost in the post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

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