Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) my adventure with Memebox ended almost as soon as it started. Exactly one day after I purchased my boxes I received an e-mail from Memebox informing that from the 10th of February they will ship only to the USA, Korea and China. I can see in my blog statistics that I have a lot of views from USA, so I hope those who can still enjoy Memeboxes will find this post useful.
So here is my first (and almost last) box:
I apologise for the poor quality of those pictures. My camera is about to die :/
Box description: Anti-aging is everyone's beauty concern, no matter what age. And so, we've curated a mean anti-aging box that defies the laws of gravity - no more lines, no more wrinkles, no more saginess! With all the best goodies for combating visible signs of aging, this breakthrough box is packed with high-performance products that dramatically counteract all the signs such as wrinkles, lines, loss of firmness, dullness and dehydration!
And that's the products:
1. Bory Wrinkle Repair Serum 50ml
Product description: This antiaging Wrinkle Repair Serum works on skin to remodel and rejuvenate the skin's surface for the look of firm and supple skin. It contains EGF to enhance collagen production and Acetyl Heaxapeptide, a natural ingredient with properties similar to that of Botox, to relax facial muscles and prevent creation of fine lines and wrinkles.
This description is printed on the little leaflet included in the box and there is a mistake - Acetyl Hexapeptide, is not a "natural ingredient" - it's synthetic peptide. But never mind. The serum is in nice, glass bottle with pump applicator. Pump is protected with special cup, that prevents it from accidental push and spillage. It has consistency of light lotion and smells a little bit like Nivea Soft. It absorbs quite quickly and doesn't leave any film on skin, for my oily skin it seems to be suitable both for AM and PM use.
I translated ingredients from Korean and you know what? There is no Acetyl Hexapeptide in there. And no EGF. I could understand if it would be a Memebox's mistake, but on the cardboard packaging of the product, on one side of the box there is description in Korean mentioning Acetyl Hexapeptide and EGF and on the other side of the packaging there is list of main ingredients in English and full list of ingredients in Korean and they are both lacking those two substances. Are they trying to fool me or what? But before I publish the ingredients I will double check my translation with someone smarter than me, maybe I am a fool...
Edit 03.2015: I contacted Agath from Agath Blog, who is much more experienced in Korean ingredients translation than me. Agath confirmed my assumptions - product does not contain neither Acetyl Hexapeptide nor EGF. Shame on you, Memebox.
Full list of ingredients:
Purified water, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10 Liposomes 5%), Sodium Hyaluronate, Raffinose, Ethanol, Polyquaternium-51, Centella Asiatica Extract, Chamomile Flower Extract, Licorice Extract, Green Tea Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, PEG-15 Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Perfume, Allantoin, Methyl Paraben, Benzophenone-9, Disodium EDTA, Tartrazine
According to Memebox this product is worth $48. I don't know if it's true - according to the Internet this product doesn't exist :P the only results on Google are the posts about the box itself. It is not available on e-Bay, Gmaret, Amazon...
2. Esthetic House Collagen Herb Complex Eye Cream 100ml
Product description: Now you can have it all. This jumbo sized eye cream will give you the lifted look, the firmer feeling and glowing radiance from around the eyes. The intensely nourishing formula contains marine collagen, herbal complex and adenosine to firm, lift, define and brighten the area to improve visible signs of ageing around the eyes, mouth, brow bone, neck and other areas.
When I first saw the big tube I was quite excited thinking it's a hand cream. I can never have too many hand creams, I got placed strategically everywhere: in bedroom, in living room, in every handbag, in workplace locker, in car... However my excitement didn't last long as I read the product description. Eye cream? Seriously? Who puts eye cream in such a big tube?
Feeling sceptical I decided to translate ingredients. Here they are:
Purified water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate/PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Olive Oil, Caprylyl Glycol/Glycerol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Shea Butter, Allantoin, Chrysanthemum flower extract, Honeysuckle extract, Rosa Rugosa Extract, Rose Extract, Hollyhock Extract, Safflower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Perfume, Tomato Extract, Elm Root Extract, Magnolia Extract, Gallnut Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Goldthread Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA
Collagen is sixth on the list. Collagen is natural protein present in our skin - it's amount decreases with age what causes wrinkles and sogginess, so it became popular ingredient in anti-aging cosmetics. However you need to know that Hydrolyzed Collagen does not penetrate deep into skin, simply because it's particle is too big - so it won't magically increase the amount of collagen in our skin and make wrinkles disappear. But it will moisturise and condition skin.
In general the ingredients look fair to me, there is promised collagen, there are some plant extracts, there was even enough room for some adenosine and EGF at the end of the ingredients list. I have some anti-wrinkle eye cream from L'oreal that contains almost only silicons, so comparing these two Esthetic House's cream seems to be a miracle in a tube. Probably I won't use it as an eye cream as I currently testing a very good eye cream from su:m37 and I have a tube of Japanese eye cream waiting for it's turn. But I think I will use it up for my neck and neckline, eventually hands.
Cream has a nice, silky texture. It's lightweight and has pleasant, subtle smell. It leaves a bit of film on skin, making it smooth in touch.
According to the Memebox this jumbo tube is worth $42. Again, I am not able to verify this information - when googled it shows up only box's description, it is not available on Gmarket nor e-Bay.
3. Enesti Day to Day Pomegranate Acerola Foaming Cleanser 160g
Product description: This daily pomegranate and acerola infused foaming cleanser effectively removes make up and oil, opens and de-clog pores, enhances skin's elasticity and brightens up the overall complexion.
No surprises here, very typical Korean face wash. Thick, pearly cream which resembles shaving cream - massaged into wet skin turns into thick, rich foam. It takes only a pea size to wash the whole face and neck, so 160g would last for good couple of months use. It cleanses well and leaves skin squeaky clean and a little bit tight. As a cream it has a little bit weird fruit+something sour smell, but after turning into foam it has a lovely smell of... bubble gum. I love it! I am very sensitive to smells and bubble gum is one of my favourite smells ever. So this smell and a big capacity would make it quite a good product right? Well unfortunately this foam has one, very important con - high base pH of 9. Two months ago that wouldn't bother me at all, I would just use it and enjoy bubble gum smell, but since I switched to slightly acidic cleanser I would never go back to base. Since I use face wash with pH 6 I didn't have a single breakout on my face, not a single spot, even during my period! So forgive me, bubble gum, but I'm not going to risk it. Maybe I will use it from time to time to pamper myself with that smell, but for sure it's not going to became my everyday cleanser.
According to Memebox this foam is worth $14. Unfortunately I cannot find it anywhere else, so I can't confirm it's price.
4. Puresmile Mask 5 Pack Box
5 different mask sheets:
Pearl: Hydrates skin and locks in moisture
Bee Venom: Softens and smooths the skin's texture, delivers radiant glow
Snail: Repairs, renews and rejuvenates skin
Red Ginseng: Delivers vital nutrients to the skin and enhances skin's elasticity
Vitamin: revitalises and energises dull skin
I haven't tried any of them yet, but I'm quite excited about them. I love mask sheets! ^^
According to Memebox this pack of 5 masks is worth $6. On Gmarket you can buy pack of 8 masks for $5.40, so a little bit cheaper.
5. Tosowoong Snail Natural Pure Cream 45ml
Product description: This intensive skin regenerating, anti-blemish cream contains snail mucin, known for it's regenerative properties. Snail mucin and galactomyces help to control excessive sebum production, the core of acne and skin blemishes, and supports natural cell regeneration to decrease appearance of wrinkles and other flaws.
I really like the appearance of this product, both cardboard box and tube. It is plain and simple, smart. The tube is soft and you have to squeeze it to get the product out. The texture is light and creamy, doesn't leave any film on skin. It's moisturising just right for my oily skin, I think it will do good both AM and PM.
In the ingredients there is snail secretion filtrate (30%) on the first place followed by birch leaf water (20%). Comparing to some other brands 30% of snail secretion filtrate seems a bit low and disappointing, I came across statement that there has to be at least 80% of ssf in cream to make it work properly, but I don't know if it's true. I didn't translate the rest of the ingredients yet, I will use the cream and once I put up full review there will be ingredients there :)
According to Memebox this cream is worth $26. On Tosowoong official website the price shown is 21500 won, so approx $19.50, on e-Bay prices are between $14 to $36.
SummaryIn general I'm pleased with the box, it didn't blow my mind, however I don't think it was a waste of money. For $25 I got snail cream worth $20, some mask sheets, "hand" cream an serum, which may contain Acetyl Hexapeptide. Not bad. The experience of buying cosmetics in box was interesting, but for sure it's not going to became my favourite way of shopping, so I don't really feel upset about Memebox stopping international postage. Despite there I will just continue spending my money on e-Bay ;)
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