Memebox #23 Girl's Night Out

Every time I think I'm over beauty boxes, something new pops up that gets me excited about them all over again. Last year, it was Love Me Beauty's "choose your favourite from three menus" concept, but by now I've gotten a little bit bored of the products they have on offer. Just as I cancelled my subscription Memebox pops up with an entirely new idea. Not only are all boxes themed and you simply pick which one you like, without ever having to start a re-occuring subscription, the main selling point is the fact that you get nothing but Korean beauty products. I've been a fan of Asian beauty for a very long time, as it caters to a lot of my beauty needs: pale skin, hooded lids... and don't even get me started on the packaging. Sadly, I wouldn't know where to start most of the time, as there's no chance of me understanding anything on the packaging. In comes Memebox, offering not only edited down sets of Korean products to try, but also a very useful leaflet explaining exactly what everything is and what you're meant to do with it, as well as the chance to buy any products that you like from their shop. How could I say no to that? The box I've got to show you today is box #23, themed "Girl's Night Out".

It came packed to the very brim with make-up and beauty products and took exactly two weeks from placing the order to arrive - not bad, considering it had to travel halfway around the world! I normally do a value breakdown with my beauty box reviews, but I just don't feel that would be very appropriate in this case, as you'd be hard pressed to find any of these items here in the UK. Instead, I'll just give you my first impressions about each item.

1) Kskin | Bulgarian Rose Pheromone Perfume Pink Angel

I usually hate receiving perfumes in beauty boxes, but seeing as this one's a full sized rollerball rather than a dinky little counter sample, I'm happy with the product I received. I got incredibly excited when I saw that it was rose based, but I'm still on the fence about whether I like it or not. There is an initially overwhelming smell of alcohol, but once that's evaporated you're left with a faint, powdery hint of rose. This is going straight in my handbag for perfume application on the go.

2) Forest Story | Water Essence Hair Perfume Soft Soap Fragrance

My eyes lit up a little bit when I read the description of this product. A hair spray that is designed to eliminate all odours (like food or cigarette smoke) from your hair while adding softness and moisture. What a brilliant idea! I think it's safe to say that we all have those days where an extra hour in bed sounds a lot more appealing than getting up, washing and styling our hair and sometimes dry shampoo doesn't quite cut it. I've spritzed a bit of my regular perfume onto my hair before, but I can't imagine all the alcohol in it to be particularly good for my hair. Sadly, the scent of this is insanely overwhelming. Soap fragrance, yes, definitely, but soft it is not - more like a soapy sledgehammer to the face. As my hair is freshly washed I can't comment on its softening properties just yet, but I will try to give it another go on my next bad hair day.

3) A.m.oK cosmetics | N.S.M Soft Moose Waterproof Liquid Line

I think something may have gotten a little lost in translation here... Soft Moose? Surely they meant Mousse... and "Three step cross eyes"?? I really hope I don't get cross eyed from using this, haha! Anyway, the product itself is a soft cream inside a tube with a brush applicator. The brush is meant to make it easy to use it as an eye shadow blended out all over the lid, as well as an eye liner focused on the lash line, but I feel that it is too wide to perform well as a liner. This came in a variety of shades and I feel like I've really lucked out with mine (550 Elegance Purple - see swatches below). It's a gorgeous shimmery bronze with soft purple undertones, which applies incredibly pigmented. From my swatch it seems a bit too creamy to be waterproof and I think I might need to wear a good primer underneath or set it with a powder shadow perhaps, but I really can't wait to give this a go!

4) Secret-Stargirl | S-Style 2set

This is another product that came in lots of different variation and the one I got was 01 Sexy Eye. It's safe to say that these lashes are completely out of my comfort zone and not something I would ever pick up in a store. I think they're a tad think and long and glossy, so are going to look very obviously fake on the eye, but nevertheless I'm willing to give them a go next time I'm on a big night out or something.

5) Croquis | Dual Concealer

This is a double ended product, with dark circle concealer on one end and blemish concealer on the other end. The dark circle side is lighter and peachier in tone and comes with a brush applicator as opposed to the doefoot applicator that comes with the blemish concealer side. Just in case you get as confused as I did, it also has a picture of an eye and a picture of dots to make it clear which side is for which purpose. Upon first inspection I really, really like this product. It applies very creamy and actually quite runny at first, but once you start blending away, you can see that there's a very decent amount of pigmentation in there. I can imagine it being a bit annoying to get something like this if you have a dark skin tone, but for my pale skin this is a perfect match!

6) A.m.oK cosmetics | N.S.M Special Nail Lacquer

Imagine my excitement when I saw that they included not one but two nail polishes in this box! The shades I got are OR206 Juicy Fresh and PP516 Violet Tulip and once more I feel like I've really lucked out with the colours, as they're both shades I'll happily wear. In contrast, I've seen some pretty horrendous glitter shades in other boxes while writing up this review. These two actually make me think Halloween nails, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

7) Kepaclub | Maxi Lip Tint Glow

This lipstick/balm hybrid has got to be my favourite item from the box. The packaging is very reminiscent of Dior lipsticks, albeit with a much cheaper execution. The colour, however, is absolutely stunning. I can't make out which one of the three colour choices I received, but I did noticed that mine seems to be a lot more pigmented than other people's - or perhaps it just shows up better on my light skin? I just realised that I forgot to take a picture of the lipstick bullet (#bloggerfail), but you can see the colour in the swatch image below. It's a beautiful rosy pink and exactly the colour which springs to my mind when I think about Korean make-up. I don't ever want to take it off again.

And as promised, here are all make-up products swatched up.

L-R: N.S.M Soft Moose Waterproof Liquid Line in 550 Elegance Purple // Dual Concealer in 02 // Maxi Lip Tint Glow (shade unknown)

After opening my box I browsed a few other reviews online and was quite stunned to find that they were overwhelmingly negative. While I'm really not a fan of the soapy hair spray scent, I'm really happy with all the other products and I can genuinely see myself using all of them. I think in part I was really lucky with the colours I received, as they're all extremely pretty and very wearable.

I'm quite impressed that there were eight full sized products in my box and they're all exciting brands that I've never heard of. I also really like the fact that I don't have to commit to a subscription, but I can buy as many (or as few) boxes as and when I like. In fact, I'm already rummaging for my credit card to order my next one...

Love Me Beauty Box March 14

I think this must be the first time ever I didn't have to pick up my Love Me Beauty box from the post office. I swear the post man always hides around the corner with these, waiting for me to leave before delivering my box. Well, this time Joe was in to sign for my box, so it was waiting in my living room for when I finished work. Hah!
I'd actually completely forgotten which items I went for by the time it arrived, so it was almost like a whole new surprise again! As I'd filled in five questionnaires last month, this box included an extra item for me as well, which was not part of the regular menu.

1) Murad | Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask

Full size: £25 for 6 / Sample value: £4.17

I was a little bit disappointed that my box only contained one little sachet of this, but then it does seem quite full so I might be able to squeeze two applications out of it. I like my beauty samples to last for more than one application to be able to see properly if they work with my skin or not!

I can't believe that Murad used to be a brand I couldn't stand, but since I've tried more of their products I've grown quite fond of them, so I can't wait to see how I get on with this. I'm saving it for Monday, as Monday is face mask day.

2) BlanX | White Shock Toothpaste

Full size: £7.50 for 50ml / Sample value: £2.25

I can imagine some people being quite unhappy about toothpaste being included in a beauty box, but I for one really like that they thought outside the box a little bit with this, just like they did last month with the vitamin supplement. After all, who doesn't want whiter, brighter teeth? My daily coffee addiction habit has certainly left its mark on my teeth, so I'm interested to see if using this twice daily is going to make a difference. Love Me Beauty have listed the RRP as £7.50 for 50ml on their card, which I find is very steep for toothpaste, but I've found a bigger size for less money on FeelUnique (follow the link in the title), which is much more reasonable.

3) Nip+Fab | Viper Venom Eye Fix

Full size: £14.95

I once bought a Nip+Fab eye cream and found it to be a bit "meh". It wasn't bad, but I also didn't feel like it was really doing anything to my eye area at all. Add to that that I'm not really a fan of rollerball applicators and you can certainly say that this is not a product I would have picked up in a shop. I'm still happy to put it to the test and maybe it will just prove me wrong!

4) Deep Steep | Foot Stick in "Candy Mint"

Full size: £3.60

Deep Steep is a brand that's completely new to me and so is the concept of this foot stick. It's literally like a pritt stick that you twist up, then rub all over your heels. It contains a balm that's quite firm at first, but instantly melts on contact with your skin. And, boy does it melt! I would suggest putting on socks immediately after application if you want to avoid a "Bambi on ice" scenario. The scent is quite intense and does literally smell like mint sweets. Unfortunately, I'm really not a fan of mint (I tolerate it in toothpaste, that's about it), but I'll still give this a go to see if it can get my feet in shape for summer.

4) Quintessentially English | Bath Salts in "Vintage Bouquet"

Full size: £4.25 / Sample value: £2.13

At first I thought I had a packaging fail on my hands, as the contents of this sachet look a lot more like the "Angel's Rest" salts on the company's website than the picture of the Vintage Bouquet. After ripping it open and giving it a sniff (sniff, bath salts, geddit? Never mind...), I can confirm that it definitely smells like citrus and not like lavender, so I got the right ones. I love that these have got actual dried flowers in them and apparently you only need a spoonful per bath, so they should last quite a bit. I can't wait to relax in a warm bath smelling like this tonight!

5) The Vintage Cosmetic Company | False Lashes in "Gracie"

Full size: £6

I was really happy to see that these lashes came with a little tube of lash glue, as mine is currently on its very, very last legs. I don't often wear false eye lashes as I find them a bit of a faff to apply and if I go out, it tends to be spontaneously and not with enough notice to apply false lashes. However, these look quite natural and really well made, so I'm sure I'll find an occasion where I can give them a whirl.

Bonus item: Melvita | Rose Extraordinary Water

Full size: £17.00 for 100ml / Sample value: £4.76

This was my bonus item, which I got for filling in 5 surveys about past Love Me Beauty boxes. As such, it wasn't included on the card with my box and I first had to google what the hell you're meant to do with an "extraordinary water". Turns out it seems to be like an odd toner-serum hybrid which you apply after cleansing and before moisturising either with bare hands or with a cotton pad. I first tested it this morning and I absolutely love what it does to my skin. It sinks in in a fraction of a second and leaves a nice cooling, but also moisturising feeling on my face. I'm also a huge fan of the rose scent!

Total value: £33.10 (37.86 with bonus item)

When it comes to value, this box doesn't exactly knock it out of the park, as past boxes have frequently had more expensive items in them. The great mix of make-up, skincare, bath products and whatever you want to class whitening toothpaste as, however, more than makes up for it in my mind. There are still three full sized items in this box and I know that I will genuinely use each and every product - possibly to its last drop. The fact that they're all quite affordable also means that I can give my credit card a break if I do decide to repurchase anything. It's another winner for me!

Weekly Lust List #2

1) River Island Burgundy Coated Zip Super Skinny Jeans, £45.00

Oh my god, how amazing are these jeans?? I really don't care that much about flares or palazzo pants - I'll probably always be a skinny jeans girl at heart, especially with beauties like these around. The colour stands out in a sea of grey and black with the zips injecting a healthy dose of attitude. I can feel myself stand taller just by looking at these.

2) Models Own Beetlejuice nail polish collection, £5 for one or £20 for set

To be honest these don't look great in promotional pictures, but I first saw them on elleuk.com and then looked up some swatches and these look gorgeous on nails. I really wish they weren't called Beetlejuice, as I'm not a great fan of anything that crawls, but it's still a great alternative to this season's prevalent glitter polish trend.

3) Asos Disk Sequin Mesh Top, £35

Trust Asos for affordable dupes of the biggest catwalk hits. If you picked up any fashion magazine in the last two months you're bound to have stumbled across a stunning white double layered Stella McCartney dress which inspired this top. Cheryl Cole was snapped in it fresh off the catwalk, but to be quite honest I didn't think she was the right person to carry this off. This also comes in red, but I by far prefer the white one.

4) We Are Faux false eye lashes in Painted Lady, £15.50

After ruining two pairs of falsies for Halloween my total count of false eye lashes is now at 0. I've only recently heard of this brand and I really love this criss-crossed pair with a bronze glitter strip at the top. If I'm going to bother with false eye lashes I may as well make it worth my time and these add the necessary amount of sparkle to stand out, especially against blue eyes.

5) Lancome, All I Want This Christmas advent calendar, £80 (exclusive to Selfridges)

I swooned over this as soon as it was released last year and by the time my boyfriend couldn't hear about it anymore and decided to buy it for me it was already sold out. I love Christmas, I love waiting for Christmas and I love beauty, so what's not to like about this? (Apart from the horrendously high price, of course.) This year I'm uhmming and ahhhing over it again - not sure it's worth it considering I'm on holiday during the first week of December anyway and I'll probably need all my money while I'm away. It's still worth dropping loads of hints for this