Tag: Korean beauty

NYC Beauty & Fashion: The Tony Moly Store

Since I’m a blogger in the NYC metro area, I have a lot of opportunities that bloggers say, in the middle of Wyoming may not have. I realized that I needed to start taking advantage and add a New York City Beauty and Fashion feature to this little blog.

Now if you read any of my Memebox reviews you know that Korean beauty has become a newfound fascination for me. Tony Moly is one of the most sought after Korean brands available in the US, so when they opened a store in Midtown I just had to check it out.

Tony Moly’s store is right in NYC’s Koreatown which is where I used to work in the long, long ago when I first began doing daytime drudgery to pay the bills. Neatly stocked and brightly lit, this tiny shop is nestled between rows of stores on 32nd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue).
Store

The front is adorable with its neat rows of face masks and delightfully packaged hand creams.
Masks
Apricot Apples Apples 2
I would have taken more pictures for you, but I quickly became distracted by products and of course had to try out everything. The shop owner was attentive and helpful. The products ranged from expensive snail face creams to budget friendly gel liners. And of course there were tons and tons of sheet masks.

In the end, I spent $49.00 on an assortment of masks and an eye brightening stick in an irresistible Panda container. I was psyched to find a snail mask which I, (of course) forgot to purchase it, so I guess I’ll have to head back.  I would have grabbed more products, but I have a Tony Moly Memebox en route, so I didn’t want to end up with duplicates.
Haul
And guess what?  You don’t have to be in NYC to grab your own Tony Moly haul. Most of what I nabbed is available at Urban Outfitters.
Panda
TONYMOLY Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick (Retail $10.00)
(Photo from UrbanOutfitters.com )
Description: “Keep it cool with this cooling eye cream from TONYMOLY. TONYMOLY Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick is a hard-to-find Korean skin treatment that instantly de-puffs and revitalizes tired, dry eyes with a cooling, moisturizing sensation. Keep it in your bag for a little pick-me-up throughout the day!”
Verdict: Hit!
I’ve had a chance to try this eye brightening stick for a bit and I really like it. It moisturizes the undereye area and adds this light white sheen. It reminds me of the outer edge of Benefit’s Fakeup undereye concealer. I’ve been using it every morning under my Fakeup and I feel that they work really well together.  The Panda only set me back $10, so I’m quite happy with the purchase.

Assorted Masks: (Retail $3.00 Each)
I haven’t had a chance to try these out yet, but for $3.00, take a chance and grab one that interests you.

If Tony Moly has you intrigued (or obsessed) and you can’t make it to Koreatown, Urban Outfitters has even more Tony Moly stuff.

My next NYC feature will be a review of a fabulous Master Makeup class hosted by Birchbox and Benefit, so be sure to check back to find out if Benefit can achieve the impossible and teach me to do winged liner with a gel style pen.

Memebox – Superbox #42 Birthday Box: August 2014

So in July I got my first Memebox (pronounced Mi-mi-box) which featured Korean beauty products and I loved it. You can check out the review here. This month they graciously sent me another box to review.  This one is the Superbox #42 Birthday box and is currently sold out, but they do restock the boxes so if you have to have it,  add it to your wishlist and keep checking back. This box retails for $29.00 (not including shipping).  For some August coupon codes jump down to the backstory, now to the box.

Box Wrapped Box
First, adorable gift packaging. I am totally recycling this box into a lovely birthday gift box. If there is one thing my sub boxes are great for, it’s creating awesome gift packaging.

Now let’s check out our cool Korean beauty stuff!
Card #1 Card #2
Thankfully this box comes with a dual-sided card that describes the products (since a lot of the packaging info is in Korean, this is a very good thing). It appears that these products are all from the brand “i belivyu”.

Body Wash
I belivyu All in One Hair & Body Wash (250 mL)
(Memebox Retail: $14.00)
Description: “An all-in-one smart item for both hair and body use. I belivyu’s Hair & Body Wash is rich in apricot, carrot green tea, chamomile, rosemary, centell asiatica and gold extracts and thus highly gentle in cleansing away unnecessary impurities and effective in delivering abundant nutrients deep into your hair and skin.”
Verdict: Love!
I probably won’t use this too frequently on my hair, but I love the fruity, fresh scent. We go through bodywash pretty quickly in my household so I’m happy to get this one. The packaging is cheerful and while the product is full size it’s not a huge bottle so it won’t take up a ton of real estate in my shower.

Scrub Cubes
ibelivyu Cube Sparkling Lemon Sugar Scrub (8 g/7 each)
(Memebox Retail: $24.00)
Description: “Cube Sparkling Sugar Scrub is a scrub for face, body and bath that comes in the shape of real sugar cubes. The sugar grains filled with various vitamins, minerals and baking soda work to eliminate skin waste as well as dead skin cells and blackheads clogging up the pores, leaving your skin highly moist and supple. The yellow lemon-scented scrub contains lemon oil and lemon extracts for maintaining a cleaner, naturally glowing complexion”
Verdict: Love!
The card that came this this gave directions for using on Face, Body and in the tub. I love scrubs and I love unique beauty products and this is both rolled into one. I also adore citrus scents so this is product is winning a lot of points with me. I’m going to try this on my face first and then maybe give it a shot in the bathtub.

Powder Wash
I belivyu Powder Wash Vitamin Face Cleanser
(Memebox Retail: $24.00)
Description: “This refreshing powder-type facial cleanser works as vitamin parts burst into your skin, with granol particles and papaine enzymes softly yet thoroughly rubbing away all skin residues and impurities. Best of macademia and olive oil are also included and deliver protection and deep hydration to the skin.”
Verdict: Hit!
I’ve never tried something called a “powder wash” cleanser and it sounds intriguing. This box was sealed so I didn’t take it out for a pic since the packaging looks the same as our fun sugar cube scrub.  Plusthis way if I want to gift it I can (although I’m fairly certain I’ll be hoarding this one for myself.)

Creams
I belivyu Flower Hand Cream (30 ml 4 each)
(Memebox Retail: $36.00)
Description: “These hand creams are enriched with vitamin E capsules, shea butter, argan oil, patented organic plant extracts and 4 different kinds of flower extracts for each color – rose extracts, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, and lavender extracts. Moisturize and nourish your dry, rough hands with these cute, easy to carry around hand creams!
Verdict: Gift
These are so beautifully packaged that I just can’t keep them for myself. I give a lot of nail care gifts and I might split these up into those or just package them all together as a gift on their own. They are lovely and nicely sized for travel or your work bag.

 Full Box
OVERALL
Verdict: Hit!

I really enjoyed this box. The products are both fun and practical. Everyone can use body wash, scrubs, hand cream and face cleanser. They have adorable packaging and appealing scents. I got this box for free, but the price at Memebox is  it is $29 plus shipping. According to Memebox retail I received $98 worth of product. It’s hard to get retail values since these are not products readily available to us in the states, but from what I’ve been able to discern the Memebox value is somewhat inflated. Taking all that into consideration, I do believe this box was well worth $29.

I’ve got lots more Memeboxes on the way with some super cute themes. So if you’re enjoying these posts, be sure to check back and if you’re interested in buying a box, check out the backstory for August coupon codes.

Have you ever tried a Memebox? If so, which one did you pick and what did you think?

THE BACKSTORY

Memebox (pronounced Mi-mi-box) is the #1 beauty box provider in Korea and has recently come to the US. Their boxes include the “most trusted most trusted, best-loved Korean beauty products at everyday prices.” Memebox carries 4 main types of beauty boxes: Memebox, Memebox Special Editions, Superbox and Luckybox along with full-size, Korean beauty products in their Memeshop. Unlike subscriptions, you purchase these boxes individually as they are released, so this is a great option for the commitment phobes who don’t want to be locked into a beauty subscription. There are tons of fun themes and pricing options.

Costs vary depending on the box.

Memebox Special Edition:

Memebox special edition comes packaged with 4-8 full-size products and delux samples under its own theme. Memebox special edition is designed to meet the various concerns, beauty trends, and also seasonal needs.

Superbox:

Superbox was inspired by Memebox lovers, looking for full-sized products catered to specific needs. Each Superbox series comes with its own theme, designed to target particular concerns, or collaboration with our favorite brands!

Luckybox:

Every Luckybox is unique and is filled with 4 – 8 full sized products and deluxe samples carefully curated from Korea to give you the best experience and widest exposure to a range of products!

AUGUST COUPON CODES:
Promo code – $5 off on any order (limit one per customer):ZVKBBH
$5 off on orders above $100: AFFILIATE-7666-OPO2L-QGRA
$10 off on orders above $150: AFFILIATE-0158-DDXZX-JMBG

 Memepoints:
You can also get memepoints based on your purchases. Each 1 Meme Point can be redeemed for $1.00. (The maximum memepoints you are allowed to spend on an order is 50)

 

 

 

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