Mishibox has finally launched in June 2015 with their first ever kbeauty stuffed box! I think this box will be great for someone who is just starting to experiment with kbeauty brands but probably not for someone who is more seasoned and passed the “kbeauty curve” – that is, someone who is has already hoarded and gone through piles of kbeauty products already. My first reaction to seeing the spoiler on instagram/facebook was “crap! I just bought that aloe gel two weeks ago!” Again, this is the not the right box for everyone! I will explain more in my post ahead.

MISHIBOX Subscription Contents

I signed up in mid-March for the launch box at $18.95 with free shipping (to USA only). Mishibox is a kbeauty subscription service, included will be:

1. A combination of 4 – 6 carefully curated deluxe-sized samples and full-sized Korean beauty products.
2. All product descriptions and usage instructions in English.
3. All ingredients in English posted online on our website by the end of the month.
4. Access to our awesome customer service team that is always ready and happy to help!

 

About MISHIBOX

“Our mission at MISHIBOX (pronounced “me-she”) is to help you explore the exciting (and sometimes very cute) world of Korean beauty. We want to help you discover your favorite products in a convenient, effortless, and affordable way. We will send you a curated box with a combination of 4 – 6 deluxe-sized samples and full-sized Korean beauty products from a wide range of Korean brands. We are all about finding the best Korean beauty products for you to try from both brands that you already love and the brands that we think you will love.”

 

MISHIBOX Subscription Details

Now that the June box has launched, interested customers can start subscribing to MISHIBOX starting with their July box at a special intro rate of $18.95/month. After July, boxes will start at $19.95.month beginning with the August box – this gets you $1 off each box every month without pre-paying for the annual subscription (and you can cancel anytime). They are also offering an annual subscription right off the bat if you have $227.40 to burn which breaks down to $18.95/month).

MISHIBOX Info Card

The front of the card has some very important info for users! If you know you have sensitive skin it’s very important to patch test for 24 – 48 hours to assure that it’s actually safe for you. MISHIBOX has English ingredients list for all products on their website if you like to analyze ingredients like I do!

They also have a reminder that the receiving the June box does not mean you were signed up for the monthly subscription. This was a special pre-order launch box only and you will need to subscribe officially by going to their subscriptions page.

Since they are a new company, it’s very important to listen to customer concerns, compliments and feedback and they are already on it by giving us a head’s up on their survey. They have already listened and responded to many users did not like the Benton Foam Cleanser because of its high pH levels and wanted to know how many of us want low pH, high pH or if we don’t care which ones we receive. Good job on that!

Lastly, they mention their blog called, MISHIPEDIA to learn more information on their kbeauty products. Today was my first time visiting their blog and it has some nice posts about DIY skincare projects and a peek into Korean culture and lifestyle. I don’t know why they haven’t integrated some of this material by promoting it on instagram as it’s great content marketing and a reason for even the seasoned kbeauty to come back and read about it. I clicked on the SUBSCRIBE button and I got a page with program code on it. Yeah, they should look into that. (Micro-conversion opportunity missed.)

The other side lists what the product is supposed to do and how to use it. I like how the retail price and weight/volume is listed as well if you ever fall in love with a product so much that it haunts your dreams to buy it. There are also “full size” star indicators to let you know if you scored a full sized product.

Unboxing MISHIBOX June Launch Box

 

Overall, there were 6 products, 3 full sized and 3 deluxe samples; 1 makeup product, 1 hair product, 3 skincare and 1 bodycare product. There was no theme to the box and no hints on social media what the box might comprise of so it was truly a mystery as to what you were getting!

1. Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel

Since June is the kickoff to summer, a soothing aloe gel was probably a no-brainer (or SPF lotion). As mentioned in the beginning, I already bought this aloe gel at the Nature Republic in Chinatown, NYC for $10 USD (they are both owned by the same parent company, Enprani Co. I loved the cute aloe shaped leaf bottle and cuteness wins again! It’s made out of 99% aloe juice extract from Jeju Island, an island full of natural minerals and plant life in Korea. Scanning the ingredients list briefly, it also contains Centella Asiatica Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Corn Leaf Extract, Cabbage Lead Extract and Watermelon Fruit Extract.

When I bought this gel from The Yeon in Chinatown, the salesgirl said it has multiple uses and her favorite way is to use it as a cooling mask for hot muggy summer days. If you ever get sunburned, it’s good for relieving the burn or just as a light moisturizer for your entire bod. Stick it in the frig for extra cooling sensation. Retails for $12 (but I bought it for $10) for 250 ml.

2. Holika Holika Jewel-light Waterproof Eyeliner

 

I wish I found these eyeliners when I was a tween! I heard great reviews that they don’t budge and are highly pigmented! Each box receives a random color and I got #07 Silver. Highly blendable and sets well after its smooth application, this is supposed to be very long lasting. From stock images, they look glittery with high pearly sheen so I won’t be using this pencil as I don’t like the high glittery look. It’s not a retractable pencil so you will need to use a pencil sharpener and shave off the soft plastic casing.

There are 16 total pencils in the series and not all of them are glittery/shimmery so it’s worth checking out the rest of the colors as they’re up there with CLIO’s gelpresso liners and Etude House Play 101 Pencils. Price is also very affordable and on par with drugstore price points. Holika Holika is now available in select Urban Outfitters stores and even the smaller stocked UO location will most likely carry Holika Holika’s Heartful lipsticks and these Jewel-light eyeliners – check out my Urban Outfitters Photo Tour of the Herald Sq location in NYC. Retails $8 for 2.2 grams.

3. Skylake Oriental Herb Cool Shampoo (sample)

I’m MOST excited with this shampoo because 1. I haven’t used anything Skylake yet and 2. I love using natural herbs. This shampoo sample is formulated with patented Skylake oriental herbal extract to clean your hair and literally cool down your scalp. Skylake is a “hanbang” brand because it uses traditional herbal ingredients that are studied and experimented by doctors and professors; you can see right in the bottle some sort of herb chunk saying hi to you. It smells so HERBALLY STRONG that I can’t wait to use it! It reminds me of my mother’s herbal medicine mixtures that she would rub on my bruises or scrapes when I was little (and miraculously worked at healing bruises faster).

I’m so happy to see this brand because it’s not one of my “usual suspect brands” that new kbeauty stores or subscriptions ALWAYS seem to include. There is a store in Ktown, NYC so I can always go there for grab a full size if I ever wanted it and to make a visit to the Skylake lab where you can purchase your own mix-ins for your current skincare (this is crazy and you can read more about it on fan-b’s store visit to Skylake). Retails for $5 for 40ml; $16 for 250 ml and $36 for 500 ml.

4. Banila Co. Clean it Zero (sample)

Ahh, is there anyone in the world that hasn’t seen the banila co. Clean it Zero yet? If you’re a kbeauty noob, probably not. Which is why I think this box is more appropriate for the kbeauty beginner. If you’re curious to start sampling the best kbeauty products, the banila co. Clean it Zero is cult status in Korea and already entering the market in almost every kbeauty etailer on the web. I myself already bought 4 of these sample pots and then bought the full size one from Peach and Lily.

Clean it Zero is an oil-balm that removes/melts makeup and other pore-clogging impurities without burning your eyes. Usually some oil-cleansers explicitly say that you cannot use on your eyes so I love the banila oil balm because it eliminates the need use another products just for eye makeup and that’s the most stubborn part of my face anyway. It has papaya fruit extract and cherry extracts too. See my mini review of the Clean it Zero here. This is definitely a no-brainer as an intro to kbeauty, highly recommended from me as well. Retail: $19 for 100 ml

5. Benton Honest Cleansing Foam (sample)

 

This is a hypoallergenic facial foam cleanser that will also provide moisture and minimize that skin-tightening sensation. The Honest Cleansing Foam is named this way because it provides honest, transparent ingredients. The ingredients are listed in Korean but you can find an English ingredients list on MISHIBOX’s blog, MISHIPEDIA but for now they listed here temporarily. Their info card said that they will have ingredient lists up by the end of every month.

This was the cleanser with high pH that started the request for cleansers with low pH. If you’re new to beauty in general, there is a difference in effect when cleansing with products with low, mid and high pH levels. These posts from Snow White and the Asian Pear and Skin & Tonics did extensive research looking in the pH levels and how it may positively and negatively affect your skin. I most definitely will take cleansers with low pH only but I understand that other users might not care or mind but good job to MISHIBOX who is actively managing the needs of their customers. I feel like other boxes don’t care and “you get what you get” and this why I don’t like subscribing to mystery boxes but MISHIBOX gets a big brownie point. The cleanser retails for $12 for 150 ml.

6. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack

This mask is packed with a ton of benefits: anti-aging, whitening and skin-soothing. It touts that instead of water, it uses Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Snail secretion filtrate, bee venom and EGF to cleanse rough and damaged skin. Definitely a high quality sheet mask that a lot of Memeboxers love (I feel like this Benton was introduced largely to the American market through Memebox). After toning the skin, wear the sheet mask for 20 – 30 minutes and pat the remaining essence (don’t rinse off like a noob like I did when I was a noob!). I personally have not used any Benton products despite its popularity rising in the American market (I have too much stuff to go through) and will enjoy using this mask to see how it fairs. Retails $3 for 20 grams.

Conclusion

For a kbeauty beginnner, this box offers great introduction products to some of Korea’s most popular brands. You get a good mix of cosmetics, body care, hair care and skin care. You sample MISHIBOX’s recommended products and you’ll eventually be able to purchase the full size off the MISHIBOX’s online shop (when they get that set up). I feel mixed personally because I’ve been around the kbeauty block a little longer than their intended target audience. The Holika Holika eyeliner is too sparkly, I already owned 2 out of the 6 products (banila and the aloe gel), the Benton products were a hit and a miss, and only 1 product (Skylake) truly captured my interest.

Because I’m afraid I’m going to get more repeated products I decided that I will not be a monthly subscriber. I don’t think this box is truly right for someone who has passed “the kbeauty curve”. If you’re familiar with the learning curve, the kbeauty curve is how I would parallel your kbeauty learning journey. Like anything you start to learn, you learn a lot in the beginning in that particular topic. First it’s the basic of Korean skincare. You understand that there can be as many as 3 to 15 steps to a kbeauty regimen. Then you learn the basics in what a toner is, emulsion, ampoules, essences, sheet masks – oh my! You become more familiar with Korean brands and begin to learn what works for you and what doesn’t. So you start to be in the middle of curve and you might even start to become a novice and not a beginner anymore. Pretty soon you are more advanced and can start recommending products to people with the same skin troubles/goals and there is less to learn since you learned so much already! So people who are “passed the kbeauty curve” are people who are more experienced in their skincare journey and knowledge of korean beauty.

For this box and many others that are cropping up, I feel like it’s targeted to users who are only starting their kbeauty journey.

Feedback and Contest

MISHIBOX is doing a great job with keeping an ear on what customers have to say and they are asking for feedback on their launch box while running a contest at the same time here: https://www.mishibox.com/pages/survey. Follow the content rules there; deadline is 11:59 PM EST on June 30, 2015!

Did you get your box? What did you think about it? Do you consider yourself passed the kbeauty curve as well?