Memebox Special #34 Whole Grain 2

Top row, left to right

Seven DIAS Medi Anti-Blemish Serum

My skin issues are in the exact opposite end of the spectrum of blemishes, so this thing will go directly into my gift/trade/sell-pile. Too bad, it actually seems like it contains some of those nice heavy hitting ingredients.

Young Face Nuruk Natural Mask & Scrub

Nuruk is a type of kneaded flour that releases konjic acid which is one of the new wonders of skincare. So far so good, but: You mix the powder with water, milk, honey or yogurt, apply the paste to your face, put a gauze mask over that, then add another layer and leave it for a while.

So not only do I have to mix it myself, I also need to purchase some gauze and cut it into shape and all?

See petty, lazy complaint at the OMG box about my dislike for DIY in beauty stuff.

Echoice Wash Oatmeal Body Scrub

Nice little body scrub with walnuts and oatmeal.

Tosowoong Timeshift Emulsion

I think I’ve never owned a real honest emulsion before? I have the toner in this line too, it came from my jackpot box. Funny coincidence. I will move the toner out of my storage and use these two together.

Bottom row, left to right

Young Face Natural Soap

Seriously, on the little pamphlet thing, this soap looks like a slice of cheese. Like a slice of pecorino cheese with some blue mould going on at the edge. Why does this thing look like a cheese? Who decided that that was the most flattering picture?

Osho Whitening Cream

This should be a prop in some sci-fi movie. Seriously. A shiny white orb with a sort of slightly reflective, glistening finish to it. It’s probably a good cream though.

Verdict

I’m pretty excited about the emulsion. 

Happy with the body scrub. 

Neutral about the cream. 

Mildly uninterested in the DIY mud mask powder-thing. 

Totally uninterested in the soap. 

The anti blemish serum just wouldn’t be right for my skin.

Hmm. Yea, I think this just adds up to a whole lot of “meh”, unfortunately.

Gotta give it to Memebox though: This box stayed on message and kept the promise as all the products contained grains, some even of several kinds.

Memebox Special #32 OMG 2

So the OMG series was supposed to be the funniest, weirdest and freakiest products that are available in Korean beauty. Snake venom, exotic plant extracts, bee venom, bizarre ingredients in the strangest and most interesting products.

But the first OMG-box was widely criticised for not being OMG at all. The products were nice and all, but bloggers were unhappy with the lack of “OMG” to them.

I first encountered the Memebox too late to order the first OMG-box, but I’d have to say some of the “normal” stuff I’ve received before are far more OMG than the first OMG-box from what I can tell.

I’d also say that in my experience, some times some boxes just completely and totally fail to live up to their initial description.

Still, I ordered the second OMG box when I saw it on the website. (And the third. And the fourth)

Top row, left to right

Seatree: Syn-Ake Total Solution

You randomly received one of two Seatree products and I received the total solution instead of the essence.

This contains syn-ake peptides which are similar to snake venom and hylaluronic acid. So, this doesn’t even contain snake venom, but something chemically similar.

Yea, not OMG.

Priori Aroma Ac Moisture Gel Mist 

It’s a moisture mist with a funny sort of gel-like consistency to it, like the name promised. With bee venom and a bunch of weird plant extracts in it.

It promises to "purify both my skin and my soul". What?

Maybe I’m hardened with this, but the bee venom doesn’t make me go “OMG”. The only OMG is the shameless description of “purifying my soul.” I repeat: What?

Cristallin Cellulose Mask

This is a sheet mask. Yea, that’s about it. A sheet mask made from plant cell wall material.

The only OMG-thing about this is the description: “The jelly-like texture feels like an octopus wrapped around your face.”

Uh. What.

The only “OMG” worthy about this is how little shame Memebox have about their descriptions.

Ladykin Vanpir Dark Repair Cream 

This is a moisturiser with melanin-inhibiting properties, so basically a whitening cream. It has little vampire fangs on the front of the jar.Yea. Not OMG-worthy either. It has a very thick consistency and a funny spicy scent.

Since I now have more creams than I can use and probably more on the way (21 boxes on the way between now and some time in November… Yea, I do think I have a problem, why do you ask?), I have adapted to my luxury problem and I will probably use some of the whitening creams on the scars on my shins instead of using body lotion. Not sure if I should feel bad about it or not.

Bottom row, left to right

Haruen Dorothy Haruen 

It took me a little while to figure this thing out: So, it’s a volcanic rock rollerball thingie that you roll on your face to absorb excess grease. Sounds to me like it would get kind of icky after a while.

Hubby took one look at it and asked if it was some sort of sex toy(!). His comment was “OMG!”-worthy, but the product isn’t. Also, I wouldn’t ever use this thing since my skin is slightly on the dry side.

Seriously, this is just an oil blotting paper that you have to reuse until it has absorbed too much grease and you don’t want to use it anymore.

Milky Dress Bohr-effect Carboxy Gel

Okay, take note, Memebox: This is how a sheet mask works:

• Clean face
• Open pack
• Apply essence-soaked mask to face and chillax for half an hour or so
• Remove mask and move on with your life

A mask should not work like this:

• Clean face
• Apply a gel to face
• Massage gel into face
• Open pack
• Apply dry sheet paper mask to face
• Massage more gel into paper mask

Why wasn’t the gel in the sheet mask already?

This actually makes me go “OMG”, but only for being so irritating and messy.

For those curios, the Bohr effect is that a low pH in the blood will increase the CO2 concentration in the blood, which makes the haemoglobin release oxygen. On the cardboard box it says it “Shrinks pores through Bohr-effect.”

I fail to see what this has to do with an unnecessarily troublesome skin product.

Verdict

Honestly, I’ve received more OMG-worthy items in non-OMG-themed boxes like the Memebox Special #31 Earth & Sea Cosmetics that contained an awesome volcanic ash “mud” mask that even made Mr. Igor curious enough to want to try it, a charcoal mask and a cleansing foam with collagen from pig skin and spider extract. Not impressed.

Today’s hair

Fishtail. Getting better at it…

Everyone seen this one?

That is some kick-ass hair. Literally!

Not sure what to think

My Hubby has never really cared about my hair. In the beginning, he thought it was plain odd. Over the years, he seems to have a slightly amused but slightly indifferent attitude.

He will complain when I buy hair stuff, but likes to play around with the tassel of my braid. Especially when he can use it to tickle and irritate me!

But suddenly yesterday he said he wanted to “See more of my hair”. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that and I didn’t press for more information.

Hmm. Maybe I should do more fun thing with my hair instead of sticking it in my usual braid to braided Nautilus-thing when I’m around the house?

More oils

I have too many now…

This argan oil is a whole lot different than the last one I bought though. Thinner, lighter and smells different.

Hemp oil is my favourite for skin, so this is the only one I will use for my skin only.
I can't remember how much success I've had with avocado oil before, but now I have one again.
M academia oil I like, but now I think about it, I think I have a half empty one somewhere...?

I should take a picture of my whole collection, lol.

Hmm. Maybe it’s time to take a look at my whole oil collection and see if I use even half of them?

The chicken whisperer

When your hair is long enough and your bun is big enough, every picture is a hair picture!

Here's me trying to charm my parent's chickens with some tomatoes.

Memebox #29 Scrub Box

Actually I received this box some time back, but I have been feeling that my Memebox posts are clogging up my blog.

I did after all start my blog to write about hair.

Although my hair care is highly routine based and doesn’t take up a lot of energy or time for me (And the resulting posts probably aren’t super stimulating), that was supposed to be the focus.

Honestly, it’s a blog-reading pet peeve of mine when someone can’t stay focussed on the intended focus of their blog. I mean, often the intended focus is the reason you clicked on it in the first place, right?

Anyways.

Lagging a bit behind on my Meme-review also gave me the chance to actually try the products in question.

In hind sight, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea!

This box was sent to me missing the little product card. It turned out to be quite irritating. I never really realised just how dependent you are on those. I ended up having to Google for another blogger who received the box correctly packed, so I could double check what I received.

By the way, I’m thinking of joining the affiliate program. It means I will get a link with a built in discount for my readers and an additional monthly discount code that can be applied to it.

Of course there is a small bonus in it for me too, but think of it as supporting my hairy habits.

Anyways. On to the box.

Top row, left to right

Eglips JolieBeBe Lip Polish   

I guess this is different from a lip scrub because it is a moisturising treatment too?

This will probably go into my “potential gifts”-pile though. I never used one and I just run my exfoliation over my lips when I’m using one.

Pibugonggam G Facial Scrub

First thought: Holy crapping crap! This looks like the roughest facial scrub ever! Seriously. This looks like grainy, scrubbing hell for my skin!

But when I reluctantly squeezed some out, it turned out that what I thought was horribly sandpapery grains were actually fruit pulp! It felt more like marmalade: Thick, chunky consistency and a heavy fruity smell.

Since it wasn’t grainy at all, I used my Clarisonic with the soft, blue brush head to massage this in and was rewarded with super smooth and glowing skin. It felt super odd massaging the marmalade around on my face though. Truly bizarre sensation!

I think this is more of a chemical exfoliator that uses the natural fruit acid in the fruits to get rid of dead skin cells.

The absolutely bizarre texture aside, I quite like this one.

New Girl Fast Scalp Hair Root Up Ampoule

Yes! This is the reason I bought this box: A scalp scaling gel. Awesome!

I tried a scalp scaling gel for the first time ever some months back and it was instant love: It left my scalp feeling wonderfully clean and “airy”, but without the horrible tight and irritated feeling I always get from shampoo.

I will wait for a day where my scalp is quite dirty before using this little wonder.

Bottom row, left to right

insobeau Natural Base Cereal Peeling Mask

I was quite scrubbed out by the time I got to this one, so I decided to try it on my hands and follow with a good, heavy cream.

Good choice, because damn, this is both heavy in texture and effective!

They really weren’t kidding when they recommended using a foaming cleanser afterwards to get the leftovers off!

I suspect this is both a chemical peel and a mechanical exfoliator. Has a funny smell. Hubby says it reminded him of a spicy cake of some sort.

My hands are now super soft and smooth. But I can’t see myself using this on more sensitive areas like my face.

The Herb Story Foot Scrub Peppermint & Tea Tree  

A pretty straight forward foot scrub with a delightful scent. I like the scent and I like the effect it has, but this is really like most other foot scrubs.

Tosowoong Perfume Body Scrub Wash 

I didn’t expect too much of a scrub that is also a “wash” and I was right: It’s not a heavy scrub, but one you could probably use every day to wash your body.  

Has a funny scent: Sort of citrus-flower-herbal?

This was a very good box. It delivered what it promised and I will use all but a single one of the products. It has a good mix of inoffensive, “normal” products and some that will feel a bit more “experimental” for some. 

Trim

I asked my mother to take off 10 cm, but I think she took more like 8.

Oh well.

I forgot to bring my camera, so she took pictures with hers.

It feels like I have hovered around knee length for years now. Whenever I grow into calf length, the ends get so crappy. But I also can't bring myself to take off a lot more.

You know your hair is getting long...

 ...When you get a trim and you can't even tell the difference!

Today’s hair

Dream catcher Flexi 8 on a Figure 8 bun