Memebox (미미박스) The Empress’s Secrets

I know there’s been a lot of Memebox posts lately, but I only have two more to go to catch up 🙂 The Empress’s Secrets is the unofficial second edition of the Oriental Medicine box, which had some of my most favorite skincare products, like D’RAN serum and Hanhui CC Cream.

HOW IT WORKS
Memebox Global is not a typical subscription service. They periodically curate boxes filled with assorted beauty products popular among Koreans, and those Limited Edition bundles are sold on first come first serve basis. Prices vary depending on the type of the box. Memebox ships internationally, so make sure to check on their website and see if they ship in your country. All themed boxes tend to sell out fast, so by the time you read this review this particular box might not be available for sale anymore, but could be restocked in the future.
Click here to see available boxes.

COUPON CODES
Take $3 off your order of $30 or more using code LODCS6. Expires 1/31/2015.
Take $5 off your purchase of 3 boxes or more using code MEMEBUNDLE3.
Take $8 off your purchase of 4 boxes or more using code MEMEBUNDLE4.

Order over $100 using this link and receive $5 off automatically at checkout, no code required.
Order over $150 using this link and receive $10 off automatically at checkout, no code required.

SoyBio+ Fermented Lumpoule – Fermented cosmetics are currently really popular both in Asia and the rest of the world, because some of them really work wonders for just about any skin type and concern.

How to use: Spread a few drops over cleansed and toned face, and pat in for absorbance. Suitable for all skin types.

SoyBio lumpoules are lightweight multi-purpose serums that are formulated for brightening, anti-aging, and moisturizing the skin. They layer well under the moisturizer without adding any extra stickiness or oils, and don’t irritate even the most sensitive skin. COSDNA ingredient analysis pretty much speaks for itself – the formula is clean, effective, and free of irritants and acne triggers. Just the good stuff!

Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence – Now I have three products from Tosowoon’s Syn-ake line – this essence, a lotion, and a mist. Tosowoong is a good drugstore brand, like Missha, and I liked most of their products that I tried.

How to use: Apply to areas with fine lines and wrinkles after cleansing and toning. Suitable for all skin types.

Synake is a blend of ingredients that creates the effect of snake venom on the skin and serves like a weak topical muscle relaxant, sort of like Botox. If you frown or squint a lot, then you already know which areas on your face are prone to lines, so instead of applying to the entire face, synake essence would be perfect to use just for those areas to relax the skin and make it look smoother. If used regularly, it can slow down the formation of wrinkles and even out the existing ones because the skin won’t be consistently stretched out as much.

Lime Nature Double Very Moisturizing Cream – I like the classic simplicity of the packaging, it really makes the beautiful lilac-colored gel-cream stand out even more than it already does. The jar is made of very thick glass, so it’s quite weighty, and the box looks really nice, too.

How to use: Apply a pea-sized amount over clean face after toner and serum, and pat in for absorbance. Suitable for sensitive, dry, and dehydrated skin.

I think this moisturizer was created with dry and sensitive skin in mind, and it will probably be too much for me during the warmer months, but I’ve been loving it as a sleeping pack.

Daltokki Facial Scrub – Although I moved and haven’t seen her in a while, my derm used to always recommended skipping physical exfoliation if possible and going for AHA or BHA instead, but I love a good scrubbing sometimes.

How to use: Spread a quarter-sized amount evenly over clean damp face, gently massage in circular motions, and rinse off. Suitable for all skin types.

Daltokki “scrub bunny” is a thick cheesy paste with fine exfoliating grains that will slough away dead skin cells and make your face feel baby smooth. Fun fact: do you like rice cakes? Well, this scrub is basically a scrubby rice cake in a jar, because they used the same ingredients with a few additions 🙂

Purederm Make-up Cleansing Tissues with Green Tea extract were supposed to make it to the favorites, but instead fell short of my expectations, which is quite shocking, because I did enjoy other Purederm products from previous boxes quite a bit.

How to use: Take a wipe out of the package and gently wipe away dirt and makeup, then finish the cleansing routine by using a cleansing oil or foaming cleanser. Suitable for all skin types except sensitive.

The towelettes themselves were not the problem – the material is soft and comfy, and almost feels like an extra thin cotton sheet, – it’s the formula that my skin reacted poorly to. I am sensitive to something that many companies soak their wipes in, because I get that weird tingling sensation and then redness and irritation after using certain types. Funny thing, Purederm wipes with tea tree from Tea Tree box didn’t cause a reaction and so far worked fabulously, but these are in total disagreement with my skin for some unknown reason.

THE VERDICT
Just like Oriental Medicine, The Empress’s Secret box contained five products. Was it a hit? I think so, even though I didn’t care for the cleansing wipes at all. Synake essence completes a a set in my collection, SoyBio lumpoules are always welcome in my stash, the scrub is just straight up hilarious, and the moisturizer makes a divine sleeping pack for my dehydrated skin for Winter. Curation-wise, I didn’t get the feeling that any of these would be among best-kept secrets of palace beauties, but if we ignore the theme [although, why should we?] it was overall a solid box.