Bellabox July: Spotlight on Asian Skincare Brands

Beauty boxes are all the rage now, and as with any product, there are pros and cons. The pros? If you're someone like me, who has waaay too much skincare and makeup (and I'm pretty sure my grandkids and great-grandkids can inherit my eyeshadows and blushes), but still want to try out the latest and greatest every month, then beauty boxes are a good way of getting your fix, without worrying about adding to your stash. After all, they're essentially mini and sample-sized products, so you can try them out, decide if you like them or not, and either buy the product, or move on. The cons? Well, they are essentially just mini or sample-sized products, and you can't pick and choose your samples. So if a box is not well-curated, there will be times where you feel like, "Oh man, I just spent all this money on a bunch of samples I'm not keen on." That's part and parcel of suscribing to beauty boxes - some months you like better, and some months you like less, but overall, it kind of evens out.

So, it is with that in mind when I say I wasn't that keen on this month's July Bellabox. It's not that it's bad - it's just that the samples in this box were interesting, but nothing really caught my eye and made me go "Wow", and the brands in the box were good, but not really to my interest. This month's box focuses heavily on skincare from various Asian brands, so while this month's box may not be my cup of tea, I'm certain someone else may like it.



First, we have some SKII samples. We have samples of Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser, Cellumination Deep Surge, Cellumination Mask-In Lotion, and Facial Treatment Essence. These are pretty small sizes, but I suppose SKII is an expensive brand. They'll be good to pack for an overnight or weekend trip, so these samples get stashed in my travel supplies. It's definitely easier to bring a few sample sizes for longer trips, as opposed to bringing full sized products.



Next, we have other skincare samples, not from SKII but also from other Asian brands. We have a sample of L'egere (a Korean brand with a pseudo-French name) White BB All-In-One Cream, and a one-time trial packet of Skinmiso's Pore Beauty Nose Pack. These aren't that bad, I think BB Cream is one of those things you absolutely have to sample before you buy or else you run the risk of being disappointed, and the Skinmiso product looks interesting - you basically use the first nose pack, which is a mask you stick on your nose, and it's supposed to draw out your blackheads, and then you manually exfoliate with the black Q-tip provided. And then after you've dredged out the oil from your pores, you use the second nose pack. I'm not sure how a mask you stick on your nose is supposed to draw out the blackheads enough for you to manually exfoliate them, but I hope to give this a try and let you know how it goes. (On a side note, I do happen to have lots of blackheads, so if it works on me, I'm sure it'll work on anyone...)



Lastly, we have the non-skincare products. This consists of a small cute bottle of Jimmy Choo perfume, a Twistband and a pen shaped like a lipstick. I like perfume, and I like cute tiny bottles of perfume, so this is alright with me. I've seen bloggers rave about the Twistbands but to me, it's just another hairtie. It looks really pretty though - I've begun using it, and so far it hasn't disappointed. I was just a bit surprised to receive a hairtie in a beauty box. But I guess if they can send shampoo samples, they can send hairties too.



For me, the highlight of this month's box was the SKII samples. Still, I liked the other skincare products, and the Skinmiso product piqued my curiousity, so although there wasn't anything in there this month that wowed me, I wouldn't say it's a waste of money.

I guess that's just all part and parcel of suscribing to a beauty box - there will be some months where you feel like you really got your money's worth from the box, and there will be some months where you feel like the box isn't that great. With that said, I suppose as long as the boxes are consistent from month to month, and there are no customer service issues, people will continue to suscribe. The surprise, after all, is part of the fun. If you like Korean and Japanese skincare brands, this month's box will be more to your taste.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)