My first Memebox: 10MinuteBox

A month or so ago, I got rather annoyed when the one beauty box I subscribed to seemed to think that tea and notebooks were somehow beauty items. Nope. Cancelling my subscription, I decided to try out  Memebox, which is a Korean beauty box subscription service. Korean cosmetics are known for being super cute and for having great/interesting skincare, which are of course things literally everyone is interested in, no?

Memebox seems to work a little differently to usual boxes - they do have a monthly box, which seems to sell out, and they also have one-off boxes as well. If you go onto their site, there are a variety of boxes available, and you can buy them as a one-off as opposed to a subscription, which I think is great. It’s hard to determine which is the regular monthly box as there are so many to choose from – including themed boxes such as a green tea box and boxes for dudes, and the larger Superboxes – and the website isn’t super explanatory - but I believe it’s the numbered boxes.

Buying boxes gives you points which you can use off of your next order or in the store- this order shipped late, so I was given points to spend, which I immediately put toward another box! They do take a while to ship boxes after they're bought, but you're let know the shipping date and my box was here five days after it actually shipped, which is great as it came from Korea! They're a little more expensive than the average £10-15 beauty box - I believe after conversion into pounds, this was £18.

The box I chose was the 10MinuteBox:

"The hottest Memebox has just arrived! It comes with the most perfect make-love-happen-now beauty products that will get you all polished up for a night you'll never forget!"
The premise of this box was getting ready for a date quickly so I was hoping for makeup items in this box!”

Cute box, no? Let's see what I got - all products are the full sized version:

 

Aromalab EverEssence Designer Fragrance Oil in 8 Women ($34)

I'm not a huge fan of perfume oils or rollerballs, but this is pleasant enough. I don't get the jasmine promised on the box, but I do get a light rosy musk at the start drying to something a little more woody. This will live in my desk drawer at work for a little pick me up during the day but I can’t see it being a staple.

Hope Girl Powdery Body Perfume ($49)

cheers box

HOW cute is this? This is what I got the box for - cute brands that I've never heard of! I'm not sure how useful this product will be - it's a silica-based powder that claims to absorb sweat and keep you feeling fresh, with a subtle scent. Mine is in the scent 'Tropical Lovers' and it's a subtly sweet, coconut-y sort of scent. It’s a light scent, again, pleasant enough. You can apply with the puff in the lid, or unscrew the top to dip a brush in, or to refill. If I don't wind up using this powder – which remains to be seen to be honest! - I'll decant my regular face powder into it because it is so darn cute!

 

Hope Girl Milky Balm Lipstick in Red Burgundy ($24)

Oh, glory, glory! More leopard print! In the form of a burgundy lipstick, nonetheless! I have no qualms here whatsoever – the packaging so right up my alley it’s ridiculous. And as for the lipstick itself? Lovely! Creamy, opaque, not too glossy, no slip and very comfortable. This ticks all the boxes. I’d buy more from the brand. The star item in the box in my opinion!

Secret Romance Hair Essence Lovely 60ml ($39)

 

This is a 'pheromone hair essence that leaves your hair smelling like a sensual rose all day.' It also claims to nourish and increase shine. I can't read the ingredients as they're in Korean, which makes it harder to determine what it might actually do! This is an oily-feeling serum with a light, powdery scent, but I'm not sure it smells of rose - perhaps it's a little masculine smelling?! I can't put my finger on it but I like it. From trying it out quickly, a little goes a long way! I'll be trying this out further to see if I can coax a little love back into my dry ends! I am also totally convinced the pheromones in this will turn my other half into a crazed sex beast.

Laboratory Eyelash ($5)

legit and professional application is definitely not straight from the box with no glue at all, nope nope

These are so cute! And how cheap are lashes out there? Pretty jealous. These are chunky yet still manage to have a thin lash band - so in my eyes, basically pretty perfect. Can't wait to use these properly, they are banging!

So...would I get another Memebox? Ahem.  I already ordered one before this one came, but basically, yes, I'm excited to get the next one! A nice mix of unusual items  - which is the point! – that are all full sized,  good value compared to the price of the box, great customer service, you’re not tied in to buy one each month. Yep, yep, yep. Memebox are doing it right.

Have you tried this box? What's your favourite subscription box?

The Morbid The Merrier Review

It got to the point where I felt everyone was talking about The Morbid The Merrier and I just had to give in. I ordered six samples and one Solid Perfume.

Gorgeous packaging? Sweeties?! The most beautiful handwriting ever?!! *flail*

I ordered samples of Black Jack, Paramour, Horseman, Natali and Kuku and received a free sample of Shanteu. The sold perfume was Dessert Absinthe. This is my first proper perfume review and I don’t have a very sophisticated nose at all, but I’ll do my best!

Dessert Absinthe

I took my usual absinthe perfume oil and softened it with cream and sugar and soft citrus. Upon opening, the first notes are lemon, sugar, and anise - very reminiscent of a lemon sugar cookie. After wearing it for just a few minutes, however, the bottom notes emerge... woodsy, earthy, mysterious, and alluring. I created this perfume for those who prefer something softer and more feminine than traditional absinthe.

On first sniff, you smell a sweet, creamy scent with a hint of bitterness to it… not unlike a dark chocolate and mint dessert. After a few minutes on the skin you can definitely smell the absinthe/anise sharpness cutting through and it’s fabulous. I’ll find it dries to a more milky, sweet scent and the anise fades quite noticeably, but it does leave a subtle woodiness there. I’ve only ever had one solid perfume before and it had no longevity and was in a pot, not a twist-up tube, so this is a revelation. (Yes, Lush, I am looking at you.) Would certainly repurchase this one. My boyfriend says it smells ‘like cake,’ which I took to mean ‘I like this.’ I reckon I get around 5 hours with this one before I feel the need to reapply so I can smell it.

Paramour

”Oh, romance. Or something like it. A dozen red roses, spilled wine, a hint of blood, and gunsmoke."

A really hard one to describe…. I’ve never worn anything quite like this!. The rose note is certainly prominent initially, and there’s a certain spiciness to it… if it’s a gunsmoke smell, it’s certainly the sharpness of firecrackers. Personally I’m not really getting the wine, and to me, the scent just fades rather than having a bottom note emerge. Boyfriend says this ‘smells like the inside of a Skittles bag.’ Not sure what to make of that other than his nose is broken. Adore this, will certainly be getting a solid or full size of this one. It's very sexy.

Black Jack

”Black Jack is sexy, dark, and earthy. Citrus top notes and vanilla-wood middle notes are supported by a base of black, smoky leather. Unbelievably sensual and gorgeous. “

Initially, I don’t like the smell of this at all – I’m getting an almost almondy, marzipan scent at first, which I really don’t like, but then it settles down and the leather and vanilla really come through. I probably wouldn’t repurchase this one because of the marzipan thing, which is a shame as I do love the leather notes as it fades. Boyfriend says ‘smells like…. TCP.’ Okay then… moving swiftly on!

Horseman


”Fiery jack-o-lanterns, black leather boots, temple incense, and the edge of a dark Autumn wood. Opens sweet, almost caramel-foody, but after only a few minutes on the skin, it darkens dramatically, almost changing into a different scent altogether.”

This is part of last year’s Hallowe’en collection and I hope that it’s still available when I next go to buy as I need a solid of this at least. The incense is initially very strong indeed,  but after ten minutes or so, a really comforting leather scent starts to come through. I guess I can smell the caramel-foodyness because I don’t smell like a new pair of boots. Compared to Black Jack, this is less leathery. Utterly gorgeous. Boyfriend says ‘Yeah, it's alright.'

Kuku

"Kuku is a stunning combination of sweet neroli, wood, and leather. It's the feminine version of my Black Jack. Opens up sweet and flowery but, like her namesake, should not be underestimated... this lady has quite a dark side!"

This is the one perfume from my order that just doesn't work for me. I'm not getting the leather coming through much on this one - personally for me the floral is a little too cloying. It's not a horrible scent by any means, I just it doesn't suit my perfume personality. I'd certainly go for Black Jack over this one. Boyfriend says this 'smells of hippies.'

Natali

“…a brooding yet comforting blend of sweet, spicy orange and dark, fragrant chocolate with a heart of vanilla and wood.”

Amanda/Snarky Princess kept on telling me that this smells exactly like chocolate orange and initially that is exactly what I get! Boyfriend says ‘Yeah…. kind of smells like chocolate orange a bit,’ which I took to mean ‘Oh, what a sophisticated foody scent. Delightful!’ I really want my mum to smell this! The orange scent fades after a while leaving a slightly spicy, chocolatey scent. Really lovely.

Shanteu

Citrus with a musky undertone? It’s an odd one out of the bottle… I can't find this online to get a decription of it, so I really have no idea what I'm smelling. I know I like it though! Saaaaahry!

*Edit: I'm a twat. It's Shatell, not Shanteu, and it's part of the Odditoria range. The site says: 'Key notes: pikake, amber, cedar, pink and black pepper, wood, moss.'






Overall, I’m really enjoying these perfumes! I seem to notice with most of them that the top notes fade away fairly quickly, so I’ll bear that in mind for future purchases! I’ll be placing another order soon, that’s for sure. I love having unusual, great value perfume in gorgeous packaging that I can sling in my bag – and who wouldn’t? These are very unusual scents, but you get a good deal on sample packs so I’d really recommend them. I was pretty impressed with the turn around time as well – my package shipped within five days of purchase. I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that if you like lighter, fruitier, girly scents this site may not be for you. If you like to smell like ye olde Brothel, which I do, then I suggest checking TMTM out sooner rather than later.

So…. any TMTM recommendations for me? Voix De Ville and Lion Tamer sound interesting! Who should be my next indie B&B purchase?

May Favourites

I said I wouldn't do another favourites post, and apparently I'm a liar. Ah well. Let's see what I've been enjoying this month.

Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche
There's something about a Chanel fragrance that's so luxurious to me! This is an old favourite of mine that my boyfriend bought for me for my birthday - he says it smells of me, so I guess I have to wear it! Shame. It apparently has notes of 'Jasmine, Water Hyacinth, Citron, Teakwood, White Musk, Patchouli Amber, Vetiver,' but I don't know what any of those things smell like - to me it smells awesome. I should really write more perfume reviews.

Fyrinnae Damn Paladins
My favourite neutral and go-to shadow, I've been bunging this on quite a lot lately! Soft clay-taupe with green/blue shimmer - really unusual and beautiful, but still subtle enough for those gotta-get-outta-the-house mornings! I'm wearing it here, here, here... you get my drift. If my makeup was on fire, this is one of those shades I'd burn my hands to shit for to save.

Milani Orange-Gina
Ok, so I only got this right at the end of May as a gift from Wendy, but I love it already! You all know I love an orange lippy and I'd been lusting after this for ages! It's packed with a pretty intense gold shimmer - it's just uber flattering on me and I love it. You can see me wearing in our Inglot haul video here.

Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen by Todd Debreceni.
Yes, it's a book. Since I got my Kindle, pages confuse me, but I keep picking up this bad boy, opening a page at random and learning something new - this book is crammed with prosthetics stuff I had no idea about! My mum bought me this book for my birthday because she thought I'd find it interesting. If you always skip to the makeup on DVD extras, this book is well worth a look. It's got everything from facial anatomy to bald caps to wigs to making false ears.  Really cool book, fanks Mum!

Calvin Klein Eyeshadow Brush 2.
I bought a load of discount brushes from Fragrance Direct and this a really cute eye brush. It's a fluffy paddle shape, so nice if you blend with a windshield wiper motion, and dense enough for application if you want a wash of colour. Nice all-rounder, bargain at £2.99!

Well, that's all folks - not that much from me this month, I know, but it's been a very makeup-less month - I haz a lazy. I have a feeling I know what June's favourites are going to be already though! Feel free to point me in the direction of your May favourites posts.