Memebox Princess Edition #4 The Little Mermaid Review

**FYI - Memebox no longer ships to Canada.  I'll leave these reviews for posterity but any links or recommendations are sadly no longer for us :( Many of the products can be found elsewhere - check out my post on where else to shop for k-beauty products!

Memebox is a Korean Beauty Box company with a different model than most beauty boxes.  Instead of subscribing to a monthly box, they periodically release new boxes and you can purchase as many or as few as you like.  Boxes usually range from $23 - $29 plus $6.99 for shipping to Canada (shipping can take 10-20 business days so be prepared) although at the moment, they've been on the higher end of that scale and even above it.  Whether this is the new standard pricing remains to be seen.  If it is, I don't know how many boxes I'll continue to purchase since they have also been decreasing the number of items included in each box (most seem to include 5 these days while they used to have 7 or even 8 sometimes).  Express shipping is available for an extra cost or with bundles (more than one box purchased and shipping at the same time).  Again, at the moment, the future of bundles is unclear.  There haven't been as many box releases in the last month and a half which means they have not been releasing bundles.  Whether this is a permanent change, I don't know.   Memebox also offers many of the items from their boxes in their shop - a warning to Canadian shoppers, some of the shop items are for US customers only so don't get your heart set on anything until you check the tag under it!

This box is not currently available for sale, although restocks do happen from time to time (and apparently there will be many during next week's "Customer Appreciation Week"!! My wallet is not as excited as I am!).  Current boxes can be found here.

This was purchased through a previous restock event and was originally released as part of a series of Princess Editions (including a brightening box - Snow White, a night care box - Sleeping Beauty, a hair care box - Rapunzel, a glittery box - Tinkerbell and the Cinderella box which seems to have focused on make-up products).  The Little Mermaid box was billed as including items from the sea which sounded exciting to me - as did the positive reviews I had read before picking it up during the restock! Seriously, the best thing about restocks is that you read reviews so you know what to expect and which boxes are worth your money.  This box was priced at $29.

This special edition box contains 6 full size items (one of which is one-time-use) and looked nice and full when I first opened it up.

Memebox includes these product cards which indicate what each item is, what it is valued at (sometimes these are a little inflated but since I can't get most of these products where I live, I'll cope with that) and how to use it.  I can't stress how valuable the "how to use it" aspect is since I haven't heard of many of these items before and would have no idea what to do with them!  Plus sometimes the packaging is not in English :)

Pureplus+ Bentonite Cleansing Soap ($12 value)

This is a deep cleansing bar for your face which includes Bentonite clay and cocoon silk.  It claims to clean deeply and leave skin soft.  I have not used a bar soap on my face, um, ever I guess, but this sounds pretty nice.  If it doesn't work for me, my husband can use it to wash his face when he's in the shower.  I will try this out, but I have a lot of cleansers on the go or waiting in the wings at the moment.

DD'ell Extra Vitalizing Serum 30ml ($42 value)

This is a serum, a new type of skincare product for me! It is used after an essence but before your moisturizer (or instead of essence if you so choose).  This one contains algae and galactomyces (see my review of the Memebox Empties Box for info on those) and promises to deliver moisture and nutrition.  The packaging includes an eye dropper that is filled by pressing the silver button on top.  When put on the face, the serum is smooth, not sticky, with a light scent.  A little goes a long way.  I have added this to my routine since I don't have anything similar and so far am enjoying it.

Grinif Collagen Aqua Peeling Gel 120ml ($20 value)

This one I'm not so sure about.  A peeling gel is used on clean dry skin to remove impurities - I use one, or an exfoliator, twice a week.  The idea is that you spread the gel on your skin and then massage it, rub it, etc. until the product balls up and peels off then you rinse it off thoroughly.  This helps remove dead skin cells and clear out clogged pores.  This particular peeling gel comes in a spray bottle which is where my hesitation comes from - I'm just not sure this is something that needs to be sprayed on.  I don't need it on my eyes or lips and I don't see how using my hands for more controlled application could be a bad thing.  I have a peeling gel and an exfoliator on the go right now so I'm going to wait on this one and I think when I do use it, I will put it on with my hands.  It just makes me more comfortable.

dearberry Pure & Popular White Clay Pack 100g ($12 value)

This is a clay mask.  Seems pretty standard to me.  Spread over clean, dry skin, let sit for 10 minutes as it begins to dry, then wash off.  I actually have a clay mask that I enjoy and use in the tub to make for less mess.  When that one is finished, I'm in on this one.  Clay does good things for my skin when it's getting a little overly oily so this is right up my alley.

Mizon Hyaluronic Ultra Suboon Cream 45ml ($19 value)

While I am happy to read that this cream is free of parabens and artificial colouring and fragrances, I am less excited to get a cream that is billed as a "moisture magnet".  If I had dry skin or if my combination skin was currently in a dry mode, I'd be all over this but, since I started following an actual skin care regimen, my face has been much more cooperative.  That said the first ingredient is water so I will give this a try when my current creams run out.  Either it will be too heavy for day but get used as a night cream or it will work for day (fingers crossed).

Pure Smile Original Mask Sheet ($1 value)

Ridiculous, I know, but I just love getting sheet masks.  They are never particularly valuable but they are one of my favourite things to receive in a Memebox! I just wish they would send more than one! This mask came in either Seaweed or Pearl and I received the Seaweed version.  For those who have never encountered a sheet mask, they are the easy way to do a face mask - no spreading all over your face! Instead, the package contains a cotton face mask soaked in the essence and you put it over your face.  It has eye holes and a mouth hole (so it looks a little creepy) and the essence helps it stick to your face.  Again, I like to do my masks while taking a soothing bath to minimize the risk of any mess but with these, I find it's less likely.  You put it on a clean face, wear it for 15-20 minutes, remove the mask and pat / massage in the remaining essence then continue your routine with essence / serum if you feel it's necessary (I don't usually) and your regular cream.  A good sheet mask (heck, even a middling one) makes my face feel smoother and moisturized.  

Overall Verdict:

Since I knew what I was getting, I also knew that I would love this box.  The only thing that I find a little disappointing is the weird application method for the peeling gel but I will just do it my own way and make it work.  I am most happy to see two types of masks in here! I love masks so much, I also picked up Christmas Collection #3 Winter Essentials Masks so stay tuned for that review later this week / early next week.  I am also thrilled to receive a serum.  I have received multiple cleansers, essences and creams but this is my first serum so that's exciting.  The soap sounds like an interesting try and we'll see how the cream works for me.  I do like how gentle it sounds.  All told, this box would have cost me $35.99 but I did use an affiliate code to save $5.  It is valued at $116, according to Memebox.  However accurate that price may be (or may not), it is definitely a high value box for me as I am very happy with the contents!