The 3B box Unboxing + First impressions

It’s been a long long time since I’ve gotten any type of subscription boxes. Couple years ago when I was branching out and wanting to dip my toes into K-beauty, Memebox was still around shipping internationally.  I wouldn’t call Memebox subscription service but more like a pre-paid mystery box that was filled to the brim with full size/ deluxe sized products.  After a year of that madness and Memebox pulling the plug on international shipping, I was still left with a mountain full of products to use even to this day.  So subscription services don’t really interest me all that much since I have so much to go through.  3B contacted me recently and asked if I would be interested in trying out their service.  At first I was like hmm, but then I remembered not all of you guys are like me with a crazy stash.  So in the name of science, I said yes σ(≧ε≦ｏ).  Curious?  Let’s get started then!

What is 3B box exactly?
For $12 a month (shipping included), you get four to five deluxe sized asian beauty samples.  So this isn’t bounded by Korean cosmetics, they also offer Taiwanese and Japanese as well!

Shipping!!  US or international?
I think this is the most important question you guys are wondering right?  Unfortunately for the rest of the world, this service is currently only shipping within the USA.  Yes, I know… it’s super confusing for you guys because I’m a Canadian but I get these samples to show you.  The easiest way I can explain is that majority of my readers are from USA and companies that approach me mostly operate from US so that is their targeted audience.  However 3B told me they do have a waiting list for international customers so they may or may not open up shipping international shipping in the near future.

Other then the sample service, do they have a store as well?
From what I can see, there seems to be a store in the works where you can buy full sized items of the samples you get in the box.  I’m not too sure as to when the store will be open, but I thought I’d just let you guys know that is also a feature to their site.

If you guys follow me on IG, you would have seen a live unboxing on my IG stories (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑.  I’m always posting weird happenings along with blogger mail time sooooo….. why haven’t you followed me yet! GO GO!

So when you get it in the mail, you get a box that looks like this with the logo right on the outside so you know what your getting.

Opening up the  box, there doesn’t seem to be any bubble wrap but everything came intact.

Aww there is also a really sweet note :).  Thanks 3B team!

To my surprise, 3B not only sent me one bag, they sent me TWO!  What on earth….

I’m not too sure which month’s bags these were from since it doesn’t really say but I do think the one on the right is the September one.

I actually saw this bag on Instagram a while back and I remembered thinking “Oh!  A cute mini size of the Skin Food’s royal honey propolis essence that I’ve always wanted to try!”

Each month’s bag comes with a information card all in English.  This is super important since not all of us can read Korean, me included.  I am always scraping by trying to find information in English or begging a Korea friend to translate for me so this is really really important.  This month’s bag comes with:

-Leaders Brightening Recovery mask
“This premium coconut gel mask contains Telangym and Niacinamide to even out your skin tone and restore radiance to your skin for a glowing complexion.  Remove mask from packaging and peel off protective film from one side.  Place mask on face and remove other side of protective film.  Smooth mask to fit the contours of the face.  Leave on for 20 minutes and pat excess serum into face and neck.”

Leaders sheet masks has been around for a while but unfortunately for me, I’ve never got around to trying them out.  Now there’s no excuse since I have one on hand haha.  I don’t have any expectations but I do hope it lives up to it’s reputation.
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-Sulwhasoo Essential firming cream
” This luxurious cream is blended with potent Korean medicinal herbs to instantly firm and tone while stimulating collagen for a long-term lift.  Adlay millet detoxifies and promotes elasticity while pomegranate, green tea and ginkgo fight free-radicals to maintain a youthful radiance.  Swap this for your usual AM/PM moisturizer.”

I’m not rich, so a brand like Sulwhasoo is a little out of reach for me to maintain buying it over and over again.  I don’t want to blindly spend $90 on a moisturizer so to get it in a sample box is aweseome!  I mean even just buying the sample packets can cost you $5… kind of ridiculous.  I can finally try this brand that is suppose to fart magic onto your face, yes LOL.

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-Skinfood Royal Honey propolis Essence
“Propolis extract is created by black bees and known as nature’s antibiotic.  It’s anti-inflammatory, great for acne-prone skin and non-comedogenic (which means it won’t clog your pores).  This essence boasts an impressive list of ingredients with 50% black bee propolis extract, 20% royal jelly extract and 10% royal black honey extract.  Apply 3-4 drops after toning.”

Like I mentioned, this was a product I wanted to try for a long time but I knew it wouldn’t be smart for me to buy a full size since there was no way I could finish it!  Mini size makes me happy :).

-Dewytree Blackhead out nose patch
“Volcanic ash from Jeju island and charcoal extracts clean out any clogged pores and remove blackheads.  Peel strip off of plastic liner, wet nose, and apply strip to moistened nose.  Let strip dry for 10-15 minutes and carefully peel off starting at the edges.  Even if you don’t have blackheads, you can use this to clean out your pores!”

This might be one of the only product I may not try since nose strips seems to not work for me at all.  Doesn’t matter what kind, what brand, it doesn’t really work for me.  I am impressed that they were able to include Dewytree.  Its more of an indie brand I would say?  I was introduced to it a long time ago by Memebox when they included the snail cream in their snail box and that cream did wonders for my boyfriend.

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-Aritaum fresh power essence pouch sleeping pack
“Honey is one of our top ingredients thanks to its anti-bacterial properties and skin-boosting antioxidants.  This sleeping mask is perfect for lathering on as your last step in your night time skincare routine and waking up with a beautiful glowing skin.  Rinse off in the morning.  Each pouch can be used 2-3 applications.”

Another well known brand included in the bag!  I’m very familiar with Aritaum but I don’t have much personal experience with them so I’m happy to get more products from the brand.  This bag includes a sleeping pack, something I enjoy since when I do my skincare, I just want to sleep from being exhausted from working.  Sleeping packs are awesome since you use it just like a moisturizer, go to sleep while doing an 8 hour mask and just wash it off in the morning.  The packet has enough product to use it for 2-3 times plus there is a cap on it so you can keep it sealed up until your next use!
At first when I got this bag, I thought this was honey themed.  I was like wait.. then why is there a giant bottle of aloe vera LOL.  Oh no, I’m just blind.  They were just showcasing the functions of honey as an ingredient in skincare.  Duh…  Sometimes man… I’m so blind.  I mean I even got new glasses and I still can’t see.  Sigh. ¯\_ಠ_ಠ_/¯

-Etude House Honey cera eye serum
“This eye serum boosts an incredible list of our hero ingredients such as honey, ceramide, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.  What do all those ingredients do?  They will nourish, firm, hydrate and brighten the eye area.  What more could we ask for in an eye treatment?  We also love that it’s extremely light so we can use it in the AM.”

Another product I wanted to try!!  When Etude House came out with their honey cera line last year, I really wanted to try the eye serum but again, talked myself out of it since I knew there would be no way for me to finish everything.  A blogger’s turnover has to be speedy so we can try as many products to review for you guys.  Luckily this has landed on my lap in mini size!

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-Etude House Honey cera cream
“As we head into the cooler months, we need a no-fuss cream that’s hydrating but doesn’t feel heavy.  This cream doesn’t sit on our skin or leave our face sticky.  We especially recommend it for normal to dry skin types or individuals who need a little boost of moisture as the weather cools.”

Mini moisturizers are always welcomed into my collection.  I think all my dry skin girls and guys can totally understand the way we hoard moisturizers just to get through the winter time without feeling super dry.  Again, Etude House’s honey cera line is something I’ve longed to try so now I have the chance hehe.

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-Skin79 super plus triple function BB cream
“This is one of the hottest BB creams in Asia- not to mention one of our all-time favourites.  It contains sebum controlling ingredients such as kava and purslane extract so it’s perfect for those with combination skin.  This BB cream provides medium to full coverage with SPF 25 PA++ to provide a flawless canvas for the rest of your makeup.  Apply with your fingers or a flat stippling brush for best results.”

Ahh the hot pink of it all.  This is an OG, well loved BB cream that was all the rage in the beauty community 7 years back, both east and west.  I remembered seeing this all over Youtube and people just singing their love for this product to the moon.  I have actually reviewed this product (link here) and yes, I also joined the bandwagon long ago and I do love this BB cream myself.  Since then, I have converted to BB cushions but I still love this BB cream.  It is a little too grey for my liking but it does slightly oxidize once it settles.  On top of that, it glides over my dry patches and evens out my complexion so what more can you as for!

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-Heimish all clean balm
“This cleanser will go on your skin in solid form and convert into oil upon massaging!  The sherbet style cleansing balm dissolves your make up while leaving your skin hydrating and moist.  We love that it contains an impressive list of natural ingredients such as shea butter, botanical oils, and coconut extract.  It’s free of parabens, artificial fragrances, and artificial colourings.  Use on dry skin as your oil based cleanser and follow up with your favourite foam cleanser.”

Heimish has been blowing up all over the Korean blogs and vloggers.  Many have fallen in love with their eyeshadows to their lipsticks, others have raved about their BB cushion and even their cleansing balm.  My eyes widened so much when I saw there was Heimish of all brands included in the bag!!  The brand is suppose to be on the natural side but honestly, “natural” is just a marketing scheme, let’s be real.  As long as the product works well on my skin and doesn’t irritate it, I’m happy.  I can’t wait to compare this to my Banila co, Shara Shara and Nooni cleansing balms!

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-Welcos Kwailnara aloe vera moisture real soothing gel
“For those days when your skin is just acting up and will not work with any products, we turn to this soothing gel as our moisturizer.  Many K-beauty brands carry aloe soothing gels but we love this one because it is alcohol free.  It contains 98% organic aloe vera, cucumber extract, and vitamin E.  Your sensitive irritated skin will thank you.”

Aloe Vera gel, something everyone needs in their collection.  Whether you are dry or oily, this is something that is very handy to have in your collection.  I use this mostly during the Summer time when it is super hot and I just want something to moisturize and cool my body.  You can also use this on your face but it definitely isn’t moisturizing enough for me personally so I use it mainly for my body.  Not exactly the most exciting product but I’m very impressed they actually included a full size product in the pouch.

$12 a month for very well thought out selection of samples really isn’t a bad deal at all.  Out of all the K-beauty subscription services out there, 3B definitely is one I’d recommend since they honestly seem to know what their doing.  I personally have a hard time getting myself to use foil packets so I was worried I may not like these pouches but to my surprise, 90% of the products that came in the pouches were mini deluxe jars and tubes which I will definitely use!  Overall I’m super impressed with 3B and I’d highly recommend those of you who either want to expand their collection or just want to try oversea products before blindly ordering online, this is the place to be!

So what do you guys think about the curation?  Anything that caught your eyes?  What would you like me to try first?  Let me know in the comments down below.

P.S. The 3B team gave mema coupon code for you guys!! So make sure to use it when you subscribe!

CHRISTINAHELLO: free bonus in your first box

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