AD – This post includes PR Samples from YesStyle. This post also includes affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure page for more details.
As many of you know, I’m a massive fan of subscription boxes… Who doesn’t want a little surprise present to land on their doorstep every month?! Beauty boxes are definitely my ultimate fave as you get to expand your makeup collection and try out new products and brands that you maybe wouldn’t normally reach for in the shop. One aspect of beauty that I’ve been growing interest in since starting my blog is Korean beauty. I’ve read many a great review of Korean beauty products and my understanding is that on a whole, they’re insanely good. So, I thought I’d put this to the test! I received a YesStyle Korean Beauty Sample Box packed full of Korean goodies to try out. Read on for my YesStyle review!
Firstly, I just want to explain just how impressed I am with the quantity of products in this box. Unlike Glossybox, where you normally get 5 or maybe 6 products if you’re lucky, this box had 10 products! That’s insanely good seeing as they’re not tiny little sample sachets, too. First impressions are looking strong!
The next thing I noticed was that the majority of them didn’t have much, if any, English labelling. I’m not sure why this surprised me (they are KOREAN products after all, a bit dumb of me to think they would be labelled with English translations!). Although this meant I would have to spend a little bit of time on Google to figure out exactly what the product is and how to use it, it did add to the mystery and excitement of it all a bit!
As there are so many products in the YesStyle Korean Beauty Sample Box, I thought I would split it into Skincare & Makeup sections for easy reading. The first few products in the skincare portion I want to focus on are the masks. I was lucky enough to receive three masks – discover more about them below!
First up is the Tosowoong Blackhead & Sebum Out Nose Pack. I’ve tried quite a lot of blackhead masks over the years. From Biore to T-Zone to Blackhead Killers, they all pretty much do the same thing – pull the suckers out of your pores. I luckily don’t get HUGE blackheads on my nose anymore, but unfortunately my boyfriend gets quite a few due to his skin being more oily. So, we put these to the test – our verdict? We loved them! They’re definitely the best nose strips we’ve tried – they pulled out a lot more blackheads than our regular T-Zone strips do. To make this even more amazing… they’re only £1.90 for a pack of 8 strips! That is insanely cheap – most other available packs are £5-10. I just cannot recommend these enough!
I was excited to try the I’m Real Broccoli Mask Sheet just for the fact it has a broccoli on the packaging… Korean packaging is pretty darn cool! This face mask was for revitalising and hydrating tired skin, so I saved this for a Sunday where I’d been out drinking and dancing the night before. The sheet mask was really easy to apply – although it was extremely saturated in serum, it didn’t slide down my face like some masks do but stuck to my face well. The various slits in the face mask meant it could fit to the curves of my face well. I left the mask on for about 35 minutes, and when I peeled it off there was still plenty of serum on my skin. I rubbed this in a little, poured out more remaining serum from the sachet and patted this in over the top. I then let this soak in for an hour before following up with a moisturiser. The mask left my skin soft, smooth, and definitely hydrated – my skin felt amazing! The fact my skin absorbed all of the serum just shows how tired and dehydrated it must have been.
The Etude House Collagen Eye Patch, like the Broccoli Mask Sheet, were not thick or gloopy but thin and stuck to the skin well, meaning they didn’t slide down my face. Normally I really struggle with eye masks sliding down my face, so I’m definitely impressed with this! Whilst I didn’t notice amazing differences, I cannot deny that my under eye area got a lot of hydration and attention like it deserved. Check out more YesStyle Etude House products here.
Next up of the skincare I received from YesStyle is the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. At first this product baffled me – wtf is a lip sleeping mask?! I’ve never heard of an overnight lip mask before, so was very intrigued. A bit of research discovered that this is a cult favourite – you use the spatula to cover your lips in the product of an evening, and overnight it will melt away any dead skin cells and help keep your lips hydrated, soft and smooth. In the morning, wipe off any excess and you’re good to go. Also, the product comes with the cutest little spatula in it’s own tiny envelope – I’m obsessed with how cute it is! So, what did I think? Well, I pay a lot of attention to my face of an evening, so it just generally feels nice to incorporate a pamper of my lips, too. Whilst I didn’t really see how it ‘melted’ my dead skin cells, it definitely leaves my lips looking and feeling beautiful by the morning! The formula isn’t overly tacky or sticky either – it’s just like a thicker, more nourishing lip balm. The RRP for this product is £12.76 and seeing as you only need a small amount each night, I definitely think this is a great value.
Update: This has since become my favourite product from my YesStyle Korean Beauty Sample Box that I have since repurchased. If you want to try Korean beauty, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is definitely one to try!
Last but definitely not least is the Etude House Moistfull Collagen Essence. Essence is a new skincare step to me – at first I wasn’t too sure what it was, but a bit of googling discovered it is a fundamental skincare step in Korean Beauty. After cleansing and toning, pat essence onto your skin, then follow up with your usual skincare routine. Essence is kind of like a serum, but tends to be less concentrated. I’ve loved using this product in my routine – it absorbs into the skin quickly and leaves my skin nicely hydrated and smooth. I’ve also found it works really well in my skincare routine when wanting a more dewy makeup base.
There were also various makeup products in the YesStyle Korean Beauty Sample Box – some of which were rather unusual so I was very intrigued to try them out! My swatch below from left to right is; Macqueen Lip & Cheek Cushion tint, 10 Second Auto Pencil Eyeliner, Berrisom Oops Tint Cheek Cushion and Berrisom Oops My Lip Tint Pack. Beneath all of the swatches is the Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream.
Let’s start off with the base – The Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream. It’s a slightly darker/more orange colour on my pale af skin, however it is fair to say that it is very good coverage for a BB cream. Whilst it’s a bit too dark to wear on an every day basis, it’s okay to use on the contoured areas of my face as a base on a more ‘glam’ or full coverage look. I also want to point out that it blends really well with a buffing brush, like my B01 Spectrum brush. It’s also got SPF 30 in, so you know your skin is well looked after!
The MacQueen Lip & Cheek Cushion tint comes in the cutest little bottle, and I love the slanted doe foot applicator – it’s flatter than a regular doe foot applicator and means the product glides onto your lips well. I absolutely love the colour and finish of this – it’s a sort of creamy matte finish. It isn’t drying on the lips nor does it provide intense hydration. I was sightly disappointed with the stay power – as it is meant to be a tint I was expecting the colour to last all day, but you definitely still need to top it up throughout the day. I haven’t actually used this on my cheeks yet – I’m not a huge fan of blush and I think this might be a bit too dark for my liking.
The 10 Seconds Auto Pencil Eyeliner is in shade ‘Diamond Burgundy’, and I don’t think there is a better way to describe the shade at all! It is a beautiful purpley burgundy with purple glitter that really shimmers when it catches the light! Whilst I’m not normally one for coloured eyeliner, it has definitely made me start to experiment more and now I love using it on my top lid for something a bit softer than a harsh black! Even better, the eyeliner is smudge proof so won’t budge on a long night out, and the pencil also has a built in sharpener to keep the nib sharp and pristine. This eyeliner is only £5.90, so gets an easy 10/10 from me!
The Berrisom Oops Tint Cheek Cushion seemed strange to me at first – I’ve actually not experimented with this ‘cushion’ makeup around at the moment, so I was excited to try it out. Although I tend not to wear blush, it is something I am trying to remember to incorporate into my routine more. I’m loving cream makeup as opposed to powdered makeup at the moment, so this would be perfect and easy for me to incorporate into my routine! The product itself has the cutest packaging! It has a squeezy tube and the top is a white cushion that the product pushes through, and when you pat or glide this along your skin it magically applies just the right amount of product! The tint is subtle, blends well and doesn’t seem to stain, which is everything I’d want in a blusher… I just really need to remember to use it!
The Berrisom Oops My Lip Tint Pack was another strange product – a peel off lip tint?! I’ve seen a lot of Youtube videos of these peel off makeup products so was intrigued to try it out! The shade I received was Pure Pink. Whilst I found the peeling off bit a little bit tricky, I can’t deny it is a very good lip tint – it really does stain and last for hours! You have to be suuuuuper careful not to get it on your skin, though.
From my experience having received and reviewed this YesStyle Korean Beauty Sample Box, I would say that yes – YesStyle is legit. I also know people who have placed orders and received them happily. Apparently, the delivery time can be quite a wait, but the website itself definitely seems legit and trustworthy!