This is my first TesterKorea haul! It’s a relatively small one, but still a treat for me. To be quite freakin’ honest, I used my sister’s birthday as an excuse to buy a gift for her as well as for myself. I should not have done that, but I’ve saved up enough to do so, from years of being a cheap-o college student who works instead of sleeping. So sue me. Although please don’t, because I still couldn’t afford that.

The Damage:

The total for these 7 products came out to ₩39,140 + ₩9,000 shipping = ₩48,140, or US$41.04. (Due to varying conversion rates, prices below won’t total up to this exact amount.) Please note that I am not kidding about being a cheapskate, so I will only buy something over $20 if it comes highly recommended. Or if I lose my s*** and impulse-buy all of the things.

It took about 4 days for my order status to change to “Shipped,” then 8 days for it to arrive. This may be faster than many others outside of Asia might experience, as I live in Hawai‘i. I suppose for once, someone knew not to barge it to California before sending it off to me. Yay! Of course, we’re not counting how many days I had to wait to go to the post office because the package arrived when no one was home. But we don’t have to talk about that right now.

So, are you ready?

The Things:

1. SKINFOOD Hair Magic Pad – Star and Cloud (₩1,000/~US$0.86 pack) I’d always wanted to try these ever since I saw Jen (Frmheadtotoe) use a similar product! I am currently using the Cloud for my bangs whenever I do my nightly routine. I may do a proper review of this sometime soon, because the concept is so simple and does its job. And it’s cheap! Sunglasses not included.

2. Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule

(A.K.A. “Missha Longer Name Ampoule”) samples (₩4,000/~US$3.43 pack) Phew, what a faceful. I ordered thinking it was the “Missha Long Name,” or the old formula without “Borabit” (purple) in its name, because TK did not seem to have samples of the new formula. To my pleasant surprise, TK must have run out of the old formula, because they sent me this! Even better, [spoiler alert] they sent me an extra sample in their courtesy sample pack below. Woohoo!

3. Missha Natural Soft Jelly Cleansing Puff (konjac sponge) – White Clay and Charcoal (₩3,000/~US$2.57 ea.) These are my first konjac sponge purchases. I was a little taken aback because I knew konjac sponges to be dry and hard when not in use, so I had to ask the /r/AsianBeauty community what the heck was up with this. Turns out I’m just a konjac noob and this is totally normal of some brands, including Nature Republic.

4. ECHOICE Green Tea Oil Control Paper (₩700/~US$0.60 ea.) I bought three of these because it’s so cheap for 80 sheets. I used to buy e.l.f.’s 50-sheet pack for about $1 each, but lo and behold, here is an 80-sheet pack for ₩700 (~US$0.60). Boom.

5. Nature Republic Help Ceramide Mask Sheet 20ml (₩500/~US$0.42) I needed to fill up my shipping bracket, so why not? I don’t sheet mask very often at all because it wasn’t always budget-friendly, so I just try to pick one up whenever I find a cheap one. Doesn’t hurt that I’ve been eyeing Nature Republic for a while, too.

6. Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence

(formerly White Power Essence, A.K.A. “Racism Essence”)

(₩18,500/~US$15.86 ea.) Ferments and niacinamide and racism, oh my! While I did get the changed name on the box and label names, someone at Cosrx didn’t proofread very well because the label description still says “White Power.” Oh dear. Anyway, this is my first Cosrx buy. I know I could have gotten this elsewhere for cheaper, but I figured, I might as well order everything together at TK without worrying about shipping rates from elsewhere. I am quite excited to finally hang out with Mr. Rx soon and smear this ever-popular essence all over my face.

7. SKINFOOD Black Sugar Strawberry Mask Wash Off (₩7,040/~US$6.03) This was the gift for my sister. She is a strawberry lover and I thought she could use some Asian skincare treats. So far, she likes it! She says her skin definitely feels softer, clearer, and less oily. The SKINFOOD Black Sugar Masks are pretty popular; they’re gentle yet tasty effective weekly scrubs. (Please do not eat this. It does not taste as good as it looks…Or so I have heard.)

8. Free samples – SKINFOOD Watery Berry Toner, Missha Longer Name, Su:m37 Flawless Regenerating Eye Cream, Nature Republic Snail Solution Foam Cleanser, SKINFOOD Lime Secret Shine Light Base, and Tony Moly Banana Sleeping Pack

I love samples. It’s a great courtesy and gives me a chance to try new things I wouldn’t have found or bought otherwise. Also, dat BONUS MISSHA LONGER NAME AMPOULE. Thanks, undiscerning TK employee!

Sometimes, you just gotta treat. yo. self.

Have you ordered on TesterKorea before? Any raves, rants, or recommendations from these products? 🙂