I need to start by saying that I am a huge K-drama fan. I watch K-dramas since 2006 and I just can’t get enough (If you are also a fan, on MyDramaList you can see which dramas I liked). I watch them at the expense of my sleep and my hobbies (yes, I would probably post more on the blog if it wasn’t for the new episodes of my favorite K-dramas coming every week). My friends think I am completely nuts, and I feel I am spending my time as a ‘around-the-clock’ Korea advocate. So of course when I found the K-drama makeup box while browsing the Memebox online store I didn’t think twice. I HAD TO HAVE IT.

In general, I am not a huge fan of subscription boxes. I am super picky with my skincare, I usually know very well what I want as I read a lot of reviews and do my research, and I hate surprises. So I will most probably not subscribe fully to Memebox. But what I found quite exceptional, is that Memebox allows for an individual purchase of their past boxes online, without committing to a subscription. This is great! When you know in advance what you are buying, Memebox is actually quite a good deal. Big size quality products and all that for an accessible price (prices of the boxes vary – and they have many promotions). I am in!

So let’s jump into the Unboxing of the K-drama Memebox!

The K-drama Memebox contains 9 items + a little transparent pouch for pencils and brushes.

The items are:

Eyeshadow – #PB302 Peony Coral

Eyeshadow – #PG308 Gemstone

Lipstick – #BC012 Nothing Hill

Lip Liquid – #PK603 Belle

Lip Liquid – #RD600 Maleficiant

Lovely Concealer – #01 Beige

Eyebrow Pencil – #BP04 Light Brown

Cushions

Eye-shadow brush

I should start by saying that I love make-up. I love doing my make-up and the one of my girl friends, probably in a different life I would have loved to be a make-up artist. I tried tons of make-up products from internationally recognized brands, and I am very picky! The choice of make-up products in this Memebox is supposed to help you recreate a K-drama style. From my observation, most K-drama actresses wear a very subtle, ‘barely there’ make-up style with a bright lip. I think that 9 items is a good deal, the diversity is also not bad, even though I would prefer for example a blush or a pencil instead of having three lip products. I totally love the sweet names each make-up item has, like ‘Belle’ or ‘Maleficent‘ – makes them quite unique!

Let’s start by the eye shadows:

The first shadow, called ‘Peony Coral‘ is a nice slightly matte coral. It is not very pigment intensive, so it is ideal for a more sophisticated make-up – it is true that I see a lot of coral on K-drama, it creates an innocent, fresh and girly look. I like this color so much that I also use it on the apples of my cheeks as a blush – well, who says you can’t, no?

But I think my favorite color is still the ‘Gemstone‘, it is a shiny beige-brown-gold (ok, try to imagine that…), that I think looks good on everyone. I like how the box mixed one matte and one shiny/sparkling color. Both colors look great separately but also can be mixed together to create a unique look.

I have quite dark brows for a blonde so I usually don’t use a brow pencil – but if I do, my priority is a super natural look. I would just use the eyebrow pencil to discipline my brows and add a bit of texture, so I need a light color for a very subtle correction. For this purpose, I am very happy with the #BP04 Light Brown eyebrow pencil from this Memebox, it has a light color that blends well with my brows. I don’t know how this will work out on darker brows, but for girls with blond or light brown hair it is a nice color. The eyebrow pencil has also a little brush on the other side – very handy!

And here how these colors work out on my skin:

In this K-drama Memebox there is as much as three different lip products – one lipstick and two lip glosses.

The Lipstick ‘Nothing Hill’ has a classy packaging that reminds me of Bobbi Brown, Smashbox and Chanel lipsticks. The color is a very classic pink nude shade that should be flattering for everybody. The lipstick is very creamy soft, and leaves a velvety moisturized (but not shiny!) finish, it is also easy to apply as it goes on smoothly and is color concentrated. The perfect balance between matte and creamy. I like also the sweet smell of this lipstick, it reminds me of peaches! Having lived in London, I can see why this lipstick is called ‘Nothing Hill‘ – it indeed reminds me of this classy and stylish London’s neighborhood, and it would be a perfect beauty accessory to complement a classic beige trench coat!

One of the two lip glosses (by the way: they call them Lip Liquids) called ‘Maleficent‘ is a bold red color. This Lip Liquid is highly pigmented and gives a very glossy (moist) finish. I love how this Lip Liquid is formulated with Argan Oil, Manuka Honey Extract and Rosehip Oil as its key ingredients, so it also takes care of your lips and prevents dry patches. It also has the same nice peachy smell as the lipstick. If you feel that such a true-red color is not for you, you can always play around with this gloss by applying a bit of color only at the center of your lips to create the famous ‘ombré’ look. Or you can just wipe one layer of the gloss and use it as a ‘lip stain’ – the color is very long lasting.

The other Lip Liquid, ‘Belle‘ is a fresh pop of bright pink. My initial reaction was ‘I will never pull out this color! Too extreme!”. Well, never say never – I still tried it on. The color is indeed very strong, I would say more K-pop oriented than K-drama. It is very cheerful, flashy and fresh. I thought I won’t be able to wear this as an everyday look, but surprisingly this color is very wearable and gives you lots of confidence. Just as with ‘Maleficent‘, you can add layers of colors to go for a bolder and more glossy look. Both Lip Liquids are extremely long lasting and non sticky (a blessing when you have long hair!).

The concealer from this Memebox is called #01 Lovely Beige. It looks a bit light at first, with a slightly vanilla under-color, but blends well in the under-eye area for a natural finish (easy to apply thanks to a brush tip – similar to the one of glosses). This color works well on my fair skin, but be aware that the shade is rather light. This concealer also has some hydrating properties and a good coverage – works well for dark circles, redness and blemishes. The product comes from a line signed’ by So Yoong who is a Korean Youtuber (you can watch her video here)

Lastly, the K-drama Memebox included an eye-shadow brush, a transparent pouch for pencils and brushes and some cushions for cushion-compacts (they fit perfectly into my AmorePacific cushion-compact). I have very high standards for my brushes, and I didn’t really like this one (it s a bit too ‘rigid’, so when you try to apply eye-shadow it doesn’t go as smoothly as it should). The other thing I would complain about, is that the Memebox cushions have a strong ‘chemical’ smell – I actually hesitate if I should wash them before touching my face.

Where to find it? Last time I checked it would seem that this particular K-drama Memebox is out of stock (but may come back again, I noticed the boxes are sometimes re-stocked). You can also buy the products from the boxes individually on the Memebox website.