I Bought It

I was emailed 7 days ago by a new startup company called 3B, Beauty Beyond Borders. From the email:

3B is a monthly subscription service that delivers a box of Asian beauty deluxe samples directly to our customers. For only $12 a month, subscribers will get a curated box of our favorite Asian beauty samples. Sample products range from go-to brands such as Lioele, Etude House and Shu Uemura to high-end premium brands like SK-II, Amore Pacific, and Sulwhasoo. We are committed to fundamentally changing the way people discover and shop for beauty products that are available overseas.

Wow, sounds great to me. 3B offered me a sample box for review purposes, but I turned that down and opted to become a paying subscriber instead. I’ve gathered since I started blogging that you want to mainly see me reviewing things that I bought. I can do that because readers like you put up with the ads and affiliate links here–so thank you!

A few things to make clear:

this subscription is currently limited to beauty fans with US mailing addresses

the $12 per month covers shipping

the payment method is credit card (not PayPal)

A few things really attracted me to this concept. I love Korean beauty, but I would like to branch out and try products from elsewhere in East Asia. I also dig the price: $12 per month is pretty do-able for me, even in my leaner times. I like the fact that this is a box and not products plus a more durable bag–bags and clutches piling up sounds like a nightmare, given my pink box overflow at the hutch currently.

Of course, in light of recent Asian Beauty startups that have basically imploded upon launch, I was nervous yet optimistic about 3B. Since there’s nothing quite like trying something to determine if it’s going to work…here I am! Ready to unbox and provide my first impressions on the inaugural 3B box.

Wow, a handwritten note! That’s really awesome. Like, I don’t even send my mom handwritten notes (sorry, mom). Actually, let’s be honest, in the grand scheme of things, I don’t care about handwritten notes. I will pretend to like them because that’s what ladies my age are supposed to like, but I have the personality type of a general (not even joking), so I’m all about the goods, the material, the products. What’chu got 3B?

3B Box #1 Info Card (sorry for the terrible lighting)

Etude House Moistfull Collagen Kit (2 pieces)

This sample kit includes the freshener, which is a toner applied right after washing, and the emulsion, which is a moisturizer. I’ve heard good things about this line. My hand liked the products and they smell good. I’ll give these a try. I have an obscene amount of skincare right now, but I like to leave room for some testing and happy discoveries. This seems like a really appropriate pick for a winter box–I’m already liking the seasonal awareness.

The Face Shop Herb Day Cleansing Wipes

True story: up until I received some tea tree cleansing wipes in the Tea Tree Memebox, I never used cleansing wipes. I’m a fan of a mega double cleanse to get everything off, but I discovered while trying the Purederm tea tree wipes that my skin really likes to be free from makeup earlier than I do my double cleansing routine. These wipes smell nice–like a fresh fragrance and I really like that they leave my skin neither too dry and stripped nor overly moisturized (the Purederm wipes tend to over moisturize–I just want to be clean!). I’m a fan–I’ll keep these by my desk and demote the Purederm wipes to swatch cleanup duty.

K-Palette 1 Day Magic Liquid Eyeliner

I’m not familiar with Japanese makeup brands beyond, like, Dolly Wink, but I quickly learned that a lot of people were really thrilled to be receiving this K-Palette liner. I can see why: the flow of the liner fluid is smooth and the brush is fine. Once I made a test doodle on my hand, it stayed in place without a problem, even when I rubbed my fingers over it.

I’m SO EXCITED about this liner because I was able to use it to put the perfect sharp ends on my winged eyeliner tonight. Achieving the perfect dagger-esque ends on wings is tough, but this pen is PERFECT for that job. Awe-SOME!

Nature Republic Nail Polish in #10 Apple Red

I dig this color! It’s a kind of dark orange-red. This is supposedly a gel polish formula, but I’m not really feeling that when I pet my one badly painted nail. Whatever, it seems good to me–it’s in my collection.

Wrap Up

It’s rare that I open a box and find that I’m actually pretty excited or at least willing to try all of the items. I have…a lot of stuff and I’m a ruthless editor of products, but I like and want to keep all of these products.

The most exciting thing about this box was the K-Palette liner–not because of value, but because of discovery. I’ve found a new brand and have a new product that solves an existing problem: my winged eyeliner dullness when I need sharp points! I’ve never actually tried Nature Republic nail polish before despite being in the shops a few times, so I’m excited to see how this one fares. I’ve heard about the Moistfull Collagen line, but I’ve not actually tried it either. And with the Face Shop wipes, I’ve found a product that improves upon something I already have quite significantly.

If you look at the whole review, you’ll see that I didn’t bring value or price into the discussion–mainly because what I crave right now is discovery–something new and exciting that I might not come up with or get to on my own. This box delivered much more than $12 worth of excitement for me due to new information from these products. For me, this first box was a total hit and I’m looking forward to what 3B brings next–I’ll be looking forward to it as a subscriber.