**Disclaimer: I was not sponsored by them, and definitely burned holes in my pockets.
Recently, I purchased quite a few items from a somewhat-new korean cosmetics site: Beautyboxkorea. Overall, this was a great experience and I will definitely purchase from them again (already eyeing some more items, haha). For more details about this website, read on!
Just a snapshot of what their website looks like.
Product availability: Quite abundant. I also shop from places like Jolse, Stylekorean, and Beautynetkorea. But I have to say, Beautyboxkorea is probably in 1st place for product availability among those other sites. It's definitely on par with Testerkorea and Koreadepart.
They also have a "Product Request" section where you can request certain items (they're pretty good about adding the items, but there's never a guarantee that your requested item will be available).
Prices: Ahh, the most concerned issue I suppose other than shipping for you readers out there. Luckily, the prices are not jacked up a lot (pretty much the same as what you get when you convert Korean won to USD on the brands' own websites).
Shipping and Handling: I will be honest here and say their shipping prices are definitely somewhat high. About the same as Testerkorea and Koreadepart (maybe less than Koreadepart because they tend to overestimate). They offer standard and EMS shipping. I chose standard for this haul. Some others on the forum mentioned their shipping costs were double the price of their haul. That must be because you have chosen EMS--EMS has always been that expensive, so if you're getting a small/medium haul I don't really recommend EMS as that may be what tends to happen (unless you're in a rush).
They have also added a $2.70 to the cost as a handling fee--so you will see that they are one of the more expensive shippers. BUT. This can be compensated for by the following section.
Coupons/Points/Rewards: You must wonder, why would one order from a place that has jacked up shipping when you could order from Testerkorea or Koreadepart? Well, that is plainly because Beautyboxkorea has a wonderful rewards system. To start off, when you register with them, you get a 10% off discount coupon and $6.00 worth of credit (note: unfortunately, you cannot use both the credits and the discount coupon in the same purchase). Still, with the discount coupon, if you are making a relatively medium/large haul this will most certainly help waive a big portion of your shipping costs. For medium/small hauls, the credit will be more helpful in waiving your shipping fees. Should I also mention that for every review of your purchase at Beautybox you get $3 if you post on their forums, or $6 if you post in social media (facebook, twitter, instagram, blogs, etc.)? (note: reward points limited to once per order)
For samples, they definitely are not stingy and give a lot.
For packaging, they are the king of protective bubble wrapping. (Look below in the photos! It is clear evidence they would win in such a contest.)
Customer service/processing speed: I had an interesting experience with Beautybox this time around, so I cannot speak for how long they usually take to ship out items. From the forums/other reviews, it does seem like it only takes 1-3 business days. They are fast. Usually. Unfortunately for me, one of the items I ordered could not be found, so they contacted me immediately and asked if I wanted to switch it out with other products that gave the same value, or if I wanted a refund for that item. (I chose to switch it out) Because of this ordeal, they shipped out my package late by a few business days. However, they compensated for this by upgrading my shipping to EMS and giving more premium samples/gifts. It was wonderful. I received my package within 3 business days and received the best samples/gifts ever. (Although, they say this was a one-time exception--so don't expect to get upgraded to EMS and receive premium samples each time. Unless your product also cannot be located) You'll see what I mean in the photos.
Also, something many care about is the CS attitude. I should say that the Jay, the CEO and CS personnel, was the most pleasant salesperson I have ever worked with. His English is perfectly fluent (unlike many of the other online stores), and he is the utmost polite person. His responses are always very sincere, and you can tell he is trying to do whatever he can to help you.
Now, for the actual products:
The latest Laneige Two Tone Shadow Bars (Top shade: No. 4 Coffee Bronze, Bottom shade: No. 1 Humming Coral). That was just one swipe, so it may not look as pigmented--but they're gorgeous and natural (kind of the effortless look). They also last long, so they're perfect for someone who's always on-the-go/needs to do makeup quickly.
A classic. Innisfree's Tapping Lip Concealer. Conceals the lips as it says, and does it without drying them out. Amazing, in that retrospect.
Etude House's new Honey Cera Repair Lip Balm. Sooo moisturizing without being sticky. I cannot stress how important that is to me in a lip balm. You can really see and feel a difference with this lip balm on. It also helps make my lip makeup last longer, too!
Espoir's limited edition Chess x Peace makeup bag. Unfortunately, you can't get this item anymore (from Beautybox, at least). Most of the other sites have also sold out. But it's a lovely bag, with rubber material that is easy to maintain/wash. A bit smaller than originally expected/looks in photos (it's more deep than wide).
Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder. No words for this one can describe its value. Absolutely a holy-grail item for someone with oily skin like mine. Makes makeup last/not melt off much longer in addition to being extremely affordable.
Espoir's Glossy Lacquer (lip gloss) in Rockstar. I wouldn't call this a lip gloss, not with this insane pigmentation. It's more like a liquid lipstick. It's quite opaque, but if you just dab a little on the lips (that's really all you need) and smooth it out, it looks gorgeous. It has a bit of glossy shine that looks non-sticky (and is relatively non-sticky) while maintaining a gorgeous scarlet-coral color. Love this product. The only downside is wear time (not too long), and when it fades it tends to fray from the inside. However, it's so gorgeous on the lips I am willing to overlook that. Plus, to compensate for forgetting it in the original package, they included a sample lip palette from Espoir! It has its own mini-brush, too! So very satisfied and happy--I always had wanted to purchase one of these sample palettes, but they were always out of stock!
Now for the samples:
A whole packet in the top left corner and two premium gifts. I know that the packet cannot compete with Beautynetkorea's samples amount or Jolse's handy oil-blotting papers, but these premium gifts are something nobody else can compete with:
Laneige was actually having an event with their newly released Two Tone Shadow Bars and new shades of Two Tone Lip Bars, and they had a promo where you get free bracelets with your purchases of these products. Beautyboxkorea was kind enough to buy one of the shadow bars as a promo kit and gave me a bracelet! It's very cute and simple, definitely love this very much. Thank you, Beautybox!
In the picture's right corner, you will also see a nail sticker pouch. That set of nail stickers was also a part of the Chess x Peace promotion, and was worth 10,000 Won ($8.68). Wow, talk about full sincerity and generosity just for not finding one of the items I ordered. I will definitely treasure this nail sticker set and use it for special occasions. Thanks again, Beautybox!
And here is all of the packaging that was used for this haul:
This was all of the bubble wrap minus the products! So much bubble wrap...
And here is a photo all of the packaging for the late Espoir Glossy Lacquer they sent with EMS, also:
All of that packaging for just one item (and it's gift/sample). Man, Beautybox. You truly deserve this crown for king of packaging.
So as you can all conclude, this haul was a very happy one to yours truly, and I will definitely support them by purchasing from them again in the future!
Rating: (do I even need to post this? You should be able to guess by now) 5/5 *****
