nomakenolife is a monthly subscription box of Japanese cosmetics and beauty products. Japanese women take their skincare very seriously, and their beauty products are superb quality. They are also very big on products which contain natural ingredients, including collagen, and avoiding harsh chemicals.

Here are the basics:

They have one-, three-, six-, and 12-month subscriptions costing $29.99, $29.00, $28.33, and $27.50 per month respectively. At current exchange rates this is £21.48, £20.77, £20.29, and £19.69. Shipping is free.

 

nmnl is part of the TokyoTreat group, who also produce TokyoTreat, a lovely box of Japanese snacks, and YumeTwins, an equally lovely box of kawaii Japanese goodies.

Here is their shipping box. I love their branding; it’s simple but striking, and the box itself is nice and robust.

They have a lovely menu booklet!

This month the layout has changed, and looks fantastic.

Information on each item is now over just a couple of pages, though it’s just as informative and detailed as before! 

This is a gorgeous Hello Kitty Bath Bomb in pink peach scent. Lovely.

This is Skin First Essence, which is apparently extremely popular in Japan. You apply it after you wash your face and before makeup. It contains apple and various other extracts.

Canmake Lucent Sherbert Eyeliner is a waterproof  gel pencil eyeliner in a bright pink colour. It’s waterproof, and can also be blended like eyeshadow.

My Melody Face Mask! I love sheet masks, and this one is apparently a red wine face mask! I’m not sure how it works, but it sounds great.

This Slim Cat Mask is a remarkable beauty accessory. You put it on over a sheet mask, hooking it over your ears to stay in place. It means you can walk around while you’re wearing a sheet mask, which is handy as they tend to slide a bit! 

This accessory is even crazier! It’s a Face Lifting Exercise Mask, and you put the sides of the mask inside your mouth and bite down. The idea is that it exercises and tones your facial muscles. 

I love this month’s selection of items! There are six rather than the usual five, which is a great bonus. 

I’m always happy with anything sheet mask and bath related, so the bath bomb and mask are gorgeous. And I’ll be able to try out the silicone cat mask too! 

The skin essence is great for nourishing, especially for dry winter skin, and it contains lots of natural extracts. 

The pink eyeliner is a little too bright for my taste, I’m not really into brightly coloured makeup, but I can appreciate the quality and I’m sure it’ll find a happy home!

And finally, the duck beak facial exerciser is absolutely hilarious! Exercising the facial muscles is actually a thing though, there are tons of gadgets designed to do that out there. And besides, no one’s getting any younger!

Now to value. As these are all Japanese brands it’s often very difficult to find prices on these, so I’m not going to do an individual breakdown. I will say that I’ve never had a box that wasn’t good value for money.

The skin essence can’t be found on any Western site, but in Japan the cost converted to around £13. For one item in a box that costs £20-£21 that’s pretty good! I also found a plain silicone face mask on Amazon for £5.79.