nomakenolife

This month’s theme is 2-in-1 Beauty products. I think this is a great theme because much as I like my lotions and potions, I also like efficiency!

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

The box is always packed beautifully.

The picture doesn’t show the colour up that well, but on the bottom of the box is lovely turquoise shredded paper. It’s not a huge amount of packaging material, but it’s a really nice extra aesthetic touch.

Right on top is their menu booklet.

This month is a substitution. This sometimes happens in subscription boxes, but as long as the replacement is a good product it really doesn’t bother me!

Their menu booklet is very nice. It gives you a little information about each product, which is especially handy when all the packaging is in Japanese!

So there you have a little sneak preview of some of the items!

OK, on we go to the good stuff!

Lumi Decal Nail Decal. OK, so this is a fun item. These are nail wraps, but one contains a minute LED light that lights up when you use an electronic transit pass or similar.

I don’t use an Oyster card now (having escaped the Big Smoke) so I’m not sure how to get it to work. I do like the patterns though, the blue is very pretty.

The only problem is that I keep my nails very short so nail wraps don’t really work on me. However I know just who will love these as a gift, so I’m very happy to have them.

Makeup Block Beauty Tools.

This is a a really nifty little item. Three little brushes …

… that all fit together …

… like so!

Isn’t that neat? My daily makeup bag is quite small, so this is a perfect space-saver. The brushes are a nice quality too.

Of course the ‘screw’ printed on one of them inevitably made me giggle, but it’s a great way of combing your eyebrows and eyelashes.

I like the whole ‘lip and cheek’ idea but they often don’t work. This Candy Doll Lip & Cheek Cream does. Is a lovely fresh pink colour which is perfect for a subtle effect.

It’s semi-matte on your lips, and gives you a healthy glow rather than looking like you’ve rubbed lipstick on your cheeks by mistake!

Here’s my substitution item, the Botanigrace Royal Coconut Skin Cream. Japanese skin products do not tend to contain parabens, alchol etc., and this is one of the most super-natural items I’ve seen.

This is raw coconut oil infused with collagen (there’s a lot of collagen in Japanese beauty products), and infused with a whole bunch of botanical oils.

This will go into my rotation of moisturizing creams, and I think it will be especially useful in the winter months as it provides wonderful hydration.

Finally, this is my favourite item:

Country & Stream Honey UV Water Gel. Japanese women are serious about their sunscreen, and this is a doozy. It’s a very light gel, quite runny, but don’t go heavy on the pump and it’s fine.

It’s SPF 32, which is great for daily wear.

Along with the SPF it also contains collagen (again!), royal jelly, and various organic extracts including rosemary and jojoba. The bottle is a pretty generous size, works great for face and body, and sinks in fast without leaving your skin feeling oily or with a layer sitting on top.

Massive win.

This month’s box is a great selection of things. I’m not bothered at all about the substitution because I really like the replacement. I find moisturizing in the winter a bit tricky, because I hate heavy moisturizers but my skin does not like cold dry weather! The Botanigrace Coconut Skin Cream is going to be perfect.

The nail wraps are great fun, even though I’m not keeping them. And I have no idea how the LED works!

The brush tool is so very handy; I love practical things, and this definitely ticks the box!

I like my blusher light and pink, so I’m so happy this shade works for me. And takes up much less space in my makeup bag than my larger blusher compact.

And oh, the suncream. Just brilliant, and perfectly timed for summer! I can be a bit forgetful about daily sun protection, but this is so far from a greasy cream that it takes mere moments to apply and dry. The bottle size is also very generous.

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 I couldn’t find these products on any UK site at all. I find the Botanigrace cream and the sunscreen on US sites, at $13 and $18.90 respectively. So that more than covers your $30 box already!

Anyway, I love this month’s box. It contains a really interesting selection, and the sunscreen is a serious standout item. It’s amazing value for money, and even though I’m not going to use the wraps, I’ve got a nice gift for a friend, plus some gorgeous skincare products!

Simply superb.