OMG, indeed. These last couple of weeks have taken a toll — I don’t feel well, I had to grade a ton of assignments, the weather has been bad. So please forgive me!

Korean skincare is full of odd ingredients like snail spit, bird poop, snake venom, and spider guts. When Memebox released a series of OMG boxes, many people assumed they would be chock full of these kinds of things. The first one, which I didn’t buy, had by most accounts good products, but they weren’t really OMG-worthy. The second box is a little closer to OMG-ness, at least in some of the products. Let’s take a look.

Memebox is a Korean Beauty mystery box. They generally release new boxes each week; some are themed and others miscellaneous products. All items are Korean, usually lesser-known brands. Boxes range in price (starting usually at $23 USD) and standard shipping (which takes a couple of weeks) is $6.99 USD per box ordered (so if you order two boxes, it’s $13.98 for shipping). Boxes are usually pre-ordered to be shipped at a later date, although they do have some ready to ship now.

Memebox products come packaged in a sturdy pink cardboard box with crumpled tissue paper for padding. The box then comes in either a pink bubblewrap mailer or a shipping box if multiple boxes are shipping at once. The products are usually arranged neatly and are often sealed by the manufacturer.

Cristallin Cellulose Mask (x2)
“These concentrated cellulose sheet masks encourage the skin’s natural recovery function by providing a rich infusion of nutrition to help improve skin’s clarity and elasticity. Plus, the jellylike texture feels like an octopus wrapped around your face.”

Well, I’ve never had an octopus wrapped around my face. I imagine it would involve much screaming and flailing around, but this mask was a delightfully restful experience. The cellulose gel gets soft and absorbs into your skin the longer you keep it on, making the mask feel more potent than paper sheets. I did notice a nice elasticity and brightness after I used it, which I don’t think I’d get with an octopus on my face. Fun fact: I played patient for a friend who was getting his acupuncture license, and the first time he tried cupping on me, I was left with dozens of round bruises that made me look like I was mauled by an octopus. Totally didn’t get that from this mask, so A+. Is this really OMG? Well, maybe if you’re used to paper masks, the gel texture might throw you off a little. But it’s not super-crazy, ingredient-wise.

Ladykin Vanpir Dark Repair Cream (50mL)
“A clinically proven skin brightener that restores luminosity, corrects weak moisture barriers, and protects skin from future discolorations. This moisturizer with melanin-inhibiting green tea extracts visibly helps to diminish dark spots and discolorations while restoring clarity and brightness to dull, uneven skin. It also has anti-aging properties to enhance the look of skin by reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.”

This is your basic brightening moisturizer, nothing OMG about it. But those little fangs on the package are super-cute indeed. This cream has a thicker texture, so I’ll use it at night in the winter for deep hydration and to wipe out the red blotches I tend to get from wind-burn in the cold season. Now, if this cream made me sparkle to death like the Cullen clan, I might call it OMG-worthy, but as it is, it’s just a nice moisturizer. Also, re: the Cullens — who would want to spend eternity going to high school? I’m a high school teacher and that sounds like my idea of fresh steaming hell, lbh. I mean, I like my job, but I’d hate to be stuck in Dramallama Central for the next 100 years.

Milky Dress Bohr-effect Carboxy Gel
“This 2-step facial mask cleans deep down into pores to extract pre-clogging bacteria, and firms and tightens sagging skin. Facial contours appear sculpted and newly defined, lines and wrinkles looks nicely smoothed, and skin is moisturized to perfection. Over time, skin’s strength, resiliency, and volume appear renewed and you’ll see a remarkably younger, revitalized look.”

OMG this paper mask is enormous. I mean, it probably shrinks a little when wet, and I prefer larger masks to ones that don’t cover my whole fat face, but this one just seems really huge to me. It also seems like a lot of work, compared to just slapping a sheet mask on and watching an episode of American Horror Story (Wednesday nights, 10pm, guys!). You have to spread the gel on your face, layer on the mask, and top off the mask with more gel. I haven’t tried it yet, but others who have describe it as a definite mild tingling/burning sensation, so if you have sensitive skin, you may want to pass this by.

Priori Aroma Ac Moisture Gel Mist (100mL)
“Enriched with bee venom, propolis, sophora roots, balloon flower roots, and Multi EX Magnotics, the mist helps soothe and treat skin troubles and blemishes. The lavender aroma essential oil is also infused for soothing and purifying both your skin and soul.”

OMG, do I have a ton of mists now. It’s ok, though, because both my classroom and home get really dry in the cold. This one smells wonderfully of lavender and has a slightly gel-like texture, but absorbs well. I guess the bee venom is OMG-ish, but I’ve been using Benton’s Snail Bee serum long enough that it seems sort of tame. It tightens and plumps up the skin, and even though I’m allergic to bee stings, products with bee venom don’t have any adverse effects on my skin. You may want to test it on your arm if you have a bee allergy, though, because you might break out. I think the venom is processed to remove whatever is the allergen, but I’m not 100% sure.

Seatree Syn-Ake Total Solution
“Contains youth-preserving ingredients, such as Syn-ake peptides, similar in composition to snake venom, and hylaluronic acic to help deliver targeted repair – as needed, where needed. It visibly addresses uneven skintone, lines, and wrinkles for visibly firmer, more radiant, and more supple skin.”

Boxes were randomized with either this, or the similar essence from the same brand and line. Syn-ake is synthetic snake venom, and acts like bee venom to tighten and plump skin. I read a comment somewhere, probably Facebook, about how a person didn’t like this product because she/he didn’t want anything synthetic. Given that snake venom, which yields only a tiny amount per harvesting, is better put to use in life-saving anti-venom vaccines, I rolled my eyes out of head when I read that, OMG. I’ve been using this product for a couple of weeks now and it seems to be giving me a nice smooth texture to my skin, but I can’t be sure it alone is responsible for that. You can purchase a variety of Syn-ake products at various price points on the web.

Hauren Dorothy
“This volcanic rock rollerball absorbs excess oil, grease and other blackhead and acne inducers just by rolling it across your skin. Made with 100% volcanic rock, this mattifier controls oil and eliminate excess sebum and shine for a fresh look and longer-lasting makeup application.”

Ok, this is pretty OMG-worthy. It does the same thing as blotting sheets, only it’s a rollerball rock. So much fun. I mutter “apply directly to the forehead” while I use it. It works surprisingly well and comes with an extra rollerball loaded on the other end. Extra rollerballs are available for purchase when the two pre-loaded get all gunky, but that might be more trouble than it’s worth. This is a bit heavy, so it’s definitely not for tucking in your slim clutch for a night on the town, but perfect for keeping in my desk.

This box was overall pretty solid. I’ll use or are already using all of the products, and while I’m not blown away by them, I got my money’s worth. Memebox has released an OMG 3 and 4, but I think both are already sold out. Keep checking, though, because there’s likely to be a version 5 coming soon.

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LINKS AND CODES
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All links and codes on this page are affiliate links, for which I receive commission. All products featured in this review were purchased by me. OMG graphic by Memebox, all other pictures taken by me.