The source of success for Asian beauty industry is word of mouth. It's the real engine behind Korean skincare’s growth abroad. If something's so good you have to tell your friend then you know the product's knocked your socks off!
Today's post links beautifully to Sunday Girl's post on What beauty bloggers really buy from eBay (read here, spoiler alert: it's - amongst others - Asian cosmetics). But, why do our bloggy hearts desire Asian beauty products so much we go out of our way to hunt them down? It's very simple - Asian beauty industry is some 10-15 years ahead of the West in general. This means crazy futuristic products like face masks made of snail slime and cow placenta, foundations which adhere to your skin tone and skincare that prevents rather than treats. Searching for this wizardry on eBay can be incredibly challenging. Especially if you're not well versed in Korean, Japanese and Chinese language. And this is exactly why the 3B beauty box was born!
3B beauty box is essentially your Birchbox of Asian beauty. Which answers all my problems with the original Birchbox - you will always receive something you've already tried, especially when beauty is a field you're at least moderately knowledgable about. There's no chance in hell you've ever tried anything in the 3B beauty box! Finally a foolproof box!
3B beauty box works out about £9.50 ($12) plus free P+P - where are the times when all beauty boxes cost a tenner & came with free postage? You receive a lovely little pouch with 4-5 Asian beauty products samples (sometimes you will also get a full size product) ranging from brands you might be familiar with like Etude House, Skin79 and SkinFood to ones you have never heard of like Sulwhasoo and Heimish. You will also receive a little card with English translation of what the products are and how to use them. From my years (!) of experience of buying Asian beauty products on eBay I can really appreciate the concept of this box - it's clever, it's original, it gives you the opportunity to explore beauty out of your every day reach - it's what you expect a subscription beauty box to be (but they never are).
What's in my box?
💅🏻 Etude House - Honey Cera Eye Serum
💅🏻 Etude House - Honey Cera Cream
💅🏻 Skin79 - Super Plus Triple Function BB Cream (read a full review from 2012 here)
💅🏻 Heimish - All Clean Balm
💅🏻 Welcos Kwailnara - Aloe Vera Moisture Real Soothing Gel
Now we've talked the good news, let's hear the not-so-good news. 3B beauty box is currently only available in the US, however the plans for expansion to the UK are on the horizon. Keep an eye on my Twitter (@cityscapebliss) and on the 3B website (here) for updates!
For my US readers - to receive a bonus item in your first 3B beauty box, just enter 'CITYSCAPE' at the checkout and voila! Enjoy!
Do you enjoy trying Asian beauty products?
Where do you normally buy them from?