Friday, August 25, 2017

Cat Reviews: Korea Box - EXO Box July 2017

Annyeong Friends and fellow EXO-Ls!  Since my last K-Pop subscription box success, I've been in search of another, even better K-Pop subscription box, but one filled with EXO goodies, and today I am back to review what I've found!

This time, I bring you, KoreaBox!  KoreaBox, like the BiBimBoxKorea that I reviewed last time, is a monthly box that costs you $29.99 a month.  It's filled with 2-5 items unique to whatever group you chose, and of course I chose EXO, but they have boxes for many of the other groups like BTS, Monsta X, TWICE, SHINee, etc., as well as a K-Drama box (prices vary), K-Beauty box (prices vary), and K-Snack box (prices vary).  The box comes with a group or your bias's "blanket" as one of the items.  It ships free from Korea to wherever you are and you can cancel anytime.  The process of ordering KoreaBox is fairly simple; for the K-Pop box, I chose EXO, then chose Chanyeol's "blanket" (you'll see what I put that in quotes later), and then finished my order by setting up my PayPal auto-pay service, and the order is done!

Before we get into what was in the box, I wanted to mention that I thought communication from KoreaBox is really great.  They emailed me soon after I placed my order to confirm it, then a few days later, I received another email asking about if I would prefer the newer "Ko Ko Bop themed" blanket or just to stick with the "For Life themed" blanket that was featured on the site.  I chose the Ko Ko Bop themed one because it is newer, even though For Life is my favorite EXO album...  They promptly replied thank you and I got another email later confirming shipment, which included photos of my actual box so I knew what to be expecting in the mail.  Canceling was also super easy, but I'll talk more about that towards the end, and for now, let's get into the box!

So the box came like this, exactly like the photo I was emailed in the shipping confirmation.  It was a lot smaller than I expected because it supposedly had a blanket inside.  It can fairly quickly, I ordered it on July 18th and received it on August 2nd.  Sorry I didn't take photos of me actually unboxing it, I was too excited, but at the very top of the box there was a KoreaBox newsletter all about the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics (yay for Suhorang!!).  Right below that there was a small letter wrapped around a sheet mask.  The letter is a super cute, personalize, handwritten letter from KoreaBox, and the sheet mask was an extra little welcome gift - both nice touches in my opinion.

As for the EXO stuff that came in the box, this was it.


It came with the "blanket" and a little pillow looking keychain.  Neither of which are official EXO merch, which was expected, especially since I know SM is pretty strict with vendors selling non-official merch of featuring their artists (it's inevitable though).  I was most excited about the blanket, because I was really looking forward to cuddling up with a blanket with my boyfriend's cute face on it, but I was super disappointed to see that it isn't really a blanket, maybe a blanket for babies???  It's a little bit longer than the official EXO posters I have.  You can see it's size in relation to my twin sized bed... kinda disappointing, right?  

You can also see that on the label on the packet in came in says it's supposed to be a "large sized blanket" but uhm are we making blankets for ants now??  It's also a really thin suede (faux suede I assume) material so like that's not really blanket material right?  Do I have the concept of blankets incorrect?  Despite the disappointing size of the blanket, I do really like the Chanyeol image that's featured on it, but because I like him.

As for the pillow keychain, it was also kind of a miss for me because as you can see below, the images on it are kind of hard to see and it seems sort of impractical, but it is a cute idea.  I honestly don't think I'll be putting it on my bag or anything.

I did cancel my subscription because I honestly just wasn't impressed by what was in the box.  It was very easy to cancel; on the website it tells you to send them an email to cancel, but I just cancelled my recurring payments plan on PayPal and then about a day later, KoreaBox sent me an email confirming my cancellation.  And even though I cancelled it, KoreaBox scored really high for customer service in my books, but in the end it is actually about what's in the box in my opinion. That being said, I do appreciate what did come in the box because it was two items I definitely wouldn't have purchased myself outside of this.

Overall, I would give KoreaBox a good 3.5 out of 5 stars.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't enough to make me want more.  I think the service and the thought that comes with each box is outstanding which is what would make me consider purchasing another box in the future.  Maybe NCT?  Maybe another EXO??  We'll see about that.  I definitely would not say that you don't get your money's worth, nor would I say that you shouldn't purchase a KoreaBox.  I know I was a little harsh, but I do want to give you my most honest opinion.  My only piece of advice is don't have high expectations for what could come in your box because you could end up like me: disappointed.  But like I said, this may not be an end for me and KoreaBox, I may very well come back at a later time!

And that is all for my KoreaBox review!  I do have another BiBimBoxKorea coming soon - it's an EXO one this time - and I'll definitely be reviewing it and maybe even comparing this KoreaBox and the BiBimBox.  Please check out KoreaBox and give them a try yourself, don't let my indifferent opinion about my experience keep you from trying something pretty cool, you might have a better experience!

As always, thanks so much for reading!

With Love,
Caitlyn <3

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT KOREABOX!

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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

PLAY! by Sephora: August 2017 Box

Aloha Friends!  It's that time of the month again... time for this month's PLAY! by Sephora box overview!

This month's box is honestly the best PLAY! boxes I've gotten, and when you see the products below, you'll understand.  If you're new (HIIII!!!) and don't know what I'm talking about, that's okay!  Just click here to get yourself up to speed before you read on.
 
The theme of this month's PLAY! box is "The Innovators" which includes "hardworking ingredients that power your beauty routine" such as oils and butters, minerals, proteins, etc.  Like I mentioned above, this is the best box I've received thus far.  The PLAY! book is super cute with it's periodic table theme, which is perfect for back to school!  This month's pouch is also really cute; it features a girl mixing chemicals in her killer red lip, with the words "Makeup Geek" sprawled across the top. There's a YouTuber called Makeup Geek right??  But I'm pretty sure this box has nothing to do with her.  Anyways, let's get into what's in the box!

"Best Blend Forever"
beautyblender micro.mini
So fun fact, I just got my very first beautyblender last week and have been really liking it, so imagine my reaction when I saw this in the box.  This super cute mini sized sponge is made specifically for highlighting, contouring, and concealing, to perfectly fit the smallest parts of your face.  I'm excited the try this to blend my *new* concealer!  It usually comes in packs of two for $18, so this one sponge is valued at $9!  That's already almost as much as I pay each month for this box!

"Get A Remove On"
Too Faced Mascara Melt Off Cleansing Oil
This cleansing oil gently dissolves regular and waterproof mascara "for easy and effective makeup removal".  It's formula claims to be super conditioning because it is made with antioxidant-rich green tea extract.  It's an interesting product because it is basically a mascara tube and wand, but it's filled with cleansing oil instead of rich black pigment.  I'm actually really excited to try this out because it's one of those gimmicky products that I would never spend my own money on.

"Conceal the Deal"
Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Creme in #11
"Multitasking and nourishing 24-hour coverage concealer brightens under-eye area, color corrects, and smooths complexion".  This concealer claims to be a creamy, highly pigmented, crease-proof formula that will "blend seamlessly into skin" to make imperfections disappear.  It's no secret that Kat Von D has INCREDIBLE products, and her concealers and foundations are no joke so I died when I saw this in this month's box.  I think it might be too dark to use on my undereye area because I'm pale af, but I can't wait to try it on other areas!

"Amazonian Amazement"
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
This deeply moisturizing body cream contains guarana, coconut oil and cupuacu butter and leaves "a touch of shimmer".  Guarana is a native Amazonian berry that has caffeine to tighten and firm skin. I'm so so soooo excited to try out this body cream because my friends have been RAVING about it to me for a while.  I'm loyal to the Victoria's Secret body lotion that I've been using for the past couple of years, but maybe this will change my mind.  The smell is what got me most interested in it - it smells JUST LIKE the Libby Lu glitter hairspray I was obsessed with in 6th grade; if you were also a preteen around 2007, you know what I'm talking about.

"Give It A Dry"
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
I know what you're thinking, "ANOTHER DRY SHAMPOO???" and ya, that's what I was thinking too.  I think I've gotten a dry shampoo in every other PLAY! box so far, so @/Sephora pLEASE STOP SENDING DRY SHAMPOOS.  That being said, this new dry shampoo claims to make your hair look perfect after after a few sprays and to "expect voluminous, clean, beautiful-smelling hair".  I can't say that I'm excited about this dry shampoo because it is another dry shampoo to add to the pile of dry shampoo bottles I've never used, but I am excited that this is a travel-sized bottle valued at $12, and it is for sale!  So if you combine this value, and the value of the mini beautyblender, the value of these two products combined (and this dry shampoo alone) is well over what you pay to receive this box each month!

This Month's Perfume Pick: "Oppo-scents Attract"
Kat Von D Saint and Sinner
"This fragrance pair features one dreamy, angelic scent and one dark and sultry blend."
Meet the Blend: Saint
Fragrance Family: Floral
Top Note: Mandarin
Middle Note: Jasmine, Tiare Flower
Base Note: Musk
---
Meet the Blend: Sinner
Fragrance Family: Warm & Spicy
Top Note: Orange Blossom
Middle Note: Cinnamon
Base Note: Vanilla
Do you guys want to hear something surprising??  I actually smelled both of these perfumes before writing this!!! AND I LOVE THEM BOTH.  They both smell incredible and I definitely see myself wearing Saint quite often, since I am more of a floral scent kind of girl.  Sinner smells nice too, but it's a little too strong for me personally.  I actually got a deluxe sample size of Saint in my Sephora order last week and fell in love with it.  We'll see how it smells once I actually wear it, but I can see a potential new perfume baby!

Click Here to Get Your Own PLAY! by Sephora Box Each Month!

And that was everything in this month's PLAY! by Sephora box!  Like I mentioned earlier, this is probably the best box I've received so far and it makes me excited about PLAY! boxes again, because the last few boxes had a good product, but not everything was impressive to me.

As always, thanks so much for reading!!!

With Love,
Caitlyn <3

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Friday, August 18, 2017

Cat Reviews: EXO - THE WAR - The Physical Album - Private Version

Annyeong Friends!  I'm super excited to write this post because it's all about the physical version of EXO's newest album, The War!

STOP! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO "THE WAR" WHILE YOU READ!

As promised in my review of The War, I will be overviewing the physical album when it found it's way into my hands, and it's finally here!  There are three versions of the physical album and I got the third version, called the "Private Version" because it includes comments from and photos taken by the members.  Each album, no matter which version you choose to get, comes with a photocard, photobook, and poster.  I got super lucky and was able to choose which member poster I wanted... can you guess who I picked?? Lol.  So without further ado... let's get into it!

The Private Ver.'s cover looks like this.  It's a super edited photo of our visual kings and they look great.  Like pretty much every SM Entertainment album, this one opens up like a book and has the CD on the left, and the photobook on the right.  I've included a few of my favorite pages from the photobook below as well!








In the photobook, there is also song credits and lyrics, as well as each members' comment on each song.  Baekhyun oppa's name is spelled incorrectly on the members' comments page and I'll share how SM hilariously tries to corrects it later in this post.  Also @/Kyungsoo just trying not to get fired lmao.



Of course I was hoping for my Chanman oppa's photocard, but I didn't get it... which was okay because I got Kyungsoo oppa!  Honestly, I would be completely happy to get any of the member's photocards, but I was extra happy that I got Squishysoo :)  And even though I didn't get my boyfriend's photocard, I got his poster, so I think we can call this one a win.


So when I was flipping through the photobook, I found this sticker sheet tucked into one page and I was confused because I didn't think this album came with any stickers.  I was still happy because who wouldn't love some stickers of hot guys' faces?  And then I saw that there were also stickers with the members' names but there was like A LOT of Baekhyun oppa's name and I was genuinely confused like why??? BUT THEN I read the bottom on the sheet...  Here's a close up so you can read it yourself.


SO YAH.  I mentioned earlier how Baekhyun oppa's name is spelled wrong on the members' comments page, this is how SM is correcting their mistake, by having us do it lol.  I'm not going to do it though because I think it's funny. (Backhyun lmao)

And there is the overview of EXO THE WAR!  I really love this album's concept and am saving up to buy the other two versions, and if I (ever) get them, I'll compare the three versions because I'm sure they're all different but beautiful in their own ways.

As always, thanks so much for reading!

With Love,
Caitlyn (Park) <3


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(ya I used these gifs already before I JUST REALLY LIKE THEM OKAY)

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Monthly Obsessions: July 2017

Alooooha Friends!  Long time no blog...  Sorry I've been MIA... I got my wisdom teeth taken out and between that and preparing to move back to school, I definitely started to neglect you guys a bit... But I'm back today and with July's (long overdue) Monthly Obsessions!

I honestly wasn't going to write a MO's for July because 1) this post is super late, and 2) I thought I didn't have a lot of stuff to write about, but come to find out, there's actually quite a bit for July! Since my birthday was in June, I had the chance (and the means) to purchase some new makeup so I have tons of new products to rave to you about.  Of course, not everything is beauty related, but most of it is lol.  Anyways... let's get into it!

Too Faced Hangover 3-in1 Replenishing Primer & Setting Spray
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned countless times on here that I'm loyal to my HG Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray, but oh my god am I changed.  I first heard about this setting spray from one of my favorite YouTubers, ThatsHeart, where she raved about how amazing it smelled, and that in itself made me want it, so I meandered my way to Sephora's website and dropped the $32 on it and I have zero regrets.  Not only does this setting spray smell AMAZING, but it also does an absolutely incredible job of making sure my makeup stays up, especially in this California heat.  It makes my skin look glowy, hydrated and fresh.  Although it also claims to be a primer spray, I only really use it as a setting spray, and I honestly spray too much at once, BUT IT SMELLS SO GOOD.  Move over UD All Nighter???

Sephora Collection Radiant Luminizing Drops in Morning Light
Summer for me was all about glowy, healthy looking skin, and I usually achieved that with my BECCA Liquid Shimmering Skin Perfector, but it's kiiiinda on the pricey side, so on a hunt for a more affordable alternative, I started using this Sephora Collection one and I LOVE IT.  I mix about a pea-sized amount with my foundation and it gives me the most beautiful, healthy looking glow of life.  It's more of a (and a pretty good one) dupe for the CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops, except for that it's not as blinding, but I honestly prefer that it's a little more subtle.  It's at such a great price point as well!

Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Blush in Fetish
It's a known fact on this blog that this same blush in Rapture is one of my all-time favorite blushes, and Fetish is just as amazing!  I bought this blush because I had some UD kickbacks to spend (scroll to the end of this post to become a Urban Decay Beauty Junkie!) and needed to make a purchase to receive my birthday gift from UD.  I wasn't really sure what to buy, but decided to pick up this blush because it was on sale and I was not disappointed.  It's a beautifully natural color that's perfect for every day wear.  Just like it's Rapture counterpart, a little goes a long way, which is great because I know this one pan of blush will last me a while, especially since I'm a natural blush wearer.

Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in Backtalk
I was super hesitant to try out UD's new liquid lipsticks because I heard lots of bad reviews about how they were super drying and always looked cracked on the lips, but then I saw one of my favorite lipsticks, UD's Vice lipstick in Backtalk, came in their new liquid formula and decided to give it a try. I'M SO GLAD I DID.  Maybe I got a good tube, but I don't experience any of the issues others had with this lipstick's formula.  It's super comfortable, but matte on the lips and stays put throughout the day. Butthole lip is inevitable with any lipstick, this one is no different.  I'm glad I tried out this lipstick because it's become my go-to lip color recently, and I even was able to pick up a mini of Amulet to try out too!  So, lesson learned, try it, form my own opinion, before passing judgement!

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Birthday Cake
I talked about this shadow in my Birthday 2017 Steal My Look, and how I saved it to use on my birthday, since it's called Birthday Cake.  Since then, I've been using it almost religiously.  It's a GORGEOUS rose gold glitter shadow that's perfect to add right on the center of the lids to give them a pop.  I've always been a fan of ColourPop's Super Shock Shadows because they're amazingly pigmented and wear really well so nothing about this formula has let me down.  Sadly, this shadow was a limited edition shadow and isn't available anymore.  It makes me so sad to even write this review because I really try to only talk about products that are easily available... But there are plenty of other just as amazing ColourPop Super Shock Shadows, and even better pressed shadows!

Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Brow Pencil in 5
You guys know I am LOYAL to my Etude House Drawing Eyebrow pencil, but I really, really, REALLY wanted to try the Benefit brow pencils ever since they came out a little bit ago... and I'M SO SAD BECAUSE I LIKE IT A LOT.  It's a different but similar shape to my Etude House pencil, it's that same kind of triangle shape, but this pencil is a lot thinner, which I wasn't sure I liked at first, especially for my Asian/Western combo brow shape.  I've found however, that the shape is nice because it gives me a bit more control over the shape.  It allows me to trace my brow shape more precisely while still giving me the thick fill.  I'm also so in love with the packaging, aka the one thing Benefit never let's me down on, but I'm not 100% sure that it's the best way to package a brow pencil, because it definitely took me some time to get used to using it.

Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner in Ultra Black
I don't think I've ever mentioned before, but this eyeliner was my very first liquid pen liner back in like the 7th grade.  I went through countless tubes of it and then suddenly I stopped using it because I thought I found something better, but boy was I wrong.  This eyeliner is so black, so precise, so lasting, I don't know why I would ever think anything could be better.  It's a brush pen, which I've found I prefer, over felt tip, because I think it glides a bit better and draws the liner more evenly.  This eyeliner is awesome because it also has lash growing serum in the formula, so it's a win-win!  Here's a pic of my sharp as hell liner featuring the Benefit brow pencil and UD blush mentioned above!

BlueSky Weekly/Monthly Planner in Cali Pink
I know I talk a lot about how I'm lazy, but I'm a super organized person, meaning I know when I can afford to be lazy and when I need to get stuff done.  I'm a HUGE fan of planners and I don't just use mine for academics, but I literally plan my life, like this post?  It was most definitely planned before it was written and posted.  This BlueSky planner has helped so much because it's much bigger than the planners I used to use so there's a lot more room to write all the things I need to remember.  One huge issue I have with most planners is that they end in June but don't start until August, but what about July???  I searched long and hard for a planner that included July and this one does!  I honestly really recommend this planner to anyone who isn't a bullet journalist, but a planner like me, because this has everything you need and nothing you don't.  And the best part - it's my favorite color!  (aka what people call "millennial pink" but it's really just baby pink??? it's not a new color???)  This planner includes monthly and weekly pages for precise planning!

EXO - THE WAR
God, do I even need to write about this one??  If you're not new to my blog (hello! if you are new!!), you're familiar with how EXO is a really big part of my life so of course their newest album is one of my MO's.  THE WAR is unlike any of EXO's other albums.  It's super unique in terms of the sound and the visual and it's definitely one of my favorite EXO albums.  Like I mentioned in my review, What U do? is still my favorite song off this album, but my song ranking has definitely changed since I wrote that review.  It's honestly the only album I've listened to since it came out and I've formed new opinions lol.  I've also finally gotten my album so look out for that post coming soon!!

And that, my friends, are all my Monthly Obsessions for July 2017!  It took me a while to get this post up and I'm sooo sorry, but I hope you enjoyed it!

As always, thanks so so sooooooo much for reading!

With Love,
Caitlyn <3

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