I just got my first ever 3b box, and I’m SO jazzed! I’ve only tried one monthly subscription box ever, so it was fun to expand my horizons even more with this one. I’m actually going from like zero to sixty with boxes and will have 3b, KawaiiBox, and UniversalYums on my Spring roster! April will be my first month for all three. I put my beloved PetitVour box on pause for a few months while I try some new boxes/save some money for “more important” things like buying a house or actually exploring Colorado this Spring + Summer…
I used to never get the appeal of subscription boxes, but now I know the right ones can be super fun and a great way to discover new products! Sometimes I can’t see past my favorite brands (I’m sure we all have this problem at some point), so I feel like I need the extra push that is a subscription box. 3b‘s motto is ‘Beauty Beyond Borders’ (the three B’s in 3b), and brings you the best in Asian beauty samples for only $12 a month. Yes, only twelve dollars! That’s like one lunch at Panera or something, so, I mean, you can’t afford not to…right?
At $12, this is basically the AB version of Birchbox or Ipsy. You’ll get 4-5 items each month, wrapped up in a little mesh bag with an information card. Some are full-size, and some are deluxe samples. What’s to expect in the box? Here’s what the website has to say:
“Each box contains a collection of deluxe samples that are new or popular in Asia but hard to get your hands on. The products will change each month, and you’ll get to try new skincare, haircare, nailcare, and cosmetic products. Sample products range from go-to brands such as Lioele, Etude House and Skinfood to high-end premium brands like SK-II, Kanebo, and Sulwhasoo. Don’t worry about not being able to read Japanese or Korean – we’ve got you covered with English translations of descriptions in each box.”
Below are the contents of the March 2016 box, and the handy-dandy information card explaining each product inside. These info cards are especially helpful in the AB boxes, as many of the products only have text in Korean on them.
3b had actually sent a little email preview of one item in the box this month, the Witch Hazel Toner from Secret Key. I wasn’t expecting the full-size to be that large, so I’m pleased! You could easily drop $12 on a toner, and that’s the entire value of the box. Everything else was a surprise, however. Other items this month included a SkinFood My Short Cake Setting Mascara, Dermal Dream Sea Cucumber Supreme Mask, and COSRX Blackhead Silk Finger Balls.
This toner is a larger full-size product at 248ml. I really didn’t think any of the products in the box would be this big, so that was cool. I immediately thought of Mr. Peach when I saw I was getting this, because he has always used witch hazel for as long as I’ve known him. He says it was always around his house growing up, but I somehow never got into using the stuff in my entire life. I tried it out a few times and it feels pretty nice and non-drying, but I did gift it to him to use since I already have Benton and COSRX toners I’m trying to get through.
This is actually my first Secret Key product, so that was a little exciting. Even though this has alcohol in it, the toner doesn’t leave you feeling dried out like an astringent would; it’s nice and moisturizing. It has a standard flip-top cap with a smaller hole to dispense through. Ideally, I like a pump or spray cap for my toner, but this works too.
Note that this DOES have alcohol, for anyone who is sensitive.
I actually already have a pretty full bag of the COSRX blackhead balls, but they’re the type of thing you can never have too many of! I feel like it will be well-warranted, because I recently got Mr. Peach hooked on these so I feel like they’e going to be disappearing at a more rapid rate now. This is a “full-size” bag, if you will, so again I was impressed after also receiving the full-sized toner. I know these retail for about $5 from experience. These are made from 100% silk cocoons for uber-gentle exfoliation.
These are made from real silk cocoons, so not quite vegan, if that’s your thing.
You soak these little guys in warm water for a few minutes, then put it on your fingertip and gently scrub away the excess dirt and sebum on your pores. While these are technically for your nose, I usually rub them all over my t-zone and my chin as well. I think they basically work anywhere you have blackheads or oil. I’ll spare you the yuckiness of showing you a used one, but I will tell you that these DO work! It’s all the gross wonder and enchantment of a Biore pore strip, but with less damaging consequences to your pores. Here’s a closer look at a dry one:
Another full-size product in this box was the SkinFood My Short Cake Setting Mascara. Giving me a full-sized mascara is like giving me a bar of solid gold. I LOVE mascara. I have always been superrrrr picky about my mascara for as long as I can remember. It’s probably safe to say I’ve tried at least 100 mascaras in my lifetime…and this random $5 SkinFood mascara is near the top of that list for me! Who knew?
I was NOT expecting this to be such a good product. SkinFood can be really hit or miss, so I’m very excited about this. I could first tell by the size and shape of the wand that there might be something more to this mascara. It has a much longer handle and wand than your usual mascara. The painter in me knew that this would probably allow for more control of the brush, and I was right! The brush, the formula…everything about this mascara is amazing.
The only thing is that with the ‘setting’ formula, it dries quickly, so make sure you work fast + precisely. It doesn’t respond well to second coats after it has dried, for that reason. Another small negative is that the formula can feel kind of sticky if you go heavy on the coats and close your eyes too hard…I was sloppy and put on too much of it the other day, and afterwards my top lashes would sometimes get stuck to the bottom ones. Nothing terrible, though. Small price to pay for super long lashes!
It goes on so smoothly and requires the least amount of coats/detailing of almost any mascara I’ve ever used. I’m usually partial to the ball-shaped silicone mascara brushes because I love to do major detailing and cover every last lash on my eye, but I hardly had to do any of that with this. This made my lashes SO long with almost no effort on my part. Sold!
This “setting” formula means that it dries quickly and nicely. Like most AB mascaras, this formula doesn’t flake or smudge at all. Unlike most AB mascaras I have tried, however, this one doesn’t seem to have the ‘fibers’ that most of them do. It’s not a good or bad thing; I love my fibery mascaras and I love this one.
The packaging is also super cute with it’s cupcakes and all…I can ALWAYS appreciate a mascara tube that isn’t black! They all start to look the same on your vanity after a while and they get lost in your bag. Tip o’ the hat, SkinFood. I’ll forgive your incessant use of Comic Sans…for now.
I haven’t tried the Dermal Dream Sea Cucumber Supreme Mask yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve tried a fair amount of masks so far, but sea cucumber is one ingredient I haven’t tried yet. I actually took a sea cucumber mask from another brand out of my cart on Memebox the other day when I was narrowing down my basket during checkout, so this was like it never happened! Score.
I have never used this particular brand of masks, but from the few reviews I’ve read, they seem pretty legit. One reviewer said they were non-sticky, which is always a good quality in a mask. You can check out all of their masks and skincare products at dermalmask.com.
Mixed bag as far as ingredients/listing their quantities, but some good natural oils in there in addition to the sea cucumber.
This is everything I’ve wanted in an AB subscription box! There are plenty of bigger/more expensive boxes out there, but at $12, it’s hard to say no to this one. If you’re like me and already spend a lot of money and time on new products anyway, this is a good balance of exploring new things while not breaking the budget. With Memebox, ebay sellers, etc already getting plenty of my AB money, I don’t feel too guilty about this at twelve bucks.
When it comes to value…do the numbers add up? Let’s see.
*Toner: I’ve seen this as low as $3 and as high as $28 on various places online (but usually like $8-10 on ebay), and Memebox last had it on sale for $10 down from $18 before it sold out. Let’s just call it $10 for our sake.
That makes the total value of this box around $18-$24 (even more if you count non-sale prices). Not too bad for $12! I like that nothing in here was a rinky-dink sample vial (the only thing I disliked about my PetitVour boxes). I’ll take four full-sized products this month…yes, yes I will.
Now, let’s talk about the AB-ness of it all. As far as new/hard to find AB products in the bag, that bag was mixed. I already knew about the COSRX balls (and I think many people do), but the SkinFood mascara that I’m in love with? I probably never would have given it a second glance in an online shop because I have a million mascaras; that’s the fun and gratifying part of the subscription process! I don’t necessarily think of witch hazel as an AB ingredient, but it was nice to see anyway. The sea cucumber in the mask and the silk cocoons are definitely fulfilling my need for weird AB ingredients, however!
So far, 3b is a top-notch subscription for me. Sound good to you? Get yours at the3bbox :)
Review: March 2016 3b Box I just got my first ever 3b box, and I'm SO jazzed! I've only tried one monthly subscription box ever, so it was fun to expand my horizons even more with this one.
