Pink and Undecided: beauty bag

Indonesia Beauty Box (Free) April Box

Hello!

Do you remember Indonesia Beauty Box? I subscribed to their VVIP box in January because they were having a sort of "Buy 1 Get 1" promo. Every subscribers in January would get a free box/bag on random months and i was designated to get a free bag on April. I've been waiting very (im)patiently for a whole month, and it's finally here. I just received it earlier today (Wednesday, 30th of April) *LOL*, very last minute yes? They barely made it in April. Anyway, here's what it got in the free bag :

It's not much, but it IS free *LOL*. I actually was a bit confused when hunny handed me a (light) box like below this afternoon :

I wasn't waiting for any other package and i didn't remember that IBBox' located in Balikpapan haha

Then i opened it and went "Ohhh...". Actually i was expecting it to be a bit closer to the size of the box i actually subscribed last time? LOL. Wishful thinking, of course. This free bag is not half the size of that VVIP Box

It couldn't even close properly *LOL*, clearly the box's too small for the items inside :p

I usually snap two pictures of the items inside, one as a teaser photo to put on top of the page and one in the actual run down, but in my hurry (to actually post it before May start) i totally forgot to do so. So let's jump to the items inside straight away.

Etude House Collagen Moistfull Facial Mist (Full size). I noticed that IBBox' characteristic is they would give you one "star product" and everything else would be, well... extras. In this bag this facial mist is definitely the star item. I love Collagen Moistfull line and i love facial mists (especially now it's supposedly summer already and the weather's been unbearably hot and humid despite the rains lately) so i'm pretty happy to get this :)

Etude House Essential Sheet Mask (Job's Tears). Love sheet masks, and i actually been itching to get my hands on these alphabet masks so this definitely will get used

Etude House Collagen Eye Patch. Again, love eye patches, i wear them once a week (the cheapo China made, non-branded ones *LOL*) so love this one also

Err... Some no-branded oil paper. It must be a filler item, but the illustration's really cute so it's not so bad

O Hui Fresh Lotion for men (deluxe size). I just heard about this brand recently, and it's nice to see something other than an Etude House's product in the bag :p

My verdict? It's not a bad bag, especially since it's FREE. I like almost every single item in the bag (except the oil paper. I don't like oil papers, i prefer oil control films. I need to use like, 5 sheets of branded oil papers, i might need like 12 of this non-branded one *LOL*) and everything will get used, but it's certainly not MIND BLOWING. I'm also pretty happy that they featured a pretty nice star item in the bag (since it's free and all, i thought the star product might not be so nice), full sized facial mist from Etude House must not be dirt cheap, it'd definitely worth more than IDR 50.000 at least.

I was a bit disappointed to see no make up items at all in this bag though. You know i'm a cheapo, they could just throw in some local branded lipstick worth less than IDR 20.000 and i'd be very happy already *LOL*. I guess my criticism is that they pride themselves as more of a "wish granting" bag/box than your regular beauty box, when you tell them your preference and wishlist and they'd try to give your most coveted item in your box/bag-i definitely told them i preferred make ups than skin cares (when i subscribed to their January bag). But i guess as it is a free bag, the items inside probably should be generic (maybe they gave out the same items to every one who's getting free bags?) and i shouldn't complain too much *LOL*. But other than that, it's actually pretty nice!

I don't know if you know, but there were a big blow out and controversy about IBBox' method of.. errrr... Marketing. I'm not gonna talk about it here (most of you who are in the Indonesian beauty bloggers community most probably knows about it), but i'm glad everything's resolved. It's great to see them still operating (unlike some of the bigger beauty box companies that we know) and i hope they learned their lesson, that they do not need to make up stories and infiltrate the community to do shady advertising to do well in this business. Indonesia's beauty community is smart and we definitely do not like to be deceived, so it's better to be who you really are and present yourselves (as a company) as what it really is :).

I like this free bag quite a lot, and i would recommend their services to those of you who likes to receive products from well-known brands (they seem to mostly favour Etude House, and you can see here) with products you pretty much "choose" for yourself (one star product, at least) with little extras thrown in but still with a little air of surprise (since you won't really know what you're going to get until the box is in your hands). See them more of a "private buyer" for yourself. Definitely not for those of you who likes the concept of a traditional beauty box, one that you can never guess what items would be inside and with various brands (old, new, even ones you've never heard of before).

As for me, i don't think i'd be subscribing again in the near future, but if they have another exciting promo (like this Buy 1 Get 1), i think i'd be tempted :D!

That's all for now, and OMG, it's May in a few minutes. How does that happen??? 2014's almost halfway gone already! Insanity! Time, please slow down!

Freaking out a little inside

#Pink

11:59:00 PM
19 Comments

Unboxing : IBB January VVIP Bag

beauty bag

Hellow hellow hellow!

My mood just turned from completely rotten (because i was sleepy *Like a baby, i need my naps because i am very cranky without them. Ironically my 6-years-old son never naps-unless you take him riding in a car then he'll doze off FTL* and my hunny came home out-of-characterically early at around 3. I need the room to myself from afternoon to early evening to be able to nap in peace. I NEED MY SPACE!!! This is why i usually naps around 12 to 1, or even 2 when i'm especially tired. Then wake up just in time to welcome my Baby Boy from school. I got a bit of a late start today because i am obsessive and all these bills coming and needing to be paid before Chinese New Year stress me out! You know, organizing sh** and all that) to absolutely cheery and peachy. That's the beauty of power naps (it was like, 20 minutes, but i was in deep sleep) for ya!

Anyway, yeah... I can hear some of you sighing and shaking your heads saying "This woman is crazy. Didn't she say she's giving up on beauty boxes already?". Errrr... Yeah, i am not continuing my subs to BTI, and i still haven't decided on whether i will continue with Lola Box even (so far i'm leaning towards NOT), i also have no interests on the stuffs ready to be sampled at VT, but i decided to try out this new (ish) homey beauty box instead!

What's inside my very first Indonesia Beauty Box' Beauty Bag

I wrote an introduction of this beauty box here (i didn't win, but then again i never expected to anyway *LOL*) so i'm not gonna yap too much about it. Honestly speaking, i wasn't too keen on trying it out mainly because they have so many options, it confuses me. Plus they seem to work with familiar brands and i prefer trying out new brands that i've never heard of before from beauty boxes.

BUT, when i saw a good deal, i find it literally impossible to pass on them! That's why when they announced that January beauty box/bag subscribers will automatically get a free box/bag in upcoming month i simply cannot stop myself from wanting to subscribe! This is my reasoning, even if i get like the cheapest bag (i chose bag over box because i seriously have no more space for more boxes and the bag's slightly cheaper than the box) that's worth IDR 100.000 for free, that's still IDR 100.000 off this beauty bag (i chose the most expensive bag : VVIP bag. There were 3 more options for the bags. And the box? They have 7 options. Told you it's confusing!) and that's pretty great! So, i ordered it. Sue me.

Wrapped it pretty carefully

Since this beauty box service is a bit more... homey? They do not have a special box/bag produced just for them, instead they used bags/boxes that you can purchase in local accessories chain stores/book stores. Not necessarily a bad thing except mine broke as soon as i opened it *LOL*. Nothing a good dose of glue cannot fix though (so i can re-use this for giving out pressies)

What i got

To be brutally honest with y'all, i was a teeny-tiny bit disappointed when i opened my box. Mainly because i chose the most expensive bag available (which costed me IDR 250.000 PLUS shipping fee), i expected more... I dunno, slightly high-end brands? I did some stalking on their box/bag's unboxing reviews and deducted that the more you pay, the better the brands you'd get. I was hoping that i'd get mainly Korean branded stuffs (i did stated Etude House to be my favorite brand in the beauty data they asked me to fill in), so i was feeling pretty deflated when i saw Just Miss and Mizzu (which are super cheap local brands) in there. I expected them to make appearances in like, the cheapest boxes/bags only. Oh well...

A hand made card they gave me. It was hand written and errrr... a bit kiddie class' art & craft really. Not in a bad way of course. It has its own quirky charm i guess. It's good for you who likes a bit more of a human touch in your beauty boxes

The personal greeting. I'm getting a free bag in April. If i can give a little constructive criticism though, the "Don't forget to review our beauty bag in you site" part sounds a bit pushy... I mean, i'd be posting this whether or not they wrote that, but i don't really like being TOLD to do that. I paid for this bag after all (so i have no obligation whatsoever to cover it in my blog), i believe brands should only write stuffs like that for sponsored items. But that's probably just me being a total B *LOL*

The list of stuffs. There were two other things that weren't featured in the list though, maybe they're extras?

Silky Girl Moisture Gloss (full size) in Almost Nude, IDR 20.000

I love Silky Girl and i love lip glosses, but like i said... I was expecting a bit more than a regular drugstore lip gloss for a pretty expensive beauty bag (it's the most expensive beauty box i've ever subscribed to so far). Having said that, lip gloss is always a winner in my book (since i will definitely use it), and i almost do not have a nude colored lip gloss (i have... one. Shiseido's one that i rarely use because it made me look like a zombie. I guess it was too pale *LOL*) so it's a welcome addition to my *crazy* collection.

Mizzu Eyeliner Pen in Black (full size), IDR 20.000

This is a local brand that made quite a buzz in the local beauty scene a while back (because they have decent quality and cheap as chips). I've always wanted to try this out but since it's only available online and i wasn't about to pay the same amount for shipping as the eyeliner itself, i never really gotten around to order it. Again, not a product i expected in an expensive beauty bag *LOL* but a great product that i do like and was quite happy to receive.

Etude House CC Cream Silky (full size), IDR 195.000

The star of the bag haha. Somehow i already KNEW i'd get this product since not only i wrote EH as my fave brand, but i also wrote CC Cream as the product i most wanted to try. I do not have any CC Cream (at all! Really! I do have a few sachet samples though) and seeing the amount of BB Creams i have in my stash (it's nothing compared to most beauty bloggers out there though, i swear!!!) always prevented me from purchasing any base make up, be it foundie, BB Cream or CC Cream. So, of course i am happy to receive this, but i was nowhere near surprised of it.

Etude House Go Back Trial Kit (worth IDR 12.000)

No specific opinion for this product. It's decent (not sachet) and all, never heard of this Go Back line (then again i never really dabble in Korean skin care much, i only know and use the Moistfull Collagen line) so it's all good.

Just Miss Eye Shadow (full size) IDR 22.000

Errrr... I'm no brand snob or whatever okay. I've heard of Just Miss before, it's a local brand that's available in local cheap accessories chain store called Stroberi and i've always thought it was one of those cheap-ass China no brand stuffs (you know, the ones that might contains fabric coloring, or wall paints LOLOLOL), but it's actually a legit local brand (with registered BPOM number) so it's a completely safe and harmless brand. I was even interested in buying something from them since they are so so so cheap, plus the reviews were mostly "good for the price". Problem was probably... the color selection? The left row were fine, the right one scares the beejeezus out of me. LOL. It just look... CHEAP. You know what i mean? And i seriously didn't expect to see this in my IDR 250.000 (267.000 with shipping, i must add) box. LOL.

The next two items were not listed in the card :

Hada Labo Gokujyun starter pack

Decent sized trial sample, i have neutral feeling about this (because they are easy to get drugstore one, but it's a bonus so i shouldn't complain).

Mentholatum Beauty Mask in Collagen Firming

Another drugstore brand, it's worth around IDR 12.000 if i'm not mistaken (i have a few lying around in my stash because i got them when they were on sale for 50% off a while back). I'd never say no to sheet masks so it's all good.

Beauty Editor's Pick : Hair band and all about hair accessories

A nice bonus from them. They also seem to pay attention to overseas' beauty boxes that often features little bits and bobs as extras including something edible.

Cadburry Hot Chocolate Drink

That's a very nice touch, i must say!

The verdict :

In terms of value for money, this beauty bag is pretty good. Only the listed products' worth already covered the bag's price including shipping (total value of the listed products : IDR 269.000). There were still the two non-listed products and accessories bonuses, so it's totally worth it. It also featured no sachet samples for my type of bag, another plus in my book. There were 4 full sized products out of 5 that were featured, that's yet another plus. Having said that, meeting the value of the box doesn't mean they featured all wonderful stuffs inside. I'd say this bag contained one pretty fantastic item (the CC Cream), 3-5 pretty acceptable items and one disappointing product (yeah, the Just Miss one, in my case). So, value for money : check. It being a fantastic bag for its price? Not really. I hope you understand what i mean? Like, they just choose one good thing for you (with value in accordance to the type of box/bag you paid for), and then chuck cheap (cheap doesn't mean bad, of course) stuffs as fillers.

I think this is more of a... surprise catered beauty bag/box as opposed to your regular beauty boxes (which focus mainly on samples of new products/brands). All the brands they featured are familiar, easy to access brand (so no surprises there, whether it's in a good or bad way) so if you're the easily enraged "But all of those stuffs i can get like, in the supermarket!" type, IBB is most definitely not for you. For mystery boxes/bags addicts like me, this is a good, sure (as in it won't make you go like "Dafug, i paid so much more then the poducts inside's worth!!!") and refreshing choice to go for. And for bargain hunters too, how can you say no to a FREE bag on top of this bag you already purchased for yourself?

For me, this is more like a personal shopper experience (only you get no say in the final products you'd get) more than anything. It's got pros and cons, of course. You'd get stuffs that (mostly) would suit your preferance (they stick pretty closely to the info you gave them in your beauty profile) so you'd most probably be at least OKAY with all of the products they gave you (remember, my only real problem with the eyeshadow was the shade, which is not something you can blame on beauty boxes as they'd chuck in random shades anyway), they will also try to give you your most wanted products to try, so thumbs up for that!

If you're a die-hard traditional beauty box (as in you want to be surprised and see new brands/products) lover, this is not for you. This is also not for the easily confused (like me hahaha) because of the number of options they have for their box/bags, and with all those different type you'd never know what differentiate them (maybe the "Star" product's worth. Like, you definitely won't get an expensive CC Cream if you subscribed to a cheaper bag. But the other products i suspect would be pretty much the same, you know... Local/drugstore brands) in the first place. They also keep on changing their pricing and boxes option (which only grows in number, even compared to that last entry where i introduced them, the number of options pretty much... doubles by now) so that also adds to the confusion.

This would also make a good idea for a birthday present for your beauty-products loving friends, no need to hunt for stuffs anymore just get them one of these boxes and you can just give it to them! All the hard works already done by IBB team hahaha.

Will i subscribe to them again? Maybe! Not sometime in the near future i think :) (but don't take my words for it. Not sometime in the near future could be like, two months from now in my book. If they are having another promotion i'd subscribe again in a heartbeat though :p.

Does this unboxing post interests you to try out their services?