Daebak Box - Fall 2020

For the uninitiated, the Daebak Box is a quarterly subscription service. It contains all things South Korean: pop culture, makeup, skin care, snacks, and lifestyle. Not sure what all the hullabaloo (or hallyu - sorry, inside joke) is about, head over to the site and check them out. You can sign up for the annual subscription ($199.96) or get a one time season order ($54.99) to test the waters. It’s up to you! DAEBAK CO

(I purchase this service with my own money and all opinions are my honest ones)

General overview of the box and it’s contents. I love the shiny detail of the name and the mountain. So pretty!

I am never disappointed in these boxes. They are huge (that’s what…nevermind), and almost overstuffed with goodies. I may not end up using everything in it, but in general, these are great boxes and worth the price. I’ll break down the items into separate categories - otherwise, it gets a little overwhelming.

Hot Brew Vanilla Latte (I think the brand is HY but I can’t be sure): Collab with BTS, there are two flavors - Americano or Vanilla Latte - and I’m glad I got the latter. It is already sweet, but not over sugary. I opened it first and downed it. I needed a little pick me up that afternoon, and it was perfect. Not mad about J-Hope being on it, either. Yes, I saved the bottle. Shut up.

Petitzel (again, I THINK that’s the brand) Water Jelly in Mango: I absolutely love these water jelly drinks. They’re basically like Jello that hasn’t set all the way, making it easier to suck through the straw opening. I’ve gotten a few in the Snack Fever box, too, and they’re just fun. Also delicious, but mostly fun.

There are always some kind of coupons, and cards, and promotional stuff included in each box. And this month, there was just one beauty/makeup product. You may have thought it was really a Hershey bar but no, dear friends, it’s makeup.

Etude House Hershey Eye Shadow Palette: I’m not a huge fan of Etude House skin care stuff. My skin has a 50/50 chance of reacting to their products, but I’ve never had any of their makeup (I don’t think). In general, it seems to me anyway, that Asian powder makeup products are very soft in color. Not just the shades, but also the pigment. These are NOT patchy at all, but no matter how much I pile the powder on or build up, the color remains soft. This isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, I might actually turn to this palette first if I want to do a soft neutral/brown/bronze look. The shadow are soft and perform very well. And that packaging. I mean, come on. How fricken cute!

I love the stationery products this month, and I think they’re all from iStyle. The notebook has lined pages, as well as the graph style (good for practicing your Hangul), and blank pages. The cover is a cool, soft matte. The pocket sticky notes are sweet - for those times you want to leave more than just a simple note! I do like that the planner band is something separate, so you can move it to from one book to another (as opposed to the attached ribbons or dividers normally in a notebook or planner.

I’m not mad at the clear plastic pouch either. Those things are great for travel when you have any toiletries or makeup that might spill and ruin everything in your suitcase!

Cica gives us the Smoother, which is basically like aloe vera gel, but doesn’t leave a film or residue on the skin. It’s a really nice moisturizer that’s great for the warmer months. So…not so much right now for me as we move into winter. But it’s a GIANT ASS bottle of product, right?

Teehee by Daebak is a vegan face mask, in stick form! It’s really cool. You just wipe it across your face directly from the tube, wait 5-10 minutes for it to dry, then wash off. Even though it feels like a clay mask, it comes off very easily. I’ve used it a couple times now and my skin really likes it, and feels very soft afterwards.

The Le Plein hair and body spray is…not good, though I do appreciate the size of the bottle. This and the two fabric sprays we’ve gotten in the box are not my favorites. They don’t work, and the scents are just too heavy. Not a fan.

The slipper socks ARE MY FAVORITIST THING EVAR. Since I got this box a couple of weeks ago, I haven’t gone one day without wearing theses. The fabric is a little on the thinner side, so I wear them over my regular socks. I wear them to bed; I wear them around the house; I wear them outside. I LOVE THEM. (I threw away the original package and label so I don’t remember the brand, and they’re not for sale in the Daebak store)

The Kakao Friends tumbler is totally adorable. I always seem to get Ryan on any Kakao product, so I’m glad he was on this, too. It’s a smaller cup (more like a regular eight ounce glass, as opposed to the American favorite of 64 ounces or more), a removeable lid, and a friggen screw on cap to protect the straw. How cool is that?

There was also a gift bag with the members of BTS on it, as well as a few coupons and promo cards. But otherwise, that’s everything. As usual, I loved about 95% of what’s in the box; I’ll probably use about 85% of the products.

Have any of you purchased this service? What do you think?

Daebak Subscription Box - FALL

Well, hello there, gentle reader. ‘Tis I, the Monkey, returning with another subscription service review. This is a little different from the ones I’ve done in the past - those have been monthly, and contained makeup or snacks or some kind of combo. But this one is more of a lifetstyle/culture kinda dealio, it’s quarterly, and it’s Korean.

As if any of you are surprised, amirite?

I found the Daebak Box after I subscribed to Snack Fever, a monthly Korean snack box (I signed up after cancelling the Universal Yums box, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to review it yet). The same people who started that put this subscription service together, too. I got my Fall box a couple of weeks ago and I’m kinda floored with all the goodies packed inside.

I purchased the annual membership (pre-pay for all four seasonal boxes at $179) but you could do the seasonal membership that renews every quarter for $49.99.

Let’s take a look inside the Fall Box!

From the Daebak website: Each box will include between 8 and 12 full-sized premium products ranging from K-beauty and K-pop to fashion and accessories, stationery, and everything in between! We'll curate the best and trendiest products of each season. The contents of the box are a surprise and change every season.

Anyone who knows me can figure out why I signed up.

Aside from the goodies, there’s a magazine inside that is full of information. The first two pages list the items you received (or the variation - i.e., the color is different, the character is different, etc.) There’s no value listed for each item, but there is a quick description. The rest of the magazine consists of tips on using some items, giveaway information, and some article/blurbs about something pertaining to Korea and/or its culture (in this case, a karaoke tv show, the Kakao Friends, K-pop, and an abandoned theme park, Yongma, that’s become a popular destination for photographers, musicians, and general visitors to Korea).

MeloMeli Magic Spell Blusher. This is the only item I took a hundred pictures of because it was the first thing I pulled out and used immediately! I’m kinda rocking a blush obsession right now so this was perfect. There were two color options and it looks like I got the lighter one, which is good. The colors are very soft (as you can see from the swatches) so it was hard to get a picture of it on my face. But trust me, it looked really nice. Seems more appropriate for Spring or Summer, but these soft hues might just show up better on non-tanned Fall or Winter skin. And look at that compact! So fricken’ cute. It’s nice and sturdy, snaps closed, good sized mirror, and just adorable.

Soothing Jelly Mask from The Face Shop, with Kakao Friends’ Ryan. I don’t know anything about Kakao, but I know I love jelly face masks. I’m pumped for this.

Etude House Mist Oil Glow. The magazine in the box lists either Moist Glow or Gloss Glow, not Oil, so I’m not sure which is which. But this stuff is kinda cool - you shake it up to combine the two liquids, and there are teeny tiny shimmers in it. It doesn’t look like you just left your job at the Bazouki Club at 3:00am when you put it on, so no worries there (unless you’re into that sort of thing). I can’t quite put my finger on the scent, but it’s not bad. It’s like a combo of spa and floral and medicine. Just odd.

Jeju Aloe Ice Soothing Gel from The Face Shop. This is a GINORMOUS tub of lotion and apparently, it’s good for all sorts of uses: skin care (i.e. face and body), hair, and soothing your sunburn. Well, okay then. It’s got a light texture and absorbs really well into the skin. I’m a little leery of putting it on my face, but I’ll try anything once! Well, that’s not entirely true. Bungee jumping will FOREVER be out of my wheelhouse…

Emoji Socks from Socks Appeal. This was a random item for this box and as someone whose feet are always cold, but doesn’t want to wear shoes unless absolutely necessary, AND has worn out her last pair of slippers, I say thank you, Daebak.

Tin Memo Case with Esther Bunny. Um, little slips of note paper, in a reusable tin? Yes, please.

Cable Protector from Wiggle Wiggle. Another random item, there were five options: shell, lobster, daisy, cat, or hot dog. It’s perfect for my iPod cord, probably my phone cord, or any other thin cable/wire needed to charge any portable electronic device. I dig it, though I wish I got the lobster.

Buckle Eco Bag with Kakao Friends’ Ryan. Can never have too many tote bags, am I right? This feels pretty sturdy, not like those cheap bags you can buy at your grocery store for a buck. It’s huge, and I love the Ryan character on the front. The other option was a black bag with Muzi, but I don’t know. Ryan has that cynical look, or just that he’s so tired of your bullshit he can’t be bothered. Yeah, I like that. (UPDATE: did some research on Ryan. He’ was added to the Kakao family in 2016 and though he looks like a bear, he’s actually a maneless lion. And though his flat expression misleads most people, his emotions are quite delicate and he’s a trustworthy friend.)

Ice Tumbler from Esther Loves You. I could have gotten a pink version of this, OR a portable juice cup travel water bottle…thing. I like this one. It’s got that Tervis Tumbler technology going on. You know, it won’t sweat all over you in the hot months when it’s filled with ice cold…whatever. Reusable straw with adorable Esther rocking out to music.

Like I mentioned, there are no dollar values assigned to any of these items, but all this for around $45? I think it’s worth it. So far. I mean, this is the first box I’ve received, so we’ll have to wait and see what the Winter seaon brings. But each one will contain 8-12 full sized items.

Wanna check it out for yourself? You can always just get a month and cancel, or do the full year and figure out where to go from there. Check out the website: daebakbox.com