Beauty Review: MISHIBOX - Korean Beauty Subscription Box | August

I know this is WAY late (duh, it's already September), but I'd rather post it later than not at all, because let's face it, MISHIBOX is awesome and the boxes keep getting better with every month! For those of you who missed my review of the first MISHIBOX, you can check it out HERE. 

MSHIBOX is a brand new monthly beauty subscription box that delivers hand-picked, top-quality Korean beauty products straight to your door! Every (adorable) box comes with a combination of 4-6 sample-size and full-size products. It can be anything from skincare to makeup and all the amazing things in-between. 

The cost of this monthly subscription box is simply unbeatable - $19.95!!! And, amazingly, you can choose to subscribe for the entire year (and save $12), or buy one box at a time. When I got the first box for review, I was so excited and happy with the products included, I immediately hopped over to MISHIBOX website and ordered a couple more (the June and August one). I think I missed the order deadline for the September box, but I'll definitely be getting the October one!

I would highly recommend giving this awesome subscription box a try. The products you get are pretty high-end and very popular in Asia, plus you won't be able to get some of them anywhere else in the USA or Canada. 

MISHIBOX folks are also hard at work on their online store where you will be able to buy the products included in their boxes. I can't wait for the store to open, I will definitely be stocking up on the Korean face masks - they are amazing!

What's in the box?!

The August 2015 box included:

My thoughts:

TONY MOLY Panda's White Hand Cream 

I had no idea Manuka Honey smelt so good. SO GOOD! 

This little hand cream is not only totally adorable (THAT PANDA! <3) but it also works really amazing! The bamboo sap and bamboo sprout are so incredibly moisturizing! I love how silky smooth it feels without leaving your hands greasy. I want to be able to keep my hands nice and soft without leaving greasy marks on everything I touch after applying hand cream. 

This is, hands down, my favorite product in this month's MISHIBOX. 

THE FACE SHOP Rice Ceramide Moisture Emulsion  

According to the flyer included in the box, this emulsion is great for minimizing dark spots, freckles, and hyperpigmentation. In other words, it improves the appearance of your skin and evens out your skin tone. 

I haven't been using it long enough to be able to tell you if it really works, but it's definitely very moisturizing. It also smells divine. I have noticed it absorbs quickly, but I also noticed that if I apply it in the evening, in the morning my face feels slightly greasy. It isn't a big issue, as I always wash my face with the konjac sponge in the morning anyway, but I wouldn't use this under makeup. It would most likely slide right off :) 

TONY MOLY Delight Tony Tint

A fruit scented lip tint that's been a huge HIT in Asia recently. I was thrilled to have found it in this box! The one I got smells like red grapes and has a rich red-wine color. It's not by any means easy to apply. You definitely have to have a steady hand and some experience with tints like this. Also, start from the middle and spread it towards outer edges, this way you'll avoid Miranda Sings looking lips.

I really like this tint. I love the smell and the color and how long it stays on. I can eat and drink, and there are no smudges but the color stays in place. There's a bit of a tingly feeling when applying it and initially I thought that was a sign of trouble, but my lips don't get dry when using it at all.

YADAH Anti-T Toner and Anti-T Emulsion

These two skincare products are supposed to help you with acne and breakouts. They also help control excess sebum.

I've only tried the toner so far, and only once, so I can't really tell you much about these products. I don't have acne and during summer time my skin usually "behaves", but the moment colder days hit and we start using the central heating system, I know my breakouts will be back. I will definitely be using these two then!

YADAY Mask Pack

100% cotton sheet mask, free of harmful ingredients such as artificial fragrances, colorants, parabens and ethanol. 

These Asian beauty masks are always my favorite products - they're always so amazing! I haven't used this one yet, but I'm happy I got the LIME one. I can't wait for MISHIBOX online store to open so I can stock up on these!

Find out more:

Check out MISHIBOX Website and follow these amazing guys on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date with their shenanigans :)

Disclaimer: I purchased the MISHIBOX myself. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oyster Unlimited - it's like Netflix for books! (Review & Giveaway)

Hi guys!!!

Today I am beyond excited to talk about my new favorite reading app (that is really WAY MORE than just a reading app!) - Oyster, and their subscription service - Oyster Unlimited!! 

I am also super thrilled to be hosting an AWESOME GIVEAWAY just for you, our awesome readers! One lucky winner will get to win ONE WHOLE YEAR of Oyster Unlimited subscription!! (Please enter via Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post!). 

What if you don't win? Don't you worry! We got you covered! All of our awesome readers can now get an exclusive deal and try Oyster Unlimited for 3 months for only $0.99! Scroll to the bottom of the post for more details! 

What is Oyster Unlimited?

It's a unique and innovative subscription service for ebooks - kind of like NETFLIX, only instead of movies, you get unlimited access to a library of over a million books. With one account, you can access the books on all your devices (it’s accessible on iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, Kindle Fire, Nook HD, and on the web). You can read as much as you want, too! There is literally no limit - all of the books are available for you whenever you feel like reading! You can even access your current read offline.

Like you, we are very passionate about YA over at Oyster. Some of the subscription books our readers love most include The Selection, Harry Potter, The Girl of Fire & Thorns series, and The Summer I Turned Pretty  series.

For only $9.95 per month, you get access to thousands of books from 3 of the Big Five publishers (Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Macmillan), as well as many prestigious independent publishers!  

Both subscribers and nonsubscribers can also buy virtually any book in the world in the Oyster ebook store, including all new releases and pre-orders! 

More than just a subscription service and ebook store:

Oyster is an experience. It's about enjoying books, but it's also about discovering your next favorite read, as well as connecting with fellow readers.

Oyster helps you discover books you’ll LOVE

●     Oyster matches you with books you’ll like based on data-driven analysis of your past reading activity and preferences.

●     You can also find out about great books through exclusive book reviews, author interviews, and reader’s guides in The Oyster Review, Oyster’s online editorial magazine.

●     Finally, you can also keep up with what your friends are reading and recommending, and cultivate your own Book Lists to share with the world.

What I love about Oyster Unlimited:

- You can access as many books as you want! If, like me, you're a mood reader and you often find yourself switching between books, you no longer have to feel pressured to finish one book before you dive into another. You can start and simultaneously read as many books as your ADHD brain can handle!

- You can highlight quotes, add notes and - this is my favorite - copy and share the highlighted excerpts! Highlighting and adding notes is a no-brainer, right, but I've seen reading apps out there that don't offer these simple yet essential functions. As a book blogger, I just have to be able to highlight quotes and make notes so that I can later include them in my reviews. As far as sharing quotes and excerpts goes, or even copying passages and being able to paste them into notepads or emails, this is only the second app I've used that allows it (the other one is Bluefire Reader, though the option only works with epubs and no borrowed galleys). And I am THRILLED! Because when I want to use quotes in my review, I really don't want to be wasting time on typing them myself. Being able to copy and paste is just SO MUCH MORE CONVENIENT! (neither Kindle nor Kobo allow it). 

- You can make lists and even give them cute cover photos! This is such a fun feature, I just love keeping my books organized and arranged by genre, rating, etc.

- You can connect with fellow book lovers and invite them to be your friends. This takes reading to a whole new level of awesome, because we all know book lover community is fantastic and friendly - so let's socialize! Link your Facebook and Twitter accounts and find your friends - you can then see what they're reading!

- You can change the fonts and swipe either horizontally or vertically. 

- You can use the brand new function called LUMIN, that automatically adjusts the reading background and brightness for optimal comfort for your eyes. If you like to read before sleep, you will no longer be blinded by the white backdrop and you will also be able to fall asleep better! This, in my opinion, is way cool!

●     Oyster is also the only app to offer Lumin, a revolutionary advancement for reading on smartphones and tablets.
○     Studies show that nighttime reading on devices that emit blue light can suppress our bodies’ production of melatonin, keeping us awake and making us less alert the next morning.
○     Based on your location and the time of day, Lumin reduces the blue light coming from your screen as the day turns into night, for a more comfortable experience and better sleep.

And if you’re a Harry Potter fan, there’s a special feature just for you—you can read all of the Harry Potter books in custom themes inspired by each Hogwarts House.

Giveaway

Prize: One Year subscription to Oyster Unlimited (US only)

 Enter via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Exclusive Deal: 3 months for only $0.99!

If you're worried you won't win, or simply don't want to wait to find out, here's an exclusive Oyster Unlimited deal, just for Bookish Lifestyle readers!!

You can try Oyster Unlimited with all of its awesome features for only $0.99 for 3 WHOLE MONTHS!

Just follow this link and get started! -> CLICK HERE 

Subscription Box Review: The Fandom of the Month Club

   

I don't recall when I first heard of The Fandom of the Month Club, but when I did I needed it! They were a relatively new monthly subscription box, but the jewelry they picked for each themed box was stunning and "general" enough that if you weren't a fan of that months fandom you could still wear the pieces but also specific enough to let your nerd pride show.

When my mother asked for Easter gift ideas (yeah, I still get gifts at Easter don't be a hater) I asked for a three month subscription to The Fandom of the Month Club. And oh buddy is it awesome!

The Fandom of the Month Club, a montlhy subscription club providing fabulous fandom inspired jewelry, is run by Erin from The Geeky Cauldron. Each shipment is handpicked for quality, valued at over $30, and contains 3-4 pieces. Subscriptions start at $13.00 (plus shipping) for one month or you can save by signing up for a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription. Your subscription is automatically renewed upon exploitation, but you are able to opt instead of renewing if you choose.

Previous fandoms include Star Wars, Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Chronicles of Narnia. They do repeat fandoms so if you're favorite has already been chosen don't worry - it'll come around again. Even better, even when the fandoms duplicate the items are never the same.

The Fandom of the Month Club originally began sending out their products in envelopes, but as their subscription count grew they were able to upgrade to these adorable boxes.

Picture from The Fandom of the Month Club's Facebook page

But really, it's what inside the holds all the magic . . .

April - Harry Potter

And we've already started off with a win! One of their first fandoms, Harry Potter made a comeback with some super adorable items. The owl ring is so cute (oh Hedwig) and I love the feather necklace - I have gotten many compliments on it - and on the back "wingardium leviosa" is stamped. So that right there, perfect! I'm not a big fan of gold, but these golden snitch earrings are spot on. Like, really. You can't get much better than . . . hey, look at that Deathly Hallows key chain. Is that a square from a real Harry Potter book!? It is! (Don't worry, Erin reassured us that the books these came from were already damaged.)

May - Lord of the Rings

I didn't stay off Instgram as well as I should have prior to receiving May's box so I was spoiled as to it's contents, which softened the blow a bit when it came to opening the box. That sounded harsh, didn't it? I'm just not a huge Lord of the Rings fan, that's all. But that's what happens with these monthly subscription boxes. You won't always get something your the biggest fan of, but that's okay. As I said, these jewelry pieces picked don't scream Lord of the Rings - well, maybe the Hobbit door and Elvis written on the bracelet but those aspects are still subtle enough for me that I will still plan on wearing them. And because I'm not hugely into this series, I'm not sure what the tree on the earring symbolize, but I still think they're rather fun!

June - Once Upon A Time

And here it is. My last box and the box to end my subscription on. When I first opened the box as saw the Fandom of the Month post card I thought "Great, another fandom I don't know. Boo." I couldn't figure out fandom this was for. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were easy and obvious. So I finally gave and unwrapped the tissue paper to find the Sand Sink bag . . . and promptly lost. My. Shit.

You don't even know.

This is the beauty of subscription boxes. You may get a fandom you like, you may get a fandom you're eh about, but you also may get one that you have an unhealthy obsession with. And on top of that, they pieces are freaking gorgeous. I love this ring, I love the mini Once Upon A Time story book, and I have an obsession with this bracelet. I promptly showed these pieces to my husband and told him what each charm on this bracelet symbolized and he nodded along like he cared and was truly interested in my gushing (which made me love him more).

Overall

I highly recommend The Fandom of the Month. You search the hashtag on Instagram to view all their past boxes and know in confidence that each box is unique and each piece of jewelry is carefully selected to be versatile to everybody. Plus, for $13 a month (plus shipping), it really is a great deal, especially considering the value of the pieces you receive. Plus, you're helping out a small business so you really cannot argue against it.

Jewelry: The Geeky Cauldron
Harry Potter keychain: TheSorcerersPhone
Artwork: HalfBloodPrints
Printed bags: S&S ink.