“There’s an app for that.” Everyone knows the Apple-invented phrase the world over, but I’d like to put my own spin on the notorious tagline: “There’s a box for that.” What I’m talking about is the overwhelming number of beauty subscription services that send deluxe samples to your door each month in hopes that you’ll get hooked and return to buy the full-sized bottle or tube. There are packages for curly girls, brides-to-be, manicure mavens, and more. But as cute as those miniature vials of perfume and bottles of shampoo are, I’m frankly a bit over the whole thing—after all, Birchbox began in September 2010 and has since become an empire with its own freestanding store in New York City. What set this original sampling service apart was the aspect of “discovery,” a word founders Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna have used in numerous interviews. But with so many mail-order options and Sephora stores popping up as frequently as Starbucks, the opportunity to bring a never-before-seen product to the masses is quickly disappearing. That is, until Memebox entered the highly competitive space.
With Korean beauty quickly becoming a buzzed-about topic, it makes sense that founder Hyungseok Dino Ha created a way to satisfy American consumers’ curiosity. “Our goal is to deliver Korea’s cult favorite beauty products globally,” he explained. “We work with our in-house beauty aficionados to identify the hottest trends and ship them straight from Korea.” The squeal-inducing boxes come brimming with adorable Asian cosmetics not yet available on the mainstream market in the U.S. Similar to other services, Memebox has formed partnerships with YouTube stars (CutiePieMarzia, top) and bloggers (The Pink Diary, bottom) to customize its offerings. And for those who aren’t fluent in Korean, each box comes with a breakdown of what’s inside and how to use it. My two favorite finds thus far: Babyface Volumer Essence (a gel laced with skin-plumping hyaluronic acid) and Pure Smile Gelee Labo Strawberry (a single-use fruity face mask that comes packaged like an individual serving of Smucker’s jam). As a jaded beauty editor, it’s tough to surprise me, but these international delights have me expecting the unexpected.
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