nmnl is a monthly Japanese beauty subscription box by the brains behind Tokyo Treat and Yume Twins. They promise to deliver a Japanese beauty experience curated by people familiar with the current trends in Japan.
DEAL: Save $3 on your first box! Use coupon code 3off.
The booklet is brief but contains all the information necessary.
Browtician Point Tip Mirror Compact — Apparently this Australian line of tweezers is popular in Japan. I like the gem design on the handle and the mirror compact. I don’t really like pointed tip tweezers but these are definitely handy to have around.
Profael Massage Jelly Pack ($6.90) A body mask you massage into your skin, leave on, and then rinse for soft and conditioned skin. I have never heard of this brand before.
Sweets-Sweets Air Moisturizing CC Cream ($14.42) Sweets-Sweets is the sister brand of Canmake, a brand I have heard about and enjoy. I don’t wear CC creams or any sort of foundation, but I appreciate that this one is SPF 50+ with a PA of ++++ (I think there is actually +++++ protection now, but this is still great!). Did you know that SPF only refers to UVB protection, and PA+ is the protection against UVA?
It blended in okay, but is still much too orange for my fair skin. I don’t think nmnl should send tinted products in future as it’s not a universal product.
PureSmile Peelingood Peeling Gel Kit — A gentle peel with papain, collagen, and lemon fruit extract. Five giant black cotton swabs are included along with the vial of peel. You use the swap to apply the peel then rinse off. I don’t know if this did anything for my skin, but it was fun to apply.
Hollywood Cosmetics Orchid Mask ($3.50) A two-phase mask that actually won a Cosme award! The package contains powder (enzyme) and cream which you mix together before applying. You can adjust the length of time you leave it on for depending on skin type.
I’ve been reviewing nmnl since their inception and while I generally enjoy the unboxing, I do want to mention something I’ve noticed. I follow their Facebook, and they keep up a steady stream of posts featuring very popular and well-known products captioned with things like “Would you like to see this in your box?” or “Maybe we’ll include this in a future box!” In addition to this, the “demo” or marketing boxes they photograph for their FB page and website (and even the booklet that comes in the box monthly) feature well-recognised brands like Majolica Majorca, Canmake, Kikumasamune, Habo Lado, Kose, and so on. However, it is very rare that we receive products that have this brand recognition. I don’t think the brands we are sent are necessarily worse quality, and I have stated in my reviews that it’s not feasible for them to offer a box full of high end, popular products due to the cost. However, when they are consistently teasing us with promises of these products, it’s frustrating.
There have been a few exceptions — we have been sent Kracie haircare (which I loved, repurchased fullsize bottles of, and consider a HG (holy grail)) and Shiseido haircare. Japan (and Asia in general) do AWESOME trial and travel kits. The shampoo/conditioner sets we received are perfect examples of this. They’re not too expensive, they’re generous in size (MUCH more generous than our Sephora samples here!) and it’s a taste of luxury in a mini size. I would love to see more of these in nmnl in future! The June box featured a sunscreen that I absolutely fell in love with. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the boxes, it’s that I feel somewhat like I’m being “led on” with the hope that one of the items they tease will actually end up in my box.
What did you think of this month’s nmnl box?
Comments