Facebook PixelPinkSeoul Plus Subscription Box Review + Coupon - Mar/Apr 2016 | MSA
My Subscription Addiction
My Subscription Addiction
Our reviewers research, test, and recommend the best subscriptions and products independently; click to learn more about our editorial guidelines. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.

PinkSeoul Plus Subscription Box Review + Coupon – Mar/Apr 2016

Nancy Su
ByNancy SuApr 4, 2016 | 18 comments

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Box

PinkSeoul PLUS Box
4.3 overall rating
4 Ratings | 1 Reviews

PinkSeoul is a monthly Korean beauty subscription box curated to your skin type. They focus on customized, full-sized, and curated products that are designed to guide you in your K-beauty journey of discovery. You can also shop their online store for more K-beauty goodies!

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-First-Look1

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-First-Look2

PinkSeoul offers 3 subscription types. The PinkSeoul Box is $39.95 every two months with retail value over $60. The PinkSeoul Plus Box is recommended for subscribers age 35+, $49.95 every two months with retail value over $80. These two boxes are shipped bi-monthly and each box contains at least 4 full-sized items plus an accessory item. The PinkSeoul Mask Box is $29.95 every month with 10 customized mask products and an accessory item.

This review is of the PinkSeoul Plus Box for Oily skin types.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Contents

The Subscription Box: PinkSeoul Plus Box

The Cost: $49.95 bi-monthly

COUPON: Save 10% off your first box with code MSA10!

The Products: at least 4 full-sized K-beauty products customized to your skin type and an accessory item

Ships to: USA (free shipping), Canada ($8.95 shipping), and other countries listed here ($15.95 shipping)

Good to know: PinkSeoul and PinkSeoul Plus subscribers who sign up in March will receive their next box in May, whereas subscribers who sign up in April receive their next box in June. During the March/April period the boxes are the same for both sets of subscribers, just shipped out at different times.

Check out the Beauty Subscription Box Directory and make sure to add PinkSeoul to your subscription list or wishlist!

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-Customization-Screenshot

Prior to purchasing a subscription, PinkSeoul will ask you several customization questions. Be sure to figure out what your skin type is because, for example, some ingredients are more compatible with dry skin than with oily skin.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Info1

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Info2

All first-time subscribers receive a detailed "welcome" card that introduces Korean skincare routine basics and tips on how to incorporate those skincare into your daily life. I would keep this card somewhere handy especially if you're new to K-beauty or find all of the steps confusing.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Info3

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Info4

The March info card is just as detailed and extremely informative. First, there are some basic tips about your skin type-- mine is oily. It was fun to learn that donkey milk is good for oily skinned people! There are also instructions on how and where in your routine to apply each product. The card states that full ingredient lists and label information can be found on their website.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Skinfood

Skinfood Black Sugar Mask 100g - $14.70 (on sale for $13.95)

All subscribers get this classic Black Sugar Mask from Skinfood. It's a mineral-enriched Brazilian black sugar-based exfoliating mask and face scrub. I've used this mask before. It looks and feels like brown sugar and smells delicious. I would follow the info card's recommendation to thin the consistency down with water first before applying to your face. When I first tried without adding any water it felt too abrasive. If you enjoy physical exfoliation, this is a good and inexpensive scrub/mask to try.

The tiny spatula is a bonus from PinkSeoul. I thought it was for applying the Skinfood mask but it turns out it's meant more for the Mizon snail cream.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Benton

Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner 200ml - $16.95

Note: For some reason the ingredient list on PinkSeoul is inconsistent with the list on the bottle itself and other websites. PinkSeoul states that bee venom is the last ingredient on its site but bee venom is not listed on the bottle.

I'm a fan of Benton products and but haven't tried this toner before. It contains soothing and moisturizing ingredients such as aloe, snail secretion filtrate, and glycerin. It also contains some salicylic acid, also called BHA. The toner has no discernible scent and dries very quickly. I found it quite moisturizing. The consistency is slightly thicker than water, which caught me off guard but is very pleasant to apply once I got the hang of it.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Mizon

Mizon Black Snail All-In-One Cream 75ml - $53.95 (2.4oz for $13.39 on Amazon)

Mizon's snail cream has me so excited! The cream is made of 90% black snail secretion filtrate and a host of plant extracts. It helps improve skin tone, dull complexion, dark spots, pore, and the appearance of wrinkles. It is a thick, creamy moisturizer, but after it's fully absorbed into the skin it feels lightweight and isn't sticky. A little cream goes a long way. This is a huge jar too so I don't need to buy new moisturizer for a while.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Verysix

Verysix Six Seconds Lip Gloss - $14 (on sale for $11.95)

Verysix is a new brand for me. I like the slanted applicator tip of this lip gloss. At first the bright coral color looked intimidating but the gloss sheers out considerably when applied. It gives my lips just a hint of shiny, moisturizing color. Plus, it's not sticky!

Washing Headband - $7

PinkSeoul included a soft headband in various colors in each March/April box. I love wearing this while I do masks.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Swatch

Swatch of Verysix lip gloss.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Masks1

SNP Gold Collagen Ampoule Mask - $3

I like the golden piggy on the package. The sheet mask has flecks of gold embedded in it! I'm not sure if the gold actually does anything to improve my skin, but no complaints here when I'm feeling like royalty. It has a strong perfume-y smell that may not be enjoyable to more sensitive noses. There's a lot of essence in the pouch so I squeezed a lot onto my palm and massaged it to my mask. That way the sheet mask stays moist for a longer time and I feel more pampered.

This mask fit like a dream. I had just a little extra material drooping under my chin but it wasn't a big deal. The mask clung to my skin well enough that I could walk around and cook in it.

Holika Holika Vitamin + Pineapple Mask - $2.95

It isn't very clear just what type of "vitamin" is in this vitamin and pineapple mask. The fit of this one is just ok; the eyes and mouth holes could have been slightly wider. My face also felt a bit tacky for some time after taking it off. Overall though, it's a comfortable mask.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Masks2

Mediheal Teatree Care Solution Essential Mask - $3

This is another mask that fit my face very well. The mask contains tea tree oil, which is great for helping combat acne. I put this on right before bed, and in the morning my face felt wonderfully hydrated and acne bumps looked less inflamed.

Leaders Wrinkle-Tox Skin Clinic Mask - $4

Leaders is a superb sheet mask brand. I like the name "Wrinkle-Tox," it's like a play on the word botox, or is it detox? This mask claims to improve elasticity and firmness to aging skin. The ingredients are listed in Korean but PinkSeoul provides full ingredient lists on their website.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Mask-Selfie

Here I'm wearing the Mediheal Teatree Care Solution Essential mask. You can't really smile while wearing it or the mask wrinkles.

PinkSeoul-Plus-Box-March-April-2016-Samples

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence 5g sample - $2

What an adorable sample! I've used this essence before and really like it. It is lightweight, scentless, and absorbs very quickly. It does contain bee venom so people with bee allergies should be aware.

Tony Moly Tomatox Massage Pack samples

This massage pack is supposed to help brighten skin with tomato extracts. I didn't see or feel any difference afterwards but it was fun to try.

Missha Soft Finish Sun Milk samples

I'm looking forward to using these sunscreen samples! I'm still in search of the perfect non-sticky sunscreen to wear under makeup.

Verdict: This is such an impressive debut for the PinkSeoul Plus box! PinkSeoul is unique in that they curate boxes based on skin type, which is so smart! All products were carefully and thoughtfully added, and I also enjoyed the variety of skincare items they included. Additionally this is one of the few K-beauty boxes out there that include big-ticket full-sized items. Total retail value is $121.55, more than twice the cost of subscription. However, I should point out that I found the Mizon snail cream for a much cheaper price on Amazon Prime. The cream was the big ticket item but even when accounting for the Amazon price I'd still consider PinkSeoul Plus a good deal.

PinkSeoul Plus is suggested for subscribers age 35+, so it's possible there will be anti-aging products in future months. Still, I enjoyed all the products in this box and I'm not close to 35.

What do you think of the first ever PinkSeoul Plus Box?

Starting at $49.95
Active Deal
Save 10% off your first box!
Use Coupon Code MSA10
Subscribe Now

PinkSeoul PLUS Box is a customized, curated, full-sized and bi-monthly Korean skincare and makeup subscription box for women (recommended for those over 35) that sends you at least 4 full-sized products and an accessory item (i.e. hair/cosmetic accessory) every other month. Each box is customized... read more.

Nancy Su
Nancy Su
Nancy began her subscription box adventure in 2014 and never looked back. She loves Asian beauty and is constantly in search of skincare holy grails. She hoards lipsticks. Her favorites are beauty, lifestyle, and jewelry subscriptions.

Join the Conversation

Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.

18 comments

Dom

For those interested in Korean skincare products, you can find good prices from shops and sellers who ship directly from Korea. There are actually a lot of legitimate Korean sellers in eBay that have nearly local prices for their items. I usually buy my products from Korea though shipping can take some time. You have to know exactly what you want though and make sure to research different sellers and shops. Shopping this way is the cost effective but can be very overwhelming for those new to the world of Korean and Asian skincare. Sub boxes are great ways to ease yourself in to the vast world and you can explore other options once you’ve familiarized yourself with it.

I wouldn’t recommend Amazon because it’s a lot harder to tell who and where you’re buying from, especially since sellers change all the time.

BB creams are one of the more common product types to be faked, especially Skin79 and some other popular brands. There are some great guides out there to spot counterfeit products and I highly recommend looking into them.

Reply ButtonReply

Lynn

Hi Dom! I’ve had the same thoughts but haven’t taken the plunge because I can’t seem to find legitimate sellers. Could you recommend some sellers or some websites on how to spot counterfeits? Ohh I’m on the hunt for Mizon All-in-one Snail Repair Cream. Where would you recommend I go? If you reply, thank you so much in advance 😀

Reply ButtonReply

Dom

Hey, Lynn! I’m so sorry for the late reply. I personally have had great experiences with the sellers f2plus1 and iamlove-shop. They both also run standalone websites (beautynetkorea.com and jolse.com respectively, they also have secondary ebay accounts under these names). I prefer to buy from them through ebay simply because I can get shopping done on one site. Though both places have good prices, because they are based in Korea, shipping will take a few weeks.

As for as counterfeits, usually you’ll have to just try to find blogs that have posted guides. Because there are thousands of products, it may be hard to find information on products that aren’t as popular. Some items may be authentic, but a bit old (Korean manufacturers usually put the manufactured date instead of expiration date on their packaging) so that’s something else to keep in mind.

Dom

Also, the Taiwanese brand My Beauty Diary is another popular brand that is counterfeited, specifically their hugely popular sheet masks. There are a lot of guides out there that will help you spot a fake. Every now and then I will also see some fake Shiseido products (typically products that aren’t available in the US market for Shiseido)

Reply ButtonReply

Gabbi

Is there a way to let them know that you have an allergy to bees? I would LOVE to try this box out but it worries me that the one product had discrepancies in its product list and it was bee venom! I can’t take the chance that a product has bee venom and it wasn’t listed on accident. 🙁

Also, a question about the masks – I can’t stand having the sheet masks on my face…. Would it be effective at all to just use the serum/product that comes in the pouch on my face directly?

Reply ButtonReply

Veronica

SQUEEEEEE I love LOVE LOVE Skin Food. I miss living in S. Korea so much and I especially love my trips to Skin Food and to Innisfree and all the other skin stores. I most particularly miss the chance to go in and buy two or three products (or more, let’s be honest) and getting a bunch of new stuff to try “surbesa” (meaning service) which is free gifts. So many things you buy in stores comes with a free gift packaged on it or included with it. I may have to grab this box, even though it won’t be the same as picking through the fun stores. 🙁

Reply ButtonReply

Kim

Just want to add that sometimes K beauty products on Amazon are fakes, which might explain the price discrepancy.

Reply ButtonReply

Raylene C

I agree with you on many counterfeit skincare products out there. Just like fake handbags, packaging for counterfeit products looks real until when you use it, it’s not the same quality and does not give you same results.
Also, I heard of a practice called Product Diversion where products are obtained in “gray market”. Diverted products may be old, diluted or expired or products may contain harmful bacteria. Some items may have been stored in a warehouse without climate control thus making the product unsafe to use. Some may have been already opened and returned by customers or even be counterfeit products.
I am very careful with what I apply on my face and on my body so I don’t mind paying a little more to only purchase from reputable places.

Reply ButtonReply

Joyce

Wow thanks. I have ordered some masks from Amazon. I will check them close and the dates. Again thanks ladies.

Sarah&Randi

I received the Pink Seoul Plus box for combination skin. I love everything I got from the box. I’m all about the Mizon Snail cream and the Aloe gel. The information card that came with the box was really useful (especially for someone who’s new to Korean beauty products and its 10-step cleaning process). For the Aloe gel I received, I followed the instructions from the instruction card and made eye patches with my cotton pads. I put them on while I had my skin food mask on. It was so cool and soothing that I fell asleep in the short 10 minutes I had them on! It was definitely a great way to recharge my batteries on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I don’t use mascaras so I’ll see if I can swap it for something else. The head band is cute but makes me look ridiculous (in a funny way). Might gift it to my little cousin.

I read from other reviews that you can get the same items from Amazon for cheap, but here are the reasons why I’m okay paying more than the lowest Amazon price for a curated box:

1. I’m new to K-Beauty so with all the options on Amazon, I actually wouldn’t know where to start. I’m leveraging Pink Seoul to help me identify products that I should try (also to avoid products that contain certain ingredients/chemicals that are bad in general). I actually emailed Anna (owner of Pink Seoul) directly with a few questions. She was super responsive and helpful. I ended up getting a few more items to make sure I have all the basic items to start my routine. Anna mentioned that the products on her site are products she uses herself (that’s a major plus for me that she only shares products she uses and loves).

2. I read a number of Amazon reviews that the products they received were opened or tampered with. Since I’ll be putting these products on my face, I’m okay paying a fair price to make sure they’re from a reputable source, not tampered with, and not expired. Also, part of her proceeds go to helping women fighting cancer (i’m not sure how much but it’s on her website and IG). I’m happy to support the cause.

I can’t wait to receive my next box!

Reply ButtonReply

Lee

Thank you for that Amazon link for the black snail secretion filtrate. I have been wanting to try it and never thought to look on Amazon. I ordered a jar this morning. Hopefully it works.

Reply ButtonReply

EC

Nancy, I highly recommend Goodal’s sunscreen. It has a very thin consistency, applies easily and absorbs quickly. I bought it from HauteLook originally but my local Ulta is now carrying it. In fact the brand was my formal introduction to a complete K-beauty regimen (versus single products). I believe it’s part of the Waterest collection if I’m not mistaken. I’m able to wear it under makeup no problem with only seconds of drying time after applying, plus no chalky white film. Very moisturizing, too!

Reply ButtonReply

Nancy Su

Thank you for the recommendation! That sounds very promising 🙂

Reply ButtonReply

Luna

I also subscribed to the Pink Seoul Plus box, but for combination skin. Everything in my box was the same except one of the masks was different, and instead of the toner I received a mascara and a *huge* aloe vera gel that could be used on your body, face, and even hair. I really liked the quality, brands, and sizes of the items. Overall, I’m pretty happy with their 1st box. I’ll stick with the subscription for a couple more boxes to see how they compare to other similar subscriptions I’ll be receiving (3B, Mishibox, Miss Tutii, Beauteque, and the occasional Memebox (which is my K-Beauty drug!)).

Reply ButtonReply

Symi

I like the customization idea, but the values of the products listed on the card are way over their sale prices. I calculated the total based on the prices on two major Korean online retailers. It’s around $45-50 + shipping.

Reply ButtonReply

Ying

I got the regular PinkSeoul box and I loved it. They did a really great job with their first box and I can’t wait for the next one! I know some people in the comments considered the subscription price to be too expensive but I’m very happy with the items I received, for the price I paid.

Reply ButtonReply