Bomibag K-Beauty Subscription Review + Coupon – October 2018

Bomibag is a monthly Asian beauty subscription containing mostly sample sizes, enabling you to try new products before spending money on the full size. You will receive a combination of Japanese and Korean samples. Cancel or skip months at any time by logging into your account.

There are two subscription options: BomiBox and BomiBag.

This is a review of the BomiBag which is $19.99 a month.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

About Bomibag

The Subscription Box: Bomibag

The Cost: $19.99 + free US shipping

The Products: Sheet masks, deluxe samples, and/or trial sizes of Japanese and Korean beauty products

Ships to: the US and Worldwide

Bomibag October 2018 Review

Please forgive the appearance of the bunny bag up above. This was my first month receiving this subscription and it was not obvious from the outer packaging, what was inside. I had ordered a few things from Etsy and Amazon third-party sellers and I assumed that’s what the package was, and I totally mangled it in trying to open it, including cutting off one of the bunny’s ears. Oops. Then when I went to take photos, I couldn’t find the ear (I blame cats). But now that I know what to look for, I shouldn’t make the same mistake again.

There was no information card included in the package. However, subscribers received an email with links to information about the products, which you can see here.

JMSolution Glow Luminous Aurora Mask – Retail Value $3

This mask contains pearl extract which has a long history in Asian beauty as a skin-brightening agent. This mask is also supposed to be good for dry skin. It is easier to assess moisturization than brightening because you can tell the difference with moisture after one use, whereas brightening would take repeated uses over time. At any rate, my skin was a little irritated in spots after another product I’d been using, and this did not irritate it at all (in fact, it was rather soothing).

Leaders Aqua Coating Mild Cotton Mask – Retail Value $3

This mask has glacial water and glycosaminoglycans (haha, I have a PhD in biochemistry and know what those are) for hydration. The glycosaminoglycans are long polymers that hold on to water near the surface of the skin; this prevents moisture loss and *may* reduce the appearance of fine lines. The serum in this one took a super long time to dry and I probably would not use this one first thing in the morning if you are planning to wear makeup.

Klavuu Personal Care Aurora Pearl Eye Mask – Retail Value $5.24

This is a hydrogel mask (jellylike sheet, not paper or cotton) and unlike most hydrogel masks, this one actually stayed in place on my face while I wore it, even though I was sitting up. My eye area was kind of dry and inflamed before I used this due to a retinol product I’d tried (guess I’m sensitive and need to dial it back a bit) and this was super soothing. This did not have a ton of serum on it and was not all that wet, which is probably why it stayed in place. But I think the hydrogel, which is thicker than a standard mask, kept all of the moisture locked in place. This would be a good one to put in the refrigerator before using for a cooling effect, as well.

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel (5 mL x 2) – Estimated Value $1.90 (buy 100 mL for $19)

This has propolis, a bee-derived ingredient (a mixture of saliva and beeswax with plant-based exudates) that has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties as well as minerals. And the aloe is moisturizing. So this one is a good product for skin that’s broken out, oily, or congested. I did find it to be a nice moisturizer for winter and it did not interfere with the subsequent application of makeup. I think this would be suitable for daily use.

Innisfree Jeju Orchid Special Kit – Retail Value $5.24

I’m surprised this sells for only $5.24 as you really feel like you are getting a lot of things to try here. I guess the containers are small. Anyway, what I like about this item is that you get four different products from the same line to try all together. It’s a bit of a time-consuming routine, so it’s maybe not something I’d do permanently, but it was fun to try. I’ll talk about the individual components below; they are listed in the order in which they’re supposed to be used.

Jeju Orchid Skin (25 mL)

This is like a toner, it is a clear liquid with a thin consistency. I found it best to apply this one with a cotton pad. There is alcohol in this but I guess because I use alcohol-based toners regularly, I didn’t notice. This has a ton of antioxidants from tea leaves, citrus fruits, and other plants.

Jeju Orchid Essence (15 mL)

This is also a clear liquid, but it is kind of a high-viscosity one (almost like mucilage). Anyway, this is not one for a cotton pad (in my opinion) although it did absorb pretty well.

Jeju Orchid Lotion (25 mL)

This is a thinner, opaque white moisturizer. It has many of the same tea and fruit extracts as the skin product (the ingredients lists I could find online are incomplete and don’t actually mention ingredients for the essence and cream, but seeing the similarities between the skin and lotion, I’m guessing those extracts are features of the whole product line).

Jeju Orchid Enriched Cream (10 mL)

And last, we have a thicker cream moisturizer. If you don’t have time to do four skincare steps in the morning, you could separate them out a bit. If you were going to do that, I’d suggest the lotion as a morning moisturizer and the cream as an evening one (or at least, it is my habit with moisturizers to go with really thick ones or even sleeping masks overnight).

Anyway, I’m happy to know I’m using lots of antioxidants on my skin and I definitely appreciate getting to try a full product line like this.

Verdict: I calculated a value of $18.38 for Bomibag. That is a little below the month-to-month cost of the subscription, although it’s only about $1.60 off. Considering it is difficult to find the same K-beauty item on two different websites for the same price, and that some prices displayed online don’t include shipping, and some change by the day with the exchange rate, I feel like the value is probably there. This month’s products were particularly appropriate for me as I had super dry, irritated skin, and everything was soothing. Plus, I really feel like I got more than just five items since the Innisfree kit had four separate products.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you subscribe today?  No, your first shipment would likely be November’s.

Bomibag ships at the end of every month. Please contact us if you need to confirm which month you will be receiving your Bomibag.

Coupon - Use code BOMIPOP to save $2 off your first box!

Value Breakdown: At $19.99 for this subscription, you’re paying about the following per item:

• JMSolution mask $3.26
• Leaders mask $3.26
• Eye mask $5.70
• Aloe propolis gel $2.07
• Innisfree kit $5.70

Check out the Beauty Subscription Box Directory for more great K-beauty subscriptions!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you think of the October 2018 Bomibag?  Do you get any K-Beauty or Asian Beauty subscriptions?