ZenPop Japanese Beauty Pack is a monthly subscription from Zenmarket that sends Japanese drugstore skincare products, popular cosmetics, and a few accessories.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About ZenPop
The Subscription Box: ZenPop Japanese Beauty Pack
The Cost: $29.50 a box + free worldwide shipping. Save with longer commitments.
The Products: Japanese drugstore skincare products, popular cosmetics, and accessories
Ships to: Worldwide
Good to know: Boxes ship at the end of each month from Japan, so delivery time is around 3 weeks
ZenPop Japanese Beauty Pack July 2018 Review
I am relatively new to reviewing this subscription and was excited to see what they had in store:
This full-color information booklet was included. I appreciate the details since some of the packaging didn’t have a lot of English text. I’ve used a lot of the prices here since I couldn’t find many of these items on English language websites.
Choosy Day Lip Care – Retail Value $5.24
There weren’t really any makeup items this month, and some of the main beauty items were lip balms. We got one for day use and one for night use. This is the one for day use. The fragrance is described as “amber musk” which sounds a little odd for lip care (but awesome for perfume) but it ended up being pleasant. I did have to reapply every now and then, but no more than with any other lip balm.
The website linked to above says to apply with your fingers but I am not a fan of that. You can use the dispenser tip as an applicator well enough. This is SPF 15. Normally I avoid lip care products with SPF because I have had some problems in the past (with flaky skin) but this one seems to be working and I haven’t had any adverse reactions so far.
Choosy Night Lip Care – Retail Value $5.24
This is the nighttime version of the lip balm, with a honey peony fragrance. It is not too strongly scented (not like Posie Balm, or something, which is too floral for me to enjoy using). It is honestly about the same thickness as the daytime product, and it did not really stay on all night but had to be reapplied. I may just use this during the day and stick with my Malin + Goetz product for nighttime.
Bath Ball and Gashapon by Sanrio – Listed Value 464 yen (about $4.18)
The information booklet notes this is the same item that was sent out in April. I guess that is good if you are collecting the little figures from inside? I haven’t had a chance to use this yet, but I do remember enjoying the previous one sent and was not upset to get a repeat item since it is one I liked! This will have a small figure of either My Melody or Kuromi inside. (It is difficult to find specific Sanrio products like this online so I’ve used the value from the booklet.) This most likely does have some artificial dye but did not irritate my skin last time.
Mini Hand Towel by San-X – Estimated Value $5.99
Amazon had a decent selection of these, though not this specific one. I took a value near the middle of the styles offered as the estimated value. This will have either Sumikko Gurashi or Rilakkuma. I got Rilakkuma, who I actually have heard of before! The information booklet says people will often carry their own miniature towels in case they need to use public restrooms where there might not be towels. I think that is not a bad idea. I am very skeptical of those air dryers in a lot of places because they suck in and distribute fecal bacteria everywhere, and using a little towel of my own seems more sanitary in those situations.
Gudetama Socks by Sanrio – Listed Value 380 yen (about $3.42)
I found a lot of Gudetama socks but not this particular pair. I have been wearing a lot of novelty socks lately since I have had to abandon my Birkenstocks temporarily due to plantar fasciitis. (Instead, I need Nikes with special insoles.) These looked really small when I opened the package, but as you can see, they fit just fine. For reference, I am a standard US women’s size 7.
Narikiri Eye Mask by Sanrio – Listed Value 800 yen (about $7.20)
When I searched for this one, I kept getting sheet masks, which is not what this is. You could have received either Hello Kitty or Kuromi (this is obviously Kuromi, even someone as unfamiliar with Sanrio characters as I am would know that, given the choices!).
I am definitely one of those people who needs total darkness for sleep and I have tried a handful of these in the past. I always ended up taking them off in the night and flinging them all over the place (one ended up in a litter box, once…). So now I sleep in a room with blackout curtains. But, it is good to have one for travel since you can’t always control lighting conditions in a hotel or if staying at someone else’s house. This one connects around your ears instead of by a strap behind your head, so maybe I will have better luck keeping it on.
Bonus Item: Pompompurin Bandages (6 patterns x 3 sheets) – Listed Value 350 yen (about $3.15)
This is the subscription bonus item for the month. The information booklet says that even adults in Japan will use novelty/character bandages. For what it’s worth, *I* will wear novelty/character bandages, and I am 40, so that’s really all that matters, right? These are a good size for small cat scratches and paper cuts, both of which I tend to get a lot of.
Verdict: I calculated a total value of about $34.42 for the July 2018 Zenpop Beauty Pack. That is above the cost of the box on a month-to-month basis by several dollars (and don’t forget, this subscription includes free international shipping, which is not cheap!). There weren’t so many beauty items this month, though many of the items definitely fell into the “personal care” or “hygiene” categories if not exactly beauty. This month had a character theme and I did learn about some new ones. (I believe every item is officially licensed in Japan, though not necessarily available in the US.) The items this month actually are generally useful/practical for me even though I feel like I might be a little bit older than the target demographic for this box.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, the current pack available for a one-time purchase is August’s.
Value Breakdown: At $29.50 for this subscription, you’re paying approximately the following per item:
- Daytime Lip Care: $4.49
- Night Time Lip Care: $4.49
- Bath Bomb: $3.58
- Mini Towel: $5.13
- Socks: $2.93
- Eye (Sleep) Mask: $6.17
- Bandages: $2.70
Check out all of our ZenPop reviews and more k-beauty reviews in the Beauty Subscription Box List!
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What did you think of the July 2018 Zenpop Beauty Pack? Do you get any K-beauty subscriptions?
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