ZenPop Japanese Beauty Pack Review – June 2018

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 June 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.

Ellips Hair Vitamin (yellow – smooth and shiny, 6 count) – Listed Value $3.43 (380 yen)

These little capsules contain a clear oil intended for use on towel-dried hair. The booklet that came with the subscription box said to use one for shorter hair and two for long hair. Although I do have long hair, it is a bit thin at the moment, so I opted for one capsule (better use too little than have an oil slick for hair in the morning). My hair is softer and shiny today, although kind of frizzy. I am not sure there is any hair product that can conquer Georgia humidity in the summer. But next time I use this, I will try two capsules and see how it goes.

Furupuru Cream (blue, “gyu” design; several variations possible) – Listed Value $8.13 (900 yen)

Sneaky heard me say “kitties” and came to investigate. She was not too interested, though, as this is rose-scented. The booklet said this can be used anywhere – face, body, even hair. I have had dry skin on my legs lately so that is where I tried using this product. It took a little while to absorb, but once it did, I do feel that my skin was nicely moisturized. The scent here is subtle. I can see this being a great item for travel because it is versatile and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

Yoridori Dobest Black Mascara – Retail Value $4.90 (found here for $4.41)

I think this is an OK mascara, nothing dramatic in terms of length or volume, but suitable for daily use. So far it is not irritating my eyes, although the day is young. (I wear contact lenses and have very sensitive eyes.)

Kao Heated Eye Mask (yuzu variety) – Estimated Value $0.77 (buy 14 sheets for $10.78)

I hoard heated eye masks. I am not supposed to take decongestants due to a prescription I’m on, and when I get sinus headaches (too often!) using these can break up congestion. Paired with saline nasal rinses and nasal corticosteroids, I can get some relief. These heat up when exposed to air and can only be used once (since it is an irreversible chemical reaction providing the heat). I am saving this until the next time I get a sinus headache (as opposed to using it when I don’t need it).

Purikyua Mirror (round; could also receive rectangle) – Listed Value $4.33 (480 yen)

I gather Purikyua is an anime. Although I have enjoyed watching anime in the past, I wouldn’t say I am *into* it so I am not very good at discussing it. I would say you do regularly get items with characters on them (have seen Pokemon and Hello Kitty, as well) in this subscription. Anyway, I can always use another pocket mirror. I seem to have a hard time keeping track of them but they are handy to have around. This one seems sturdy and not cheap at all.

Shiseido Posme and Co. Play Color Chip – Listed Value $2.71 (300 yen)

This is an unusual product. I guess Shiseido collaborated with some high school girls to develop cosmetics and this is one of the results. These are like peelie cards of color cosmetics (all the chips in the packet are the same color, although you can buy these in different colors).

I am old enough to be the parent of a high school girl so I couldn’t speculate why this is the type of product they developed (and none of the websites where this is promoted are in English). But I can see some benefits: It’s an inexpensive way to try out a lot of different colors without accumulating full-size items in shades that might not work for you. It’s portable and could be wonderful for travel.

Here is a swatch of the color chip product. Based on the texture and color, I feel that this is best suited as a lip color for me. It is a bit too bright for me to use on my cheeks since I have pale skin. But I do like a bold lip. You apply this with a finger and it can be used on the eyelids, cheeks, or lips. I’d say it lasted about as long as any other cream lipstick product (which is to say, it needed reapplication after eating).

Crux Pouch with Shombori Azarashi (sad or depressed water seal) – Listed Value $4.33 (480 yen)

I found a lot of pouches with this character online, but not this exact one. The booklet says the seal is sad/depressed because the penguins play tricks on him. That seems kind of mean! But anyway, I don’t subscribe to any of the beauty subscriptions that supply makeup bags anymore, though I do like having little bags and pouches to separate out items in my purse (contact solution, mirrors, etc.) so this will come in handy for that.

Verdict: I calculated a total value of about $28.60 for the June 2018 Zenpop Beauty Pack. I think that is a reasonably good deal, especially considering free international shipping is offered (and that’s not cheap!). Also, as is often the case with Asian beauty subscriptions, it is hard to find the items from reputable sources online, and you should take the total value with a grain of salt. This month had a fun mix of skincare, haircare, color cosmetics, and accessories, including some products like the color chips, that are new to the market. Everything was useful to me and it was fun going through the box to see what sorts of beauty items might be found in drugstores in Japan.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, the current pack available is August's.

Value Breakdown: At $29.50 for this subscription, you’re paying approximately the following per item:

• Hair capsules $3.54
• Furupuru cream $8.39
• Mascara $5.05
• Eye mask $0.79
• Mirror $4.47
• Color chip $2.80
• Pouch $4.47

Alternatively, you are paying about $4.21 per item.

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 June 2018 Zenpop Beauty Pack?  Do you get any K-beauty subscriptions?