Remember when beauty subscription boxes exploded on the internet years ago? I liked the idea of trying out curated products, but I wasn't too keen on the idea of receiving duplicate items. (Yup, that happened often with some boxes. 🙈) Being the segurista that I am, I want to know what's inside the box before I actually shell out money for it. (Yup, I'm boring and practical. LOL) 😜 While the hype has died down, I think it's only BDJ left as the last man (or lady) standing that has been releasing Elite Boxes locally.
Anyway, I've been window shopping at Althea for months since I'm on an alleged shopping ban - I think I have too much makeup already! But with skincare, it's another story. My sister was talking about Althea's Trouble Breaker Box one night, and the next day, I received an email asking me if I wanted to do an unboxing for the very same box.
OF COURSE! 😍
Althea Boxes have different themes and the products are specially curated by the elves from Althea! My box contained 6 full-sized products - all targeting acne concerns.
These limited edition boxes usually cost a little over P1,000 on the average so that automatically means free shipping straight from Korea. (FREE SHIPPING on orders above P999!) The only difficult part is waiting. Based on past experiences my orders from Althea would usually take 2 weeks before they reached our doorstep, but that's fine since I never went through the hassle of having to claim it from our local post office.
What I especially like about Althea is you ALWAYS get fresh and authentic stocks. My sister and I have ordered twice before, and this is actually my third box (but first official unboxing) and all stocks are all newly manufactured. My Trouble Breaker Box had products with expiry dates on 2019 and even 2020.
Unfortunately, this box got sold out only days after its release, but I have linked the individual products to Althea's site in case you're interested in purchasing. (Althea Boxes usually get sold out quickly, so you need to act fast when you like what you see!)
We've gone a long way from using cold cream and cleansing oils. I personally love using cleansing water since it's less messy. This one does a good job in removing my daily makeup, and while it's an all-in-one cleanser, I'm OC so I still double cleanse at night. In the morning, I just use this to cleanse my face then I proceed to moisturizer, SPF, and makeup. It contains 100ppm Australian tea tree component to remove excess oil. It has no strong scent, and it's soothing and safe even for sensitive skin.
Just when I thought I did a good job at cleansing... (With any facial wash in general.) Mirror check: My face looks and feels clean. But whenever I use this toner at night, the cotton ball always turns into a dirty yellowish shade. (Yikes!) Those are all pimples waiting to happen, so I'm so happy with how this toner is working its magic without ever drying out my skin.
While I am not really familiar with the brand Swanicoco, the box says to "Trust and use." and so I did. Haha! The box and the toner's bottle itself gives off a premium feel, and when I did research, the toner's price is even more expensive than the Althea Trouble Breaker Box itself! 😮 It's an acne-specialized toner that helps and prevents skin troubles.
Functions:
- Improving tired skin
- Maintaining clear and fresh skin
- Moisturizing with no-sticky
- Elasticity of the skin
- Delicate scent
At first I thought that this one was a facial wash, because it comes in a big 100ml tube. It turned out to be a moisturizer. Hehe 😂
I've tried the facial wash version from the same Bija line before and I loved it to bits. This moisturizer has a light and watery lotion texture that has a bit of a cooling and soothing feel when applied to the skin. (Nope, no menthol listed in the ingredients. It's mainly due to its light texture vs heavier moisturizers.) It's an oil-free emulsion type of product, so my oily skin takes it with ease. I use this moisturizer on my entire face, and I like how it calms and heals my skin due to its Jeju bija seed oil and salicylic acid. My favorite part of this moisturizer is how my face feels so soft every time I wake up. Squalane is listed 4th on the ingredients list - and this one's an excellent moisturizer and antioxidant.
Pimples that pop up during that time of the month need extra help so I reach for this tea tree oil. This one from Aromatica contains 20% natural tea tree essential oil and 33% natural tea tree leaf extract to purify the skin. Hence the 53 in the product name! 😎 It also contains hypo-allergenic salicylic acid LHA - my skin's BFF. This one forms a thin barrier over the pimple to protect the skin and treat inflammation at the same time. Oh, and it comes with a pack of cotton buds so you'd never need to touch the bottle's tip. (In fact, do not touch the bottle's tip at all with your bare hands to keep bacteria from contaminating it.) This tea tree blemish spot makes my pimples dry up faster.
Missha Speedy Solution Anti Trouble Patch
This small pack I'm preserving for pimple emergencies. It contains 12 pieces of pimple patches similar to CosRX which I've previously purchased, but I ran out even before getting the chance to review it. LOL
Definitly curious about this Icy White Cooling Massager! It's similar to icing your face (literally - with ice cubes) which I used to do way back when I was in high school, but this time it's mess-free! Can I just say how perfect this product is for our hot and humid weather in the Philippines? 😍
This product is eco-friendly as it doesn't harm the environment, and you don't need batteries or electricity for it. Just freeze the cartridge and use it as needed. Whenever I take this out of the freezer, any droplet of water that touches the smooth aluminum surface turns into a thin ice sheet! It's that cold, and it feels so good on the face. It keeps at the temperature 2°C to 5°C and you can use it for more than 60 hours. You can use this after cosmetic surgery (the material used for this doesn't cause allergic reactions), to relieve swelling, before applying makeup, or even for fever (yup, no need to buy Kool Fever forever!)
Overall, I am very satisfied with the contents of the Althea Trouble Breaker Box. It definitely gives value for money and the products are what my skin currently needs! I will definitely look into the future editions of Althea Boxes, since I get to discover Korean brands that are new to me, and products that I wouldn't have picked for myself in the first place that turn into new favorites... such as the Icy White Cooling Massager. I just can't get over it. Haha! 😆
You can purchase Althea boxes here. 💖
Love,
Helen
