NMNL January 2023 Subscription Box Review

Are you a fan of Korean and Japanese beauty products? Then the subscription box from Japanese and Korean NMNL Beauty Box Subscription might be right for you. In this post, I am going to tell you what you can find inside and share my opinion and honest review about the products. (Spoiler alert: it’s not a positive one.)

In a previous post, I explained what subscription boxes are and what you can expect to find inside. I also presented some beauty boxes from Lookfantastic (the latest being for February). Today, I want to share my review of another, less known subscription box – the one from NMNL (no-make, no-life). This review is for the January 2023 box, which I received only three days ago. 

So, what can you find inside it? 

NMNL Products Review 

Milcott C Deep Intensive Balm 

This moisturizer promises to protect and prevent rough skin caused by air pollutants and UV rays. It is a night balm that can be used on any body part that needs intensive care. I haven’t tried it yet, but I know that Korean skincare products often deliver miracles, so I am very excited to try this one.

LuLuLun One Night Rescue Face Mask 

This overnight product is supposed to improve the skin texture by removing the dryness and softening the areas affected by friction and UV rays. I enjoyed the radiant and clear skin feeling after using this mask. However, I was disappointed to receive a product that I can only use once. I would have preferred to receive a face cream that I could try a few times before ordering it separately. 

Twisted Wonderland Blush and Lip Cream Color 

The product description says: “the cream color can be used for blush to give a glossy cheek look, and for lip to give a mate finish”. I tried using it as a blush, but the tint is so light that it’s almost invisible on my skin. It doesn’t work on the lips at all. There were seven color assortments, and each box contained one of them. I received the purple one, called Diasomnia. I don’t even want to think about how I would have used the yellow or green one. The only positive aspect of this product for me is its compact and attractive packaging.

Fluffy cleansing pad 

This pad is supposed to remove all makeup using only warm water, according to the package description. It may work with light Asian makeup, but not with heavier makeup that includes foundation or eyeliner. It doesn’t work with only water, but I like having these pads in beauty boxes because I can switch between them more often and reduce my use of cotton cleansing pads. This helps me become more environmentally friendly, but it certainly doesn’t justify the cost of the box. 

Club Bare Face Tinted Lip Essence

I like this product, but it has such a short resistance on the lips. After 30 minutes I could barely see a shade of it. It gives a natural shine to the lips and makes them look full, smooth and plump. I like that it moisturizes and helps with flaky, chapped lips. It was available in six colors, and I received the pink one. 

Club Select Touch Liquid Eyeshadow 

I looooove the way this product feels on my eyelid. It keeps it moisturized all day and doesn’t clump or feel sticky. However, I can’t use it for eye makeup because I received the Beige Dress color, which is the exact same color as my eyelid. This makes it virtually invisible on my skin. It’s the perfect shade for an eye lid primer, but this product doesn’t have the texture to function as one. There were six colors available, and perhaps others were more fortunate than me. 

Point Pack Aloe 

This is what I was referring to when describing the face mask above. I would have appreciated the chance to try the product more than once. These moisturising sheets I received were in a box containing 10 lightly fragranced sheets that can be used on any dry area of your face or body. I like the fact that this serum has aloe vera as the main ingredient, as I enjoy the scent and the way my skin feels afterwards.

Surprise care item 

You could receive one of the following items: soap, mouthwash, bath powder or bath salts. My box contained the bath salts with a tea scent. I always enjoy a relaxing warm bath, but my red hair color prevents me from enjoying it as often as I would like. I wrote an article about how to take care of red hair, in which you can find out exactly how harmful warm water is for the color. Despite this, I appreciate the fact that the salts smell really nice. 

NMNL Customer Service Review

I must also mention that the customer service is really poor. On their website, my box is still listed as processing, not even shipped, let alone delivered. They lost the tracking number, even though I repeatedly wrote to them about it. Also, when I asked about the location of my box, they replied with the same copy-pasted answer about the fact that they would come back with an answer in 24 to 48 hours, but they never did. I paid for the box on December 26^th and received it on February 9^th, even though on their website they say they ship products in 3-5 working days. 

Conclusion – Is the NMNL Subscription Box Worth the Money? 

As a fan of Asian skincare products (such as those from Pai or Ren), I was pleased to find three such products in the box, even though one of them was a one-time use. However, the three makeup products left me disappointed, as they are unusable for my skin tone. While the cleansing pad was useful, it was just a filler item. And the bath salt was something I wouldn’t have bought for myself. 

In terms of value, I don’t believe the box was worth the $50 I paid for it, including the $12 shipping fee. That’s why I cancelled my subscription for the next months and switched to a Cohorted subscription, which offers 6 to 8 luxury brand products for the same price. In March, the Cohorted box will feature only Kate Sommerville products, and the goat milk cream alone is valued at around $30. 

If you’re interested in trying more Korean and Japanese products, enjoy the cute packaging and have light skin tone that the makeup products will suit, this NMNL box may be worth it for you, and you can order it from here. However, if you’re looking for value and have a lower tolerance for delays and long waiting periods, it may not be the right choice for you, as I discovered for myself. 

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