Korean/Japanese Beauty Box – nomakenolife review

I’ve got an insanely detailed nomakenolife review for y’all today; I got a little nerdy with the numbers on this one! This is a Japanese & Korean monthly beauty subscription box that comes in at a tempting $35 a pop.

nomakenolife review -what’s in the box?

nomakenolife does not include sample or travel size products, full size only here! You can expect to receive 8-9 products which can include makeup, skincare, and beauty tools. One of the products included in the July box was a packet of blotting sheets and they have included items like makeup sponges and cotton puffs in the past. These are nice additions but not quite as exciting as something like a cleanser or serum, so just something to keep in mind.

This post contains affiliate links; if you snag a product through my link it will send some spare change my way to keep this slice of the internet up and running. Some of the products mentioned here were sent to me for testing purposes.

You can check the contents of past boxes on their website here. After sifting through their past boxes you can see that they put an emphasis on including skincare products which is exactly what I like to see in a box!

Is nomakenolife worth the money?

I always research into subscription boxs by tallying up the individual products and weighing the total price against the monthly subscription fee before pulling the trigger on a subscription. nomakenolife also tends to include lesser-known brands so there’s no chance of receiving duplicates of the same product. If you’re a Korean beauty addict like me that’s a risk you can run by subscribing to multiple boxes at the same time.

If you look into the past boxes on the nomakenolife site you will see that they have linked to each products retail page on their sister site JapanHaul.com and you can see the individual pricing for each product.

This is where I got intrigued by their price points. At first glance, the total price of the products via Japan Haul are extremely close or even fall under the monthly $35 subscription box fee. But if you look closer, Japan Haul has by far the cheapest pricing I’ve come across for these kinds of products.

I nerded out a bit and threw together a spreadsheet comparing their prices to other popular Asian beauty sites. Check it out below! Each item is also linked to the site where I found the prices listed below.

nomakenolife Review – Their Pricing vs. Other Sites

nomakenolife review – what products are included?

I received the July 2019 box so I could give it the full GirlChickBetty review treatment. This month included a bag but we got the maximum 9 products (they advertise 8-9) so I’m not too bothered about the bag. I used to subscribe to ipsy and one of my pet peeves (which led to my cancellation) was that they counted the bag as one of the items. You can only have so many little bags! I still have a vanity drawer full of them….

The July box included oil blotting sheets, an eyeshadow stick, foot mask, beauty gummies, sunscreen/moisturizer, brightening cream, and a lip gloss. I’m focusing on the features of the box today and not so much on these specific brands. If you want to learn more about these products in particular, check out this month’s box on the nomakenolife site here.

I’ve never seen a beauty gummy included in a subscription before! Apparently, beauty supplements are super popular in Japan. I received the Choosy Air in Beauty Gummy which contains collagen, calcium, hyaluronic acid, and dietary fiber. I had previously believed that hyaluronic acid was only beneficial when applied topically like in a serum.

A 2014 study done in Japan showed that taking hyaluronic acid orally in the form of supplements (like this kind of gummy) can improve dry skin and help with water retention. (source) So there are more ways than one to take advantage of this awesome acid!

I love seeing out of the box products like a beauty gummy being included in a monthly subscription. Part of the reason I enjoy these boxes so much is I’m able to try out new and exciting products like this that I might otherwise never find on my own!

Does it have an insert?

The nomakenolife team deserves major kudos for this insert; it’s basically a full-fledged magazine explaining the contents of the box which is insanely useful when you’re navigating confusing Korean/Japanese packaging.

They also host a monthly mini-contest with a selfie prompt themed around the box. For instance, you can enter July’s photo contest by taking a selfie wearing the Yum Yum Lip Syrup from this box and tagging #nomakenolife on FB, Twitter, or Insta.

Does nomakenolife get the GirlChickBetty seal of approval?

Yes! I feel like you get a satisfying bang for your buck, I’ll actually use the products included in the box and don’t feel like any were flops, + this has the most detailed and helpful insert I’ve ever had the pleasure of flipping through.

Want to get your own box? You can sign up here!

Want to check out different Korean beauty boxes? Here’s a review on Kiyomi Box and here’s another on BomiBox!