I ordered a Korean face mask subscription box and here’s what happened

Earlier this year, I tried my hand at some Korean face masks. I used them four days in a row and selfied along the way, charting each and every change my face went through. Now, it’s important to know that I’m not a beauty product buff in any way. I wash my face with drugstore-bought Cetaphil (when I remember to) and coconut oil is the fanciest moisturizer I think I’ve ever used. So I didn’t exactly have high expectations for these face masks, because I never really believed products like that worked anyway.
However, throughout my experimental week, I noticed that my skin reached a whole new level of smooth and dewy. Some hyperpigmentation disappeared, and my face just had a general glow that it didn’t have before. Of course, I was immediately hooked. I went to the ends of the Internet earth and back in an attempt to order another batch (I purchased my first pile of them when I was visiting South Korea), but soon realized that these Korean face masks weren’t exactly easy to get my hands on once I was back on American soil.
That’s when Piibu came in and saved the day. Piibu (the Korean word for “skin,” pronounced pee-boo) is a monthly subscription box that sends a bundle of yummy Korean face masks directly to your door step. You get a variety of 8 to 10 different face masks, each one from a top Korean beauty brand.
HelloGiggles spoke with Daniel Yi, the co-founder and CEO of Piibu, who says,
"Each month's box is specially curated by a team of beauty and skincare enthusiasts. Every month, we highlight a particular theme that focuses on a particular element of skincare or highlight a particular brand."
Piibu also saves you the trouble of having to buy in bulk to save on all the international shipping costs.
This was a no brainer. I had to try this Piibu thing, especially when I saw how low the prices were. If you make a six-month commitment, you can pay $14 a month to get a box of Korean face masks dropped off at your mailbox. Commit to three months and you pay $14.50 a month, and if you’re the commitment shy type, you can just pay $15 a month and cancel anytime. I mean, that’s a steal. So I ordered my first box and waited patiently for the magic to arrive.
Day 1
When I got my first Piibu box in the mail, I ripped it open with all the might of a kid on Christmas morning. Everything in the box was so colorful, so lively. I found myself smiling from ear to ear, as if I had just been sent a thoughtful gift in the mail. Look at that lovely tissue paper! I immediately showed my roommates, who were thrilled to try out a few with me, as well as my partner, who admittedly wasn’t that interested in the topic. Regardless of what they all thought, I couldn’t wait to try one on. My skin has been in pretty good shape lately (all those ocean swims do wonders for my face) so I knew I wasn’t going to experience any drastic changes this time around. But I whipped out the Innis Free Rose face mask anyway, slapped it on, and flipped through the movie channels while the gooey, yet strangely comforting, stuff set into my skin. I have to admit, the whole thing was pretty calming.
Day 2
As you can see, I look kind of tired these days. There are bags under my eyes, and even though there aren’t any visible blemishes or zits on my face, my skin looks quite dull. I needed a little more zest — a little more life! — in my face. But I had faith that the face masks would do their work. I just had to wait it out.
Day 3
Some of these face masks look incredibly complicated, I have to admit. Um, since when does it take three steps to complete a face mask? And what the hell is an aqua volume water? Turns out it wasn’t nearly as difficult to accomplish as I thought, and whatever aqua volume water is, it makes you feel like you’ve just left the kind of spa George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin go to on their anniversary. I’m definitely a fan.
Day 4
Here I am on the morning of Day 4, still in my pajamas but feeling fresh indeed. You may not be able to see any visible difference in my skin, but let me tell you: Three straight days of these fancy Korean face masks made my skin so soft I wanted to cry. Every time I accidentally grazed my own cheek I was overcome with giddiness. Later that day, when my partner kissed me on the cheek, he pulled back with stunned look on his face. “Why are you so soft?!” he wondered. I simply smiled and asked him to pour me another wine.
Day 5
By this point, I was looking forward to the evening, just so I could slap on my next face mask and dig into my book. As I opened the box to fish out my next choice, I noticed that I never really read the card that revealed the September theme. Apparently, this month was all about “Anti-Trouble.” The box included a variety of brightening, clarifying, and hydrating face masks that were meant to treat the trouble spots on your skin, whether they were from acne or too much time in the sun. I fished out the bottom left Hydration option. After I put it on, I propped up my feet and listened to the new Bon Iver album. I felt like a queen. A very chill, de-stressed queen.
Day 6
I simply had to share the face mask love with my friends. I enlisted my roommates to give it a shot with me, even though they were skeptical at the start. Neither of them had ever even seen a Korean face mask before, so watching them open the package and tentatively unfold the juicy thing gave me a serious case of the giggles. They squealed at how cold it was to the touch and how slimy it felt on the skin, but it wasn’t long before they settled in and we flipped on a Sex and the City rerun. Face masks and Carrie Bradshaw — can’t get anymore cliché than that.
Day 7
There’s nowhere for your blemishes to hide when you’re directly under the sun on the beach. No need to worry, though. My face was ready to rock and roll! I felt dewy and I’m pretty sure I had a glow about me, even if I was the only one who could feel it. Plus, my skin was soft as a baby’s bottom. Most importantly, though, I felt like I had spent the last week doing nothing but pampering myself every evening. Taking 20 minutes out of my evening to sit back and treat my skin was way more rewarding than I could have imagined. Not only did my skin look more vibrant, I felt more relaxed after I peeled off the mask and climbed into bed. So, moral of the Piibu story? Never underestimate the power of a few beauty products landing on your doorstep. The author was given a complimentary Piibu subscription to review.