Viva la Matte! 🌞 Althea Korea Matte Box Review

Hi guys, welcome back to another Althea beauty box review! This time round I'll be sharing all about the Matte Box.

If you're unfamiliar with Althea beauty boxes, they're ultra discounted sets sold on Althea Korea. There are a few boxes released every month and each box is curated and themed. To read my other Althea box reviews, click here!

Anyways, the theme for the matte box is, of course, being matte. I'm a super oily skinned person and summer only brings out the worst in me. Not only do I secrete more oil, I also produce more acne!

In terms of makeup I actually quite prefer a satin/dewy finish (which unfortunately is very hard for me to maintain because I become shiny too quickly). This is why it's super important for me to have a good base and set my makeup at the end super well.

The Matte Box contains 6 full sized products. Two are makeup, two are skincare and two can be used as both makeup and skincare:

1. Wangskin Girl's Skin Moisture Cleanser

2. Innisfree No Sebum Toner

3. Aritaum Pore Master Sebum Control Matte Gel

4. Skinfood Peach Cotton Multi Finish Powder

5. Peripera Ink Lasting Mint Cushion (Beige)

6. Lebaton Color Fit Lipstick (Rose Coral)

All of them are collectively worth RM428, but was sold on Althea for only RM121 (which is 72% less than its original price!). It's currently sold out, and Althea boxes normally do not restock because they're limited edition.

Without further ado, let's get on with the post! 

Containing milk and rice, this cleanser is supposed to soothe and nourish the skin, as well as reduce pores, hydrate and frim the skin.

🤔 H O W   I   U S E: 🤔
Squeeze an appropriate amount, lather with water on your hands and gently rub your face in upwards circular motions.

This cleanser starts of as a cream and foams up after lathering. It claims to remove sebum and makeup, and while I can attest to the sebum removal and cleansing properties, I would still recommend using a 2nd makeup cleanser (I suggest using micellar water because it kinda helps give back moisture into the skin).  

Overall I find it so-so. It's not the best cleanser I've tried but it's not the worst either. It smells decent and the subtle scent does not linger. It did not break me out at all which is great and it didn't dry out my skin too 👍

I was really looking forward to using this toner because Innisfree's No Sebum range is fairly well known across the K-beauty community. It contains Jeju natural minerals as well mint (which is known to help control oil).

This toner is pretty light and hydrating on the skin. Like any toner would, it removes excess oil and dirt. The standout for me would be the moisturizing effect, the simple fresh scent and the quick absorption of the product into the skin. I've also used it as an essence and patted it into my skin!

🤔 H O W   I   U S E: 🤔
I put a coin sized amount on a cotton pad and wipe upwards. I also put a few drops on my palms and patted it in gently into my skin.

Overall I like this toner and I feel like it definitely lived up to its name. Its not irritating at all!

I had a previous bad experience with Etude House's All Day Matte Gel because I felt that it was very silicone-y and didn't really mattify the skin. This matte gel by Aritaum is kinda similar to that product, but I unexpectedly like this one!

This gel is basically a water-based soothing gel that instantly gets absorbed into the skin to mattify it as well as to cool it. It has a very nice citrusy/fruity scent and I've used it as a moisturizer and primer.

🤔 H O W   I   U S E: 🤔
I dot this product on my forehead, cheeks, nose and chin and gently rub it in.

At first I thought it would feel silicone-y (like the EH one I mentioned) but since its water based, it spreads better, doesn'y feel as heavy/clogging and really sinks in fast into the skin. The cooling effect lasts only for a while (but its there).

It doesn's provide an ultra matte finish like Innisfree's No Sebum Blur Primer, but it does make the skin look satin/normal looking. I feel like it controls oil quite well too (although I still turned oily at the end of the day haha. A super oily person like me turns oily no matter what I do!) 

This one was another product that I was super excited to try. Ever since I followed Skinfood's IG,  I've been dying to try this powder out and I finally got the chance!

This finishing powder is super super smooth and light. Although it claims to calm trouble spots I don't think it had that big of an effect on my acne. It did, however, set my makeup really well (especially my undereyes). It didn't cake up and kept my face matte for a fair 4-5 hours (outdoors). The puff is soft and the peachy scent is subtle and fades away.

🤔 H O W   I   U S E: 🤔

To set my undereyes, I use a damp beauty sponge. To set my whole face, I use a powder brush. I only use the puff when I have no makeup to mattify my face because I don't want to dirty it haha. Although the puff is soft, Althea's Petal Velvet Powder's puff is softer.

This cushion is supposed to have a blurring effect in your skin and is said to last a pretty long time. The packaging itself is super cute and its quite unfortunate that it didn't match my shade (it came in the shade Beige).

Although I really like Althea boxes, the shades for the cushions provided are still limited because Korean companies simply do not cater to tanned Asians like me. I may look fair in photos but I'm actually an NC42 which is quite dark by Korean standards. If you were to ask me that would be the only con of the beauty boxes for me.

I did swatch it on my hand and it felt pretty good + had quite good coveage. It was matte too, so its a shame that I can't pull it off.

This lipstick is the last product in the Matte Box and is the perfect lipstick to complete a natural summer look!

It's a semi matte lipstick that kinda feels velvety and the pigmentation is pretty good. My lips didn't feel dry at all and the colour was SUPER prettay! The softness of the colour makes it perfect to create either a bold lip or an ombre gradient lip.

🤔 H O W   I   U S E: 🤔

For a gradient lip:

1. Apply a light first coat

2. Buff the edges with some foundation using a makeup sponge

3. Darken the middle. You can use the lipstick itself to dab or use a lip brush to be more precise.

For a full lip, just...apply it on like a full lip haha.

I think the box is worth it because it covers basic skincare (cleanser + toner + moisturizer) and has 3 easy to use makeup products (BB cushion + lipstick + powder). Unfortunately this box is currently sold out, but for my super awesome readers, you're in for a treat!

I have anothe Matte Box (unopened) that I will be giving away! All you have to do is:

STEP 1:

Follow me @fishmeatdie and @AltheaKorea on Instagram.

STEP 2:

Subscribe to me on Youtube

STEP 3:

Repost this picture on Instagram (click here for HD) with caption of why you wanna win + #FishmeatdieMatteBoxGiveaway + tag 3 friends!

A post shared by E R O S • エ ロ ス (@fishmeatdie) on Aug 17, 2017 at 3:46am PDT

STEP 4:

Comment which product you wanna try out the most in the comments below! 😉

Giveaway is open worldwide and is open until September 16. Winner will be announced + contacted on Instagram so remember to follow!

Aaaaand that's it for this post! If you guys would like to view the Althea boxes that are currently available, click here!

As always, thanks for reading and I'll see y'all in my next post!