Natalie's Final Week with the Fall Box!

Skin Type and Location:

Oily, acne-prone skin that is prone to clogging. Living in a perpetually hot humid tropical country (welcome to Singapore, something that Crazy Rich Asians did not adequately capture as crazy rich people apparently do not sweat) does not help.

General Impressions

I really really loved some products and think that they helped me lots with my skin. Other products were more like a 3/5 stars - nice but not life changing. More info below.

Overall, this box is not really made specifically for acne-prone skin. However, I feel that it is a great supplement to a routine that I have already figured out for my skin. I love using other SB products likeAsia Powerhouse serum,Marine, Anti Ageing Eye Gel Oil, andDonkey Milk Gel and I don’t think any of the products in the Fall Box are able to replace them as they just do different things. This doesn’t mean that the box isn’t helpful for acne-prone skin though! See below for more info on that.

Changes since before starting Box routine:

So the biggest change would probably be that my skin is wayyyyy less clogged now. The colour and texture of my skin after a month is so much more even, and I’ve noticed that I use far less foundation and concealer than before.

AM Routine & PM routine

AM

Aloe & Oat, Botanical Acid Toner,Pumpkin Spice Latte ,Apple Cider serum,Donkey Cream(non Fall Box item), SPF

PM

Vacuum,Aloe & Oat, Botanical Acid Toner,Pumpkin Spice Latte, Apple Cider serum,Anti-Ageing Eye Gel Oil (non Fall Box item)Dorian Gray Beauty Oil

Lazy girl routine (includes products from outside of the Fall Box):

Cleanse:Tea Tree Beauty Water (But please useVacuum if you have makeup on)

Serums:Pumpkin Spice Latte for plumping,Apple Cider serum for exfoliation, or any other light serum likeMarinefor acne,Asia Power House serum for dry skin, whatever you think your skin needs at the time

Moisturiser: I tend to useDonkey Cream in the day, and Dorian Gray Beauty Oil at night

Leave on masks like sheet masks are good. Witch’s Brew is also a decent multi-purpose mask to have on - it doesn’t fall off your face until you wash it off.

Things to note for people with your skin type/climate (remind people of skin type and climate) :

Things I have learnt from this box (again, most my problems being acne):

1. Acids are very very good for you. Seriously. I thought I had enough acids in my routine (fromTea Tree Beauty Water andMaple Essence Toner) but nope, they’re nothing compared to the Botanical Acid Toner andApple Cider serum, which cleared out my skin like nobody’s business.

Botanical Acid Toner is a strong acid toner that does not leave your skin sticky (a complaint theStrawberry tonerhad) or stinging.

Apple Cider serum is an acid that is gentle enough you can use with a retinol and see the effects of both (it’s generally recommended that you don’t use a retinol and an acid in the same routine as the acid will bring down the effectiveness of the retinol).

2. Having a cream suitable for your skin type is really important.Ekaterina Luxury Cream is a great product (see below) but I did notice my acne would not go away as quickly if I went without myDonkey Cream for long.

3. If you don’t mind using your fingers to really dig at the Witch’s Brew Mask (it is a clumpy thing that separates from the oil base, which you need to mix before applying but I use my hands rather than a stirrer like a savage) it’s a really great mask that reduces redness and leaves your skin looking brighter! Also don’t be afraid of using an oil mask even if you have oily skin! It washes off easily.

Did you think this was a good purchase? Would you have purchased the Fall Box?

So I personally would not have purchased the box (though I am very glad I got to try it) as only about half of the products worked well for me (Vacuum, Botanical Acid Toner,Apple Cider Serum, andDorian Gray Beauty Oil). However, I would not have thought to try the Botanical Acid Toner orApple Cider serum without this box.

Vacuum is a staple in my routine. I bought a full sized bottle last year and use it a couple of times a week and my cheaper oil cleansers on other days to make it last as long as possible. While way more expensive than any oil cleanser I’ve previously used, it is definitely the most effective I’ve tried. I also found myself getting more clogs out of my pores when I used this exclusively.

Botanical Acid Toner is a product I’ve raved about multiple times in many posts. It goes on like water - that is, without any stinging - but its effects are undeniable.

Apple Cider serum is an okay product on its own but when paired with the Botanical Acid Toner and/orDorian Gray Beauty Oil it really boosts their effects.

TheDorian Gray Beauty Oil was always the weakest of the SB retinols for me; I automatically reach forSleeping Beauty Oilwhenever I need to tame my acne, and I prefer theDorian Gray Serum to the oil. The advantage theDorian Gray Beauty Oil had over the other two retinols was that it was better at hydration; but I could always addAsia Powerhouse serum orHydra to more routine if I wanted plump skin. However, I think when combined with theApple Cider serum I saw really excellent results, and would always wake with plump, glowy, much less inflamed skin the morning after application.

Witch’s Brew is pretty decent but I’d have to use it a lot more regularly (and have a bigger jar of it) for me to have a better understanding of its effects. At the moment I do feel that it does what it promises to do after washing it off; my skin is brighter and exfoliated after using it, and is definitely less inflamed. I’d say the sample jar would give me about eight uses, maybe nine if I hadn’t split some of it out while unboxing (bear in mind I like to pile on the product and leave it on for about an hour before washing it off). Given that it’s one of the products that require you to stir around before you can get at the product I’m not sure how regularly I would use it if I had a full size jar though. Also, I have other SB masks that exfoliate and moisturise (Holy Lotus) and brighten and treat acne (Sakekasu) that do the same thing as Witch’s Brew, and I suspect, more powerfully. My friend who tried on the mask also feels thatDetoxclears the pores better than this. However, while Witch’s Brew might not be as effective as each of the individual masks mentioned above, it has multiple effects without the drawback of drying out the skin the waySakekasu andDetox does.

Ekaterina Luxury Creamis a lovely lovely product that unfortunately just does not suit me. I have bought three full-sized jars on behalf of my very fussy mother over the last year and half, and she loves it, but I find that while it does moisturise my skin, I need something that can deal with my acne. If you don’t really have an acne problem, I suspect that you’d end up loving it more than me. It has a lovely whipped texture so it feels lighter than all the other creams in the SB range, and has a wonderful scent that just screams luxury while you apply it on your skin (or that could just be the actual gold flakes mixed in the cream).

Pumpkin Spice Latte serum andAloe & Oatwere nice products but not AMAZING things.Pumpkin Spice Latte serum was decent at plumping and brightening the skin but doesn’t do much for acne scars - I still turn toRadiance Serum for that, andAsia Powerhouse Serum for hydration boost. Judging by previous reviews, this seems more popular with those with ageing skin.Aloe & Oat is a gentle non-scented facial wash suitable for those with sensitive skin, and it definitely cleaned my skin out a lot better than I expected - however I can’t justify spending that much money on a product that will be on my face for ten seconds and then be washed off.

I never really used the Merlot lip tint. As a makeup fiend I have a lot of other red lip products which I reach out for whenever I’m feeling a red lip, and I’m not one for subtle lip colours. Also this burned my lips whenever I used it (in a tingly I’m-using-a-lip-plumper unpleasant way) but I understand this is apparently a batch issue.

Overall, I suspect if you have dry dull skin, this would be the perfect box for you. If you have oily and acne prone skin like me this will probably not replace your core products (but I did manage to go without my preciousDonkey Milk Gel,Sleeping Beauty,Asia Powerhouse serum andMarine serum for a lot longer than I thought I would) but it does have good products that will help you, especially if you’ve never really used acids in your routine.

It’s been a great privilege to review this box and I really hope that my lives and posts have helped others! I tried to make them as informative as possible.