So the August 2017 BB Bag is the first "bag" that came in their brand new boxes. The boxes are really cute and look more like a professional subscription service. The only thing is, they no longer give you a printed card with the products, their value, their description and their directions. Now, you have to go online to this link to view the products that come in the box. I was very annoyed at first because it didn't list the items in the same way as the card. It showed you the products in the box, but didn't tell you value or instructions. But having looked just now, it appears they fixed that problem and it's now listed in the same way as the card. Yay!

The other thing is, the box didn't come with a bag! I don't know if that was a mistake or not, I didn't see anything saying that there wouldn't be any bags included anymore. But I mean...you can't call it a BB Bag if there's no bag. And if they're going to do away with the bag, either charge us less, or throw in another product. That's just my two cents. 

Anyway, on to the products! 

Total value: $64.77

Welcos Nature Inside Strawberry Body Cleanser ($25.99)

I was really excited about this product because 1. It is a body cleanser, and 2. It's strawberry! Look at the packaging. It looks like a strawberry yogurt! I have one strawberry yogurt product that looks and smells just like the real deal. I was hoping that this product would smell as nice as that, but...it doesn't. It has a strawberry smell, but it's so mild it's almost not there at all. Super disappointing! However, it does leave my skin feeling moisturized and I like that. I find that I need to use quite a bit of it to get a nice lather, though, which is a bummer. 

Esfolio Hand and Nail Vital Mask ($4.90)

I haven't tried this product yet, but I've been having issues with really dry and peeling skin around my cuticles and I'm grateful to have this product! It contains shea butter, jasmine, lavender, and chamomile. 

Yadah Anti-T Face Mist ($10.99)

I'm not a big face mist user, but if this is going to help reduce the oil on my face like it claims, then I might be using this on the daily! It also reduces redness, and can be used throughout the day. 

RieRie Easy Clean Lip Remover ($9.00)

Koreans use a lot of lip tints, and it would make sense that they would need a product to help remove it. You can apply it to your lips, or put it on a cotton bud to get any product around your lips as well. You only need a pea sized amount! 

CosRX Acne Pimple Master Patch ($4.89)

This is one of my favorite products! I've been breaking out a lot because I've been super stressed out lately, so I'm glad I have another one of these because I was running out! These are just hydrocolloid patches that you can put on any existing pimples. By the next day, they will be gone! It's really amazing. 

Esfolio Pure Skin Moisture Milk Hand Cream ($9.00)

First, let's talk about the packaging. So cute! I love the cow. I also like that you get a lot of this product, and I can never have enough hand creams. This one contains milk protein, sea berry and quince extract that absorbs quickly and softens hands. I keep it on my nightstand and use it frequently, but I don't find that I get lasting moisture from it. 

Product wise, I liked what I got in this bag. I like the box, and I like that I can now access the past boxes online and can throw away the cards that I have now. But I don't like that I didn't get a bag! 

The July 2017 BB Bag is themed "Summer Sweets." The items inside were centered around scents and flavors like cherry and honey. Very summery!

Total value: $61.96

LOOK AT THIS. It's a repeat bag, and not only that, it's the really, really ugly bag that I hated the first time. NOW I HAVE TWO OF THEM, OH JOY. 

Exfoliating Spat Mitt ($6.00)

So this is a fun mitt to use with the bar of soap that came in this BB Bag. It gently exfoliates, but I felt like it got kinda gross after I used it and I haven't really used it since. I'll throw it in the washing machine and see if that makes me feel better about it. I hope it's machine washable, I have no idea. It says to just rinse it thoroughly and hang it to dry, but...yeah I don't like that. 

Farm Stay All In One Honey Ampoule ($25.99)

I know that this is a favorite of a lot of K-beauty bloggers! First of all, this bottle is huge. It's going to last a lifetime. It contains honey, adenosine, and niacinamide to help brighten your complexion and plump up fine lines. It says to apply generously and evenly on your face, but I know that some people also mix it into other products as well. 

Wangskin Cherry Foaming Soap ($6.99)

Not gonna lie, I didn't realize people still used bars of soap. I was meh about this product but when I used it in the shower, it smelled soooo nice. Just like cherry candy! It contains jojoba oil, aloe, bulberry, and cactus extracts, as well as hyaluronic acid and squalene. It can be used on both your face and your body, which is nice. I used it with the exfoliating mitt, and it was just okay. I don't like the squeaky clean feeling it left on my skin and it made my skin feel a bit tight afterwards. I didn't use it on my face. 

The Saem Saemmul Candy Lip Tint ($10.00)

Okay. Can we talk about how cute this is? It looks like a little candy! The product contains hyaluronic acid and honey, and smells just like cherries! It does tint without looking streaky, and it's a pretty vibrant color. 

Wonjin Effect 3-Step Honey Bomb Mask ($6.00)

This is a three-step mask that contains royal jelly cream and ampule to soften dry and flaky skin. I have very oily skin, so I haven't used this mask yet, and will probably pass it on to a friend who has drier skin. 

A'Pieu Silicone Mask Cover ($5.99)

I've wanted one of these since I've seen someone buy one like it from Daiso. It really keeps the mask on your face, but it is a bit tight on me since I have a fatter face. Maybe after more use it'll get a bit looser, but I still use it even if it's a bit tight. I like it! 

Overall, I really liked this bag. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if the bag was cuter. 

Let's get a little personal: I'm adopted. 

I don't share a lot about my personal life here, but I thought it was important to share this story, for anyone like me who might be thinking about doing a DNA test. 

I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted when I was three months old. It was never a secret that I was adopted, but at the same time, I can't ever remember my parents sitting me down and telling me that I was; I just always knew I was adopted. And anyway, there's no way this could have been a secret my parents could keep from me. My parents clearly do not look Asian. 

I've always been told that I'm just Korean. My birth certificate says Korean, and that's it. Growing up, I never really wanted to confirm if that was true, and I never had any inkling that I was anything other than Korean. But truth be told, I identified more with being Portuguese. You are what your mother is, as the saying goes, right? It wasn't until I was into my 20's that I started to want to connect more with my Korean roots, and I did that through cooking. To me, the best way to understand a culture is to eat its food, and now in my 30's, cooking Korean food has become a common thing for me. 

Then, 23 and Me came along, and I started wondering what those results would say if I ever did one of those tests. 

Technology and science has come a long way. It has come so far, in fact, that things that were once synonymous with medical and crime identification purposes has become almost recreational. Everyone has their own reasons for taking this DNA test: am I really Italian? Could we possibly be just German? What diseases am I predisposed for? 

I'll be talking about the test and the results in the weeks to come. 

I recently had to attend work training for two weeks. That doesn't sound bad at all, but training was on the next island over. We don't have a ferry in Hawaii, so that meant I had to jump on an airplane every morning and every evening. I had to be up at 5:00 a.m. every weekday, and it was brutal. The last thing I wanted to do was put on makeup, but when I saw how put together the other women were, I knew I had to put my best foot forward, suck it up, and wake up early.