My Beauteque Collaboration: Hydration Essentials with Bits and Boxes! Plus Giveaway!

When Beauteque contacted me and asked if I would like to curate a beauty bag with them.  I jumped at the chance.  Beauteque has been growing so fast in the last year and they have been adding new brands to their repertoire constantly.  They've also just launched a new subscription BB Bag which you can find out more about at Beauteque Monthly.

The interest in kbeauty is a growing trend and here in the US, there's a definite benefit to being able to order Asian skincare and beauty products locally.  Meaning, you don't have to wait a month for your order to arrive.  Within the US, ordering from their website is quick and efficient.  Beauteque also ships to Europe and Canada, as well.

I really enjoyed the curation process.  Since I'm big into skincare, you know my bag was going to be full of it.  When they gave me the option of a bag packed with moisturizers, I was all over that.  And the Hydration Essentials Bag was born! Then came the narrowing down of choices.  Honestly, that was the hardest part.  So many good things!  I wanted the bag to be a reasonable price yet provide the best ingredients and brands as possible.

Most of all, I wanted to like what I was choosing.  While I didn't have carte blanche, I definitely was able to incorporate things I love, things I've always wanted and with ingredients I can happily use on my skin.

The Face Shop Chia Seed First Essence-  This is an ultra-moisturizing boosting essence.  After washing your face, use this to prep your face for everything else to come.  It's got glycerin, sodium hyaluronate and hydrolyzed collagen for moisturizers and the added benefits of panthenol and niacinamide, as well.
This is perfect for dry weather and with part of the country stuck in deep snow, moisturization is going to be the key to keeping your skin plump and pliant.  If you want to avoid tight, flaky skin, make sure you are slapping on moisturizer in the morning and before bed.  Sleeping packs are great for bedtime, especially if you are suffering in the dry weather.
The Face Shop uses water that has had chia seeds soaking in it to take advantage of the mineral rich compounds and antioxidants chia seeds provide.  Soaking chia seeds in water produces a gel and this First Essence displays that texture pretty well.  I'm so excited for you to try this product!  It's a clear gel and has a light scent that is familiar to me somehow.
Value: $24.99

Benton Snail Bee High Content Lotion- The Benton Snail Bee line is one of my favorites.  Their Snail Bee Essence is a holy grail product for me.  I never want to be without it.  Their masks are also great so I really have been interested in the Lotion.
Who knew I would love snail slime? I admit at first I was not eager to try it but I decided to get over it after so many people were having such good results.  Once I tried it and my skin looked so good, I was trying ALL THE SNAIL.  Haha! I even used a snail lip balm (although that one took a pep talk before I actually applied it).
This lotion has my favorite moisturizer- sodium hyaluronate.  Our bodies produce hyaluronic acid naturally but production slows down in your late twenties. Since I'm (OMG!) now in my late thirties, I need all I can get.  The Snail Bee Lotion also has antioxidants in the form of plant extracts along with peptides and healing aloe.  It also has niacinamide for brighter skin and a more even skintone. It's basically got all the things I love to have in my skincare.  That's why it's in this bag!

This is much lighter than the Steam Cream (if you've tried that) and has more of an emulsion consistency. The one drawback is that it does take some massaging to absorb but I'm such a fan of the Snail Secretion Filtrate being the first ingredient that the extra 15 seconds or so doesn't bother me.   This lotion would be applied after your serums and/or essence and before your moisturizer/sunscreen. A little goes a long way but you'll really notice a difference in your skin.  I feel like this definitely brightens my complexion.
Value: $15.99

Freeset Snail Care Foot Mask- My feet have been sad and dry with the cold weather.  Most of my current foot masks are peeling masks but this one I've chosen for the Hydration Bag is a moisturizing mask!  This foot mask has hydrolyzed collagen and snail mucus filtrate in it and it will moisturize your feet and soften up the rough bits.  It has peppermint oil, green tea extracts and papaya extracts in it, too.
I highly recommend doing this new thing I figured out.  Once you apply the moisturizing bag to your foot, put on a regular sock over it.  This way you are less likely to kill yourself slipping in the plastic while walking around. It says to leave it on for thirty minutes but I've left it for much longer without issues.  My feet are super soft with no dry cracking after I use this and I love the peppermint smell.
Value: $4

Etude House Castle Hand Cream- You get your choice of the super cute Etude House Castle hand cream!!  You can get Ice Frozen, Sweet Cookie, Forever Rose or Pink Wish.  These use glycerin and shea butters as moisturizers along with some aloe.    The Ice Frozen, Pink Wish and Forever Rose have a floral scent (and do contain lavender) but the Sweet Cookie is more of a strong vanilla. Personally, I go for the cookie scents over floral.

But seriously? How cute are these?!  Everyone should have one and that's why it's in the bag.  The Castle Hand Creams are Korean beauty classics and they do look adorable on the vanity.  I'm just saying.
Value: $6.99

My Beauty Diary Hyaluronic Acid Mask- This mask is one of my favorites.  I love the My Beauty Diary Masks.  They're a good size for my face, they're nice and juicy and they're very affordable. I have to say, though, that the hyaluronic acid is pretty low on the ingredient list.  However, the first ingredient is glycerin (a great moisturizer, it's common for a reason) and I always like the addition of aloe.  Aloe is so good for troubled, healing or acne prone skin because it promotes healing and is an anti-septic.  It's not just good for sunburns, trust me.
This also has a series of fruit acids which may help slough off dead skin and reveal the bright new skin underneath.  It's possible that the citrus extracts might be irritating to those with sensitive skin so keep that in mind.
I've used a lot of masks but for affordability and effects, I always come back to MBD.
Value: $2

If you would like to get a Hydration bag of your own, you can do that at Beauteque.com!  This bag was lovingly curated by me and I hope you love each product as much as I do.  The cost is $33 plus shipping.  However, if you add $2 more worth of product and hit the $35 mark, shipping is free. There is so much good stuff at Beauteque and you can easily slip in another mask for $2.  Speaking of masks!  Use code BITSANDBOXES to get a free sheet mask added to your order!  (Expires March 17th.)

UPDATE: Sadly, the bag sold out in less than 24 hours!! Enter below for a chance to win one!

Next week, get ready for another blogger collaboration by Beauteque with Rachel from Harlot Beauty!  Waaahh!! I know you're going to love it, she picked a great theme! It's Oh, Honey!  A bag packed with all things honey!  Her bag releases on the 17th.  Then Tiffany at SampleHime will be releasing her bag on the 24th and her bag is all about Mizon!

Here is your chance to WIN one of my Hydration Bags!  By pure chance, I have an extra one and I'm giving it away to one lucky person!  This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway so anyone can win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Void where prohibited.  Please enter responsibly.  Prize supplied by Beauteque.com but will be fulfilled by Bits and Boxes.  Not responsible for lost or stolen prizes.  No giveaway accounts. Giveaway available internationally, Beauteque and/or Bits and Boxes are not responsible for any customs or duties related to receipt of prize package.  Prize fulfillment is solely the responsibility of Bits and Boxes.  Please adhere to any rules and regulations of your country of origin when entering. Rules subject to change without notice in case I forgot something important.

*Oh, you probably may have guessed but this bag was sent to me by Beauteque so I could review it in all it's awesomeness for you.  Of course I love it because I curated it but, in case you were worried, all opinions are mine.