Today I am finally going to review the Style Korean Beauty Advent Calendar 2023 edition. I know that many of you have been waiting for this! Are you ready?
What is Style Korean?
Style Korean is a leading retailer in the K-Beauty industry, offering a vast selection of Korean skincare and beauty products. With a mission to bring the best and latest Korean cosmetic brands to consumers worldwide, they’ve become a go-to destination for K-beauty enthusiasts.
From makeup to skincare, Style Korean provides a diverse range of products at competitive prices, making Korean beauty accessible to all. Their commitment to customer satisfaction is evident in their worldwide shipping, ensuring customers can experience Korean beauty from anywhere around the globe.
I’m thrilled to have secured the 2023 edition of their advent calendar, which is their inaugural one. None of the other Korean Beauty calendar offerings truly captured my attention, so this was a delightful find. I contemplated getting the YesStyle one, but wasn’t entirely convinced and ended up not getting it. However, the moment I saw the advertisement for the Style Korean Advent Calendar, all my previous disappointment dissipated.
Is it as spectacular as I’ve been anticipating? Continue reading to discover!
Shipping and delivery
The delivery process took a tad longer than anticipated. I placed my order on November 1st, aware that it was a pre-order, hence the slight price reduction. The projected shipping date was listed as November 15th. However, a few days before this, I received an email informing me of a delay in shipment.
Initially, I remained composed, but as days passed without any updates, my anxiety started creeping in. My concern was that the calendar wouldn’t arrive in time for me to start unveiling its surprises from December 1st.
I wasn’t particularly concerned about the delivery itself as I had previous experiences with the retailer. Knowing that the products are shipped from South Korea, I was aware that the delivery could be prompt, especially when dispatched through DHL Express, which was the case this time. However, for the parcel to commence its journey, it first needed to be transferred to the courier.
The package was eventually dispatched on November 23rd and reached me halfway around the globe by November 28th. Shipped through DHL, it took roughly five days for the products to be delivered to my doorstep, which was in line with my expectations.
Tax and duties
The process can vary greatly from one country to another, but I’ll share a snippet of my personal experience.
For packages coming from outside the EU, I’m obligated to pay VAT on all imported items. DHL also requires me to complete various customs declarations and such. They offer the option for me to handle the tax payments myself, or they can take care of it on my behalf and then bill me for both the taxes and their service fee.
Even though I now have the necessary paperwork to make the payment directly, the problem lies in not knowing where exactly to make the payment. Given how things work in my country, there’s a high probability that I might need to go to a bank or customs office rather than just clicking a link and paying online or at least transfer the funds via mobile banking. I always tell myself that I won’t use DHL’s service for this anymore, but I also didn’t want to delay the receipt of my package.
Maybe next time?
Ultimately, I paid around 38 EUR for the service and VAT, which was roughly what I had estimated. In fact, it turned out to be slightly less than what I had initially anticipated. It is my understanding that some of you paid a similar amount.
Naturally, I would have liked to bypass this stage, but I was fully aware of what I signed up for when I chose to purchase the advent calendar from Style Korean. Looking back, I genuinely don’t regret the additional expense after receiving it.
Calendar box
The calendar itself is absolutely adorable. The box surpassed my expectations in terms of cuteness, and it’s designed in my favorite color palette. This detail might not matter much unless you’re considering keeping the box, which is exactly my plan, at least for some time.
The box is constructed from two tray-like sides, joined together with essentially a sheet of paper to give it a book-like appearance. However, I can envision the two sides separating easily as the joint isn’t particularly robust. There’s no fastening mechanism on the opening side. It was sealed using tape, which I cut to open the calendar and managed to remove without leaving any residue behind. I’m glad this didn’t damage the calendar, but I feel they could have invested more thought into the design.
At the top of the calendar, there’s a charming little Christmas tree accompanied by a ‘Merry Christmas’ message. However, if the two sides do end up detaching, this message would appear inverted if the boxes are repurposed as trays, which is unfortunate. I understand that many might overlook these minor details, but when I acquire calendars, I make an effort to reuse the entire packaging as much as possible instead of purchasing additional plastic storage or similar items. I strive to maximize its use or find a way to incorporate it, even if I wasn’t actively seeking a storage solution at that time.
Over the years, I’ve retained a significant number of calendars. However, unless one knew exactly what they were, most people wouldn’t recognize them as calendars. You see what I mean? I managed to incorporate them into my interior design :). I haven’t kept each and every calendar I purchased of course, but kept some.
Products
I won’t disclose the complete list of products here, but you can find it in a different post. I’m reluctant to spoil the surprise for anyone who might be reading this and hasn’t yet opened their calendar.
While I did compile a list of products when I initially introduced the calendar to you, I didn’t dwell too long on the items either as I wanted to maintain an element of surprise for myself (so unlike me!).
I can confidently say that I’m thrilled with the included products and my choice to purchase this specific calendar. I believe I will derive more enjoyment from this one compared to this year’s editions of Miin or YesStyle. It sounds like a conclusion, no? Haha. I know, bit I felt like I had to say this now.
The calendar comes with 26 products, and I estimate that around 20 of them are full-sized if not more. Here are some notes I made while going through the products:
- All the products have an expiry date either in 2025 or 2026, with the majority set to expire in 2026 and only a handful in 2025. The Pyungkang Yum Essence Toner is the only product without a visible expiration date, which is slightly unusual, but I’m willing to overlook it.
- All items are genuine, with many featuring special seals used on K-Beauty products that can be used to confirm their authenticity.
- As expected from K-Beauty, there’s a substantial amount of sunscreen included, which might seem excessive. I’m somewhat concerned about this since there’s a limit to how much sunscreen I can use. However, considering the expiration dates are in 2026, I might be fine as long as I don’t buy more until I’ve used up all of these.
- Some makeup items appear intimidating initially, but upon closer inspection, they’re more fitting than I initially thought. I’ll provide more details as I review the products, but don’t hesitate to give them a try. I tested them both for the reviews I plan to write and out of curiosity about the brands. There was a moment of hesitation as I didn’t want to open products that I couldn’t then donate, but having never really used K-beauty makeup before, I felt compelled to try them out and, worst-case scenario, find an alternative use for them. Very good decision!
- A number of the included products are ones that have been on my wishlist, or are highly popular among K-Beauty enthusiasts. This makes me incredibly thrilled as I finally get the chance to try them out.
Overall conclusion
The 2023 edition of the Style Korean Advent Calendar isn’t the most affordable option, even among K-Beauty calendars, but I have absolutely no regrets about my purchase. It’s been years since I’ve been this pleased with an advent calendar, and I can confidently state that this is the best Korean beauty advent calendar I’ve ever bought (although this is only my third one). I’m eagerly looking forward to using all the products and sharing my experience, but it’s already shaping up to be a superb choice. I’m excited about the prospect of the retailer releasing more calendars like this in the future. I hope they continue to meet, if not exceed, the high expectations set by this one!
What do you think of the Style Korean Advent Calendar?
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I’ve started to open mine too. The full sizes are amazing, although i too feel a bit overwhelmed with this sunscreenpallooza. Despite this, it’s the first calendar in a while that got me actually excited. I’m extremely pleased with the purchase, thanks to you!
I’m actually super curious about the make-up. So far I’ve reached to the Glasting Melting Balm and it has immediately become my go to lip product now. The colour is flattering on me and the texture perfect for my dry lips. I like the smell too.
As you know, I’m salty about my DHL experience, but I’ll know better in the future.
I am glad you are enjoying the calendar! As for the melting balm – same 😂