by Jude Chao

Pre-Launch Review: Nooni Snowflake Balm Cleanser, Memebox Eyeshadow Swatches, Giveaway and More!

The products featured in this post were provided for review by Memebox US. All opinions and recommendations in this post are my own unless otherwise noted. Learn more about my rules for store partnerships by checking out my sponsorship policy and sponsor list.

The first step I made towards developing a solid skincare routine was to start double cleansing to gently but completely remove sunscreen, makeup, dirt, oil, and other impurities from my skin at the end of each day. In my opinion, getting that sparkling clean (but never stripped!) canvas is vital to maximizing the effects of your nighttime products.

In the past couple of years, I’ve tried many different first cleansers, reviewed a handful of them, and decided that I most definitely prefer balm cleansers to cleansing oils. My longtime favorite, Botanic Farm Grain Ferment Cleansing Sherbet, is a balm cleanser. Balm cleansers are solid in the jar and therefore travel well, and they don’t drip or splatter the way cleansing oils can. Now, thanks to a box full of cleansers that Memebox sent to me to check out as part of the KIB squad, I’ve got a new balm cleanser to show you–and a way to get your hands on it–before it even launches! Let’s get to know Nooni Snowflake Cleanser. (We’ll also take a look at swatches of the new Pony x Memebox Pony Shine Easy Glam eyeshadow palettes and a couple of Memebox I’m Eye Shadow singles while we’re at it.)

What I got in my box was a sample-sized jar, so here’s an image of the actual product, courtesy of Memebox.

About Nooni: Nooni is Memebox’s in-house skincare brand. In the coming months, I hope I’ll be able to introduce you guys to many more Nooni products, some developed with direct input from me and other members of the KIB Memesquad!

Purpose: Nooni Snowflake Cleanser is an oil-based, emulsifying balm cleanser formulated to break up and lift off sunscreen, makeup, dirt, and oil from skin.

Best suited for: All skin types.

Do not use if: You are sensitive to vitamin E, fragrance, shea butter, or anything else in the ingredients list.

When and how to use: As the first step of your evening skincare routine, spread an almond-sized amount of product over dry face. Massage gently for 1-2 minutes or until all makeup is dissolved. Wet hands and massage again to emulsify. Rinse.

Optional: To loosen stubborn clogs and deep-clean pores, wait 5-15 minutes after application before massaging. Welcome to Grit City.

No, there aren’t snowflakes in it. I’ll explain the snowflake thing later. Image courtesy of Memebox.

Nooni Snowflake Cleanser ingredients:  Mineral oil, cetyl ethylhexanoate, PEG-20 glyceryl triisostearate, polyethylene, PEG-8 isostearate, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, water, tocopheryl acetate, fragrance, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, butylene glycol, nelumbo nucifera flower extract, citrus unshiu peel extract, citric acid, oxygen

CosDNA analysis (is impressively clean)

Notable ingredients: No need to dwell on ingredients in a simple cleanser. I’ll just point a couple of things out. One, the Snowflake Cleanser is mineral oil-based. While some people have concerns about the safety of mineral oil as a skincare ingredient, I’m in full agreement with the cosmetic chemists at The Beauty Brains: there’s really no reason to be afraid of mineral oil unless you personally have a sensitivity to it, and the groups that propagate mineral oil scaremongering tend to have their own agendas or be misinformed. Also! Mineral oil is fantastic for lubing up those stubborn little sebaceous filaments dotting many of our noses. It’s the oil I recommend most for my three-step pore clearing routine.

The second thing I want to point out is the oxygen at the end of the ingredients list. Yeah, I rolled my eyes, too. Oxygen is kind of…everywhere…and if I’d had a say in the development of this particular product, believe me, I would have been against using it as a gimmick. Then again, my enjoyment of skincare has increased greatly since I shifted my focus to ingredients and stopped paying any attention whatsoever to marketing claims. I suggest you do the same and just check out how well the product performs!

Performance

At first glance, Nooni Snowflake Cleanser is very similar to the classic Banila Co. Clean It Zero. It’s a firm, colorless balm with a subtle floral fragrance that’s pretty nondescript (nondescriptly pretty?) in the jar and that fades quickly while you use the product.

Nooni Snowflake Cleanser review
Is there anything sexier than the pristine surface of a freshly opened product?

Once I scooped the product out for the first time, however, I noticed how different it feels from Clean It Zero. Nooni Snowflake Cleanser is the firmest, driest cleansing balm I’ve ever tried. For the first couple of seconds of application, it has an almost waxy, almost crumbly texture. I was told that the name of the product comes from the tiny pockets of oxygen suspended within the balm–little negative-space snowflakes–and those micro-bubbles add an interesting feel to it as I spread it over my skin. Again, I don’t think the oxygen does anything at all as an ingredient, but the sensation it gives does deliver a bit of skincaretainment. A first cleanser that’s kinda fun is a rarity.

I really like the dryness of the Snowflake Cleanser as it comes out of the jar. It enables me to apply the product very precisely to my face, avoiding areas like my eyes when I don’t want to get cleansing balm in them. Not a huge plus, obviously, but I do prefer it to Clean It Zero and maybe even to Botanic Farm Grain Ferment.

What I appreciate even more is the richness of the product as it melts into oil on my face. When it comes to first cleansers, I prefer thick to thin. I find that thicker oils provide more lubrication for massaging, letting me go longer and get more crap out of my pores without friction or drag, and when I choose to let the product sit on my face for a while before I massage, it doesn’t run or drip. Nooni Snowflake Cleanser softens up quickly into a thick, luxurious-feeling oil that stays where I put it.

As a makeup-removing first cleanser, meanwhile, it does its job well.

I did something a little different for this review than I normally do. Instead of attempting another handface (I’m kind of shamed after seeing my friend Cat’s magnificent hand art in her Clio Pro Palette first look), I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and show you guys the Memebox eyeshadows that I was also recently gifted by our squad leader! Below, you’ll find cotton swab swatches of every shade in the upgraded Pony x Memebox Pony Shine Easy Glam palettes, and three I’m Eye Shadow singles, too. Swatches are shown on a base of Skinfood Royal Honey Cover Bounce Cushion applied over a generous layer of Biore Perfect Milk sunscreen, which is all the primer I need, baby.

To the far left is a smear of Fairydrops Scandal Queen mascara, followed by Tosowoong Makeon Waterproof Gel Eyeliner, followed by the Pony shadows. The three swatches to the far right are Memebox I’m Eye Shadow singles. I’ve been getting a ton of use out of all of them, though some do make me look a little…heroin chic.

I added a generous amount of Nooni Snowflake Cleanser, as I would if I were cleaning all these stripes off of my face.

By the way, photos in this post were taken by Mr. Fiddy.

I massaged for a little under a minute (I use a stopwatch to time these tests, by the way). The Snowflake Cleanser rapidly loosened up all except a little bit of the tough-ass Fairydrops mascara. Which is, by the way, one of my HG mascaras. It’s like falsies without falsies. That’s a big deal for me.

Oh, man. This stage of the process always grosses me out.

Like any good cleansing balm or oil, Nooni Snowflake Cleanser emulsifies easily with water into a thin, milky liquid.

Emulsification is how you know that the oil-based cleanser has mixed successfully with water and will rinse off well. And yes, I know what that looks like. Get your mind out of the gutter, man.

It rinses off cleanly, leaving just a hint of the mascara behind.

Nice and clean and ready for a nice and gentle low-pH second cleanser.

I have no problems with residue, clogging, breakouts, or irritation while using this product.

Conclusion: Nooni Snowflake Cleanser is a solid entry into the first cleanser arena. It’s convenient, pleasant to use, and as effective as can be expected. Not many first cleansers can fully remove Japanese mascara without a couple minutes’ wait between application and massage–when I use my first cleanser to remove eye makeup, I swipe it over my eyes when I first put it on and then massage my eyes last, and that always does the job completely–but not many first cleansers are as nice as this one, either. I finished up the last of my sample tub of this to demo it for this review, and I’ll definitely be snagging a full-size tub.

Rating: 4/5

Rating scale

1 – This should be taken off the market.
2 – Caused me some problems; would not buy again.
3 – Meh. Neither great nor bad.
4 – Pretty good. Would buy again unless I find something better.
5 – I’ll never be in the market for a replacement unless this one is discontinued.

Where can I buy Nooni Snowflake Cleanser?

Nooni Snowflake Cleanser is available on Memebox for $13 for 120ml.

And if you want a chance to win a full-sized jar of Nooni Snowflake Cleanser, along with a copy of Kerry and Coco’s K-beauty book (which includes a couple of pages of Fifty Shades of Snail!) and a whole mess of other goodies, keep an eye on my Instagram account over the next couple of days. I have two glorious boxes to give away, and I’ll be announcing my rules soon.

Finally, if you’re free at 6pm PST on Tuesday, October 27 (today), join me and some other KIB squad members on Twitter for a Memebox Tweet chat! Just use the hashtag #beginwithnooni to talk with us about balm cleansers, double cleansing, Kerry and Coco’s amazing K-beauty book, and more. I can’t wait to chat with you guys! I had a great time in the Tweet chat! And by the way. About Food Poisoning Gudetama… #sorrynotsorry

What’s your favorite first cleanser?

© 2015 unless otherwise noted (copyright and sharing policy)

30 thoughts on “Pre-Launch Review: Nooni Snowflake Balm Cleanser, Memebox Eyeshadow Swatches, Giveaway and More!”

  3. I wish Memebox was global still 😦 I want this badly, but I want the Pony palettes so badly it pains me. Le sigh. I don’t suppose one of the Is you could suggest from the KIB could be to let us internationals back into the party? 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  5. My reliable first cleanser is plain old mineral oil, but I’d like to move to something richer/more skincaretainmenty for fall and winter. This looks so scrummy, fun and luxurious! Love the name, too. Putting it on my lust list. I respect you more for not giving this 5 stars just ‘cos you are involved in the development!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I have the botanic farm cleanser right now and love it. Do you feel the Nooni one compares to the makeup removing genius that is the BF cleanser? You briefly mention a few comparisons to it, but if $ were not an issue, which would you use?

    Liked by 1 person

  8. This might replace the banila co on my wishlist. I’m curious to try a cleansing oil with mineral oil as I’m using an olive oil based one.

    Also, would you double cleanse even if you didn’t wear makeup or suncreen that day?

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I have a lot of vampire days lately… which is good because the sunscreen I have right now is crappy!

        Oh and I forgot to say that it’s freaking awesome that you’re working with memebox! I’m glad they are getting advice on actual products from bloggers I love 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I really wish mineral oil didn’t make me break out because this sounds like the perfect thing to travel with. It’s not as bad with cleansers at it is with moisturizers, but still seems irresponsible to give this a try. :-\

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Alba botanica very emollient; its a physical only sunblock I bought in a pinch for my dad, and I figured I’d just use it too. I’m just not comfortable with the force it takes to rub in, and its soo oily ( the name should have told me).

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Okay, Fiddy. You can call Memebox and let them know this post got them at least one new order (I got the CosRX Whitehead Power and Blackhead Power liquids as well — my whiteheads and blackheads do, indeed, have power — though I may wait to start using them until I get a stronger sunscreen; right now I’m using a Face Shop PA+++).

    and while I’m here, I love your writing and your presentation of your journey. especially as you talk about self-care and skincare as a learning and healing process. I recommended your post from last month on K-beauty and being Othered to two other writers (one Asian-American and one Asian-Canadian) because I wanted to make sure you got read. so.

    off now to tackle the things on my to-do list that come before “start a skincare journal” so I can start a skincare journal.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for those really kind words! It makes me super happy to hear 🙂 Please always feel free to hit me up if you have any questions or want to chat about anything!

      Like

    1. It’s really soft and I do use it a few times a week! I don’t think it does anything for my pores, but it’s so ultra gentle and nice for cleansing without any rubbing or drag on my face whatsoever, which is nice because Tretface.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Based on mineral oil? Starts out dry and crumbly, before getting thick and luxurious? Emulsifies no problemo? Sounds like my beloved Eve Lom, but at a fraction of the price. Memebox – please go international again!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. This is so nice, I wish memebox still International😪 by the way I have a question Fiddy!? Can you please recommended a product good for “manchas en la piel” is for my mom, she’s have this problem and if you tell me I could buy it for her. I’ll grateful if you tell me, thank you and you have a good blog! I love the way you review. And haha, sorry I don’t know how to say manchas en la piel in English😣

    Liked by 1 person

    1. In English, they’re most commonly called “age spots”. No, we don’t really care for that term – LOL I think “hyperpigmentation” is the new (nicer) term!

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I was nervous about trying products with mineral oil in them, but reading this made me feel a lot better about trying it! I’m ordering it as I type this and can’t wait to try it- I’ve never tried a first cleanser before (besides some sample from sephora) and this one sounds really nice! Finding your blog (saw a friend link your donkey milk mask post) opened up a new world to me, thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Hohoho! How is it you manage to review a relevant product right when I’m searching for a replacement for said product type? It’s almost magical. No, but seriously, I’m almost out of my current oil cleanser, I’ll definitely check this out 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I bought the Snowflake cleanser during the Black Friday sale without reading any reviews of it, just because I’d been eyeing the Banila Co Clean It Zero cleanser for so long and this looked similar. I actually stumbled on this blog through r/AsianBeauty, and recognized your name from your Snails on a Plane collaboration up on Memebox right now! Incredible coincidences, right?

    I hadn’t realized until I read this review that Nooni was Memebox’s in-house brand; I hope they keep making skincare, because I really love the Snowflake Cleanser so far!

    Liked by 1 person

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