Skincare Subscription Box

The February Beauty Box: The Anatomy of a Serum
Light, Less Light, Creamy

This curation speaks of light in two ways: as texture—the way a serum meets the skin—and as luminosity, the glow that slowly returns to it.

The box moves from a soothing, almost water-like serum that feels weightless on the skin, to a creamy pressed serum that leaves the complexion quietly luminous. Between them sits a repairing gel serum—light but not weightless, not heavy, but holding—a formulation designed to restore vitality, soften signs of stress, and reduce the appearance of blemishes.

Together, these three form a winter ritual of soothing hydration, repair, and glow.

The February Beauty Box has been curated by me, in collaboration with Oh Holly, the Korean-American K-beauty platform founded by Sue and Herra, whom many of you first met when we featured their beautiful WYLYS products.

Oh Holly is our bridge to these brands, connecting us through relationships they have built over years of thoughtful, careful work in Korean beauty. The products themselves ship directly from the brands, so what you receive comes straight from the source.

Read on to learn all about the K-beauty gems we have uncovered for you.

Price of the Subscription Box: $59.95
Retail Value: $236

Aippo Expert Soothing Ampoule (Light)

This is the lightest of the three, weightless like meltwater on skin. The formula is built on a high concentration of birch sap, a traditional Korean ingredient prized for its ability to hydrate, soothe, and support tired winter skin. A centella complex, including fermented centella and madecassoside, works to calm inflammation and strengthen the skin barrier.

These actives are delivered through nanoliposome technology, tiny lipid spheres that carry ingredients into the skin more effectively and release them slowly, giving the ampoule its weightless yet deeply comforting feel.

Ferments, prebiotics, and beta-glucan add another layer of intelligence, supporting the skin’s microbiome and its ability to stay balanced and resilient.

This is the first layer on damp skin, flooding it with calm and hydration.

PinkWonder Tamanu Hero Ampoule+ (Less Light)

This is still light, but quietly holding.

The formula is built on a base of camellia leaf water, green tea distilled into a soothing, antioxidant-rich infusion that calms and protects stressed winter skin. It is paired with a volcanic ash and houttuynia ferment, a uniquely Korean approach to purifying and balancing the skin, helping to soothe irritation while refining the look of pores and blemishes.

At the heart of the ampoule sits tamanu oil, a traditional healing oil long used to support skin regeneration, along with jojoba oil, which closely mimics the skin’s own sebum. Together, they help repair the barrier, soften the appearance of marks, and restore vitality without heaviness.

This is a concentrated ampoule that holds the skin, helping it recover, rebalance, and heal.

WYLYS New Day Glowing Serum Cream (Creamy)

This is the final layer—the one that stays.

WYLYS New Day is a true serum cream, a hybrid texture that delivers brightening actives in a base rich with skin-identical lipids. Niacinamide and vitamin C (in the form of magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) help support clarity and glow, while bakuchiol offers gentle renewal without the irritation of traditional retinoids.

What gives this formula its quiet strength is its barrier-repair blend of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, the same lipid trio found naturally in healthy skin. Squalane, jojoba, and sea buckthorn oil add nourishment and softness, while panthenol helps keep the skin calm and resilient.