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This post was originally published on April 8, 2020. It was maintained on April 17, 2024.
This post is/was not endorsed or sponsored by Beautylish and/or any brands mentioned here and was written by a dear friend and makeup enthusiast Alexanna.
To learn more about beauty boxes, how the business model works, and what to expect from them, check out this post called the Beauty Box Dilemma.
See Alexanna’s other write-ups:
Beautylish Unboxing 2018 | Beautylish Unboxing 2021
Hi all! My name is Alexanna and I pop up on Natalie’s blog every once in a while with my thoughts and product reviews. If this is your first time meeting me, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here! If you want to get caught up (completely unnecessary, btw) I did a similar post about the 2018 Beautylish Lucky Bag which you can check out here.
Spoiler alert: After that purchase, I realized that mayyyybe I spend a little too much money on unnecessary makeup. I told myself that the Lucky Bag would be my last makeup purchase of 2017, and ideally, the last unnecessary makeup purchase until 2019. I gotta say, I did pretty well with that #nobuy challenge and now that I’ve de-cluttered and streamlined my products, I’m ready to dive into the 2020 Beautylish Lucky Bag and see if the hype holds up!
The Downlow on Beautylish Lucky Bags
The Beautylish Lucky Bag always goes on sale on December 26th and typically ships out mid to end of January.
I always purchase the regular or large bag, not the XL bag.
At the time of writing this post, the large bag is $75 plus $10 shipping for a total of $85.
Beautylish guarantees at least $150 worth of product for $75 (essentially).
I received my bag the 3rd week in January and immediately Facetimed Natalie to unbox it with her in real time. I was excited. She was excited. We had a moment.
Below are the six full-size products I received, their retail prices, and my thoughts!
Product #1 – Good Molecules: Niacinamide Brightening Toner ($14)
About This Brand: This brand is very affordable with good, quality ingredients (I’d say it’s The Ordinary’s current competitor). Last year I got their eye serum which I just finished and loved and I will purchase on my own.
Initial Thoughts On Quality: I’ve been using this toner and I do like it, but to be honest, I think all toner’s work the same. I don’t really notice any effects in particular.
Per the advice of Natalie, instead of putting this toner on a cotton pad and then swiping it on my face, I just put a little into my palms and pat on my face directly. It doesn’t waste as much product.
Need help with your skincare routine? Click here >
Product #2 – Sonia G: Worker Three Brush ($32)
About This Brand: Sonia G is a pretty new brand I think (last 2-3 years) to Beautylish and I’ve only heard great things.
Initial Thought On Quality: This is a great brush that I’ve used a handful of times. No complaints here. I’m happy to have it. I wouldn’t pay this much for one brush so this to me is a nice Lucky Bag surprise.
Check out this post on makeup brushes >
Product #3 – Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette of Pops Celestial Eyes ($53)
Initial Thoughts: I would have never purchased this product on my own so I’m really happy to have it.
First, let me say that the packaging is absolutely stunning. Tilbury packaging is very old Hollywood and this is no exception. I believe this was part of her 2019 Holiday so it’s a bit more glam and sparkly.
This quad contains mainly shimmer, glittery shades so if you like mattes, you won’t like this palette. Need a refresher on eyeshadow, read this post >.
Three of the four shades are sheer, sparkly topper type shadows and definitely work best using an eye shadow primer or even a glitter primer.
The fourth shade is a matte base with shimmer throughout and seems to be a bit more substantial in pigment than the other three shades.
You can definitely build up the shades but that all depends on how much effort and time you want to put into your eye look.
When I think of this as a whole, there is no way in heck I’d pay $53. It’s just not a ‘wow’ enough palette to justify the price. Is it pretty, of course, but not wow.
Product #4 – Farmacy: Bright On Massage Activated Vitamin C Mask ($38)
Initial Thoughts: Again, it’s a product that I probably would have never purchased on my own, so I’m happy to be able to have it and use it. I can always use a good face mask and this is from the brand Farmacy which I hear good things about.
About This Product: This is a ‘massage’ activated vitamin C mask (hello, you had me at vitamin C) that I’ve only used once at this point – so I really can’t speak to the effectiveness of this product.
Product #5 – Cover FX Glitter Drops Lunar ($44)
Initial Thoughts: This is the one item in the lucky bag that I know I won’t use that much. These are glitter drops which you can use as highlight, mix into foundation, etc. I think I would only use these on my eyes…not anywhere else.
If it were a different tone/color, it might be more versatile but because it’s a blue/green/pink shifty shade it’s not very versatile for me. However, on the eyes, this product could be amazing, but I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Product #6 – Beautylish Presents: Faux Fur Brush Roll Black ($14)
(no photo)
Initial Thoughts: At first glance, this product to me feels like a ‘throw in’ or ‘hey we have too much stock so let’s throw it into the lucky bags.’ BUT, I can say that I’m very excited to have this.
For me, it’s a very practical brush roll – small, compact and simple. I’ve seen other people complain that this is an unexciting and cheap product, but I’m not complaining, I like it.
I don’t own any type of brush storage or ‘rolls’ so to speak so I’m grateful for this. Even though I have yet to use this, I know I will and I know it will suit my needs. This will be perfect for when I travel.
Bag’s total value = $195
Summary/Conclusion
Like my last Beautylish Lucky Bag post, this is a bag full of surprises – you don’t know what you’re getting. I ALWAYS go into this purchase with an open mind. BUT, let me add that although I love makeup and own a fair share, I by no means own A TON.
Therefore, most of my Lucky Bags have been filled with items I’m not familiar with or would never buy on my own.
For others, this bag may always be a disappointment if you own a lot of makeup or purchase a lot of makeup. I’ve seen a lot of people get duplicate products to what they already owned. That’s just the risk you take when you roll the Lucky Bag dice!
Until next time,
Alexanna
Beauty is about perception, not about make-up. I think the beginning of all beauty is knowing and liking oneself. You can't put on make-up, or dress yourself, or do you hair with any sort of fun or joy if you're doing it from a position of correction.
kevyn aucoin
