I stopped subscription boxes after blogging more as being surprised by products was proving to be more of a waste of money as I would either have duplicates or similar products on hand. If I was going to spend money, I would rather know that the value will be there AND that I won't have the product already, but after seeing enough Beautylish Lucky Bag unboxings I felt comfortable taking a risk and shelling out $100!
Purchased by me
There is a waitlist for the Lucky Bag so around December, I received an email from Beautylish allowing me to sign up for first access to purchase. This year there was the regular Lucky Bag as well as the Jeffree Star Lucky Bag. You could only choose one of the two bags and you could only buy ONE. Seeing as how I had just picked up the JS Blood Sugar Palette in November, I didn't want to run the risk of possibly receiving another one which is why I opted for the regular Lucky Bag. I also wanted some product variety in terms of brands. Once I selected the regular Lucky Bag, the only other question that was asked was whether I was "Fair to Medium" or "Medium to Dark". I chose "Fair to Medium" as it seemed safe and it turned out to be a good choice!
Oribe Balm d'Or $61 CDN
I don't own a whole lot from Oribe, but what I do own I love. The Dry Texturizing Spray is what Oribe is most known for and I recently picked up a mask and scalp serum at Holts last Fall that I have been enjoying. This thermal protectant is right up my alley with my regular blow drying and curling and though I prefer a spray, this lotion still looks divine as it is safe for all types of hair and also includes UV protection.
Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner $19 CDN
This will be my first time trying a full sized, legit Good Molecules product! The first product I tried was a mini cleansing balm which was fine, but as that was a product I washed off, I don't quite consider it the same as something like this toner which is going to sit on my skin. With the advent of Deciem's The Ordinary, similarly priced brands like this one have found their place in the skincare world which I think is super cool. We know the markup on cosmetics is generally quite high so seeing pricing like this is still refreshing to me.
Vital Proteins Beauty Collagen $46 CDN
While I like the idea of and HAVE used collagen powder in spurts when I'm feeling "healthy", I still find the scent off-putting. It doesn't taste like much, but even when I mix collagen in the sweetest of smoothies, I can still smell it and I basically find myself chugging things down while trying not to breathe in. When this showed up in my Lucky Bag, I was intrigued because these were LAVENDER LEMON flavoured! One pack is mixed with one cup of water and that's it! So, even though the lavender AND lemon makes the collagen more palatable as the lemon gives it all a bit of zing, I think collagen is something that my nose never going to accept as "delicious".
JUNO & Co. Microfibre Velvet Sponge $9 CDN
I thought this sponge would be a total gimmick, but I was so wrong! I actually purchased a pack of these velvet sponges from Beautylish during their gift card event after seeing some good reviews and to be honest, we have all seen the the makeup sponge reinvented a million different ways, but this was different than anything I have used so far! I am a longtime user of the Beauty Blender (love it) and though the Real Techniques sponge is not bad, I still prefer the BB. Prior to JUNO & Co., I was using the Sephora Collection sponges which I found fairly similar in feel and quality to the BB (I know!!), but THIS sponge truly stands apart. Best used wet (like MUCH better than dry), the velvet finish spreads out my foundation so nicely and I now use half pumps instead of full pumps of foundation because this sponge seems so much more efficient at coverage. The finish I get from this sponge is so smooth and I have found that I can cover my whole face in less time also because of the large flat surface. This sponge has been such a game changer so I was delighted to see this in my Lucky Bag!
Danessa Myricks ColorFix 24 Hour Cream Color Metallic in "Celebration" $25
I had never heard of Danessa Myricks, but now that I have used this cream shadow, I will make a point of getting to know it better! This eyeshadow didn't look like a great shade for me, but when I took the TINIEST little bit, a "kick in the pants" punch of iridescent colour appeared on my eyelids and all I did was blend away and I had a neutral smoky eye! I didn't use primer to see whether this shadow would hold up to its 24 hour claims and though I didn't leave it on for a full day, I did my typical 10 hour work day and there was no creasing. The colour wasn't quite as vibrant, but at least the fading was equal all over. I look forward to picking up another shade or two in a few months after I have done my Spring Beauty Purge.
Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Quad in "The Glamour Muse" $72 CDN
Rae Morris Lip Brush $49 CDN
While I was SUPER happy to see a Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette, a part of me was scared that I already had it because I purchase quite a bit of CT on my own and the eyeshadow palettes have been one of them. Thankfully, out of the three I own, this "Glamour Muse" Palette is NOT one of them and one that I have been eyeing for awhile!
I was not familiar with the brand Rae Morris until looking up the value of this lip brush and I can safely say that this brush is one of my more luxury ones. Created in collaboration with Japanese master brushmakers, this lip brush hasa magnetic base, maple/cherry wood handle and synthetic bristles. The super square tip is perfect for cleanup and for precision perfect application. It's also a great brush for someone like me with a more pronounced cupid's bow.
The total value for my Lucky Bag was $281 so well beyond the $100 I paid for, but what I came to realize when I had 8 different subscription boxes was that the value is only there IF you like the products and would use them. I am happy to say that I am so pleased with every single product I received that I would gladly buy this bag again next year! There was a great variety of items and in shades that weren't weird or unsellable. I felt like this Lucky Bag was very well curated and look forward to using/reviewing/featuring each and every one!
You can find all of these products on www.beautylish.com (although some are currently sold out).
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