Beautylish is an online retailer for prestige skincare and beauty brands. Once a year, they offer a "lucky bag" for sale, which will contain a mystery assortment of products they currently sell. This year they offered the original lucky bag ( $75 for $150+ worth of products), the lucky bag XL ($150 for $350+ worth of products), and the Jeffree Star lucky bag ($75 for $150+ worth of Jeffrey Star products).
This is a review of the original lucky bag, which is no longer available for purchase.
These lucky bags were inspired by the Japanese tradition of Fukubukuro!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About this Bag from Beautylish
The Box: Beautylish Original Lucky Bag
The Cost: $75 +$10 US shipping
The Products: A mystery assortment worth at least $150
Ships to: The US for $10, worldwide for $15-$20
Beautylish Lucky Bag January 2020 Review
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Natasha Denona Camel Palette - Retail Value $48
I squealed when I pulled this out of the bag- Natasha Denona is a brand I was really hoping to see in my lucky bag! This full-size palette features five brown shades: two shimmers and three mattes. As much as I love fun eyeshadow looks, I have a day job as a lawyer so this is actually the perfect everyday palette for me. The shades didn’t seem perfect when I finger-swatched them on my arm, but once I grabbed my makeup brushes and started applying they went on like a dream. The shades blended well together, and I’ve used colors in this palette on their own but also with some more shimmery shades for a night out when I wanted to add a little sparkle.
Here are the shades swatched.
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Jeffree Star 5-Year Anniversary Lipstick Set - Retail Value $75
I love the Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks I’ve tried thanks to the mystery boxes put out by the brand, so this had me interested. I was really excited to see one of the shades was Androgyny (a matte plume-mauve), which is the one lipstick I have specifically been wanting from the brand but did not own. The other two wearable lip colors for me are Doll Parts (a matte cool-toned pink) and Hoe Hoe Hoe (a matte red with flecks of red and purple glitter), and while Drug Lord (a matte white) and Mistletoe (a matte green) aren’t lip colors I will be wearing, these lipsticks are also eye-safe. I think the white would be a great base if I’m playing with neon shadows, and Mistletoe would work as a pretty eyeliner or as just a regular lipstick considering south Louisiana celebrates Mardi Gras during the entire month of February. Androgyny had the great staying power I expect from the velour liquid lipsticks from Jeffree Star, but Doll Parts smudged a bit more easily. I did get several compliments the day I wore that pink shade, however, so I think it is still worth the touch-ups.
Here are the shades swatched.
Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush in Chaleur, 0.14 oz - Retail Value $32
This is a full-size blush from a higher-end brand, but wow is it small! Check out the blush next to the Farmacy mask below for a bit of perspective.
Small size aside, this blush is a warm bronze shade that actually works really well with my fair skin with red undertones (hi, rosacea!). You only need a very small amount of powder to get great pigment, and I would be down to try other shades from this brand based on how well this one performed.
Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer, 1.7 oz - Retail Value $14
I’m not a super big fan of priming moisturizers, but I do really like the Good Molecules brand! Think of them in the same category of brands as the Inkey List and The Ordinary for the price point, but I’ve had good results from all of the Good Molecules products I’ve tried. This moisturizer would work best with water-based foundations and concealers, but I liked it just as a morning moisturizer on top of many hydrating layers of toners and serums.
Farmacy Bright On Vitamin C Mask, 1.7 oz - Retail Value $38
I was a little bummed to see this mask in my box since I’ve tried it before and it didn’t work well for me. This has a lot of essential oils and fruit extracts as well as peppermint oil, and while those ingredients on their own don’t irritate my skin, the combination of them all left my cheeks red, inflamed, and angry. It’s a bummer for me too because I enjoyed the experience of the mask changing colors from lavender to green and I like the brand as a whole. I will say that I gave my mask to my best friend after my skin had such a reaction to it with a word of caution, and her skin loved it and had great results with no irritation. Your mileage may vary!
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Units 200 Series Eye Brush Set - Retail Value $30
I will never be mad about getting more makeup brushes, and I was really happy with the quality of these- especially for the price! The brushes are cruelty-free and have synthetic fibers that are still very soft, and I had no issues with them shedding or feeling scratchy. I used these with the Natasha Denona palette, and I was impressed with the performance in terms of both picking up the powder and then blending them out.
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Here I am wearing the Camel palette on my eyes (applied with the Units brush set), the Surratt blush on my cheeks, and Androgyny on my lips.
The Verdict: I really liked my Lucky Bag this year, and in terms of value I think I got one of the luckier ones because only a value of $150 is guaranteed and the value of my box adds up to $237. I wish I had received a different product than the Farmacy mask, but overall I’m super stoked about the Natasha Denona palette and Jeffree Star set, and while both the brush set and the blush were new discoveries for me I think they are great, too. My one tip if you’re going to get into the Lucky Bag next year is to not look at all of the bag spoilers. I know firsthand that can be part of the fun, but I actually think it can make you less happy with what you get in your box because you’re so busy comparing it to what other people got (and there’s such a wide variety of products included, you can start to get set in what products would actually make you happy). I recommend taking a peek at the spoilers from other people after you already got yours, that way your opinions and initial impressions are your own.
To Wrap Up:
Can you get this box if you sign up today? No, this is only offered once a year on December 26.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $85 ($75 + $10 shipping) and I calculated a total value of $237. That means you're paying approximately the following per item:
- Natasha Denona: $17.21
- Jeffree Star: $26.90
- Surratt Beauty: $11.47
- Good Molecules: $5.02
- Farmacy: $13.63
- Units: $10.76
For more makeup fun, check out our reader-voted list of the top makeup subscriptions for 2020!
Are you going to get a lucky bag next year? If you got one this time around, share your box contents below!
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