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 $300+ worth of products), as well as Lucky Bags featuring exclusively Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
This is a review of the original Lucky Bag, which is no longer available for purchase. Click here to get on the waitlist for next year!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).
First Impressions
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These Lucky Bags were inspired by the Japanese tradition of Fukubukuro! They come with a tag including more information about the tradition, a specially branded tissue paper, and then all of the products were wrapped in bubble wrap.
Beautylish Lucky Bag January 2022 Review
Hindash Beautopsy Palette - Retail Value $70
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I really did not want to receive this palette in my box, but alas- here we are. I know a lot of people posting online about their boxes were excited about this palette because it’s from celebrity makeup artist Mohammed Hindash and is designed to be used all over your face, beyond the limits of a regular eyeshadow palette. But it's also a 100% matte palette and I much prefer some shimmer if not outright glitter, and I find the color story to be a bit boring. The matte shades do build up nicely and blend really well, so if you're trying to do a more artistic look I could see this palette being useful. Unfortunately, this just doesn't spark joy for me.
Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick in Pink Flash, 0.21 oz - Retail Value $46
I'll never be mad at receiving full-size Hourglass makeup products in a box. While I don't normally reach for cream-based makeup products, the stick applicator of this cream highlighter makes it really easy to apply to the high points of my face and blend out. I also don't normally reach for pink-toned highlighters, but this soft pink blends out for a very natural glow that I really liked.
Sonia G. Smudger One Brush- Retail Value $28
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This is my fourth year receiving a Lucky Bag, and I have been hoping to get a brush from Sonia G. I'm excited this box finally included one! Heads up: this is not a vegan brush. It's made with undyed saikoho goat hair, and this brush truly has a softness that feels so nice on the delicate skin of my eyelids. I can see the hype behind Sonia G. brushes- the price point is high, but the performance was spectacular when it came to picking up shadow and blending out pigment, and this brush is a joy to use.
Wayne Goss The High Shine Gloss in Hibiscus, 5.3 g - Retail Value $22
I really like the Wayne Goss brand for brushes, but this is my first time trying makeup from them. This lip gloss is called high shine, and they mean it- this has some disco ball sparkle. This is a rose gold shimmery shade that I personally found to be prettier as a topper rather than worn on alone, and it's almost disco ball sparkly. I will say that while the brand promises this isn't a sticky lip gloss, that wasn't my experience. Overall, this was a nice lip gloss, but I'm not crazy about it.
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Here I am wearing the Hindash palette on my eyes and cheeks (using the Sonia G. brush on my lash line), the Hourglass highlighter on the high points of my face, and the Wayne Goss lip gloss worn over a pink lipliner.
Smith & Cult Nailed Lacquer in Kundalini Hustle, 0.5 oz - Retail Value $18
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I've owned many a Smith & Cult nail polish before, and while the price point is higher than polishes you may be used to at Ulta or the drug store, I do think the quality is pretty great: creamy, shiny, and packed in a truly gorgeous bottle. Kundalini Hustle is a bright, opaque poppy red, and if you're wanting to use it but find the big silver cap unwieldy, you'll be happy to know that cap is removable.
Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel, 4 oz - Retail Value $12
I've used this cleansing gel before, and it's a really solid performer for the price. This is a gentle cleanser made with rosewater that lathers up once water is added, but it never leaves my skin feeling stripped. I only need a little bit, and the pump makes it very easy to use. All in all, a good cleanser, if not a super exciting one.
Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $75 per month + $10 shipping.
Value Breakdown:
- Hindash: $70→ $28.88
- Hourglass: $46→ $18.98
- Sonia G.: $28→ $11.55
- Wayne Goss: $22→ $9.07
- Smith & Cult: $18→ $7.43
- Good Molecules: $12→ $4.95
Everything in my box adds up to $206. That means you save about 59% off of the retail price.
Key Takeaways
I have mixed feelings about this year's Lucky Bag. I love the concept, and I can tell you right now I will be participating again next year even if I wasn't going to be reviewing the box for MSA- it's such a fun experience to look forward to. But when it comes down to the actual products I received, I am much more meh. The only true products that sparked joy for me are the Sonia G. brush and Hourglass highlighter. I am sure there are many people who will love that Hindash palette, but I am not the target audience for it. I was happy to try the Wayne Goss lip gloss, but the stickiness and extreme metallic shine, when worn on their own, was a bit disappointing. The Smith & Cult polish is beautiful, but I'll never use it, and the Good Molecules cleanser is great but I already own it. That's the risk you run with a 100% mystery bag, though, and another thing I do love about this box is the camaraderie that comes when everyone else who buys a box talks about it (like on our forum thread). In terms of value, Beautylish promised a value of at least $150 for this box, so they definitely met that. In comparison to previous years, my 2019 Lucky Bag had a total value of $181, my 2020 bag totaled $237, and my 2021 bag totaled $316. I recommend taking a look at previous year's reviews for a more comprehensive idea of what to expect with a Beautylish Lucky Bag, and if you got one this year I would love to know what you think!
Other Things You Should Know
Is this box still available? No, Lucky bags are only offered one day a year, the day after Christmas. here to get email notifications for next year's box.
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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