Look Fantastic Beauty Box Review

Is the Look Fantastic Beauty Box worth the money and does it live up to the hype? Find out in this week's blog post, complete with fun unboxing pictures!

This month I decided to splash out and purchase a one-off beauty box from Look Fantastic. 'What's that?' I hear you ask, well ...

Beauty Box is a subscription service where, for a reasonable price (£13-£15), you are sent a box of beauty and make-up samples from a range of high-end brands. Each box has 5 / 6 products and comes with a complimentary copy of Elle magazine and a booklet that explains the products in the box.

If you're a busy person who wants to try out high-end products without breaking the bank or committing to buying full-sized products, these sort of services are a pretty good idea. However, you can't guarantee what you'll get in each box ... I suppose that's part of the fun though!

I ordered a one-off box, which came to £15. Free delivery was an added bonus.

The Contents

Upon opening the external cardboard packaging, the box is appealing. The pale green colour is appealing and suggests a good quality product. I'm not a fan of the green, but this could be a nice box to store things in if you like to reuse things. Despite this, the box isn't as pretty or fancy as some of the ones I've seen in other reviews.

1. GLAMGLOW Supermud Clearing Treatment (15g)

I'll be honest, Look Fantastic gives you a sneak peek at one of the products each mon and this lil' 15g tube was the whole reason I ordered the box in the first place! After visiting Sephora on holiday, I started using GLAMGLOW's Thirstymud hydrating treatment. It's on the expensive side, but it is a moisture miracle in a tub and well worth the money.

Anyway, back to the Supermud! The product is a clay based clearing face mask and on first impression it smells a bit weird (like minty liquorice). However, it feels quite smooth and goes on the skin well without sticking to your fingers like clay masks tend to do. I've yet to do a full face test, but if it's half as good as the Thirstymud, it's likely to be a winner.

2. Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm (15ml)

Upon seeing this product I'll admit that I was a little disappointed. Not because I don't like it, but because I use it every day and recently bought a new tub!

It's available in Marks & Spencer stores and you can buy the 15ml travel tub for around £10. Although it's quite expensive, a little goes a long, long way and it is definitely good value for your money.

Despite its oily appearance and texture, this is actually a dream product. I have sensitive combination skin and it doesn't leave my skin feeling oily or irritated. It feels smooth when applied to the skin and has a distinctive, but pleasant and luxurious, smell. After trying other skincare products, it's the one that I always go back to, because nothing else quite compares.

3. NUXE Creme Fraiche de Beaute (15ml)

This is a product I haven't tried before, but I've seen it in Marks & Spencer and it has quite a good reputation. It's another one that you can buy in travel size for around £10.

As a first impression, I'm not that impressed with this. The packaging states that it 'melts effortlessly into the skin' and has enjoyable freesia, orange blossom and woody notes. As someone who likes a floral scent, I expected it to be a winner, but to me it smells a bit like the cleaning products or air-freshener that our cleaners use in school - not something you would want to smell like! It also has a slightly watery consistency and leaves a bit of a sticky residue on the skin.

4. PUR Fully Charged Mascara (4ml)

I've heard quite a lot about this brand on online blogs and it generally has good reviews, but I was a bit disappointed to get a mascara in my box as I already have about ten samples in my make-up bag! Maybe I'm just destined to have tonnes of mascara...

The PUR mascara is meant to add volume and definition to lashes with one swipe due to its exclusive Magnetic Polymer Matrix (oooh - fancy make-up science). It doesn't have a strong smell, and has a good consistency that doesn't go clumpy. The only thing I don't really like is the giant applicator brush, but that might be because I have freakishly small eyes (I don't think I

do, but you never know). Other than that, it seems like it could be a good product.

5. NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads (10 pads)

I've seen this brand in TK Maxx recently as well as in some YouTube vlogs as it seems to be a mainstay brand for boxes like this. Generally, 10 pads is quite a good size for a sample, but the full-size product is priced at around £7 for 60 pads. Given the low price of the full-size product, I do feel a bit cheated by being given the sample size!

I'll be honest here, I'm always wary about cleansing pads and wipes. These smell awesome, but the pads themselves are quite thin and difficult to move around your face smoothly. It's also a bit odd that the instructions tell you to use them after cleansing - surely pads like this are meant to save time and not add to your routine? The formula itself felt good and despite the Glycolic acid, it didn't irritate my sensitive skin. However, it did feel a bit sticky after use.

6. Dr Botanicals Vegan Bergamot & Poppy Seed Soap (100g)

This was a full-size product and I could smell it as soon as I opened the external packaging! As someone who likes a strong scent, this product appeals to me, but it is very strong and might alienate people who prefer more delicately scented products. After a quick internet search, this is quite a difficult item to get hold of, with the few retailers who stock the soap selling the 100g bar for around £20.

The poppy seed exfoliants are a welcome natural alternative, given the current environmental concerns caused by the controversial and harmful micro-plastics used in other beauty products, but I'm sorry that I cannot recommend this soap AT ALL.

Soaps do tend to be quite a drying product, but I had definitely not bargained for how drying this soap would be. When using it in the shower, all appeared well: it lathered nicely and the poppy seeds felt quite nice on the skin. However, as soon as I got out of the shower, my skin started to feel really, really dry and itchy, like I was covered in tiny biting ants. It's now over two hours and a tonne of moisturiser later and I still feel itchy (weeps).

The Final Verdict

The box was delivered a couple of days after I ordered it, which was quite impressive as delivery to my area is not normally that quick. Full marks on this!

Regarding value, I'm not quite sure where Look Fantastic studied Maths. I don't think that the products in this box total to over £60 at all. At best, it's probably closer to the £50 mark, £53 if you count the complimentary issue of Elle magazine. Either way, I'd say that it's still pretty good value for money given that I only paid £15!

Considering the products, they were predominantly linked to facial skincare and personally I would have appreciated a broader spectrum of beauty products. However, the quality of the products was generally good and they were a good size in comparison to some of the other boxes I've seen reviewed in other blogs. However, given that the only full-size product is one that I now know I can't use, I do feel a bit cheated.

All in all, despite the palaver with the soap, this is isn't a bad subscription service and I would consider getting another box in the future.

If you do fancy getting your own box, or anything else on Look Fantastic, you can get £5 off your first order (as long as it's over £25) right here.

Until next time,

E.E.