The subscription beauty box from Lookfantastic costs £15 but its contents total over £70 – beauty writer Eve Rowlands tested it out to see if it’s worth it
I don’t know about you, but November and the colder months always makes me to want to stay at home, snuggle under my fave blanket in my PJs with a hot chocolate, whack on my favourite candle and indulge in some self-care with a bare make-up free face. Lookfantastic’s November beauty box contains a lovely selections of products that’ll help you do exactly that.
Costing £15 for a one off month or £13 if you want to commit to a 12 month subscription, receiving the box month on month, the November edit is worth over £70 (meaning you save £65) and contains some epic beauty names like Rituals and First Aid Beauty.
Containing six products, two of which are full-sized, the box is a little treasure trove (in the form of a recyclable cardboard box) that has all beauty bases covered and is a little different to past ones with the inclusion of a gorgeous smelling candle and a giant hair clip.
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The Rituals Ritual of Sakura Candle, worth £6.50 for the deluxe size, may be small but it certainly gives off a mighty fragrance that left my home smelling divine – subtle notes of sweet cherry blossom that’s floral and fresh. As a candle lover, I’d have loved for it to be a little larger as I know I’ll burn through it in a matter of days, but it’s a lovely little treat all the same.
The £4.99 So Eco Claw Clip in the shade nude (a Lookfantastic own brand), is a useful tool to stick your hair back when in a rush and, due to its whopping size (bigger than my palm) looks really elegant and put together with little to no effort. While I may not get quite as much use out of it, having a short, bob-style hair cut (meaning there’s actually not much hair for it to grip onto), when my unruly curls get lengthy, I can see it certainly being my go-to hair piece.
Also included in the box is a NUDESTIX Mini Eye Pencil in Taupe. Worth £19, it’s a gorgeously soft pencil that glides onto the eyes and blends out beautifully. The thick pencil makes it easy to manoeuvre and its creamy formula is multi-tasking and can colour, line and prime your eyes for a ‘long-lasting, crease-proof look’. Trying it out, the grey-brown taupe hue made my green-hazel eyes pop and gave them a lovely soft, muted outline – great for when you want a natural smokey eye.
The creamy Magnetic Matte Eye Colour is also waterproof, smudgeproof and quick drying – meaning you have to work fast to achieve your desired look. But, it’s meant to last 11 hours (something I’m yet to test, but I’ll report back), which is ideal when you have a long day – or night – ahead of you.
The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, worth £8, are a lovely way to freshen up your complexion during the day and after cleansing. They lightly exfoliate and smooth skin to leave it with a lovely glow when used straight after cleansing in the morning. This is thanks to them being infused with glycolic and lactic acids and I did notice a lovely radiance bouncing off my cheekbones post-use. Coming in a packet that I can only describe as akin to wet wipes, they’re small and easy to take away with you when you need a bit of a boost.
Also included in the box is a travel-sized Cetaphil cleanser. With niacinamide glycerin and panethenol, it not only cleanses your skin but during this process it also hydrates and softens. It’s ideal for when you go on a weekend away and don’t want to take your full-size bottle of cleanser as it fits neatly into small spaces.
One product I’ve not yet tried is the Hair Gain scalp foam – although I’m excited to give it a go and see the results it claims. Formulated with AnaGain (from organic pea shoot), the foam allegedly helps reduce hair shedding to leave your locks fuller and with more vitality. As stated by the brand, “once you apply the Scalp Foam directly to your scalp, it is absorbed into the skin without leaving any kind of residue. The foam provides long lasting moisture whilst revitalising the scalp. As with all our products, our AnaGainTM technology, along with other key vitamins and ingredients, help to stimulate the hair and prevent hair damage. Leaving your scalp refreshed and your hair looking fuller after every application.”
And if the positive reviews that state it’s made their hair ‘much more thicker’ with thinning patches on their scalp having ‘lots of new growth’, are anything to go by, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
If you’re not a fan of these products, Lookfantastic’s Black Friday beauty edit is also available. Costing a bit more at £40, it’s a limited edition beauty box chocca with skincare goodies. Get it here. Of course, Lookfantastic isn’t the only beauty retailer to offer a monthly box subscription. Glossybox also has a service which sends out beauty boxes month on month with some glorious products inside. For one month the service costs £13.50 or for a 12 month rolling contract, it’s £12.50.
To sign up for Lookfantastic’s subscription service or to get the November box, visit the website here.
