There’s an almost endless selection of beauty products to choose from, so how do you narrow things down? Subscription boxes let you sample popular new products, usually at a discount. Look Fantastic is a United Kingdom-based beauty subscription box. Each month, they send a selection of products curated by their experts with skincare, makeup, hair care, and more.
This month, I received a black liquid eyeliner, an organic detox face cream, a matte lipstick, micellar water makeup remover, a shampoo and conditioner set, and a combination mask, moisturizer, and primer cream. My favorite product is the micellar water from Polaar, and I loved how easily it helped me remove stubborn eyeliner and lipstick.
What We Like About Look Fantastic Beauty Box
The November Look Fantastic box is a fiery red color with orange packing materials, perfect for the Firecracker theme this month.
The items were sent like this— kind of thrown in on top of the packing material!
This month’s Look Fantastic box had a great combination of different beauty categories, from hair care to makeup and skincare.
Each box comes with a fun mini-magazine booklet that includes product information. Aside from that, the booklet has beauty news, product recommendations, and even interviews with brand founders.
My box version may look a little different from another subscriber’s box. Other boxes might include a nail polish instead of the 3INA lipstick, a tanning cream from ThisWorks, and a color-safe Phillip Kingsley gloss that protects hair during heat treatments.
Look Fantastic is based in the UK, which means they’re closer to European countries. As a result, their boxes tend to contain far more international products than you’ll find in American boxes. Many of their items are British, but there are products from Spain, France and other European countries, too.
There’s no shipping fee for Look Fantastic, even for international orders. It’s nice to be able to try products from European or British companies without worrying about the shipping costs.
What We Don’t Like About Look Fantastic Beauty Box
I was disappointed to see that the Lord & Berry and 3INA items listed in the booklet were replaced with other comparable items: a black liquid liner from another brand, and a matte lipstick from 3INA.
I know that beauty boxes run out of items sometimes, but the company gave no acknowledgement of the replacement, and didn’t respond when I messaged customer service. Most other brands are willing to throw in a freebie or sample when they deal with supply issues like this. Live Chat was unavailable each time I checked their website, even when I visited during working hours in UK time.
My box arrived fairly late, in early December. The delivery date kept getting pushed back. I understand that international shipping has been a nightmare as the holiday season approaches and with coronavirus-related issues, so I’m assuming this isn’t a reflection on their usual speed.
The December Look Fantastic box is filled with three full-size products, and this month’s box looks sparse in comparison. I know that the holiday season is special, but it’s disappointing to see such a huge difference from month-to-month. It makes it seem like there’s not a lot of quality consistency with Look Fantastic boxes.
Body Building Shampoo and Conditioner Duo by Phillip Kingsley
The Body Building conditioner and shampoo are designed to add volume and stop your hair from being weighed down. The texture of the conditioner is shown on top, and the shampoo is below.
This shampoo and conditioner are targeted at fine hair textures that tend to be flat.
The shampoo has a slightly bitter herbal smell, and I liked it a lot. It’s formulated with keratin, which helps build up your hair’s strength and make it look fuller. It also contains cellulose, which thickens strands and makes them easier to style.
The conditioner is designed as a lightweight counterpart. It contains wheat protein for thickness and behentrimonium chloride for smoothing and conditioning.
I have curly hair, so I’m not usually seeking out volume. When I tried these products, there wasn’t much of a difference from my usual hair, but I did like the lightweight conditioner. It helped define my curls without weighing them down at all.
Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black by Eyeko London
In the product pamphlet, there’s a gold/bronze Lord & Berry product. Look Fantastic must have run out of that item, though, and they sent me a black liquid liner from Eyeko London instead. I noticed that Eyeko London is owned by The Hut Group, the beauty company that owns Look Fantastic.
Personally, I prefer bronze and gold eye makeup, but I was willing to give this liner a shot. I was pleasantly surprised! The tip is precise and the liner goes on jet black. It’s also fairly smudge-proof.
In the first picture, the liner is freshly applied. I took the second picture after rubbing both lines pretty vigorously. The bottom line is a bit faded, but I only applied one layer. I went over the top line twice, and it held up very well!
Ice Pure Micellar Water with Arctic Cotton by Polaar
This micellar water is designed for easy makeup removal. It’s infused with the arctic cotton plant, which has plenty of skin benefits. It’s hydrating and also contains flavonoids that soothe and protect skin.
Use this product with a cotton round, and swipe over the makeup on your face. It’s safe for use around your eyes.
I used the Ice Pure Micellar Water to remove the Eyeko London black eyeliner. The Eyeko liner is almost entirely smudge resistant, and you’ll only see significant fading or smearing if you really scrub at it. It held up so well when I tried it that I was a little worried it would take forever to remove!
The Ice Pure formula helped a lot. It only took me a few minutes to totally remove the liner. Liquid eyeliner tends to be the hardest product for me to remove, so I’m definitely happy with the quality of this product.
In Transit Camera Close Up by ThisWorks
This versatile product is meant to work as a mask, moisturizer, and primer all in one. It’s designed to help your skin look vibrant and well-rested. ThisWorks says to apply it before makeup to create a smooth, moisturized surface for other products. It’s safe to apply around your eyes, too.
It contains aloe vera, shea butter, and argan oil to moisturize and soften skin. Red algae helps skin retain moisture and improves the skin barrier. It also has caffeine, which is often used to reduce puffiness, and perfect for the eye area.
This cream has an earthy, vegetal smell, and I ended up needing more of this to cover my face than I usually do with other moisturizers. It definitely provided a nice boost of moisture. I don’t think I’d use it as a mask, because it absorbed into my skin fairly quickly.
Naobay Detox Oxygen Light Cream
This cream is a facial moisturizer for morning and night use. It’s recommended for people who only need a light moisturizer, not deep hydration. It’s gentle enough to use on all skin types, though.
Naobay is a Spanish company that specializes in natural and organic beauty products. This item is made of 98.7% natural ingredients, and 13.5% of the ingredients are organic.
It contains Ginkgo biloba, which helps protect the skin from environmental factors. It also has green tea and aloe to soothe and moisturize the skin. Raspberry helps with moisture retention, so your skin stays hydrated for longer.
I like the wooden cap! If I’m ever searching for this moisturizer in my purse, the rough cap will stand out right away. I also love the smell of this cream. It’s coconut scented, with the delicate smell of a real coconut, instead of the sugary candy scent you usually get in cosmetics.
The Matte Lipstick #413 by 3INA
The pamphlet lists 3INA’s Longwear Lipstick, a liquid lipstick with a doe-foot applicator. Instead, they sent me a cream-to-matte The Matte Lipstick in 413. The brand name is pronounced as “Mina,” like the 3 is a sideways M. They’re a new brand founded in London, with products made in France, Spain, Germany, and Italy.
This lipstick has a unique angular edge that does succeed in making it a little easier to put on. The color isn’t very opaque upon first pass, but two swipes should give you decent coverage.
In the swatches above, the top swatch is one layer, and the bottom swatch is two layers. You can see how the angled shape makes it easy to apply straight lines.
Personally, I hate the color! It’s an orangey coral that doesn’t really suit my coloring. There are several color possibilities for this box, though, and some of the others are nice berries and reds.
Final Thoughts
My November Look Fantastic box came with a well-rounded selection of products. I have a makeup primer, lipstick, eyeliner, and makeup remover that all go together. There’s also a moisturizing cream and a mini shampoo and conditioner set.
I wasn’t amazed by this month’s box, though. This is the end of an unusual year that has affected shipping and supply chains, so I’m sure I’m not getting the best of what they have to offer. Even so, I’m disappointed by the two replacement items I got in this box, and I think I would have liked the originals more. Based on this box alone, I wouldn’t keep this subscription.
If you’re curious about other Look Fantastic boxes, you can see a list of products that have appeared in previous boxes here.
