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When HauteLook did a sale a few weeks ago and offered their “Best of Beauty Bags” I jumped at the chance to get the Spring one I had missed the first time it was available.
I skipped a picture of the box (it was just a plain brown box) and went for the cute bag. Unlike the Summer Essentials Bag which was just plain (although it said it was going to be polka dot), the Spring bag was actually striped and was one of the reasons I went for this bag. It’s a great size and I plan to use it to travel.
So this is where the trouble begins. I open up the bag and find aqua blue shadow everywhere. Uh-oh. I grabbed some paper towel and dumped out the bag to see what was going on.
You think that those containers are so little, but man, they sure do make a mess! Blue everywhere.
And here was the problem. The Lorac full-sized shadow had opened and got everywhere! Not good at all. It wasn’t one of the items I was SUPER excited about it in the bag, but I wasn’t too thrilled by the mess it had made.
I debated about even reviewing this bag and thought about just tossing it all, but though no, that’s not fair. Sometimes you do have a problem with a bag or a box, so I figured I might as well share what happened and what HauteLook did about it. Plus, some of the items were fine, so on we go!
Happily my information card survived the mess because you know how I love those cards! And I had actually forgotten what most of the items in the box were, so I needed a refresher. Here’s what all was included:
~Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil Travel Size in Demolition ($14.25): Although this is travel sized, it’ s a great size and I like the color. Unlike most eyeliners I get, I am going to keep this one. It actually does go on nice and smooth and even I can manage it.
~Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff ($5.49): You can’t see it well in this picture, but the brush does have some shadow on it. It is a nice brush though and I’ll easily be able to clean it, so I am happy.
~Lorac Full-Size 3D Lashes Mascara ($22): Eeek! This was one of the items I was most excited about and I am happy to report it survived just fine. I feared (you’ll see why soon) that it might be dried out or all icky, but it was perfect and I am thrilled with it.
~NYX Cosmetics Full-Size Lipstick in Shiva ($4): Happily this color isn’t as bright on as it is in the tube because I will admit, it looks BRIGHT! It’s much more subtle on though and has a great shimmer to it.
~Stila All-Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer: OMG I had forgotten how much I loved this stuff and now want to get the full size products! The bronze is my favorite, but I think the rose gold will be great for winter.
~Laura Geller Mini Blush-n-Brighten in Berry ($15.50): Hmm, so not only was my Lorac shadow spilled, my Laura Geller blush was cracked and broken into pieces. I don’t know what the texture of this is normally like, but when I looked at it I thought it seemed dry. It spreads on nicely though (I shoved my finger in it), so I am not sure? I *know* this can be repotted, but I am not sure how? Can anyone help? It’s a great shade and I would like to try it.
~LA Fresh Beauty Wipes ($5): I love this brand and couldn’t have been happier that the bag included a bunch of different kinds instead of all of the same. I haven’t tried all of these yet, so this is awesome!
~suki skincare Full-Size Exfoliate Cleanser ($32.95): This is the main reason I ordered the bag. I love this stuff and use it all the time (shhhh, it’s really B’s, don’t tell him). Sadly, my cleanser too had leaked and the seal on it had been broken. WTF? Did I get some random bag that everyone had played with before they shipped it to me? As much as I want to use this, even I’m not sure about the broken seal (plus it seems dry), so I might have to trash this. BOO!
~Jessica Simpson Vintage Bloom Fragrance Sampler (Sample): Not a bad scent, but I wouldn’t want this in a full size. All I really think about when I hear about Jessica Simpson is Newlyweds and how I wish her and Nick were still together. I loved that show and think a Newlyweds marathon is in order soon!
So had my bag been in perfect condition, it would have had a value of right around $100, which would have been amazing since the bag was only $20 (plus shipping). However, since the main item I wanted from the bag (the suki) was damaged (plus the shadow was all over the place), I was disappointed in it.
I contacted HauteLook using their online chat and expressed my disappointment in the bag to see what they could do. They apologized (HauteLook is owned by Nordstrom so they have amazing customer service) and offered me an $11 refund or said that I could ship the entire bag back for a full refund. I probably would have shipped the bag back, but I had already tossed the shadow so that wasn’t an option. I let customer service know this and she ended up refunding me $15, which I was more than happy with.
Will I order another HauteLook Beauty bag in the future? Of course I will! I am guessing the bag I got was a complete fluke and was pleased with the customer service I received (the online chat took maybe 5 minutes) so why wouldn’t I?
Did you order a HauteLook Beauty Bag from their “Best of Bags” sale? Which one did you get and what’d you think? And if you haven’t signed up for HauteLook yet, what are you waiting for? This weeks sales include Splendid, Ray-Ban, Lorac (up now) and Random House Kids!!!
I love Lorac, but their packaging is utter crap. I keep buying it because I DO love the products, but every.single.item is eventually damaged. The backed shadows and blushes will shatter really easily. And the packaging just falls apart. Every single hinged lid has broken off.
Oh No! It’s a Norstrom brand so I’m sure they’ll make it right! Also, thanks for the NCLA offer previously… I never got back to you because I used a set of nail wraps and realized I’m not the biggest fan : ) Hope you had a good weekend!
@Liz: Nordstrom : )
can you get your money back ???
Uh oh!! I also ordered the Spring bag, but haven’t received it yet.
@Kim Kjerulf: Received my bag today and I had no problems with the contents other than the Suki looks to be a little dry. When I took the lid off to view the inside, it looked like 1/4 or more of the contents had been used as there was a big hole in the middle. I just think it is because the contents are somewhat dry. I will add water when using as others have suggested.
@Kim Kjerulf: I spoke to quickly. I opened my eyeshadow to try it out and is was very loose, like mineral makeup. Not sure if it is supposed to be loose or not. I thought it was supposed to be solid. Also, my Suki is more like almost half gone or dryed up. I almost wonder if it was a returned item that someone had used. I took pictures of my jar and may email Customer Service about it. Did anyone have a seal on their Suki? Mine didn’t. The blush is very pigmented. A little goes a long way. I wasn’t crazy about the eyeshadow, lipstick, or blush. They were a little too bold for me and I usually wear red lipstick.
Wow! The bag i ordered from this sale didn’t even ship yet!
I ordered the Spring bag too and mine still shows that it has not shipped. 🙁 I hope that my Suki cleanser is ok since that is mainly why I ordered it. Now I am scared!
I had to just comment about the SukiFace packaging..I loved the sample of scrub I received in a New Beauty Tube sometime ago.and it was sealed. I broke down and ordered a full size from Birch box. When my order showed up it had leaked all over the box (it did seem dry) and I figured the sealed part had just got stuck to the top of the lid.. I let them know and the sent me a new one (great CS) ..That one was leaking too! Not as bad as the first but no seal on that one either..but I’m not gonna complain it still works great since you have to wet it to use it anyway.. Hopefully you didn’t throw it out.
Too bad about the bag! I thought about ordering the spring bag, but it sold out before I had free time in the day to order one. From what I heard the first time around, a lot of people had the lorac eye shadow arrive broken (it’s supposed to be solid), but that was as far as the problem went. Glad customer service took care of the issue for you!
Thanks for the great review….I should get my spring bag tomorrow…..but I have heard almost everyones’ eye shadow was broken….and that is terrible…will have to let HauteLook know. I ordered mostly for the Suki so I hope it isn’t leaking (and the UD liner!) Hope it is there this time…..in my Summer Essentials bag the UD lip liner was not there….I was so disappointed.
I ordered for the Suki Face also, I have never tried and it sounded great! I should get mine today but in the Texas heat I am always worried what my boxes will look like when they arrive.
I was so worried to receive my spring bag after the trouble you received with yours. Mine just showed up and it seems to be in okay shape… so far :/
I had gotten the Summer bag through the 1st round sale and that was the first time that I had ever purchased from Hautelook. The bag was perfect (other than the lip colors) and no damaged items at all! That was when I had just started purchasing makeup, skincare and hair products again after almost 20 years so I have loved digging down into that bag many times already just to use my little goodies. I was excited when I saw that previous bags were going to be sold so that I could grab this Spring bag. Now I’m sort of freaking out after reading everything here… You see, I don’t seem to have the best of luck and any subs that I now belong to, this month has been very drab and disappointing so far. Not to mention that my bag hasn’t even shipped yet nor has the Urban Decay eye shadow, also the eye primer from The Balm hasn’t even went out either…. Goodness, we pay enough for shipping each order, you’d think that it would be better…. I remember waiting an awful long time for the Summer bag… Shame because I’m really liking Hautelook but I ever so hate their shipping system!!!
oh I meant to also add…….. please, please, please help my Suki to not be dry or leaking because it is one of those “must try” products that I’ve been hoping for!
I ordered the Spring bag specifically because of the value of the suKi. I hadn’t even received an e-mail that is shipped (when I check my account now it still says expected to ship Aug 19-23!) but it was on my steps when I got home yesterday. I just did a quick visual inspection of everything but will take a closer look when I get home tonight and open everything to make sure nothing is broken. I did open the suKi and it appears to be fine. The jar itself was almost full, about maybe 5% of it empty air, so I think it’s a new, never opened jar. There was a few tiny oil spots on the product box but I found a bit of product in the grooves of the jar so I attribute it to that. They really should put a foil seal over these jars before capping. It would certainly stop the leaking AND the speculation, that I am reading EVERYWHERE, that not all jars are new/full. From my cursory visual inspection of the bag though I have to say I am thrilled I purchased it. Hopefully nothing is broken or dried out once I actually open everything.
Thank goodness, my bag came today (of course it would, I was gone all day moving my son back into his college dorm) and it was not only unexpected but earlier than what Hautelook was posting as the expected delivery date. My 1st QVC Beauty tube was also delivered by UPS today. As it turned out, today ended i[ beomg a veru jpte day and I’m thankful to say that both packages of makeup were perfectly fine with no signs of melting. The mirror in my blush with Hautelook was broken but I’ll take that any day when everything else was wonderful! My Suki (what a strange little product) was almost full except for the bit of sinkage in the middle of the whole product. My jar was sealed with a round white topper. I rubbed a tiny bit on my arm, hmmm interesting, it seemed dry to me also but I think that I just need to get to know the product better. Like I said, I tested that spot on the back of my hand, the smell is very different and it’s so messy.
I had all the same problems as everyone else on here. In my account it still says it hasn’t shipped, but I received it today.
The Lorac shadow was broken and the Suki was unsealed and looks like it got shook up pretty bad. I got a sample of it in my Birchbox, so I know it is supposed to be dry and comes alive when you add some water when using, but it looks like someone took a spoon and stirred it up. Kinda disappointed in the shape this box though and am contemplating contacting Hautelook. Good to know there is hope in perhaps getting some credit back on it.
@Stacy L.:
Just got a $20 credit on HauteLook after going through their online chat! Super painless and took like 5 mins. I definitely recommend everyone with injured bags give it a go.
Just found your blog after googling around to figure out if this Suki is supposed to be sealed or not. Nearly every package in my bag looks as though it’s previously been opened. The Lorac mascara even has a little sticker seal on one end that had been opened. Worried about using it, do you think this could happen in shipping??
The Suki did not have a seal on it. There’s a white top piece but it wasn’t sealed to the top, it just was stuck in the top of the lid when I unscrewed it.
My lorac eyeshadow was smashed and open in the bag (is any of this stuff sealed???), of course, and the Nyx lipstick tube seems to be broken, I can’t get the product to advance up the tube, the twisty thing is broken or something.
I’m missing the Crown brush entirely, and I’m also missing some coupons that I thought were supposed to be in this bag – Previous reviews show there were coupons from Lorac, Nyx and Laura Geller. Maybe those were removed because of expiration dates? I really wanted those darn coupons!
Pretty disappointed. Going to talk to them and see what they say.
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