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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!!!
