Review: Nordstrom Beauty Bag

Recently, Hautelook released one of their Nordstrom beauty bags, which is a limited edition cosmetics bag filled (mostly) with deluxe samples.  This particular bag had a lot of hype surrounding it and ended up selling out within ten minutes of its release.  I saw on Hautelook’s Facebook page that they had 4,000 bags, so that is pretty insane! I used my Hautelook app to order and had no issues, but I know there were a lot of problems with their website crashing. 

I was super psyched when I got this bag exactly a week after placing my order.  I never got a shipping notice, so it was a surprise when it landed on my doorstep.  On first look, I was extremely happy with the size of the products included.  I had a good idea of what was coming in the bag but I checked out so quickly and wasn’t able to go back and see the actual beauty bag listing, so I couldn’t be 100% sure of what I was getting.

The bag included two fragrances: Rosabotanica by Balenciaga and Essence Aromatique by Botega Veneta.  I am very picky about what fragrances I wear.  I very rarely buy commercial fragrances, so I was not especially excited for these.  I love the packaging of the Balenciaga fragrance though.  It came in a cute matching box.  Out of the two, I will probably be more likely to wear that one too.  It has more of a light floral scent, whereas the Botega Veneta smells very “perfumey” to me.  I know, great review, right? To be fair, I smelled it only in the bottle and not on my skin. 

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief and Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Lifting and Firming Cream.

Maybe it’s just me, but both of these brands seems more “mature” to me, especially the Lancome.  I actually used to buy a lot of Clinique products when I was in high school over ten years ago, but I haven’t used any of their products in years.  I went ahead and used the moisutrizer this morning and was pleasantly surprised.  It went on more like a gel and had an instant cooling effect, which is a nice plus for this time of year.  It wasn’t greasy at all and made my skin supple and soft.  It definitely is light enough for daytime use, at least for me.  It’s probably not a product I will purchase, but maybe that will change as I use up the sample. 

As for the Lancome, I honestly don’t see myself using this.  I already have a serum that I am happy with that I use before bed, so it would have to be an amazing nighttime moisturizer for me to switch that up.  I will probably give it to a family memeber or save it for travel use.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple facial cleanser, Mario Badescu Kiwi Face Scrub and fresh Rose Face Mask. 

I know the Purity cleanser is a popular product that has been around for awhile.  It is a one step makeup remover and cleanser with sage, chamomile and carrot.  It goes on like a lighter oil based/cream cleanser.  I don’t see what the fuss is about.  It didn’t do anything amazing.  I will continue to use the sample–it’s a great size for traveling–but I wouldn’t purchase the full size product.

I tried the other two the very night I got my bag.  The Mario Badescu scrub was appealing to me because it was a pretty lime green color with little kiwi seeds.  It had a thicker texture but I realized really quickly that I wasn’t going to get the type of exfoliation I was expecting. The kiwi seeds were way to minimal to provide much exfoliation, so it felt almost like a cream cleanser.  Overall, I wasn’t impressed, which was surprising given that I have used and loved many Mario Badescu products.

As for the fresh mask, it was gel like in consistancy and smelled of real roses.  It contains rose petals and rose petals, so it is a very luxurious product, with a price tag of $58 for 3.4 ounces! I love anything with rose in it, and I love face masks, so this was a real win for me! I won’t be buying the full size product due to price, but I am more than happy to use up the sample!

The bag included three lip products, by Lorac, Jouer and Stila.  The Lorac is the only one I haven;t tried yet, s I can’t attest to its consistancy.  It has a goldish tint to it, which I like.  I can never have enough lip products, so this will get used!

The Jouer was the smallest of the three and my favorite as far as color goes.  The consistancy was also a win for me.  It goes on smooth and is not sticky in the slightest.  I will definitely be on the lookout for more Jouer lipgloss in the future.

The Stila Lip Glaze is a full size product! I had these in a ton of colors in high school.  The twist up applicator brush was such a novelty.  I can tell their formula hasn’t changed at all since I stopped using these.  It is super sticky and tacky, which makes it wear for a long amount of time but isn’t my favorite. 

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Hair Treatment and Whish Body Butter in pomegranate.

The Living Proof hair treatment really appealed to me.  It is a styling treatment that is supposed to provide volume, smoothness, conditioning, strength and polish.  You apply it to damp hair and the tube instructs that you will have better results if you blow dry after application.  The jury is still out on this one.  I did not follow instructions, because I rarely every heat style my hair.  I have super tangly hair when it’s wet, so all I was aiming for was the conditioning part.  Unfortunately, it didn’t feel like my hair was any more conditioned after I used it.  Once my hair air dried, I still didn’t see any noticeable difference.  It smelled nice, like salon conditioner.  I had really high hoped for this, so I am going to keep trying it and see if I have better results next time!

The whish body butter is a great size to toss in your purse, but the scent is a little too sickly sweet to me.  I wouldn’t purchase it.

Molton Brown shower gel in Pink Peppercorn and Ciate nail polish in apple and custard. 

My ex used to use Molton Brown shower gel.  It was pepper scented and I loooooved it.  I used it occasionally.  In fact, I think I was the one who initially bought it for him.  So I was excited for this gel because it smells similar.  You definitely get the pepper scent with some floral mixed in.  I don’t like it this time around though.  It is just too strong.  It lasted on my skin once I got out of the shower, which usually is a good thing but geez, I just wanted to tone it down a bit.  O don’t know if my nose changed or if this is just a little stronger.

There were a few color variations on the Ciate nail polish and I was thrilled with the one I got.  It is a lovely mint green.  I plan to use it ASAP.  I have never owned any Ciate polish, so I am excited to try it.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer and Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara.

LOVE the Smashbox primer.  I don’t typically use primer but I definitely want to, so I was happy to try this.  It went on smoothly and gave my skin a soft, velvety feel.  I plan to buy the full size.

I wasn’t a fan of the Estee Lauder mascara.  It didn’t do anything special and the wand had short spikes on it to apply the mascara that kept stabbing me when I was trying to apply it.  I will give this another shot but the applicator annoyed me so much that I might just toss it.

Overall, I was thrilled with my Nordstrom beauty bag.  I didn’t calculate the exact value, but it is obviously well worth the $29.95 price tag.  I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future bags released by Hautelook.

Did you receive the bag? What was your favorite product included?

-s