Illamasqua Mystery Box | Review

Something a little different today.

When shopping at Illamasqua in Debehnams I came across the 'mystery boxes.' I was always a sucker for a lucky dip, and at £38, this was another way to do it. Albeit a little more expensive than the 50p I would pay as a child.

There were two to choose one and I cannot for the life of me remember what they were called, all mine says is 'Alter Ego Mystery Selection'. I picked that up and handed over £38. The contents are worth £91.

There are two products which you are guaranteed to have in your box:
1 X Nail Varnish in Collide and 1 X liquid Metal in Electrum

I love both of these products. The nail varnish is the perfect hot pink for summer and the Liquid Metal is really easy to work with and looks great on.

However, the other four are completely random. My theory is that they threw things in the boxes that they weren't selling, and you'll see why.

What did I get?

Blusher in 'Create'

Blusher in 'Create':  A pretty hideous brown/orange colour. I was told I could use this for contour.. but believe me, you cannot. However, I have been experimenting with using this as a blush and have been googling 'orange blush pale skin' quite a lot for inspiration. I quite like it. I'm usually drawn exclusively to pink blushes, so it's good to mix it up. In terms of texture and pigmentation, this product is beautiful. It feels like I'm touching silk when I swatch it and it's heavily pigmented. You only need a tiny amount on your brush.

Eye Shadow in 'Lestat': A matte black eyeshadow. It isn't the most pigmented eyeshadow ever, which is honestly good in some ways when it comes to black. Nice texture etc. It gets extra points for having a cool name!

Lipgloss in: Name not on the product :/. I mean, really? On my skin tone? I'm not a fan. I did test it out and it was incredibly sticky. But I am not a lipgloss girl, and even if it had been the most beautiful colour on the planet, I wouldn't have worn it. So I'm glad the lipgloss was the worst of the bunch!

Lipstick in 'Blaze': LOVE this. Love the colour, love the name. I had been considering buying it before but never did. It's a gorgeous orange colour which is definitely a great alternative to a classic red lip.

So.. an orange blush, a matte black eyeshadow, a brown lipgloss and an orange lipstick. Apart from possibly the lipstick, I can't see that many of these products would sell well. Illamasqua have plenty of other pretty blushes, so people aren't going to be drawn to 'Create.' Most people have a matte black eyeshadow, and when they go to Illamasqua they're probably looking for something a bit more exciting. The brown lip gloss.. I just don't think it's a big seller. So I'm guessing they took all of these products and put them into mystery boxes. (other than my initial hunch, I have other reasons to believe that these would not sell well. After searching for reviews on the products, they are pretty much nonexistent)

Honestly though, I do quite like the products. The nail varnish is gorgeous, the Liquid Metal will make a great base, the lipstick is 'right up my street' and the only other matte black eyeshadow I have is in the Naked 2, so it's good to have an individual one. As for the blusher, I'm learning to make it work. The lipgloss is never going to be my thing.

Would I recommend it? If you want the thrill of a lucky dip, have £38 to spare and won't be easily disappointed, maybe.

Available exclusively in Debenhams stores.