LookFantastic April 2015 beauty box review, unboxing

April's LookFantastic Beauty Box costs £15 and claims to be worth £45.

Are you, like me, a beauty box purist? Someone who believes beauty boxes should contain only beauty - makeup and skin/hair care products - and not tea, chocolate, balloons or diet supplements? If you are, come, rant with me.
I don't get it. Why would you send out vitamins, supplements, mouthwashes and other things in a beauty box? Perhaps they do come under the broad definition of beauty, but I'm a purist who only wants to find makeup, skincare and hair care in beauty boxes. What next, yoga mats, resistance bands and dumbbells? DVDs and vinyls? Toothpaste and tampons?
Which has been my problem with a couple of the recent LookFantastic beauty boxes. They have been marvellous, sending out generous quantities of high-end brands, but the moment I went on an annual subscription, I began receiving dietary supplements. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me show you what I received this month. Warning: I whinge quite a bit, and not just about the pills.

Check out the contents of my April 2015 LookFantastic Beauty Box below.

I received:

1. Forza Diet Multivitamin for Dieters x 30 pills
2. Korres Milk Soap for Stressed Skin
3. Bed Head Manipulator
4. Balance Me Revitalising Hand and Body Wash
5. CB12 Oral Care Agent (mouthwash)
6. Inika Certified Organic Eye Liner pencil in Black Caviar (@#$%^&*?!)

Forza Diet Multivitamin for Dieters x 30 pills

I already take multi-vitamins and my Mum kindly reminds me to do so every time she speaks to me (she is an absolute chum and laidback about everything else, but is slightly passionate about pills). I don't think I need to see them in beauty boxes, not when I get monthly deliveries of strips anyway (and regular reminders to take the darn things) from my mother. Besides, why presume everyone is on a diet? This is not the first time LookFantastic has done this. Why not send a body lotion instead?

Take a gander at the photograph below. Is this a beauty box or a medicine cabinet?

Korres Milk Soap for Stressed Skin

I love Korres and this all-natural soap smells absolutely divine! Stress-bustingly good, in fact. I have been taking whiffs of it every now and then - they should bottle this as a fragrance. I have a bit of bacne now and could do with something for stressed skin. This contains hydrolysed milk proteins and is suitable for the face and the body. The expiry date is in 2019, which gives me time to keep it to sniff. Good choice.

Bed Head Manipulator

Hair wax, simply put. Not something I can use, but my Brylcreem-loving Dad could probably use this. He certainly will not want spikes or "wacked-out hair", as the label promises, but he slicks his hair down as severely as Draco *drool* Malfoy every day, so I presume he can use this in place of the usual. It smells nice. I hope he isn't turned off by the phrase, "A Funky Gunk That Rocks", on the inner lid.

Balance Me Revitalising Hand and Body Wash

There is a generous 100ml of this 99% natural, refreshing and hydrating body wash. It does not contain sulphates, parabens or mineral oil. The smell is fresh and citrusy, which makes it a good choice for the Summer. I might take this along with me in June - or my favourite Molton Brown. The choice of beauty products to take along for a couple of months needs a lot of thinking.

CB12 Oral Care Agent (A mouthwash)

Not to come across as someone lacking in oral hygiene (I floss, brush and use Listerine or Chlorhex diligently), but WHY would you send mouthwash in a beauty box? Why not add a tube of Colgate and an Oral-B brush to the mix, toss in a box of Crest strips, and call it an Oral Care box? Sorry, but the last time I checked, this was a beauty box subscription. Send me a foot cream or a bronzer, please!

Inika Certified Organic Eye Liner pencil in Black Caviar

Another @#?$%^&*!> black pencil eyeliner. Really?
Enough already! I already have enough to go around the equator at least once. Isn't it plain lazy of beauty boxes to include these unexciting products? Whatever happened to well-curated? To the thoughtful selection of a lipstick, a primer, a single eyeshadow, a blush, a face serum, a mini-perfume, a makeup brush.... When was that replaced by sending out random black eyeliners to the populace?
At least send me teal, blue, green, brown, grey or anything but black! I - and every woman in my circle - have already got a lifetime supply of black pencil eyeliners from my beauty boxes. And, admit it, these aren't very exciting makeup products. Seeing them isn't going to make me go, "Ooooh, I got another black eyeliner pencil" *jumps up and down in delight*. Contrary, they turn me into a serial whinger.
I don't care if it is "certified organic" or made from the finest diamonds in Botswana. A black eyeliner pencil is a black eyeliner pencil is a black eyeliner pencil.
Rant over. For now.

Verdict and where to subscribe

So this is not, if you only skimmed the post, my favourite LookFantastic beauty box. I like the body wash and the Korres soap and will give away the hair wax, but the presence of the gazillionth black eyeliner pencil, 30 multivitamin tablets and a mouthwash dampened my enthusiasm. For me, this box doesn't feel like it is worth the £45 LookFantastic claims it does, as a result of those products. Thankfully, this box is only £9 for me as a result of being on an annual subscription.
LookFantastic has sent out full-sized Molton Brown and a dazzling array of brands, from Macadamia Natural Oil and Jurlique to Gatineau and Keratase, in previous beauty boxes. I hope they continue to send out such exciting products and shove the black eyeliner pencils, pills and mouthwash... where the sun doesn't shine.
For those who want to jump on board, LookFantastic is a UK-based monthly beauty box that ships worldwide. You can, if you love this box, get the April edition here. If not, the May box is on sale here.

Do you like receiving non-beauty products in a beauty box? Do share your thoughts!

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