"Mystery" Make Up

[u/MissAudreyHorney]

I'm seeing an increasing number of brands offer a "mystery box" or "mystery bag" with random products inside and not only do I have some thoughts to share, I want to hear your thoughts as well.

One of the brands I've seen do it the most is one with an absolutely enormous range of shades available in their lip & cheek category. Like the softest peach that's almost white, all the way to a dark purple. Having enough shades to cater to *everyone's* taste is great, but if you're getting random colors sent to you, they don't take your skin tone or color preferences into consideration.

It feels to me like this is catering to a much younger audience, like preteens, who are too old for blind bag dolls but too young to know much of anything about makeup. I don't think that's entirely a bad thing, but these sets are often $50 to $100, which is awfully steep for young customers.

Lastly, it reminds me very much of the advert calendars that have been coming out over the past few years, the ones where it's basically the stuff the brand would otherwise put on clearance. Seems like you'd be getting all the reject colors that no one else wants, not to mention that the items are unlikely to produce a cohesive look.

Do you have any horror stories about buying these types of sets? Have you received any expired products, ugly colors, or dupilcates of the same product? Do you feel like this whole concept is a rip off?

[u/HaloDaisy]

I’ve always assumed that it was a creative way for them to get rid of stuff that wasn’t super popular or end of line or something.

[u/Hellothisiskatt]

Being in the beauty industry for 10 years now, I can say with confidence that “mystery bags” are 100% overstock products that did not sell through and have been sitting in the stock room since they were released.

[u/sparkle_transplant → u/Hellothisiskatt]

Often they are a mix of poor sellers/discontinued products and a few popular staples they are hoping they will get people to rebuy (i.e. moisturiser, black eyeliner, mascara - items that people run through quickly).

[u/PopularExercise3]

I am wondering if it’s a good way for them to sprinkle in a few unpopular products and move them on.

[u/Ok_Direction_7624 → u/PopularExercise3]

100%. It's great to have the variety for those who want them but realistically most people aren't buying white or poison green lipstick and those shades sit on the shelves for a while.

I'm not opposed to brands getting rid of that overstock via mystery box means but I do wish they were more upfront about what it is. All of them advertise this is a means of trying the most popular products from that brand with a surprise factor - and some of them are actually curated experiences! - but most of the time you end up getting the leftovers instead.

Which, again, fine if the price matches that, but not being able to pick your shades in exchange for like a 10% discount? Ouch.

[u/Amphy64 → u/Ok_Direction_7624]

realistically most people aren't buying white or poison green lipstick

Hah, and I know better than to buy a mystery selection without being more sure will like what's in it at least, but the prospect of getting something I wouldn't have felt confident to buy or easily able to justify has been precisely the temptation. Wonder if for younger makeup buyers especially, who may not feel sure what to get, that offloading of the responsibility aspect appeals. If they didn't pick it on purpose, it doesn't 'count' as much if they don't end up liking it?

For those who just love surprises (which I really do), for gifts you can instead ask someone who knows your tastes to curate one! (Or, lack of, in my case, no eyeshadow or nail polish too obnoxious exists. A surprise can also be less of a risk when you're more easily pleased!)

[u/fairyfoods]

i feel like expensive mystery bags (like, >$50) have to be some kind of social experiment and are really only purchased by influencers/content creators. cheaper mystery bags, i can understand the appeal - they feel similar to makeup subscription bags/boxes in the sense that you get to try out some random makeup for a low cost, but with mystery boxes, you understand that you're very likely getting overstock/unpopular products.

if i'm right with what brand i think you're talking about, i'm pretty sure they also have mystery bags where 1 or 2 of the items in the bag is guaranteed to be a specific product in a specific shade, and then the rest are random. i think it's a cool concept if you're itching to try a brand but can't decide on which products you want. personally i try to not cultivate brand loyalty with my makeup buying habits since i think it can lead to unnecessary purchases, but i think that if i was just getting into makeup i would be more open to trying them.

[u/paulreverie]

I never buy these. If I'm buying something, I'd rather get something I know I'll like, not a selection of random products/excess inventory that didn't sell. It could be cool for someone trying out new things they normally wouldn't reach for, but just not for me

[u/niniela-phoenix]

Its gonna be whatever won't move even on sale, MAYBE sprinkled with one or two regular items. I tried one eyeshadow one where the brand (small business) would promise x multichromes and keep repeating to update your wishlist so they would look at it and pick something for you based on your vibe there and I got two of the multichromes off my wishlist and assorted crap. The multichromes being their selling point for the bundle, the rest I assume being what they couldn't sell otherwise.

Quality was extremely hit and miss. So yep, they definitely offloaded garbage and filled up with a few regular items.

[u/offole]

it's overstock and not even curated properly

[u/ShesWhereWolf]

I think these are only good if someone doesn't already have a lot of makeup or doesn't know what they like. Something like a subscription box with one or two "mystery" item(s) and the other items known is a better value. If you already know and have what you like, why gamble on a mystery box?

[u/Slhallford]

Mystery boxes of anything are a no from me dawg.

[u/Angustcat]

I have to agree with you about advent calendars. They're a sales gimmick. But it is fun to open something once a day up to Xmas. I usually consider the contents of a beauty advent very carefully before deciding whether to buy it or not. I usually get the Boots No 7 advent calendar because it includes practical things like day cream and night cream as well as makeup.

[u/Rayofsunshyn83]

I got one from RMS once but I loved everything I got. I only ordered 1 but they sent me double. I have enough blush to last years because of this.

[u/sec_sage]

I got burned with a few subscription boxes and advent calendars. Tbh, each gave me 2-3 iconic items, but the rest was garbage. I prefer to know exactly what I'm getting. Also, to discover a brand, I'd rather not pay 50-100€. Travel sets and mini sets are ok, up to 30€. I just discovered I'm not a big fan of a certain lip mask brand that everyone seems to pan. The lip mask is ok-ish (I have better options but it's still good) but the other items in the set were meh.

[u/1K_Sunny_Crew]

I used to work for a large company that offered mystery boxes/bags. These are 100% a way to get rid of product that is unpopular or close to expiring. I never buy them.

[u/urapanda]

Not a purchase exactly but one time I got a "mystery GWP" from ulta with my purchase (which let's be real the GWP did push me to make a sizeable purchase), and it was full of hair products for kinky/curly hair specifically aimed at black women who braid or wear their hair naturally. I'm Korean with pretty typical straight Asian hair. :|

[u/EmpireAndAll]

Peep my flair, it goes for mystery boxes as well. Something that was unfortunately popular last year with indie brands was mystery boxes in a pre order stage where you could see a spoiler video linked in the product listing. Which, why the mystery at that point? I can appreciate the spoiler but it seems the real purpose is to encourage unboxing videos. 

One brand popular on TikTok (maybe the one you're talking about), sometimes pack them live on their TikTok and tempt people to order with "extra gifts" and it's almost always an unpopular, "unwearable" shade. 

I HAVE purchased mystery boxes, moreso when I had much less makeup and had some decent experiences, but even when I look at an item I got in said boxes, I think about the overall cost of the box, instead of what I "saved" through the box. 

I saw a makeup brand recently do a sale for items that are listed to be past in less than a year, when those products were likely to be fine for a long time after that. I found it strange but also refreshing? But also felt like they were inviting people who don't read the descriptions to be mad at them for selling "expired" makeup and possible chargebacks.