With four useful cosmetics valued at 6,600 yen, you can’t go wrong with this bag!

When it comes to lucky bags, timing is key. Many of them require preorders ahead of time–if not a lottery application–and for those that don’t, you have to get there early enough on the release date to secure one or you’ll miss out. But for some reason, for drug-store brand makeup lucky bags, which run in the 1,000-2,000 yen range (US$7.44 to $14.88), it’s kind of hard to get it right. You could think you’ve got plenty of time to buy them on the release date, but show up too late when they’ll all be gone.

That’s why our Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa adds a stop by her local drugstore to her daily routine when December comes around. Sadly, this year a lot of makeup brands decided not to offer lucky bags, but there is one brand that has made theirs super easy to get. Revlon’s lucky bags were available starting at the end of November and have stayed in stock ever since, so Ikuna was satisfied with hers even before opening it.

The bags are priced at 1,980 yen and contain 4 items worth about 6,600 yen. Since last year’s bag cost 2,200 yen and contained items worth 8,470 yen, Ikuna couldn’t help feeling like they’ve scaled it down a bit this year.

Every 2023 Revlon lucky bag contains a ColorStay Looks Book eyeshadow palette, which was the only guaranteed item. In addition to that, the bag includes a random item from each of three categories: A, which included five kinds of blush, concealer, and foundation; C, which included four kinds of eyeshadow palettes, a brow liner, and an eyeshadow stick; and D, which would be either a lip gloss or a lip oil.

It was a familiar system for Ikuna, who buys the Revlon lucky bag every year. Here’s what she got:

・Photoready Candid Water Essence Compact Foundation (foundation)
・ColorStay Looks Book Palette (eyeshadow)
・ColorStay Glaze Stick (eyeshadow)
・Super Lustrous The Gloss (lip gloss)

Last year’s lucky bag contained five items, but one was a face powder and another a primer, which are items that could be hit or miss, depending on if you actually use them or not. This means that there was a risk that you wouldn’t get much value out of the bag.

▼ Last year’s lucky bag

This year’s bag, however, seemed to err on the side of caution with items that were likely to please more people. Ikuna was really happy with hers!

The inclusion of the ColorStay Looks Book Palette alone made it well worth it. The ColorStay Looks Book Palette she received in Revlon’s 2021 lucky bag has been a favorite over the last two years, so Ikuna was really happy to continue to use the same brand, especially since her preferred colors on the old palette were starting to run low.

The PhotoReady Candid Water Essence Compact Foundation boasted to be a foundation with a glossy luster to it.

When Ikuna tried it, she was really surprised by how dewy it made her skin look. It would be probably great to use around this time of year when a lot of people are suffering from dry skin. Plus, it had warmer shades that weren’t too white, so it could be great for use as a highlighter too.

The selling point of the ColorStay Glaze Stick is its metallic color.

Since both the eyeshadow pallete and the eyeshadow stick have reddish hues to them, it was easy to use them together in the same look.

Lastly, Ikuna applied the gloss…

And ta-da! Her look was finished.

Ikuna only applied the new makeup to the left half of her face and left the right side in the same makeup she’d come in with, but the end product wasn’t that different from her everyday makeup. In other words, Revlon had absolutely hit the nail on the head with their lucky bag, at least for Ikuna’s tastes. This adds to Ikuna’s success so far with this year’s lucky bags, even including Thanko’s unpredictable lucky crate. She can’t wait to see what she’ll get next!

As far as we could tell, there are still plenty of Revlon lucky bags in drug stores throughout the city of Shinjuku, so if you’re a makeup fan and looking for a nice, inexpensive lucky bag to buy, you’ll definitely want to check them out!

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