As Black Friday 2025 sweeps across the retail landscape, the beauty sector is awash with bundled offers designed to lure in festive shoppers. While some promotions, like the famed Boots beauty showstopper, deliver genuine value, others can disappoint with miniature samples and less-desirable brands. It was with this cautious mindset that our beauty writer, Lucy Smith, approached Lookfantastic's newly launched Beauty Vault. The initial suspicion? That it might follow the well-trodden path of underwhelming gift sets. The reality, however, proved to be a far more pleasant surprise.
Dated Monday 01 December 2025, Lucy Smith's in-depth review reveals that Lookfantastic has assembled a curated collection of 15 full-size products from some of the year's most sought-after brands. With a stated combined value of £705 and a Black Friday discount bringing the price down, the vault presents itself as a significant saving. But does the content justify the hype and the cost? Our expert put every formula through its paces to find out.
Inside the Vault: Packaging and First Impressions
The Beauty Vault arrives in the same festive, red board packaging as Lookfantastic's sold-out advent calendar, complete with white ribbon drawer pulls for a candy-cane aesthetic. The presentation is premium, though the internal protection raised a minor concern. While products are nestled in shredded tissue, the lack of bubble wrap led to a slightly battered pot of Bleach London hair mask upon unboxing—a point to note for those considering it as a gift.
The Product Line-Up: Hits, Misses, and Universal Appeal
The selection inside is where the vault truly shines. Six of the 15 items were already on our expert's beauty wishlist, featuring heavyweight names like Medik8, Color Wow, Sol de Janeiro, MZ Skin, Zelens, and Fenty Beauty. This core group represents a powerful mix of skincare, haircare, bodycare, and makeup from brands renowned for their efficacy.
Lookfantastic has shown thoughtful curation in targeting common concerns. Multiple formulas from Medik8, Zelens, Rodial, and MZ Skin focus on brightening dull skin with ingredients like vitamin C and peptides, offering a gentler alternative to potent actives like retinol. This gives the serums, moisturisers, and eye creams a broad, universal appeal.
The makeup choices are deliberately safe and wearable: a sheer Fenty Beauty gloss, neutral Morphe eyeshadows, and a universal setting spray. The inclusion of a Stylpro mini microcurrent device is a particularly savvy move, tapping into the high-demand trend for at-home facial sculpting tools. Our tester found it effective at reducing morning puffiness after just five minutes of use.
However, the vault isn't without its caveats. The review notes that brands like Rodial and Bleach London may not carry the same cachet in 2025 as they did nearly a decade ago. More importantly, the Grandelash-MD enhancer serum contains prostaglandins, which can cause redness and irritation for some users. Sensitive individuals should approach this product with caution or consider regifting it.
Verdict: Is the Lookfantastic Beauty Vault Worth the Money?
After rigorous testing—applying skincare to a clean face, trialling makeup over eight-hour days, and indulging in comprehensive shower routines—the conclusion is largely positive. For anyone looking to explore a wide range of trending, full-size products from iconic brands, this vault represents a formidable opportunity.
You are undoubtedly saving a significant amount against the individual product prices. The absence of sample sizes and duplicate items adds to the value. While one product may not suit all skin types, the overall package—which also includes luxurious body oil from Aromatherapy Associates—offers substantial worth. If your beauty goals align with brightening, hydrating, and experimenting with trending tools, the Lookfantastic Beauty Vault is a Black Friday deal that delivers on its promise of a treasure trove.
