I finally gave in and subscribed to Play! by Sephora. I love the store, I love skincare and Play! seems pretty heavy on skincare, the products are easily obtained i.e. they are all available within Sephora, and the products range from moderate to high-end. I must admit it feels pretty nice getting high end items in volumes large enough for multiple uses to determine whether or not it's worth purchasing a full size of. I've waffled back and forth on whether or not I wanted to subscribe to Sephora's box. My primary deterrent was seeing the curation off the boxes. Like many other subscription boxes, Sephora allows you to create a profile based off of your coloring, skin type and preferences. There doesn't seem to be any complex algorithm beyond this point. Each month features four or five curated boxes that individuals will received based off of their profile settings, leading to less customization than other subscription services. Doesn't change the fact that the items are still usually high end and decently sized though. From reviews I've read elsewhere, each box will receive 5 products
ranging from makeup, skincare and hair care and a bonus perfume sample.
I'm on board with this. My first box included two makeup items, two skincare items, one hair care item and a perfume sample.
The box also had a folded info sheet detailing each item I received
and how to use it and a Play Pass that can be taken into any Sephora for
a free consultation on how to achieve a certain look and an additional
50 Sephora points towards your account when you present your card when
making a purchase.
Items featured this month included:
I can't say I was a fan of the
Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara. The wand is ridiculously large and the formula is pretty piss poor. I have oily lids and even with a primer the mascara is just a mess. Upon immediate application the ovesized brush had punched me in upper waterline and lid, and possibly even the cornea. I have oily lids so even with a primer the mascara has traveled far beyond its allotted boundaries and flaked under my eyes. Too many times now I've found dark smudges on the lenses of my glasses so I guess it's lengthening at least? At least it closes very securely. Think of a two stop micropipetter. Thumbs down, sorry guy.
 |
| Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara applied to left eye, naked right eye. |
 |
| I wasn't wearing eyeliner. Failed Bobbi Brown application. |
 |
| I still wasn't wearing eyeliner. |
 |
| After applying two coats of the Bobbi Brown mascara. How. The. Actual. Fuck. |
I love face masks so I want to love the
Fresh Rose Face Mask but I can't. It's nice and hydrating but holy hell this reeks to high heaven. It smells like a rose assault to the olfactory system. After a couple of minutes on the face the smell mutates into potpourri mixed with overstepped Tazo Passion Tea (yeah, I'm that basic). And it's hydrating and could be relaxing, save for the smell, but I
enjoy need an exfoliating mask.
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Lipstick in Set Sail was a pleasant addition to this month's box. It's supposed to be a deeper brownish nude on lighter skin tones but on me it was a very nice nude/pink shade that was neither too deep nor too pink. It has a very creamy, moisturizing formula and great pigment. I'll be honest, I haven't found a Tarte lipstick formula yet that I don't care for aside from the
Quick Dry Matte liquid lipsticks. Even then, I don't hate the formula, it's just a bit much to deal with removing and lip conditioning.
 |
| Mind the glare/flashback throughout the post. Tired/lazy? |
I received
Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray in a previous Ipsy bag (
reviewed here) and holy shit did this thing work wonders on the kids. I'm seriously tempted to buy a bottle but I keep talking myself out of it knowing how quickly I blew through 0.75oz last time. I will definitely take this opportunity to see if it is indeed worth purchasing 5oz for $20.
 |
| Just tilt your head a bit |
 |
| Tarte Rainforest of the Sea in Set Sail swatch |
I'm torn over the
Caudalie Vine[Activ] Glow Activating Anti-Wrinkle Serum. I do not believe in the wrinkle-healing power of many serums but I do love a good serum just for hydration purposes, especially considering how much I hate the feeling of thick creams on my face. Out of context that sounds godawful, sorry. The product does not warrant the hefty price tag but at a more affordable price and less lofty anti-wrinkle claims this would be a very nice serum. No hatred or anything, I just feel like it doesn't live up to its claims. That's not going to stop me from enjoying it for it's most basic purpose: hydration.
I love that Play! by Sephora treats fragrances as a bonus sixth item in every box instead of counting it towards the main value of the box. I usually can't help but feel a little let down when other boxes only send 5 items and one of those items is a fragrance. If I don't like the scent or brand then I essentially lost out on a potentially useful and overall more valuable sample,
non? Clean Reserve Sueded Oud has a musky scent that would be nice if it weren't so damn strong. I put it on and it mixes with my body chemistry to make me smell like a 1963 whore who just slept with a stranger in a fedora drinking whiskey with a highball scotch chaser who woke up with smeared lipstick in a foreign hotel room with a kind parting note, a rip in her pantyhose and a $15 for cab fair and a new pair of Topaz for her walk of shame to a taxi. Sorry, I just finished watching Mad Men last night. It's a sexy smell after several hours but the first application is pretty eye-watering.
 |
| MRW first applying Clean Reserve-Image from YouTube |
Not bad for a first box, Sephora. Not bad. I enjoyed the mix of mid range to high end products but rue the fact that they aren't tailored to me and probably never will be fully tailored to me due to the pre-assigned box combinations. $54.93 is pretty effing amazing for a $10 box + tax. I love the lipstick and the serum despite my skepticism regarding its claims. I will also enjoy the pampering myself with the cloyingly scented mask-it should go well with the gagging strength of the perfume. In fact, I might find my tartiest red, incidentally a Tarte liquid lipstick, slap on some perfume and a dress and force my husband to dress in something nice and go out. Probably just a local diner but hell, I never said I was a classy broad.
 |
| Wearing Tarte in Set Sail and Bobbi Brown mascara |
No comments:
Post a Comment