July 2018 Sephora Play Review

Sephora is a $10 monthly subscription box that provides members with sample sized items that can commonly be found within your local Sephora stores. I recall until my last Sephora post hoping beyond hope that my shitty (for me) June box was due to late billing. I believe I was wrong because July was just more of the same. Firstly, the box seemed to be a bit of a Tarte takeover, for better or worse. I received:

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Paaarty - $7.77 Cruelty Free

Tarte Color Splash Lipstick in Salt Lyfe - $5.83 Cruelty Free

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter - $4.00 Cruelty Free

Tarte Deep Dive Cleansing Gel - $1.25 Cruelty Free

Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence - $1.40

Rahua Color Full Hair Mask - $3.11

The Tarte Amazonian Clay blush is a nice enough item: decent sized, convenient, good value, good quality. Unfortunately it blends in so well with my skin tone that it does not show up in the slightest.

I received the Tarte Color Splash lipstick in the shade Salt Lyfe. Nice color if I had a lighter skin tone. It is almost the exact same color as the Too Faced Melted Matte lipstick I’ve received in the past from Sephora. It also looks painfully similar to the shade Set Sail that I destashed sometime earlier this year. The lipstick is highly pigmented and very creamy but it didn’t have the best staying power.

 

I am loving the Josie Marian Whipped Arian Oil. It has more of a cream texture, which is not what I was expecting given the name of the product. I love how well it moisturizes and absorbs but it might be just a tad too heavy for the summer months. I think it will be perfect when autumn rolls around though.

July wasn’t my first experience with the Tarte Deep Dive cleansing gel (reviewed here). It’s a gel that cleans. That’s pretty much it, nothing special about it, other than how incredibly tiny the sample is.

I like Caudalie products and the Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence was no exception. It smells a little bit like mushrooms and feet and from what I gather it is supposed to be applied after toner but before serum. I found it hydrating and non-irritating but I haven’t seen any brightening or visible difference so far. Not something I see myself buying in the future.

 

Last but not least is the Rahua Color Full Hair Mask. I do not have dyed hair so I was not able to try this product out yet, unfortunately. I cannot imagine it being any different from any other conditioner though. I rarely color my hair but I’ve been bored lately and since locs are so hard to start and transition to or from, dying my hair is the most reasonable change I can make to my hair.

While not a bad box, I just don’t feel like they’re ever tailored to fit my needs. Of all the boxes I receive, Sephora is often at the bottom of the list regarding items I receive and not because the items are awful quality. Quite the opposite, really. My dissatisfaction stems from the fact that I feel like shades are never taken into consideration when my box number is randomly drawn from the hat.