Play! by Sephora is a $10 subscription that ships out 5 beauty
items and one bonus item every month. Items are always either sample or deluxe
sized so if you are wanting to receive the occasional full sized item, Ipsy
would be a better subscription box choice. Sephora is wonderful because items
shipped are from the store’s inventory meaning everything sampled can be
purchased in store or online. Another great thing about this subscription is
they give out 50 bonus beauty points to be redeemed with purchase in store or
online. It doesn’t sound like much but 100 points can be turned into one small
rewards item, which is typically the size of one of the Play! by Sephora items
sampled each month. This box is worth it for me (so far) because I like to
treat it as a discovery box.
April’s box incluced:
I recall disliking micellar water as recently as a year ago.
I did not like how poorly they cleaned, I didn’t like how they left my face
still feeling coated in dirt and oil, I hated how many wipes and cotton rounds
I had to go through and how much micellar water I had to go through to clean my
face. I realize now that I was just an idiot. My primitive understanding of it
back then was that it was supposed to be used as my sole cleanser. Now that I’ve
grasped the concept of the double cleanse, I find that micellar water is indispensable.
I used to use toner for the same purpose that I now use micellar water,
allowing toner to do what it should do: tone and/or exfoliate. There is nothing
to love or hate about this cleanser. It’s like saying “I love air! *Are you digging
this air?” It removed my makeup, it didn’t irritate my skin, it effectively
removed both base and eye makeup, it didn’t burn my eyes, it’s not bi-phase so
it didn’t leave my face feeling oily, requiring an additional wash. I liked it.
It’s serviceable. Unfortunately, it took me so long to post this review that
the exact product I received has been discontinued so I linked to Sephora
Collection’s rebranded product instead.
I wish I loved this primer. It’s not that I dislike it at
all, I’m just not a fan of pore filling primers of this nature. My ideal
primers are mattifying, Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and Trust Fund Beauty
being my archetype for what I want in a primer. I even prefer hydrating primers
(see: moisturizers, essentially) to poor filling primers. Make Up For Ever
reminds me of the Benefit Pore-fessional or Dr. Brandt Pore Minimizing primer.
Neither of those were real hits for me because the color left me looking ashy
and I felt like they did not sit on my skin very well. I also dislike the idea
of pressing the product into my pores. My facial potholes are large enough
as is. If I clog them up with cosmetic asphalt, wouldn’t that just exacerbate
the issue down the line, or at the very least create more work for me to have
to extract it from my pores throughout the week? Long story short, I will use
this primer, It’s just not going to be anywhere near one of the first ones I
reach for.
Clinique
High Impact Mascara (Yeah, I totally forgot to take a picture of this one)
I know I’ve mentioned several times that I could drown in
the number of deluxe sized mascaras I have laying around so I have not given
this guy a full wear yet. My first impression is that it’s a lovely, volumizing
formula. It’s a standard bristled wand so par for the course, I slapped my eyelid
fold when trying to apply it. I prefer rubber bristles to this type of brush because
I find them easier to wield without transferring mascara to my upper lid during
application. This traditional brush is great for adding a little volume though.
I’m no sex kitten but there was a bit more volume than I usually see from my
favorite types of mascara and the length was definitely there too. One coat was
pretty heavy though so I can see how 2 cotes could lead to clump city. The
packaging itself is pretty nondescript. I already lost this mascara like 4
times in my mascara drawer. Am I the only one who misses Clinique’s green, old
lady packaging of yesteryear?
I don’t know why for the longest I thought this was an
overnight mask. Perhaps it’s because I’ve already received 2 overnight masks in
a row from Sephora earlier this year. I love that fruity, tropical smell but fragrance
can be a big issue for people who have sensitive skin and might be a non-starter
for many people. Personally, I love smelling like a fruit basket. As for
hydration, GlamGlow did not disappoint. I only used this a couple of times
though just because I have been working on other nighttime products and trying
to kill off some night oils that I’ve been grudgingly using. I will probably
get most of my use out of this product this coming autumn or winter.
The flavor is far from my favorite but I do enjoy the nice,
balmy texture and the very sheer pink tint that this product provides. It isn’t
too slippery and oily but it doesn’t feel like a thick lip paste and really it
gives my lips a very nice, lively color. The flavor is just unfortunate though;
it’s sweet, bordering on artificially bitter. An interesting thing about the
packaging, I expected the tube to be made of cardboard but it’s actually metal.
Even more, it’s a screw on lid so I was looking pretty stupid spending almost a
minute trying to pull the top off instead of twisting it.
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| I look like I got teeth pulled. Wearing the Fresh Sugar Lip Balm |
I’ve received this duo in the past and I really wish Sephora
would stop sending it. Foil packets are just wasted on me. They’re too small to
get a real feel for how they would work on my hair, they’re a pain in the ass
to try to manipulate mid-shower, and they’re single use. I would rather the
gamble of receiving a perfume sample I may or may not like as my bonus. I
understand that more people will get use out of a shampoo and conditioner
packet than they would a perfume sample, plus you don’t run that added risk of
triggering a cluster headache or migraine so I see why Sephora has started
veering away from perfume samples.
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| Fresh Sugar Lip Balm in indirect sunlight |
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| Fresh Sugar Lip Balm and Make Up For Ever Primer in indirect sunlight |
This was one of the better boxes I’ve received in a while. I
love the lip balm for a natural look, even if the flavor isn’t my favorite. I
loved the cleansing water, I’m still hoarding mascara, I will get use out of
the face primer and night cream in the not too distant future, and I mean, travel
shampoo and conditioner. Really, I’m just all about that lip balm and cleansing
water. Those definitely made the box for me this month.
*Plus 5 points if you got the Sealab 2021 reference.
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