June 2019 Sephora Play Review

Play! by Sephora is a $10 monthly subscription that provides members with 5 beauty samples and 1 bonus item. The samples are never full sized and the bonus is usually a perfume but can sometimes be a foil packet. Wow, I’m doing a terrible job of selling this, guys. The only one benefit of the Sephora box over other similar boxes is all items can be found inside Sephora or available online at www.sephora.com. That is, until the chain discontinues something but that’s not too common.

·         Tarte Foundcealer SPF20 in 42N

·         Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Vanilla

·         Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

·         Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Detox Mask

·         Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb

·         Hum Nutrition Hair Sweet Hair Gummies

Tarte Foundcealer SPF20 in 42N

Once again, Sephora tries to match my skin tone and once again, Sephora fails. This time, they failed in the other direction. Tarte’s Foundsealer in 42N is about 2 shades too light for me, which I suppose can be worked with either in a dark room or the deep recesses of winter with some bronzer. The coverage is not my favorite. Like the name suggests, it is supposed to double as a foundation or a concealer. I’m not into high coverage foundations so this was an immediate miss, though I appreciate the opportunity to try it out. It’s too light for me to try to spot conceal with it over my normal foundation shades, but the coverage is definitely there. I will continue to play around with this around the house when I can guarantee nobody will see me out in the wild.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Vanilla

This was somewhat of a repeat item. I’ve tried (and loved) the original Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Strawberry. With its sweet scent, hydrating power, and generic petroleum jelly flavor that discourages me from eating it off of my lips, I intend to blast through my jar this winter.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

Yet another product I’ve tried in the past. I should start off with the negatives first, and keep in mind, this is just all personal preference. I have hooded eyes that are difficult to work with and a pretty low-key preference for eye looks. I do not enjoy wearing eyeliner outside of my waterline and I like liquid liners even less.

That said, this is a fine eyeliner. It’s felt tip, which is more difficult for me to use than a brush tip liner (see Kat Von D’s Trooper Eyeliner) but it’s the finest felt tip I’ve ever encountered. It’s also the blackest liquid eyeliner I’ve ever tried, but I’ve never actually tested its waterproof claim. If I had to have a felt tip liner, this would be my choice.

Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Detox Mask

I really enjoyed this face mask. It’s interesting in that it never dried down fully like a typical clay mask. It did a great job of moisturizing my skin and brightening my complexion a bit. It didn’t have any lasting effects over time but the immediate brightening was lovely.

Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb

I’ve tried this moisturizer before and I really like it. The gel formula is moisturizing but not greasy so it’s great for daytime use, especially in the summer.

Hum Nutrition Hair Sweet Hair Gummies

This is generally a wasted sample in a subscription box because one dose isn’t enough to get an idea of how well a vitamin works. The flavor was rich; these were a pleasant gummy flavor. The texture was odd though. They were hearty and I even noticed a little extra texture to them. Now, this is a terrible analogy, but imagine eating rice pudding and noticing a heartier texture to it. IT was something like that, or perhaps a real fruit leather, where it’s heartier than an over-processed Fruit Roll-Up or Gushers snack. I can’t ever see myself paying what this product is asking. I might instead go for Nature Made Pre-Natal vitamins or something to that effect, If I’m looking for a hair/skin/nail multivitamin.

L to R in indirect natural light: Stila Eyeliner, Tarte Foundcealer in 42N

I’m no longer finding joy in subscription boxes like I once did, as evidenced by my posting once every 3 or 4 months now. Maybe it’s the stress of the move and fixing up a house, maybe it’s just an overabundance of items and I’ve found what actually works for me. Unfortunately, FOMO (cook kids’ translation: fear of missing out) is preventing me from quitting anytime soon. I’m slowly trying to whittle things down but damn this compulsive buying!

May 2019 Sephora Review

Play! by Sephora is a $10 monthly subscription that delivers 5 beauty products and one bonus item right to your doorstep. I’ve been a subscriber for too many months to count but I do like this box as it’s one of the least disappointing subscription boxes I receive. A contributing factor to the lack of disappointment is the fact that I can find all of the items offered in store or online. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule but that’s due mostly in part to my tardiness posting my unboxings. Case in point: 

February 2019 Sephora Review

Play! by Sephora is a $10 subscription that delivers 5 beauty items, a bonus sample, and 50 extra Beauty Insider points that can be redeemed with purchase every month. What I love about Sephora is all of the items offered can be found in store or online at sephora.com. The only disappointing aspects about the box are the fact that I have never received anything full sized in a box (I don't believe it  is even an option) and the boxes aren't nearly as customizable as subscriptions like Ipsy. Every month Sephora offers anywhere between 4 and maybe 11 box variations. People are assigned to box groups based on their profile, but rarely will a box address all of the concerns I have listed in my profile. (Apologies, I accidentally deleted individual item photos before I was able to upload them.)

June 2018 Sephora Review

Play! by Sephora is a monthly subscription that sends out 5 beauty/skincare/hair care items and one bonus item (often a fragrance sample) for $10 plus state tax. Sephora also gives out 50 bonus beauty insider points that can be redeemed with an in-store purchase each month. I was not impressed with June’s Sephora box but I desperately want it to be because of billing. I did not realize that the credit card I had on file had expired so I was billed late and as a result I ended up with, I’m hoping, one of the left over boxes that doesn’t match my profile. I received:

• CoverFx Perfect Setting Powder in Light Medium – $3.50, Cruelty Free
  
• Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover – $4.56
• Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in Queen B – $5.34, Cruelty Free
• Sol de Janerio Brazilian Bum Bum Cream – $4.69
• Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream – $4.75
• Marajó Deep Treatment Nourishing Butter and Cleansing Crème – $1.62

CoverFx Perfect Setting Powder in Light Medium

Sorry for the glare

This is the tiniest sample ever. Seriously, how the hell am I even supposed to get a brush in there. This sample did not work for me. Aside from it Bering so small that it just isn’t functional, it works against my sheer coverage Look I’m usually trying to achieve and makes me look “done-up.” The shade is also far too light for me so I get this Sammy Sosa-esque look going.

Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

This oil based cleanser works about as well as my Target Up & Up brand cleanser. It removes eye makeup well and after a bit of a rinse I’m good to go. I do love the purple packaging though and I’m always pleased to remove another eye makeup remover but ultimately I can purchase just as efficient for a bit less. 

Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in Queen B

 

I don’t really know how I feel about Too Faced as a brand. The risqué names for products isn’t really a selling point for me since I’m not in middle school, the shades never really seem to reflect my wants or needs as a person and those two things make me feel like the brand is a bit overrated. Now that that’s all been addressed, the Too Faced Melted Matte lipstick isn’t a terrible product. It applied evenly, tastes like chocolate or fondant and is a little sweet which reminds me of Stila Stay All Day liquid lipstick and wasn’t overly drying. I’m not a fan of cake flavored lips even though I’m not entirely against it so that was another aspect of this lipstick that just didn’t sell me. The shade Queen B is borderline unwearable for me though. It is too mauve of a pink where I usually tend to lean more towards brown and gray shades. I guess there just wasn’t anything different enough about this lipstick to make me want to run out and try to find a shade that works for me.

Sol de Janerio Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

 

This was the one item I was completely stoked about in June. I already had a sample of this, a freebie I grabbed from Ipsy about a year back and I used the shit out of this on my baby bump.* This time they sent it in a little tub instead of a tube, but the volume is still about the same. The smell is decadent and it is so wonderfully moisturizing. If every lotion forever could be either this or that fresh minty crisp scent of Clarins I would just be so pleased.

*I should note, I escaped pregnancy with only 2 stretch marks, but that is with a combination of moisturizers and I strongly believe it was only because I moisturized at all, not because of any particular moisturizer or ingredients it contained.

Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream 

 

I can’t lie; I haven’t given this a chance yet. I’ve been failing trying to organize my bedroom and sample stash and it got buried in a pile of hair care and two June Target Beauty Boxes. Lizzie would be the only person who could use it anyway and the summer humidity has been so rough on her hair that I don’t have much hope for this product.

Marajó Deep Treatment Nourishing Butter and Cleansing Crème 

 

On to some hair products I did get to. Marajó deserves a medal for their Deep Treatment shampoo and conditioner. Holy hell, both of these were thick, thick formulae, especially the conditioner that was the consistency of a thick cream cheese frosting. It even smelled like fresh vanilla cream cheese frosting. The shampoo smelled like fondant, but not cloyingly sweet the way fondant often smells. My shower when I washed my hair with these guys was a bakery that specializes in wedding cakes. The samples were small but the shampoo garnered a great lather and the conditioner felt like it penetrated. Of course, I had to work on a smaller area of hair to get any noteworthy results.

Too Faced and (unblended) CoverFX

 

Too Faced and (blended) CoverFX

The Breakdown: Was I disappointed with this box? Absolutely, but that’s because the shades just didn’t work with me. The powder sample was too small to effectively use and it left me looking like a vampire and the lipstick is too similar in shade to others that I’ve previously purged. Were there some great things? Sure. I loved the Brazilian Bum Bum cream and the bonus shampoo/conditioner samples. The Clinique makeup remover is just an added bonus for me as it is something that I regularly use.

May 2018 Sephora Play Review

"I love deadlines. I like the wooshing sound they make as they fly by."

-Douglas Adams

It's July so I suppose it's time I delivered a Sephora Play review that should have been dropped off back in May, probably best with minimal excuse and preamble. The rundown: Sephora Play is a $10 a month subscription that sends 5 beauty, skincare or hair care items and a bonus fragrance (sometimes they send a foil packet instead though). There is a waitlist though so if you do want to subscribe you might be shelved for a month or two so prepare for that potential roadblock.

 

Back to May though. It was a good box, guys!

January 2018 Play! by Sephora Review

Sephora Play is a $10 a month subscription that sends out sample and sometimes deluxe sized samples to subscribers. Items found in Play boxes can be pre-existing items and cult favorites found in stores or newly released items. Sephora also includes a card for 50 bonus Beauty Insider points with any in-store purchase made during that month. While I love the fact that all of the items sent out in Play boxes can be found either in store or online, I really do wish Sephora would send out larger sample sizes. The foil packets are nothing less than infuriating and many of the samples only provide 2-3 decent uses. That might be why it been so hard to find the motivation to type this. Sorry about the shitty lighting. These were taken in a hotel room at night, and that sounded way shadier than I ever expected. I unboxed these while I was traveling for work, basically.

December 2017 Sephora Play Review

I loved the December theme so much. I’d already been in a very Art Deco leaning Streamline Moderne mood so the undeniable Gatsby vibe of this box made me giggle. Even the curation of the box seemed to add to the pre-war vibe. *squee!*

Also, sorry about the lack of price points. I'm seriously backlogged and while I haven't lost interest in blogging, I've been a bit bummed about the shit photo quality that I haven't had funds to fix, on top of being tied up with a mother-in-law, kids, and 6 days of work a week at 8-10 hours. End Rant. BoopBeepBoop. 

Play! by Sephora Review November 2017

Sephora Play is a monthly subscription box that sends our 5 makeup or beauty samples and a bonus fragrance monthly for $10 plus tax. It’s a great subscription service if you care about product accessibility and mid-range to high-end brands that are also available in store and online. Sephora Play tends to be skincare heavy so if you are more interested in makeup I would recommend Ipsy as a similarly priced alternative. Usually Sephora ships out around the 15th of each month so imagine my shock and awe when I received my box on the 7th of November so why is this going up on the 25th 28th the day after Christmas?

This November I received:
Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara - $13.81
Sephora Collect Ultra Shine Lip Gel -$5.00
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask - $8.10
Caudalie Vinosource Thirst Quenching Serum - $16.33
Moroccanoil Treatment - $6.80
Burberry My Burberry Blush - $3.60

Lately I've been so overrun with mascara so that I don't care if I get a mascara sample but oh my lord, I love this Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir. To date my favorite mascara has been the Smashbox X-Rated mascara followed my either IT Cosmetics Superhero Stretch and with Urban Decay rounding out the list. Velvet Noir however defines beautifully as well as lengthens. I'm not positive it actually added any volume but I would say it holds silver medal to X-Rated, displacing my previous number 2 and 3 mascaras by one rank. I also didn't experience any flaking or smudging throughout the day and I absolutely love the wand which resembled the IT Cosmetics Superhero Stretch wand. Update: My beloved Lizzie grabbed my mascara wand out of my hand as I was taking photos and may have ruined the mascara. And her clothes. I tried cleaning the swans but it doesn’t work nearly as well as it used to. Shortest mascara lifespan ever.

That moment when you realize it's time to invest in a lightbox...

So far I have enjoyed all of the Sephora Collection products I've tried and the Ultra Shine Lip Gloss was no exception. This formula is more gloss than pigment and the color provides a beautiful, sheer, natural flush to the lips. The formula is hydrating and has minimal stickiness. I also love the hourglass shape of the applicator for a more even finish. I really didn't expect to like this gloss that much between the color I knew was being offered this month and the simple fact that I am not really a fan of super glossy lips-it just looks so passe and artificial in general. Different strokes, I guess.

I enjoyed using the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. I’m biased though, I love charcoal masks. I loved feeling that tightening effect of certain clay wash off masks that lets me know that they’re actually working. That said, it did. Or dry out my skin, but I did feel like it cleared and brightened up my complexion a bit. It also wasn’t a beast to wash off like other wash off masks I’ve used in the past. I did try this to spot great two blemishes on my face and that... well that was wholly ineffective. At least it didn’t aggravate the situation.

I gave the Caudalie Vinosource Serum a little love now. I love how my skin feels after application. I have to be honest though, the price is a little steep for anything I would ever pay for and I have a few variants of the Vinosource line now and I have yet to see what advantage one serum might have over the other. Well shit, I guess that was a bit of a mixed-to-contradictory review. Sorry about that.

I’m never excited to see a hair oil in a subscription box but at least Moroccanoil was a thicker one and smelled nice. A little went a long way in the kids’ hair but alas the sample was only 10mL so I only got about 2 uses per child out of this. It did soften and help detangle and add some much needed sheen and hydration to the typically straw-like hair.

I’m growing to love getting perfume samples in my Sephora Play boxes. In the beginning I was ambivalent at best but now I almost look forward to getting them. My Burberry Blush is a beautiful fragrance that just smells classically light and floral with notes of pomegranate, rose and jasmine. The pomegranate sold it, I think.

Wearing the Sephora Collection lip gloss and Marc Jacobs mascara (not that you can tell) in fading natural light

Same lighting with flash

All in all I loved November’s box. The value was definitely (maybe?) there at $53.64, according to my public school math. The skin care was great, the mascara and fragrance were fabulous where the mascara might even be worth purchasing, the lip gloss was a wearable color and the hair item was somewhat usable.

Play! by Sephora Review September 2017

Sephora has come into the beauty box scene nearly two years ago with their own Play! by Sephora box and of the three months I've received so far I can't really complain much. The cost is $10 a month plus tax and like Birchbox and Ipsy, Sephora sends out a number of box variations each month. Unlike Ipsy and to a lesser extent Birchbox, Sephora does not have a very broad range of boxes, even though they state boxes are tailored to your personal profile you set up upon applying. What they're really saying is "We have 3-9 pre-curated boxes each month and whichever box you hit the most benchmarks for is the box you're getting." Unfortunately, this means if skin tone was rated as most important by Sephora that month than you may end up with a box that is tailored to your skin type (based off of what you fill out in the profile) but the skin type (oily/combination/dry) may be completely off. It's a gamble I'm willing to take (so far) with this box because I do love that the samples, while not the largest, are not foil packets and all samples are from brands that can be found in store or online meaning the labels range from mid-range to high-end. This month's box was one of the stronger ones. Items included:

• Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow in 5 Deep  - $8.00
• Ciaté London Liquid Velvet Moisturizing Matte Lipstick in Diva - $5.85 V, CF
• Sephora Collection Contour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Black Lace - $4.00
• Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream - $6.30
• DevaCurl Melt into Moisture Matcha Butter Conditioning Mask - $4.57
• Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Oil -$3.20

V = Vegan
CF = Cruelty Free

Play! by Sephora Review for August 2017

The end of the month is still acceptable to get a monthly box review up, yeah? This time it's Play! by Sephora, a box that I was on the fence about subscribing to for the longest and I finally took the plunge if only to answer the siren call of skincare. Play! by Sephora is a beauty box curated by the Cosmetics retailer Sephora that provides 5 skincare, haircare and makeup items a month in a drawstring bag (meh) and a bonus perfume sample. Perfume is not really my thing and an easy freebie that one can get with any purchase but if it doesn't count as one of my 5 samples then I really don't give a shit. Play provides subscribers with a profile they can fill out to best "personalize" their box each month. I say "personalize" in quotations because unlike other subscription boxes I've encountered, Play only sends out relatively few items and very few box varieties (5-10 types maybe) a month and your profile is used to pigeonhole you into the closest-but-still-not-quite-right box variety.

Geeking out over makeup!

The bag is never my favorite part.

The theme this month was Makeup geek and omg, was the info sheet that was shipped so freaking cute. I loved that they had a very basic yet informational periodic table of the elements basically outlining how various ingredients commonly found in skincare (and featured in this box) affect skin, hair and makeup. I did find this theme odd considering there is a makeup line called Makeup Geek. This month's Sephora Play box was different from any of the previous ones that I've seen and the one previous box I've received in that it offered two colored beauty products and one tool.

Beauty Blender Micro.Mini - $9 or 2 for $18
Kat Von D Lock-It Conceal Crème in #33 - $7.40
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Golden Almond - $7.36
Clarins Body Fit Anti-Cellulite Contouring Expert - $10.14
Qhmet Biologics Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee - $2.59
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue - $2.38

I was excited about the idea of getting a Beauty Blender Micro.Mini in my Play! box but the reality did not justify my excitement. What the shit is the point of a beauty blender that is so freaking tiny? I haven't even brought myself to use it yet because I'm fully capable of turning my current blending sponge around and using the pointed end for precise application. I guess this is functional for some people but it's just an extra step and an extra item to clean.

 

 

 

Dry Micro.Mini

Wet Micro.Mini. Not much of a difference.

 
I wanted so much to love the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Golden Almond.

The texture is great, it's medium to full coverage where a little goes a very long way and it blends out easier than I expected but I cannot provide any feedback on how well this works because well...

(Left) Kat Von D Lock-it Concealer in #33, (Right) Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish in Golden Almond in indirect sunlight

There is no fucking way I can get away with wearing this outside. It is so incredibly dark that I cannot get away with wearing it as a base but unfortunately it is too orange to pass as a contour shade. That and I just have no idea how I would even go about beginning to contour. I tried it as a bronzing shade but that was pretty offensively orange as well. I love how Play! says they sent this item based on my skin tone in my profile and yet anybody who got my box combination #221 got the exact same shade as the Kat Von D Lock-It concealer that I did. And on that note...

While Kat Von D Lock-It Conceal Crème in #33 is almost a perfect shade for my face (I know it looks out of control on my arm but that is due to my constant donning of hoodies and long sleeves), I cannot get away with wearing it out because my face and body are two completely different shades. Oddly enough, the difference starts around the neck and is so stark that matching anything to my face makes me look more novice than I actually am, and I admit I'm pretty freaking novice at applying makeup. It is a very full coverage, which looking at Kat Von D's overall aesthetic, this is not surprising. I was stunned that the shade was nearly a perfect match for me but I'm disappointed that my face does not agree with the rest of my body. Is it worth risking finding self tanners for brown girls? Probably not. Maybe if I find myself in daylight or a pool one day this can come in handy.

I got a nice but severely overpriced body lotion in my box this month. Clarins Body Fit Anti-Cellulite Contouring Expert costs an exorbitant $70 for 200mL. The claim: it reduces cellulite. I think I need to stop bitching about anti-cellulite skincare. Kind of. I will just  leave this here. This podcast/blog post show that I am an idiot for discrediting any effect caffeine may have but I also cannot help but feel a little vindicated because of it. Basically, the oils and emollients in lotions and the sheer quantities of caffeine needed to see any anti-aging effects more or less negate the effect of caffeine in a lot of skin care items. So long story short, cosmetics companies are overselling (and overcharging for) the effects of their products on cellulite and aging while preying on our insecurities and collective gullibility. If I just wanted a nice non-greasy feeling body lotion and I had a ton of money (think Emily Gilmore or Blair Waldorf loaded) I could see myself blowing money on something like this. But then I'd also have a bathroom entirely stocked in Lush products.

Or  I could just pay for liposuction

Every time I receive a hair item in a subscription box I try it on my kids. In the past this was because items often did not fit my hair type. A recently added issue is I have loc'd my hair so I'm limited on product types to use. Qhmet Biologics Qhmet Biologics Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee is no different as it markets itself as a detangling cream. Let me tell you! This stuff works magic on Livy's hair. She's got the curlier hair of the two of my kids and just a spritz of water and a small amount of this and it's pretty easy to comb through without entirely coating her head or using too much product and she smells like a little chocolate chip running around! The best part? 8.5 oz of this stuff is totally affordable so not only do I love it but I am absolutely going to buy more instead of hoping I end up with more in a subscription box down the line. This works great with the Garnier Sleek & Shine (reviewed here) but the smell mixes to make her smell like a chocolate covered fruit, but a fruit that doesn't get chocolate like kiwi.

Qhmet Biologics at work. Sorry for the frizzy Day2 Curls.

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue is a fragrance actually works on me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my heart set on the Kat Von D Sinner and Saint perfumes that were offered this month but I really do appreciate this D&G sample. It is described as feminine, floral and fruity and the notes I'm catching are granny smith apples, citron and a little bit of musk. Other notes listed on the website are bluebells, jasmine, bamboo, white rose, cedar wood, amber and musk. It smells like the beach to me, really because of that clean crispness of the granny smith apples though it smells more fruity than apple-y.

Holy crap, this month was full of a lot of pissing and moaning from me about Sephora. Sorry, guys. At least the box value was pretty high at a value of $38.87 and I got to try some mid-range to high-end brands. Credit where credit's due: I got a decent body lotion that costs way too much, a pretty awesome smelling perfume sample, a decent and affordable hair product for one of the tots, and I got to try two pretty freaking awesome brands of face base. I've always wanted to try the Hourglass Vanish foundation formulas and I finally got a chance to try. I may even consider snagging one if I ever see an incredible deal come up (Ipsy had them available for almost a month at some point back in 2016, maybe it will happen again?). There are so many shades that risking ordering online can prove to be a highly dangerous game so at least this sample allows me to narrow down the field just a little bit. I had been wanting a concealer and I'm thrilled I got to try the KVD formula. It's pretty hardcore and if you want something covered it absolutely won't disappoint. I recently bought some drugstore foundations I keep saying I will review someday but I erroneously bought shades that are slightly too dark so maybe I can work this concealer with those. Little beauty blender, I don't know what to do with you. Maybe I can find someone who will love it? Ultimately the box was decent but that's just because I only started subscribing to this box for the bath, body and skincare with the occasional hair find for the kids.