Ok my Sephora Play reviews are suspiciously late! So what gives? Well, interning 40 hours a week plus taking a summer class, visiting NYC, and of course watching Stranger Things have definitely put the blog on hold. However, I have been spending more time trying out these products and have my best review yet. I'm dissecting my April, May, and June Sephora Play boxes!
Let's dive in!
This months box was one of the more interesting boxes. I say interesting because it was filled with products and brands I'd never tried before excluding Sephora Collection and Nars. I recently got this cute J. Crew clutch from Poshmark and wanted to share it with y'all! Onto the review!
April
Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil
I initially liked this sample because the packaging was well, adorable. It reminded me of the new packaging for juice boxes. I'm a huge fan of oils for your skin and this product is an allover hydration oil, meaning it can be used in your hair, cuticles, skin, etc. My skin felt so moisturized with this oil on I don't need to put moisturizer on. That was surprising to me because argan oil isn't hydrating enough for my normal skin. I also adored the smell of this oil because it smells just like lemon peel plus some other fruity extracts!
I initially liked this sample because the packaging was well, adorable. It reminded me of the new packaging for juice boxes. I'm a huge fan of oils for your skin and this product is an allover hydration oil, meaning it can be used in your hair, cuticles, skin, etc. My skin felt so moisturized with this oil on I don't need to put moisturizer on. That was surprising to me because argan oil isn't hydrating enough for my normal skin. I also adored the smell of this oil because it smells just like lemon peel plus some other fruity extracts!
Youth Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment
A full size of this product is $105 for 1 oz... So I with that in mind I was surprised that this product didn't do a lot on its own for me. This product supposedly helps with wrinkles and dullness, but I didn't notice a thing. I did end up mixing Good Genes with other antiagers and skins treatments and did notice some results. I did like the scent of this product, however I didn't see the lactic acid formula do much for me. Supposedly this product can create the "no makeup, makeup" look, but not for normal skinned Chanel =(. Also this stuff made my face sting if it was inflamed.
A full size of this product is $105 for 1 oz... So I with that in mind I was surprised that this product didn't do a lot on its own for me. This product supposedly helps with wrinkles and dullness, but I didn't notice a thing. I did end up mixing Good Genes with other antiagers and skins treatments and did notice some results. I did like the scent of this product, however I didn't see the lactic acid formula do much for me. Supposedly this product can create the "no makeup, makeup" look, but not for normal skinned Chanel =(. Also this stuff made my face sting if it was inflamed.
Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream
This product is supposed to brighten and hydrate your eye area, but I didn't see any noticeable changes. I was sort of disappointed because this product is for people with "busy lives" and that describes me pretty well. I still use this cream, but haven't noticed any results.
Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien
I'm not the biggest fan of Nars' lip pencils but I liked this pencil. This lip pencil pairs well with NYX's soft matte lip cream in Milan. Milan is a bright pink! This pencil claims to saturate lips in a dusty rose shade. Maybe it's just me, but I can never manage to get much color out of these pencils unless I use a lip scrub with no lip balm. When my lips are moisturized no pigment seems to apply. I felt this product was sorta a copout because it was included as a birthday gift in 2014.
I'm not the biggest fan of Nars' lip pencils but I liked this pencil. This lip pencil pairs well with NYX's soft matte lip cream in Milan. Milan is a bright pink! This pencil claims to saturate lips in a dusty rose shade. Maybe it's just me, but I can never manage to get much color out of these pencils unless I use a lip scrub with no lip balm. When my lips are moisturized no pigment seems to apply. I felt this product was sorta a copout because it was included as a birthday gift in 2014.
Sephora Collection Colorful Cheek Ink Gel in Peony
This mini's packaging is adorable, however this product is mediocre in my opinion. I do like that it gives a subtle cheek color but it also takes off whatever you have on slightly. It gives a good color but only would I suggest using it if you have heavy duty long-wear/coverage foundation on so it doesn't ruin your makeup. Some tips other than using waterproof foundation is to try using a big fluffy brush to apply this gel! Also alternate foundation layers with this ink gel. One layer of foundation, ink gel, and then blend/apply more foundation.
Derek Lam 10 Crosby 2am Kiss
This perfume is a salty woody scent with crystallized amber channels. A very hip and dynamic scent, not my favorite personally, but an unusual scent.
I didn't particularly like this perfume, but I was interested in the films they have describing these perfumes. When I was in New York they were playing next to the display and I was fascinated. There are 10 perfumes from the Crosby line and I wish I could've tried more of them in a sampler or something. There is a rain scented perfume which I'm itching to try on fresh skin. I would definitely like to try a couple of these perfumes individually. Check out the films on Youtube, here.
May
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask
Wasn't a huge fan of this deep conditioning mask. I used it after a long day interning when I had white paint stuck in my hair. I wasn't amazed by these results given I had been using New Wash since May. I did give it another shot using normal shampoo (Alba) but didn't see noticeable results, either. I wish the consistency of this mask was "thicker" so it felt more like a mask.
Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial
I'll preface this by saying I've tried this sleep mask before and loved it. I loved everything about it from the texture of the cream, the rose scent (reminds me of my mom and her garden), and let's talk about the results.... This facial is AMAZING. I can't believe I forgot about it until it showed up on my doorstep. I use it religiously and boy does it help brighten up my face, specifically my dullness and acne scars. I insist, you must get this. There are minis on eBay for a cheaper price!
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi
I love Bite's products they're so creamy, and pigmented. This one did not disappoint! It's the perfect bright pink. Definitely a bold, beautiful matte lipstick. This lipstick reminds me of YSL's Rouge Pur Couture in 19 fuchsia. It's a bit too bright for me, but blotted I think it looks better.
Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon in Latergram
First and foremost a round of applause for this lipliner name. So clever. I love this lip crayon, it's more of a lip liner to me but it works like a charm. Works better on bare lips so I'd suggest using a lip scrub before. I use this as a lipliner rather than a lip crayon. It matches perfectly with NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream Cannes, and Lolita I by KVD.
Origins Maximizer + Drink Up & Clear Improvements Mask
I'm not a big fan of primer, but I loved the spray, perfume like packaging of this primer. It didn't prime my skin the way I was hoping for, but it did seemed to work better when I had more irritated and blemished skin.
I loved the Drink Up & Clear Improvements Mask. I think the Drink Up works better if your skin has been feeling dull or lackluster. This mask hydrates beyond belief. I went to sleep with this mask on and woke up with a super moisturized face. I used this with the Korres Sleep Facial and felt like it did some double duty while I was sleeping.
Clear Improvements reminded me of GlamGlow's Supercleanse, but of course a mask. This mask has a really nice charcoal consistency and not a gritty texture. Personally I didn't feel like it cleared up my skin very much but I did love the way it made my skin feel afterwards.
Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolute Pure Parfume
I love fruit, fruity scents, fruity candy, the whole 9 yards. I just didn't like this fragrance. The orange was just so overwhelmingly strong. The perfume consists of blood orange and bitter orange as well as notes of jasmine, amber, and sandalwood. Personally, I didn't like this fragrance one bit.
June
BareMinerals BareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer
I'm all for new bronzers. Specifically because I hardly stray away from Sonia Kashuk or M.A.C. Honestly, bronzer lasts me years. I tried this fun mini before going to work and was pleased by the results. Essentially you shake the bottle in a back and forth motion with the cap on. It then allows for some serum bronzer to secrete. I liked the color of this bronzer, a very beautiful golden color. I am falling for serum bronzer/highlighters and this one tops the list. Only complaint is that this mini was sort of tricky to use, sometimes you don't get enough product.
Tocca Eau de Parfum Florence
This perfume is sophisticated, romantic, and feminine. It has notes of Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaves, Green Pear, Apple, Ivory Gardenia, Crushed Violet Petals, Jasmine, Tuberose, Blue Iris, Blonde Wood, White Musk. Overall it's a light perfume. It's supposed to be for a Parisian beauty and sophisticate, while also recreating memories of Paris.
I was surprised that I actually enjoyed this fragrance. Now I'm not exactly sure whether it smells like old world Paris, seeing that my only experience in that department is watching Midnight in Paris. However I did think this was a very delicate and feminine perfume and I liked the fragrance altogether. This perfume would be a great gift!
Becca Backlight Priming Blur
Ok friends most of my makeup reviews are done over a period of time. I hardly ever see products I instantly work, but wowowowow this product. It reminds me of a highlighter but its a primer. I love this sample and don't want to run out of it! It creates a beautiful glow for your foundation!
Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It Hair Styler
I hardly ever like B&B products. They usually are all packaging and no results. However as I am taking a huge detox from hot tools this product has been great. I'm loving the subtle straightness I get from it! I wish I had more than a mini to see the results!
Benefit They're Real
To be honest with y'all I go through mascara samples super slow, so I haven't tried this one yet. However, when I do I'll update this blurb!
Tarte Tarteguard 30
I love Tarte friends, don't get me wrong. This product is literally fancy sunscreen without the sunscreen feeling or smell. Pretty lame to me unless those two aspects of sunscreen bother your existence. Cute packaging I'll admit!
I will be purchasing another Korres Wild Rose Sleeping Facial. If I have Beauty Bank points I'll keep B&B and Bite Beauty lipsticks in the back of my mind!
The winners!
I didn't particularly like this perfume, but I was interested in the films they have describing these perfumes. When I was in New York they were playing next to the display and I was fascinated. There are 10 perfumes from the Crosby line and I wish I could've tried more of them in a sampler or something. There is a rain scented perfume which I'm itching to try on fresh skin. I would definitely like to try a couple of these perfumes individually. Check out the films on Youtube, here.
Overall I liked the diversity of the products in this box because I hadn't tried many of these brands. However I didn't adore these samples too much. This certainly wasn't my favorite box I've gotten thus far.
May
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask
Wasn't a huge fan of this deep conditioning mask. I used it after a long day interning when I had white paint stuck in my hair. I wasn't amazed by these results given I had been using New Wash since May. I did give it another shot using normal shampoo (Alba) but didn't see noticeable results, either. I wish the consistency of this mask was "thicker" so it felt more like a mask.
Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial
I'll preface this by saying I've tried this sleep mask before and loved it. I loved everything about it from the texture of the cream, the rose scent (reminds me of my mom and her garden), and let's talk about the results.... This facial is AMAZING. I can't believe I forgot about it until it showed up on my doorstep. I use it religiously and boy does it help brighten up my face, specifically my dullness and acne scars. I insist, you must get this. There are minis on eBay for a cheaper price!
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi
I love Bite's products they're so creamy, and pigmented. This one did not disappoint! It's the perfect bright pink. Definitely a bold, beautiful matte lipstick. This lipstick reminds me of YSL's Rouge Pur Couture in 19 fuchsia. It's a bit too bright for me, but blotted I think it looks better.
Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon in Latergram
First and foremost a round of applause for this lipliner name. So clever. I love this lip crayon, it's more of a lip liner to me but it works like a charm. Works better on bare lips so I'd suggest using a lip scrub before. I use this as a lipliner rather than a lip crayon. It matches perfectly with NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream Cannes, and Lolita I by KVD.
Origins Maximizer + Drink Up & Clear Improvements Mask
I'm not a big fan of primer, but I loved the spray, perfume like packaging of this primer. It didn't prime my skin the way I was hoping for, but it did seemed to work better when I had more irritated and blemished skin.
I loved the Drink Up & Clear Improvements Mask. I think the Drink Up works better if your skin has been feeling dull or lackluster. This mask hydrates beyond belief. I went to sleep with this mask on and woke up with a super moisturized face. I used this with the Korres Sleep Facial and felt like it did some double duty while I was sleeping.
Clear Improvements reminded me of GlamGlow's Supercleanse, but of course a mask. This mask has a really nice charcoal consistency and not a gritty texture. Personally I didn't feel like it cleared up my skin very much but I did love the way it made my skin feel afterwards.
Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolute Pure Parfume
I love fruit, fruity scents, fruity candy, the whole 9 yards. I just didn't like this fragrance. The orange was just so overwhelmingly strong. The perfume consists of blood orange and bitter orange as well as notes of jasmine, amber, and sandalwood. Personally, I didn't like this fragrance one bit.
Overall this box was a winner. I liked trying the face masks as well as the new lip products from Tarte and Bite. The Korres sleep mask was the cherry on top of a cool, diverse, box!
BareMinerals BareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer
I'm all for new bronzers. Specifically because I hardly stray away from Sonia Kashuk or M.A.C. Honestly, bronzer lasts me years. I tried this fun mini before going to work and was pleased by the results. Essentially you shake the bottle in a back and forth motion with the cap on. It then allows for some serum bronzer to secrete. I liked the color of this bronzer, a very beautiful golden color. I am falling for serum bronzer/highlighters and this one tops the list. Only complaint is that this mini was sort of tricky to use, sometimes you don't get enough product.
Tocca Eau de Parfum Florence
This perfume is sophisticated, romantic, and feminine. It has notes of Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaves, Green Pear, Apple, Ivory Gardenia, Crushed Violet Petals, Jasmine, Tuberose, Blue Iris, Blonde Wood, White Musk. Overall it's a light perfume. It's supposed to be for a Parisian beauty and sophisticate, while also recreating memories of Paris.
I was surprised that I actually enjoyed this fragrance. Now I'm not exactly sure whether it smells like old world Paris, seeing that my only experience in that department is watching Midnight in Paris. However I did think this was a very delicate and feminine perfume and I liked the fragrance altogether. This perfume would be a great gift!
Becca Backlight Priming Blur
Ok friends most of my makeup reviews are done over a period of time. I hardly ever see products I instantly work, but wowowowow this product. It reminds me of a highlighter but its a primer. I love this sample and don't want to run out of it! It creates a beautiful glow for your foundation!
Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It Hair Styler
I hardly ever like B&B products. They usually are all packaging and no results. However as I am taking a huge detox from hot tools this product has been great. I'm loving the subtle straightness I get from it! I wish I had more than a mini to see the results!
Benefit They're Real
To be honest with y'all I go through mascara samples super slow, so I haven't tried this one yet. However, when I do I'll update this blurb!
Tarte Tarteguard 30
I love Tarte friends, don't get me wrong. This product is literally fancy sunscreen without the sunscreen feeling or smell. Pretty lame to me unless those two aspects of sunscreen bother your existence. Cute packaging I'll admit!
& the winners
May was certainly my favorite box with,
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi
Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial
I also adored some products from June!
Becca Backlight Priming Blur
Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It Hair Styler
The winners!
Photos by Alyssa Barletter
Hope everyone is having a killer July! What's your latest beauty obsession?
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Ooh now I want to go try so many of these products. That Bite lipstick looks like such a fun one, and I think I need to try that Becca primer too. I don't usually wear it but I need something this summer!! I always love seeing all the goodies you get. Have a great week Sonia!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to try a mini of the lipstick they last so long! You can also get a sample of the Becca primer. Thanks Mme, likewise!
DeleteBummer that the Clinique eye cream didn't live up to the hype- I had wanted to try this!
ReplyDelete-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
I was bummed too Ashley! Hopefully the next eye cream will live up to the promise!
Deletelovely cosmetics <33
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Like me on FACEBOOK
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Thanks Ania!
DeleteI love They're Real! XX
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try it soon!
DeleteThis looks amazing! I hadn't even heard of the Sephora Playbox. Sooo many good brands, I'm really impressed! xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thatnewdress.com
It's so great! 10/10 would recommend!
DeleteWant it all! What a fun box.
ReplyDeletexo Annie
New England Romance
Thanks Annie they're so fun!
Deleteexcellent collection and nice one to have a try it was wonderful Online Video captioning rates with Best quality
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Deleteu got such fab products! love them all!
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Thanks Chichi!
DeleteWonderful products!.
ReplyDeleteI like them all and want them all.
http://www.pperlenoirstyle.com
Haha thanks !
DeleteThanks for your share, and i love these products
ReplyDeletehttp://www.missygowns.com/
Thanks for stopping by Betsy!
DeleteWow looks like a fun haul! I used to use Benefit They're Real and enjoyed it. Now I've moved onto Lashgasm. I've also always wanted to try Milk products.
ReplyDeletexx Yasmin
http://banglesandbungalows.com
I love Too Faced mascara, so good! Thanks Yasmin!
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