After receiving three Sephora Play boxes I am now a firm believer that the curators actually stick to a theme and don’t just throw in random leftover samples from around the warehouse. For July the theme was “Sun, Sweat, and Makeup”, so even before I saw any of the official spoilers or unboxings I knew we would get some kind of a mattifying primer, a cleanser, and a bronzer. I also predicted a self-tanning lotion and maybe a waterproof mascara, but those predictions turned out to be wrong. It’s okay though, because we got something cooler than “the obvious”.
HOW IT WORKS:
For $10/month Play! by Sephora subscribers receive a box of 5-6 carefully curated beauty samples of best-selling products as well as rising stars, chosen around a monthly theme. Click here to subscribe, and don’t forget to use Ebates for 4% cashback!
CONTENTS:
1 // Ouai Wave Spray [$26, available here] – You remember how all beauty bloggers were obsessed with Bumble and Bumble? [funny, I wrote about them earlier this week] Well, looks like OUAI is the new Bumble and Bumble of the beauty blogging world, so I was kind of curious to try this one. Basically, Wave Spray is described as a product that can help create and/or hold messy waves. This eco-friendly non-aerosol spray was a bit of a let down for me personally. I don’t think it works all that well on fine flat hair because you need to use it liberally to get any kind of effect. I got the waves, but the amount of spray I used made my hair look greasy and gross to touch. I prefer crunchier texture, you know what I mean? I do think that it will work really well on thicker hair, especially if you are trying to make it less puffy.
2 // Too Faced Soleil Matte Bronzer in Chocolate [$30, available here] – This is probably the best mid-range to high end bronzer shade for contouring. As shadows are naturally cool-toned, it’s hard to find an ashy matte bronzer that won’t lean too red, too orange, or simply too warm. This one is perfection, and smells like chocolate, too!
3 // First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser With Red Clay [$24, available here] – I’m set on cleansers right now, so I didn’t even care to try this one and threw it into my husband’s dopp kit. Not sure if he liked it or not, but I know he used it on a business trip.
4 // blotterazzi™ by beautyblender® [$20, available here] – I love my beautyblender sponge and use it for applying foundation almost exclusively, but these blotting sponge sheets were a let down. I think they simply don’t absorb enough oil, and they did mess with my makeup despite the claims stating otherwise. If any of you oily or combo-skinned girls and guys out there are looking for amazing blotting sheets, I highly recommend checking out TATCHA Aburatorigami [$12, available here]. The addition of gold flakes is just for the visuals of course, but the papers themselves are the bomb. I never had issues of them absorbing so much oil that my skin is left looking dry, and they never smudged my makeup. Ever.
5 // Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Foundation Primer Pore Minimizing [$39, available here] – if I’m wearing a full face of makeup on a hot summer day a good primer is a must, otherwise all my hard work will just melt off. While I didn’t think this one was anything special, it was pretty good and I can see myself using up the entire sample tube eventually. However, it doesn’t even come close to my HG dr. Brandt Pores No More [$45, available here], which I recommend to my friends and family with oily and combo skin.
6 // NEST Citrine Eau de Parfum [$68, available here] – This bonus freebie was a pleasant surprise. I imagined Citrine to be this cloying, ultra-floral and ultra-woodsy mix that my body chemistry can’t pull off, but I was wrong. It’s absolutely beautiful as a nighttime summer fragrance. Its floral, spicy, woodsy notes are all strong and perfectly blend together to create this sultry, warm, sophisticated veil. If I didn’t already have so many bottles of perfume I could see myself buying the full size.
BOTTOM LINE:
Even though I didn’t love everything, this box was very helpful because I got to try products I was curious about. I tend to give in to hype only to be disappointed later, and I for sure would have felt this way about OUAI spray and blotterazzi sponges. The products I enjoyed the most ate NEST Citrine, which blew me away, and Too Faced bronzer that I already love. It’s a very generous sample size that will last a while.
Have you tried any of the products above? Do you subscribe to Play! by Sephora box? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclosure: This post features products purchased by Glamorable and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
