Unboxing Beauty

I knew that Sephora would probably add one of their new lipsticks in this month’s box as it was recently released.  What is Sephora Play!?  Play! is a monthly subscription box that is $10.00 a month + any taxes and it looks like your subscription will be counted towards your Beauty Insider points as well

What will be in Play!  A monthly box of deluxe samples, along with an exclusive PLAY! BOOK — packed with helpful advice — and a PLAY! PASS to redeem in store for a free one-on-one learning session with a beauty expert. The six product samples in your PLAY! by SEPHORA box are from the same prestige brands we carry in store and online, and they are sized to use multiple times.  For a limited time, show your current PLAY! PASS when purchasing items in store to receive 50 bonus points each month.

Click here to sign up now

September 2016: The UnBasic Basics

This month’s Sephora Play! theme is “The UnBasic Basics“, focusing on products that fit the theme of “An anything but ordinary assortment.  Sharpen your eyeliner and swipe on some lipstick: go back to  beauty school this September with a selection of hair, makeup and skincare must-haves that always make the grade. Be a straight-A student with an above average eyeliner, reimagined moisturizer and next level necessities to become the building blocks for your beauty routine”

Box Revealed!

Informational Card

You still get a card for 50 extra points the next time you shop at a Sephora store (not online ~ I wish they would change that)

Sephora is now doing 2 variations ~ one for oily skin and one for dry skin.  I received the oily skin as that is what I have in my profile. It looks like the moisturizer and the perfume were the variations.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Night Cap Overnight Perfector  I love Living Proof dry shampoo, so I am pretty happy to see this new product in my box this month.  This is actually an overnight treatment for your hair. It will help smooth and add shine to your hair overnight, as it contains amino acids, conditioning and antioxidant ingredients.  You can use it on damp or dry hair and it has a light texture.  Apply it thru your hair, using a brush to distribute it evenly.  If you have dry hair, you can even use this as a day time leave in conditioner.   One treatment will last thru five shampoos.   This is a huge sample at 1 oz as the full size is just 4 oz.  RV $7.00

Description: Night Cap is beauty sleep redefined. It was engineered to intuitively target your hair’s needs for enhanced shine, vibrancy, and manageability delivered overnight, with results that last all week. It boosts shine for days with weightless radiance refractors that outperform silicones and oils. It delivers lasting color vibrancy by combining the patented healthy hair molecule (OFPMA) with long-lasting cuticle sealing technology to help smooth and seal down the cuticle and reduce pigment loss. And it improves hair’s manageability with amino acids that condition and protect strands, safeguarding against daily styling and environmental assaults.  This power-packed formula was engineered to intuitively target and transform the daily weathering of hair. An amino acid blend mimics amino acids found naturally in hair and penetrates into the cortex to keep hair smooth, soft, and supple. Time-release conditioners and antioxidants ensure hair is properly hydrated while remaining strong and protected from environmental assaults. OFPMA combines with biomimetic lipids designed to mimic the lipids found naturally in the F-layer—keeping hair looking, feeling, and behaving its very best.

Ingredients: Water, Octafluoropentyl Methacrylate (OFPMA), Ethylhexyl Stearate, Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Isohexadecane, Quaternium-91, Isoamyl Laurate, Polyquaternium-4, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Isododecane, C13-15 Alkane, C10-40 Isoalkylamidopropylethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Linoleamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Cetearamidoethyl Diethonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein,E58, Fragrance, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Seed Protein, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Phytic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glycerin, Sodium PCA,PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Dipropylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycolic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Citronellol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Citral, Geraniol cosDNA analysis

Sephora Collection Rouge Shine Lipstick in #14 Love Spell  This is from Sephora’s newest lipstick line and the shade they sent is pink.  I don’t wear pink lipstick.  I mean, it is baby pink and on my lips, it would just disappear.  I will gift this to my young niece, as she likes pink lipsticks.  I wish they would have sent a shade for fall ~ this type of pink is screams springtime, not fall.  This is described as high shine and looks to be a sheer, but buildable color.  I really like #34 Royal Wedding as that looks to be a  rose-berry shade.  1 gram RV $3.29

Description: Show-off your gorgeous smile with this easy-to-wear formula that offers heightened transparency and shine. Lips will look brilliant while drenched in this collection of glossy, shimmering, and metallic hues. The Hydra-Comfort complex blend of moisturizing oils and antioxidiant vitamin E ensures optimal comfort, while nourishing and protecting your lips. The glossy shades include clear pigments and carnauba wax for a dazzling, wet-lip look. The shimmering and metallic formulas contain 3D shimmering particles and shea butter for extreme radiance. The precise product design enables a flawless lip definition and the vast array of shades will compliment your entire wardrobe. 

• Refractive Index Oils: Offer high shine.
• Vinyl Copolymer: Offers a magnifying effect that increases the apperant brightness of pearls.
• Large Pearls: Up to four times the size of pearls used in similar shimmer lipsticks.

Ingredients: Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/ Hexastearate/Hexarosinate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Polyethylene, Cetyl Acetate, Cetyl Alcohol, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Cera Microcristallina (Microcrystalline Wax), Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Jojoba Esters, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Stearyl Acetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Oleyl Acetate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, CI 15850 (Red 7), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, BHT, Tribehenin, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, CI 15850 (Red 6), Sorbitan Isostearate, Lactic Acid, Tocopherol, Limonene, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel This is my third sample of this product ~ I received one years ago and gave it away (and I still don’t know why)   A year ago, I received one in a Birchbox and I loved it!!  My brows are pretty dark and shapely already, and even though I may want to touch them  up at times, most of the time, I do not use a colored brow product ~ I love these clear brow products.  I used to use clear mascara (remember when that was a thing?) but I cannot find clear mascara anymore in drug stores, so I really love using this brow gel. This is a sample that I do not mind getting in any of my boxes!!  This is my unboxing review from last year:

A few years ago, I received this in another subscription and I gave it away ~ stupid me!  I have, over the last few years, tried a lot of brow products, from pencils to elaborate systems that use powder and wax.   And you know what I discovered? I am already blessed with dark, shapely eyebrows.   Sure, there might be times where I might want to “fill” in my brows but that isn’t an everyday occurrence, or even a quarterly occurrence, if I am being honest here.  I don’t like the really heavy dramatic and drawn-in brow look ~ and knowing me, I would probably rub my eyes and forehead and then there would be this dark streak of eyebrow color across my face!  haha.   What I DO need is a clear gel.  Years ago, before there was such a thing on the market, I used an eyebrow brush and some hairspray ~ I would spritz the hairspray on the brush and then quickly brush my brows in place ~ hey, it worked!   Then, when companies came out with clear mascara, I used that.   It is time that I use a product specifically meant to keep my stray eyebrow hair in place while conditioning with natural botanicals.  I am pretty happy with the sample size too!   This can be used by itself or if I have used a brow pencil, use it over that. 

Deluxe Size 2.5 mL Value $6.68

Description: A clear gel for all hair colors that sets, defines, and holds brows in place all day. This long-wearing clear gel sets and defines brows without fuss. The soothing chamomile formula also conditions hair and offers a lustrous, natural look.

Ingredients: Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Butylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

 

Atelier Cologne Sud Magonlia (from Collection Azur) I am a huge fan of Atelier Cologne ~ they make some delicious and unique scent combinations, the packaging is wonderful and most of their scents are unisex.  They can be a bit sharpish for some, but I really love the fresh, sharp bite of their perfumes.  Atelier also encourages blending scents together ~ I mix their orange and vanilla together as those two really complement each other.  That said, I cannot use this one, because it has rose in it ~ it is rare that I cannot use an Atelier perfume, but in this case, I will have to pass on it.  It does sound lovely, but the rose floral scent just makes me sneeze.  One thing I love about getting the Atelier samples, however, is that they package their samples with a lovely postcard with the theme of the perfume.  This scent is exclusive to Sephora.  Sample Size .04 oz (??) RV $2.80

Description: A completely unexpected experience inspired by ingredients from regions where water and sky become one, Sud Magnolia is a floral and fresh fragrance with notes of magnolia from Louisiana, bitter orange from Seville, and atlas cedarwood from Morocco. The sharp tang of citrus blooms into a grand floral celebration. This warm floral fragrance is exclusive to Sephora. It provides the freshness and elegance of a cologne, but is designed to provide lasting fragrance on the skin. 

Notes: Bitter Sevillian Orange, Pomelo from Florida, Blackcurrant, Magnolia from Louisiana, Bulgarian Rose Absolue, Indian Saffron Flower, Atlas Cedarwood from Morocco, Sandalwood, Musk.  Style:  Sophisticated. Refined. Romantic.

 

Ole Henricksen Sheer Transformation Cream   I am not exactly thrilled with this.  I received this in my first Sephora Play! box, exactly one year ago! I am not happy with a repeat item here ~ with all of the brands and samples Sephora has, there is no excuse to repeat a product like this one year later.  This is different from the brow gel repeat, as Sephora wasn’t the subscription box that sent it to me before.   I wasn’t impressed by this cream, as it did cause me to break out.  However, everyone’s skin is different ~ This is a moisturizing light weight cream that is oil free and is supposed to help brighten your skin tone.  It absorbs quickly into my skin, leaving no sticky or greasy residue behind.  It does contain licorice and vitamin C, which will help fade hyper-pigmentation and it has some soothing ingredients as well.  It does smell pretty medicinal, but not in a good way ~ it has a chemical scent to it.    Sample Size .25 oz RV $7.00

Description: An oil-free, lightweight moisturizer that nourishes skin as it gently exfoliates and fades dark spots. Skin feels fresh, healthy, and bright with this lightweight moisturizer’s silky whipped texture that melts into skin. A potent blend of actiwhite™, licorice, and vitamin C help fade dark spots, even skintone, and prevent premature signs of aging while botanical fruit acids gently exfoliate and retexturize. The calming blend of sandalwood, geranium, and chamomile soothes, balances, and purifies the skin to minimize pores while glycerin lightly hydrates. Sugar cane and multifruit AHAs gently exfoliate to refine texture, even tone, and soften the look of fine lines as vitamin C brightens and provides antioxidant protection from environmental aggressors. Vitamin E heals, restores, and nourishes the skin, leaving you with a healthy-looking, smooth, refreshed complexion.

Ingredients: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Tribehenin, Glycerin, Steareth-20, Steareth-2, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Tocopheryl Acetate, Calcium Ascorbate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Wood Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Berberis Vulgaris Root Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Superoxide Dismutase, Sucrose Dilaurate, Sorbitol, Octyldodecanol, Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Dimethyl Sulfone, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Farnesol  cosDNA analysis

 

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in  Trooper   This is absurd.   This is the second repeat brand in my box that Sephora sent out ~ this time in MARCH.  Once again, I am not happy about this.  Sephora, why are you SENDING OUT REPEAT items?  I hope this is because they had such a limited amount of subscribers originally and they don’t view these are repeat items.  I was with the box from the beginning, but still… I think it is a disservice to their customers.   Enough about that… my original unboxing review still remains the same on this product.

This is a matte  ink black liquid eyeliner and if you read my blog on a regular basis, you know I love liquid eyeliners.  My favorite is a drug store brand called Jesse’s Girl and I am interested in seeing how Kat Von D Tattoo liner holds up.   This is a very pigmented and it is waterproof as well as vegan.  It has 325 flexible bristles that come to a fine point ~ I love liquid eyeliners that are brush tips and not felt ones.  I think I have better control with the liner that way.   I do love the precision from using this liner and I think that it is really fantastic!  However, I think that Jesse’s Girl has the same quality as Kat Von D Tattoo’s liner  ~ it has a calligraphy-style brush as well that allows you to create fine, precision lines, highly pigmented, long lasting and waterproof.  It is also $12.00 cheaper and comes in other colors on Jesse’s Girl online shop.  The only advantage that Kat Von D has over Jesse’s Girl is that it is vegan.  This is a great eyeliner and I will use it, but I won’t purchase it.   

Sample Size .007 oz  RV $6.65

Ingredients: Water, Ammonium Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Beheneth-30, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Metylparaben, Polygylceryl-3 Disiloxane Dimethicone, Propylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Black 2

 

This month was not that great from Sephora Play!  I love the hair mask and brow gel, but I am very unhappy that 1/3 of my box are repeat items from Sephora Play!  There is no excuse for this at all since Sephora is so new with the subscription boxes ~ even if they did do repeats, they should have waited at least a couple of years, right?  The lipstick won’t be used by me, due to its pink shade, but I will purchase another shade from them, as it looks really nice and I have been impressed with Sephora’s makeup collection recently.  Hopefully next month will be better in terms of new items and no repeats.  I called customer service about this, but I am not sure they quite understood why repeats are not a good thing to have in a sub box!    I paid $10.00 + sales tax (so it was still under $10.50 or something like that) and I received a RV of $33.42, which is over 3 times what I paid for it.  These boxes do contribute to Sephora’s points system, so every month, an additional 10 points, plus there is always a 50 point card in each box ~ just go down to a Sephora store and redeem.

Did you get this month’s Sephora Play! Box?  What did you think of it and what was your favorite item?

 [ descriptions in italics from sephora’s product page ]

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