The other day I came to the realization that I’ve really been slacking in the beauty and makeup review aspect of this blog, especially when it comes to subscription boxes. It’s been a while since I’ve written a standard product-by-product review of a subscription box for the month, so today I thought that I would take you all through this month’s Sephora Play.

If you are unfamiliar with Sephora Play or want to read a little bit more about my overall experience with the service, you should check out my most recent Sephora Play review. In that post, I talked about Sephora Play in more detail and outlined some of the things that I like best about it. I also recently wrote a post about the overall pros and cons of beauty subscription services, if you’d be interested in reading that. (I know, I know. Enough with the self-promo)

Anyways, let’s get into the review, shall we? So far, I’ve been really happy with July Sephora Play Box. I think it contained a fun and diverse set of products and I’ve found myself excited to try out all of them. When it comes to beauty subscription boxes, this is a rarity for me. There’s usually at least one product that I feel pretty ambivalent about. But that hasn’t been the case with July’s Play Box. I’ve honestly been interested in everything.

The first product in my box was the It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara. (Side-note: that’s kind of a mouthful, isn’t it?) If you know me, then you know I like to keep it simple when it comes to mascara, which means I usually don’t splurge on high-end ones. Purchasing expensive mascaras has always seemed like a waste of money to me. I’ve never used one that has been so good that it’s had me thinking ohmygodicanneveruseanothermascaraagain, so for the most part I’ve just stuck to inexpensive drugstore ones. Nevertheless, I was excited to try out this one, because I’ve been loving the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty palette recently.

While I was looking forward to trying out another It Cosmetics product, I have to admit this felt like just another run-of-the-mill mascara to me. It was a good product that made my lashes noticeably longer and darker, but it didn’t change my mind about high-end mascaras. And although I probably won’t repurchase it, I did get a lot of use out of it, so I do consider it to be a worthwhile sample.

Next item up is the bareMINERALS Gen Nude Liquid Lipcolor in the shade “Swag.” As soon as I opened up my Sephora Play Box, I was fawning over this liquid lipstick. The lipstick is a pretty mauve shade and has a fantastic smell. One of my biggest concerns with liquid lipstick is that it is usually very drying, but I didn’t find that issue in this one. It did, however, transfer fairly easily, which I was somewhat disappointed about. It’s definitely a worthwhile purchase if you’re looking for a gorgeous liquid lipstick that won’t crack or dry on your lips, but be warned that it doesn’t last as long as a lot of other liquid lipstick formulas. Before purchasing, make sure to figure out which of these qualities is more important to you.

Another item I received in my Play Box this month was the Milk Makeup Cooling Water. Now I have to admit that I had to read up on what this product was before I used it, because I had never heard of a cooling water before. In a nutshell, it’s a gel that you apply to your face to cool and energize your skin. A lot of the reviews on this product are mixed, but I happen to really like it. I don’t wear a lot of makeup in the summer, so this is a great and refreshing product to apply on really hot days. It makes my skin feel refreshed, moisturized, and completely awake. It’s a tad sticky and smells sort of strange, but I really love its effects. I think I might buy a full-size one to throw in my purse.

The next product is something that I would never have expected to like: Boscia’s Charcoal Pore Pudding Intensive Wash-Off Treatment (Now that’s definitely a mouthful). If you know anything about me, I absolutely despise face masks. I hate having them on my skin and the fact that they’re so messy to remove. But I can’t help but enjoy this charcoal treatment. After I used this mask, my skin felt incredibly soft and rejuvenated. It was very gentle on my skin and made my pores look noticeably smaller. While I haven’t changed my feelings on face masks, I have to say that this one could be a game changer.

For hair, I received the Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray, which I really enjoyed. My natural hair is a little wavy and typically on the drier side, but this product seemed to bring out my waves and lock in moisture. My hair felt very healthy and conditioned. The product didn’t feel greasy or heavy in my hair, which is something I find in a lot of leave-in conditioners.

Finally, the fragrance in this month’s Play Box was Atelier Cologne’s Orange Sanguine. Although I’m not a big perfume person, I thought this was a fun, citrus scent for the summertime. It’s light and fresh and doesn’t irritate my senses. The full-size bottle is pretty pricey, so I doubt I’ll end up buying it, but it’s a wonderful scent.

All things considered, this month’s Sephora Play Box has been one of my favorites. I think they did a great job of selecting a variety of products, ranging from makeup to skin care to hair care. Sephora Play continues to impress me each month and I can’t wait to see what arrives in my next box. Let me know if you’d like to see more reviews like this in the future.

Have you tried out Sephora Play? 

Sincerely,

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