Review | Play! by Sephora April 2016

As April is my birthday month, I had really high expectations for this month’s box. No, Sephora isn’t going to make a better box just for me, but they did actually pull through and give me a Play! box that I loved! There were so many high end samples in this month’s box and a lot of things that I’ll definitely get a lot of use out of now that the weather’s warming up and my skin is drying up.

Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment

Before you scoff at the price of this serum, I have to say that it works wonders. I’ve already had a sample of this and LOVED using it every night. I would wake up with my skin feeling more plump and looking brighter. No, it didn’t remove any marks or give me a whole new face, but my skin was noticeably more radiant and appeared much more youthful. Sephora offers a duo with the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil where each product’s contents are cut in half for only $78 (available here). So no, I wouldn’t purchase a full size version of this product at the moment, but you better believe that once my Accutane treatment is over, I’ll be scooping up the duo. Everyone raves about Sunday Riley and pays the ridiculous prices for a reason. I’m really glad Sephora featured Good Genes in the Play! box, especially because a sample this size should last a few weeks.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

I LOOOOOOVE the NARS Lip Pencils, espcially the mattes, of course. When the 2015 Sephora birthday gift set was NARS’s Lip Pencils in Cruella and Rikugien, I was like, “YAAAS a Cruella backup,” but I was actually turning my nose up at the satin pink lip option. I’m so angry at myself for judging this product without trying it because it’s become one of my fave lip options of all time. It’s such a lovely pinky nude and because it’s from the NARS Lip Pencil range, it has major staying power. This is something that flatters loads of skin tones and it’s super easy to throw on when you don’t know what else to wear. Plus, it’s kinder to my dry lips than the mattes at the mo.

Sephora Colorful Cheek Ink Gel in Peony

I’m a sucker for any cream/oil/gel based cheek products and this is no exception. I love how natural it is and because I have really rosy cheeks (read: super red), I tend to stray away from piling on the blusher. This shade in particular is great because it applies quite lightly, but can be built up to achieve a more pigmented look. It also really helps with radiance because it’s a gel, so this + highlighter are a magical team.

Derek Lam 10 Crosby 2am Kiss Fragrance

Basically just an explosion of flowers in your face. Not as bad as Flowerbomb (is that what it’s called?), but still pretty bad. Idk why Sephora keeps sending us floral samples. Some nice, neutral, fresh citruses would do nicely for a change.

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream

You should never say no to eye cream, especially when it comes in packaging this cute. I’ve been using this in the mornings under my makeup and I like it because it’s definitely very light and blends in nicely. I can’t really say it’s done much in the way of brightening my under eye area, certainly not like the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream.  Regardless, it  totally works as a moisturizer for the eye area without disrupting my makeup. Also, it’s a really good size and it’s definitely helping me during my Accutane treatment when everything is dry and needs extra moisture.

MILK MAKEUP Sunshine Oil

I had really high hopes for this to be more than just a facial oil, but it hasn’t worked quite how I wanted it to. I wanted it to help with the appearance of my foundation, which has been looking patchy and streaky since starting Accutane. I first mixed it in with my Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation and then applied, only to find that I had put too much oil and foundation and it was just a mess to work with. Then, I applied it alone under the same foundation one day and under the Bourjois CC Cream the next day. I think it worked better this way, but there was still some streakiness along my cheeks and on my forehead. It works well as an oil to hydrate and add radiance, plus it smells AMAZING and JUST LOOK AT THIS SAMPLE PACKAGING. Maybe I’m just not good at makeup cocktails.

I enjoyed this month’s box A LOT. In fact, the past three boxes have been pretty great, so I’m going to keep my subscription until the end of the summer. How are your Play! boxes going?? Xx Sabrina