Beauties; I have for you, my second installment of the Play! by Sephora subscription box!   Whether you are new to this beauty sub, are still blacklisted..I mean waitlisted or have sworn Sephora off altogether while trying to figure out the methods to their madness in regards to ‘Play!’; you likely still enjoy stalking reviews and photos of other people’s box so you can then feel even more sad about it.  Maybe that was just me.  Either way; here’s the lowdown:

Play! by Sephora

The beauty subscription box that brings you the best of it.

Each month, you’ll look forward to:

A curation of five deluxe samples handpicked from Sephora shelves (plus a fragrance bonus) all in a collectible bag – for just $10.00 (ships free) US only

Tips, Tricks, how-tos and beauty advice to get the most out of your products.

Free one-on-one tutorials and subscriber meet ups in your local Sephora.

June Theme:

The Minimalist

June ‘Bag’:

The Goods:

Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Mascara:  Mascara Mini $12.00

I could not even begin to imagine just how many tubes of this mascara; mini or otherwise, that I have owned since it launched…has it been almost 5 years ago now?  Wild; well, it has definitely held its own, hasn’t it?!  It’s a great mascara, unique wand, one that separates really well and gives lashes both length and volume.  At one time it was my go-to favorite mascara.  Other mascaras have come and gone, new favorites have popped up.  I still open a mini ‘They’re Real’ now and then, as I have a stash. 😉

Wand up close

Tarte Tartegaurd 30 Sunscreen Lotion:  Deluxe mini Full size is $12.00 – $32.00

This is another product I own and have owned in the past as well.  I first sampled this sunscreen in last year’s ‘Sephora Sun Safety kit’  Which was; interestingly enough, my very. first. blog. post. ever.  I am certain it was a gem. 😉  This is a mineral sunscreen comprised of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.  This is not a bad sunscreen but I am very picky about items I put on my super finicky facial skin that could possibly upset it, make it look greasy or cause a breakout.  I’ve found a couple really great, super lightweight, virtually disappearing, multi-tasking, k-beauty sun creams this year.  These types work so well for my skin; I’ll likely never turn back.

Swatches

Bumble & Bumble Don’t Blow it:  Mini Full Size is $15-$31.00

I almost never blow dry my hair anyway and in the event that I do; I wait until it is at least half way there, as it takes far longer than any time frame that I am willing to commit to for hair.  I really do not dig my natural wave, it’s kind of ‘all over the place’: frizzy, kinky pieces, really wavy parts, slightly wavy portions and pieces that are nearly straight.  I’ve owned this product in the past and it’s just not for me because, fact of the matter is; after washing, I’m going to straighten my dried hair, despite what I ultimately chose to do with it after.  It helps mash down the cuticle and allow it to lay better with less frizz and puff.  If I want waves, they’ll be there by morning.

Becca Backlight Priming Filter: Deluxe mini.  Full size is $38.00

This product is a total win.  I have never seen this in a mini version but I own the full size and I love, love, love it.  This will be excellent to have as I can now bring along a travel version with me on trips.  I purchased this when it was brand new and  reviewed it on my blog.  The very first time I used this, a woman stopped me in a store to tell me how beautiful my skin was.  Because my skin is no longer radiant and I have been struggling with it in many ways throughout the past couple of years, I could only credit the compliment to this primer, which quickly became my favorite.  It truly makes your foundation look much more radiant and gives you a luminous, soft focus glow; which is fantastic for the oily skinned whom cannot pull off foundations with similar finishes.

swatches

Bareminerals Bareskin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer:  Deluxe Mini.  Full size is $28.00

This is a lightweight, blendable liquid bronzer that can be used alone or worn over foundation for a sheer, natural bronzed look.  This is the only product I did not already own from this bag.  I’ve never tried the product either, which is largely due to the fact that Bareminerals and the Bismuth oxychloride that is in many of their products, destroyed my skin, terribly.  It took a very long time for my skin to heal from this ingredient and I shudder at the thought of the brand to this day.  While I know that only some of their products contain this ingredient, and plenty are not bothered by this ingredient, I just chose to step away from the brand altogether to be on the safe side.  I checked the ingredients to be sure and it does not contain the dreaded ingredient, so I decided to go for it.  It is summer and it is a serum, so I went sparingly and added some to my matte foundation.  It really does give skin a beautiful bronzed glow that gets my face a bit closer to the shade of my body.  I added a bit more on the areas the sun naturally hits, as they are not my breakout prone areas. It looked gorgeous but I could easily tell using too much would eventually leave my forehead looking too oily and break up my foundation but a bit of setting powder helps.  This product will probably work best for those with drier to normal skin types.

Swatches

The perfume Sample:

Tocca Beauty Florence:  Sample Vial.  Full size is $22.00 -$68.00

Tocca is a brand with a total cult following…and I’m not really one of them.  I think they are just a bit too old worldly for me.  There are a couple that I do like; but this is not one of them.  It smells exactly like my grandma when I was a kid.  One whiff hits me like a time capsule to my past.  Mix in some Bactine, a little pink dove soap (or was it caress?) and you have my childhood.  Nostalgic, yes; but not what I wish to smell like.

The Play Book

The Play Pass

(redeem this is any store and receive 50 extra beauty insider points with purchase)

This was only my second Play! by Sephora and I’ve yet to be ‘overjoyed’.  It’s only 10 bucks, so I’m not complaining;  I suppose when you are, like myself, a Sephora VIB Rouge, you are going to have a lot of the samples they send and that’s just the way it goes.  I received some nice items though and others that I will pass on to another.

Any 1st or second ‘monthers’ out there?  What did you think of your first Play(s)!?

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Thanks for reading!

-Kelli xoxo