May & June Sephora Play! Boxes

It's been a long time since I posted a Sephora Play! Box review. In fact, I think my last post was about the December and January boxes. Yikes, my bad. Life has been extremely busy, but now it is time to finally get back on track. So since my last review was basically forever ago, I'm going to skip forward and tell you all about the last two boxes I received, which happen to be for May and June.

For those of you who have never heard of Play! by Sephora, it is beauty subscription service that includes five samples from high end brands that you know and love from Sephora as well as a bonus fragrance sample. So for $10 a month you get six samples plus some other perks from Sephora, like 50 bonus Beauty Insider Points and a free one-on-one tutorial with a Sephora Beauty Expert. Not a bad deal right?

The May Play! Box by Sephora highlighted some of the top products Sephora has to offer while also showcasing some new brands that are currently on the rise! Inside the Sephora Play! Box for the month of May were the following products:

• Tocca Stella Eau de Parfum
• Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask
• TrèStiQue Highlight + Perfect Multipurpose Stick in Maldives Luminescent
• Belief Hungarian Water Essence
• Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil
• Nudestix Magnetic Matte Lip Color in Greystone

The Tocca Stella Eau de Parfum is a sweet scent that combines a mix of fruity and floral smells. The mixture of blood oranges and freesia comes together to create a sweet scent that is flirty and fresh. It truly is the perfect scent for spring time and the beginning of summer.

Finding great quality hair products that are cruelty free and vegan can be hard to find. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But luckily, I know I can always count on my Sephora Play! Box to provide me with some great options. The Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask is a vegan and cruelty free hair mask that has a professional strength formula that gives great results. The mask is made with omega rich oils which provides your hair with shine and vibrancy all while treating damaged and dried out hair. After shampooing, apply the mask and leave it in for 10 to 15 minutes. The mask has a very earthy smell, you will either love it or hate it. Once your rinse the mask out and dry your hair you can already feel the change. It softens your hair and gives it a nice shine. The one problem with this product is that it is only available online.

Back in the day when I was a loyal ipsy customer, I became very familiar with the brand TrèStiQue. In fact I received the TrèStiQue Highlight + Perfect Multipurpose Stick in Maldives Luminescent in an ipsy bag as well as this Sephora Play! Box. To be quite honest, I was surprised to see this brand on the Sephora website because years ago you would never have found this brand in stores. But today, I learned otherwise, in fact, my local Sephora carries some TrèStiQue products. The more you know! However, it still seems like a majority of their products are available only online. But I digress. When you first apply the highlight, it is unnoticeable due to its very light shade. But when the light shines on the highlight, you can really see the glow.

When it comes to the Belief Hungarian Water Essence, I'm not sure what to make of it. It's technically not classified as a moisturizer, instead it is an additional step to add before. But the sole purpose of the product is to hydrate and moisturize your face. In my personal opinion, it's just an unnecessary product and step, unless your moisturizer is not getting the job done. But at that point, you're probably better off finding a new moisturizer. But anyways, I digress. When applying the water essence it can feel a little sticky at first, which definitely can throw you off. But after you apply it, your skin hydrates and softens over time.

One product that I was truly intrigued by was the Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil. It's called an oil but it acts more like a cleanser which is very interesting. It lathers very well and gets very foamy. This cleansing oil is hydrating while it removes any dirt or leftover makeup from your day.

The last sample in the May Play! Box was the Nudestix Magnetic Matte Lip Color in Greystone. This lip pencil is very thick and applies very well. However, do not be fooled by the color of the Greystone shade that is displayed online. On the website it looks like a light nude, however when you look at it up close and personal and put it on, it is actually a really dark brown. The shade itself is dark and bold, a little too dark for my taste but it is one of those shades that is in style at the moment. The color lasts all day, the only downside is that it is not hydrating whatsoever, so your lips may feel a little dry at the end of the day.

Overall Sephora's May Play! Box was not too shabby! A lot of the products were very good and only one product was a miss, so I'd give this box 4/5 stars! The one hit was the Tocca Stella Eau de Parfum and the one miss was the Belief Hungarian Water Essence. Now let's see what the June Play! Box has in store!

Now for the June Play! Box, Sephora chose six different products that were perfect for summer time. Whether you're poolside, chilling on the beach or trying to survive the heat each product can help you no matter what situation you find yourself in! Inside the Sephora Play! Box for the month of June were the following products:

• BVLGARI Omnia Crystalline Eau de Parfum
• Verb Sea Spray
• Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
• Coola Makeup Setting Spray SPF 30
• Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick
• Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer

Sometimes when it comes to fragrances the scents can end up smelling really fresh and great while other times the scents end up smelling like your grandmother's closet. Sad to say but the BVLGARI Omnia Crystalline Eau de Parfum is one of the few that needs to be locked away in your grandmother's closet. The scent is so strong and overpowering you can't get a clear idea what it is supposed to smell like. In fact to me, it smelled nothing like bamboo or a crystal. Instead it smells like rubbing alcohol. So for me, this fragrance is definitely a no go.

If your hair is naturally straight like mine, it's a blessing and a curse. Sure you don't need to flat iron it daily to get sleek straight hair but curling it or having volume or texture is such a chore. But with the Verb Sea Spray adding texture and volume is not a problem at all! The sea spray is infused with sea salt and hydrating seaweed to give your hair effortless beach waves. The spray itself smells really good and naturally blends in your hair without feeling sticky later.

Dry shampoo is probably the greatest beauty invention of all time. Anything to help push back washing your hair an extra day and not have it feel greasy and gross is a lifesaver. Normally, I stick to the regular drugstore brands, like Batiste or Not Your Mother's for my dry shampoo necessities. But every once and a while I like to indulge and treat myself to a more luxurious brand. I would definitely say that the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk is a luxurious dry shampoo, it also helps that it is an award winning product. The dry shampoo freshens up your hair instantly and also makes it feel fresh and clean. The oat milk spray smells really good and that scent transfers over to your hair very well. Sure it may be on the expensive side compared to others but if you have the extra bit of cash to splurge, why not?

Setting spray is another beauty lifesaver. Without setting spray, your makeup won't look as fresh at the end of the day. However when it comes to the Coola Makeup Setting Spray SPF 30, I have mixed feelings. First and foremost, I love how the setting spray contains SPF 30 in it for sun protection. However, when you're using the spray on your face it literally feels like you're spaying sunscreen on your face. For the first spray, it stinks and it stings. You need to close your eyes extremely hard otherwise they will burn. The first time you use the spray, it is absolutely the worst. You will smell like a skunk and your face will sting. If you're brave enough to try the spray again after the torturous first time, you'll feel slightly better. The smell goes away and the spray does not burn as much.

For the past couple of years liquid lipsticks have been all the rage. Every brand you can think of most likely has hopped on the bandwagon for this trend. In fact, one of the most popular liquid lipstick brands is Kat Von D. The Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick is a matte liquid lipstick. The shade, Lovesick, is a gorgeous pink nude that looks good on everyone. The liquid lipstick itself is very creamy and lasts for a very long time!

Primer is a makeup necessity, using a primer helps your foundation look smoother and last longer. There are also primers out there that do much more than just the bare minimum. Take a look at the Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer. Not only does it set your foundation, it also minimizes the presence of pores on your face. Luckily, I don't have too many problems with pores but this primer still does a good job setting my foundation and making my skin feel soft and smooth.

Overall the June Play! Box was all over the place. There were a lot of hits, and unfortunately a lot of misses. This was most likely the worst Play! Box I have received to date, which is why I'd give this box 3.5/5 stars. Which if you think about it, that's not so bad! The big hits in this box were the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk and the Verb Sea Spray. On the other hand, the big misses in this box were the BVLGARI Omnia Crystalline Eau de Parfum and the Coola Makeup Setting Spray SPF 30. I can't wait to see what the end of summer Play! Boxes have in store!

Until next time.