Oh man am I behind, like, crazy behind. Yes, this November edition of Sephora Play! arrived on time as usual, but it’s been sitting around until I had time to sit down and actually review it. Things get pretty crazy this time of year and with all the other commitments, the first thing to go is keeping up with the blog. But hey! Better late than never, right?
- The Estee Edit Dissolve The Drama – 6.7 oz / $32 – (Product is .5 oz, value of $2.39 by volume) I’m a total ingredient-reader, but the only way I could find a printed list of ingredients for this product was in the Sephora Q&A section – Estee Lauder doesn’t even have a list on their website! Anyway, the first oil is 9th out of 17 on the ingredient list, the first 7 being chemically derived thickening agents. Really unimpressive. The whole Estee Edit line is really unappealing to me since it feels like it’s trying too hard to be something young and hip but still using the same tired old ingredients and formulas in a new package. This has a very light fragrance that I don’t find appealing (stinky floral) and the texture is odd – like rubbing alcohol and oil at the same time. I won’t even dare bring this near my eyes to try it since they’re too sensitive and I love my plain jojoba oil for makeup removal MUCH better.
- Cover FX Illuminating Primer – 1 oz / $38 – (Product is .16 oz, value of $6.08 by volume) This is WAY too light for my skin. I didn’t find that it illuminated so much as visibly lightened and I’m already a pretty fair shade of pale to begin with. I probably couldn’t use this all over my face, just in areas where I needed a highlighting boost. Honestly, I prefer a more matte look and this definitely leaves behind a dewy sort of look that I don’t like.
- Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color – 1.64 g / $29 – (Product is 1 g, value of $17.68 by volume) The color I received is, “Rose Gold,” which is pretty much just plain gold (not like Apple’s new name for pink). I’m not a huge fan of cream/stick eyeshadows like this since they tend to crease, but I haven’t had a chance to try it out just yet, so the verdict is out so far! The color goes on nice and blends easily though so I’ll still use it, I’m just not huge on the formula.
- Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gel – .11 oz / $12 – (Product is .1 oz, value of $10.90 by volume) The color I received is, “Pin-Up Pink,” a pretty bright, almost neon pink. There’s really barely any color payoff, so the color isn’t nearly as intense on as it looks in the tube. For a gloss, it’s not that sticky and actually feels nicely moisturizing. There’s a light bubblegum scent/flavor to it that’s actually surprisingly nice!
- GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment – 1.2 oz / $69 – (Product is .3 oz, value of $17.25 by volume) My first thought was, DAMN, that’s pretty expensive for what’s basically a mud mask. The ingredient list has a decent concentration of an ingredient that contains AHA and BHA which my skin responds pretty well to, plus the usual clay and charcoal. Unfortunately, it has a very heavy peppermint scent to it as well as including peppermint oil, so that’s a total deal breaker for me. I did try it out since I had the sample. The formula is a medium to thin consistency and a dark grey from the charcoal with little bits/chunks of what are apparently tea leaves in the formula. You’re supposed to use it very thinly which may allow for about 3 applications in the sample tube. The peppermint makes it feel cooling, but it also caused my eyes to water since the scent is rather strong and after a little while my skin felt like it was burning too (I seem to be a little sensitive to peppermint oil). Did it work wonders on my skin? Ehh. Not $69 for just over an ounce of product miracles, but my skin did feel toned without feeling tight, so it was nice, but not quite worth the price tag. Between the peppermint and the price, this was fun to try, but I’d never buy it.
- Stella McCartney Pop Eau de Parfum – 1.6 oz / $72 – (Product is .05 oz, value of $2.25) The musk doesn’t balance out the awful florals enough to make this wearable for me, so this is another in a long line of floral fails for me. It’s not as terrible as some of the other samples, but it’s definitely not one I could wear and not want to wash off in under 10 minutes. I still prefer the cedarwood, sandalwood, and musks by themselves without any of the violet or plumeria.
For a value, this box totals up to $56.55 which is a great value when you consider I only paid $10.60 for the box including tax! This box was less of a hit than others since I really didn’t like half of the box, but the half I did like was where the big values were with the eye color and mud mask. I mean, even if I didn’t necessarily like the mask, I’m glad I had a chance to try it, especially since it has such a high price tag for the full size. And hey, the box is all about trying new things, so that works! Looking forward to December’s box!