February PLAY! by Sephora Unboxing/First Impressions

It’s been awhile since I did one of these. I think the last one was in December. So, this has been a long time coming. Without further ado, let’s get started.
This month’s theme: The Soft Side
 

Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in Milkshake: I saw this product and was kind of weary to try. I have heard these can be kind of harsh and most try it and immediately wipe it off because it’s too intense. According to the pamphlet, this product is infused with botanicals that aid in the plumping process. It is also supposed to hydrate and soften the lips throughout the day. They use avocado and jojoba oils to do so. I didn’t leave it on long enough to experience this effect. It has this tingling sensation that comes on slowly and then gets pretty intense. I have been dealing with sensitive and dry lips all winter long and having this product on them was not fun. I had to take this product off right away. As for removal, it comes off easy with a little bit of micellar water or makeup remover. You will have to do a couple swipes though. My lips still tingled a bit after removing the gloss, which wasn’t great 🙁 Since I didn’t leave it on for a long period of time, I’m not sure if it actually plumps. The scent is not my favorite it either. It smells vaguely minty, which could be the botanicals in the product. I do like that it goes on sheer. It has a gold sparkle running through it and on my lips it just looked like my natural lip color peeking through. The pamphlet says it is a pink nude color, but I don’t believe that. I think it would look good over another color. The consistency wasn’t the greatest either. It has that typical sticky feeling of gloss. Finally, the packaging. I am a sucker for packaging, but I didn’t really find this packaging all that appealing. I mean it’s cute, but it isn’t something I would automatically gravitate towards.

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream: You all already know that I love this product, and anything Origins. I am glad to have a mini travel size, especially since I am probably going on a trip this summer. If you want to know how I feel about this product, go check out my post I did back in December of some of the Origins line. The only thing I will update you on is that this product may not be the best one for my eye area at the moment. Lately, I have been suffering from dry skin around the eyes and when I apply this product it gets a little stingy. This could be circumstances and the weather. I will have to see.

Bite Beauty Multistick in Cashew: I have been dying to try Bite Beauty products for long time now, so when I saw this I was super excited. It is made with all natural products that are food grade. In fact, all their products are made this way. This is the one thing I love about this brand. As the name suggests, you can use this product for multiple purposes. I used it on my lips. But you can also use it on the eyes or cheeks. I don’t think I would use this on the cheeks because the color (a deep brown, nude) is quite dark. Maybe for the fall/winter months. However, I did like the color on my lips. The feel of it on the other hand…not my favorite. I had to add a lip balm over the top of it to make it glide better. It felt very drying on my lips. That being said, I suggest using a lip balm or gloss before or after applying. As for application, it does glide on the lips really well and also blends really well. There isn’t really a scent. I know it’s kind of weird to talk about scents with lip products, but that’s usually one of the first things I check. Sometimes lip products smell chemically. The staying power is pretty good, even with balm on top. There isn’t a lot of transfer when drinking or eating and that could be because it wears like a weightless powder. Removal was very easy too. I just took a cotton pad with micellar water and with one swipe it was gone.

Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturizer: This product is an oil-free moisturizer, which is perfect for my oily skin. It also serves two purposes, it moisturizes and it primes the face. This is great for those of us who want one less step in our makeup routine 🙂 Like I said, it can be worn with makeup or alone. I chose to use it more like a moisturizer for the purpose of telling you about. I found that I would more likely use it as a primer before applying makeup. It has kind of a similar texture and consistency of the Smashbox one I use; very siliconey. There isn’t a scent, which is always a plus for face products. I didn’t really notice any visible blurring of the pores, though.

Sephora Collection LashCraft Length & Volume Mascara: Usually, I’m not that excited about find a mascara sample in these things. This time was no different. I have my favorite mascara and so I stick to it. But, I will try others out. This one was okay. I like that this was a black mascara, but that’s all I liked about it. The wand wasn’t the greatest. It has what Sephora calls a flat, paddle-shaped applicator. It was not my cup of tea. It was hard to use and was too big and clumsy to apply to my lashes. The formula wasn’t the greatest either. It was very wet, which meant that when applying to my lashes it transferred. Not fun! The one thing I did find interesting about the formula was that it is nylon-infused. I don’t think I have ever used a mascara with nylon in the formula. It definitely elongated my lashes, but I don’t know if added volume to them. It also didn’t keep the curl. I have very stick straight lashes, so I like to lean towards waterproof mascaras. This one must not be waterproof. Lastly, removal was easy. Just a swipe of micellar water (can you tell I love micellar water yet? 🙂 ) and it was gone.
 

Perfume Sample

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino: I have three words for this perfume…NOT A FAN!!! When first sprayed, it has a watery, ozoney scent to it. Once it absorbs, it smells like when a guy sprays too much cologne but with a more feminine, diluted touch. If you’re into that, then I will suggest less is more with this perfume. According to the pamphlet, the fragrance blend is in the fresh family, has top notes of Italian bergamot, middle notes of lemon and lavender, and a base note or neroli. It is supposed to represent the Italian Riviera. I haven’t been, so I guess I have to take their word for it 🙂 It also has citrus oils and floral notes, both of which I am fans of but not in this concoction. Finally, even if I did like this perfume I wouldn’t purchase it. Tom Ford is a very expensive brand. I think it would be great if you wanted to really spoil someone and gift it.
 
That was what I received in February’s PLAY! by Sephora box. I hope you enjoyed reading what I thought. Let me know if the comments below if you receive this subscription and what your favorite product was from this month’s. I would love to hear your thoughts 🙂
 

Jess

xx