Special Sephora PLAY! First Impressions

When I got an email from Sephora with the offer to buy a special Sephora PLAY! box/bag, I knew I had to jump on it. This one is special because it contains 6 (5 actual products and 1 perfume sample) high-end beauty products. The best part is that it only cost $20! Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s available anymore. But, I thought I would tell you about the products and what I liked and didn’t like about them anyway. Maybe you’ll end up trying them out yourself.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Hourglass VEIL Mineral Primer: Besides the perfume I will talk about later, this is my favorite product out of them all. I never was really a primer using kind of gal. Either I would forget to use it or the ones i did use didn’t really work. I’m happy to say that this one does truly work for my skin. It’s the first one that actually blurred over my pores and didn’t feel like it was clogging them. I wasn’t a big fan of the packaging of it and the opaque white color kind of scared me. Speaking of that white color, it’s not scary it all. Even though opaque, it melts into the skin and goes on sheer. Also, I’m pretty sure the full-size packaging doesn’t look like this. The best thing about the primer is that it kept my makeup going strong all day. Of course, there were the usual spots where my makeup breaks up not matter what I do or wear. Hourglass tends to be a pretty expensive high-end brand, so I don’t know if I would purchase a full-size of this right away. There are a ton out there that are less expensive.

Dior DIORSHOW Mascara in 090 Pro Black: Again, I wasn’t a fan of the packaging but I’m sure the full-size isn’t like this. With this sample, I found you had to pull off the “cap” and it revealed the brush. Kind of weird, but whatever. Going back to the brush, it is a bristle brush and not plastic. This I like, but this one was almost too big for my liking. It was hard to maneuver and this is a big deal for me because I’m not super great at applying mascara. I always end up getting some on my eyelid. The formula is pretty wet, which is okay but I think I’ll like this mascara more after it dries out a bit. I did like that it lengthened my lashes. I think I have pretty short lashes that stick straight out and down. This is probably why I have issues applying mascara. Anywhosen, I also liked that it removed nicely. I didn’t have to scrub and it didn’t leave any extra residue.

Tom Ford Lip Color in Indian Rose: I can definitely say, without a doubt, that this isn’t my favorite formula of lipstick. It’s a matte formula that goes on smoothly and then dries down. This is not what I expected when I applied it. As it dried down, I could just feel the life being sucked out of my lips. This is the kind of matte I’m not a fan of. I also found that I should have put a liner on beforehand. The application would have looked cleaner. That being said, I did like the color. However, I do wish it was more of a pinky nude. All in all, I don’t think I will be wearing it ever again and will be keeping it for collecting purposes. There is no way in hell that I will be able to afford a full-size Tom Ford lipstick anytime soon.

SK-II Essence: This has become a holy grail product for lots of people. I have seen pretty much all the Youtubers I watch use it and rave about it. Now, I can’t really rave about it yet because I have only used it a few times. This is also another product that I can’t afford anytime soon, so I am going to savor this sample I have. I can tell you that I did like how it felt on my skin and that application is smooth. All you have to do is press it into your skin and you’re out the door. Well, I’m not exactly out the door because I have a few more steps after this one in my routine. I will also tell you that it does have a slight medicinal scent, but if you can get past that I’d say that it’s an okay product.

AMOREPACIFIC Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Crème: I don’t know if a scent can be beautiful, but this stuff smells beautifully. This is coming from the person who isn’t typically a fan of scented skincare products. I also personally like that this is a balmy texture. I like using these kinds of product when winter comes ’round because otherwise I find them too heavy. Since it is now fall and yesterday felt like winter (it literally was 30* outside when I woke up, brr), I’m okay with using this product. This product, I think, can be used instead of your regular moisturizer. I used it in conjunction with mine; kind of like a moisture booster.

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb: This perfume smells AMAZING! This is one of the perfumes I have been wanting to try for ages, so when I saw that this bag/box contained a sample I was super stoked. It is all the scents that I love in one perfume. Floral and sweet are definitely what I get from this perfume. I like that they aren’t overpowering either. Not too floral and not too sickly sweet. It’s the perfect fall scent and I have been wearing it pretty much everyday. The great thing about it is that it lasts all day and lingers on your clothes for a few days after. So, you go to put on a sweater you wore in the beginning of the week at the end of the week to find that it still smells just as amazing. It’s great!

I just want to apologize for not getting this up sooner for those of you who might have wanted to purchase this bag/box. Even though this item isn’t available anymore, you can still have a look and try these products out. And when/if you do, let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!

Jess xx