PLAY! by Sephora: November 2016 Box

Aloooooha Friends!  It's been a little while and I apologize!  Midterms drove me nuts for a couple weeks after I last posted but I finally had a minute to reorganize my life and here I am!  I received my PLAY! by Sephora November box yesterday and I'm honestly so excited to share it with you.  If you read my post reviewing the products from my October box (click here if you haven't!) then you probably already know that I didn't have the greatest experience with all the products, but when I opened this box, I knew I would definitely love all, if not most, of the everything!  So like with last month, this post is going to be an overview of all the products in the November box and I will follow up with my full review of everything around the end of the week of some time next week.  If you're new and confused about what the PLAY! by Sephora box is, read about it in first post here!  So without further ado... Let's get into the box!

The theme of November's box is "Best in Glow".  The pouch is super cute and includes little illustrations of the products that are included in the box.  I have to say that I honestly do prefer last month's pouch but this one is still so cute!  It came with five beauty products and one perfume pick, all of which coincide with the "glow" theme, as well as a pamphlet explaining each product and a PLAY! Pass.  All the products included this month were specially curated to "bypass winter dullness and wake your skin up".  As always, the links will be to the full size of each product on the Sephora website!

"What A Light Idea!"
Cover FX Illuminating Primer

- A irritant and paraban free primer is perfect for prepping skin for a glowy finish.  It helps to eliminate dullness and includes vitamin rich ingredients and will also help the improve skin's clarity overtime for long-lasting luminosity.  I'm really excited to try this because I've been in the market for a good primer.  I love glowy, dewy finishes so this primer is definitely in the running!
The Specs: 5 mL / 0.16 fl oz tube

"Go For The Rose Gold"
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Rose Gold

- A multipurpose, high-pigmented shadow stick that claims to glide on and blend easily for transfer-proof, all-day wear.  It can be used as an eyeshadow or liner and is crease-resistant.  Subtle or opaque, this shadow stick and go either way.  I'm probably most excited to try out this shadow stick.  I usually looooove shadow sticks for inner corner or bottom lid highlight since I love the 애교살 (aegyosal) eye look.  You guys know I also love rose gold more than anything in the world, so I really, really can't wait to give this shadow stick a try!
The Specs: 1.00 g / 0.03 oz twist-up stick

This Month's Perfume Pick: "At The Pop of Your List"
Stella McCartney - POP

- Directly from the PLAY! pamphlet: "A celebration of self-expression and independence, this bold, contemporary scent layers bright floral notes over a base of sandalwood."  I haven't smelled this yet, but I have a pretty good feeling I'm going to like it since it's floral!
The Specs: 1.5 mL / 0.06 fl oz glass mini-mini spray.  Fragrance Family: floral and woody / Top Notes: tomato leaf, violet leaf, green mandarin / Middle Notes: frangipani, tuberose, violet / Base Notes: sandalwood, muck, cedar

"Get A Remove On"
The Estée Edit by Estée Lauder Dissolve the Drama

- A 2-in-1 makeup remover and oil cleanser that transforms to a milky foam with a little bit of water.  This oil is made with aloe vera, jojoba oil, and cucumber extract to give skin a healthy glow and supple feel.  I'm generally not a fan of oil based makeup removers since I am a combination skin type, but I've heard nothing but good things about The Estée Edit products so I can't wait to try this!
The Specs: 15 mL / 0.5 fl oz mini bottle

"Kiss and Gel"
Sephora Collection Ultra Shine Lip Gel in Pin Up Pink

- A hydrating, glossy lip gel that visibly plumps lips.  It was inspired by the luxe, lacquered finish of gel nail polish, this lip gel gives the lips a fuller appearance with a lustrous sheen in an always-flattering hot pink hue.  I love Sephora Collection lip products, especially the cream lip stain, but I normally stay away from glosses.  The color of this "lip gel" scares me because it's so bright and I really only wear nudes and mauves or berries, but I'll still try it for the blog, of course!
The Specs: 0.1 oz doe-foot applicator

"It's Pore and Simple"
GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment

- A skin-clearing mud mask with activated charcoal that will draw out dirt and impurities while also brightening and softening skin.  It can also be used as a 15-minute spot treatment for breakouts.  I know I already said I was most excited for one product, but I'm also most excited for this one.  These masks have been out for a while and so many people I trust swear by it, but their price tag is waaaay above my budget so I never got to try it, so I'm sooo glad it came in this month's box!
The Specs: 10 g/ 0.3 oz tube

And there are all the products in my November PLAY! by Sephora box!  I've probably used the word "excited" way too many times in this post, but can you tell I'm excited to try everything???  As promised, I'll be back at the end of this week at the earliest, with my full review of everything.  I can't wait to try it all out and let you know what I think, so stay tuned!  As always, thanks for reading, beauties!!!

ALSO HAPPY ALMOST THANKSGIVING! I'm so grateful for all of you beautiful people!  Have a wonderful holiday and eat lots of mashed potatoes! :)

Click here to see if there are any PLAY! by Sephora spots open!

Last Month's Box Overview!
Last Month's Box Review!

All the Love,
Cat <3

Cat Reviews: PLAY! by Sephora October 2016 Products

Aloha Friends!  Last week I received my first PLAY! by Sephora subscription box and shared with you everything in it here.  Since then, I've been trying all the products and I want to share a little update about how I liked them!  A cute lil disclaimer: these reviews are opinions that I've gained from trying these products.  My opinions are my own and it doesn't mean these products will work or won't work for you too!  Of course, it's inevitable that I won't love everything in my boxes each month, which is why I'll be breaking it down to HITS (products I loved and would purchase in their full sizes), MISSES (products that just didn't do it for me and I would probably avoid purchasing), and MEHS (products that I'm not really sure about or that just didn't leave an impression).  That being said, if you've tried any of these products, let me know how you liked them down in the comments <3

MISS: Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in Drivers Seat
{Full Size Price: $24}

- I was really excited to try this liquid lippie because you guys know how much I love liquid lippies, but this one just didn't cut it for me, and for one reason: the color is horrible.  It's way too orange for me.  I could see it working better as a summer lippie, but since it came in the October box, I expected a color that's catered to Autumn or a more every day color.  I ended up not even wearing it out or being able to wear-test it because the color was so off-putting.  Other than the color, the applicator posed sort or a problem for me.  It's a really unique shape, like a tear drop, and since I'm used to the usual doefoot applicators, it was really weird to use.  I appreciate the pointy end of the applicator because it made it really easy to get corners and clean edges.  I'll definitely be giving this lippie another go when the season is ready for the color, but for now, it's going into the lippie drawer.

MISS: Too Cool for School Egg Mellow Cream
{Full Size Price: $36}

- In my best Janice impression... OH. MY. GAWD. This moisturizer broke me out so much, I'm still recovering.  I literally only used it once and it was breakout city on my face the next morning. Besides the breakouts, it smelled AWFUL.  I can't even describe the scent, but it was waaay too perfumed for a moisturizer.  The smell put me off right away and I even contemplated washing it off my face, which honestly would've been a good idea considering my face my next morning...  You NEVER want anything you put on your face to be perfumed.  When I first applied it, it was super sticky and kind of hard to work into my skin, but it dries quickly and not sticky.  Other than all the negatives, it was actually super moisturizing and a little goes a long way with this product.  I feel bad that I'm giving this product such an awful review because I had really high hopes for it, but nothing EVER breaks me out so this one if definitely going into the box of stuff I'll never use again or maybe to one of my friends if they want to try it.

HIT: Verb Leave-In Mist
{Full Size Price: $14}

- Contrary to my disappointment in the first two products, this one made me so happy!  I've tried several leave-in sprays before but this one definitely takes the cake.  I sprayed it in my hair after I washed and towel dried it and the next morning my hair was sooooo soft and not tangled, which says a lot about this product since my hair is super dry for being bleached and color treating.  I raved about the scent of this leave-in mist in the initial introduction, and it turned out to be the only disappointment of this product.  I love the smell, but it doesn't transfer to your hair, which could be a positive for someone, but since I loved it so much, I was a little disappointed about it.  That, however, won't stop my from purchasing the full size of this when I run out!

HIT: NUDESTIX Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil in Belle
{Full Size Price: $24}

- I was honestly super skeptical about NUDESTIX before because I had a preconceived notion that this would be super drying, but it absolutely was not.  First off, I love the color.  It's perfect for everyday wear and very similar to my everyday NYX Lingerie in Bedtime Flirt.  The formula is light and not drying.  It claims a six hour wear time and it honestly lasted longer than that for me.  I wore one layer and let it set completely before I did any eating or drinking and there were no little lipstick marks on my drinks or utensils or sandwiches.  You really only need one layer, but after seeing how well it performed, I put on a couple more layers to see if it would be drying then and if it still stayed as long as it did before, and IT DID.  I haven't yet tried it as a blush, but I'll definitely be venturing into other NUDESTIX colors in the future.

MEH: Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel
{Full Size Price: $55}

- I was really confused on how to use this when I first tried it, but I got it now lol.  It was honestly such a strange experience because you apply it like a mask all over dry skin first, then wait 10 seconds and rub it into your skin until the dirt in your skin balls up and becomes little exfoliating particles.  You then use those dirt balls to exfoliate and then rinse your face.  The dirt ball aspect of this was super weird.  It's kind of like when you feel like your hands are dirty and rub them together and see all the dirt that accumulated, but on your face.  This peel left my face super red, which I'm curious about since I've had no prior experience with peels.  I tried it again today since it left me with a very "meh" feeling and honestly, nothing was different except for the fact that it didn't leave me looking like a tomato like the first time.  The whole "dirt balls" thing kind of grosses me out so honestly, this product is just meh overall.

HIT: Tom Ford Orchid Soleil
{Full Size Price: $120}

- I was really excited for this fragrance because it smells just like Hawaii during Christmas which is super nostalgic for me, and it did not disappoint!  I feel like it mixes well with my natural bodily scent and it's super long lasting.  The only thing about this perfume is that it is a little strong for my taste which means I'll probably skip out on wearing it everyday, and save it for special occasions instead, which is still A-OK since it means I won't have to spend $120 on the full size!

Hits: Verb Leave-In Mist, NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek in Belle, Tom Ford Orchid Soleil
Misses: Smashbox Always On Matte in Drivers Seat, Too Cool For School Egg Mellow Cream
Meh: Skin Inc. Pure Revival

I think my October 2016 box was a pretty good start.  I honestly did expect to love more than what I did, but half isn't too bad for it being my first box.  I can't wait to see what November has in store! Again, if you've tried these products, let me know what you think in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

All the Love,
Cat <3

Read my intro to PLAY! by Sephora October 2016