October’s Sephora PLAY! theme was, “The Cool Cut,” and was hinted to feature indie brands and new, stand-out products. Well, I definitely got a bit of that, though some brands are very mainstream and not new at all, neither are the products, so again the theme is sort of nebulous and some things fit, some don’t. This month also featured the most number of variations I think we’ve seen for this box yet, so it’s more likely that the samples picked are going to fit your beauty profile. It’s still fun to get these samples, so, on to the contents! For the record, my box was the variant with item # 1850106.
- Farmacy Skin Dew – 3.3 oz / $44 – (Product is .68 oz, value of $9.07 by volume) I’m not sure I’d use this on top of makeup as it says it can be used since it seems like spraying a glycerin based product over makeup would be a recipe for disaster. I did give this a quick try and I don’t like the scent at all. Mint is meant for toothpaste, not something you spray on your face and it just.. ugh. It also feels sticky even after giving it a few minutes to dry or sink in, so I can’t say I like this from the scent to the formula. I have been wanting to try a Farmacy product for a while though, so this was great to try, and good to know that this definitely isn’t for me. The brand is cruelty free though, so I love that!
- The Estee Edit Flash Photo Gloss – .27 oz / $20 – (Product is .1 oz, value of $7.41 by volume) The color is, “01 White Flash,” and is a pearlescent colorless cool-toned gloss. It’s rather sticky and thick for a gloss, and doesn’t pass the hair-stick test (my hair totally stuck to my lips in the gloss when I shook my head around). There’s no discernible color payoff, so the pearlescence doesn’t even show up, nor is there any discernible scent/flavor (it’s supposed to be vanilla fragranced). Estee Lauder isn’t an indie brand and this isn’t a new, stand-out product, so this feels weird to be in the box for this theme.
- Naked Elephant T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum – 30 mL / $90 – (Product is 5 mL, value of $15 by volume) Another cruelty-free brand I’ve been wanting to try. This sounds like a good choice for my skin profile as it claims to be a solution for dullness, blemishes, and dark spots. It can be used all over the face or as a spot treatment, and one drop was plenty to cover my whole face. There’s no real scent to the product that dispenses as a clear gel. The 5 mL sample size should be enough to see if it makes a difference or not since 5 mL should go a fairly long way. The product is pricey, but at a 30 mL size, that should last an average person months and months.
- Derek Lam 10 Crosby Silent St. – 1.7 oz / $95 – (Product is .05 oz, value of $2.79 by volume) I think this might be the first perfume sample I’ve liked! The base is white musk so it’s a musk, but lighter, with the faintest soapy, sweet floral notes. It’s ok! Nothing I’d go out and buy, but this is a sample I’ll actually keep and use.
- Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick – .13 oz / $24 – (Product is .07 oz approx, value of $12.92 by volume) The color I received is, “Driver’s Seat,” which is described as a warm pink. I’ll admit that I was skeptical of the color at first since it seemed a little yellow-toned and anything that tips over to yellow or a coral type shade just doesn’t work with my skin tone. On first application I thought well, maybe this is just a somewhat darker neutral, and it’s not so bad. But I’m torn – this trends over to look a little orangey on me and.. I’m not sure. I think “Shockaholic” is a shade better suited to my skin tone. It may take a few extra wears to sell me on the color. The formula goes on rich and creamy and dries very matte and does. not. budge. I’m impressed with the product and the formula, but not as much with the color, but it may grow on me.
- Madam C.J. Walker Scent & Shine Coconut Oil – 1.7 oz / $26 – (Product is .15 oz, value of $2.29 by volume) This is RIGHT up my curly hair alley. The ingredients are coconut oil and fragrance, so it seems like a lot to pay for what is essentially perfumed coconut oil, so I’m not sure I’d buy this on my own. The scent is delightful – coconut and vanilla with a bit of woodsy musk. Since my curls are always parched, I tried this right away. Five drops were enough to give my ends a good coating and left a little behind to smooth into my hands as a little bonus treatment. The scent is really delightful, and if it wasn’t just scented coconut oil, I may be interested in buying this again, but since it’s just coconut oil, and I can get that pretty cheap at the grocery store, I have a hard time justifying the price for just the fragrance (but I do REALLY REALLY like it). I love that I got to try this though, and it’s absolutely perfect for my profile.
So, all together, the value of the box is $49.48 which is great for the monthly cost of $10.60 including tax and shipping. I think the product I like the most is the Madam C.J. Walker Scent & Shine Coconut Oil since it’s just the perfect fit for me. My least favorite is the Estee Edit Flash Photo Gloss since it’s just way too thick and sticky, even for a gloss. Overall though, I got to try a bunch of products I’ve been eyeing up for quite a while, so that’s great, even if some of them didn’t wow me as much as I had hoped. Having a trial size to test out before going all-in on the full size is fantastic, and not having to go fight through the mall and parking to get to a Sephora store and ask for a sample is even better. The theme for November is, “Best in Glow,” so I’m looking forward to what they pick for my profile for next month!