February Play! by Sephora

Oopsie... I'm a tiny bit late here with my low down on what's in the February Play! by Sephora box. Sorry guys, I blame new mom motivation syndrome. Sometimes, when I finally get 5 minutes, I just want to veg: read a book, mindlessly flip through Instagram, go on a Pinterest binge... you know what I mean? And then there was the whole website outage thing. I tweaked one little thing on my website host and caused myself a week of stress with a website I couldn't get running again. Argh... ANYWAY.. I'm back! Hooray!

I found this month's Play! box a little underwhelming, but the redeeming factor are the quality of the samples and relevancy. All brands are pricier, high-end brands, and all items are talked-about or newer items. Let's dig in...

• Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in Milkshake - Full size retails at $22, but this deluxe sample will last you quite some time. Aimed at softening, plumping and tinting lips, you're bound to find a shade you like with 6 different shades to choose from.

• NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Bound - Full size retails for $26. A semi-matte gloss in a pinky rose shade. It's formula is somewhere between a lipstick and a gloss. Provides hydration with a burst of color. 

• Marc Jacobs Decadence perfume - Notes of champagne, orange blossom, bergamot and vanilla (among others) make up this sensual fragrance. It'll cost you, with a 1 oz bottle retailing for $72.

• Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream - Kind of a cult classic, this eye cream energizes tired eyes. It helps with dullness, puffiness and dark circles. You'll get a lot of use out of this mini sample, but a full size will cost you $30. 

• Sephora LashCraft Length & Volume Mascara - A double sided brush with a flat paddle wand. Jet black color, and volumizing formula. The price is reasonable, ringing in at $12.

• Clinique Pep-Start HydroBlur Moisturizer - This Pep-Start line is fairly new to Clinique, and is targeted to a younger audience looking for more affordable prices (in my marketer eyes, at least). Good for oily and combination skin, this lightweight moisturizer hydrates while leaving the skin matte and blurring imperfections. A full-size will cost you $29.50.

Play! by Sephora costs $10 per month, and it really is an awesome way to get to try deluxe high-end brands before shelling out the big bucks. See other months here, here and here. If you're interested in signing up, click here - no affiliate link, just sharing the love! 

Ipsy Glam Bag | August 2016

August's Ipsy Glam Bag has arrived in my mailbox and it's full of goodies both full and deluxe-sized. It costs just $10/month and every month brings a fun new variety of things to try. Review your samples and you'll earn points you can redeem for full size products. I think Ipsy is a lot of fun, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're a beauty lover. If you're interested in signing up, click here!

Here's what came in August's bag...

• Rodial Smokey Eye Pen in Black - A highly pigmented gel liner. Build the intensity for your desired effect. Smooth and easy to apply. 

• Ciate London nail polish in Spinning Teacups - A pretty light lavender color. Ciate nail polishes boast high shine and easy application. This is a full size product - score! 

• NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam - A golden peachy shade that is mega glowy. Can be worn alone or tap it on to cheek bones for a hint of shimmer that's perfect for summer. 

• Organic Surge Perfecting Face Polish - Gently removes impurities and dirt. Formulated with rosemary and lemon oils to clear the complexion, chamomile and gingko biloba to soothe, and almond oil to soften. 100% free of harsh chemicals, no parabens, GMOS, or artificial fragrances. 

• Sally's Box Secret Garden Ampoule Masks - These are 2 step masks that hydrate the skin. Step one is to apply the included serum on the face, and step two is the sheet mask. They include olive oil to nourish and diminish fine lines, camellia oil for glowiness, and the microfibers in the mask allow the product to soak in to the skin. 

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know your thoughts!

Play! by Sephora | April 2016

April is the second month I've received the Play! by Sephora subscription service, and I was pretty excited to see what goodies would be inside. This subscription costs $10 per month, and you'll typically get 5 or 6 samples, one always being a Sephora brand product. I liked March's box, and I'll spare you my thoughts on April's until the end. If you're interested in trying out this beauty box, you can sign up here. 

Let's take a look at April's Play! box....

• Sephora Colorful Cheek Ink Blush Gel in Peony - This is a gel stain for your cheeks. It's quite light, and would take a bit of product to actually build up to something noticeable on your face. But, if you like a barely there blush, and you don't use much foundation (I could see this wiping away most powder and liquid foundations if applied on top), this might be the perfect thing for you! 

• Derek Lam 10 Crosby perfume in 2AM Kiss - Derek Lam perfumes are crazy expensive, so getting to try one out is a treat. 2 AM Kiss has notes of salty woods (salty woods? wtf does that even mean??) and amber. It was inspired by scenes outside of Derek's SoHo studio.... fancy. I actually really like this scent, but it reminds me of something I've smelled before, and if I can freakin' remember what it is, I'm sure I'd rather buy that than then spend $95 on a 1.7 oz bottle of this stuff.

• Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil - This oil is meant to be used from head to toe. It's made up of fragrance and essential oils including avocado, grapefruit peel, tangerine peel, mandarin, and lemon peel for a boost of hydration. It's free of parabens, sulfates and pthalates. 

• NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien - This is a dusty rose lip color, and honestly, a bit of a disappointment because this exact color was part of the birthday gift from Sephora last year..... meaning, I already have it. It's not really my color to begin with, so I'll pass this along to a friend. 

• Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream - This is a new product in the Clinique line. It aims to hydrate and de-puff the undereyes. It's formulated with peptides that help support your skin's natural collagen reserves (aka the stuff that plumps up your skin and makes it look youthful). It's oil-free and can be used under makeup if desired.

• Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment - Of all the samples, I am most excited about this one. This serum is supposed to exfoliate the skin and visibly reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. I've heard so many good things about the Sunday Riley line, and everything from the brand is CRAZY expensive, so I'm excited to try one of the products out! 

Overall, I liked April's box, and I continue to be happy with this subscription. I like that all the samples are big enough to get plenty of use out of that you'll know whether or not you want a full-size.

Have you subscribed to Play! by Sephora? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know! 

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March Ipsy Glam Bag

Ooooohhh boy - this month's Ipsy Glam Bag is a good one! I kept pulling products out and getting more and more excited! I know I say it every time, but just in case you're new to the idea of Ipsy, it costs just $10 per month and you get a really good sampling of full and deluxe sample sized goodies. If you're interested in giving it a go, you can sign up here. 

Here's what came in the March Glam Bag:

• Marc Anthony Argan Oil of Morocco 3 Day Smooth Perfect  Blow Dry Cream - This cream is a combo of olive oil, argan oil and shea butter. It's meant to keep hair straight and frizz free for up to three days. 

• NYX Liquid Suede lipstick in Pink Lust - This lipstick goes on nice and easily and dries to a velvet, waterproof matte finish. This will stay glued to your lips for hours. Pink Lust is a neon pink that's far too bright for every day wear, but it's fun for the right occasion. 

• Manna Kadar Cosmetics eye shadow in Fantasy - This eye shadow is gorgeous, buttery and the color would look amazing on any skin tone. I love it and will definitely get a lot of use out of it. 

• Pixi Beauty Blush Duo in Rose Gold - I'm a big fan of Pixi products and this blush is no exception! The color is beautiful and natural looking and the highlight that accompanies it is gorgeous. 

• NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner - This toner aims to calm and soothe the skin while prepping it to absorb the products you put on top of it. 

L to R: Manna Kadar eye shadow, Pixi blush & highligther

What came in your bag this month? Have you tried any of these products? Let me know! 

Walmart Winter Beauty Box 2015

The latest Walmart Beauty Box showed up at my door in late December, and it's probably one of the best yet! I'm always willing to take my chances, as these boxes cost just $10 and they come once a season. It's not often you get sample sizes of drugstore products, but the Walmart Beauty Box gives you that chance. To receive your own beauty box, sign up here. 

This month's box came with...

• Pure Silk Raspberry Mist Shaving Cream - Perfect travel sized shaving cream! Will definitely bring this along with me on our next beach vacation. 
• nspa Exotically Creamy Coconut Rich Body Butter - nspa is a UK brand that I've heard plenty of UK-Youtubers mention before but I've never tried myself. This body butter is free of parabens and smells very very coconutty. 
• Centrum Vitamints - Not the kind of vitamins I'd take, but nice to try out if you're in the market for a new multivitamin.
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Boosters Facial Cleanser - I've received these in Target Beauty Boxes and other Walmart Beauty Boxes, and I actually liked this cleanser. It's mild and smells nice. 
• Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion - I didn't even know Dial made lotion. This is a nice size to throw in my purse for use on the go. 

• Pantene Air Spray Hairspray - I've never tried this hairspray before. I couldn't even find it on the Pantene website - so I don't know what to tell you about it unfortunately.
• Goody Slide Proof Hair Ties - These hair bands have little rubber-like grippies on them so they won't slide out of your hair. I'm not one to stray from my basic hair ties, so it's fun to receive some that I probably wouldn't buy myself. 
• Ken Paves Volumizing Shampoo + Conditioner - The teal foil packet in back has a conditioner and shampoo sample. Walmart sends Ken Paves foil samples every box, and I haven't tried them yet. I'd much rather have a bottle sample - no one likes foil packets! 

Have you signed up for the Walmart Beauty Box? What came in yours? Let me know! 

Walmart Spring Beauty Box

The Walmart Beauty Box comes seasonally, and if you haven't yet signed up to receive the spring box, now is the time! You can sign up to receive them here. They're shipping this month. Walmart Beauty Boxes cost just $5, which is solely the price of shipping, so all the goodies are technically free! Basically all of the items in the spring box are travel or sample sized, and aside from the foil packets, everything in this box will get you quite a few uses! 

Included in my spring box are the following:

• Dove Go Fresh body wash in Mandarin & Tiare Flower
• St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub (A favorite of mine, even if the scrubbies are probably horrible for your skin.)
• Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes
• Jergens BB Body lotion (NOT a favorite because it smells like their tanning lotion to me)
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Boosters White Tea & Vitamin E facial cleanser
• Ken Paves shampoo, conditioner and hair mask foil packets
• Lady Gaga Fame perfume sample

I've seen other season's Walmart beauty boxes and some are a little better than this, and some are worse, but for $5 I don't mind taking the gamble. I've tried the BB Body lotion, the Simple cleansing wipes and the Fame perfume, but all the other products are new to me. Have you tried any of these products? Which ones did you like? Let me know!