Play! by Sephora | October 2016

My one and only beauty subscription box, Play! by Sephora, continues to keep me excited each month. October's box is full of some fun goodies, all of which are available for purchase at Sephora. This subscription costs just $10 a month, but there is a short waiting list (it takes about a month to get off of it), and you get a handful of samples from prestige brands.

If you're interested in subscribing to Play! by Sephora, click here. 

Here's what came in October's box...

• Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in Driver's Seat - A lippie that boasts 8 hours of wear time. Driver's Seat is a warm pink color and this sample size is large enough to get lots of use out of.

• Too Cool for School Egg Mellow Cream - A moisturizer infused with collagen for younger looking skin. Good for dry, sensitive, normal and combo skin types. Free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates. 

• Skin Inc. Pure Revival Cream - A non-abrasive peel that sloughs away dead skin for brighter, renewed skin. Safe for blemish prone and sensitive skin. Free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

• Nudestix Intense Matte Lip & Cheek Pencil in Belle - A multi-purpose pencil for lips and cheeks. Dries matte for all day wear. Belle is a plum nude color. Free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, gluten, preservatives, cyclomethicones and animal-derived ingredients. 

• Verb Leave-In Mist - A hydrating mist that tames and detangles hair while prepping it for styling. Good for straight, wavy and curly hair. Free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

• Tom Ford Orchid Soleil - The newest Tom Ford fragrance, characterized by notes of tuberose petals, black orchid, vanilla, chestnut, and patchouli among others. Warm and floral. 

What product are you most excited about in this month's box? For me, I think it's the Egg Mellow Cream. Let me know yours in the comments!

May Favorites

If you asked me to put these favorites in a list ranked most favorite to least, I don't know if I could do it. That's how much I love all of these goodies! There's a little bit of everything here, so take a peek and let me know if you love any of these, too!

Full disclosure, these OGX Coconut Curls Shampoo & Conditioner were sent to me, but you need to believe me that this duo is so lovely. I don't have curly hair.... and I love them. The ends of my hair like to flip whichever way they please, but overall, I have pretty straight hair. What I'm trying to say is, any hair type could get use out of these products. This line is formulated with coconut oil so it's nourishing and moisturizing. I was a bit nervous it was going to weigh my hair down, but it never did. It also added a good bit of shine to my hair which I always appreciate as my hair has a tendency to look dull. And of course, the smell - to.die.for. Coconut is not a scent I typically gravitate towards, but the mix of coconut, sweet honey and citrus is so heavenly and it doesn't smell at all like that gross fake coconut that so many hair and body products often have. You can find this line at your local drugstore or superstore like Walmart or Target. 

During the later part of the first trimester of my pregnancy and as well as the beginning half of my second trimester, my skin went haywire. It was on hormone overload, and when that happens, I am one of those lucky people who gets acne near my mouth and around my chin. Turns out, it's really hard to find acne treatments that  don't have salycilic acid or benzoyl peroxide (both pregnancy no-nos), and then I stumbled upon the Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick. This has a toner-like consistency, and smells like tea tree oil (because that's what's in it). It isn't a cure-all, but it certainly helped heal and treat my blemishes and I've continued to use it on any spots that pop up.

I absolutely love the Essence Liquid Eyeliners, both this waterproof version, or the non-waterproof version. I have used this non-stop this month and I am obsessed. It has a dark matte black color and it is so simple to apply once you get the hang of it. You get so much product for a really cheap price (under $5), and it performs like a high end product. Conveniently, Essence is now available at Target so you can easily find it if you've got a Target nearby. For those of you lucky enough to have an Ulta nearby, you can also find it there. 

I've been curling my hair a bit more frequently than normal lately, and to protect it from all that heat, I use the Shea Moisture Yucca & Plantain Anti-Breakage Thermal Protectant Serum. Woo.. that's quite a mouthful. I love that this is a more natural heat protectant, always a positive in my world. It smells nice and I do think it protects my hair.

I'll end with a confession. I've been wearing a men's cologne. I'm not sorry about it either, Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver smells so so so good, and it's absolutely perfect for the spring season. It's hard to describe the smell of vetiver, but it's fresh and earthy, and it happens to be one of my favorite scent notes. I would argue that this cologne really is quite gender neutral, and no one has ever asked me if I was wearing cologne when I've worn this. It would smell sexy and fresh on a guy, and on a woman I find it to be sophisticated and vibrant. This isn't a new fragrance by any means (although it's fairly new to my collection), but it's worth stopping for a sniff if you ever happen across it! 

What are your favorites this month? Let me know!