Sephora Play! May Review

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I've had a Sephora Play! sample subscription for three months now, so I think it's time to post a quick review. I liked the selection I received in May, my most recent box, quite a lot. The first two months, however, left me with some doubts. I was convinced to keep it going for another month, and I hope this is the beginning of a positive trend. You can see my March bag here (which was just ok) and my April bag here (which I found really boring). I do like this subscription so far more than I liked Birchbox, particularly at the end of my year of that subscription. The sizes of the samples here are generous, and if you're judging by the prices of the full-size versions, you're certainly getting your $10 worth. (You can decide for yourself if you think those prices are reasonable.) No hotel toiletries!!!

The theme of May's box was The Rising Stars, which may explain why I enjoyed it so much. It contains some brands that I'd heard of, and some that I hadn't, but nothing here that I'd tried before. I haven't used every sample in this box yet, but I'll give you my thoughts on those that I have. Here's what I got:

Grande Lips Hydrating Lip Plumper: Full size $27. This seems to be a sort of lip serum that does the usual thing that lip plumpers do, i.e. irritate your lips so that they swell up a bit. I haven't tried it, and I'm not sure that I will, because products like this tend to make my lips worse in the long run. Have any of you used this one? If I try it, will I regret it?

Maison Margiela Replica Beach Walk Eau de Toilette: Full size $126. I'd been wanting to try one of the Replica fragrances. This stuff smells really interesting when I first apply it, but it dries down to a one-note coconut sunscreen scent on me, unfortunately.

Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt: Full size $53. This is a shampoo with salt in it. I've used it two or three times so far, and I have at least that many uses left, so the sample is a great size. It smells fantastic and works well to clean the build up from dry shampoo from my scalp. My hair feels a little rough when I rinse it out, just like it feels after it's been in salt water. Conditioner fixes the texture just fine. But instead of buying this scrub, I'd suggest just mixing a lot of salt into your regular shampoo.

Nudestix Magnetic Matte Lip Color in Greystone: Full size $24. Sephora calls this "greige" for some reason. You can see from the swatch below that it is in no way either grey or beige. It's a dark, neutral brown. It's not a particularly great color for me, but I applaud Sephora for including a more adventurous option than the typical red or nude. The formula is light and comfortable.

Tréstique Highlight & Perfect Multipurpose Stick: Full size $34. I haven't used this highlighter stick on my face yet, but it feels similar in texture to Benefit Watt's Up. I swatched them together below. If Watt's Up is too warm or dark for you, you might prefer this (though there are a million cheaper ways to highlight).

Left: Tréstique. Right: Benefit.

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Clay Cleanser: Full size $45. I've been curious about Sunday Riley, because it gets all the hype. I would have been more excited to try something other than a cleanser, but hey. Particularly since this cleanser warns that it shouldn't be used around the eyes, and I have oily eyelids, so I need to be able to use my cleanser near my eyes. I have seen this cleanser on Instagram a lot, so it seems to be popular, but I haven't tried it yet. I tend to save cleanser minis for travel.

All in all, May was an interesting month. I should get my June bag before too long, so fingers crossed for another winner!

My last three months of the So Choix makeup sample subscription (plus: step right up for another stunning duochrome!)

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October's (upside down) box (contents reviewed below)

I like doing these So Choix review posts, even though they're time consuming, because I get to write mini reviews of a bunch of fancy products that I would probably never buy. I hope they're interesting to you too. (If you want to read more about how this subscription works, read my first post about it.) I won't write a detailed review with photos of everything here, because there are few things that I just don't have many feelings about.

One thing that changed about the So Choix boxes this fall is that they started sending them in bubble mailers, instead of packing a small box inside a larger box. I don't know if that's less wasteful, but I like it better, because the bubble mailer fits in my mailbox and I don't have to trek down to my apartment office to pick it up (and the small box inside still protects things).

I think the theme of the last three months (or at least the last two) is Weird Shit I Wanted to Try Because What Even is It? That, combined with Is This Product Really Like This or Did This Happen When They Depotted It?

September

Nars Dual Intensity eyeshadow in Tarvos

This is a stunning, shimmery mint. I wonder if there is a NYX single similar to this (Mermaid?). On its own, Tarvos is sheer and glittery and lovely. It's also gorgeous over a darker shadow. The swatches below are over regular eyeshadow primer on the left (because it desperately needs a primer to adhere) and on the right over NYX's glitter primer (awesome stuff, btw), which makes it look amazing. It's a little chunky/flaky, and here's the first place where I wonder if the actual product is like that or if it's something that happened when it was repressed. I haven't read anything like that in reviews, so I'm guessing it's the latter. It doesn't really cause problems, anyway.

Nars Audacious lipstick in Liv

When I first tried this on, I thought, "That's weird, I didn't think any of the Audacious lipsticks were sheer." It turns out that the lipstick was slightly separated in the pan with a sheer layer on top. Once I got through that, there was a more accurate (I assume) layer underneath. But see, weird things can happen when lipstick is melted down and repotted, so keep that in mind, though it's the first time I've seen it in this subscription. Liv is a nice vampy purple but nothing really special. You have the typical settling into lip lines that dark purples tend to do.

A messy application in need of some lip liner.

Estée Lauder matte lipstick in Shameless Violet

This lipstick, on the other hand, is amazing. It's a little patchy on the first layer, but you can quickly build it up to be opaque. It's comfortable and a true purple shade that actually looks good on me. You can see it on my face in this Instagram shot (sort of). It's very comfortable and wears well.

Good enough close up, but from a normal distance it looks totally even.

Comparison swatch (taken from this post).

Left to right: Revlon Berry Haute, Urban Decay Revolution Rapture, and Estée Lauder Matte Shameless Violet.

Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Gobi

This is a decent foundation, though I would argue that it's neither really glowy nor sheer. More like semi-matte and medium coverage. It's a little too yellow to me, which is good news for pale folks on the warmer side. The main problem I had with it was that it highlighted flaky skin really badly, and that it settled into lines and creases. So it's not the one for me. Here is a swatch (second from the right) with comparisons (from this post).

Left to right: UD One & Done in Light, UD One & Done in Medium Light, TheBalm Balm Shelter in Lighter than Light (reviewed here), Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light (reviewed here), Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Gobi, and Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer in Buttercream (reviewed here).

Benefit Porefessional

Um it's a primer? I think I'd tried a sample of it before, but I didn't remember how well it worked. I guess that's probably because for me it's neither better nor worse than most other primers I've tried.

October (box pictured above)

Laura Mercier powder foundation in 1-Shell

I've been looking for a powder foundation to replace my mini Pür 4-in-1 powder when it runs out, because, although I like the finish, it doesn't last very long on my oily-combination skin. I'd heard that the Laura Mercier was a good option. I wasn't very impressed. It's pretty crumbly and doesn't provide much coverage at all (and this shade also happens to be too yellow for me--I probably should have chosen 4).

Dior Addict Lip Glow

This is one of the products that I chose with extreme skepticism, because I hate these "your perfect shade" color-adjusting lip products, in principle. (Here's how they actually work.) It did nothing at all on my lips. Looked completely clear. There was a light pink tint on the end of the finger that I used to apply it, but that's it. I actually took a photo, but since it shows nothing, I won't bother including it. Again, I don't know if melting it down and repotting it affected it, or if it just "intuited" that my perfect lip color is nothing at all. Also, it was drying, but my lips are pretty picky.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light

I'm working on completing the set, since I've tried three others. Ethereal Light does have something of a blurring/light reflecting effect, but it's also very white. It makes me look paler, so I can imagine that it could show up as chalky on certain skin tones. I was wearing it in the photo above of Nars Liv, if that shows you anything.

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Burnished Copper

Neither burnished nor copper! Maybe they were thinking of tarnished/patinated bronze? These eye shadows are interesting, because they're very slick and they don't dry down. They're tricky to apply. They go on a bit patchy with a finger, but if you stick a small brush in the pot, it slides out without any product on it! You have to sort of scoop it. Despite the slickness, it didn't crease excessively over primer, and the color is stunning.

Here's a thick swatch, though it sheers out somewhat when blended. Gorgeous color.

Left to right: Tom Ford Burnished Copper and L'Oreal Infallible Gilded Envy (reviewed here).

Note the packaging for this on in the photo at the top of the page. A big improvement from how the Nars cream eyeshadow was sent during the summer (discussed here), which dried up immediately! This little pot is actually air tight. Well done, So Choix. I appreciate that they regularly reevaluate how they package their samples.

I also want to take this opportunity to show you another of the Tom Ford Cream Colors for Eyes in Sphinx, a sample of which Sarah very generously sent me. Thank you! I posted a shitty video of the shiftiness on Instagram, in which you can't really see all the pink and green. It's also a tricky product, because it's a sheer but very complex multichrome. I am determined to make it work. The best luck I have had so far is in patting it on over a grey powder eyeshadow like so:

Please ignore my rushed eyebrow and bloodshot eye.

That's the same product over the entire lid. And this is about the level of creasing you can expect from these creams.

Benefit Shy Beam highlighter

Yet another sample I ordered because I didn't understand what it was. I still don't get it. It looks like a sheer, matte, pink concealer, or something. It's supposed to be a matte highlighter, but it just added a little pink to my skin. It works ok as a color corrector for under the eyes if you're fair, but highlighter? Maybe if you have cool-toned skin just a couple of shades darker than this, it would work, but otherwise, I assume not. And why not just buy a concealer or foundation a couple of shades too light for the intended effect? Bah. Humbug.

Top to bottom: Benefit Shy Beam, Benefit High Beam (reviewed here), Sephora Gel Serum Concealer in Buttercream (reviewed here).

November

Kevyn Aucoin The Exotique Eye Gloss in Moonlight

Another WTF sample. There weren't many reviews out there when I requested this and, still, the ones that exist are pretty vague. I was curious if this brand had somehow come up with a miraculous gloss that can be worn in some realistic way on the eyelids of normal people. But no, editorial only. There's no real difference between smearing this on your eyelids and use a clear, glittery lip gloss. They say you can/should apply it over eyeshadow, but that just makes a mess of the eyeshadow. The sparkle is sparse, so even if you want drama, there's not much to recommend it.

Notice that they took one of those airtight tubs like the Tom Ford came in, cut off the lid, and stuck in inside a screw-cap jar. But why???

Laura Mercier matte eyeshadow in Plum Smoke

Love, love, love, love, love! Remember when I was looking for a powder alternative to the abysmal Maybelline Color Tattoo in Vintage Plum? I'd ruled Plum Smoke out because it looked too warm in swatches and tried Makeup Geek in Fairytale instead, which was a bit of a fail. Well, THIS IS IT. I love it. It's works as an interesting neutral on me. Now I'm considering getting the Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette, which includes Plum Smoke and a bunch of other gorgeous shades. The palette is $55 and the Plum Smoke single is $25, so it seems like maybe a better choice. Maybe.

It looks pretty brown next to Fairytale (right), especially in this photo, but it really is purple.

Benefit Fake-up concealer in 01

This concealer claims to be non-creasing, which I think is always, always a lie. At least for me. But this one is actually worse than most. It comes as a stick with a translucent outer ring and a pigmented core, but the sample I got is the two components mixed together. I think probably the two-colored stick is just a gimmick, but it's possible that mixing them in the pan affected the performance in some way. As it was, this was very slick, almost greasy, with sheer coverage. Probably best for someone with dry skin and not too much to hide.

Nars Blush in Dolce Vita

A pretty rosy-plum blush that somehow isn't very flattering on me. It's also extremely pigmented, and since I'm pale I find hard to apply it lightly enough that it will blend smoothly. It tends to end up a little blotchy, and that combined with the wrongness of the color kind of makes me look feverish. But on the plus side it does not fade at all during the day. Well, the plus side for someone else--if you want a very pigmented, long-lasting blush, this would be a good one to try.

Smashbox matte liquid lipstick in Stepping Out

I have no idea how I came to choose this shade, since browny-nudes never look good on me, and this is no exception. I swatched it next to Maybelline Touch of Spice (right) just to make the color obvious.

I'd heard that Smashbox's formula for liquid lipsticks was better than most others, but it seems about the same to me. It's on the thicker side, more like Stila than Colourpop, but it's no more comfortable, less drying, or more attractive than any other brand I've tried. I'm just not really a liquid lipstick person (with the exception of Stila Fiery, which you can see here and here).

So those are my fall So Choix samples. Out of everything, while several things have been fun to play with, there's only one product I would want to buy: Laura Mercier Plum Smoke. I guess Nars Tarvos is tempting. Ok, and Estée Lauder Shameless Violet. But really, this is what I like best about the subscription--it eliminates products that I might be tempted to buy based on hype alone or that I might pick up on a whim. And it provides variety in my life at minimal expense. That said, I'm kind of running out of things I really want to try. Maybe I should just get five more pans if Hourglass Dim Light.

Right now you can get an annual subscription for $120 ($10 a month, obviously), which is what I paid. Use the code SAVINGS at checkout. (Ordinarily it's $16/month.) You can cancel at any time during the year and get a pro-rated refund of what's remaining.

Do you have any of the products I tested here? What do you think?

Recent So Choix Subscription Highlights

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I'd originally planned to review each of my boxes separately, but with moving and starting a new job, I've got pretty far behind. Instead, I decided to just write about some of the highlights of my last three boxes. This approach has the added benefit of saving me from having to review boring things like truly mediocre foundations (I'm looking at you, Hourglass Veil Fluid foundation).

If you'd like more information about how the So Choix subscription works and how it's packaged, etc., check out my previous posts. One change for the better, in my view, is that now instead of sending the smaller box inside a bigger box, the small box is just shipped in a bubble mailer. This is a plus for me, because it means it fits in my mailbox, and I don't have to go down to the apartment complex office to pick up my box.

Here's a list of all the things I sampled--let me know if there's something here I don't cover that you are curious about):

Clinique Cola Pop blush
Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup in Porcelain
Nars Eye Paint in Solomon Islands
Lancome Juicy Shaker in Berry in Love
Benefit They're Real Mascara in Black
Laura Mercier eyeshadow in African Violet
Estee Lauder Sculpting Lipstick in Carnal

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Divine Perfection Foundation in Ivoire N

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

Benefit Lemon-Aid Eye Primer
Guerlain l'Or Radiance Concentrate
Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Deliciously Shiny Lip Colour in Red Heels

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Malice

Ellis Faas Eyes Lights in Green Gold

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light

First of all, let me give a shout out to So Choix's impressive customer service (Melanie and Jason). I had trouble with the packaging on two samples. The Nars Eye Paint dried up completely within a couple of days of receiving it, and the Lancome Juicy Shaker came in a twist-up pen tube, which is designed to keep air out, so it couldn't be shaken. I send a short email to So Choix's CS suggesting that they might want to rethink how they package those products in future, because I'd heard that they were very receptive to feedback and interested in improving their packaging. I got a quick response and they sent out new samples of those two things along with some random foil samples. Nice! Then, right after I moved I got paranoid that I hadn't changed my address in time for my box to come to the right place, so I emailed to ask about that. I got a response within 2 hours confirming that the address was correct. It's just really nice to get prompt responses that indicate that the person on the other end has actually read what you wrote. That's depressingly rare.

Now for my thoughts on a selection of these samples. Here's what the Nars Eye Paint in Solomon Islands looked like when I first opened it. As you can see it was dry enough to begin cracking a bit. (Unfortunately the replacement sample, though carefully packed with an extra seal on the little jar, also dried out before I could use it.)

I did use it the day it arrived, however, but I just applied it with the stiff little brush that So Choix provided, so it's not the most precise work I've ever done.

Isn't that color fucking stunning!? I'm surprised I haven't heard more about these Eye Paints. Even a little dry, it applied very smoothly and was extremely pigmented. And it didn't budge, even though this was during the height of summer. I'd hope that the actual Nars packaging would keep the contents soft longer, but the lowest ratings on the Sephora listing are about it drying up in a couple of months. Boo.

Here's the first iteration of the Lancome Juicy Shaker in Berry in Love. When I twisted it up, I would mainly get just translucent gloss, since shaking it didn't mix in the pigment, which is kind of the whole point.

The replacement works much better (though I guess maybe it contains less product--still, it provides a more accurate sampling).

I like this stuff quite a bit. It comfortable and even a little moisturizing, and it provides a pretty, subtle tint, though not so subtle that it doesn't show up. The only thing I don't like is the strong fragrance which I can taste when I wear it. I guess it's supposed to be berry-scented, but it's also quite floral. Maybe the other shades taste better.

Here are my bare lips (just clear balm):

Clinique's Cola Pop is a blush that I've been curious about for a long time. Maybe it's just how the plummy red flower looks that appeals to me. But I'm glad I never got around to buying it, because it's all wrong for me. It's very deep and pigmented. I suspect it would work well for people with deeper skin tones. On me, it's difficult to use a light enough touch and to blend it out smoothly, especially over foundation. Below are swatches comparing it to a red blush, Stila Convertible Color in Poppy, and a plum, TheBalm InStain Blush in Pinstripe. Those two blushes both work well for me, but Cola Pop is too warm/brown (as the name would suggest).

Swatches of Clinique Cola Pop, Stila Poppy, and TheBalm Pinstripe

I don't have a swatch of the next sample, because it would be invisible, but I have to say that I like Hourglass Dim Light much better than Diffused Light (reviewed briefly here). Dim Light actually seems to do the thing that these Ambient Lighting Powders are supposed to do, which is to blur "imperfections" and add some subtle radiance to the skin, especially after applying foundation. Mood Light, on the other hand, didn't really wow me.

I was also pretty excited by Ellis Faas Eyes Lights (I think that's what it's called?) in Green Gold. It's a liquid eyeshadow (or eye-whatever) that came in a jar almost too tiny to fit a brush inside. But it was stunning when I applied it. The macro shot here makes it look patchier than it did in person. In general, I don't think my photos do it justice. It wore pretty well, except that I had an itch on one eyelid at one point during the day, and where I scratched, the gold completely flaked off. But imagine the amazing Egyptian-style eye makeup you could create by combining this with the Nars Solomon Islands! Unfortunately, this sample dried out too before I could use it a second time. I know that So Choix is only promising one use per sample, but I hate to let something useable go to waste.

Besides Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light, the only other thing from this selection that I've actually thought about buying is the Guerlain Primer (sorry, l'Or Radiance Concentrate). It has actual flakes of gold in it, you guys. That's ridiculous, and I have to flick the chunks off my face after I apply it. But it works really well for oil control and my foundation looks great on top of it. Maybe it's the alcohol in it. Not sure I could bring myself to buy something that's mostly water, glycerin, and alcohol for $74.

Anything I didn't specifically describe here ranged from mediocre to fine--but if you have any questions, just ask! I'm still enjoying this subscription, but I am starting to run low on things I really want to try (why don't they stock the lightest shade of Tarte Shape Tape Concealer?). I don't know if it will be able to keep me interested after my year is up. I'm halfway through, now.

Choix Subscription Box #3 (with mini reviews of Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, Chanel Le Vernis in Vamp, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow, Tom Ford Matte Lip Color in Pussy Cat, and Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow in Black Karat)

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For more information about this subscription, take a look at the detailed review of my first two boxes. For now, I'm going to jump right in to the products I sampled in June (I'm already way behind, since I got my July box over a week ago already). This subscription is a fun way for me to test and review some higher end products that I normally wouldn't pick up.

My third box was full of surprises--things I liked more that I expected, and things that made for disappointing swatches but worked much better in actual use. Here are the samples I picked this time:

Chanel Le Vernis in Vamp and Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx01.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow, Tom Ford Matte Lip Color in Pussy Cat, and Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow in Black Karat. They actually managed to preserve the "bacon" marbling in the Hourglass blush when repressing it! Impressive.

I also got these applicators, which as usual I could pretty much do without. I actually have no idea what the third thing is. This is the second time they've sent one of those. Any ideas?

Many, many photos below!

Choix high-end cosmetics sampling subscription: Review of my first two months

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I signed up for a new (to me) beauty subscription service called Choix a couple of months ago, so I thought I would post a review. This is a subscription that allows you to choose five high-end products a month, and they create small samples of them for you. ETA: OUT OF BUSINESS.

I bought my subscription kind of impulsively, but while I was briefly researching the service, I didn't find a lot of reviews from people who hadn't been given the boxes by the company. Most of the time I think reasonable people can give objective reviews of products they received for free, but in this case, when considering whether or not the service is worth the cost, I think it makes a difference if you're paying for it yourself. Up front, I will say that for me it's worth $10 a month, because I bought a discounted annual subscription for $120. But $20 a month, the regular price, would be too much (ETA: see note below on price). Nevertheless, I can see why Choix might cost more than other subscription boxes like Birchbox or Ipsy, even though the sample sizes are fairly small. Instead of getting most of the products for free from the brands and then just sticking them in a box, Choix is (I assume) buying products to sample, and then there is the equipment and packaging costs required to create the samples, as well as the labor involved.

ETA: The price has been lowered permanently to $15 a month.

I suspect most people will either think that it's ridiculous to pay money for small samples of products, many of which you could get for free at Sephora or a department store, or will think it's a brilliant idea. Either that or you will be like me and start out with the first view and eventually move closer to the second. In fact, a lot of the products you can request couldn't easily be taken home as samples from stores, like the powder products, for instance. In addition, you may live far from a mall and not have much opportunity to even swatch products on a regular basis (like me). Of course, you can only try out the actual product--you won't get a sense of the packaging from these samples. That is totally fine with me, because I prefer to avoid being seduced by a pretty tube or compact. It makes it easier to filter out the bullshit--I don't care much about my makeup being luxurious. I want it to be functional. Another part of the appeal for me, due to my bizarre interests, I suppose, is to be able to compare high-end stuff with my usual products, which tend to be drugstore or mid-end (that's not a word!). Both to avoid buying dupes, and also just because I'm curious.

The range of brands available from Choix is a bit limited now (you can see the list on their site under "Shop"). The majority are designer brands--i.e. makeup branded with the name of a fashion house or designer, but there are some others like Nars, Hourglass, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and Benefit. I hope they will eventually add more brands that I would put in the same category as Benefit, like Urban Decay, Tarte, or Too Faced.

Here's what the shipping box looks like when you first open it:

And here at the contents of my April box:

The bits of white fuzz come from the packing material. They are impossible to remove for a pretty picture, but they don't get into the products.

For the first month I chose Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Nars blush in Orgasm, Nars Audacious Lipstick in Audrey, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light, and Guerlain Meteorites Pears in 2 Clair. Not a lot of variety really--three Nars products and two finishing powders--but these are things I've been curious about for a while.

(I'll add a cut here, because this is going to be a long post. I'm going to review the subscription as a concept as well as (briefly) the individual products from my first two boxes. Lots of photos!)