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SEPHORA PLAY! REVIEW

Happy Thursday! After a huuuge snowstorm yesterday, I was able to work from home. I thought what a great day to relax, I can even get a blog post up. That was not the case. I was basically glued to my computer all day, only to get up to get myself more pizza haha! ;). I have been meaning to do a review on the Sephora Play! monthly subscription box since February (my first month!). As you know, I have tried Birchbox before as well as Ricky’s, both which I loved. Since I spend a majority of my time (and paycheck) at Sephora, and their box is only $10/month, I decided to give it a go. I was certainly not let down!

What I love most about it is how personal it is compared to other ones. You answer a few questions to create your own personal profile. From the products they are going to include in the boxes, from makeup to hair care to skincare to fragrances, they use your answers to curate your own personalized box.


Each box includes:

  • Five samples AND a bonus! The samples range from makeup, skincare, and hair care.
  • A collectible makeup bag
  • PLAY! Book that gives you tips and tricks and how-tos for each sample
  • PLAY! Pass to redeem in store when you buy something full-size – worth 50 beauty insider points! ❤
  • Access to video tutorials for the items in the box
  • PLAY! Date – subscriber only even that allows you and a friend to come in the store and sample products and meet with beauty experts

Here is what the February box looked like! I am SO excited for March! Stay tuned 🙂

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LOVE this little makeup bag. Adorable!

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50 Bonus Points! #swoon

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I have sensitive skin so this is right in line with my profile that I filled out 🙂

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I put a lot of skincare in my profile so I am so glad they sent me top notch sample products!

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LOVE this gloss. It reminds me of a NARS one I had way back when!

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I have *no* idea how to apply eyeliner, so I am hoping this can help me a bit.

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The BONUS! It smelled like summer in a bottle. Nice and light 🙂

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Dope postcard that came with the perfume.

15/10 would recommend the PLAY! boxes. For only $10 you’re getting some top notch samples, and nice sizes. Plus extra bonus points at one of my favorite stores makes it all the more worth it. Go get yours!

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Ricky’s Cult Crushes Review

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Hello beauts! So I know we can all spend our paychecks in Ricky’s or Sephora or Ulta, or anywhere that sells makeup. There always seems to be a new product to try or a new beauty trend. I also feel like there a ton of beauty boxes out there that offer monthly subscriptions. I have tried Birchbox before since it was a gift from my sister, but I just felt like the samples were so tiny. What caught my eye about Ricky’s version of the monthly subscription beauty box is that it typically comes with one full size product. I also love that you get 25% off of all online purchases and free shipping on purchases of $50 or more. YASSSS. For only $11 getting ALL of that (retail value up to $50) seems like a steal in my eyes! For that price, it doesn’t even matter what is in the box, but it seems to always be something awesome 🙂 Check it more here.

This is the review September – I plan on updating this post each month with what I receive!

Opened it up to a little motivation! #CameToCrush everyday!

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HSI Mini Straightener

Umm ok a mini straightener?! This is actually perfection. Tiny yet so powerful! I can throw this right in my purse for days I am running late and can just plug it in at work, and viola my hair is set! The plates are ceramic which helps leave your hair shiny, annnnd even more importantly, they heat up in seconds! Love love love!

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HSI Argan Oil Shampoo, Conditioner + Leave In Treatment

Alright so after summer sun and salty hair, this came in at the perfect time. I felt like my hair was looking so dull and dry and brittle. Not after using these bad boys. I seriously am going to have to get the full size versions. I also love that they are sulfate free and full of vitamins.

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Z-Palette Large

Say what?! This is so unbelievably convenient – I remember my old company did some work with Z Palette and I kept saying I wish they would send us some so we can try, and now my dreams came true lol! This seemed to be a custom one for Ricky’s and I love it. It is so urban and hip. I love that I can customize my own palette with everything that I use – it is so helpful if I am doing my makeup on the go. Instead of lugging around my makeup bag, I can just throw it on my palette and shove it in my purse. Total win with this.

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Wella Root Shoot Mousse

I am a big advocate of Wella products – I used to work in a salon and everyone swore by it and since I got to test out the products first hand, I came to swear by them too! Sometimes my hair can get sooo flat, and since I typically straighten it, it doesn’t make for the best mix. I can’t seem to nail down that middle part with my hair pasted down like the Kardashian’s can haha. Sometimes I throw in a little volumizing powder but it makes my hair feel stiff and weird and doesn’t seem to work. I tried this once and my Jersey girl came out. Total life saver.

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Masque Bar Luminizing Charcoal Mask

I cannot seem to escape masks lol I recently just got a facial so I am trying to leave my skin alone for a bit so I have not yet tried this. But when I do, I will update 🙂

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After just one box, my final verdict is YES – totally worth it! For $11 the value is unbeatable.

Bite Beauty Multistick Review

Hello pretties! I have had sooo much going on and so much I have been wanting to blog about, but it has been so hard to dedicate time to actually write the posts and get them up on the site! I recently had the opportunity to try out some of the new Bite Beauty Multistick colors. If you haven’t heard about these multisticks, you are seriously missing out. First of all the color selection is top notch and there is a color very every skin color on the spectrum! They apply as if they are cream, but they wear like powder. This is because they are actually made up of 35% powder, so it applies evenly and most importantly – weightlessly. I have only used them on my lips so far, but you can also use them on your cheeks and eyes. I think the colors I received would look best on my lips, but I am interested in trying them out on my cheeks (I’ll keep you posted).

As I have said before, skincare is so important to me, so I carry that mindset over to my makeup as well. You have to be careful of what you are putting on your face even after your skincare routine. If you wash your face and then apply makeup filled with chemicals and parabens, what is the point? Seems kind of counterproductive, right? When I read that the multistick is silicone free, paraben free, sulfate free, phthalates free, as well as free of petrochemicals, I was over the moon.

So not only are these perfect for your skin and formulated for your skin, but with powder being almost half of its composition, the finish is a soft, matte, and breathable. With 18 colors to choose from, there is an infinite amount of colors you can choose for your lips, cheeks, eyes, or all three!

I had so much fun applying these colors and was pleasantly surprised with how smooth and easy they were applied! I tried the colors Biscotti, Papaya, and Cashew, definitely all colors you can wear ANY season!


 

Cashew: I was honestly so pleasantly surprised with cashew. It looked a little too dark of a brown upon first glance, but as soon as I put it on I was in love. It is the perfect natural nude for my skin tone.

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Papaya: I LOVE papaya – it is such a soft pink and also has the natural look like cashew did. It is not some over the top color, it goes absolutely perfect with any makeup. I may try this one on my cheeks – if it looks as natural as it does on my lips, it would make for the perfect natural blush!

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Biscotti: Biscotti was a little on the deeper end compared to the other colors, but really a beautiful color. I actually find myself wearing this one a lot. It gives me more of a pop of color but it still isn’t over the top.

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I can’t wait to try out more colors – if you’ve ever tried these, please comment below and let me know your favorite shade! ❤

 

KOREAN SKINCARE PRODUCTS

Alright so I’ll be the first to admit it that I fall asleep with my makeup on more often than I should. I won’t sit here and say I’ve been blessed with flawless skin, of course I’ve had my share of breakouts, blackheads, you name it. I’ve been to the dermatologist a countless amount of times and sure their regimens and products work, so long as I remember to apply them, or which cream goes on when, etc. There has been a ton of buzz around Korean beauty products and I can totally see why. Over the years, I have learned how important it is to treat your skin delicately and take care of it by washing your makeup off every night, moisturizing, the whole nine yards. This makes for a better foundation for when you apply your makeup and you’ll actually see yourself needing less and less. You’ll have that overall healthy glow without makeup – talk about confidence boost! Here are three Korean skincare products I swear by – I’m sure I’ll be blogging about more as I discover them!


 

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Let’s start with the Too Cool for School Takkoza cleansing wipes. Takkoza basically translates to cleanse and sleep. These saved my face. I have never come across a makeup remover wipe that literally takes it ALL off. Literally in one glide of the wipe, it is off – completely amazing. What I love about these wipes is not only they take every ounce of makeup and dirt off your face, but they leave my skin feeling refreshed and hydrated too. This is because they are filled with a ton of nutrients and vitamins – carrot water, beta-carotene, and vitamins A + C. These have absolutely saved me from falling asleep with my makeup on. They leave me no excuses to! If you can’t get around to washing your face, then keep these next to your bedside. It comes in a pack of sixty – so for only $16, you’re def getting your bang for your buck.

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Next, my most favorite product is the Caolion “Where is Pore” cleanser. This is a 2-in-1 cleanser. The top one is the blackhead steam foam cleanser and the bottom one is a pore tightening cooling foam cleanser. I use the top one first and then the bottom.  A little goes a loooong way with these guys. The directions say to leave on for ten seconds and the rinse off. For the the steam foam cleanser, you literally feel your face heating up and its like you feel the gunk coming out of your pores. I do leave it on for more than 10 seconds, around 30 seconds and then rinse it off in cooler water. It makes my face feel so clean. Then I follow with the pore tightening cleanser. Within ten seconds my face feels nice and cool and once I rinse it off my face feels tighter and my pores literally look invisible. It leaves my skin feeling so new and soft. When I first tried it, I remember I couldn’t believe it, I kept touching my face and I immediately called and showed my mother. It was that amazing. For $24 it is like I get a facial every time I use it. I’ve also tried their Pore Blackhead o2 Sparkling Soap and that worked wonders as well – my skin felt so polished. I certainly plan on trying more of their products.

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Lastly, the Creme shop had these limited edition masks that were made in Korea. I bought them around the holidays, so naturally they were peppermint cocoa sheet masks with the purpose of clarifying skin. The masks are infused with peppermint oil to treat troubled acne-prone skin. It came with a pack of five, so definitely a wise value. I’ve used three already, about one every month. As soon as I put it on, it is so cool on my skin and I feel my skin absorbing it all. With the excess liquid, I rub it on my neck to reap all of the benefits. I leave it on for twenty minutes and when I take it off, my skin feels nourished and my pores feel tight. I am a huge fan of masks and these are definitely in my top three. Here is me in my mask as I am writing this 😛

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