Ipsy vs. Play! by Sephora?
July 2017 Beauty Box Comparison
July 2017: Ipsy vs. Play!
Hey Buzzers! THE TIME HAS COME!! BEAUTY BOX WEEK!
One of the most exciting moments for me every month would definitely be arriving at home, and seeing that striped box waiting for me. The striped box (not pictured in this blog post) which holds a Play! by Sephora beauty bag. I have been a loyal subscriber to Play!, ever since it's launch sometime last year.
However, last month I decided one beauty box just isn't enough! I am constantly craving more beauty products, MORE MORE MOREEEE!
Honestly it's probably an illness, but I'd prefer this illness--over any other!
So, after what seemed like the longesttttt wait, I finally received both of my beauty boxes from Ipsy and Sephora. This blog post will serve the purpose of reviewing all the products given for this particular month. I will make another post which will compare the overall value of both beauty subscriptions for this month.
IPSY: Whatchya got fo' me homie?
This product is paraben and cruelty-free according to Ipsy's website, which is great! Upon opening the bottle, I noticed it's an actual tube. As you can see, it doesn't have the typical lipgloss applicator wand, it is literally just a tube with an opening, so I thought that was kind of strange. But, I did notice the product is kind of thick so perhaps with a wand it wouldn't come out of the tube as easy?
Anyway, So this was the first product that I gave a try:
Opinion: First off, the product is so thick it almost comes out like toothpaste. It also feels really strange applying it from a tube and I wasn't really a fan of that. It felt as if I was dragging hard plastic over my lips, which... Is exactly what was I was doing actually. The liquid itself is definitely moisturizing. It gives a pretty natural look to your lips, not really adding color, just shine. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the smell, it reminded me of lip glosses I used as a child. It's a very subtle, sweet smell, that I cant really explain. After about 10 minutes I wiped it off because I noticed it started give my upper lip feel an oily feeling that I didn't really like. But I did noticed that after removing it, my lips felt really soft and hydrated. I like the product, it's ok, I might wait until the winter to use it though when my lips get super dry. Lastly, If you do end up purchasing this product only put a thin layer on as too much product, and it will be sit too thick and goopy on your lips.
Mmm, it might be false advertising? It IS better than a lot of OTHER things though. I actually already have this mascara in the full size and I do not really use it very much-- I'll tell you why. The applicator is way too thick and if you're not careful you can poke yourself in the eye with it while applying (ouch) . It also gets all over my lids. The reason I don't use it for an every day look is because it can get a bit clumpy. I typically use this mascara to lay over others when I want a dramatic look.
I applied it only to one side for comparison (mascara shown on left side of photo): P.S. my eyebrow on the left side of this photo looks thicker because I applied #3.
Yassssssss, Eyebrow Pencils!! I love trying new brow products, even if it is as simple as a brow pencil. They gave me the color "Espresso" and I gotta say, it was a pretty good color match considering they did it without a photo of me! You go Ipsy!
Here is a color swatch on my hand for reference:
When I swatched it on my hand, I got a bit nervous because I had to press a little hard for it to show. But I was surprised that when I started to fill in my brows, that it was actually soft and easily to blend. I love this brow pencil and I'll definitely use it! However, I probably won't buy the full sized simple because I am an Anastasia Beverly Brow Wiz girl at heart.
Here's the same photo shown from before but I am showing it again since I also applied the brow pencil on the left side of this photo.
I am not really a liquid eyeliner person. I RARELY use liquid eyeliner but I figured it would be a nice addition to the makeup collection that I have. I did not try it on my eyes for this review (honestly I was lazy to work on a wing tonight), but I did a swatch on my hand.
The first thing I noticed is that it dried matte. I really liked this factor since I think one of my problems with liquid eyeliners is that many of them dry super shiny. To me, that's just weird. Just my opinion, of course that just depends on what you prefer, but I just don't like my eyelids to shine black. I checked out some reviews on Ipsy and apparently people are saying that it smudges really easy. I didn't try it on my actual lids, so I would not be able to contest to that.
Ok, I'm going to be super honest right off the bat about this product--I hate it. I don't just dislike it--I hate it. It has the strongest rose smell that I just cannot fathom. I am super sensitive to strong scents, and this one will probably give me a headache if I use it. Also, I don't like the idea of taking off makeup with a greasy cream, I feel like that is counter productive and creates more work for you. You'll end up having to wash your face anyway, then re-moisturizing, so I don't exactly understand the point. Additionally, I don't approve of putting heavily perfumed creams on my face because I KNOW it will make me break out--I am talking from experience. I definitely will not be using this, I'll probably get rid of it. I'm sorry Ipsy, it's just wayyyy too strong of a scent. I have to say I was a bit disappointed as this is the first time I ever disliked a product from a beauty box.
I proceeded to try the product anyway on my hand.
Also, I feel like it did not do as well of a job as regular makeup remover would have. Here is a photo of me applying the cream to the liquid eyeliner on my hand, the second photo is two (generously hard) swipes to attempt to take it off. This was the result. It is just my opinion that a regular makeup remover would work just as good, if not, better MINUS the smell. So I'll stick to my normal makeup remover--thank you very much.
Conclusion: This was my first Ipsy box experience and I liked it! I did not exactly LOVE it but It's 10$ a month and I believe that is a great value!
Play! by Sephora: It yo turn babe <3
I was super surprised with this scent, I feel like every perfume I got with Play! I was not this excited about. This scent is light, fresh, and zingy! This beautiful citrus orange scent is ADDICTIVE to say the least. I kept finding myself raising my wrist to my nose several times to sniff over and over. There's just something different that sets it apart from other citrus scents. It isn't overwhelming and strong like many citrus scents and it isn't underwhelming either.
The Sephora pamphlet which came with the box, mentioned the top, middle, and base notes of the scent.
Top Notes: Blood Orange, bitter orange
Middle Notes: Geranium, jasmine
Base Notes: Sandalwood, amber woods
It feels natural and has a very subtle floral undertone (I think this is the geranium and jasmine shining through). However, when I say very subtle floral undertone, I really do mean VERY SUBTLE. Which, in my opinion is a wonderful thing. Too many companies tend to overdo the floral essence of their perfume products--it becomes overwhelming and will end up giving a headache to everyone whom you pass by.
The only complaint I have about this sample would be the container. It is a tiny vial and for someone who has small fingers (like me), it can be opened with quite difficulty but minimal loss of the product. However, I imagine if you have larger fingers you may end up spilling the product all over. I really hate these stupid vials!! Could it really be that much more costly to include a vial with a spritzer?
This perfume is on the market for a hefty price of $130 for 3.3 ounces. Or, you can go the college student way and ask for samples of this perfume or buy the $25 roller.😛
What I love about this mascara:
1. It is paraben, sulfate, and phthalate free.
2. It is said to have been developed with surgeons and dermatologists.
3. It is clinically tested, talc-free, and cruelty-free.
4. It is formulated with collagen, biotin, and peptides! All great for your lashes so I guess you can say using this mascara is also considered taking care of your lashes!
5. offered visible length, volume, and thickness to my lashes!
(Again, mascara applied on left side of photo for comparison)
What I disliked:
1. When I was applying it the formula felt really thick and goopy
2. This thickness can undoubtedly lead to eyelashes clumping and sticking together.
To solve this problem, use an eyelash separator tool, (this one is from sephora), they look scary but offer wonderful results! The eyelash separator tool usually has two sides, one for brows and one for eyelashes. This is what they typically look like:
Thi
The picture to the right shows a side few of what the lashes look like, again mascara is only applied to the left side of the photo.
*This leave-in conditioner in particular, is free of gluten, silicones, DEA, and artificial dyes. It is vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and safe for color-treated, keratin-treated, and relaxed hair. It is also formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates!
So, the purpose of this pore pudding is to detoxify the pores and minimize the appearance of them as well. Additionally, it's suppose to balance out the hydration of your skin.
Considering I have monstrous pores, I decided to deal with the smell and try it out!
The instructions said to dot the product onto your face, blend it, and leave it on for about 15-20minutes before rinsing.
👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽
Well, It definitely made this little bee look like an alien! But anyway I really liked this mask! It did not make my skin feel tight or dry and after it dried, it rinsed off really easily. I did not see any immediate results but I am very excited to continue using it as I am really bothered by my huge pores.
After rinsing off the mask I finished off with #6
The purpose of this product is to target dullness and uneven texture, dryness, and puffiness. It is also infused with caffeine to encourage microcirculation and seawater to soothe skin.
This product is paraben-free and cruelty-free, as well as vegan.
It was almost like spreading hard sunscreen or... deodorant on my face which was a bit strange but the cooling effect was really nice. I didn't feel like it just sat on top of my skin, it definitely did absorb which was nice. My skin felt soft and moisturized! I like it, but probably not a necessary product for me.
Conclusion: I enjoyed many of the products I received this month and I hope that you enjoyed reading! Thank you so much for the support and taking the time to read! I will make an additional post comparing the two subscriptions and their values for the month of July.