December 2016 Play! by Sephora Review

My box arrived a week before Christmas - and amazingly, I was able to step outside and take these pics because we had an unseasonably warm day!

Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara, $16.88 [$27.50 for 0.22 oz; sample size: 0.135 oz]
While it says this mascara is fragrance-free, I found that it had a bit of a floral fragrance.  Its most unique feature is the S-shaped brush that it comes with. I found that it provided decent volume, but it has a tendency to flake with application and apply too thick at times.

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing Primer, $5.92 [$37.00 for 1 oz; sample size: 0.16 oz]
I had tried a smaller sample of this primer before, and I feel like I liked it more then. It has a very light herbal fragrance, and it smooths onto skin easily while offering an immediate pore blurring effect. However, my foundation ended up separating a bit around my cheeks and nose area. I'm thinking this might be better for warmer weather when I tend to be more oily.  

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo, $5.26 [$23.00 for 3.5 oz; sample size: 0.8 oz]
I really loved this dry shampoo. It had a forceful spray, and you definitely need to hold it a good distance away when you spray it or it will leave your hair looking white - and residue on your clothes.  But it smells wonderful - to the point, where my husband noticed and commented on how good my hair smelled throughout the day - and it did a great job at soaking up any extra oil.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, $3.88 [$31.00 for 4 oz; sample size: 0.5 oz]
I'm just not a big fan of setting spray, and I don't really notice a huge difference in using this product. My skin has gotten a lot more dry with the change in weather, so I've stopped using setting powder and used this spray in its place.

Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Always Red, $3.13 [$14.00 for 0.169 oz; sample size: 0.04 oz]
My rule of thumb is becoming: 'red lipstick? pass it on.'  This shade is described as a matte bold classic red, which is so not me, so I intend to gift this.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose, $4.55 [$65.00 for 1 oz; sample size: 0.07 oz]
I don't know that I've ever disliked a perfume fragrance more - ok, I probably have. The first notes of this fragrance were very unpleasant. It was kind of a bitter, powdery floral. It faded into a more tolerable fragrance as the day went on, but I realized that cringing everytime I applied perfume in the morning was not a good start to the day, so I stopped using this.

Total Value: $39.62

Details: Play! by Sephora is a beauty subscription service that features a curation of five deluxe samples plus a bonus fragrance in a collectible bag. The monthly cost is $10.00 + tax. Each box also includes a Play! Pass that you can use to receive 50 extra Beauty Insider points with any in-store purchase.