Sephora Play! July 2017

Sephora Play July 2017
Box Variant #064

Clinique
Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm in Woppin’ Watermelon | $17

There are two different Clinique Chubby Sticks: Regular (sheer) and Intense (semi-opaque). Both are lovely and very moisturizing as the name implies. The colors I’ve swatched are all gorgeous and super easy to wear. I own two already and they’re in daily rotation. I reach for them whenever I’m going for that low-key no-makeup look or that holy shit I’m running late again and don’t have time for beauty routines look. The latter happens more often than I care to admit so I’m telling people I’m just really into “natural makeup” right now. You’re now in on this lie.

Anyway, Woppin’ Watermelon is of the sheer persuasion. It’s a “barely there” color, so if your lips are deeply pigmented like mine it might just give them a soft sheen and healthy enhanced glow. Which is nice. Like the other Chubby Sticks, this one is very comfortable to wear. As a lip balm, it’s not terribly long-lasting, you’ll need to reapply after lots of drinking or eating. It will also transfer a bit on your coffee mug, but they’re sheer so they won’t smear all over your kissing partner. Since they do pack in moisture, they never dry your lips out, so feel free to pile it on.

As this is my third Chubby Stick from a Beauty Box, I think I’m all set. I’m not sure I need more than what I have but if wanted a new shade, I’d absolutely purchase another in this line. They’re nice and at $17 they’re not going to break my bank. For those on a tighter budget, Burt’s Bee’s Tinted Lip Balms (the ones in the brown tubes) are pretty similar in terms of finish and tint, and only $5. I own these too.

Peter Thomas Roth
Cucumber Gel Mask Extreme Detoxifying Hydrator | $52

My current daily moisturizer/sunscreen is from this brand (Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30), so I can vouch for the quality of their products. I can also speak to their $9 shipping and handling extortion scheme if you try to order anything from their website, but that’s a rant for another day.

Back to the mask. The Cucumber Gel Mask Extreme Detoxifying Hydrator is billed as an “ultra-gentle refreshing gel mask to help soothe, hydrate, and detoxify the look of dry, irritated skin.” There’s a bunch of botanical extracts like cucumber, papaya, chamomile, pineapple, sugar maple, sugarcane, orange, lemon, bilberry, and aloe vera all up in it. Basically the best fruit smoothie that I don’t actually get to drink. I don’t have the patience to research why any of those things might be beneficial to my skin, I just slathered it on to see if anything happens.

It says it’s ideal for helping to calm and soothe the skin's appearance after sun exposure. I definitely exposed myself on a sailboat cruise around the harbor this weekend and my face is feeling a bit dry from the 72 layers of sunscreen I applied throughout the day. So I’m a prime candidate for testing. As per directions, I applied a generous layer to my face (it’s green but goes on clear) and let it do its thing for 10* minutes (*15 because I got distracted). It’s a very refreshing mask to wear. It has a cooling effect and you can store it in the fridge for extra cooling sensation. But it didn’t tingle or sting, which is a good sign. After washing it off, my face wasn’t red or irritated. Everything felt pretty nice. Hydrated. I guess it’s detoxified, I have no real way to tell. My pores felt like they could breathe so maybe that’s it.

Overall, this is a nice mask! It’s a pretty pleasant way to chill and pamper yourself. I’ll definitely use the rest of the tube for those days when I spend all day in the sun or just whenever I want to have an at-home spa day. Not sure how I feel about the full-size jar, it’s a lot of money for something I might not need that much of. The jury remains out.

IT Cosmetics
Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara | $24

So, real talk. Most mascaras are roughly the same. Some perform slightly better than others at thickening or lengthening or not running down your face when you’re watching Moana after three glasses of wine. And a drug store mascara can work just as well as a luxury mascara, so it’s really all down to personal preference and budget. I currently rotate between L’Oreal Lash Paradise ($6), Stila Huge Extreme Lash ($23), and Burberry Cat Lashes ($30). They all give good volume without flaking, smearing, or irritating my eyes, which are my checkboxes for mascara. Which is to say, a good mascara is best decided upon based on what it doesn’t do.

So, with that in mind, the IT Cosmetics mascara falls into the average category. I mean, it works. No clumps. No spidery look. No irritation. No flaking. Decent separation. But there’s nothing really volumizing or lengthening about it. It’s just a basic mascara.

I’m far more impressed by the packaging of the sample than the actual product. Just look at this thing. It’s got multiple debossing, silver foil stamping, spot UV gloss, and that luxe soft touch velvet coating. Not to mention custom die cut packaging. GRAPHIC DESIGNER HIGH FIVE. Bottom line, I’ll use this. Maybe. If I can’t find my other mascaras. But I won’t purchase the full size product. I prefer a volumizing formula.

REN
Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream | $45

I discovered REN many years ago while on an international flight to London. If you’re lucky enough to be sat in the fancy people section, British Airways will bring you champagne, pajamas, socks, a down comforter, and a little toiletry bag (pink for girls, blue for boys) filled with ear plugs, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, sleeping mask, and a selection of skincare items for your long overseas haul. On that flight, those items included REN hand cream, day cream, lip balm, and eye gel. With a roundtrip journey, I arrived home with a month’s worth of luxury skincare.

I’ve purchased a few of their products since, one of which was this day cream! It’s an solid moisturizer and it does appear to reduce redness a bit as claimed. There’s also no synthetic fragrance which is great, although the natural extracts in this do give it a pleasant scent. So, yes, I really like this cream and will absolutely use up every last drop of the sample. The only reason this didn’t become my holy grail moisturizer is that I opted for something with SPF built in. If REN ever rolls out a sunscreen moisturizer I’ll be first in line to try.

Guerlain
Mon Guerlain | $66-$124

The internet tells me that Mon Guerlain is a reformulation and rebranding of 2015’s Mon Exclusif. The notes are very similar, although Mon Guerlain appears to be a more simplified version of its predecessor. I don’t have a sample to compare, so I’ll just describe my experience with this sample.

The first note I get is lemon (bergamot as per the card, but they’re similar to my nose). It burns off quickly and then there’s a wave of vanilla. Tahitian vanilla, which is a spicy vanilla. Then a soft, plush lavender aroma. Put together, this forms a very cozy opening. There’s sandalwood too in the background. So the overall opening is one of comfort and warmth. It’s soft and dry and powdery, but not baby powderish. There’s sugary sweetness but it’s not cloying and seems to be held in restraint.

The other notes are jasmine, iris, and coumarin. I couldn’t detect these, they’re sort of drowned out by the lavender and vanilla. Not to say this is a loud scent. Quite the opposite, Mon Guerlain is a quiet fragrance. It’s pretty and innocent, while also feeling mature and refined. It doesn’t attempt to be sexy. No heady florals or hot musks. It’s cool and dry and sheer over the skin. It’s a woman with her hair in a soft bob and floral garden party dress, headed to a bridal shower on Sunday afternoon. She’s charming and easy going, with a gentle laugh. Uncomplicated but confident in manner.

A beautiful fragrance, really. I’m currently using the sample at bedtime as a sort of aromatherapy session to get me in a sleepy relaxed mode. It won’t be a full bottle purchase but it’ll be a pleasure to spritz around this little tester.

Madam C.J. Walker
Beauty Culture Dream Come True Wonderful Deep Conditioning Masque | $32

So, this is a hair mask and it does all the normal hair mask stuff like deep conditions, nourishes, and rehydrates dry or damaged hair. It smells like fresh lilacs and feels amazing. My hair is soft and healthy feeling, just as the bottle said it would be. Also, this masque is reasonably priced, which is always good news. So all round, it’s pretty great. There’s not much I can add, except…In prepping this review, I had never heard of the brand before and was unfamiliar, so I looked them up. What I found blew my mind. I’m sharing it here.

Madam C.J. Walker was a turn-of-the-century entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist, as well as the first female self-made millionaire in America. She was born free on a Louisiana plantation, to a pair of sharecrop farmers who’d previously been enslaved there before the end of the Civil War. Orphaned at seven, she worked a variety of odd jobs including one selling African American beauty products on commission. During that time she began researching and developing her own line of cosmetics.

At the age of 38, she launched her own product line and went into business for herself. She sold her creams door to door, then scaled up to mail orders. Her husband traveled through the south to expand the sales business. As her success grew, she reinvested and opened salons, a factory, a beauty school, and a laboratory. She also staffed her businesses mostly with women. At the end of her life, she was one of the wealthiest African American woman in the country, the world’s most successful female entrepreneur of her time, and one of the most successful African American business owners ever.

She did a helluva lot more than that, but you can deep dive into her story at Wikipedia or on the brand website. The Madam C.J. Walker beauty line is a brand relaunch, created in her honor in collaboration with Sephora.