July Sephora Play Unboxing

Mommylicious

The July Sephora Play Box is here! It always comes on the same day on the month and I appreciate that consistency. Since I have not been disappointed by any of the previous Sephora Play boxes, I always find myself looking forward to this one more than Ipsy, which is more of a hit or miss. 
Want to know more about Play by Sephora? Find it here. 

It is almost the middle of Summer, so it comes as no surprise what the July Sephora Play box has been themed on. The theme of the July Sephora Play box is Effortless Summer. It is all about the sunny standouts and warm weather essentials. All the products this month are for giving a chic look on the haute long days. 

The little pouch in the July Sephora Play box is freakishly cute with a pink popcicle. It just screams Summer. 

Getting on the products of the July Sephora Play box:

BeautyBlender Blotterazzi

This catches my attention first, being so pink and big. It is a reusable cushion blotter for absorbing all the facial oils without disturbing makeup. What?? Is it for real? It is a revolutionary item by BeautyBlender and I was not aware such a product existed. It has the shape of the BeautyBlender, just flat. It has been designed to reach even the hardest of corners on the face. It has to be used dry and cleaned weekly. Super useful for a person with oily face like me. In the Blotterazzi goes in my purse to help me sail through a long haute day.

Ouai Wave Spray

It is a hairspray, by the brand Ouai, for adding volume to the hair and moisturizing it. It can be used on wet or dry hair. It has a fresh lemon-y scent. I am not a fan of these kind of hairsprays because I have frizzy and curly hair which have been straightened. So, no curls to enhance, really. This is one big disadvantage of beauty boxes not being customized based on the profile of the subscribers.

Sun Rescue Deep Cleanser By First Aid Beauty

It is a gel facial cleanser with Red Clay for removing excess oil. Anything with clay is straight up my alley. I love products like this, travel size packs of cleansers. These are super handy for travelling as the regular facial cleansers are always so big and heavy. What I love about this cleanser is it almost doubles up as a mini mask when used without water. This cleanser instantly leaves the skin feeling clean and devoid of impurities. 

Soleil Matte Bronzer by Too Faced

This is a Too Faced Matte bronzer in the shade Chocolate and made with cocoa powder, which accounts for the yummy chocolaty scent. It is very light-weight and gives a natural look. As much as I am excited to have received a Too Faced product, I am sad that it is a bronzer. Bronzing is that one thing I do not like, need and do. Hence I never invest in bronzers. But since I have received this sample I will give it a shot, or just use it as an eyeshadow!

    

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

As always, I was saving the best for last. Yes, it is THE Smashbox Photo Finish Primer that social media is gaga over, and rightly so. I am glad Smashbox decided to send out a sample of an already popular product. I am a huge fan of Smashbox. Everything I have tried so far has impressed me a lot. And much like the other Smashbox products, this primer has blown me away. It mattifies the skin and controls shine; it minimizes the look of pores and locks in the makeup. Now, this has become my favorite face primer too. Try it to believe it.

Citrine by Nest Fragrances

The bonus perfume! It is always exciting to receive perfume samples. And you can never have too many perfume samples especially in the summer. This month has Citrine by Nest Fragrances. I have not heard about this brand before, but the scent has my attention. How do I describe it? It is flowery. It is citrusy. It is made from Lotus extracts and it smells really nice. I love all things citrusy so this is perfect for me in the Summer. 



Overall, this is the first Sephora Play Box that has disappointed me a little with the hair spray and the bronzer. These two type of products do not work for me, personally, and I will not find any use out of them. It can work for others, not me. However, the inclusion of the Smashbox Photo Finish Face Primer has compensated for all the other disappointments. I am so happy with it. I love the Blotterazzi as well. The perfume in the July Sephora Play is also great. So, although there are 2 misses, the hits outnumbered them.

Read more about the products in the May Sephora Play box and June Sephora Play box.  

July Ipsy Glambag Unboxing

Mommylicious

The July Ipsy Glambag is here. This month around I decided not to get a sneak peak of my bag through my Ipsy account. I kept it a complete surprise. But Ipsy surprised me when they emailed me saying that they are doing away with the system of social media sharing for the early preview of the Glambag. Yay! Finally, Ipsy is getting a hold on their subscribers' social media dictatorship. 

Anyway, getting to the July Glambag. 

The July Ipsy Glambag is a zippered glossy one. It screams summer and is really cute. There are little pink umbrellas on a silver background. So cute! This bag is totally going into my purse as my on-the-go mommy makeup bag. 

The theme this month is Hot Summer Nights. It is all about the low-key laid-back vibes of summer. 

Getting on the products:

SHRAY Sheet Masks

The first thing that catches my eye is the biggest product, two sheet masks. Hydration is the key word here. These masks target dehydration and ensure that the skin is moisturized and silky smooth. These masks are made of natural wood pulp and we got to try the masks in 2 varieties - Ms Amazing and Queen Bee. Ms Amazing is for sensitive dry skin while Queen Bee is for redness and acne prone skin (that is me, you guys). I have tried the Queen Bee mask. It is easy to apply as the mask comes with a peel-off plastic sheet. The scent is pretty mild and the masks are very thin and sheer. It is nice although I did not notice any difference in my skin. Looking forward to using Ms Amazing.

  

Meet Matt(e) Trimony Eyeshadow from theBalm Cosmetics

I have waiting to try theBalm Cosmetics forever now. I am so intrigued by the names of their products and the super retro packaging. It is so eye-catching that I was literally wishing I would get to try out some of their products through monthly subscription boxes. So, yay to that! I got the eyeshadow in the shade Matt Moskowitz, which is a matte plum. These shadows are ultra matte and can be used on any part of the eyes to create a variety of looks. It is super pigmented and velvety and I love it already. 

Eyeshadow Brush from Vasanti Cosmetics

This is the second month in a row that I am receiving a Vasanti Cosmetics eye product. This time it is a Contour Eyeshadow brush. The name really had me guessing what it is for, contouring of eyeshadow blending!(Oops) It is dome-shaped and great for blending eyeshadows. This brush is meant for well-defined eyes, and hence the name. It is a synthetic brush with shiny bristles. It is nice and soft and does the job well. My only qualm, the bristles are a little bent in Ipsy's attempt to pack it in the July Glambag. 

Delectable Hand Cream by Cake Beauty

It is in the scent lemon and cream and when I tested it, it just reminded me of lemony baked goodness. It is rich but not greasy. It has natural ingredients and smells yummy. The scent is everything! It just made me smell my hands all day long (and crave for lemon cake). Now that I was reading up on Cake Beauty, I know why this hand cream smells of lemon meringue. It is a confection inspired brand and the scents are to die for. Finger licking good. I want to try the other scents so bad now.

Face Primer by Too Faced

As always, I had saved the best for last. It is the Hangover Replenishing Face Primer by Too Faced. It has coconut water for hydrating the face. It not just helps to lock in the makeup for a long time but also gives a fresh and flawless look. It is a unique concept where the primer doubles up as a moisturizer. It gives the skin a well-rested feel and look. Sounds super nice to me. 

Overall a great Glambag by Ipsy. Ipsy has continued to impress me with the July Glambag. I love all the products. I dig sheet masks, so they are always welcome. I have also found my favorite hand cream, thanks to Ipsy for introducing me to Cake Beauty. The 2 highly-coveted brands and big names are theBalm Cosmetics and Too Faced. I am more than glad to be receiving these brands. I just loved the July Ipsy Glambag. More power to Ipsy.