I’m not here to sell anything. I’m not being paid to discuss products I love. I try to be genuinely honest about whether I like a product or not and I know most of my previous Sephora Play posts have been complimentary. But I’m committed to being honest with all two of you who read this blog. So let me say in all my pettiness: FUCK U SEPHORA.

I nearly canceled my subscription over this box and depending on what October brings I still might. So why was this box so bad? There were a few factors that frustrated and pissed me off. First, there was the fact that I got a bunch of anti-aging products even though I’m 23 and my Beauty Insider profile says my concerns are combination skin and large pores. Second, was that while every other box got a Benefit Gimme Brow, I got another highlighter, a highlighter mind you that didn’t work! Third, even if I didn’t know what other boxes got and knew mine was lacking this was just a meh sort of box for me. So let’s dive in, shall we?

So let’s dive in, shall we?

So I don’t totally hate this Fresh moisturizer. I wasn’t super excited about an anti-aging product (because I’m 23 and my skin while combination trends more towards oily) but I wanted to give it a chance because people seem to love the Fresh brand. It’s surprisingly nice. While I have found a few more pimples on my face I can’t conclusively blame it on this moisturizer because I’m on my period. This moisturizer isn’t heavy and I feel like it gives me a good dose of moisture without making my face feel oily. I do think it’s too heavy to wear under makeup so I use it before bed, after my serum or retinol and I wake up with hydrated (maybe even glowy) skin. This product also smells faintly of lotus which I don’t mind but if you’re the kind of person who can’t stand your moisturizer having any smell then stay clear. Still, to be honest, I probably wouldn’t buy the full-sized version of this moisturizer, nothing against Fresh, but if I was buying an expensive face cream I’d go with Peter Thomas Roth’s Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream. But maybe when I need anti-aging products I’ll give this a try.

Would I buy: No

There’s nothing bad about a black eyeliner, except well it’s BORING. I have five million black eyeliners, some even from older Sephora Play boxes and it’s enough. The Sephora Eyeliner is fine, I have no complaints about the performance because it does what it’s supposed to do. I think Sephora knew it was boring which is why they gave it a (way too long), fancy name. I didn’t like it for two reasons. Number one: I’m weird because I’m particular about my eyeliners. I really only use felt tip, liquid eyeliners (easy to use when you’re nearly blind), so a pencil like this has very little use for me. I used it to tight line my eyes but I wasn’t super impressed. Number two: The other eyeliner option in these boxes was Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, a felt tip, liquid eyeliner which I prefer. I could have at least used that one. So just a disappointing eyeliner.

Would I Buy: No

I also didn’t hate this conditioning mask. I get my hair color treated so it always needs a dose of moisture, especially the ends. But I couldn’t feel super excited about this product, mostly because I was disappointed in the rest of my box. I like this brand and I liked the leave-in conditioner I got in a previous Sephora Play but otherwise, not super exciting. It made my hair look good and moisturized but so can a leave-in conditioner from Target.

Would I Buy: Probably not

This was the worst product I got, not just in this Sephora Play but in all previous Sephora Play boxes. I didn’t get the brow product I wanted and this highlighter didn’t even work! In the picture, you can see how it’s dried out and flaky. Sure I could have e-mailed Sephora customer service to send me another one but why bother? I have enough mini-highlighters from Sephora Play to last me for years! Sure I’m bitter about getting yet another (and non-working) highlighter instead of a product I actually wanted to try but even if this highlighter worked I wouldn’t be interested. Paris Hilton is over, hip-hugging jeans are out, and glitter-as-makeup is something from my pre-teen years that should stay long buried. I know the 200s are maybe making a comeback but I am not interested.

Would I Buy: Absolutely Not

This Algenist moisturizer was not good. First, the texture was weird and heavy. It felt like dipping my finger into a flan.  The food metaphors continue because this product smelled like a donut. And not in a good way. It smelled chemical and fake sweet, like a product you’d get at Bath and Body Works. And unlike Bath and Body Works which sells their synthetically scented products for no more than $20 this moisturizer is $112. I don’t mind products with scents but this one was just gross. And it wouldn’t go away. The only thing I can say in its favor was that it didn’t break me out. But I will not be using any more of it.

Would I Buy: No

I feel like Sephora is trying to tell me something… cause they gave me two anti-aging moisturizers in this months box. Maybe they’re trying to tell me they don’t read their customers’ Beauty Insider profiles. Here’s mine for proof:

Nowhere on it does it say I’m concerned about wrinkles or interested in anti-aging products. My skin has been combination since I started the subscription service but only recently I’ve gotten products geared towards dry, older skin. In my August Box, I got an anti-aging product, however, in my July Box, I got a charcoal mask geared towards dull and acne-prone skin. So I don’t know what changed on Sephora’s end where they’re sending me two anti-aging products but I’m not happy.  I want to see what I get in my October box but I’m considering unsubscribing from their service.

I actually liked this lipstick. I haven’t used any Wander Beauty products before and tbh I haven’t been that interested in them as a brand. But I was excited to get their lipstick in my box because the primary reason I joined Sephora Play was to try brands I hadn’t tried before. This is the perfect color for Fall, a deep berry red that ties a look together. It makes me wish I lived in New York again where I could pair this lipstick with a dark coat, black boots, and crisp fall air, but California is cool too.

It really is a nice color and it suits my pale skin but I think it would work well on a lot of different skin types also. But (and obviously, there’s a but) $30 is a lot to pay for a lipstick so as much as I liked this lipstick I probably won’t buy the full-sized version.

Would I Buy: No

So this Sephora Play wasn’t good, I liked two products and for $10/a month that’s not great. I’ll see what I get in October but this could be my last Play Review. Apparently September wasn’t a good month for subscription services because my Sitch Fix box also sucked.

Anyone else hate their box?