October Play! by Sephora Review

Last month's Play! by Sephora box was a little ho-hum for me, so I was hoping October's would have something a little bit more exciting. I ended up liking this box a lot more; it had some known favorites and new things I really liked.

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love!

There probably aren't many beauty or subscription box enthusiasts out there who don't know about Play! by Sephora yet, but just in case, it's a beauty box that sends 4-5 deluxe samples for $10 per month. All of the products are available at Sephora, and each box also contains a Play! pass that entitles you to a tutorial in-store with the products and 50 bonus Beauty Insider points with any purchase. There's a waiting list to join, but it seems like they're opening spots up more and more frequently.

The little bags that hold all of the items each month always have cute designs but I have no idea what to do with them. They're nice for storage, I guess, but they're starting to add up and I don't want to throw them out. Anyone have any ideas for reusing them?

The first sample I noticed was the blinc mascara, which is one of my favorites. It's not a full-sized tube, but it's still a really good size for a sample. I was pretty excited to try everything else, too.

• Smashbox Always on Matte Liquid Lipstick in Driver's Seat - I love this shade and I really want to try it to see how the formula is, but I have so many lip products. I have this organizer that hangs on the back of my bedroom door and no joke, it's 80% full of lip products. So I'll save this for later use.
• blinc Mascara Amplified - I've used this before and I love it because of the unique formula. It applies like any other mascara, but it dries as tubes that coat your lashes. It stays put really well and is easily removable with water (it won't budge with eye makeup remover, though).
• Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris - I wasn't sure about this perfume because the name made me think it was going to be overly powdery or floral, but I actually am IN LOVE with it! It may be my new favorite. It's a fruity-floral fragrance with top notes of bergamot, pear, raspberry, and strawberry; middle notes of white datura, jasmine, and citrus blossom; and base notes of musk, patchouli, and ambroxan. I love the fruity top notes and the woodsy base notes mix perfectly.
• Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel - This is a non-abrasive peel that removes dead skin cells and gently exfoliates. I love using peels like this because I think they work a lot better than traditional scrubs. It's a gel formula that you apply to dry skin, massage in circular motions, then rinse off.
• belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb - Moisturizers are another thing I have a lot of, so I posted this for swap. It sounds great though, it's from a South Korean brand and has Scottish botanicals to tighten and smooth skin.
• Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil - I was really excited to try this because my hair is dry and damaged from heat styling, so I'm always looking for a good deep conditioning treatment. I've used this twice and it's just okay--you're supposed to apply to damp hair, add water to lather, leave in for two minutes, then rinse. It didn't really lather that well, but it left my hair feeling decently soft.

The Skin Inc. peel, belif cream, and Christophe Robin treatment

Bottom Line: This was a pretty good box. I really liked getting another blinc mascara, and the Yves Saint Laurent perfume is absolutely wonderful! I appreciated the variety of items and found some new favorites for sure.