December Play! by Sephora Review

This will be my last Play! by Sephora review for a while, possibly forever. I decided to unsubscribe after my December box; read on to find out why.

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

I was so excited when I first subscribed to Play! by Sephora, mostly because of their waiting list. It made everything seem more exclusive, and I knew they'd send good stuff because, well, it's Sephora! But I also was concerned that I'd be paying for samples I could get for free.

The first boxes I got were a lot of fun and they did have products I loved and would use. This is my seventh box, my first one was in May of this year. I decided to unsubscribe after this box because I started to feel like every box was pretty much the same. There was a skincare product I didn't need, a perfume sample I didn't like, and a lip product I didn't need more of. That's not to say that this isn't a great subscription--I think it's more that I just have way too many samples and beauty products already, so I wanted to take a break from receiving the box.

That being said, I still think Play! by Sephora is a great way for beauty enthusiasts to treat themselves and to discover new products. I think it's perfect for someone who maybe doesn't have as many products as someone like me, so you can really take the time to test them and find new things to enjoy.

Well, now that that's out of the way, here's what was inside December's box:

• Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - This is definitely my favorite item this month. I was skeptical about setting sprays before I started using them, but they really do work. I have oily skin, so this one in particular does a great job of keeping my makeup on all day (or all night!).
• Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red - This is a gorgeous bright red lip stain, which is a color I love, but I have about 500 other beautiful red lip products to use so I posted this for swap. It's a lightweight stain that moisturizes.
• Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara - I've used this mascara before and I found it to be too flaky. I actually have three or so sample tubes of it from a prior Lancome order I placed. It definitely gives volume, but too much of it would smudge throughout the day so I don't recommend it.
• Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose - This is Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's perfume brand, and the Nirvana Rose scent has notes of Rose de Mai, geranium, and vetiver. Unfortunately rose makes me sneeze like crazy, so I don't think I will be able to use this. I might pass it off to my mom, she likes florals.
• Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo - Dry shampoos are one product I will happily accept my samples of because it's something I use quite often. I've never used Drybar's products but I know they're very popular so I hope this works well for me.
• Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer - Primers are another product I use often, but this sample just doesn't seem fun to me. I know Make Up For Ever is a great brand, but after a while all these little tubes start to add up and I just feel like I'll never get around to trying this. This is the smoothing version for minimizing large pores and fine lines.

Bottom Line: Overall this box just left me feeling "meh." I'll definitely use the setting spray and dry shampoo, but everything else was a version of something I already have too much of. I think it's a good idea for me to take a break from Play! by Sephora right now, but maybe in the future I'll resubscribe.