What's in my March 2018 Sephora Play Box?

It's that time of the month again... time for my Play Box from Sephora! Every month I find myself wondering if I should keep or cancel my subscription- after all, a girl can only go through so many beauty and skincare samples before a backlog starts to build up! I've got a whole bin of goodies that has never been touched, just waiting to be used. But then every month I get my Play Box and it's so amazing that I decide to stay with it for another month.

My March Play Box arrived this weekend and I definitely feel like I've gotten my money's worth with this one! This month I got 2 skincare products, 2 makeup items, and 2 hair care products. If you're wondering what happened to the perfume sample that usually comes in the Play Boxes, I'm right there with you- this Play Box did not have a perfume sample! I wonder if they're going to steer away from the perfumes (I've got a backlog bin of those too) or if it's just a one time thing. I also really like this month's little bag-the tie dye is cute and it's really soft! I usually reuse the Sephora bags as dustbags for my wallets and other small items I want to protect, they work really well for that.

In the makeup category, I got a Buxom lipliner (a new release I believe), which is really cool because it has a brush on one end. I saw Josie from FashionMumblr use this in her video here, and I'm pleased to be able to try it myself. I got the color "Hush Hush" which Sephora describes as "cinnamon", and I like it a lot! I wore it yesterday for a few hours without any dry lip troubles, although of course I'll need to wear it more before I decide if it's truly a product that works for my lips. That said, I really like the color on me because it almost perfectly matches my own lip color but it's a little bit darker. I also like the formula, at least so far. It's not super creamy and the finish is matte, so the transfer is fairly minimal, but at the same time it went on pretty smoothly and I didn't find it uncomfortably drying. The little brush on the end was also nifty, I used it to smooth out the lip color once I applied it all over my lips and it I think it gave me a softer more velvety feel. Thumbs up to this one!

I also got a Sephora Collection Matte Perfection Powder Foundation. Sephora collection items can be a bit of a hit or miss for me (like the dreaded Sephora collection black eyeliner pencil- I don't need any more of those!), but I like the look of this powder. They sent me the color "Neutral Linen" which seems to be a pretty good match for my skin. I prefer matte finish foundation so . I was actually just pondering whether to look into purchasing some sort of foundation or face powder product in my previous post, so this item couldn't have been more timely if someone at Sephora was actually reading my blog! I wore this powder yesterday for the first time and I was pleased with the performance- it mattified my skin but didn't look cakey, and provided the kind of coverage I like (natural but perfecting). I need to try wearing it in different weather conditions to figure out if it's something I want to purchase, but as the days heat up and become more humid, I should have ample opportunity to put its mattifying strength to the test.

In the skincare category I received a Lancome foaming makeup remover and a Murad primer with SPF 30. I'm not a regular user of primer, especially in the winter, but once it starts getting hot and humid I think this will come in handy! I'm a big fan of sun protection as well, so a product that combines primer and SPF in one step is pretty great! Plus it's clear, which is nice for those who dislike the whitish cast that sunscreen can sometimes give. The Lacome foaming makeup remover is interesting- I use the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water to remove my makeup but I always do a double cleanse and follow up with some sort of facewash for a really deep clean. I don't know if the Lancome foaming makeup remover is supposed to take the place of the micellar water or the facewash, but it smells nice and I'm happy to give it a go! I very much doubt it'll replace my beloved Garnier Micellar Water though; I've been using the waterproof version (with the blue cap) for about two years and it works so well that I can't use any other normal makeup remover! It's kind of a holy grail makeup remover for me, that's how much I love it. I've never tried the pink cap version, mostly because the blue works so well for me that I never bothered to test it out!

Lastly there's the hair goodies. The first is a bottle of Verb Ghost oil, which is apparently a hair oil. I've been using OGX Moroccan Argan Hair Oil for a long time, at least 4 years or so. I love it because it smells great and absorbs quickly into my hair (and hands) without leaving a greasy or heavy feeling. My hair gets extra moisture without being weighed down or feeling oily. Plus, a little goes a long way and it's so inexpensive! What's not to like? ;) However, I've never tried Verb's hair oil an I've seen people in the Sephora Beauty Chat forum talking about it in positive terms so I'm excited to try it! The other item was hair smoothing sheets by Ouai- these are taking the place of the usual bonus perfume sample. I've only ever used one other product by Ouai (a beach hair mist which wasn't my cup of tea... maybe I was using it wrong??) but I'm game to give these hair smoothing sheets a try. I do get a bit of frizz sometimes, so I'm guessing this spring I'll definitely have a couple rainy days headed my way when I'll be able to try these out. I only hope they won't leave any unpleasant residue, I hate feeling like I have product in my hair!

All in all, a very successful Play Box! I've got items I'm excited to try out and items that will be very useful. I just hope the April box includes a mascara because I'm due for a fresh tube!

**This post is not sponsored in any way. The Amazon links may earn me a small commission if you purchase, but there is absolutely no difference in the cost to you. The Sephora links I provide are to show where the items can be found, although of course that is not the only place where they may be purchased.**