Sephora Favorites: Hair Holy Grails Summer Essentials Review

Sephora released some new Favorites Kits recently, including their 2019 Hair Holy Grails Summer Essentials Kit.

FYI – this Sephora Kit is still available for purchase!

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About This Box

The Box: Hair Holy Grails Summer Essentials Kit

The Cost: $38 ($111 value)

The Products: 

A collection of summer hair holy grails to help you achieve the ultimate beachy waves, revitalize damaged hair, and reduce frizz.

• 1 oz/ 44 mL Amika perk up dry shampoo
• 2 oz/ 60 mL Bumble and bumble. Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer
• 0.66 oz / 19.4 mL Briogeo™ Be Gentle, Be Kind™ Superfoods Shampoo
• 0.66 oz / 19.4 mL Briogeo™ Be Gentle, Be Kind™ Superfoods Conditioner
• 1 oz/ 29 mL Briogeo™ Don't Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Mask
• 1.5 oz/ 44.3 mL DevaCurl® WAVE MAKER™ Touchable Texture Whip
• 1.5 oz/ 44.3 mL drybar®Hot Toddy Heat Protectant Mist
• 1.7 oz/ 50 mL IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm
• 2.8 oz/ 95 mL Living proof.® No Frizz Instant De-Frizzer
• 0.5 oz/ 15 mL Moroccanoil® Moroccanoil Treatment
• 1 oz/ 30 mL OUAI Wave Spray
• 0.85 oz/ 25 mL Playa Endless Summer Spray
• 0.25 oz/ 7 mL VERB® Sea Texture Cream

Shipping: $5.95 if your purchase is under $50, free if you are VIB Rouge, and this is also available in stores.

Sephora Favorites: Hair Holy Grails Summer Essentials Review

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Before I get into the products, I have to highlight this wonderful bag! In previous years I have purchased their Sun Safety Kits (check out Jessica's review) and one year I received a similar bag that I always use for beach trips to keep our sunscreen in. While the pom poms are long gone (kids!), the material of these bags is perfect to bring to the beach since the sand and anything else wipes right off of them and the bag has held up to many family beach trips! Can you tell I'm excited to have another one? Plus, this one is a bit wider than the old one and I love the colors!

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Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Replenishing Superfoods Shampoo, 0.66 oz - Estimated Value $1.48 (buy the full-size version for $28)

Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Replenishing Superfoods Conditioner, 0.66 oz - Estimated Value $1.48 (buy the full-size version for $28)

Our smallest sample by far are these Briogeo foil packs of their Replenishing Superfoods shampoo and conditioner that are meant to hydrate your hair without the use of harsh sulfates, parabens or silicones. The shampoo contains matcha and apple while the conditioner has kale and apple. I don't think I have used an apple shampoo since the days when good old green apple Suave would do the trick for my hair so this was definitely a nostalgic scent for me! The apple scent was crisp and sweet, but not too overpowering and it didn't linger too long in my hair, much to my dismay. I was able to get two uses out of these packets and my hair felt clean and it seemed gentle enough, but two uses aren't quite enough to tell if it made a huge difference.

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Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo Mini Size, 1 oz – Retail Value $10

This dry shampoo is one I have sampled in boxes before and it is one I am always happy to receive! Not only do I love their cute packaging, but this shampoo smells really fresh (a little like baby powder) and it goes on clear leaving no residue. It can also add volume to your hair if you spray it on the roots, although I typically use it to freshen up in between washes and it always leaves my hair feeling clean. All Amika products contain Sea buckthorn berry which is supposed to help promote collagen production, fun fact I didn't know until now!

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Moroccanoil Treatment, 0.5 oz – Estimated Value $10 (buy a 1.7 oz bottle for $34)

This is another product that I have sampled many times before from boxes and I have to admit, I have never had strong feelings about this product one way or the other. I always add either a detangler or oil to my hair after washing it, and this one works well to add some shine and smooth my hair out a bit and it smells nice. It is infused with argan oil and can strengthen, detangle, and even speed up your drying time. If it is a new product for you, this sample size will be plenty big enough to test out before committing to a full size since just a little bit goes a long way!

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Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat & UV Protective Primer Mini, 2 oz – Retail Value $12

This product seems to be on a lot of favorite lists so I was excited to try this. The scent is light and fresh and it is a great size at 2 ounces. I first used it as a pre-treatment before drying and styling my hair to protect it from the heat and then I tested it out to touch up my hair. It worked well to smooth it out and add some shine, although it borders on the verge of making my hair look a tad greasy when I spray it on dry hair. They recommend using it at the beach to help add moisture, detangle, and protect against UV rays, so I definitely plan on taking this with me when I head to the beach this summer!

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IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm Mini, 1.7 oz – Retail Value $15

This stuff smells so good! It was really hard to figure out which products to use together and whether to use them for styling or when I wanted to air-dry my hair, but this little tube seemed pretty versatile, so I first used it when straightening my hair. This was actually a clear, lightweight balm that smelled amazing with a light tropical coconut scent. 

It left my hair looking shiny and feeling silky and smooth. I also used it on my dry ends the day after I wore it naturally curly and it gave my ends a voluminous tousled look that I loved while also making it look smoother. I can't wait to try this on wet hair and see what it can do! This is by far my favorite discovery!

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Verb Sea Texture Cream, 0.25 oz – Estimated Value $2.00 (buy the full size for $16)

I have naturally wavy/curly hair, but whenever I let it air dry, I always get frizz that drives me crazy and keeps me from wearing my hair naturally. I've tried so many products and still haven't found the one yet, so I was hopeful for this cream. You emulsify it in your hands before adding it to your hair and you can apply it to wet or dry hair. 

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I opted to try it on my towel-dried hair and I loved the way my ends looked, but it did not solve my frizz issue. I did add a bit more to my hair to touch it up later in the day and it looked a bit less frizzy and more tousled then. I also tried it on my dry hair the next day and while it perked up the ends a little bit, I had to use a good amount. This sample size is probably the worst one in the bag for me because I felt like I needed a lot of product each time and this was the smallest tube. 

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Drybar Hot Toddy Heat Protectant Mist, 1.5 oz – Estimated Value $8.48 (buy the full size for $26)

I was excited to try this because I have never tried anything from Drybar before, but I really did not like this scent, which was like strong burnt vanilla sugar. I also felt like the formula itself was a bit too heavy and maybe even a tad sticky for my hair. It did add a bit of shine and if it protects my hair from heat damage, then I can make this work, but I wouldn't purchase the full size.

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Living Proof No-Frizz Instant De-Frizzer Mini, 2.8 oz – Retail Value $15

I know so many people love Living Proof but this is the first product I've ever tried from them. I was pleased with this mini size which is perfect for testing it out and for traveling! The scent was pretty strong when I first sprayed it, but it definitely was much lighter in my hair. It added some instant shine with just a little spray, but I'm not sure how much it did for my taming my frizz. This bottle will definitely last me a while and I plan on using it just as it says on the bottle - to add some softness and shine in between shampoos!

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Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, 1 oz. - Estimated Value $9 (The 1 oz size on their site comes in a jar instead of a tube, but it looks like this is the same product!)

I'm all about a good hair mask, but this one takes 10 minutes which is a bit too long for me since these days I can barely get through a five-minute shower before one of my kids needs something! On the Sephora and Briogeo sites, they both say five to ten minutes so I opted to leave it on for somewhere in between that. I had to use a good amount, but there is still enough for a few more uses and it has a slightly nutty smell, possibly from the sweet almond oil it contains. Unfortunately, I was pretty unimpressed with the results. It didn't make my hair feel hydrated nor did it look or feel smooth like other masks I've tried and I can't imagine that a few more minutes on would have made a huge difference. Since it is also meant to fortify your hair against future damage, I'll have to hope it at least will do that!

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DevaCurl Wave Maker Touchable Texture Whip, 1.5 oz. - Estimated Value $7.80 (buy the full size for $26)

You may know that my daughter has incredibly curly hair and people are always recommending DevaCurl for her, so I was really excited to be able to try one of their products on her and also myself. I used it on my daughter after her bath and I thought it really defined her curls and it smelled so good. Although, the smell didn't linger too much in her hair.

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It's hard to see here but each little curl looked separated and perfectly coiled and had a lot of bounce while still being smooth and soft. I'm excited to see how it works on my hair!

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Playa Endless Summer Spray, 0.85 oz - Estimated Value $5.59 (buy the full size for $24)

This spray has a gentle formula that contains chia seeds and also sea salt to texturize and give your hair beachy waves. It also has beta-carotene in it to help protect your hair from UV rays. This is another product that smells amazing, probably because I love coconut, and I was really happy with how it worked in my hair. I used it on my dry hair after brushing it out the day after I wore it naturally curly. It added some definition and softness to my curls and took away some of that poofy look that I get when I brush it out. I was actually impressed because other sprays that I have used on dry hair have left my hair feeling sticky, but this one worked great! I wish this sample was a bit larger, but unlike the Verb cream I didn't have to use as much, so it should last me a little longer!

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Ouai Wave Spray, 1 oz - Estimated Value $5.20 (buy the full size for $26)

This is one of my favorite hair brands, mostly for their leave-in-conditioner spray which actually does help minimize the frizz when I air dry my hair, so I am happy to have this wave spray to pair with it. I first tried this on dry hair and it did NOT work for that and instead turned it into a sticky mess, but on wet hair, it really brought my curls to life!

I sprayed a good amount onto my wet hair after using a little bit of the Moroccanoil to help smooth it out and I was pretty amazed at how curly my hair was and also surprised to see that it gave my hair a little volume as well instead of weighing it down the way some curl products do. There also wasn't much frizz, but I can't be sure where the credit for that belongs. I am pretty happy with this spray though and love that I could just spray my wet hair and go about my day!

The Verdict: I was really impressed with the sample sizes in this kit and how many "mini" sizes they included! I don't mind receiving foil packs in a box like this because I view them as a bonus, so really the only disappointing sample size was that tiny tube of the Verb cream. While there were a few products that I felt indifferent towards, they were still decent enough to use in a pinch, so overall, I'm really happy with this set. I like that I got to try a lot of brands that I have been wanting to try and I made some great discoveries in the IGK, Playa, Ouai, and Deva Curl, plus I'm always happy to have a bottle of the Amika dry shampoo! I love that they all came in that great bag, too. I am estimating the total value that we received to be about $103.03 which is not quite at the promised retail value of $111, but with the bag that everything came in, I'm sure we are pretty close to that, although technically, I don't know if that should count towards the value!

To Wrap Up:

Can you get this box if you sign up today? Yes, as of publication, this kit is still available for purchase!

Value Breakdown: This kit cost $43.95 ($38 + $5.95 shipping) and I calculated a total value of $103.03. That means you’re paying approximately the following per item:

• Briogeo Shampoo: $0.63
• Briogeo Conditioner: $0.63
• Amika: $4.27
• Moroccanoil: $4.27
• Bumble & Bumble: $5.12
• IGK: $6.40
• Verb: $0.85
• Drybar: $3.61
• Living Proof: $6.40
• Briogeo Mask: $3.84
• DevaCurl: $3.33
• Playa: $2.38
• Ouai: $2.22

Check out all of our Sephora Favorites Kit reviews and the best skincare and beauty subscription boxes of 2019!

What do you think of the Sephora Favorites Hair Holy Grails Summer Essentials? Are you going to snag one?