Play! By Sephora April 2017

Play! By Sephora is a monthly subscription box by Sephora. It costs $10 a month and you received 5 beauty and skincare samples plus a perfume sample each month. Previously, you needed to put yourself onto a wait-list and wait to receive an email before you could subscribe, as they were rolling it out to limited quantities.

In addition to the products, Sephora includes a booklet that includes information about the product, the brand, and then tips of how to use the products. Also at the back of the book is a Play! PASS. This Pass gives you a complimentary one-on-one session with a Sephora artist as well as an extra 50 Beauty Insider points when you scan the pass at the register with any purchase. If you have the Sephora app, you can also scan the images of the products to learn more about them.

When the subscription first started, it seemed as though everyone received the same box. Lately, it seems as though they have a handful of box varieties that everyone receives based on the survey you fill out at the beginning and their theme. This month’s theme is Step It Up.

As a heads up, the boxes are a little bit larger and will not fit into a small apartment sized mailbox. For reference, a Birchbox box is able to fit almost perfectly into my mailbox, but this one has no chance. Therefore, I’ve started having it shipped to my parent’s house so I don’t have to go to the Post Office.

The product I received this month were as follows:

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream (Full-Size $52)

I love getting moisturizers in these boxes! It’s so much fun to try different formulas. This one is lightweight and is said to provide deep hydration as well as lock in moisture. It claims to lock in moisture for up to 72 hours which will be interesting. It doesn’t have a scent, which I like but it’s a bit of that silicone texture so we’ll see how that works. I typically prefer cream moisturizers but I’m looking forward to trying this one.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Face Cleanser (Full-Size $24)

The only other Philosophy product I’ve used is the Hope moisturizer. I didn’t mind it but my husband hated the scent. Like, without prompting, gave me a kiss on the cheek and visibly reacted to the scent asking what the heck I had on my face. I’m not super crazy about the scent of this cleanser, but we’ll give it a try. Sometimes the scents don’t linger and it is meant to be gentle and soothing, so I will give it a chance.

Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer (Full-Size $36)

Ugh… I don’t need any more primers! I feel like these boxes have been heavy on the primers lately and I just don’t use them. While I appreciate that primers help your makeup to stay on longer and apply smoothly, I don’t like the silicone texture. It also tends to break out my skin, so I avoid them. I’m sure that if there is a good primer then it is one make by Smashbox. Unfortunately I will be passing this one on.

Makeup Forever Aqua XL Eye Pencil (Full-Size $21)

Waterproof black eye pencils are always nice to have! This is a great staple for summer and I’m excited to try it. Only weird thing is that I cannot get the cap off of my sample to try it. I will have to play around with it and if I cannot get the cap off, I will have to contact customer service and see if they can help me.

Sephora Collection Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover (Full-Size $11)

This is one of those separated oil based eye makeup removers that you’re supposed to shake before using. While I find them effective, they often irritate my eyes. This one also claims to strengthen lashes with olive wood extracts, so that should be interesting. It also states that the cornflower extract is meant to soothe lashes, so we’ll see if my eyes are irritated by this remover or not. 

Miu Miu L'Eau Bleue (Full-Size $90)

The notes of this perfume sample are lily of the valley, wild rose, and akigalawood. It's an interesting scent. I don't think I'm crazy about it. I feel like I'm learning that I'm pickier about scents than I first ever thought that I was. It has a sharpness to it that I don't really like (I think maybe from the rose?). It could end up being a good scent to layer with another one. I think a lot of people will like this one, but it's just not my thing.