Play! By Sephora March 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 The Glam Team.

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.

This month the products I received were as follows:

GlamGlow Gloswstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer (Full-size $49)

I’ve tried a few of the GlamGlow masks before, but I haven’t tried their moisturizers. This moisturizer is slightly tinted with a pearl effect that is meant to give your skin a healthy glow. It also is made with hyaluronic acid, vitamins, and green tea to energize skin and help reduce redness. I’m curious to see how it sits on my skin. Will it make me look sweaty? Or just give a healthy glow? Will the tint make me too pale? So many questions!

Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm (Full-size $36)

When I first saw this product, I asked myself “what is a finishing balm?” I have never heard of this type of product but I didn’t know what it’s for. Apparently, it is a bit like a makeup primer but it can also be put on top of your makeup to create a smooth finish. I don’t know if I would put it on top of my makeup, but I’m curious to see how it works as a primer. Again, it has a pearlized finish that you can see in the tub. The product is white but has some pink iridescence. I’m not crazy about the scent, which is a bit medicinal, but hopefully it won’t linger on the skin.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal (Full-size $41)

Becca is the queen of highlighting products. I have always wanted to try these infamous products but since they’re so expensive, I’ve only ever tried them in store. This highlighter is a very pretty pinky/nude color and the shimmer is strong! I am so excited to use this. While I wouldn’t add it on top of the other products from this box (as it might be too much shimmer), I have a wedding coming up that this is going to be perfect for!

Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Big Bang Metallic Finish (Full-size $17)

This lipstick is a beautiful fuschia shade that is packed with glitter. While the color itself is 100% up my alley, the glitter is a bit much. Now, if I was 21 and going out partying every night I would rock this lipstick hard! However, in my current life style it’s going to be hard to find moments to use this. I will say that the formula is surprisingly comfortable with no graininess. The glitter (not surprisingly) has major staying power, even after I wiped the lipstick off. 

Vice Ghost Oil (Full-size $14)

This hair oil is made up of moringa seed oil, bamboo extract, vitamin F, and hydrolyzed soy protein. It is meant to moisturize, detangle, strengthen, and smooth hair. It is also said to help reduce frizz. It smells similar to other hair oils with that yummy warm scent. I’m curious to see how it works on my frizz since I’ve seen a lot of oils that just end up making my hair look greasy without taking away frizz.

Atelier Cologne in Clementine California (Full-size $75-195)

Atelier Cologne is a perfume brand that has been around for a long time and is known to create scents that are strong, long-lasting, and fresh. Their scents are also all non-gender specific which is nice. With the two samples that I have used, I will say that they are quite possible the strongest and most long-lasting scents I have ever tried. This particular scent has notes of clementine, mandarin, juniper berries, star anise, Sichuan pepper, basilica, vetiver, sandalwood, and cypress. I think that citrus notes are very strong but the pepper and sandalwood give it a nice balance with warmth. While I enjoyed the scent, my husband thought that it smelled like soap.

After the last few boxes leaving me feeling a little meh, this one knocked it out of the park! I am so excited to try all of these products. While I think they could’ve balanced the glow a little more with items that could work together a little better, I love each one individually and am excited to use them.