Play! By Sephora June 2016
Play! By Sephora is a new monthly subscription box b 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. However, I think that as of the month of May it is now completely open to the public.
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.
One of the differences between this box and other boxes is that it is not personalized. Everyone who signs up for this subscription receives the same products. The theme changes each month and the products follow that theme. This month’s theme was The Forces of Nature, featuring natural products.
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 had to go to the post office both months to pick up my box.
This month the products I received were as follows:
Bumble and Bumble Don’t Blow It (Full-size $31)- This is a hair cream that is meant to enhance air-dried hair. It says that you are supposed to use this on towel-dried hair and then scrunch or twist it to add volume and wave. I’m definitely curious to use this as I always air-dry my hair.
Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara (Full=-size $24)- This mascara is a volumizing and lengthening mascara that is one of Benefit’s most popular. The interesting thing about it is that the end of the brush almost has a ball on the end. That part of the bush works really well for getting to the corners of your lashes. I’ve used this mascara before and while it’s not one of my favorites (and I wouldn’t purchase the full size) it’s one I’m always happy to have in my makeup bag.
Tocca Beauty Florence Perfume (Full-size $68)- The notes of this perfume are Italian bergamot, grapefruit leaves, green pear, apple, ivory gardenia, crushed violet petals, jasmine, tuberose, blue iris, blonde wood, and white musk. I don’t know exactly which note it is but oh my goodness I can’t stand this perfume. I tend not to like Tocca perfumes, and this is no exception.
BareMinerals bareSkin Bronzer (Full-size $28)- This liquid bronzer can be used mixed into a foundation, layered on top of a foundation, or just used over your moisturizer for some extra glow. I’m not a big liquid bronzer fan, but I did give this a try. I like the color and it did give my skin a nice warm glow, but I can’t see myself using this much. I’ll probably pass it on but it’s a nice product.
Becca Backlight Priming Filter (Full-size $38)- This product is a primer that has a bit of a highlighter mixed in. It’s meat to extend the wear of your makeup and also create a filter-like effect with backlighting. I’ve used this once and I really like the glowy-ness that it gives the skin. I am excited to keep using this product, especially in the summer to see how well it helps my makeup hold up!
Tarte Tarteguard 30 sunscreen Lotion Brad Spectrum SPF 30 (Full-size $32)- A non-chemical sunscreen! Also, how cute is the packaging? Besides the fact that it’s non-chemical, there’s not much different about this that I can tell from other sunscreens. However, I’m really excited to try this! The size is perfect for trips and that’s exactly when I’m going to use it. I am currently using a different sunscreen under my moisturizer that I’m not quite crazy about and was more expensive than this one is. It would be nice to find one a little less expensive that I like more.
Overall, this was a decent box. There are a few products I really like, but then a few I’m not crazy about at all. It’s not my favorite box I’ve gotten from Sephora so far, but I’m definitely looking forward to future boxes.