Sephora Play is still a relatively new subscription service from beauty retail giant Sephora. The subscription is $10 a month and currently has no waitlist (it may by now so please don't get discourage if I'm wrong). I was offered a spot in Sephora Play twice, but wasn't quick enough the first time to secure the April box, but I got in for June and I was so happy about it! There aren't any special perks like points for money in the shop or surveys to qualify yourself for a free box later on, but it does come with a "Play Pass". The Play Pass is good to use in store with any purchase and you'll get 50 extra Beauty Insider points on top of the points you'll be earning with your purchase. For more information on how that program works click here.
I'm not going to lie the spoilers for this box weren't really doing anything for me. I think because I've tried or already own a couple of the products, so I was just like eh, but I was pleasantly surprised at a couple of items. Every box will come with 5 sample that match a theme and there will be a fragrance extra included in each box. The theme for this month was The Minimalists, and I think everything matches perfectly!
Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It (FS $31):
This is a product I already own and I've gifted the sample that came in this box. I don't think it's a super impressive product, I would describe it as a leave in with frizz fighting properties. If you have curly hair or hair with quite a bit of texture in your hair I would treat this as a leave in and then use additional products, but if you have straight to wavy go ahead and try this on its own. Final Grade: C
bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (FS $28):
I think this is my favorite thing from this box! I kind of expected to hate this, but it blends and feels so lovely on the skin! I used it to contour. I've mixed it in with foundation. I've used it as a regular bronzer and now it is alllll gone. It's even sold out on Sephora.com! I need to have this in my life, please come back in stock soon! Final Grade: A
Becca Backlight Priming Filter (FS $38)
I thought this was going to make me look like a big greasy mess, but it made my foundation look beautiful! I could never pull this off on its own, which is suggested because it was just too much luminosity for my liking. If you have dry skin I feel like you would like this, but I'm not sure if it would cling to anything (I don't have any dry patches at the moment). Normal and Combo skin peeps will love this! If you're oily like me, don't be discouraged I think you could pull this off. I'll be honest I layered a mattifying primer in my most oily zones for safety, but I think you can get away with it as long as you take necessary precautions. Final Grade: B+
Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Mascara (FS $24)
I do not like this mascara. The wand is dangerous in my opinion. The bristles are so long and I always stab myself and removing it is a pain. I will be gifting this because I have no interest in trying this ever again. Final Grade: F (yes, that's heavily bias)
Tarte Tartegaurd 30 Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (FS $32)
I'm never super happy to have a sunscreen in subscription because my face is extremely sensitive to SPF and I like to limit my exposure to the ones I know work best (Supergoop City Serum) and not wearing it unless I know I'll be going outside (sometimes I'm a hermit and don't see sunlight). This is a mineral sunscreen, so it shouldn't break you out, I'm still testing though. I appreciate the design of the bottle which is just a mini version of the full size glass bottle. I didn't even notice it was glass until someone pointed it out to me. I'm happy with this, just not overwhelmingly satisfied. Final Grade: B
Fragrance of the Month: Tocca Beauty in Florence (FS $22 - 68)
I've tried Tocca before and I'm very much in love with the Cleopatra scent and Isabel isn't a bad choice either, but Florence definitely isn't for me. Reading the notes I thought I would love this perfume. While the top note of bergamont is pleasant (one of my favorite notes), the underlying notes of violet are overpowering and linger. Florals aren't for me, but if you like florals this is a beautiful fragrance. I think Tocca really gets classic girly fragrances and Florence is definitely one of them. Extra Credit Grade: C
My final ruling is that Sephora Play is on the right track. I can tell you that I've liked past boxes I've seen from other websites better, They've released the theme for next month and it is "Effortless Summer", I can get behind that. I just hope it isn't more SPF and sea salt sprays. I can't really deal with those right now. I would say that this was a success and I will be sticking with this one. Since it is only $10 a month this may very well replace my Birchbox subscription. I just wish you could use the Play pass online, so I wouldn't have to go all the way over to the Pru. That's all for now!
I'm not going to lie the spoilers for this box weren't really doing anything for me. I think because I've tried or already own a couple of the products, so I was just like eh, but I was pleasantly surprised at a couple of items. Every box will come with 5 sample that match a theme and there will be a fragrance extra included in each box. The theme for this month was The Minimalists, and I think everything matches perfectly!
Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It (FS $31):
This is a product I already own and I've gifted the sample that came in this box. I don't think it's a super impressive product, I would describe it as a leave in with frizz fighting properties. If you have curly hair or hair with quite a bit of texture in your hair I would treat this as a leave in and then use additional products, but if you have straight to wavy go ahead and try this on its own. Final Grade: C
bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer (FS $28):
I think this is my favorite thing from this box! I kind of expected to hate this, but it blends and feels so lovely on the skin! I used it to contour. I've mixed it in with foundation. I've used it as a regular bronzer and now it is alllll gone. It's even sold out on Sephora.com! I need to have this in my life, please come back in stock soon! Final Grade: A
Becca Backlight Priming Filter (FS $38)
I thought this was going to make me look like a big greasy mess, but it made my foundation look beautiful! I could never pull this off on its own, which is suggested because it was just too much luminosity for my liking. If you have dry skin I feel like you would like this, but I'm not sure if it would cling to anything (I don't have any dry patches at the moment). Normal and Combo skin peeps will love this! If you're oily like me, don't be discouraged I think you could pull this off. I'll be honest I layered a mattifying primer in my most oily zones for safety, but I think you can get away with it as long as you take necessary precautions. Final Grade: B+
Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Mascara (FS $24)
I do not like this mascara. The wand is dangerous in my opinion. The bristles are so long and I always stab myself and removing it is a pain. I will be gifting this because I have no interest in trying this ever again. Final Grade: F (yes, that's heavily bias)
Tarte Tartegaurd 30 Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (FS $32)
I'm never super happy to have a sunscreen in subscription because my face is extremely sensitive to SPF and I like to limit my exposure to the ones I know work best (Supergoop City Serum) and not wearing it unless I know I'll be going outside (sometimes I'm a hermit and don't see sunlight). This is a mineral sunscreen, so it shouldn't break you out, I'm still testing though. I appreciate the design of the bottle which is just a mini version of the full size glass bottle. I didn't even notice it was glass until someone pointed it out to me. I'm happy with this, just not overwhelmingly satisfied. Final Grade: B
I've tried Tocca before and I'm very much in love with the Cleopatra scent and Isabel isn't a bad choice either, but Florence definitely isn't for me. Reading the notes I thought I would love this perfume. While the top note of bergamont is pleasant (one of my favorite notes), the underlying notes of violet are overpowering and linger. Florals aren't for me, but if you like florals this is a beautiful fragrance. I think Tocca really gets classic girly fragrances and Florence is definitely one of them. Extra Credit Grade: C
My final ruling is that Sephora Play is on the right track. I can tell you that I've liked past boxes I've seen from other websites better, They've released the theme for next month and it is "Effortless Summer", I can get behind that. I just hope it isn't more SPF and sea salt sprays. I can't really deal with those right now. I would say that this was a success and I will be sticking with this one. Since it is only $10 a month this may very well replace my Birchbox subscription. I just wish you could use the Play pass online, so I wouldn't have to go all the way over to the Pru. That's all for now!
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