Play! by Sephora: January 2017

It’s a happy new year with the January Play! by Sephora box! I kind of love the January bag, with its mesh back, but I also sort of wish Sephora didn’t send the bags every month since I don’t know what to do with them! Though this mesh one would be really great for my gym bag!

Play! by Sephora

Price: $10/month

Box Type: This is a beauty box that contains deluxe samples (and occasionally full-sized) products that can be found at Sephora.

Why you’ll love it: Ummmm, did you see it’s all fun products that come from Sephora? Some boxes will send you random products from brands you’ve never heard of before but Play! by Sephora will only send you brands from their own store – basically all high end fun things you are excited to try! Here’s a breakdown of the benefits:

• The awesome products, of course.
• The $10 you spend earns you Beauty Insider points if you are already part of their rewards program. (I’m VIB Rouge because I clearly have A Problem buying makeup.)
• Each month you will also receive a card that you can bring into Sephora that will earn you 50 additional bonus points on your purchase!
• The PLAY! BOOK outlines how to use the products, similar to the Allure Beauty Box Mini Mag

Here is the insert that comes with each box, which gives info and tips on all of the products.

And here’s everything we received in January!

Youth to the People Kale + Spinach + Hyaluronic Acid Age Prevention ($48): I don’t tend to gravitate to creams from brands I’ve never heard of before but I kind of love this one. I like using it at night as the last step in my 7-step routine, and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to, but I do feel like it gives me a cooling effect. But I ALSO like using it in the mornings when I don’t do my full routine but I want SOMETHING on my face prior to spin. It absorbs really nicely and then just makes my skin feel fresh. Ugh, I might have just talked myself into buying the full-size version of this. THANKS, SEPHORA.

Tarte Frxxxtion Stick ($22): Stick cleansers are becoming all the rage, due to the whole K-Beauty obsession. I got a stick cleanser in my Julep box in April last year and while I liked it OK, I wasn’t blown away. So, I really wasn’t expecting much. But I actually REALLY liked it. You just rub it all over your damp face and then rub it in. The exfoliation is really gentle, so you could probably use it every day if you wanted to! I love using an exfoliating cleanser in the mornings after the gym because I feel like I need to get extra clean after sweating so much. This might turn into a full-size purchase also. DAMMIT. This is getting expensive.

Ouai Treatment Masque ($32): I’m a little confused about the Ouai “movement.” Jen Atkin is a celebrity hairstylist (Kardashians) turned creator of Ouai products, which help to give girls the same “cool girl” look that she rocks. But most of the time, when I see pictures of her, I am… unimpressed with her hair. It just looks kind of messy, which I know is the intent, but I don’t think it looks that good! Do you?

Suddenly, Jen and her products showed up everywhere and I’m like, do I want to look like her? I don’t! But… that doesn’t mean her products aren’t good. I do like her sea salt spray and I’ll definitely try this mask in a few weeks, since I just got my hair cut.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in  Black Honey ($17): This is a product I have legitimately used since high school, possibly before. Apparently, someone in the U.S. buys a Black Honey lipstick every 3 minutes, and I have been that person approximately 5 times. Black honey looks almost black in the tube but is a sheer berry out of the tube which gives a natural hue, swatched below. You know that this is going directly in my purse. I couldn’t resist putting it on immediately when I received it.

Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey Swatch

AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ ($60): I’ve never gotten into the cushion compact trend, though this was a big K-beauty thing that came state-side in the last few years. I’m mildly afraid to try this since I’ve already been inspired to buy so many full-size products from this month’s box. I’m afraid to add a $60 foundation to the mix, but maybe I’ll look into a cushion foundation for Spring/Summer! What is really great about this product is that it has SPF 50!

Tory Burch Love Relentlessly ($68): I always really love Tory Burch scents. I own the original one and I still wear it on occasion (though I’ve bought a few new scents lately.) Sephora describes the scent:

Introducing Love Relentlessly, the new fragrance from Tory Burch inspired by the love story of her parents. A bold and romantic mix, Love Relentlessly opens with pink pepper, rose, and orris to evoke the excitement of love, and then reveals the warmth of patchouli and ambertonic to perfectly blend the classic with the modern. It’s undeniably feminine in a jewel-shaped glass bottle with pink accents.

It’s a really pretty, feminine scent in a gorgeous bottle you’ll want to keep on your vanity.

Final Grade: A+

I’m thrilled with the January Play! by Sephora box. This is one of those rare times I’m going to use everything I received and probably buy the full-size versions of a few products! I hope that this box is representative of what’s to come in 2017!

If you are interested in trying Play! by Sephora, click here to see if you can get it or at least get on the waitlist!

Purchased; All opinions are my own.
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laurenelectro

A self-proclaimed beauty junkie/hoarder with a serious Sephora problem. This blog is a total rationalization of that problem. Everything is TOTALLY fine. Her free time is a mixed combination of making fun of reality TV with her husband, hanging out with cats and finally trying to figure out how to do her hair.