I just couldn’t quit Play! by Sephora for very long. As you might remember, I pulled back on a bunch of boxes towards the beginning of the year. However, I really missed a few boxes, and so I got Allure Beauty Box again, and then recently, I went back for Play! By Sephora. It was time.
Price: $10/month
Box Type: Beauty products, 5-6 deluxe samples
Why you’ll love it: High-end brands (no drugstore products here), new and interesting products in deluxe sample sizes, plus a cute little bag each month! It’s a great mix of makeup and skincare. Plus, you receive a little card that gives you 50 bonus Beauty Insider points that you can you in-store and now online with your next purchase!
How to Subscribe: Click here!
Every month, you get a little sheet that has some fun beauty-related art but also has all of the products in the box and how to use them.
And here’s everything we got this month. Is this my favorite box? No. It’s not. But mostly because I already have pretty strong opinions about most of the products in the box. This boils down more to personal preference than anything else, but I’ll get into it below.
Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo ($13- $23): I used to really like trying Drybar products in addition to going to Drybar to get my hair done. Eventually, I finally had to call it because none of the Drybar products work on my hair. Anything that is supposed to be volumizing makes my hair flat, and their hairspray doesn’t hold any style. I don’t know what it is! I love all the Drybar branding and their salons are gorgeous and I have had lovely experiences there. But it’s not worth it anymore, which is a bummer.
SEPHORA Collection Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying ($10-20): This is the only product I haven’t had a chance to try yet, since I don’t use mud masks very often. From what the reviews say, this is a dupe for GLAMGLOW masks, which is awesome since GLAMGLOW is super pricy, especially for what it is. I don’t think you should have to pay $60 for a mud mask, so I think it’s nice that SEPHORA came up with something comparable.
Benefit The POREfessional ($12-$31): I have used this at various times over the years so I decided to try it again when I got it. However, this does NOT play nicely with my moisturizer – the Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Gel Créme ($44). When I layer this primer over the moisturizer, it pills up very badly, which is a bummer. I had to take it off completely and start over the other day because there was no way I was going to try to put foundation over that mess! I don’t remember that happening over every moisturizer I’ve used in the past but it definitely doesn’t work for me now which is lame.
Marc Jacobs Travel-Size Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara ($14): This Marc Jacobs mascara is one of my very favorites! Last year or maybe the year before, Allure sent me a full-size of this, which was awesome. I’ve also gotten a few minis over the years. This stuff is super black, and makes my lashes long and thick. Of course, it’s Marc Jacobs so even the mini alone is $14, so the full-size is expensive at $26. But it’s great. I’m glad I have this for my gym bag!
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper ($20/full-size): Jill and I have talked about this before – while I love Kat Von D as a brand, I feel like this product is one of the biggest scams in the beauty industry. It’s a cult favorite and people LOVE IT, but I have NEVER been able to make it work for me. I have purchased several full-size versions, probably because the hype is real. But the color never stays black very long, and instead starts looking grey after just a few uses. I don’t understand it! I have to be doing something wrong as it’s a best-selling product. But to me, it’s total garbage. There. I said it.
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium ($69-$145): First of all, I could not figure out how to even open this perfume sample. Matt had to help me figure out how to break it open. Second, I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this. Maybe it’s the name but I thought this was going to smell a lot more masculine or musky than it does. It’s incredibly feminine and it’s an absolutely gorgeous scent. If I hadn’t just purchased a brand new perfume, I would definitely have this in my cart. Here’s the description:
Black Opium is the highly addictive feminine fragrance from Yves Saint Laurent. Fascinating and seductively intoxicating, the opening notes of adrenaline-rich coffee and the sweet sensuality of vanilla recline into the softness of white flowers for a modern, young, and vibrant interpretation of addiction. Get your dose.
Third, can we talk about how this is a really weird description? “…for a modern, young, and vibrant interpretation of addiction.” Uhhh wut. I get it, beauty industry – you’re trying to be edgy. But there are some things that I’m just not sure you should say?
Final Grade: C
I thought that this month’s Play! by Sephora had a great mix of brands and products but most of them are things I’m not a huge fan of. I’m excited about the Marc Jacobs mascara and getting to smell YSL Black Opium, but that’s it.
That said, I’m excited to have this subscription again, and I’m looking forward to what we will get next month. If you’re interested in subscribing, click here!
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.
It’s so weird that your Black Opium sample came in a little ampoule?? We get chemicals in the lab like that sometimes, but they’re one time use aliquots, which seems really wasteful for a perfume sample!
Also I sympathize hardcore with the KVD liner, I have that exact same issue. I didn’t want to toss the one I bought, so I eventually found that what helps is wetting the tip with little water or dipping it into some contact solution before using it. It doesn’t make sense to have to do that for a high end product, but the end result is a really lovely deep black eyeliner.
Yeah, it was the weirdest packaging for a perfume sample. Like, guess I better make this count because I can only use it once! I like using perfume samples a few times just to see if they work with my body chemistry, so that was kind of annoying.
I am donating the Kat Von D liner, though I almost feel bad about it. Like, I’m sorry I’m passing along this shitty product to you, no one should use this. But I feel better about donating it than trashing it, though that is where it belongs.