Sephora came out with a new special edition Play! box and you better believe I bought it so fast. I saw the notification from Trendmood and bought it within minutes.
Price: $20/box but not a recurring subscription
Box Type: This is a special edition version of the regular Play! by Sephora boxes, which includes 6 trial-sized eye products from prestige brands. This box also includes access to an exclusive live-streamed CRASH COURSE called “Glitter Eyes for Real Life.”
Why you’ll love it: Ummmm, did you see it’s all LUXURY products that come from Sephora? This is the most high-end of the high-end.
How to Subscribe: Click here to buy this box. Click here to subscribe to the regular monthly box! And click here to view all of our Play! by Sephora box reviews.
I am going to be honest with you – I mostly bought this box because of the bag. It’s one of those “mermaid” bags where you can swipe it and the sequins change color. I have a pillow like that and it will stop me in my tracks and I will rub it for like 10 minutes before I realize what I’m even doing. I just love it. The bag turns from rose gold to silver, as you can see in the pic below. It’s just so dang cute. It was almost irrelevant to me what was inside, but luckily, I got some great stuff.
This time, the regular booklet was replaced by little individual cards which described the products and tips for use. Also included is a card that invited me to a livestream called “Glitter Eyes for Real Life.” I’m unclear if I will actually “attend” because I was more interested in the products than this “extra” feature. But if I think about it, maybe I’ll tune in.
And here’s everything we got in the bag. I thought it was a really nice selection of products considering all of the products are for the eyes. I feel like it covered the gamut from makeup, skincare and a bit of almost medical, with the lash growth serum.
Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Kitten Karma ($24): I actually own a small size of this – bigger than the one in this box but smaller than the full-size version. I got it in a set of three colors and I really like it. I don’t wear glitter every day, so this would be great to tuck in my travel bag because it won’t take up much space, yet it will still get the job done. I have tiny eyelids so I feel like even this tiny version will last me forever! The formula of these are so good – they make glitter so manageable. Like, who has time to mess with a jar of pigment/glitter and a glitter glue? That can go so messy so fast. This formula allows you to get a super high impact with minimal work. The formula stays wet enough for you to get it where you want it but dries fast enough to where you don’t have to lay down with your eyes closed for 15 minutes. You can use this to fake a cut crease because they are so opaque. This is definitely a gold star product, (in addition to the Stila Shimmer and Glows which have a similar shimmery base formula but with no big pieces of glitter) and I definitely highly recommend if you want to create a super easy glittery eye look!
Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof in Black Lace ($10): I mean, this is a black eyeliner. There really isn’t much to say here. I honestly have enough black eyeliner to last me the rest of my life and I don’t wear it very often. The formula felt creamy and nice tho, but at the end of the day, it’s just a black eyeliner.
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Creme ($38): Eeek! I have wanted to try this ever since I received the Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Gel Creme in my Influenster box. That moisturizer quickly became my favorite and I am always on the lookout for the next best eye cream. This cream is supposed to help brighten under-eyes, sort of like banana powder does in makeup. It also targets fine lines and wrinkles while visibly firming and moisturizing skin. I haven’t worn this for a long period of time so I can’t speak to its claims about fine lines and wrinkles, but I do think it’s moisturizing and it wore nicely under makeup.
Bite Beauty Prismatic Pearl Multistick in Rose Pearl ($24): I really like the brand Bite Beauty but this product is a little strange to me. The color is sort of a rosy pink and it’s infused with a ton of sparkle. Ostensibly you are supposed to use it on eyes, lips and cheeks, but the texture is really creamy like a lipstick and it doesn’t dry down. So I don’t think I would like to use this on my eyelids because I think it would crease really fast. And this particular color, I don’t think I would like on my cheeks or lips because of how sparkly it is. I think this would look gorgeous on someone with deeper skin as maybe a highlight? But on me, I am kind of stumped.
Grande Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum ($65): This product is supposed to help you get longer, thicker lashes, so I’m really interested in trying this stuff to see if I can see a difference afterwards! This is what the product description says about the product:
This award-winning lash enhancing serum infused with vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids to promote naturally longer, thicker-looking lashes in just four to six weeks, with full results in three months. It’s a favorite for helping to enhance short or thinning lashes, and it’s also ideal for restoring the appearance of brittle or damaged lashes.
The small size I have is apparently enough for 6 weeks of treatment, so I should be able to see a difference before and after. I am going to take a picture and see if I can see a difference.
Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara ($12): I honestly had extremely low expectations for this mascara because of the reviews I had seen. The reviews I had seen weren’t BAD by any means, but they just made it sound like this wasn’t going to me my ideal mascara formula. A lot of people really like this for their lower lashes but I LOVED this stuff. It made my lashes look so long and volumized – not clumpy volume but definitely noticeable volume. I’m really pleased about it and will continue to use this mini and possibly buy the full-size version. I have been going through a mascara-buying phase so I currently have a ton of mascaras to get through. But once i get through my 10 Other Mascaras, I may actually re-buy this.
Final Grade: A
I really enjoyed this special edition Play! by Sephora! I don’t think I really care about the special live-stream associated with this box but I definitely loved the bag and the products inside. I’m pretty ho-hum about the eyeliner but everything else is great. I was pleasantly surprised about the BADgal Bang mascara and the Ole Henriksen eye cream. I’m also looking forward to see if the lash serum does anything! I thought the variety of products was really great considering all of the products were eye-focused, so I thought this was a fantastic box!
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.