Sephora has really been killing it lately with their a la carte PLAY! boxes. These are special edition PLAY! boxes that you can buy that don’t involve a subscription of any kind. I have been buying most of them and I think I need to settle down a bit. HOWEVER. THIS PARTICULAR BOX. They listed exactly what was going to be in it and I knew immediately I needed it.
Also, all of the products came in this cute little bag.
Price: $20/box but not a recurring subscription
Box Type: Get your K-Beauty fix with six trial-size products that combine skin-first science and innovation with major cuteness and style. There are actually two choices for this box, a “Fair” and a “Medium/Tan.”
Why you’ll love it: Ummmm, did you see it’s all high-end products that come from Sephora? Plus, you get to watch a special live-stream if you want, as mentioned above.
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.
Like the previous Sephora Play! SMARTS boxes, you have the option to attend an online class that will go more in-depth about the products included in the box. The live broadcast was recorded on Oct. 22, but you can always watch the replay on YouTube. (Even if you didn’t get the box, you can watch it.)
Here are all of the cards that described each of the products in the box. (I was quite familiar with half of the products in the box, but it’s still nice to have. 🙂 )
And here… are all of the products! Yay!
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask ($22-$45): This is one of those products that seems like it was made for Instagram – the heavy glass, the modern branding and the millennial pink of the product itself. I’ve tried this a couple times because I asked for a sample at Sephora, but I got their moisturizer at the same time and I think I got them mixed up because the products look the same, except the mask is a bit thicker. The texture is a bit bouncy with a slight watermelon scent. It is very pleasant to apply but I am not sure I’ve been wowed enough to buy the full-size. Also I’m not sure if it broke me out or not? I had a blemish the day after I used it, so I’m not sure if it was from this or not. But it’s fun to take pictures with, and I’ll use what I have!
Saturday Skin Rub-A-Dub Refining Peel Gel ($28): This is a product that you apply on clean, dry skin, and then you sort of rub around your face for about a minute, and it will gently pick up dead skin cells and such that you can rinse off. Quite honestly, I’m not sure it did anything. I sort of felt like my skin felt the same before and after. But it’s possible that my own skincare routine is exfoliating enough on its own. But I will continue to try this a few times to see if it does anything else.
Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb ($48): I’m going to be honest, this product alone was the reason I got this box, as this is my all-time favorite eye cream. I will buy the full-size of this, but I’ve been trying to get through the eye creams I have first. But I’m impatient, so I just couldn’t help getting this box with this eye cream in it. Mini eye creams tend to last me a really long time, so I’ll be set with this one for awhile. Most gel-ish eye creams sort of dry down and tighten, and I HATE that. My eyes are very sensitive to that. However, this cream is sort of a gel/cream hybrid and just feels so moisturizing but also so lightweight at the same time. Sort of like Belif’s original Aqua Bomb but a little more concentrated for the eyes. (If you are wondering, the Ole Henriksen Banana Brightening eye cream is my other favorite.)
Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb ($38): This is one of my all-time favorite winter face creams. I really like their Aqua Bomb gel cream most of the time, but during the winter when my skin is especially dry, this is the cream I like to turn to. It is incredibly moisturizing but I don’t feel like it’s too heavy and I’ve never experienced any breakouts or anything with this. I’ll typically wear it at night versus under makeup because it’s a bit too much for me personally to layer. But it’s very lovely at night for me. I will say that it’s sort of annoying that the names and the packaging of the Aqua Bomb and this formula are so similar, because it can be really confusing when you are trying to figure out which one you are looking for. Just something to note if you were going to look for one or the other.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($20): Do I mention this stuff in every blog? I think I do. I am obsessed with this stuff and I want everyone that reads this blog to buy it and be obsessed as well. I’m really glad I’ve been getting all these minis in various boxes, as I can now have some for my purse, for my makeup bag, and maybe a few to give to friends so they will get a taste as to why it’s so good and then get their own. Sort of the strategy of drug dealers – give it to people for free until they are hooked on it. That’s me, but for beauty products. You could say I’m a pusher. (Mean Girls reference, anyone?)
Erborian CC Creme High Definition Radiance Face Cream Skin Perfector in Clair ($44): This stuff is really interesting. It reminds me of an Almay foundation I got in high school that starts out kind of white but has little dots mixed in of pigments, and so it’s supposed to adjust to your perfect shade. Because I chose the Fair box, I thought that this would work for me, but when I’ve swatched it, it looks a little dark. I still need to try this on my face to see if it really will “adjust” but I’ve had long days at work recently, and I haven’t wanted to risk something new and potentially full coverage, especially since I’ve been wearing much lighter coverage recently. So I’m still TBD here, but hopefully I can try it on a weekend or something soon!
Final Grade: A+
I love K-Beauty and this box had a great variety of products I already know and love and new products I was excited to try. I think this is well worth the $20 cost, as the products I love the most from this box will definitely last me a long time.
Are you going to pick up this box? As of this blog post it’s still available if you click here. Let me know if you are grabbing it in the comments!
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.