First Impression: Play! By Sephora April Box Reveal

Hi everyone! This blog post is going to be a first impression review of my first PLAY! By Sephora box, which I received on April 17th. PLAY! is a relatively new beauty subscription box service from Sephora that delivers a curated box of five deluxe sized goodies sold at Sephora right to your doorstep each month for just $10. There are four past boxes you can check out, and also included in every order is a collectible bag and a fragrance bonus. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

I had been waiting exactly 3 weeks for my box so I couldn’t wait to open it when it arrived.

I got really excited when I tore open the box and my eyes landed on what looks EXACTLY like a Sephora gift card stuck onto the booklet. But no, they punked me. It’s what they call a “PLAY! Pass.” When you present this in store, you get extra beauty insider points, one-on-one tutorials, and access to “PLAY! Dates.” The booklet it’s affixed to is referred to as a “PLAY! Book” with tips, tricks, how-tos, and beauty advice to get the most out of your products.

Subscribers are promised to receive a collectible bag each month and I was rather disappointed with mine. It isn’t something I’d consider reusing. My sister actually asked why the Wendy’s mascot was on the bag! I did a horrible job retying the bow, but even with it tied nicely it was still underwhelming.

When I opened the bag this is what I pulled out. Are you ready? Let’s do this!

The Big Reveal…

Philosophy: Purity Made Simple Cleanser – I was disappointed to pull this out of the bag, but only because it was something I already owned and have been using for years. It was also a deja vu moment because I also received this in my Birchbox back in the day, so it felt even more like a repeat. However, it is the only facial cleanser I use (it’s amazing) so at least now I have a backup.
 Sephora Collection: Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover – I was surprised to pull out an eye makeup remover (I don’t know why), but I think this could definitely come in handy, and it’s a decent quantity so I like that. I wasn’t overwhelmed but I’m not writing this off as a disappointment.Make Up For Ever: Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner (Matte Black) – A black eyeliner. Man. The one hint we got for this month’s box is that it contained Make Up For Ever, but of course it ended up being your standard run of the mill mini black eyeliner. Useful, but I’m pretty sure we all own enough black eyeliners to last a lifetime.Smashbox: Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer – This is another product I would have been excited by had I not test driven it myself previously. As excited as I was once to try this, it didn’t work out. I found that it actually worsened the wear of my foundation and the silicone just felt way too slippery.Peter Thomas Roth: Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream This product was foreign to me. The only thing I knew was that Peter Thomas Roth is a high-end skincare brand. However, after reading the product description, I’m intrigued. “A concentrated 30 percent hyaluronic acid cream that transforms atmospheric vapor into fresh, pure water, providing your skin with a continuous burst of intense hydration that lasts up to 72 hours.” My skin’s definitely been parched as of late, so this might be perfect for me. Plus, it’s sold out on Sephora, so it must be good!

THE BIG REVEAL…

These are all the products I received, including the Miu Miu Eau de Parfum “fragrance bonus.”

In comparison to the contents of the previous Play! By Sephora boxes, I think mine is just okay (I’d give it a 6.5/10). My collectible bag was the least attractive to date, and while I can appreciate that each box is themed, the “Step it Up!” theme doesn’t excite me. I found it to be bland. They make it look great on their site though don’t they?

I’d rather receive products that make a visible impact, like lip products, mascaras, etc. You’d think they’d work questions aimed to target what you like, but the survey when signing up was very general. Anyway, thanks for reading this blog post! Let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to stick around for my April box!

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