I’ve been anxiously awaiting to receive my Play! by Sephora June 2016 box this month. After getting my very first one in May and loving everything, I decided that this subscription service has a lot of potential and I am once again excited about my monthly shipments. Now that Birchbox is overhauling the point system, I think I might finally unsubscribe and only receive Sephora Play boxes for a while. We’ll see.
HOW IT WORKS:
For $10/month Play! by Sephora subscribers receive a box of 5-6 carefully curated beauty samples of best-selling products as well as rising stars, chosen around a monthly theme. Click here to subscribe, and don’t forget to use Ebates for 4% cashback!
CONTENTS:
1 // Bumble and bumble Don’t Blow It [$31, available here] is an innovative styling cream that adds body to fine hair like mine. Sephora says that it can make your hair look effortlessly air-dried, but without the unpredictable texture. I haven’t tried this sample yet, but from my past experience with Bumble and bumble haircare I’m sure I will like it.
2 // tarte Tarteguard 30 Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30 [$32, available here] – I don’t know about you, but I embrace sunscreen samples however big or small they may be, because I use SPF daily. However, Tarteguard was beyond disappointing… You’d think that a company who made so many great skincare products in the past would do better than this greasy mess. This sunblock wouldn’t absorb no matter how much I rubbed or patted in, so I eventually gave up and washed it off with soap. I peeked at other reviews to see if it was just me, and sounds like a lot of people had the same negative experience.
3 // Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara [$24, available here] – People love to hate on They’re Real, but truth is, this is one of my favorite mascaras of all time. It works wonders to keep my lashes defined and curled all day long without turning me into a panda. Due to the pokey nature of the wand I can see how there might be a slight learning curve to apply this mascara, but once you get a feel for it I bet you will really fall in love with your winks 😉
4 // BECCA Backlight Priming Filter [$38, available here] – Becca highlighters are basically the unspoken standard in the beauty industry, a lot of bloggers compare other highlighter formulas to Becca’s. While my personal favorite highlighter will always be theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer, I still end up hoarding many others that I use maybe once a season, at best. Backlight Priming Filter is not a true highlighter, but rather a highlighting base. It makes your makeup look dewy and gives the skin glow from within. I didn’t find the formula revolutionary, and I already own several illuminating bases that give the same result, for less.
5 // bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer [$28, available here] – This unique bronzer and serum in one has the most unique formula, and I loved it! This sheer veil adds just the right amount of warmth to the skin, without making it look muddy or orange. I’m obsessed!
6 // Tocca Florence [$68, available here] – Sephora Play bags always include a little fragrance vial as an extra sample, and this month it was Tocca Florence. So far I tried Cleopatra, Margaux, Stella, and Giulietta, which are all very different from one another. As it turns out, Florence and I were not meant to be. The fragrance did not develop very well with my body chemistry, think cotton balls soaked in chemically-scented toner. It’s just me though, because Florence has a lot of rave reviews on Sephora.com. Different strokes!
BOTTOM LINE:
I find the June box slightly less exciting than the May one, but at the same time it was clearly better than my Birchbox so there’s that. I was perhaps the most excited to try the liquid bronzer from bareMinerals, which far exceeded my expectations, because it looks very natural on fair skin. All in all, I still feel like this selection wasn’t worth $10 to me. Maybe I should take a break from beauty boxes all together? It seems like I am always way more excited about the lifestyle boxes these days anyway.
Have you tried any of the products above? Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes? Let me know in the comments below!
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Hmmm – not bad for $10 I guess? But like you, I don’t get that excited about sample sizes. I kind of felt that way about my Ipsy box too. The FabFitFun box has been my favorite so far.
I liked this month’s bag with the exception of a couple of things I’ll give away. The Benefit They’re Real and the Tarteguard 30 were good for me.
Since I cancelled Ipsy, I may start getting Play–I love getting goodies in the mail!
I’m the opposite of you, I liked this month’s bag better than last month’s. But I think that’s how it is with these subscriptions.
Love this bag! I can’t wait to get my first one this month!
That priming filter sounds so cool