Play! by Sephora May 2016 – Finally Off the Waitlist!

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I am so thrilled to finally be off the waitlist for Play! by Sephora beauty box! I initially put my email on the list when the service first started, but at the time it was only available in certain states. Then after I got the email to subscribe a couple months later it somehow ended up in my spam folder, so I totally missed it and my spot in line was lost. Finally, the subscriptions opened up for a short time again, and the invitation successfully landed in my inbox. Yay! So, without further ado, I wanted to show you what I received in my Play! by Sephora May 2016 box, called The Forces of Nature. Sephora editors packed it with some of the best and most effective natural beauty products that are already bestsellers or still on the way to stardom.

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:

This month we received five beauty samples and a bonus fragrance vial from one of my favorite perfume companies, so I couldn’t be happier! Every box also included a helpful folded booklet with product descriptions and directions for use, a little makeup drawstring baggie, and a Play Pass, redeemable at your local Sephora store for a one-on-one consultation and extra 50 Beauty insider points with any purchase.

1 // Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask [$36, available here] is pretty much a classic sample you could find in pretty much every beauty subscription box within the past year or so. It’s a great deep conditioning treatment, and I am always happy to get some more, so I don’t ever need to buy a full-sized jar. Briogeo revamped the sample packaging, so now this mask comes in a squeeze tube instead of a mini jar.

2 // Origins Maskimizer Skin-Optimizing Mask Primer [$22, available here] is a brand new type of product – a pre-mask spray treatment – that makes your skin more receptive to following mask treatments, except peel-off masks. Supposedly, it boosts hydration levels and makes the surface more even, but I personally think it’s just a gimmick. In the end I was more excited about the two foil samples that came with it. One was Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, which is one of the brand’s bestselling products and pretty much every blogger I know raves about it. Another sample was Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, another supposedly really good product. I haven’t tried either yet, but I really look forward to it!

3 // Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial [$48, available here] – I actually already tried this product before and thought it worked pretty well. The whole point of overnight masks is to intensely hydrate the skin, and some of them even have additional benefits, like brightening Vitamin C, other antioxidants, skin-smoothing peptides, or retinol. At this point I have quite a collection to use up, so it’s unlikely that I would buy a full size of this mask, but I think it’s a good one if you’re looking to add something new to your routine.

Related: Asian Sleeping Masks for Every Budget.

4 // Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick [$26, available here] – I was a fan of the original Bite Beauty creme lipstick formula, but I gotta admit this new one is pretty good, too. The color I got, a hot pink cool-toned Kimchi, is not very flattering on me, but at least I had a chance to test the wear time and decided that I should add a couple shades to my collection.

5 // Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon [$18, available here] is not rated well at sephora.com for some reason, and I am not sure why. I thought this is a pretty good twist up lip liner that you don’t even need to sharpen because the tip stays nice and thin at all times. Well, it’s not pointy sharp kind of thin, but good enough to line the lips and make them look naturally fuller. I liked the color I got, too – Latergram is a lovely mauve that is universally flattering.

 6 // Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine [$120, available here] was the bonus fragrance vial we all got along with the usual 5 monthly samples. I am obsessed with this fragrance and already own a travel spray and another mini bottle of it. I added the contents of the vial to the travel spray, so now I have another spritz or two on Sephora. If you love pure citrusy fragrances, this is the one you absolutely have to check out! Sniff it at your local Sephora at your own risk – you might go home with a bottle 😉

BOTTOM LINE:

The May box was fantastic! I am so glad I stuck with this subscription and activated my account in time to receive this month’s products. I didn’t read reviews on previously sent boxes but if the May box is any indication, then this subscription is definitely worth it, especially for Sephora shoppers. And for anyone on a budget it’s a great way to try high end products without having to go to the counter.

Are you a Play! by Sephora subscriber? Have you tried any of the products above? Let me know in the comments below!

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