Play! by Sephora Review – January 2020

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Play! by Sephora is a monthly subscription box program. Each month subscribers will receive a box of deluxe samples, along with an exclusive PLAY! BOOK — packed with helpful advice — and a PLAY! PASS to redeem in store for a free one-on-one learning session with a beauty expert. The six product samples in your PLAY! by SEPHORA box are from the same prestige brands Sephora carries in store and online, and they are sized to use multiple times.

Play! by Sephora ships via USPS.  All Play! by Sephora, boxes should arrive between the third and fourth week of each month.

Play! by Sephora has switched to recycled bags (they previous sent cloth bags) and I love them. I usually ended up tossing the drawstring cloth ones, but I will save these resealable ones.

The January 2020 Play! by Sephora theme is “Stress-Free Beauty” and included the following items:

~COVER FX High Performance Setting Spray (10mL) ($2.58): This is an alcohol-free setting spray that locks in makeup for up to 24 hours.  It felt nice on my skin, but I don’t wear enough makeup or for a long enough time to actually need a setting spray.

~KAT VON D Tattoo Liner (.007fl.oz) ($7): This is the third time I have received this in a Play! box.  It was in my September 2016 Box, my May 2018 Box and now this one.  I dislike nothing more than getting black eyeliner in subscription boxes, so receiving this for the third time has my less than excited.  Don’t get me wrong, I hear this is great, but I don’t wear eyeliner (ever).

~GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD® Charcoal Instant Treatment Mask (15g) ($25): Now this I love.  I will take GlamGlow in all my Play! boxes! This clarifying mask visibly clears pores and improves the complexion of normal, combination, and acne-prone skin.  My skin looked brighter, clearer and just flat out better after using this.  It isn’t harsh and I love that it easily rinses off.  I use it before I take a shower and then just rinse it off in the shower once it dries.

~ORIGINS Dr. Andrew Weil For Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion (30mL) ($5.25): Oh goodness.  I read lotion on the bottle, opened it up quickly and tapped the bottom of the bottle to pour some in my palm.  Complete fail.  This lotion has the consistency of water.  Sephora says it is a soothing, watery lotion, but it really is just a toner consistency.  I did like the way it felt on my skin, but I think I would use this more as a toner with a cotton pad than as an actual lotion.  It felt more clarifying than moisturizing in my opinion.

~SMASHBOX Photo Finish Foundation Primer (7.1mL) ($8.88): As I mentioned above I don’t wear a ton of makeup, so I normally just use primer alone, over moisturizer or under some BB cream. It blurs your skin every so slightly to cover imperfections.

~VIKTOR&ROLF Flowerbomb (1.2mL) ($1.98): Flowerbomb is a Warm & Spicy fragrance with notes of Jasmine, Orange Blossom and Patchouli.  It actually smells better once you have been wearing it about an hour or so too.

All totaled my January 2020  Play! by Sephora had a value of about $51.  A nice value at over 5x the cost of the box, but not my favorite by any means.  I do love the GLAMGlow though!

What did you think of the January 2020 Play! by Sephora? One thing to keep in mind is that Play! sends out a variety of boxes each month, so you may end up receiving a different box than your best friend who is also a subscriber. If you are interested in subscribing (and you probably should be because their boxes are great), you can check them out here.