Off the Waitlist: My First Play By Sephora Beauty Box

a group of beauty products

Last month I heard about a new travel size beauty box, Play! by Sephora, and jumped on the waitlist. A few weeks later I got the option to subscribe for the May Sephora Play box and it finally came in!

a black and white striped box

Play! by Sephora started last fall in a few select markets — Boston, Columbus, and Cincinnati — and opened up the waitlist nationwide in April. Tip: if you do get an invite off the waitlist, jump on it as slots go fast and not everybody is getting in.

I’m glad I did. For $10 I got 8 samples curated to a Force of Nature theme with a cute little bag.

a box with a shirt and a black ribbon

Of course there just had to be a fragrance. But if it had to be a fragrance, at least the Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine ($120) is more along the lines of what I would wear.

a small bottle of perfume on a postcard

Love love love, the tiny Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick ($26) made with 12 edible oils. The Kimchi color is a little bold for me, but I might buy the Meringue version, and it is truly small enough to fit in a pocket without creating a bump.

a lipstick and a box on a fabric surface

The Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon in Latergram ($18) in a natural, brownish color is of much more immediate use.

a close up of a pencil

I was sooooo excited to see the tube of Korres Wild Rose Sleeping Facial ($48) which brightens and moisturizes. Perfect during or after a long flight!

a bottle of face cream

Also happy to see the Origins trio. The Maskimizer Skin Optimizing Mask Primer ($22) that preps your face for the best mask results and then a Clear Improvement active charcoal mask ($4) and Drink Up Intensive overnight mask ($4) to test it out.

a product package with a tube of facial mask

And it never hurts to have more hydrating hair treatments with summer coming on. In this case it’s Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask.

a white tube of hair mask

PLAY! by Sephora Rewards Program
Subscribing to Play! by Sephora earns 10 VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) points per box with no surveys to fill out. VIB points can be used for select beauty product redemptions and count towards “elite” status.

So far it doesn’t look like there’s any kind of refer-a-friend program.

Overall Impression

Getting 8 samples makes this an incredible value! The masks alone are worth more than $10. Hard to say based on one box, but I’d also say the products and brands are a little higher end than other options at this price point — Birchbox, Walmart, and Target. Probably just as appealing as Glossybox’s $21 selection, though only time will tell if Sephora’s beauty box also includes full size samples.

Full Disclosure: I may receive affiliate credit from links in this post or on this site which will help fund my travels. Thank you for your support!

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3 Comments

  1. I’ve subscribed since the beginning (yeah for living in Columbus!) and no full sized products yet (at least not like GlossyBox). This is box #8. This is the first one of them putting the products in a bag which I’m guessing is due to the box being HUGE compared to the products and them getting lost in the paper filler they used to use. They could cut the size of the box in half and it still would have plenty of room.

    And there is always a fragrance – which I never use. I wish you could opt out of them for all the beauty boxes.

    1. Thanks for the insight! How do you think it compares to Birchbox?

      I totally agree on the fragrances, there ought to be an opt-out option, especially since so many people have allergies.

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