Play! by Sephora Subscription Box Review – February 2017

I skipped this month because I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep this sub. I like it, when I get it. But I didn’t receive December or January. I emailed about December and got a refund but wrote January off because I didn’t want to seem like I was lying about not getting it twice in a row. But if I don’t get my March box I’ll have to find out why.

That said, I’m glad I didn’t get the Too Faced one because the last one I got from them gave me a horrible reaction. My lips were swollen and gross looking and when I tried it on the back of my hand I had a welt for four days.

Yea, the Too Faced actually HURT, and I do not have sensitive skin or lips. I have used a LOT of the lip plumping products over the years going back to the original Venom in the little vials and none of them have EVER felt like this to me (and not in a good way).

That being said…..I still enjoy the box, and it’s worth it, even though I won’t probably use the mascara and I might try the Too Faced ONCE more to see if I can stand it and then toss it if not.

I cancelled my Sephora Play subscription this morning. My February box shipped on 2/16, but I never received it. The last tracking on it shows it arrived in VA (I’m in GA) on 2/20, and nothing after that. The box actually made it to the closest mail hub to me, which from there it should have came directly to my house, but it didn’t. I contacted Sephora CS via email, inquiring to where my box was. I received a generic response back, letting me know there were no February boxes left and that they were crediting me my money back. While I’m glad I’m getting the refund, I would still like to know what happened to the box. I was actually really looking forward to this box. I have an Ipsy sub, which is great, so I guess for now, I’ll stick with it and wait to see if Sephora gets the kinks worked out with theirs.

I really enjoy the Play box. I’m a Rouge member, and I really enjoy samples/deluxe samples. I’m not sure why people complain about the samples when it’s a $10 box. I don’t have a local Sephora, so sadly I don’t get to take advantage of the makeovers that are included with Play, or even with the Rouge program, as my nearest Sephora is 3 hours each way, 6 hours round trip. The Play box guarantees me high end brands, which is what I want – Ipsy might give me one per bag, for example.

They hype the Play Pass so much and maybe I’m in the minority here, but I’ve never used it. The closest Sephora is over an hour away from me. I wish they offered those of us who have to do our Sephora shopping online an incentive. I wish we could redeem the 50 point bonus with an online purchase or get points for reviewing items. Even a bonus sample with an order would at least be a little incentive to buy these items in full size.

I think this is the first time I’ve ever got the same Play box as you! This was a good discovery box for me. I enjoy trying new things and I loved the Clinique moisturizer and the eye cream and I liked the mascara. It is hard however to take that leap to buying these items in full size when the sample you get is basically a one or two time use amount. Especially with facial products that are supposed to improve skin over time. To me, a company like Sephora should be putting these boxes out with the hope that customers will purchase the items in full size…not as a real money maker itself.

I like your detailed review. This is the first time I have seen your page and reviews. I love subscription boxes and plan on stopping in and checking the reviews out. I have to say, the Too Faced Lip Injection gloss was so painful, I thought I was getting a chemical burn in under two minutes. I had read your review, so I was expecting some discomfort, but this far surpassed mere tingling which I am accustomed to with glosses like Buxom. Wow, this one was way too much for me. I liked everything in my Play! box and felt that this one more than surpassed the $10 cost. For the past few months, although the cost benefit was fair, more than fair, I think, I wasn’t overly impressed with the contents, but this time I was excited for the NARS liquid lipstick and skin care samples. I also was excited for the lip gloss…until I tried it! Thanks for the reviews, will look forward to more.

Send me one more mascara sample Sephora and I’m gonna lose my damn mind. Also, I’m sick of the same mauve-ish looking lick sticks/glosses. C’mon now. Let’s get some nudes, light pinks, SOMETHING besides MAUVE. Ugh. It’s almost spring and you guys are stuck in the fall.

OK, I’ve been wanting to say this for months. 🙂 To all of those saying the sample sizes are too small or comparable to what you’d get for free if you went in the store — yes, you are right. The samples are indeed small. BUT….please consider they have to write, design & print up the fold-out insert, provide a drawstring bag, a cute Sephora-branded black & white box, and pay for shipping on top of that. Those things alone probably cost $10 per person, not including the products inside, which are like a gift. Trust me, I am as frugal as they come, but $10 for 5 samples of luxury products is A GOOD DEAL. Nobody is being ripped off here. Sephora is hoping you will like the samples enough to buy full-size, or just to come in for a tip or makeover, and buy something full-sized. Sub boxes for huge brands like Sephora are simply an extravagant marketing scheme that they are hoping pays off in the end. They are *not* making money off of this, I’m pretty sure, unless the end result is a consumer spending $$ in their store.

For me, the items in the Sephora Play! boxes have become either forgettable or so small in size that they are a nuisance to use. I just cancelled and will take a break to reevaluate. Perhaps I would rather use the annual cost of $120 to purchase a more luxe full-sized box like the net-a-porter and Birdie boxes from this fall/winter. Those were the boxes I appreciate the most and I want to focus on using the products I already have.

I’m usually not too sensitive with cosmetics and other products, but holy moly, the Too Faced product actually hurt. Not the tingly feeling of the old-school Venom, but full-on OUCH. Then, I made the mistake of panicking and wiping it off. It smeared onto my chin and turned it red and tingly, lol. That lovely look last about half an hour :/

So word of warning: Use a makeup remover or tissue to carefully remove!!!

The samples were way too small this month especially. They seem more comparable to the three free sample sizes Sephora gives everyone with any order placed on their website or the ones you can get by just going in and asking for them in the store. I think you can actually get larger samples through their rewards points system.

I understand with respect to the non-Sephora samples and this being a $10 box, but if they are going to be including a Sephora collection brand item with every box, that one should be a full size item. I don’t want Sephora brand in my Play by Sephora quite frankly and if they must include one to promote their own brand in their own box and are actually going to be counting it as one of our items, then at least include the full size (e.g., a full liquid lipstick, a full size mascara, a full size individual highlighter pan) rather than sample sizes that are so small they are difficult to apply even.

Everyone knows the margins in the cosmetics industry are like 80%+ and with Sephora’s house brand, the margins are likely even higher and thereby even cheaper for them to produce, so there is no reason why Sephora cannot be including a full size of their Sephora collection brand item in every box.

They need to improve their box if they want to compete with other $10 boxes (Ipsy and Allure Beauty Box since they always seem to have discount codes going on to make their boxes effectively $10). Birchbox is like effectively $5 if you account that they give you points for writing reviews (something Sephora does not do) to redeem for items and give you discounts if you want to purchase the full-size version of the item.

Sephora’s box has the potential to be the best $10 box, but as of right now, it still feels like the beta version of their box.

My subscription started in January, so this is month 2. I have not been impressed with either month. Such tiny samples! My daughter gets Ipsy and her boxes seem to have better sizes, nice brushes and more interesting and fun items. We both tried the Too Faced lip gloss and didn’t like the color or the sting! It did look good on top the NARS but ouch! We had to wipe it off after 5 minutes and it is still stinging 40 minutes later. I like the NARS and the moisturizer-primer. The perfume smells “mature” on me and I would rather get something other than perfume anyway. I may give Play one more month and if it is another bust switch to different sub.

Who knew samples could be made so tiny! I have box #591 and after reading all these reviews, I am not going to use the Too-Faced lip gloss. If anyone wants it, let me know. My lips are full enough anyway, and I don’t want to risk the burn. I wonder if I would be happier with Birchbox, for example, because there are some larger-sized products. Also, if I really like something in my Play box, Sephora’s prices are not cheap if I want to buy full size 🙂

This was my first Play box that I just wasn’t all that thrilled about. There is usually at least two products in my box that I’ve had my eye on and couldn’t wait to try. I know not every month is a winner but I’ve been spoiled. I did love the Nars but I loved it prior to them sending it to me I just liked that I could try out a new color. As far as the too faced if you are not used to lip plumpers the result will overwelm you. The upside is that this formula is mild compared to others like DuWop Lip Venom which literally feels like your lips have been seared with acid but it works. With all plumpers that work is pain WILL BE involved. The sample sizes this month were laughable, my daughter even though some of them were toys for her doll. That was my biggest downer with this month is most of these samples are sizes you can get at Sephora for free just by asking and sometimes if they have to make the sample themselves you get more!

I got box #591 and while I loved all of my products, the Too Faced gloss SUCKED. It’s a great gloss, but it hurt my lips so bad, like they were burning. I don’t see the point in having a lip plumper, because it’s something only some people are interested in having, so maybe if they had sampled a different product I’d be happier with my box, but something like that isn’t something that appeals to EVERYONE, like a lip balm, which is actually GOOD for your lips.

Haley Faye I just wanted to say that both this lip colors look great on you. I liked the Nars one for more of a night look. But I just wanted you to know that you have such great skin and your eyes are gorgeous! I love reading your reviews because your so honest and you aren’t afraid to say that something doesn’t look good on you based on your skin tone or personal preferences and you always make that clear, which I love. Because not every product is going to please everyone and you have a way of reviewing things so that we’re aware it’s based on your personal preference and you also give good descriptions of the products formula and texture and your not just dissing the products because they don’t suit your preferences, I don’t know if I’m even explaining this right lol, I just like your reviews because your stay and to the point but your also quick to say that it’s only your opinion. It’s nice to read an honest review instead of ones where each product is the greatest and the best deal and that you seemed to get the exact products you wanted….. When I read reviews like that, I just don’t believe them because I find it impossible for every product to be perfect! So thank you for your honesty and for always posting pictures with the make-up on, so we can see for ourselves how it looks. I have however, quit subscribing to Sephora. The sizes are just way too small and I find I get a better deal with other subs in the same price range. But I still like reading your reviews on it because I’m able to see the samples and the end results.

I’m pretty satisfied with this bag compared to January’s. I got this same variation and have to say the NARS really saves this bag for me. I already own NARS bound and love it so it’s nice to have a little travel size for my hand bag for totebag. The mascara is another story….LOL I am sort of ok with it because I don’t really care for mascara samples much anyways I just find it odd how they have given bigger mascara sample sizes of more expensive brands in the past like Benefit, Bobbi Brown, and Urban Decay but when it comes to their own brand they are tiny? Though there is a history of Sephora giving skimpy sample sizes of their own house brand with the tiny eye pencils and red lip stain in previous boxes. I will just continue using my Maybelline Lash Sensational rather than trying to mess around with this miniature mascara that looks like it was made for an American Girl doll. I already have that eye creme from an Origins set I got on sale awhile back and like it and don’t need much of it so I don’t really mind. The moisturizer is ok as well, I’m not that picky with moisturizers I just use whatever I get in the box and move onto the next though I am curious about the Clinique Pep Start line. They have had that Clinique 500 point bonus for ages now and maybe if it’s great i’ll get it. The Too Faced lip product was sort of a miss, I wonder why they wouldn’t just put a normal Too Faced gloss in their or possibly one of their new lip oils. If i’m in the mood for a good burn maybe i’ll put it on, otherwise it’s going to my sister who enjoys lip glosses that have that burning sensational feeling (ahemmmm looking at you soap & glory). As said, the perfume is a little too mature for me but that may just me because I love fruity stuff like Ariana Grandes perfume or the NEST fragrances and I always just put the samples in a bag to give away anyways or if I really love it in my purse. The bag was also very cute and reminded of Victoria’s Secret or something along those lines and will be sure to repurpose it. Compared to January’s bag this was a home run.

I too was disappointed in the tiny sizes of the samples this month I was even laughing about it with my husband showing him the size of the box it came in and the tiny little amount of actual product that I got. The Too faced lip injection gloss was awful. It burned my lips so badly and the sting did not go away even after several minutes. I ended up wiping it off as I couldn’t stand it. Really surprised Too Faced is putting out such a product if it was the first Too Faced product I ever tried I wouldn’t buy anything else from them and I have a lot of Too Faced stuff!

I was so sad that I’m not getting the Nars velvet lip glide in my box this month. However, I purchased the Sephora Favorites nude lips set at my Sephora inside JC Penney a couple weeks ago. I just opened it today, and to my surprise, it includes the NARS velvet lip glide in bound! Yay!

I just tried the Too Faced, and it does burn, but it actually works. It’s not as bad as I’d feared, though I was careful to only apply a thin layer over lip balm, and didn’t apply any on the outer third of my top lip or on my bottom lip. So, I used a tiny amount!

My upper lip does look noticeably fuller than in my older pictures. I think it could work for photos or just dressing up, but tbh I’m worried about using it on a date or with a partner, since that burn might freak them out when you kiss them!

Overall, I agree with Haley – even if it’s not unbearably painful, the Too Faced is too uncomfortable for a minor effect.

After this box I finally unsubscribed from the box. The too faced gloss felt like I put acid on my lips and the rest of the samples just seem too small for the price. I was always shocked at the size of their own Sephora Collection items. Why wouldn’t they put in bigger samples of those items? Eh whatever.

I got box 583 with the Bite beauty multistick and I hated it. I only tried it on my lips though, it looked too dark for my cheeks. It was horrible as a lipstick or whatever it’s supposed to be. My lips looked terribly dry, it went into every line, crack, etc. It looked AWFUL. This month’s bag was disappointing to me. I didn’t try the Too Faced gloss either, it looked too pale too. I’m super pale and didn’t think either one looked like it would compliment my skin tone. I LOVED the Korres lipstick from Glossybox, the shade is so universally flattering. I’ve been trying to find other shades like it.

Yikes! I just subscribed last night after being on the waitlist. Now, after reading the reviews this month I fear I made a mistake. I loved the Allure box, but it went south fast. The Target box hasn’t been interesting either the past few months. About ready to abandon subscription boxes altogether. Sigh.

I received box #583. The only difference was the Bite multistick instead of the NARS lip gloss and Tom Ford Neroli Portofino perfume ($225 for full size….yeah won’t be purchasing that in the future) instead of Marc Jacobs. I tried the Too Faced lip injection. The smell reminds me of tanning bed lotion when you first put it on your skin. It does feel a little tingly/burning but I’ve used it for three days and my lips are super soft which has always been a struggle for me. It does plump my upper lip making it seem more full. I love the Bite multistick. I used it as blush and it lasted all day!

I agree that the samples seemed hilariously small! This is my first month receiving the box, so I will give it a couple of months before giving up. Hopefully they will listen to their subscribers and start putting actual samples in the box! I signed up for Sephora Play because they were supposed to give “deluxe” samples…..yeah right.