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Play! by Sephora Review – October 2017 – Box #941

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanOct 23, 2017 | 11 comments

Play! by Sephora
3.8 overall rating
564 Ratings | 55 Reviews

Play! by Sephora is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription. Each month they send you six samples, a PLAY! BOOK of tips and tricks, and a PLAY! PASS for in-store learning.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Every month they ship all of the samples a drawstring bag with a different design. 

FYI – There are variations of this box. This review is for the box # ending in 941

To find out which box you’re receiving at the beginning of each month, follow these instructions:

If you log in through a browser, not the app, and go to my account > account details > online orders and open the play! Order Details (it was dated 11/1 for me), you can see the “item number” next to the image.

The Subscription Box: Play! by Sephora

The Cost: $10

The Products: Five deluxe samples plus a fragrance sample, a PLAY! BOOK of tips and tricks, and a PLAY! PASS for in-store learning.

Ships to: US

Check out all of our Play! by Sephora reviews and all of our reviews of Cheap Subscription Boxes for other similarly priced boxes!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Each box comes with a Play! Pass, which is a card you can use at Sephora (in-store) to get 50 extra rewards points, and you can also get one-on-one tutorials and tips of products from a Sephora consultant.

This month’s theme is “Complexion Companions.” Now, on to the items!

BECCA First Light Priming Filter - 6 ml Value $7.60

As soon as I tried this, I noticed it wasn't made with silicone! It's a much different feel than your silcone-based primer, but still gave my skin a lovely finish with a subtle glow.

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation in Y335 - 5 ml Value $7.17

I'm probably in the minority here, but this foundation wasn't for me. The coverage is light-to-medium, and I need full coverage in a foundation. It was practically invisible on, though, so that's a plus for sure.

The shade was a bit too dark for me too, but I appreciate Sephora sending out foundation samples and trying to match skin tones as best they can. (You don't get a lot of foundation samples in subscription boxes because it is a logistical challenge, so I appreciate being able to test this one out and realizing it isn't for me without having to buy it!)

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Illumination Concealer in Medium - 1.5 ml Value $4.50

IT Cosmetics is my favorite concealer of all time, and this is their new Illumination version of the concealer.

If you have dark circles like I do, this is the BEST concealer I’ve found for full coverage. It goes on a little tacky to the touch, but it’s still easy to blend out, and it stays put. I recommend setting it with a powder, and then you are good to go!

I can’t tell a big difference in illumination between this concealer and their regular concealer, but that’s fine by me – both are fab!

Here it is swatched beneath the foundation:

bareMinerals Mineral Veil - .75 g Value $5.75

I love a setting powder with an added SPF! (This one is SPF 25)  UPDATE - looks like I originally linked to a different Mineral Veil. This one does not appear to have SPF.

This is a fine powder that goes on sheer and does exactly what you want from a setting powder: it gets rid of shine, and gives you a more airbrushed finish!

Sephora Collection Triple Action Cleansing Water - 25 ml Value $1.50

Micellar water has been one of my favorite beauty box discoveries over the past few years. I use it every day! This formula is gentle on skin and easily removed all my makeup. (I love using this with a q-tip for fixing any makeup mistakes, too.)

Philosophy Amazing Grace - 1.5 ml Value $1.80

This is a powdery, floral scent with notes of Lily of the Valley and Musk.

Verdict: This box has a value of about $28.32. I think that's good for a $10 beauty box, especially since the box will always include high-end brands. And I liked how this month included everything you need for your makeup base!

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. You have to sign up by the 15th to receive that month's box, so as of today (10/23), your first box will be the November box.

Coupon – No coupons available for this subscription.

Value Breakdown: At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:

  • Becca Primer: $2.68
  • Foundation: $2.53
  • Concealer: $1.59
  • Bare Minerals: $2.03
  • Sephora Water: $.53
  • Perfume: $.64

What do you think about the October Play! by Sephora box? What variation did you get?

Starting at $10.00
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PLAY! by Sephora is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Each month, Sephora sends you a mix of six samples (including cosmetics, haircare, skincare, fragrances, and other beauty products) personalized to match your preferences and a PLAY! BOOK of tips and tricks.
Liz Cadman
Liz Cadman
Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

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11 comments

Jessica

This was my very first Sephora Play Box and I must admit…I was super disappointed. I couldn’t wait to get this box and when it finally arrived and I opened it, I did not see the items I expected to get. I believe I got the wrong box because the majority of the items were wrong and the foundation was supposed to be y335 (which I feel was to dark to begin with) & I got y505…which is way to dark for my skin tone. I searched online and I should’ve gotten box #941 & I believe I got box #974 which is for someone with much, much darker skin than I have. Hopefully Sephora will rectify the problem or else I’ll just have to cancel my subscription after only 1 month. 😞

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jshook

the exact same thing happened to me! I emailed C.S but no reply yet. plz let me know what happens when you hear back.

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melanie wellman

I got a different box mine had a Cat Von D primer which I like a lot. I used it under the foundation that was included like everyone else got. It stayed on all day and the color was great for me I am fair. I also got a Make Up For Ever Skin Booster that I really liked and A Dr. Brandt scrub which I really like. I also got a Tarte hydrating mist and my perfume choice was Azur Wish by Tory Burch. Overall I thought it was a really good box.

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justmissjamey

I’m super glad to try foundation on. To be honest, I’m not even sure which shade I should be wearing. All those d12 49ers 10/4 get me confused when people post what shade they are. But the foundation didn’t work for me, to be fair, I did not use a primer, and I used (gasp) my fingers to slap it on ( I will try the beauty blender or brush next time) but it made my dry spots stick out like a sore thumb, and the coverage just wasn’t there.

Happy thoughts next time will be the charm, I might just have to stick to powder

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Nancy

I received a different version of this box. I did get the Becca but it is a color I don’t use because of my rosacea. I should be wearing green. Ironically, I tested the different colors for concealer at the local Sephora store.

I am very very fair, porcelain. They have had my profile on their site for months. I have been a VIB member for a many years. I could use the mineral veil, but I could not use the HD foundation or another item, a highlighter, that came that was in a maple shade. I would look orange.
When I went online to check the HD foundation, it looked as if they had five different colors that they sent out to their customers. Even if I had the time or the inclination to go to the Sephora store to get matched on the foundation, what would I do with the other items? ( My sample perfume was Gabrielle. It was awful. I also do not like getting perfume samples and have advised them of this.)
I may be overreacting, but Sephora sold this box to me and probably others on the fact that they personalized it based upon my profile. I’ve also been a customer of theirs for so long that I was mad. This is just another example Sephora is dropping the ball and why I am shopping at Ulta and Nordstrom more.

I sent an email telling them my thoughts, as a very long time customer. They refunded my money.

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Kristiski

I am normally pretty easy to please, but I had the same hard feelings about the foundation. To me, the worst part is that I have purchased the full-size MUFE HD foundation in the lightest shade and my color IQ number is part of my customer profile, so why on earth would they bother to send a darker shade? The last time they send a foundation, I was quite happy to receive a setting powder instead. At least then, I feel like they looked at customer profiles and realized there was not going to be a match for some people, so they provided a substitute.
This reminded me of that lip pencil in “greige” that they sent months ago that was clearly marketed on the product page to be a nude for deep skin tones. They finally had a product in a color that a deeper toned gal might love to have and they sent it to the pale princesses instead.
If they were trying to get people interested in the HD foundation, they should have had a wider range of shades. Everyone is going crazy over the new Fenty foundation with 40 shades and HD already had 40, but many people didn’t know that. They just missed a perfect opportunity to show that-they could have sent multiple shades on a blister card with different shade groups in the pale, light, medium and deep range and a color card showing all of them or something.
I just don’t know what they are thinking sometimes…

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Gabriela

I got this exact same variation. I had the same feeling with the foundation – I felt it was barely there, but not the coverage I like. And my favorite discovery of the box was the mineral veil.
The only thing I didn’t really like in this box was the micellar water. I had a bad experience trying to remove makeup around the eye area.

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Julie

I got this box and I didn’t realize the powder had an SPF – I’m always looking for more sunscreen, thanks!

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Liz Cadman

Hey Julie,

Looks like I made a mistake and thought this was a different version of the mineral veil. I don’t believe this one has SPF actually. Sorry!

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Julie

Oh ok! Well, I always slather it on anyways, I was just thinking it would be convenient for touch ups on the go! Also, so cool to see the box I got get reviewed, it’s usually another one!

Amber

I got that foundation in my October ipsy bag, and it was matched really well. I do like it, because I like lighter coverage. But it still feels a little thick or maybe greasy? to me. Once I put powder over it, it’s perfectly fine.

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