Play! by Sephora July 2016 Subscription Box Review

Play! by Sephora is a monthly subscription box that brings only the best and exclusive Sephora beauty and makeup samples. The subscription costs $10.00 per month, and you’ll get 5 deluxe beauty products, playlists, a fragrance bonus item, plus coupons you can use when you visit in-store.

 The theme for this month’s box is Effortless Summer!

This box was all about warm-weather essentials to keep you looking great through the summer heat!

This fold out poster shows a list of all the items included in this box plus beauty trivia and tips. You can access all of the information and also watch the videos right on the Sephora site. Here’s the July information!

The items are placed inside a bag inside the box to keep everything secure. Love the popsicle theme this month (and the fact that there’s a brand new graphic!).

All the goodies in my July box! This month subscribers received either Box A or B, according to their Play! Profile. See the items in Box A here.

beautyblender blotterazzi by beautyblender ($7?) So much speculation about this product – will it work for dry skin? The answer is yes – it’s made from beautyblender material – just in “pad” form. It came with a blendercleanser sample to clean it and you can use it to touch up makeup. I have heard mixed reviews about its efficacy as a dry oil remover sponge. I think I’ll use it to apply pressed powder on the go.

The full size product comes with a compact mirror and two sponges for $20.

NEST Citrine ($1.60) “The dewy softness of lotus flower and freesia are set against sparkling citrus notes and hints of precious woods. ” Like other NEST fragrances this scent is inspired by its packaging, so its a little bit sad to get a spritzer tube. I love NEST fragrances though and I was happy to see it in a sprayer. Perfume samples are a bonus with this subscription!

Ouai Wave Spray ($8.84) I felt like this spray gave some nice texture to my fine hair without weighing it down! This product is scented with Ouai No. 2 Fragrance, containing notes of Italian lemon, amber, and white musk. I love how it coordinates with the NEST – when you’re a subscription box addict sometimes you feel like your scents don’t go together but this curation made that possible!

Benefit Cosmetics Dew the Hoola Soft Matte Liquid Bronzer ($4.48) This is a shimmer-free bronzer with a really light touch – both in feel and in bronze level. It has a soft matte finish and was a bit hard to capture a swatch to show the difference, but I was finally able to catch it. Think of it more as amping up your skintone for summer instead of painting on gold. Also, I love the box package.

Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($9) The gold standard for primer! If you already have it, you have more now. If you don’t have it already, it’s perfect to try this summer! Makes your face A+!

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser ($5.50) This gentle cleanser is perfect for summer skin! It’s fragrance free and gets all creamy when it hits water, which is perfect for ladies like me with drier skin. It’s also free of yuckies and has a potent blend of antioxidants. I’m seriously considering this as my basic go-to!

Sephora Play comes with a PLAY! Pass for a consult in store or for 50 extra BI points with any purchase from the box. Your subscription also entitles you to PLAY! Date meetups if your store participates. I don’t even have a Sephora (not even a JCP one) but this box totally excites me even without those experiences – I love the high end brands every month for just $10 – and this month had about $37 in value! There weren’t any color cosmetics besides the bronzer but I’m ok with that because I loved/liked everything and I had fun trying it out! I do wish this box arrived earlier and I also wish that Sephora could use its amazing market power to provide box variations for darker skin tones and curlier hair.

The Sephora Play waitlist is open and you should be able to sign up now! What did you think of the box?

Visit Play! by Sephora to subscribe or find out more!