- Beauty subscription boxes are nothing new, but as an affordable way to try new skincare and makeup products, they’re super popular.
- Sephora recently launched PLAY!, their take on the monthly beauty box. It costs just $10 a month and includes six trial-sized samples as well as other perks for Sephora shoppers.
- After trying the box, I think it’s worth the money, especially if you’re someone who shops at Sephora often or needs some direction when it comes to buying beauty products.
Every time I walk into Sephora, I’m met with a slew of new products I have never seen before and am thus tempted to buy. But, after enough shopping trips that ended with a cart full of products that either irritated or didn’t match my skin, I’ve learned going for the full size bottle right off the bat isn’t always the best option.
PLAY! by Sephora is a fun and affordable subscription box that lets you try samples of six new beauty products each month to help you avoid these pitfalls.
For just $10, you’ll get up to $65 worth of hair-care, beauty, and skin-care samples from some of Sephora’s most coveted brands. And, these aren’t those mini samples you can get at Sephora for free, they’re trial-sized and come in nice, sturdy packaging- just like mini versions of the real deal.
Here's how PLAY! works:
1. Subscribe: Sign up for your PLAY! by Sephora subscription. Customize your profile to get samples best fit to your preferences.
2. Try: Play around with all of your new samples. As a subscriber, you'll also get access to premium content such as beauty tutorials and tons of makeup tips- just join the PLAY! community to check it all out.
3. Buy: If you find something you love in your box, you can buy it in a regular size at Sephora. Each PLAY! box comes with a pass for 50 extra Beauty Insider points. Once you redeem that, you can put it towards even more trial-sized samples, so you can try even more products for less.
What's inside?
Considering that a monthly box is only $10, PLAY! feels like a steal. Here's what you get each month:
- Six deluxe skin-care, hair-care, and beauty samples from cult-favorite brands like Makeup Forever, Tarte, Too Faced, Peter Thomas Roth, and more. You fill out a profile when you subscribe so Sephora can curate a collection each month that's best for your needs. You can always switch up your profile if you're not loving your picks.
- A cute little makeup bag. It's reusable and recyclable, perfect for toting around small toiletries for your next trip.
- A PLAY! Book that outlines the products you're getting as well as some tips and tricks on how to best use them all.
- A PLAY! Pass that you can redeem in-store for 50 Beauty Insider points. If you shop at Sephora often, you know this is pretty valuable in itself. If you're not a beauty insider, but you're considering getting this box, definitely sign up; it'll be well worth the perks and comes at no extra cost to you.
Who is PLAY! best for?
If you're someone who loves discovering new products, PLAY! is a fun way to do so, and with little effort on your part. There's no need to spend hours searching for cool new beauty launches and trends online when you have a box that's curated to do just that. Personally, I actually like doing research on products before I buy them (it's no wonder that I'm writing this), so while a box like this is a fun idea for certain people, it's not something that I'll likely keep in my own budget for much longer.
That said, there are many other people who will love a sample box like this. If you're someone who is new to the skin-care and beauty world, this box is an easy and affordable way to dive right in. If you want to dabble in luxury beauty brands at a much more affordable price, this is a great way way to do it. And, of course, if you're a Sephora regular, you can definitely benefit from the Beauty Insider points included in the box each month.
If you don't think Sephora's beauty subscription box is right for you, there are plenty more you can check out, like FabFitFun and Birchbox. But, if you have $10 to spare and want to give it a try, PLAY! will definitely help you find some cool, new beauty products to add to your rotation.