July Play! by Sephora Review

When I saw that the theme spoiler for July's Play! by Sephora box was "Effortless" I thought, well that isn't helpful. That could be anything. Turns out they included samples for an effortless summer, and the box is pretty good!

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love!

If you haven't heard of Play!, it's a fairly new box from Sephora. Subscriptions have been on a waiting list and the waiting time has been long and frustrating for some, but I think they're opening up more and more subscriptions recently. You can check your status by entering your email address into the Play! site, and you should also get an email when a spot opens up.

Anyway, it costs $10 per month and shipping is free, but if you live in NYS like me there's sales tax, bringing the total to $10.80. That's nothing terrible, though, because I think this box is an excellent value for the price.

Each box comes with a little drawstring bag with the samples inside. I think this is a cute idea, but I don't really know what to do with the leftover bags each month. I guess I'll figure out a way to use them as storage for all the samples I have building up in my closet!

You also get a Play! pass that's good for a tutorial with a Sephora associate using the products in the box and 50 extra Beauty Insider points with any purchase.

I think this month the samples varied a little based on your Sephora profile. I have oily skin, so I received the box catered towards that skin type.

• First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay - I actually use this cleanser currently and I really like it. It's not too expensive for a full-sized bottle and it works well to remove excess oil and balance my skin.
• Nest Fragrances in Citrine - I've never tried a Nest perfume that I didn't like, but I wasn't sure about this one since it has notes of freesia and fresh lotus flower. I generally hate anything freesia, but this one is so nice! It's not overly-floral and the woody base balances out the floral perfectly for me.
• OUAI Wave Spray - I used to use wave sprays all the time when my hair was longer, but for some reason they don't work so well on my short hair. It doesn't make sense to me. Anyway, this one is formulated to give extra texture, volume, and shine. It smells really nice and did give my hair added texture. I'll use this as an alternative to my styling cream.
• Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer - The last time I tried this primer it made me break out, but so far so good this time around. The texture is velvety smooth and it's especially formulated for oily/combo skin.
• Too Faced Soleil Matte Bronzer in Chocolate - This is my favorite bronzer! It smells like chocolate and gives a great matte glow. I prefer bronzers without shimmer and this one is perfect.
• beautyblender blotterazzi - I've really wanted to try this for a while because I love my original beautyblender, but I wasn't quite sure how effective it would be and I didn't want to waste my money on something that didn't work. I'm glad I got this in a box and didn't purchase it at retail price because it did absolutely nothing to soak up oil on my skin. If you have a regular beautyblender, just press it against your face because that's basically all this does. It didn't absorb any oil, in my opinion. Do not recommend.

Bottom Line: I loved everything in July's box, save for the blotterazzi, but I'm still glad I got to try that because it confirmed that I shouldn't buy a full-sized version!