Play! by SEPHORA (April 2017)

For $10 a month, uncover the most sought-after products around with a monthly subscription box of prestige, trial-size samples curated by Sephora experts. Each month you'll get five deluxe beauty samples, plus a beauty bonus, all in a collectible bag! Inside every beauty box you'll receive a Play! PASS you can bring in store and redeem for 50 bonus Beauty Insider points, plus a free one-on-one tutorial that is all about you. With PLAY! by Sephora, you'll also be eligible to attend Play! DATES, which are subscriber-only events that give you and a friend the opportunity to come in store and play with products that complement the ones you got in your subscription box. Lastly, up your beauty game with exclusive video how-to's, tutorials and tons of tips on how to use the products you get in new and fun ways.

What It Is:
At Sephora, they love that feeling when you find a new beauty product, give it a try, and wonder how you ever lived without it. That’s why they created PLAY! by SEPHORA, a beauty box filled with five stellar samples, delivered right to your door.

Here’s how it works:
Each month they curate a selection of new and best-selling products they’re most excited about, from makeup to hair care to skincare to fragrance. Then, using the answers in your PLAY! Profile, they determine which version is best for you. Next stop, your place, where you can experiment, play, and find your personal favorites.

Every month Sephora also includes a flyer that offers important details and informative tips and tidbits about the products included.

April 2017's theme is STEP it UP. Here's what's in this month's box:

SEPHORA COLLECTION Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover (0.84oz, ~$3.73) - A gentle, go-to waterproof makeup remover perfect for sensitive eyes and enriched with lash-strengthening vitamins and extracts.

STEP RALLY: Not only does this gentle formula reliably remove the most persistent makeup, but it also strengthens lashes with flavonoids and olive wood extracts while soothing with cornflower extract. It's so much more than your average makeup remover.

SMASHBOX Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer (0.25oz, $8.00) - This iconic primer creates the perfect canvas for makeup application while leaving skin soft and silky smooth.

STEP RALLY: This legendary makeup primer is a backstage favorite in the fashion world. It blurs imperfections and helps makeup last all day - meaning less touch-ups. Use this after your moisturizer and set the stage for seamless makeup application and a flawless complexion.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner in M-10 Matte Black (0.01oz, $5.25) - Beloved by makeup professionals, this creamy, budge-proof eyeliner glides on easily and leaves an intense, jet black color.

STEP RALLY: Whether you're going for a dramatic smoky eye or subtle flick, this easy-to-use eyeliner will be a welcome addition to your beauty stockpile. Plus, when we say budge-proof, we mean it. You won't find this eyeliner under your eyes at the end of the night.

PINROSE Secret Genius EDP Towelette by Harry Fremont ($1.00) - A seductive, mysterious and elegant fragrance that includes an intoxicating blend of vanilla and caramel. Top note is caramel. Middle note is white chocolate. Base notes are vanilla, cedarwood, and sandalwood.

ABOUT THE BRAND: Pinrose is a niche fragrance brand that celebrates quirky elegance through personalized, handcrafted scents. Based in San Francisco, they work with master perfumers around the world to create playful and unique perfumes made from high-quality, sustainable ingredients.

DR DENNIS GROSS Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Peel (2 treatments, $5.50 each) - Professional-grade peel infused with retinol and ferulic acid exfoliates skin, restores firmness and reveals radiance.

STEP RALLY: If you want to take your skincare to the next level, retinol is the way to go. It's one of the most powerful anti-aging ingredients out there. Slip this step in after your cleanser and before your moisturizer to wake up to radiant skin.

FRESH Vitamin Nectar Mask (0.5oz, $12.50) - Radiance-enhancing face mask contains a concentrated blend of natural citrus in a marmalade-like formula to soften, brighten and revitalize skin.

STEP RALLY: Treat yourself to this refreshing, citrus-based face mask whenever your skin needs some special attention. We love that the formula contains good-for-you ingredients derived from natural fruits, and it smells delicious too!
                                                                                                                                                  

The Verdicts:

Sephora's eye makeup remover is a godsend. The fluid almost instantly matte-dries as you easily swipe off the day's eye makeup. It causes no irritation to the sensitive skin around my eyes and there is no scent.

I've received foundation primers before, including this one from smashbox, but I've never bothered to try any out. I learned my lesson. My face is already naturally smooth (I spend A LOT of time and money on skincare); however, this primer took it to a whole new level of silky.

The MAKE UP FOR EVER eye pencil is impressive. It glides on super easy and reaches the innermost base of the eyelashes without tugging.

I was privileged to review Pinrose's petal packs WAAAY back in early 2015, when, really, all they made was petal packs. Since then, Pinrose has blossomed (pun intended) into a full-service fragrance shop, offering 30 and 50ml bottles, travel sprays, rollerballs, candles... even a "shimmer mist" that I would love to try. I was pleasantly surprised to see that recently they were picked up to be sold at Sephora, and was happy to receive this petal. 'Secret Genius' is one of their best-selling scents. It's a sweet scent and very romantic. Something I really like about Pinrose's eau de parfums is they use hypoallergenic compounds that don't break out or irritate my skin. Sometimes, I place them in closet or drawers around the house to make everything smell nice.

Dr. Dennis Gross' face peel... out of this world. My face stays clean, clean, clean - I wash it over and over throughout the day - but I had no idea that, despite the overwhelming number of facial products I use, there was so much stuff that needed to be sloughed from my skin. Also, I have extremely sensitive skin and was terrified this would cause me trouble. It didn't. After swiping around the outer portions of my skin, I ventured as close to my eyes as I dared, and it didn't cause ANY irritation. My face felt incredible and looked younger immediately, albeit temporarily slightly splotchy (see photo). My husband even said something and he never says anything. This is a pricey treatment, but it works and I'll pay it! It has a antiseptic-y/kinda star-anise-y scent that's very light and does not linger. This is my new favorite skin find.

The fresh face mask was AH-mazing! It smelled only a teensy tiny bit citrus-y, like Vitamin C! The texture was gross. It felt like I was smearing my face with marmalade, but I've coated my skin with much worse. Totally worth it. My skin was tighter after using it and it has a visible afterglow.

This April 2017 box has a total value of $41.48, and I tried out some wonderful new products, especially the two skincare items. This month proves how beneficial a service like this can be. I probably would never have discovered some of these products on my own. You never know when you see something you're interested in if it'll be worth the price until you try it. While Sephora is awesome about letting you try almost anything in-store, saving yourself the hassle of going out (plus gas money) while sampling these things in the comfort of your own home is priceless. I can't wait to see what I get in May!