Sephora Play! July 2019 Review – Desert Island Essentials Subscription Box

It’s time for my Sephora Play July 2019 review. When I looked in my account on the 15th (the day the preview goes live), I had what I consider the best box for July. Imagine my disappointment when it arrived, and it was a different box. I was even more disappointed when one of my items was broken. This is not even an item I should have received if I got the box I should have. Getting a box that varies from the preview happened another time. Coincidentally, the preview was better than what I received that time as well. Sephora likes to tease me with the idea that I am getting the amazing box that month only to take it away from me. Yes, I am being dramatic. At least this time, Sephora corrected my box contents online, so they matched up when I looked on the 24th after the wrong box was delivered. The other time I got to see the superior box contents mocking me every time I logged into my profile.

Play! by Sephora is a subscription box that offers five deluxe beauty samples and a bonus foil packet or perfume vial for $10 a month plus tax. Shipping is free. Only items sold at Sephora come inside the Play! box so most items are from well-known, high-end brands. While Sephora does carry a few low-end and luxury brands, they do not really appear in the subscription boxes. There is not a traditional rewards program with this box so you cannot get points for referring friends or writing reviews. It does award 10 Beauty Insider points to Beauty Insiders, 12.5 points to VIB members, and 15 points to VIB Rouge members. This Play! box also applies $10 toward your purchase minimum to maintain your Beauty Insider status. Visit my Sephora page for descriptions on points and status. The $10 charge processes immediately for new subscribers and from the 1st through the 4th for succeeding months. Boxes usually ship from the 11th through the 15th.

Annual Play by Sephora Review

This article covers my July 2019 Sephora Play Box review, but you can see a synopsis of a year of Play! by Sephora Box reviews vs a year of Birchbox reviews. Every year, I review my $10 boxes against each other, so I can declare the annual winner. This is also helpful for those who would like to see a year of reviews for either box in one place. Birchbox did raise its prices for select members, but it is still $10 for me. For those who are not ACES on the $10 plan, I will consider that when I do the annual comparison for 2019.

About the Play! by Sephora Subscription

You can view contents on one box at a time accessing the links through your Sephora order history. There are times when I can see all my Sephora history from that link and other times where it cuts older orders off. The past boxes link does give complete details on the last six boxes.

Boxes get customized based on your profile. Make sure you update your Play! Profile, because it does not use the Sephora profile for this box. There is not a lot of variety in the boxes, but there is enough to justify updating your profile. If you received a box that does not suit you, update your profile. You can continue to play with your settings until you are happy with what you’re receiving. If no adjustments help, cancel your subscription. You can view 6 samples that were available this month through shop the products link. My Sephora Play July 2019 review is from box version is 2228005, Box G.

Sephora Play July 2019 Box Theme

Each box comes with a Play! Book. This is a booklet that unfolds into a large sheet of photo paper to show info about all the items inside the box.

It also goes over the theme for the box and shows how the products tie into the theme. The theme for July 2019 Sephora Play box is Desert Island Essentials. This is the Isle of Beauty.

Getting More from Your Play! By Sephora Box

Each box comes with a Play! Pass. The Play! Pass is valid in-store though the end of the following month. It is redeemable with any purchase (even items not received in the box) for 50 Beauty Insider points. Only one 50 point pass is valid per day, so using two in a single trip will not work. These points may take up to 24 hours to apply. You can also use the Play! Pass for a one-on-one consolation with a beauty expert.

Using promo code PLAYISLAND online with a $20 purchase will also award 50-points. That code from the June 2019 Sephora Play Box is valid from 07/15/19 through 08/31/19. Getting 50-points for an online order is not ideal unless you have free shipping and are only spending $20 or really have no interest in any of the active promo codes. At $25 spent, there are always a number of promo codes you qualify for. Considering it takes 100-points to redeem one perk and the perks are usually about the same as the free product in a promo code, you’d pass on a promo worth 100-points to redeem the promo code for 50-points.

It takes 100 points to receive a deluxe perk, but online orders $25 and over can use a promo code, which is usually deluxe perk. While this is wonderful for those trips you have to make in store or when you are spending less than $25, it will generally be a better deal to order online and redeem a deluxe perk.

Items come inside a thick ziplock bag. You can reuse these bags. The color started purple then it switched to red. After seeing orange and now green, I will have a rainbow in no time.

My July 2019 Sephora Play Box Review

Before we get into my box, I want to briefly touch on the items my preview showed on the 15th. I did not take a screenshot at the time, because I had no way of knowing it would change. Even the last time I got a different box, the preview remained the same. Thanks to Reddit user WildNothing, I can show you what my box should have been. Every item in this box would have made me happy. The one I received instead is only okay, so I wish I never logged in on the 15th falsely thinking I would get this box for nine days.

Now, let’s get into the items I received.

The 0.04oz Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector® Pressed Highlighter is worth $10.35. At least it would have been worth $10.35 if it did not arrive shattered. I thankfully already own this, but I cannot gift this duplicate to anyone else as I usually would for products that arrive intact. Frankly, I do not even know what Becca was thinking making them this small. They have enough issues with the 0.085oz minis breaking during shipment. These powders are just too soft and too fragile unless they are packed deeper.

I did contact Sephora since I technically paid $2 ($10/5) for this. Sephora offered me 100 points. While I am not exactly thrilled to only get points when I spent actual money, I did pay $2 for a sample. Now, I can use the 100-points to pick a sample I want from Sephora. Champagne Pop and Moonstone are my favorite highlighter shades from Becca. Anyone with my skin tone who got theirs intact and did not already own it probably would have loved this sample.

The 0.5oz Lancome Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover is worth $4.41. I actually love this product. It is my all-time favorite eye makeup remover, and I always have some on hand. Before Lancome started selling the mini 1.7oz size for $15, that was the standard sample size. Now, we get 0.5oz, which is disappointing. Other than the size, I am happy with this sample.

The 0.14oz Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops is worth $4.02. It is nice to see something unique, even if it is a self tanner. This is something that was not in my original box that I look forward to trying. That said, it can go wrong. It sounds easy enough, but streaky self tanners are something I do well.

The 0.5oz Kiehl’s Ginger Leaf & Hibiscus Firming Mask is worth $7.94. I generally love seeing Kiehl’s products, because I can only think of one I dislike (that lip balm). This is a firming mask, and I am always skeptical of those. They cost a lot and I never really notice a difference. At least this only cost me $2, so I can see if it works for a lot less.

The 0.68oz KORRES Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser is worth $3.75. I really love the sleeping mask version of this, so I have high expectations for the day I finally try it. This is a sample I get often though. With only one face and only using so little wash each time, I do not need to hold onto another duplicate.

The 0.05oz DOLCE&GABANNA Light Blue Eau de Toilette is worth $5.80. This actually has a nice fragrance. I enjoy the light scent and love the touch of cucumber. My issue is it is the most sampled perfume on the planet. If I did not give these away so much, I would probably own around 50. Even if I used it everyday (I rarely wear perfume and have many to choose from when I do), I would not need another one.

Was the July 2019 Sephora Play Box Worth it?

The July 2019 Sephora Play box has a $36.27 value. This brings the average box value for the year to $36.33. My personal value is at least $11.96, because I will definitely keep the self tanning drops and the Kiehl’s mask. Even though I love the BiFacil, I gift it a lot, so others can try it. No one can get the value from the Becca highlighter, but I can consider whatever I ultimately redeem 100 points on toward more value from this box. This was a disappointing month, but I still got more in value than I paid. I also get one more sample down the road with the 100 point credit. We’ll see what the future holds there.

What are your thoughts on my July 2019 Play! by Sephora Box review? Let me know below. Sephora does not inform any Beauty Insider of all promotions. It does list a great deal of them on its Beauty Offers page, but I list some it does not on my Sephora Deals Page. Between the ones it lists and the ones I list, you can catch most of them. Sign up for Sephora emails to get targeted offers. If you’re spending over $25 online, there is always a promo code that you can apply. Most major events run on a set schedule, which is why I track them. See all Sephora Play! articles. Read Tips For Getting the Best Deal When Shopping Sephora. Subscribe to the blog to get updates on all posts. View my main page for the guide map to the site and deeper deal exploration.

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