While scrolling through my inbox the other day, I saw that I received an email about a new “VIB Rouge Only – Exclusive Access” Play! by Sephora box. Here’s what the product page on Sephora’s website had to say about this exclusive “Iconic Edition” box:
What it is: A curated assortment of luxury’s most iconic brands and products.
What you get: Discover the best in luxury. This exclusive, limited-edition box is only available online and includes six deluxe samples from Sephora’s top luxury brands curated by our experts. PLAY! by SEPHORA: The Iconic Edition is an individual set of luxury items, not a monthly subscription.
Needless to say, I was intrigued, but also a little skeptical. I already have a subscription to Sephora’s monthly “Play!” box and having received boxes for about a year now, I would have to say that it’s… alright. While it has introduced me to a few new products I ended up buying full sizes of, I have noticed that some of the products/samples have either been available as gifts with purchase, or redeemable with Sephora Rewards points. However, being sent a plethora of products to try out every month is pretty nice, and since I travel semi-often I usually end up packing these sample-sized goodies to keep my bags light. So, having said this, I wanted to see how this “luxury” box stacked up against the regular Play! box.
First off, this Iconic Edition box was a one time purchase and not a monthly subscription like the normal Play! box. Also, unlike the $10 Play! box (which includes 5 deluxe samples and one fragrance sample), The Iconic Edition box is $20 for six luxury deluxe samples, which seems a little steep. Other boxes around that price usually include at least one full-sized product, but then again these were luxury products, so would that make up for the small sizes? I was curious, so I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and clicked “Place Order” to see if this special edition box was really worth it.
The Iconic Edition Play! box arrived 2 days later with Flash Shipping. The box was black with gold writing, instead of the usual black and white striped box with red writing like the normal Play! box. The bag containing the products was a square gold bag with a gold zipper and the word “Play!” embossed towards the top of it. Instead of the usual single paper folded pamphlet, this one came with a bound book—matte black with gold foiled text, which is actually pretty nice. The book contained several chapters that included information on all of the products in the box, a quiz telling you “what iconic styles you’re drawn to”, and tips on “being iconic in any occasion”. The last page even had a “This book belongs to: ____” which I kind of snickered at when I saw it.
Now for the part we’ve all been waiting for… What’s in the box?!
Whenever I open my Play! box, I usually go in without looking so that each product is a surprise (it’s just more fun that way haha). The first product I grabbed was a fragrance sample of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid.
Next, I pulled out a little gold tube. It was the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick in No. 49 Bright Strawberry Pink.
I felt a small box and pulled that out. It was The Moisturizing Soft Cream by La Mer.
The next product I grabbed was the Burberry Cat Lashes Mascara in Jet Black No. 1.
There were two more products left in the bag, a rectangular box and a square box. I opted for the rectangular packaged product. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Guerlain L’Or Pure Radiance Face Primer. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now and was eyeing it during the VIB sale that just happened, but I decided to hold off. I’m glad they included it in this box!
I reached for the last product housed in a square box. It ended up being Dior’s Poison Girl fragrance.
While this Sephora Play! Box was packed with luxury items, the Guerlain L’Or Primer was the only product I was really excited for. The YSL lipstick was nice, but I wish it was a different shade. Since I’m not too keen on very floral or musky scents (which a lot of samples tend to be) I’m not a big fan of fragrance samples. So, considering this contained two fragrances, it wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea.
Here’s a breakdown of everything included in the box, how much product is in each deluxe sample, and how much a standard size product contains and retails at:
- Guerlain – L’Or Pure Radiance Face Primer 0.16 oz. (full-sized product is 1.1 oz. for $74)
- Burberry – Cat Lashes Mascara No. 1 Jet Black 0.11 oz. (full-sized product is 0.20 oz. for $30)
- Yves Saint Laurent – Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick 0.05 oz. (full-sized product is 0.15 oz. for $37)
- La Mer – The Moisturizing Soft Cream 0.24 oz. (full-sized product is 0.5 oz. for $85 / 1 oz. for $170 / 2 oz. $310)
- Dior – Poison Girl Eau de Toilette 0.17 oz. (full-sized product is 1 oz. for $60 / 1.7 oz. for $78 / 3.4 oz. for $100)
- Tom Ford – Black Orchid Eau de Parfum 0.1 oz. (full-sized product is 1 oz. for $82 / 1.7 oz. for $120 / 3.4 oz. for $168)
Final Thoughts
So was it worth it? If these were products you’ve been wanting to try or have had your eyes on, and you don’t mind receiving two perfume samples, then maybe. If you like the idea of getting various high ticket items to try in small amounts, sure. For me? Not so much. Like I said earlier, I’m not too big on fragrance samples, so that’s a third of the box I wouldn’t be using. As much as I wanted to love this box, $20 for sample-sized products doesn’t feel quite worth it, for me, personally. Although this box technically contains about $100 worth in ounces of product, I would rather put my $20 towards a full-sized product I would definitely use.
