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PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Hi PLAY! by SEPHORA subscribers,

 

Some of you have been wondering how we curate each of our boxes, so we wanted to let you know how it works!

 

Every month, our team of beauty experts determine a selection of products around a theme or trend. We then take these products and create different box versions. Because we want you to love all of the deluxe samples you receive, we then choose which version would work best for you based on the answers you provided in your PLAY! PROFILE. This way, the products you receive are appropriate for your beauty needs.

 

Still have questions about how we determine what goes into your PLAY! by SEPHORA box? We want to hear from you! Check out the FAQs and chat with us below.

 

Q: How does PLAY! by Sephora decide which products to send to subscribers each month?

A: PLAY! By Sephora curates a selection of products every month that align with a particular beauty theme or trend we’re loving. From here, we develop box versions – which vary based on different beauty preferences like skin tone and hair. Then, we target these box versions to each subscriber based on his/her PLAY! PROFILE. We always try and send you the box that we believe is best for you.

 

Q: What if I don’t like the products I received in my box?

A: If you’re not sure about why you received a certain product in your box, we encourage you to take your PLAY! PASS to your local Sephora and ask for a personal, one-on-one consultation with one of our Beauty Advisors. This is one of the many perks you get with PLAY!. In-store, a Beauty Advisor can help you find a similar or complimentary products. They will even make you a custom sample so you can try it out at home.

OR, if you can’t make it to a store, you can always call or shoot us an email us: 1-844-PLAY-HLP or playhelp@sephora.com.

 

Q: What is the PLAY! PROFILE and how do I update my information?

A: The PLAY! PROFILE captures your beauty preferences and concerns. We use your PROFILE answers to determine which box version is best for you each month. To update your PLAY! PROFILE, first go to My Account and then click on the My Information in left navigation. From here, you can your PROFILE information like hair type, skin concern, and skin tone.

 

Q: What if one of the products in my box is broken, damaged or missing?

A: If you have a problem with your box, you can always call our PLAY! phone extension at 1-844-PLAY-HLP or email us at playhelp@sephora.com. We’re here to help!

 

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

I take issue with the shampoo/conditioner samples, because if you have really long, thick, hair, its barely enough to get a good lather going. It seems like you guys are just really skimping out. not to mention, I have dark, black hair, so you know, gonna make great use of that BLONDE shampoo sample (sarcasm). Also PLEASE GOD no more hair products for volume and texture - the last 5 hair products i have gotten are either the little shampoo.conditioner packets that are barely one use, 2 volumizing sprays and 1 texture spray, ALL OF WHICH ARE USELESS TO ME (and YES my profile is up to date) I have really great thick hair with tons of volume, so dry shampoo or something for split ends would be so so useful. what is the point of having us fill out beauty profiles if you're going to only send ones we cant use?? More diversity in lip products would be great too. have gotten at least 2 makeup forever minis in the last 6 months, which are fine, but i refuse to believe that there arent more brands out there for us to try. seems lazy to send different colors of the same product within the same year, considering how many different brands ya'll carry. 

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

I would say generally in the past I have been happy and excited for my play box but more recently not so much.I mean for $10 , I understand if I don't love everything every time, I mean that is the point of the box is to try things out and see what works for you. I feel like some of my more recent boxes though just hasn't contained good quality products and - echoing what has already been said - a lot of them are just recycled "Bazaar Rewards" which seems kind of cheap to me that they're just pawning off whatever isn't popular or desirable into the boxes. But that's just my 2 cents. Currently awaiting my first Allure beauty box to see how it matches up to the Sephora one.

any update on the Allure beauty box?

any update on the Allure beauty box?

Re: any update on the Allure beauty box?

I LOVE the Allure box!  I have canceled Birch Box, and if my Sephora box comes in for the 6th month not matching “what’s in my box” is wrong again, I will be cancelling it. It is frustrating that I get excited to try a product, and get something totally different. I really don’t mind the extra $5 for Allure because I know even if I don’t like a product, it will be something I’m able to try, or something a close friend will enjoy. 

Re: any update on the Allure beauty box?

I actually do the Sephora, Ipsy, and Allure box. The Allure is probably my favorite, full size samples and good quality!

Anonymous Insider

PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Can you guys please put a larger sample of conditioner or shampoo?! Otherwise it's a waste to send it to me I have very thick hair and the miniature samples aren't enough. Also, can we pick our perfume each month. I love the Sephora Supreme body cream and foaming soap put those in the box instead of the same lip stains. I will love to volunteer and help curate some boxes please message me. It can be called "Rouge choice" or VIB choice. Thank you!!

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

How do I sign up for play

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Hi @kmt11,

 

You can sign up for PLAY! here > https://www.sephora.com/play.

 

Best,

 

Steph 

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

My red lipstick was also broken when I opened it. I didn't know what to do. Can I get a new one or possibly a refund or replacement?

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Hi @M3DUSA503,

 

I'm so sorry to hear your lipstick arrived damaged in your February PLAY! Box. Please private message me your order number, so I can assist. Thank you. 🙂

 

Best Regards,

 

❤️ Raquel 

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Is there anyway I can switch my box from 364 to 677? I do not like the projected contents

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Hi,

My Play! by sephora shipment is being delivered to the another address. Can you please request an address change in the Ups website and give my updated address in the profile.

Thank you,

Sree

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

Hi @Leonaaa,

 

If you have not been assisted with this, please feel free to send me a PM with the shipping address you'd like us to update your profile with. 

 

Best,

 

Steph 

I believe the main problem is that Sephora makes a bunch...

I believe the main problem is that Sephora makes a bunch of the same type of box and then pick one or two random common variables, like skin color or skin type to decide what box you get. So you ended up getting only one or two things that match your profile, if any. Of course, there's no way for Sephora to know if you want natural brands or hate red lipstick, but the approach of "pre-made" boxes is clashing with their supposed "tailoring". Play started as a one-box-for-all subscription and that's what they are still doing, more or less. So they can either stop the "customization" and return to its origins; make it way more generic (like Facetory): cruelty-free, makeup, oily skin, adventurous, etc., or adding more personal questions to the profile, like color, product-type and formula preferences (which are the biggest complaints) and hiring more people to manually create the boxes, in other words, stopping the mass production of Plays. I mean, you never see spoilers of Birchbox boxes, right?

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

I generally enjoy getting my box every month, but one thing I have noticed about the boxes and the play profile is that while they address particular concerns, the makeup samples I get are not often things that I wear. The last three boxes I have received contained nude or nude pink lip gloss. I do not wear lip gloss, and I don’t care for nude lip colors. I have a friend who gets the Play box and she often gets red lipstick but she does not wear red lipstick. I think if Sephora wants to cater more to the people getting their boxes, then part of the play profile should include questions about colors that the customer likes, brands they like or want to try, and questions about types of products (lipstick vs. Lipgloss, powder or cream blushes, etc). It’s a little disappointing to pay $10 a month to end up swapping the things you get with friends when the problem could be easily avoided in the first place. I hope the PLAY! Curators consider the suggestion of a more personalized questionnaire so they can better tailor their products like they claim they do.

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

You guys @sephoraadmin2 CAN NOT cater to every single one of us! Its just impossible. There are literally thousands possibly a mil of us out there who are all subscribed to the same service. The whole reason for the Play boxes are to try new products or brands that most of us would've otherwise never bothered with. Our individual profiles are yes to help improve our skin/makeup/hair needs when it comes to testing new products but it is not a guarantee with the subscription. There isn't 1 person sitting and reviewing everyone's profiles selecting shades and colors every month. Sephora develops a few different boxes every month so not everyone gets the same products at the same times. If that many of you are disappointed either cancel your subscription and let someone else take your spot (because for a while there was a waiting list) or go into the store and have a 1 on 1 with an associate. It is encouraged that if you are not satisfied with a product or service to reach out to someone. If you didn't get a foundation sample that matches or there's facial product that gave you a reaction, go into the stores and explain that it simply didn't work for you and 99% of the time an associate will help you find something else more suitable AND give you samples to try at home. If they don't automatically bring it up you can ALWAYS ask for samples. I have gone in soo many times wanting to try new products but was unsure and didn't want to throw down a chunk of my hard earned money on a product that may not work for me! I have always been able to get a sample or return a product if it really didn't work out. I know that I probably sound bias but instead of whining or complaining, be proactive about it. Not all of us are going to love every box we get every month, its just impossible. Each of us like different things, but that is the chance you take when you have a subscription. Whether its a beauty subscription, crafty box, or even a weekly meal box, you're always taking a risk of not know what you'll get or like. I know we all want to LOVE everything we get all the time but its just not going to happen. As a beauty lover I'm extremely passionate about the industry and as a consumer its sometimes hard to understand the processes of things, and its easier to bitch and complain. But we can only be responsible for our own happiness, so if your that unhappy then do something about it. Okay rant over.

Anonymous Insider

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

I agree with you to an extent but they should not advertise "tailored" samples based on our profiles if they can not do this for us... I do not expect an amazing playbox that blows me away every month. With a profile set you addressing my skin color, concerns, and interests-I do expect samples to be close to my skin tone and simply within the same category of my interests. In addition the playbox is try "new" items-only about 25% of my samples are new products. The rest are recycled samples from rewards. Maybe I do expect too much-but since they pushed to fill out my profile I figured I could expect a lot. Tailoring our playboxes would not require a lot of man power or people individually analyzing each profile. They could have pre-made bags based on approximations to profile interests. They have programs that will analyze peoples profiles and highest rates of concerns and interests, assign codes to each group, and ship out the boxes closest related to each code. Maybe they have something of the sort set up and are sorting out the kinks as we go 🙂 I guess we all have different perspectives and can respectfully agree to disagree 🙂  

Re: PLAY! By SEPHORA Box Versions: Your Questions Answered

I got my very first Play box (#974) and I'm disappointed. I didn't expect a color match so no surprise there, but the CoverFx customer enhancer drops and mineral veil also don't work for dark skin. The only thing that worked was the Sephora moisturizer and it wasn't really something I was looking forward to. My suggestion? offer a skincare only box - with options for dry skin, oily/combination skin, acneic skin; a make-up box, that by skin color. It would remove the problem of creating a box that meets color, skin type and hair type requirements. 

 

just a thought...

great idea for a skincare only box!

great idea for a skincare only box!

Yes to the skincare only box!

Yes to the skincare only box!

I've been getting a Play! box for about four months now,...

I've been getting a Play! box for about four months now, and I'm totally happy with it. People seem to get really bent out of shape if they don't love every single thing, but for 10 bucks, getting six or so decently sized samples and the little bag is pretty solid. Unless I'm giving it away to someone specific, I'll still test the lip colors, etc that aren't quite right for me to see what the texture is like. The only improvement I can think of would be an option to sub/opt out of fragrances, since allergies are so common. I enjoy them, but my asthma is well under control and I can see it being a dealbreaker for other people who would be fine otherwise.
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