July 2014 Ipsy vs. Birchbox

 For anyone who doesn't know, Birchbox and Ipsy are both subscription services in which you pay $10 a month to get 4-5 deluxe samples mailed to you. Birchbox has a lot of variety, and includes makeup, haircare and skincare. Birchbox's samples tend to be on the smaller side, but if you review all of your samples each month you get 50 points, which is equal to $5 in the shop. Ipsy has a lot of repeat brands, but they send out a lot of full-size products or larger samples. 

 Here's my Birchbox:

Cynthia Rowley Creamy Lip Stain Sample - $7? (I couldn't get a volume, but this is a little bigger than a third the size of the full-size, which is $20)

First is Cynthia Rowley Creamy Lip Stain. This was the item that I chose for my box, I already tried it, and I like it. I've never seen a creamy lip stain before, but the texture reminds me of NYX's matte lip creams. 

Marcelle New Age 8 in 1 Power Serum - $8.16
I tried the Marcelle BB Cream and liked everything except the shade, so I'm hoping I'll like this too. I just ran out of my night cream, so maybe I'll use this instead. 

100% Pure Gingerade Shower Gel - There's no volume on these, and since it's $15 for 13 oz I'm guessing the value of these is less than 50 cents. I don't usually like cream body washes, and I hate using foil packets in the shower, so I'm not at all excited about this. 

Hello Body Cream - $0.93

I'm not a fan of Harvey Prince Hello, so this will definitely go up for swap. It's actually a decent sized sample though, so someone will be happy to try it. 

Whish Shave Cream - $2.96

I received this in my other Birchbox already, and don't like it. It's a good sized sample though, so maybe I'll gift it to a friend for their travel bag, or I'll swap it.

The total value of my July Birchbox was $19.05, plus I got $5 in Birchbox credit for reviewing all of my items. I honestly wasn't all that excited about a lot of the things I received, but the two things I am excited to try were worth more than I paid for the box, so I did get my money's worth. 

Now, on to Ipsy:

This was the best Ipsy bag I've had in a long time!

Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass - $22.99
I love tints and stains, so when I saw this in the sneak peek I was really hoping I'd get it! It's definitely one of the products I'm most excited to try this month!

Hang Ten Tanning Oil - $1.50

At first I was really bummed about getting this, as tanning isn't really something that I do. Then, a friend from one of my groups posted the ingredients, and suggested that it could also be used as a hair oil, and after that I was pretty excited to be receiving this. I tried it as a hair oil and LOVE it. It worked as well as my more expensive oils, and because it's only $1.50 an ounce I wasn't scared to use it liberally, so I saw better results than I usually do. 

Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB Cream Eyeshadow - $5.40
I've never heard of BB Cream eyeshadow, so I was pretty interested to try this. It's a nice neutral shade (though not the shade I would've chosen if it'd been up to me) and I know it's something I'll use.

Lavilin Jajoba Skin Soother - $3.15

Lavilin Jojoba Skin Soother. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm thinking I'll use it as a post-wax cream, so I'll post a review after I do. 

Benefit They're Real Mascara Sample - $7.67
I've tried this before and have a few tubes of it, and it's actually not my favorite mascara. That said, I know a lot of people who swear by it so it'll be easy to gift/swap.







My Ipsy bag had a total value of $40.71
The Tints and Sass alone paid for my bag, and with four out of five products I'll use, and one that someone will be excited to get, I definite feel like I got my money's worth, and then some!

Now for Birchbox vs. Ipsy:

Tints & Sass vs. Cynthia Rowley Creamy Lip Stain
I'm pretty excited about both of these. I already know I like the Lip Stain, and The Cheek Stain is something I'm really excited to try. I think I'll get a good amount of use out of both of these, but the Tints & Sass is full size, so that wins.

Birchbox = 0
Ipsy = 1

Hang Ten Tanning Oil vs. Marcelle New-Age 8 in 1

If I hadn't gotten the advice about using this on my hair, this would've gone to the Marcelle, hands down. Instead, this is a hard one. the Power Serum definitely came at a good time for me since I just ran out of my night cream, but I already used up the Hang Ten, so that obviously came at a good time too. They're both things I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise, but I think the Marcelle will take me a little farther, so I'll give it to the Marcelle. Honestly, it could've gone either way. 

Birchbox = 1

Ipsy = 1

Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB Cream Eyeshadow vs. 100% Pure Gingerade Body Cream Wash
This one's easy. I'm excited to try the Bare Minerals BB Cream, and the body wash went into a swap as an extra.

Birchbox = 1
Ipsy = 2

Lavilin Jojoba Skin Soother vs. Hello Body Cream

Another easy one for me. I'm excited to try the Lavilin, and the Hello has a fragrance that I really don't like.

Birchbox = 1

Ipsy = 3

They're Real vs. Whish Shave Cream
These are both items that I don't really love but other people swear by. That said, the They're Real will make a better gift, so I'm giving it to Ipsy.

Birchbox = 1
Ipsy = 4




Ipsy kicked Birchbox's butt this month! I'll use four out of five products from them, and one of the products I'm most excited about is full-sized!

What did you get in your box/bag this month?

Who was your winner?

Also, I'm having a giveaway on my blog here