June 2014 Ipsy vs. Birchbox

 I'll start with Birchbox, since it came first (as it usually does). Here's what I got:

 Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara Mascara - $20
I was really excited to get this, especially because it's full size! I've tried a couple of Mally products in the past and always really enjoyed them, so I'm glad to try their mascara. I've tried it since receiving it and really loved it.

Davines Shampoo, Conditioner, and Styling Cream Samples - $9.71
The shampoo sample is a really good size, and there are no scary ingredients so I enjoyed trying this! The conditioner and leave-in samples are waaaay too tiny for my hair though, so even after trying them I didn't really feel like I'd tried the products. I'm also excited that this counted as three products, so I got 30 points ($3 in the BB shop) for reviewing them.

English Laundry Perfume Sample - $3.96? (this is a guess based on a sample size of .15oz)

I'm never excited to get perfume samples, and I already know this one gives me a headache, so I'm even less excited than usual. That said, I'm glad it came in the pouch that it came in. 

Perlier Body Cream 1oz - $4.25

I tend to forget about body lotion, but this one has shea butter in it, so I'm excited to try it. I usually really enjoy products with shea butter. 

Suki exfoliating cleanser .25oz - $2

I love trying new skincare products, and exfoliating products are usually great for me. This one ended up breaking me out, but I'm still glad that I got to try it!

The total value of this month's box was $39.92, plus I'll get another $7 worth of credit in the birchbox store when I review all of the products. Not at all bad for a box I spent less than $10 on.

Now on to Ipsy. Here's what I got:

Be a Bombshell Lash Out Mascara - $15
The first thing I noticed about this was the terrible smell. I could hardly stand to have it open for the few minutes I was photographing it, and I can't imagine wanting to put it near my eyes. I emailed IpsyCare about it (because they've been great about things like this in the past) and got a response saying that it was safe to use and not to worry about it. I was pretty disappointed by that response, because the responses I've gotten from Ipsy have usually been so helpful.

Marc Anthony Beach Spray - $3.25
I don't really use hair sprays in my hair, so I'll probably save this for sometime that I have to do an updo and need something stronger than will-power to contain my hair. It smells really good.

Realtree for Her Perfume Sample - $0.94

Again, not something I'm particularly excited about. It's a really strong scent, and not one that I could ever wear. 

Ofra Universal Eyebrow Liner - $13

This came at a good time for me as I just used up my last brow liner. I haven't tried much from Ofra, so I'm excited to give this a try!

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee - $5

I love NYX lip products, and this is no exception. At first I was sad about the shade I got, but it's actually a pretty flattering shade. 

The total value of my Ipsy was $37.19 (though if you take off the $15 for the mascara, which isn't fit to use, it's actually $22.19). Not a bad value for a bag I paid less than $10 for, especially since I love the bag itself this month. 

Let's see which sub wins this month:

 First it's a mascara-off. The Mally works really well, and doesn't smell toxic, so it's probably not hard to guess which one wins.

Birchbox = 1
Ipsy = 0

 Davines hair products vs. Marc Anthony Beach Spray

The Davines is something I can use regularly (shampoo) whereas the Marc Anthony really isn't something that's suitable for use on my hair very often. This one goes to Birchbox as well.

Birchbox = 2
Ipsy = 0

 English Laundry vs. Realtree for Her

Can I give this to neither of them? I'll give this one to the English Laundry because of its scent-sensitive friendly packaging.

Birchbox = 3
Ipsy = 0

 Perlier Body Cream vs. Ofra Eyebrow Pencil

I rarely remember to use body cream, and when I do it's usually Vaseline or Jergens, so I'm not all that excited about the Perlier. The liner on the other hand is something I've been needing and it really came at the perfect time. This one goes to Ipsy.

Birchbox = 3
Ipsy = 1

 Suki Exfoliating Cleanser vs. NYX butter gloss

This one's pretty hard because they're both things I was really excited to try. Suki is a brand I haven't tried before, so that's a definite plus (after all, isn't that the point of beauty subscriptions?) but at the same time I'm more excited about a full-size item from a brand I love than a small sample from a new brand. This one goes to Ipsy.

Birchbox = 3
Ipsy = 2

All in all, this was a pretty good month for both subscriptions!