Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Birchbox vs. Ipsy: April.


Today I'm jumping on the Birchbox vs. Ipsy bandwagon and comparing my April box against my April Glam Bag!

For those of you who don't know about Birchbox and/or Ipsy, here's a quick overview.

Both Birchbox and Ipsy are subscription services (both are $10/month) that send you 4-5 beauty products each month. While the two are similar, there are some differences between the two:

  • Birchbox sends products in a nice box, while Ipsy sends their items in a custom designed makeup bag (called a Glam Bag)
  • Birchbox typically sends more hair care/skin care products with the occasional makeup item, while Ipsy errs on the side of makeup
  • Birchbox's products tend to be higher-end and more expensive, while Ipsy's can often be found at drugstores or Ulta for a reasonable price
  • Birchbox sends smaller sample sizes, while Ipsy will often send full sized products

I tend to prefer Ipsy just because I'm more into makeup and I'm cheap. I think as a general rule, younger generations will prefer Ipsy and the older ones will be more interested in Birchbox. This month is the third Ipsy bag I've received, and my sixth Birchbox. Here's what I thought of this month's products.


Birchbox


1. theBalm Cosmetics How 'Bout Them Apples? Cheek and Lip Cream in Pie: This palette doubles as a cheek and lip stain. I loved it on my cheeks, but I'm not a big fan of lip stain. $32 for a full size palette? No thanks. But I'll keep the sample.

2. Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Jamun: This eyeliner is a deep purple, but really, it looks like a brownish black. It goes on really nicely, and $11 for a full size isn't terrible.

3. Keims Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo: This is an all-natural shampoo. I already have a shampoo I love, but tried this anyway. It doesn't lather, but it smells nice. I used this first and then finished with my Wen conditioner. My hair felt really soft once it dried. I'm really not sure if that was due to the shampoo or not, because my hair is pretty soft anyway. $9.50 for a bottle isn't bad, but I think I'll stick with Wen.

4. Color Club Gala's Gems Collection in Aquamarine Azulino: LOVE this color. See how pretty it is? The entire collection (4 colors) is $13, which isn't too shabby.

5. KIND Snacks Healthy Grains Bar - Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt: Sometimes Birchbox sends food. This was interesting. It kind of tasted like Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal and pretzels. The taste wasn't terrible, but I wasn't crazy about the texture.

Click here to sign up for Birchbox. (I get referral credit if you use my link).

Ipsy


1.  "Rock Glam" Bag: This bag is by far the ugliest one I have received yet. But hey, free makeup bag.

2. dr. brandt Microdermabrasion: This smells exactly like Pine-Sol. And it's really strong. I don't mind it, but I don't love it. But, as a microdermabrasion, it's great! Although, I will say that the effect wasn't any different than just rubbing a baking soda/water mixture on your face.

3. Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the shadow in Champagne: This is a really pretty color and PERFECT for highlighting the brow bone! My skin is so light that I can really only use this shadow as a highlighter, but I'm not complaining.

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil: I think I was most excited for this product because a) it's Urban Decay, b) I'm currently out of eyeliner, and c) I have an obsession with black eyeliner. This obsession may possibly have increased with this product. It really does glide right on.

5. Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in Naked: I never use lip liner, but I really should. My natural lip line blends into my skin and because of that, I often get "out of the lines" when applying lipstick or gloss. This lip liner is a pretty, natural color and helps make my lip line more visible.

6. Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush: Okay, my first thought when getting this was "I already have a ton of brushes." But THEN I realized this was exactly the brush I needed to apply eye shadow to my crease. (I've been using a concealer brush, so now I can actually use that one for concealer). Also, it's really soft.

Click here to sign up for Ipsy. (I get referral credit if you use my link).

Overall, this month, I was more pleased with my Ipsy bag, ONLY because I didn't care for the shampoo, and a granola bar doesn't even count as a product. As awesome as the other 3 Birchbox products were, they couldn't stand up against 5 awesome Ipsy products.

Are you a Birchbox or Ipsy subscriber? What did you think of this month's products? Which of these products would you love to try?

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