Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Birchbox vs. Ipsy: June.

It's always a good day when I receive my month's beauty boxes. I received both last week, so here is my June Birchbox vs. Ipsy review!

(If you're new to the idea of Birchbox and/or Ipsy, click here to read my past reviews and learn more about the two services.)



Remember last month when I only got two makeup products between the two boxes? Well, this month I got three. Which is a step up, but still disappointing. But this month, ALL of the makeup items were in my Ipsy Glam Bag. Birchbox, you're breaking my heart.

Knowing that, you can probably guess which was the winner for this month. However, I did still get a few good products in my Birchbox that made it worth it.

Birchbox


 My Birchbox was very monochromatic this month...

1. Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: This was my favorite Birchbox product this month. It is a cleanser and microdermabrasion treatment rolled into one. It smells amazing and my skin feels both clean and really soft after using. It is $34 so I won't be buying it, but I am definitely salvaging this sample as long as possible.

2. Folle de Joie eau de parfum: I'm not a big fragrance person (and I received two this month), and I'm especially not a big floral fragrance person. The description of this scent says that it combines a calming citrus and a woodsy floral, but for me, the citrus is lost in the overwhelming floral scent. I'm probably not going to use this much.

3. Gilchrist & Soames London Collection Body Lotion: This, simply put, is body lotion. Nothing less, nothing more. It works exactly the same as my $4 Jergen's body lotion, but is 4 times the price.

4. COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face: I'm still trying to decide if this qualifies as makeup or not. At first I thought it was just sunscreen (which I received two of last month), but then I realized it's actually a tinted sunscreen. It's so sheer, though, so there's not really any coverage. I DO like that this product doesn't leave me feeling greasy like sunscreen normally does. It's not bad, but not worth $36.

5. Number 4 Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner: Are you guys keeping track? That's three months in a row Birchbox has sent me shampoo. And you know what I'm going to say about it. I love my Wen. I didn't try this and I don't want to. So if you're interested in trying these samples, let me know and I will give them to you because I don't want them.

To sign up for Birchbox, click here (I get a credit if you use my link).

Ipsy


1. Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach SprayI have yet to find a beach spray that works better than straight up salt water. This didn't do much for me, BUT it is the BEST smelling beach spray. Ever.

2. NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee: NYX is one of my all time favorite brands, and I love receiving their products in my Glam Bag. This gloss goes on smoothly and isn't sticky. The color is literally the exact same color as my natural lips, so it's not my favorite, but it's nice for days when I just want to add some gloss without a lot of color. Favorite Ipsy product this month.

3. OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil: This eyebrow pencil is supposed to be the perfect shade for any color of eyebrows. I don't know about that, because the color is a dark brown, and I have dark brown eyebrows. So it works for me, but I'd be interested to see what it looks like on blonde eyebrows. I do really like this pencil. It's a nice alternative to my usual dark brown shadow and angled brush.

4. Realtree for Her: My second fragrance this month. Again, I'm not a big fragrance person, but this one is better than the Birchbox one. It is not my favorite scent, but it is way less flowery than the other one. The scent is supposed to be a blend of pomegranate, persimmon, and orchid, and I think the mix of citrus and floral was executed nicely so that neither overpowered the other.

5. Be A Bombshell Lash Out Mascara: This mascara is pretty good. I much prefer my CoverGirl LashBlast Bombshell Volume mascara, but this is a great one to keep in my purse if I need a touch up throughout the day. It's not clumpy or goopy and applies cleanly.

6. Pretty in Paradise Glam Bag by Rebecca Minkoff: One of my favorite bags! I love the floral print. They should have famous designers create the bags more often.

To sign up for Ipsy, click here (I get a credit if you use my link).

I'm still really bummed about the lack of makeup products lately. Ipsy somewhat redeemed itself this month, but Birchbox is going to have to do some serious restitution to make up for the last two months.

And I swear, if I get another shampoo, I'm going to scream.

Do you subscribe to a beauty subscription service? What did you think of your package this month?

2 comments :

  1. Ok. I would be REALLY mad if this happened to me. I mean-you're paying for the subscription! They should put more makeup in your shipments!

    Do you get to select preferences with these subscriptions? I used to subscribe to a workout clothing line called "Ellie". They let you set some preferences so I usually got some stuff I liked.

    Hopefully next month will be better!!!

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    1. Yeah, they do have some preferences you can set, but if I remember correctly, Birchbox doesn't even have a makeup option. Haha, birchbox isn't known for makeup samples though so that's understandable! One of the reasons I like ipsy better.

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