Birchbox vs. Ipsy: July.

Receiving my month's beauty boxes is one of my favorite parts of each month. You all know how much I love makeup, and these these two packages give me the opportunity to try out products I may not have normally picked for myself. My favorite thing is when I get a product that is something I NEVER would have thought to try, but end up loving.

 I received both Birchbox and Ipsy last week, so here is my July 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.)

Birchbox

1. Naobay Body Radiance Lotion: Just another body lotion. I love the scent -- very citrusy -- but as a lotion, it's quite average.

2. Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 35+: This is very similar to the tinted sunscreen I received last month, only it has slightly better coverage. In general, I like this product, but what is up with the sample size? It's literally half the size of my thumb.

3. Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel: This is more like a scrub than a peel-off mask. You put it on and then rub it around your face and it takes off dead skin cells. I could definitely tell a little bit of a difference, but I had exfoliated right before using this so I'm sure that affected the results some. I'll have to try it again for the full experience.

4. Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner: Favorite Birchbox item this month (possibly overall), hands down. This kohl eyeliner is perfect -- bold color, long-lasting, and goes on smoothly. (Plus, I have a weakness for black eyeliner.)

5. Harvey Prince Imperial Gardenia: I'm starting to develop quite the perfume collection. I only wish they weren't so flowery. This fragrance is less floral than some, but still a little too much so for my taste. I may wear it, I may not. We'll see.

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

Ipsy

1. Pur~lisse Pur~Protect Daily Essential Moisturizer SPF 30: I don't know if you remember, but I got this exact same thing minus the SPF in my Birchbox last month. Therefore, the review is the same, but a little better because of the SPF. I threw this in my beach bag for days at the pool.

2. Tints & Sass by Elizabeth Mott: This is my favorite Ipsy product this month. It is a cheek and lip stain. The color is perfect and long-lasting. I love lip stains because I rub my lips together a lot, so lipgloss and lipstick just doesn't stay on very long. With stains, I get color all day long!

3. Models Own Nail Polish in Red Sea: This is a fun, sparkly nailpolish, but on its own I'm not a huge fan. I want to try it over a solid red, or maybe even a pink or white, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

4. Clear Clinic Laboratories Vanished Clear Spot Treatment: I don't break out often, so I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of this. That being said, I did have a blemish pop up this week, but this spot treatment didn't do anything for me. I've found that the best way to treat blemishes is just to take good care of your skin, rather than trying to dry it out, so I'm not that surprised.

5. bareMinerals 5-in-1 Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15: First of all, I love how summer comes and suddenly everything has SPF in it. Second, I don't understand this product. Maybe it's just because I'm used to powder shadows instead of cream, but how do you blend it? I feel like I'm just wiping it off when I use my finger or a brush to blend it. It also didn't help that the color I got is the exact color of my skin, so it looked more like a concealer than an eyeshadow. Which is too bad; I really wanted to love this product.

6. Sensationally Sunkissed Glam Bag: I love the scalloped edge! It's simple and it's BIG. I also think it might be water-resistant (though I guess most of them are...), so it's going in my beach bag.+

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

Overall it was a pretty good month! I'm not sure who won, seeing as each bag really only had one product that I loved. We'll call July a tie! (Hey, that rhymes).

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