As you may already know, I’m absolutely addicted to subscription boxes, and one of the biggest internal subscription box debates I’ve been caught up in is whether I like Birchbox or Ipsy better! I vacillate between the two every month and I'm never sure which one to commit to since there are always on and off months with both subscriptions. Since I was a little fed-up with my Ipsy bags over the last couple of months, I decided to swap back to Birchbox for a couple of months. Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription ($10/month) that sends full-size and sample-size beauty, hair, make-up and skincare products.
Pinrose: Moonlight Gypsy & Pillowtalk Poet
While I'm not the biggest fan of the smell on these samples, I do love that these samples are presented in a creative way. These Pinrose samples are fragrance towelettes that you can easily carry around and brush across your skin when you need to freshen up. Since carry-on liquids have to meet a certain ounce criteria and have to be separated into another plastic bag, it can be quite the hassle to bring regular perfume while traveling. I’m excited to bring these little towelettes on-the-go with me without having to stuff them into a separate bag!
Cargo Land Down Under: Eye Shadow Palette
As I've mentioned before in posts about other beauty boxes, I try my hardest to indicate in my preferences that I do not want to receive eye shadows. I don't use them very often and already have way too many from beauty subscriptions! I decided to try out these eye shadows anyway and found that they were a little too shimmery for my taste. While I love that the lighter shade is shimmery - I expected the darker shade to have stronger dark pigmentation to it.
Parlor by Jeff Chastain: Volumizing and Texturizing Conditioner & Shampoo
Shampoo and Conditioner is something that I typically don’t love receiving in subscription boxes because I honestly don’t care that much about the shampoo/conditioner I use. As long as it smells good and isn’t absurdly expensive, I’m happy. Both of these products smell fantastic so I’m excited to use them the next time I travel (they’re the perfect size!), however, I didn’t love the packaging of the conditioner. Instead of coming in a nice twist-close container like the shampoo, it came in a flimsy plastic sleeve that will be difficult to seal up for re-use.
Ner:D Skincare: Miraculous Brightening Clarifying Face Cleaner
I’m all about trying out new face products, but this sample was a little disappointing! The instructions say to work the cleanser into a rich lather but I could hardly get even a couple of bubbles out of the stuff! On top of that, the cleanser has a very classic soapy smell which makes it seem like you’re basically just throwing a bar of hand soap onto your face. I’m going to give this cleanser a couple more uses before I make a final judgment but so far, I’m meh on this product.
Dr. Lipp: Miracle Balm
Aaaaand here is the star of this month's Birchbox! At first I thought this was just your average lip balm but after following some of the suggested uses on the back - I've actually started using them on my brows to keep stray hairs in place! I love that this product is multi-functional - it makes me feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck! The only downside? This sample is so small - it's hardly an inch tall! Usually I expect to get a liiiiittle bit more out of a sample so I was disappointed by how small this sample was.
Final Verdict:
I really wasn't too happy with this month's Birchbox - I received a lot of samples for product categories that really didn't interest me at all! So what's the status of my internal Birchbox vs ipsy feud? I think ipsy might still have a slight edge! While I originally started with Birchbox, I'm now remembering why I switched to ipsy. Though Birchbox has an awesome points system for its shop, the samples I receive are much smaller than the ones I receive from ipsy and usually involve more shampoo/face cleaner type products - which is great if you love these - but if you're like me and you don't really pay that much attention to what shampoo you're buying, it may not be worth the $10 a month.
Soooooo it's official, after a small spurt with Birchbox again, I guess I'm back to ipsy! I think in the end, Birchbox's samples are just too small for me. I'm happiest when I'm getting a bargain and with ipsy, I feel like I'm (for the most part) getting my money's worth. Next month's review will officially be an ipsy review again! (And maybe I'll be more loyal to ipsy from here on out!)
What are your thoughts on the ipsy vs. Birchbox debate?
I'd love to hear about your experience!
Featured March Products:
