Ready for this month’s battle between Birchbox and Ipsy? We’ll take a look at what came in each subscription for the month and which one I thought was better. Both subscriptions deliver a package of cosmetic goodies to your door for just $10/month. Most of the time, the subscription box will contain deluxe samples and sometimes you’ll find a full-sized product or two. You never know! Let’s see what I got this month….
Birchbox vs. Ipsy – February
Birchbox
Juice Beauty | Blemish Clearing Cleanser
Cleans deeply and removes impurities while hydrating skin. For oily, combination, or blemish prone skin. I’ve been using this cleanser for a week and it has kept my skin clear of irritation and blemishes. I’m liking it and I’m pretty sure I might buy it when I’m finished with the sample. I’d love to try more Juice Beauty products too.
$22, juicebeauty.com
Klorane | Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
A dry shampoo that adds volume, cleans hair, and extends the life of blowouts. I got this in an Ipsy bag before and I loved it! I’m glad I got it again. Not only does it make my hair look clean (without the powdery look) but it also makes my hair feel clean. Other dry shampoos leave powdery residue behind and it makes my hair feel dirty. I think I’d like to buy the full size of this.
$19.50, kloraneusa.com
theBalm cosmetics | Read My Lips Lip Gloss
Lip gloss infused with Ginseng, available in 11 shades. My shade is BAM! which is a nice natural pink. The gloss doesn’t feel overly sticky or thick. I’m not a huge lip gloss fan, so I’ll probably skip this one, but I do like seeing theBalm products in my boxes.
$15, thebalm.com
Paula’s Choice | RESIST BHA 9 for Stubborn Imperfections
Spot treatment for stubborn blemishes. Unclogs and shrinks pores. I got a small vial, but I’m sure it will last for awhile. After looking it up, it seems like a lot of people have mixed reviews on it. I haven’t tried it yet, but even if I wind up liking it, I won’t be spending $40 on a spot treatment. Nope nope nope.
$40, paulaschoice.com
BeeKind | Body Lotion
Lemon verbena scented lotion made with honey and organic chamomile. The scent is refreshing and makes me want a glass of lemonade! This lotion is lightweight and non-greasy. The cool part is that when you buy from this brand, a portion of the proceeds is donated to honeybee research at UC Davis, which isn’t far from me!
$15, birchbox.com
Ipsy
Cargo Cosmetics | Lip Gloss
High shine long-wearing lipgloss. Mine is in the color Anguilla, which is a pale pink shade. Remember a long, long time ago when I said I wasn’t a huge lipgloss fan? Well, this is one that I can handle! It doesn’t feel like a layer of glue. It’s super silky on my lips and a lot less thick than the one above from theBalm. It’s a little too light (color wise) for me when I wear it alone, but I could make it work with a lipstick underneath. This is a great sample size too.
$16, cargocosmetics.com
Eva NYC | Up All Night Volumizing Spray
A spray that adds volume and texture to hair while protecting against heat. Can be used on damp hair before blow drying or on dry hair. It has a great scent – fresh, floral, exotic. I’ve used it once on dry hair. I didn’t really notice a difference in volume, but my hair smelled nice! I’ll have to play with it more.
$24, eva-nyc.com
Luxie Beauty | Large Angled Face Brush 504
Full size product! An angled vegan brush with synthetic bristles. Great for highlighting and contouring. It’s coated with antibacterial solution for minimal brush cleaning. It’s incredibly soft! I don’t do contouring so I’ll use it for highlighting and applying blush. I love getting stuff like this in my subscriptions. This brush is worth more than I pay for my Ipsy subscription.
$16, luxiebeauty.com
ModelCo | BLUSH Cheek Powder
Natural, glowing blush that brightens your complexion. My shade is Peach Bellini and it’s gorgeous. It’s a light, radiant peach color. I’m excited to try it out. This is an awesome sample size too. I’m guessing that this is probably a travel size and not a full size, but I’m completely happy with it.
$22, modelcocosmetics.com
“Pencil Me In” Cosmetics | Natural Eye Liner Pencil
Full size product! A creamy eye pencil that provides long lasting color. I have the shade Amethyst, which is a rich purple. Normally, I’m not all that thrilled to get an eyeliner because they’re either too expensive or don’t work very well. This one is very affordable and highly pigmented. I like the color, so I don’t mind that it came in my bag.
$6.99, pencilmeincosmetics.com
Birchbox vs. Ipsy – February Rundown
Once again, I wasn’t disappointed with either subscription. There were things I liked about each one. In my Birchbox, I loved the Juice Beauty cleanser, the Klorane dry shampoo, and the Beekind lotion. In my Ipsy, I loved the ModelCo blush, the Luxie Beauty brush, and the Eva NYC spray. I also surprisingly liked the Cargo lipgloss. There is a clear winner for me though.
Who Wins??
Ipsy takes the win! My Birchbox was good, no doubt, but my Ipsy was just a bit better! I was immensely happy with 4 out of 5 products in my Ipsy bag and the 5th product (the eyeliner) wasn’t even bad. Plus, I got 2 full-sized products and the rest were at least travel-sized. There was more uncertainty with the products in my Birchbox. I wasn’t crazy about the lipgloss from theBalm and I’m not sure if I’ll like the Paula’s Choice spot treatment. I already know I wouldn’t buy it based on the price alone!
The Score
Birchbox – 1 | Ipsy – 3 | Draw – 1 Want to take part in all the sample fun? Join Birchbox here or join Ipsy here! Read my January Birchbox vs. Ipsy battle here! *Both subscriptions are paid by me. All opinions are my own. This post contains some referral links.
Contact: ashley@peekandponder.com
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