Updated Beauty Box Experience: Birchbox or Ipsy

As I have mentioned before, I subscribed to two beauty box services: Birchbox and Ipsy. I received a March Birchbox and an April Ipsy bag.
First, the Birchbox I received had a Madewell theme to it and included products from Benefit, Madewell, Whish, The Twist band, and Evologie. Overall, I was extremely happy with the brands and products I received. The Twist band product was a silver elastic hairband with subtle sparkles in it. The hairbands are awesome for putting recently styled hair up while applying make-up because they do not leave a crease, whatsoever. I will insert a picture down below:
I received  a sample size of Stay Don’t Stray from Benefit Cosmetics; which is an eyeshadow primer. I like the primer a lot and have already used it completely but I have to finish up my Urban Decay Primer Potion before I invest in another high end brand primer. However, I am glad Birch Box presented the opportunity to try this product; it is fairly new.
The only Madewell product I received was a floral nail file but I have used it and it works good…to be a nail file. I mean, how good can they really be? The pattern on the nail file is a very pretty floral so props to Madewell on that.
I haven’t gotten around to trying Whish shaving cream but once again, it’s just…shaving cream, what can it really do to wow me? I don’t have a problem with my current shaving cream but I do plan on taking it in my travel make up bag when I go to the beach versus having to tote the big can. I will update then.
Now for the Evologie blemish serum, I don’t like it. It made me break out really bad BUT I have really sensitive skin and am not one to try skin products unless they’re natural. So, that was my bad, not theirs. I think the product might work for some…just not me.
I know you’re wondering if I subscribed to Birchbox for another month…
I DID but I accidently shipped the April Birchbox to my mom’s house; which I am going to around the 10th of May and will be there until I move in July, so look out for the April Birchbox post and review.
Now, for Ipsy Bag:
April was the first month I was an Ipsy member and received the bag and I am pretty happy but pissed off.
I was pretty excited about my first Ipsy bag after hearing about them all over Youtube so I will say my expectations were pretty high. The brands were good but I didn’t recognize some and the products were a little strange. The theme of the bag is Pretty in Pink and all the products were…you guessed it, PINK.
The reason they call it IPSY bag is because all of the products come in a different little bag every month. This month the bag was just plain white with a hot pink lining and zipper. The inside of the bag was the only cute part with hot pink and white stripes and the words “Ipsy…beauty by you” on the white stripes written in hot pink. I will say the bags are the perfect size for traveling or to throw in your purse, and who doesn’t love a free make up bag?
Unfortunately, the products themselves were less impressive. The first product I pulled out was a blush in the color Sweet Cheeks by the brand be a…Bombshell. However, MINE WAS BROKEN when I received it so I can’t say I got to enjoy that product;which I was the most excited about. I did watch youtube videos and see the color was a super bright pink; which I’m not that upset about missing but it’s the principal of it arriving broken.
The next thing I received was an eyeshadow duo by Two Cosmetics in the color Heartache. Honestly, I’m not too crazy about the color of either one.
Next, I received Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling treatment. I absolutely LOVE this product; it is the only one I was blown away by. I feel like it is also a big size for a sample. I might even purchase the full size product. The styling treatment is infused with AVEC Argan Oil from Morocco. I put the product in after getting out of the shower, right before I blow dry my hair and it’s awesome!
The last product that came in my Pretty in Pink Ipsy bag was a full size nail polish by the brand SATION in the color Of Corset I’ll Call You (such a catchy name). The color is a really baby pink and is pretty, just not quite my style. The nail polish itself is good quality but watery and the color is pretty sheer but can be opaque with a couple coats. The polish actually comes out a little mauve-like on the hand but it very subtle and looks naturally pretty, if that makes sense. Personally, I  really like the color and it seems to dry fairly fast; which is great. It is definitely my other favorite part of the Ipsy bag.
One cool thing about Ipsy bag is they also included coupons for the products inside. If I buy the full sized Healthy Sexy Hair styling treatment, I have a five dollar coupon to put towards it. Overall, I wasn’t too happy with the Ipsy bag, I guess I chose a bad month to try it. I’m not too sure if I will be re-subscribing after my subscription is up. It is for three months so be sure to tune in next month to check out the May bag!
In my opinion, my overall experience was better with Birchbox. I have definitely gotten more use out of the products from Birchbox and feel like I got the most for my money with them. Although,it was kind of hard to decide because I really like 2 products from both.
If you are debating between trying Birchbox or Ipsy, I recommend Birchbox; which is just my personal preference. Make up and beauty products are definitely personalized and not everything works for everyone, but next month we will see who wins, Birchbox or Ipsy…

Until next month sweets,

SweetSouthernPea

Beauty Box hype

Are Beauty subscription services really worth the hype?

I wish I could say I know from experience but I just discovered they even existed last month. I subscribed to Birch Box, as it was the very first one I heard about. I then discovered IPSY/ My Glam Bag and today I found Beauty Box 5 and Kara's Way. When researching these boxes, I found some reviews saying they are worth it, some more than others, and some other reviews saying they removed their subscription from disappointment.

The first benefit I want to talk about is variety. Every box is supposed to be different; which is a great way to try out different products that you normally wouldn't pick up. I read that some boxes even contain high end brands. However, the sizes of the products in these beauty subscription services are usually not full size. I read a few reviews saying they have received some full size products but most of the time they are trial or travel size. That is one factor that might throw some people off.

They might think, why would I pay for sample size products?

Well, the answer is value. What brand are the products you receive? How much of each do you receive? How does the size you received compare to the full size?

Another benefit of these beauty boxes is you can cancel the subscription at any time because it is monthly.But, you can purchase subscriptions for a few months at a time, quarterly, or yearly.

One downfall is that some of these boxes can be a bit pricey if you get one every month. In fact, the subscription price for a year of Kara's Way is $100.00.

The benefit to Kara's Way is they are all natural products. So, if that is something that attracts you, I would say Kara's Way is for you. These products are never tested on animals and are toxic free. Kara's Way is the most expensive one at $15.00/ month. Keep in mind that you pay more for natural products anyway. Personally, I think it makes sense it is the most expensive.

Click here to sign up for Kara’s Way.

Birch Box is known for the brands: Smashbox, Stila, Benefit, Philosophy, and NYX just to name a few.  I saw in the reviews each month the box is themed different.

You can access all the brands offered by Birch Box by clicking here.

One negative thing I will say is there is a waitlist for Birch Box. I "joined" at least 3 weeks ago and still haven't received the e-mail invitation to access the subscription.

Has this happened to anyone else? Well, the reason is the “average wait time” for an invite is 4 weeks. WHAT? They better be glad I am excited to subscribe or I would cancel just because of anticipation.

Birch Box is only $10.00/month.

Click here to sign up for Birch Box.

IPSY/ My Glam Bag is known for the make up bags the products come in. Although that isn't the main focus, but that is what makes it different in my eyes.  IPSY bags are also known for their value. I read many reviews that shed light in a positive way towards IPSY but did mention it being geared towards a younger crowd.

I am on the “wait list” for IPSY also.

IPSY Bags are $10.00/ month.

Click here to sign up for IPSY bags.

Beauty Box 5 seems like a good way to try out different products from brands that you normally wouldn't try. I saw some reviews that seemed very satisfied and even mentioned some boxes including full size products.

Beauty Box 5 is $12.00/ month.

Click here to sign up for Beauty Box 5

It is also hard to trust people's reviews online because I know some are affiliated with the companies and don't have to pay for the boxes. I really want to try all of these subscription services but that would be entirely too much money. So, I thought a review on reviews would be handy to normal people like me who can't afford each service and compare them side by side.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that you can usually refer to the subscription service’s website and purchase full size products of the ones you received. I think that is really nifty because then you’re not wasting money on large quantities of products you don’t even prefer.

I hope this helped some of y'all.

XOXO,

SweetSouthernBeauty