Ipsy vs. Birchbox

Images via Birchbox, Ipsy and Sephora

I'm utterly obsessed with getting things in the mail {with the exception of bills of course} which is the reason why I have tons of magazine subscriptions and buy things online often. There is something so exciting about opening the little mailbox and seeing pretty new things to read, use or wear, even if I knew they were coming.

Beauty boxes are one of my favorite inventions. I have tried both of the main brands most people know: Birchbox and Ipsy and recently got an email from Sephora to subscribe to their luxe-sample service; all the boxes discussed below have a monthly flat fee of $10.00 which includes shipping.  Every box has their pros and cons so I listed them below with my thoughts and reviews...can you guess which one I decided to keep coming?

1. Birchbox
Pros: The samples come impeccably packed in the most adorable box ever,  I have a little stack in my closet because I can'r bring myself to trash them, they are so cute! {I will probably use them to style a shelf at some point}. As far as the products, the selection is nice, sizes are reasonable for make up and they have a good selection of products. I found a great shade of lipstick from a relatively unknown brand that I would have never consider buying {and get SO MANY compliments on}.

Cons:
A lot of skin care and hair product in every box. Even after I went back and selected I wanted less of it. I'm a firm believer that you must give skin care a full jar of a chance before you decide on it so having these mini containers did nothing for me. Although some of the products seemed nice I didn't have enough to make a decision on whether or not I needed to purchase it.


2. Ipsy
Pros: The products come in these great little make up bags. I love switching purses almost every other day and having all these little extra bags allows me to change make up bags as well. They are also great for keeping things organized when you travel, I usually carry one for snacks, another one for chargers and headphones, etc. As far as product, I love the amount of make up they send! There's usually a little skin care product but the core of the bag is make up. Exactly what I was looking for.

Cons:
There was a waiting list to get in. If you want to gain immediate access you must announce it on social media and private message people on Facebook. On top of that, the terms for allowing them to post on Twitter for you are kind of insane. Just be aware or wait.

3. Play! by Sephora
I will not do a pros and cons for this one since I decided I did not need a subscription to their services, the main reasons being:

-I already get free samples from them every time I shop online . They are small but I usually pick things I don't need a lot of, like perfume or primer.

-They do free luxe-size samples bags anyway. The image above is actually a bag I received with all of their products back in January. I always open their emails because if what they are offering is good enough I will place an order, even if it's just to stuck up on moisturizer.

-You can get free samples at the store of ANYTHING {withing reason of course, don't go in there asking for a sample of a flat iron}. I usually request a free sample when I'll be buying something, my go to's are masks and foundations. They will give you enough for a couple applications. That's how I fell in love with my favorite Origins Out of Trouble.

Our of these options I decided to stick with Ipsy and canceled my Birchbox subscription. I'm going to miss the cute box designs :(

Happy March!

Xo,
N.