Boxycharm vs. Birchbox vs. Ipsy - May 2015
It's time for yet another great comparison between Boxycharm, Birchbox, and Ipsy. I'm still getting two Ipsy bags, so one is my real profile and the other is just whatever Ipsy sends. To see my other comparison reviews, click here. Check out past Boxycharm, Birchbox, and Ipsy as well!
May's Boxycharm was valued at $98.00, but I've already said it had almost no value for me. It included ModelCo Bronze Shimmer, Bodyography Essential Brow Trio, Bodyography Brow Brush, The Lip Bar Lipstick, and Lauren B. Beauty Nail Polish. May was another month were it looks like a good value when you look at cost vs return, but it's a useless box once you think about what was actually in the box.
Out of everything, I only somewhat liked the nail polish, but I would not have purchased it on my own. It's not a bad formula or a bad color, but it's not really worth the cost of the name. I will also have some use for the bronze shimmer, but only as eyeshadow. The two brow products and the purple lipstick were both instantly given away. It was a second bad month for Boxycharm.
May's Birchbox was valued at $28.74 (plus $5 in points to use in their store) and included Harvey Prince Sincerely, Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Palette, Juice Beauty STEM CELLULAR CC Cream, Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect, and Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer. I did not choose the Sample Choice or do a Curated Box, so this is what I received by letting Birchbox choose based on my profile.
Out of the five products, the hair detangler was probably my favorite product. Blasphemy to choose a Number 4 product, I know, but it doesn't smell like something from a hotel and it works on my messy hair. It's also nice to be able to try out the new Revealed palette from Costal Scents. I have had and gotten rid of the first two (not because of quality but because of the colors), but the colors in the third one look different enough for me to keep this one if I get the full thing!
For my first Ipsy for May, I received based on my real profile. This bag was valued at $54.33, which was absolutely ridiculous for a $10 bag. It included Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture & Volume Spray, Jesse's Girl Pure Pigment Eye Dust, Nuxe Face Cleansing & Make-up Removing Gel, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil, and Luxie Rose Gold Tapered Blending Eye Brush 205.
If anything was my favorite, it was the makeup remover. When I'm swatching, I need something that gets everything off quick without being super drying, which this does. It doesn't take a lot to work and be super effective. Everything else was useful except the UD liner, which I got rid of. The eyeshadow brush has been put in my daily use bag, partly because it's really nice and partly because it's pink.
With my second Ipsy profile, I was able to see what could be a first bag for a new subscriber. The bag was valued at $44.32, which is still so much higher than the $10 cost. It included Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil, bellapierre Gel Eye Liner, Pixi by Petra Beauty Bronzer, Bare Republic Mineral Face SPF 30, and Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches.
Nothing really stood out to me from this bag, but it was again stuff that could be useful. The UD liner was in every bag, so I knew I would get two of them. The liner probably would have been my favorite if it hadn't been in black, but I just feel like black liners are everywhere. The Klorane eye patches were surprisingly nice and I would consider buying more.
Overall, none of my boxes from this comparison really floored me. Maybe I'm starting to get spoiled with other boxes or maybe I'm using so many products from indie makers that mainstream stuff just isn't doing something for me. Or it might have just been a bad month for these boxes. As always, let me know what you thought of these boxes and this comparison review!
