April: Birchbox vs Ipsy Bag

I enjoyed my Spring Break off from work a couple of weeks ago, doing absolutely nothing unless I wanted to and being on my own schedule. *ahhh* And what made my time off even better was going to check my mail and finding my Birchbox inside one day and my very first Ipsy bag another! I have been waiting to get my Ipsy bag- I signed up for it back in January and was waitlisted... yes, Ipsy is just that popular.

Wait... do you even know what Ipsy is? Sorry! Ipsy is a monthly beauty sample subscription, much like Birchbox, but the brands/products are different.

Since April was the first month that I received both subscriptions, I thought it would be fun to compare the two.

Birchbox: Their theme this month is "Rainy Days"

1. Color Club Nail Lacquer... I got the color "Gold Struck" and while I am not at all a fan of gold, this is more of a champagne color, which makes it a keeper!

2. Fekkai Advanced Salon Technician Color Care Shampoo... a high-end brand of hair care for color treated hair (I had my hair highlighted a year ago) but sadly, it contains parabens and therefore I will not be using it.

3. Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser... it is described as "micro-dermabrasion in a bottle" and is good for all skin types. I'm excited to try this since it is an all natural product.

4. Kind Healthy Grains bar... this "chewy with a crunch" bar is all natural. I received the flavor maple pumpkin seeds with sea salt.

5. the Balm How 'Bout Them Apples? Cheek & Lip Cream... my sample is in the color "Pie", which is like a coral. The packaging is cute- it's a magnetic box that almost seems to be made of card stock. I don't wear blush so I would try this out as a pop of color on my lips.


Ipsy: Their theme this month is "Beauty Rocks!"

1. Demeter Roll On Perfume Oil...  I really don't care for flowery scents when it comes to my perfumes  and jasmine is the one that I got. I don't know how jasmine smells but it reminds me a bit of honeysuckle. I don't think I will be using this oil- it's just not my style.

2. Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm... this brand is new to me. My sample is in the color Apple Pink but appears to be more of a blush color to me. It comes with an applicator brush but the packaging is quite bulky... still a pretty color though, so I will try it out but keep it at home.

3. Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil... a very popular brand, and my sample is in the shade "black velvet".

4. Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow... yet another brand that I am unfamiliar with but that is the fun of beauty subscriptions!  The color is "Champagne".

5. Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant... I've never tried any form of microdermabrasion but I'm curious to see what the difference is between that and regular exfoliation. And I know that Dr. Brandt is a really good brand.


So which subscription wins? I like that Ispy sends their samples in a cute, reusable cosmetic bag- not a cardboard box like Birchbox which will be thrown away. But I think that this month is a tie... neither contained anything that really peaked my interest or something I really wanted to try. I will keep both subscriptions going though. If you would like a full review on any of the products mentioned, leave a comment below!