Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Ipsy vs. Birchbox February 2015

Ipsy vs. Birchbox 1 of 3 February 2015



For Valentines day my boyfriend got me a 3 month subscription to Birchbox so I could try it out and see if I was really missing anything now that they have arrived in Canada. So I thought starting this month I would compare the two while I am receiving them both and see how they hold up against one another! **ALL PRICES ARE IN CAD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

We are going to start with Birchbox this month because it arrived first.

The packaging is so different from ipsy and it kind of seems a bit wasteful to have a box within a box, like they could have just designed it to have just been one box but I do like the smaller box, it was cute so I guess I can't complain too much.
I was super excited to be getting the February box from Birchbox because some of the products looked awesome but when you get a gift subscription apparently you don't start out with the month you get gifted it, instead you get a “welcome box” which I found disappointing. I messaged customer service asking about this and they said it's because most people gifted a subscription don't have their preferences filled out but I dunno, I kind of feel like I am losing a box, but this could just be me being weird.

Enough of me complaining and on to the actual box itself!

Birchbox costs 14.95 CAD per month and you can find my referral link here.



This box had no theme as it was the welcome box.

Contents: Total Value 16.10

Dr. Lipp OriginalNipple Balm For Lips --Sample Value $3.40 (Full Size $14.50)
It's a super thick yellow ointment consistency that absorbs into your lips pretty easily. When you first start trying to get the product from the tube it is super hard, but as the product warms it is a bit easier. It isn't the best lip balm I have ever tried in my life but it is one of them and I am glad to have it around as we are getting a crazy late winter right now and it's -18 on a regular day here. Overall I am going to rate this product a 9/10 and I absolutely would buy a full size of it, it's definitely on my pre-winter shopping list for next year.

Harvey PrinceHello Body Cream --Sample Value $1.08 (Full Size $22)
The container says Sicilian lemon, Spanish mandarin botanicals and Shea butter. To me it smells like Shea butter and faintly like lemon. I don't find the lotion to be particularly moisturizing, I find it sits on the skin a bit and is a little sticky, especially on my hand. I am rating this product a 4/10 especially when I compare it to my Bath and Body Works lotions. I won't be purchasing a full size of this lotion.

theBalm cosmeticsStainiac in Beauty Queen --Sample Value $2.40 (Full Size $17)
This isn't supposed to be a full coverage tint and it isn't which is great because sometimes you need a subtle bit of tint and that's what this product provides. It is a gel type consistency and blends nicely into my skin and I like it. I am rating it at a 7/10 and I might repurchase it if I am ever looking for a subtle red tint again. But I currently have a tonne of red tints so I am focusing more on getting through them.

Vasanti CosmeticsBrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator --Sample Value $5.66 (Full Size $34)
I was super excited to try this cleanser, it's super gritty and smells amazing, it contains papaya and I can definitely smell it. It left my skin feeling clean and soft and left my fingertips super soft as well. My skin was also left looking brighter and it lessened some of the redness around my nose. As far as exfoliating cleansers go I am going to give this one an 8/10 because a lot of cleansers that exfoliate tend to leave my skin dry and this one left is soft and smooth. I think I will for sure be buying a full size of this product.

Whish Shave Crave in Acai Grapefruit --Sample Value $3.56 (Full Size $20)
The smell of this shave cream is super sweet and flowery, I don't get the grapefruit smell at all. It did soften my skin a bit but no more than applying lotion to my skin after a shave. It didn't lather very well and all and all I wasn't super impressed so I am going to give it a 5/10 I definitely will not be buying a full size of this and might in fact pass this sample size on to someone else.

Average rating for items in this month's box is 6.6

Overall I am not super impressed with this month's box but I am looking forward to my first proper box next month!

Now on to ipsy!



Ipsy cost $19.62 this month and you can find my referral link here.

This month's theme was #ipsyLove

The bag is super cute I love the pink and grey together and I can honestly say this has been one of my favourite bags.

Contents: Total Value approx $91.70CAD using exchange rate on 17/02/15


City Color Cosmetics Creamy Lip Stain in Flirtini –Sample Value $4.99USD (approx. $6.18CAD)
This Product is Full Sized. When I swatched this I was super excited, it was really opaque and it's a really nice pink. When I put it on my lips though I found it quite drying, even though I did moisturize my lips before applying it but it still dried my lips to the point of flaking. It looks pretty on my lips but it isn't super long wearing, though it does cling in some spots, so I recommend bringing it with you if you are wearing it out for touch-ups. I give this product a 6/10 and I won't be repurchasing it in the future.

Emite Make Up Professional Eye Lash Curler --Sample Value $25USD (approx. $30.97CAD)
I love this curler, it is wide enough to get every single one of my lashes! Most of the curlers I have tried I have to curl in two seconds but this one it is just so easy. I love it and I am so glad to have gotten it. Would I have spent $30 on it? I have no idea, but I am glad I didn't have to make that choice. 9/10 You go Glenn Coco!

Eva NYC Up AllNight Volumizing Spray --Sample Value $10USD (approx. $12.39CAD) Travel
This product is travel size. I haven't had a chance to do a blow out with this product but I have tried using it for texture and it does deliver. Mine was only partially full because of the cap not being tight enough but we'll see if I get enough uses to get a good opinion about it. Look for a proper review in the future. 7/10 for now.

Mitchell andPeach Fine Radiance Face Oil --Sample Value £15 (approx. $28.53CAD)
This product is half of a full size. The oil smells amazing, you can smell it when you are putting it on your face and I am not sure exactly how to describe it, it's just amazing. It starts absorbing right away but not not too fast and it makes my skin feel so soft, I could definitely see myself using this with the cleanser I got with the Birchbox welcome box. I'm giving this a 9/10 and I will seriously be looking into purchasing a full sized bottle of this depending on how long this lasts me.

ModelCo BLUSH Cheek Powder in Cosmopolitan 01 --Sample Value $11USD (approx. $13.63CAD)
This product seems to be about half of a full sized though it's hard to be exact as the Modelco
website doesn't list sizes, I had to research through YouTube videos. Cosmopolitan is a super pretty ballet slipper pink and it blends very nicely, it does seem a bit powdery and I will have to use it a few more times to see how it compares to the other blushes I own but for now I am giving it a 7/10. I don't think I'll be looking for a full size of this though.

Average rating for this month's bag is 7.6



Overall I think Ipsy took it this month but it wasn't really a fair fight given that it wasn't a normal birchbox. But we will see next month!


See you next time!

Alex


xoxoxo

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