This will be my last post comparing Birchbox vs. Ipsy – mainly because this is my last month receiving a Birchbox which I got for a free 3-month subscription as a gift. Nonetheless, here we go.

We’ll star with the packaging. Birchbox comes in a plain (but nice quality) cardboard box. The inside is printed with a little chevron print. Ipsy comes in a makeup bag that is adorable – hot pink with pink/white cheetah print on the inside.

See? Adorable.

In this month’s Birchbox, I noticed that when I received the package, it was rattling around so much that I swore something was broken. Nope – there just wasn’t enough in there to fill the size of the box. (That’s what she said.)

First were samples of the Bain de Terre Passion Flower Color Preserving Shampoo and Conditioner. “Paraben-free” with a “blend of argan and monoi oils”, these were pretty nice. The smell was sweet, but not over-powering. There was a good amount of lather to the shampoo, but I don’t feel like the conditioner left my hair feeling as smooth as I would have liked.

* As just a little note, I really wish that these had come sealed in some way. The shampoo must have opened during transit and left everything in my Birchbox covered with a fine layer of OMG Gross and Sticky.

Miracle Skin Transformer Face Spotlight is only “ok” in my opinion. Touted as a face highlighter, this didn’t give me enough of the “glow” I would be looking for from something that sells for $48 (full-size). It gave a little bit of a sheen, but I much prefer my Benefit High Beam.

The StriVectin Advanced Retinol Eye Treatment was by far the best thing in the box. Retailing at $75 (!!) for a little tube of the cream, it is something I’ve always wanted to try, but never wanted to fork over the cash for. The cream is THICK, but soaks right in to the delicate skin around your eyes. I really do love this product. If everything in Birchbox was like this, I would subscribe for sure.

Then there were these tiny packets of bath salts. Meh.

Now here’s the Ipsy bag this month.

I really liked almost everything in this month’s bag – face masks from Skyn Iceland, nail polish from Zoya (a full-size polish from them retails at $9, so that alone makes the bag worth it), lip gloss from POP Beauty, lashes from J. Cat Beauty, and cream eyeshadow from Tini Beauty.

The only item I didn’t like much was the cream eyeshadow – but that’s only because I’m not a fan of cream shadows in general. Otherwise, the lashes are full and plump, I love anything by Skyn Iceland, and the Zoya polish is adorable.

If you’re going to spend $10/month on a subscription service, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again:
Choose Ipsy over Birchbox.

You will not be disappointed.