Birchbox vs Ipsy – July 2014
This is the seventh post in the Birchbox vs Ipsy series!
FYI – I pay for both of these subscriptions, and as a regular customer I get one of many variations available each month. So while one month alone might not be enough info to make a decision, looking at the results over several months should give you a good picture of what to expect with each box.
Birchbox July 2014 (Check out the full Birchbox review)
Number of items: 5
Full size items: 1
Deluxe size items: 2
Brands featured: Beauty Protector, Naobay, Laqa & Co, Sukis, Skyn
Categories featured: Haircare (1), Skincare (2) Body (1) Makeup (1)
Total Value: $40 (that includes the value of the free Women’s Health magazine/refund option)
Ipsy July 2014 (Check out the full Ipsy review)
Number of items: 5
Full size items: 1
Deluxe size items: 3
Brands featured: bareMinerals, Purisse, BigSexyHair, Whet, Elizabeth Mott
Categories featured: Makeup (2) Haircare (1) Skincare (1) Nail Polish (1)
Total Value: $50
Verdict: I think Birchbox is the winner for me this month since the value was so high, and I was able to review the products on their site and get $5 to use in their shop. And the Naobay lotion was a great discover for me. (Plus I always want more Suki cleanser!) The Ipsy bag probably is at a disadvantage for me just because I would have preferred a new product over another Purlisse SPF! I am using my bareMinerals cream eyeshadow everyday though!
Which was your favorite box this month? Any new product discoveries you love?
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Written by Liz Cadman
I’ve dumped Ipsy a long long time ago. They’ve been sending the same brands for so long. I don’t want anymore Be A Bombshell, Purlisse, BigSexyHair, etc.
Buy I think that if Sample Society keeps going with their new revamp, they will end up on top.
I had quit all three. But the Sample Society spoilers convinced me to sign back up. And after this month, SS is the one I’m keeping.
I liked Birchbox better this month – the magazine subscription paid for the box. I sent it in for a rebate, so basically I got BB for free. Plus I got the Ruffian nailpolish which was the cost of the box, plus other samples which I will use. I only got one item I was excited about for Ipsy and I usually LOVE my Ipsy sub.
Birchbox is always the loser to me cause all I have seen from them is tiny samples and I could care less about their points program, Ipsy is the clear winner every month.
I thought Birchbox was the winner this month for me too. My ipsy bag had one product I won’t use at all and another I probably won’t get much use from too. For Birchbox, the Naobay lotion just seemed so good!
I’m yet to see a deluxe size let alone full size item from BB. So I’m officially done for good with them, points or not. They’re only useful/good if you want to shop in their store and while I used to do just that I’ve found since that their pricing is significantly inflated and the products are often widely available elsewhere for less. I guess spending money on the sub to get tiny samples where I earn points redeemable only for rather overpriced merchandise doesn’t seem like a wise financial move in general. But if you really like the store and shop there, the points are a definite high point to the sub.
I’m kind of not impressed by the Birchbox store either (dislike the way it’s organized, too). It doesn’t carry any of my go-to products. I might buy a limited edition box on occasion, just for fun (and with a promo code), and if I end up with points from that, so be it. But that’s probably going to be the extent of my involvement with Birchbox from now on.
Lately birchbox has been sending out at least one full size item. I got a full size mascara last month and I believe the LAQA lip lubes are full size as well.
My boxes were both different than Liz’s. I would have to go with Ipsy, because my BB samples were the tiniest I’ve ever received in nearly 2 years with BB.
I’ve gone back and forth over time but went back to BB solely because I have discovered the best products from that box and I have always loved their point system! Twice since I have rejoined I’ve accumulated $20 in points that I combined with 25/35% off coupons! I an now also an “ace” so always free shipping! This past purchase I got the full sized Liz Earle cleanser (awesome!) and a full sized shower gel, added on a mystery sample pack (normally $10) for free and got 25% off. So with my $20 in points I received $48 worth of items for $8!
This was my first month without Ipsy for awhile and I finally canceled Birchbox (for good this time). Not really missing either one. (Both were great when I hadn’t been subscribing to boxes for very long. But now that I’ve seen some of what’s out there, I’m not inclined to go back. I have a drawer full of Ipsy and Birchbox samples — going back 6 months — that I haven’t even opened yet and I didn’t see a reason to accumulate more.)
You should get on the MSA swaps with all that excess! There are treasures to be swapped for…
http://swap.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/