Birchbox Vs Ipsy – December 2015
The Birchbox vs Ipsy post series compares my Birchbox and Ipsy subscription every month to give you a good idea what you can expect from the two most popular beauty subscription boxes. (And since both boxes are $10 a month, it seems fair to stack them up against each other).
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 December 2015 (Check out the full Birchbox review)
Number of items: 5
Full-size items: 1
Deluxe size items: 1
Brands featured: Ouidad, The Beauty Crop, Harvey Prince, Coastal Scents, Gorge
Categories featured: Haircare (2) Makeup (2) Perfume (1)
Total Value: $42
Ipsy December 2015 (Check out the full Ipsy review)
Number of items: 5
Full-size items: 2
Deluxe size items: 1
Brands featured: Pacifica, Acure, Klorane, Formula X, CrownBrush
Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (2) Tools (1) Nail Polish (1)
Total Value: $25
Verdict: My favorite box this month was Birchbox. The Ouidad, Gorge, and Beauty Crop products have worked their way into my daily beauty routine, and the value for the box was great too. (Birchbox doesn’t normally beat Ipsy in terms of value, so it is kind of a big deal! 🙂 )
What did you think of the December Birchbox and Ipsy boxes? Which one was your favorite?
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Written by Liz Cadman
Been with Birch box about 6months and have hated the last 3 months. I am going to try Ipsy and cancel Birch box. Their samples are so small they are barely useable. Only good thing in the December box was the cute box!
I have to give IPSY credit. I have emailed them a few times recently with points issues and they are so nice and helpful. Great customer service goes a long way with me. In all honesty most of these companies have had good customer service when I have needed it. Just wanted to let you know about IPSY’s nice people!
I like both subs, but I cancelled Birchbox because I wasn’t receiving enough products I was interested in. Their points system is great, but I was trying to decrease my # of boxes.
I’m keeping Ipsy, though. I tend to like makeup products more and I love the full sizes and tools I often get.
I love Ipsy! Im planning to cancel my Birchbox. Im not happy of the products im getting from Birchbox. Im just wasting my money.
I cancelled ipsy months ago. Birchbox is a monthly waste for ne. Especially in the hair care dept. 8 have thick curly hair and NEVER get products for that. Instead they send me blowout sprays and dry shampoo like everytime. Frustrating. Sadly I paid for a year and still have four months left. I’ve been with bb for over 3 years and it seems it just gets worse for me…I’m even getting repeats.
Birchbox has become the same way for me. I also have thick curly hair and all I ever get is volumizing spray and “thickening balms” for fine hair types. I’ve been subscribed for about 3 years too and it seems like the samples just get worse and worse and are not even applicable to me. Luckily, I had a month to month subscription so I just cancelled but they definitely need to be better about matching applicable products to people. At some point the point system just isn’t worth it. I could just save the money and buy the things I actually want somewhere else.
Birchbox in December was a bust for me. I don’t do Ipsy anymore as I decided to get Boxy Charm and had to let one go. The ability to review the items for points and use them is why I kept Birchbox. January’s box (for me) was so much better.
Birchbox every time. The number one reason I like them better is you get to review the products for money to spend in the shop, and you get points with every order. Number two reason is they have the best customer service in the business! I try to get everyone I know to subscribe!
That’s what i would say about Ipsy. I love reviewing and using the points to get free products. And their CS is amazing. I complained about that Pacifica lipstick shown. I’ve used vegan products before but this was awful. I got to choose a replacement product and some other things. They really went above and beyond in all of the transactions I’ve had with them.
Ipsy hands down, every package is an exciting suprise, never truly disappointed…and the bags a really an eXtra plus! Unfortunately I cancelled my subscription for Birchbox after my 1st box. I haven’t used anything in it, gave it all away. Box was cute though.
I liked both of mine that month! If I had to choose one I’d pick the birchbox because of that full size lighting crew highlighter. Love it.
Birchbox was a winner for me too so I cancelled Ipsy after my December bag.
Yeah, I finally cancelled Birchbox after my annual subscription expired. I was starting to get really sick of the things they were sending me, despite me always reviewing my products and updating my profile. I’m keeping Ipsy because they send actual MAKEUP products consistently.
My Birchbox last month had a total value of $11! This month I’m starting a new subscription with a miscellaneous box and the value doesn’t look to be much better – plus one of the samples is a repeat. But I’m not going back to Ipsy and its penchant for chinese made beauty items.
At this price point, the Glossy Box deal makes for a much happier experience.
I threw out all my Harvey Prince fragrances yesterday and it was liberating!
I cxled my Birchbox after my last one. I have never subbed Ipsy, but this one would have been a huge win for me so I’m tempted!
Hi Liz,
Do you mind telling me what types of things you have marked off on your birchbox profile? I have curly hair and always put this on my profile but all I ever seem to get are hair products for fine hair types and volumizing spray that I certainly don’t need. I try to change my profile around but I can never seem to get these types of product even though bb samples them all the time. You seem to get these things sample from time to time as far as I can see on the blog posts so I was wondering what types of things you have marked off on your profile. Any tips would help!