Monday, April 22, 2013

Beauty Box Beatdown! Ipsy v. Birchbox April 2013

Hello!  Due to a bunch of random personal crap, I'm behind yet again.  Know how I catch up?  By slyly combining two reviews into one with a Beauty Box Beatdown!  I know, how incredibly talented and clever and... yeah.  Saw the idea on (several) other blogs. Stole it.

Hopefully you have all gotten your Birchboxes and Ipsy bags by now!  For the past few months, they've been arriving at my house on the same day.  It's fun to pull everything out and compare it, but I think it would also be nice to spread the love out over a few days.  It's an awful lot to test at once!

Yup.  My favorite day of the month!




As per my last beatdown post, I separated each item into a completely contrived category for the matchups.  Also, Ipsy again sent 4 items to Birchbox's 5, so I'm throwing the Ipsy bag into one of the categories.  Because I can.  Ok, ready?  Let's go!

1) Hair, I Don't Care:

From Ipsy:

HealthySexyHair Soy Renewal

Yay!  I was so happy to get this, because the alternative was a volumizing hair powder, which is currently beyond my amateur hair abilities.  This is a styling serum that is supposed to leave hair soft, supple, and manageable!  I'm super-excited to try it, since I'm constantly battling the frizzies.  And at .85 fl oz, I'll definitely be able to try the Soy Renewal a few times to see if I like it.  Yay Ipsy!

From Birchbox:

Malin + Goetz Cilantro Hair Conditioner

Hmmm... Cilantro?  Great in salsa, amazing in pico de gallo... but hair conditioner?  Apparently, it is excellent at making hair shiny and soft!  Who knew?  It's a great idea, but I always have issues with a sample service that sends conditioner without the matching shampoo.  I guess I'll have to dig out my shampoo samples without the matching conditioner and give it a go.  *Sigh*.  And for this reason... Ipsy wins Round 1!

2) I've Got My Eye On You:

From Ipsy:

Two Cosmetics Eye Duo in Heartache

I am LOVIN' this little eye duo!  I did want the alternative item (Mica Beauty Powder in Earth), but then I realized I have several eye shadows in approximately that color!  So hooray for pink shadow, because I certainly had none of that!  I did a look with it the other day, and my hubby saw me and little hearts popped out and started circling his head, just like in a cartoon!  Also, full points for sending a full-sized item.  This will last forever!

From Birchbox:

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Morning Eye Rescue

Ok, in my defense, it was about 85 degrees outside when I was taking pictures (don't be jealous, it was a random warm snap.  It's now back to highs of 65).  And my poor phone was actually overheating by the time I finished my box photos.  So sorry for the awful pic quality here.  It's a work in progress.  Aaaand onto the eye cream.  I'm a simple skincare routine girl... Argan oil at night, simple moisturizer in the morning.  So I'll have to step out of my comfort zone to add an eye cream.  I mean, I'm sure it's about darn time because I read all the time that you should start anti-aging stuff in your twenties, and I totally missed that boat.  So we'll see what this can do for my under-eye circles (I blame the kids).  Winner?  Again, Ipsy.  I loves me some makeup!

3) Color Me Gorgeous!

From Ipsy:

Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks

Hey there, Sweet Cheeks!  I'm very happy I got this product, instead of the alternative, a hot pink matte shade called "Beach, Please!" (which does crack me up every time I say it)  Sweet Cheeks is perfect for spring.  A floral dress, some pretty sandals, and a pink, shimmery cheek!  Love it.  I've reached for it a few times already, and while I do love it, it's just a bit... glittery.  I want to pull it off, I just think it may be too "Teen Vogue" for me.

From Birchbox:

Mirenesse Glossy Pencil in Quick Kiss

What color is that?  Is it... ORANGE lipstick?  It totally is.  And guess what?  I can rock it!

Check me out!

Now, you can bet I did neutral EVERYTHING with this lip.  Neutral outfit, makeup, shoes, the whole shebang, just so I could give this pop of color the attention it deserved!  There was a lot of complaining from the people who got this color on Birchbox's Facebook page.  Comments ranged from "how could you send out clown makeup?" to "The person who decided this should be in a box should be fired!"  I was a bit apprehensive about trying it, but the ladies of MakeupTalk had some great tips, and I really love how it turned out.  And because I have to give props to the sub that sent me an item that sends me outside of my comfort zone, instead of back to high school, Birchbox wins this round!

4) Handy Dandy

From Ipsy:

Sation Nail Lacquer in Love at First Byte

Oh happy day!  I have needed a great base color for french manicures!  This is such a pretty, peachy, sheer color!  It's great for the "No, I'm not wearing nail polish, my nails are naturally shiny with perfect white tips!" look.  Sweet!  I love it when a sub service sends me something I wanted anyway!

From Birchbox:

Herban Essentials Travel Towelettes

I honestly have no idea what made them think I need something to wipe off my yoga mat.  Wipe the dust off, maybe.  I don't think I've touched that thing since I started having kids!  I'm sure there will someday be a restaurant table that could use a good disinfecting, but what are the chances I'll actually have the wipes on me at the time?  Maybe I'll just throw them in the diaper bag and hope for a moment in time that these will be used.  Yeah.  Ipsy Win!

5) Extra! Read All About It!

And now we've come to this month's extra items.  In case you're keeping track of the beatdown so far, Ipsy's already won.  Are you ready to read the last nail in the coffin?  Check it out:

From Ipsy:

Makeup bag!  Adorable!!!
From Birchbox:

Hail Merry Macaroons
A little snack versus a super-cute makeup bag?  Ipsy FTW!  Oh, and by the way, if you chewed the macaroons for more than 2.5 seconds, all the chocolate melted away and I was left chewing coconut.  EW.

Horray for Ipsy!  Now that I've received several of their cosmetic bags, my makeup collection is so much more organized!  I have each category of makeup (eyeshadow, blushes, lipsticks, face makeup, and eyeliners) in different bags, all tucked into one big bag.  I love it. And I love Ipsy.  Congrats!  April was totally your month!  Now, this is not to say that I didn't like my Birchbox.  In fact, the Mirenesse ended up being full size, worth $26.55!  Yay!  So let's just say that both Ipsy and Birchbox were totally worth it this month... Ipsy just wowed me a little bit more.

Thanks for reading!  What was your favorite beauty purchase this month?


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