Beauty Box Showdown

Delivery isn’t just for pizza any more. The other night I made a meal made entirely of fresh ingredients that came shipped in a box to my house. But as I’ve talked about before, it doesn’t stop at food here in the 21st century.

Now we can have beauty products delivered to us. And if you think it’s a waste of $10, I think you’re wrong. I haven’t purchased blush, dry shampoo and a number of other products in…well quite some time because they’re often getting delivered to my house. And I would have spent that $10 on just one of those products.

I’m bringing this subject up again because I recently made the switch from Birchbox to Ipsy. The funny thing is I had one more Birchbox left so my last Birchbox and first Ipsy bag both came at the same time.

This allowed me to do a direct comparison of both subscriptions…

 Birchbox:

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You know how your hair always looks fantastic two days before your hair appointment? (How does it know to do that?) That’s the thing that popped into my head when I opened my last Birchbox.

I decided to stop after almost 2 years of getting boxes from them. They were sending me too many little packets of things – the kind of samples they hand out for free at the beauty counter. And sometimes they’d throw in food that would just create more clutter.

Well, Birchbox, I’ll have to give you this one – you really stepped up your game. I got a full size lipstick, a nice size eye shadow pallet and a travel size shampoo and conditioner. Where were these “deluxe size samples” for the past six months?!

Another thing they’ve started doing which is nice, is they’ve started giving you a little more power of choice as to what kind of box you’ll get. If you’re a constant email checker, then this would work out perfectly for you because you have to jump on it quickly before they sell out of an option.
One more pro about Birchbox (I might have myself talked back into using them), they include a card that lists each sample and how much the full size product is worth. So for this box the full-size contents would be worth over $250.

Again, my biggest complaint is that they sent me too many little packets of samples. I’ve got a drawer needing to be cleaned out because of it, so thanks for all the memories Birchbox but let’s just be friends.

Ipsy:

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The first noticeable difference with this subscription is that everything comes in a bag. I think I’m going to welcome this change. For one, I’ve got plenty of little boxes to last me a lifetime (they really come in handy wrapping presents or organizing drawers), but it will be nice to make the switch to bags. Every month all of your beauty samples come in a bag you can keep.
That to me makes the $10 a little more worth it.

And speaking of things that make it worth it…check out that blush! That’s a full size product right there, friends! The blush is worth $15 if you were to buy it out right, so that makes up for your cost automatically.

From what I’m told, receiving a full-size product isn’t an uncommon occurrence with Ipsey, which is reason number 1-10 I decided to make the switch.

If you’re hesitant to shell out the $10 a month, think of it as a really well informed girlfriend sending you the latest and greatest beauty products that are worth way more than what you’re paying.
Ipsy does have a long waiting list so just know that even if you decide you want to do it you’re not going to be signed up right away. They won’t charge your card until you get off the list. For me it was about 3 months.

Think about it! It’s fun to get a box or a bag of calorie-free goodies delivered to you every month!

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For All You Polish Lovers

julep maven

Last week I became acutely aware of how much I love having painted nails. I took the week off from color, and  it made me realize why I love wearing nail polish.

First of all, I love that it distinguishes my hand. Not only is it another chance to show off my personality and likes, but it also gives my fingers a bit of feminine edge. A well polished hand is just another detail that helps make you feel beautiful. And you don’t have to have long pointy nails to feel that way either. I like to keep mine short and square, so do what makes you feel most comfortably you!

That being said, I wanted to let you all know about the Julep box I received in the mail. Back when I did the segment on subscription boxes, I had contacted them about sending me a box. Unfortunately it didn’t arrive in time to be on the show, but I did want to write about it so you’d know the great things they have to offer…

julep maven

In their box every month comes $40 worth of product whether it be a beauty product or a nail polish. The upside to that is you’ve only paid $25 for it (or $20 if you pay in 3 month chunks). What I got in my box was two full size nail polishes and a full size eye liner. Not bad. (You can upgrade to Maven Luxe for $60 worth of products for a little bit higher monthly fee).

Plus, their nail polish has oxygen technology that helps your nails still get air, as well as green coffee extract that delivers antioxidants. Not bad at all.

One of my favorite things about their box is that during a specified window of time each month, you can get online and see what it is you’re getting and change something if you don’t like it. No other box offers this kind of customization and I think that’s worth noting.

If you’re not an adventurer when it comes to picking colors but you still want to build up your collection – this box is for you.  Here’s a link to get started!

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Beauty Box Subscriptions

If you’ve been looking to dip your toe in the waters of the beauty product pool, you’re in luck. In fact, if you want to dip all ten of your toes, each in a different pool of water but all having to do with beauty products you can do that as well.

That’s because there is a fast growing phenomenon called “beauty box subscriptions.” And there are tons of them.

The process is similar…you fill out a beauty profile, pay a monthly fee and every month you get a box of goodies sent to your front door. If you’re like me and really enjoy getting gifts in the mail, this is perfect because it’s like you’re getting a gift in the mail every month. But instead of it being from a secret admirer or your Aunt in Jersey, it’s from you to you. You paid for it (unless someone literally did buy it for you as a gift, in which case – aren’t you so special).

There are lots and lots of options out there, so I did some research and pulled together a short list of the most popular. I did limit myself to beauty boxes only. There are ALL KINDS of subscription boxes these days, but right now I only have time to give you the scoop on beauty product options. So here it goes…

beauty boxes

Glossy Box

Ringing in at $21 per month, this gorgeous gal comes with 5 luxury beauty products.

Downfall: No big negatives. You do accrue points from your reviews that you can put towards a free box, not products. But a whole box for free isn’t bad.

Perk: They use a lot of high end brands. In the box I received, it had a Butter nail polish in it which I know is worth $16 alone. So the deluxe size products you get are well worth the $21.

 

Birchbox

Birchbox is the Mark Zuckerberg of subscription boxes – they started the whole sha-bang. For $10 a month you get a variety of samples, some deluxe size and occasionally a full size. You can customize your box to a point (i.e.: you can tell them not to send you perfume samples anymore), but for the most part they go off of your beauty profile.

Downfall: I’ve been getting this beauty box for almost 2 years now. My biggest complaint is the number of packets I get.  You know those sample packets that you have no idea what to do with once you’ve opened it up and used a little bit, but you don’t want to throw it away because there’s more in there? Yeah. I don’t like that.

Perk: Their greatest asset is their points system. Every time you review a box, refer a friend, or purchase something from their online store you get points. Those points add up to dollars which can be applied to more product!

 

Julep Maven

Fellow nail color junkies? This one’s for you. For $25 a month (or $20 if you pay for a 3 month chunk) you get $40 worth of limited run nail colors and/or “innovative beauty products.”

Downfall: The only bad thing I’ve heard about them is their customer service isn’t the best. But that could just be one isolated experience.

Perk: You have a four day window every month to see what’s coming in your box and change it if you want. I think this is a HUGE perk because it ensures you always end up with something you like.

 

Ipsy

This little bad boy was created by YouTube sensation Michelle Phan. For $10 per month you get a bag with deluxe samples and lots of times a full size product.

Downfall: Currently they’re on a waiting list (so it must be pretty good). And while they do have a points system, it looks as if you can only put them towards an extra product in your box.

Perk: You get a bag every month. A little bag that can be used for SOOOOO many things (including gifts)!

 

Like I said, there are soo many boxes out there to choose from. All you really need to decide on is how much are you willing to pay, and how much can your Postman handle? For lots more info on these boxes and more, go to www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com.

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