Birchbox VS Ipsy September 2014 Throwdown and Unboxing

Time for another great match!!  Birchbox VS Ipsy, September 2014.  I also got a brand new phone so you may notice a difference in my pictures.  I am still working out the HD quality but I think they turned out really good.  

For those that are new to monthly beauty subscriptions boxes, here are the details.

Birchbox is $10 a month and works on a wonderful points system.  You review each item each month and get 10 points for each review.  100 points is equal to $10 in their online store, which in my opinion is similar to Ulta and has all the great brands we love.  Their point system is amazing and I don't remember the last time I paid full price for anything.  Join me HERE.

Ipsy is also $10 a month and they have a point system as well but it goes towards adding additional items to your box a month.  It takes forever to accumulate the 1000 points needed to do so, though. Join me HERE.

Okay let's get to the reviewing of the goodies!!

First let's look at both boxes.  For Birchbox, this month is their anniversary so the boxes are extra special.

And now here is what Ipy looks like this month.

First in the ring is from Birchbox and what I am most excited about.  For the past few months, they have been letting us choose one of the five samples that come in our box and this was the first month I actually didn't miss the deadline.  I chose Macademia Healing Oil Spray.

I have been a fan of this brand for a while now so was excited to try this.  This makes my hair shiny and protects it from the heat and styling products.  My hair is so smooth and this is a wonderful product.

For Ipsy, I did not get a hair care product this month so its a little hard to do an exact comparison.

I received luxury hand cream by Mitchell and Peach.

I have received this product before in another box and I really like it.  It's made in England, which I LOVE, and smells of honey and shea butter. It goes on light but really absorbs nicely.

The point goes to Birchbox!

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Next up from Birchbox, I received Harvey Prince exfoliating body gel or liquid loofah as they advertise it.

I haven't tried this yet but I am not a fan of bath products in my boxes.  I do however like exfoliating products.  It smells great, too.  Mango, grapefruit and sandalwood.

Ipsy sent me an eye shadow/crease brush by Crown.

Let me tell you, this brush is AMAZING!!! I LOVE it!!  It is dual ended and has great bristles.  There was no fall out from the eye shadow I used and I was finally able to define the crease with shadow, unlike the brush I currently use.  I used the Coastal Scents palette and created this eye look with it.

This one was no contest.  Ipsy!!

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Next up, Birchbox gave me Real Chemistry Facial Peel.

I've never done a facial peel before but was excited to be able to try it at home.  I really liked it and my skin was left feeling super soft like a baby's bum :) 

Ipsy gave me Nourish Organic Facial Cleanser.

Free of anything toxic and made with cucumber and watercress.  I haven't tried it yet but actually most of the reviews I read weren't great.  They say this cleanser leaves the skin feeling very dry and tight as a bar of soap would.  I, of course, will make my own opinion but hope it isn't as bad as it sounds.

This one goes to Birchbox because I love exfoliating products.

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Next up, Birchbox gave me Temptu Champagne Highlighter.

This is a wonderful highlighter and I really really like it.  Its a bit runny which made me nervous but goes on so nice and gives a dewy glow without the shimmer.  It lasts all day too!!

Ipsy gave me Cailyn Tinted Lip Gloss in Love Affair.

I get mixed results with this and it comes out like a stain so can get messy.  The color goes on light at first and can be built up to a darker intensity.  When its darker it is the perfect fall color, kind of like a maroon.  Mmmmm, Adam Levine lol 

But this one goes to Birchbox again!!  

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Next, Birchbox gave me Acure Organics Day Cream.

Last month Birchbox gave me an Acure product and I loved it! I haven't tried this one yet and the reviews are mixed.  It has a citrus scent and is thick but goes into the skin to provide a light feel.  I have oily skin and those with oily skin have said this does not add to the oil factor so that's a plus.

And Ipsy gave me Pacifica Eye Liner in Gun Metal.

Ha, it's pretty much the same color as the bag they sent me!  I love it, I mean, I couldn't deal with another black eyeliner if you paid me so was excited to get it in this pewter metallic like color, perfect for this fall.  It went on smooth, no tugging and the color lasted all day.  It's waterproof too but not like that means anything in the fall and winter :)

This one goes to Ipsy.

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The last items to show are just the little extra's that came this month.  Sometimes Birchbox includes a special "find", which is an item that is new on the market and that they want to share with us.

This month it is Chapstick's Dual Ended Hydration Lock Moisture and Renew.

They have two different types out right now and this one has dual ends for both moisture and replenishing.  So one is light for day time and one is full of shea butters for night time, IMO.  Side note: I was provided with two more of these and one is the other option, both for review on the blog. So stayed tuned for that review and your chance to get one for free from me!!

And of course, Ipsy's extra item was my glam bag.  This months was designed by Michelle Phan.

Totally suits this months theme which is Street Style and I already gave my bag to my mama.  She's going to Vegas this month and this is perfect for her bring along's.  The picture shows it did come a little bit wrinkled, but this should smooth out after a bit.

And there ya have it.

For September 2014, Birchbox won for the 3rd month in a row!! Ipsy was a little closer this month, though.  Check out my previous throwdowns by scrolling on the left of the blog.

Want to join in the fun and see what you can get each month based on your personalized beauty profile?  Join me with Birchbox HERE and Ipsy HERE.

What was your favorite item this month? Did we get the same items?

Let me know in the comments below!!  And don't forget to enter the giveaway I am currently having, along with Chloe+Isabel!! HERE are the details!

Have a great day!!

BirchBox VS Ipsy Throwdown-August 2014

It's that time again!!  Time to have Birchbox and Ipsy face off!!  See who won last month, HERE.  Since my post last month, I have gotten several more of my friends to sign up to Birchbox so let's see what this month does!!

Actually, I have to give Birchbox big points right off the bat, because my box came before the shipping email even did! I never look at my shipping label and I regret it this month because I guess they did something special and gave everyone a really neat title, like Marvelous or Vivacious! I wonder what mine was.....Probably not Babbling, which is what I was called in high school ;)

Okay, moving on, here is a first look at both of them.

Here is Birchbox and this month's theme is Lighten Up. Here's to keeping cool and laughing our way into fall! Ummm, for me, it will be crying as I LOVE SUMMER!! :)

And here is Ipsy, and their theme is Beauty Schooled.

Now when I do my breakdowns, I like to try to compare the items that are the most similar to each other from each bag and this month it is going to be hard to do that.  But let's try :)

First up from Birchbox is Marcelle BB Cream in Golden Glow.

I chose to review this first as I had considered purchasing this before I bought my Becca Foundation.  Read that review HERE.  But in my experience, BB cream's don't really have much coverage, so I did not.  I am happily surprised with this BB cream!  It offers coverage and isn't just a tinted moisturizer!  In fact, the description says it is a universal shade.  Plus it gave my skin a nice healthy glow, not an orangey tan glow.  If you use the code MARCELLE at checkout at Birchbox, you will get a free lux gloss :)

Here is my face with only the BB cream :) and yes, I am still sick :(

I really like it a lot!!

Ipsy gave me Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Pore Refiner.

I actually had this product in a sample (and for the life of me cannot remember where my sample came from) already. The closest thing I can compare this primer to is POREFESSIONAL.  And I do that with caution.  It is the same color (nude tone) but goes on a little bit thinner and oilier for me.  I had no idea that the full size product of this was $45 either.  That being said, it does make my pores seem much smaller and some of them completely disappear so I will be using this up for sure.

I have to give the point to Birchbox.

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Next up, from Birchbox is, LAQA and Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in Menatour.

I am IN LOVE with this color!! My only other experience with LAQA and CO was with another lip lube I was given in a light pink color that makes me look sick so I have never used it after I swatched it.  Boy, did this change my mind!

It goes on a little pinker but is gorgeous and long lasting.  Also, if you turn the end of it like a dial, it gives more product so you actually have more then it looks like you have :)

Ipsy gave me Jersey Shore Sun Lip Conditioner in Mongongo.

This is an all natural, oil based, anti aging lip conditioner.  But after seeing how excited I am over my purple lip color, who do you think won this one??  I did read the reviews on it and it does not go on waxy and that is a huge plus.  Look for this in one of my giveaways!

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Next up, Birchbox gave me a sample of Atelier Orange Sanguine Cologne.

Although I was unable to review it online and get my Birchbox points, I did email them so I know it will be resolved soon.  This smells really nice.  It is orange (thank you Captain Obvious) and earthy smelling, due to the Sandalwood.  I am not a huge fan of fruity smelling perfumes but I liked the way this one smelled on me more than in the bottle.

Ipsy gave me Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk.

Okay here is the funny part.  I have been a HUGE fan of this since Birchbox sent it to me as a sample and it is now the only dry shampoo I use.  And I always buy it from Birchbox!!  But now that Ipsy sent it to me and I can get a discount, that is where my next purchase will be made!  If you use dry shampoo, you HAVE to try this one.  It changed the way I looked at dry shampoo.  It not only gets the oil out of my second day hair but it refreshes and brightens up my hair.  It has a great fresh smell, too.  Some dry shampoos actually make my hair feel dirtier after using them but this one is a game changer.

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Birchbox gave me Acure Brightening Facial Scrub with Sea Kelp.

And mama likey!!  I like the way it exfoliates my skin and I like the herbal smell.  I do wish it was a larger sample as I don't think I am going to get that many uses out of it.  Because of that, I don't know that I will be able to notice if it brightens my skin.

Ipsy gave me J. Cat Beauty Eye Shadow in Half Naked.

Hmmmm, so this is a peachy color.  It appears to maybe have some shimmer but I wear bold colors so at most, I would use this as a highlighting shade.  This will also be going in my next giveaway.

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Last up from Birchbox is Supergoop Forever Young hand cream.

I love Supergoop but I have been getting an abundance of mini mini samples from them.  This was a rich moisturizer but I would have only gotten one use if I had used it on my hands, so I used it on my cuticles.

Ipsy gave me Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara.

Funny enough, I won this before it's release and included it in my first giveaway so I never even got to try it!So I am excited that I got it again.  I love a good dark black mascara as much as I love my colored ones, so I hope this lives up to the hype :)

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TA DA!!  Birchbox won AGAIN!!  Thanks so much for another great month of beauty products!

The other thing I wanted to mention is each month, Ipsy gives you a reusable makeup bag.  This is the one I got this month.

This one is super cute and vinyl and I love me some polka dots!  :)

Birchbox usually doesn't send anything extra but this month they included a really pretty postcard with the perfume.  I know who I am mailing it out to already :)

I hope ya'l' enjoyed this month's battle of the boxes between these two!

What was your favorite item in either your Birchbox or Ipsy this month?

Let me know in the comments below!  Plus, click on any of the highlighted links for either box to sign up today to get your box ASAP! :)

Have a great day!