February 2015 Double Birchbox Unboxings

For those that need the breakdown, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription that sends you 5 samples tailored to your beauty profile.  However, it is their point system that makes them No. 1 in this industry IMO!  For every item you receive in your box that you provide feedback on, you get 10 points. When you get 100 points, that is $10 in cold hard cash that you get to spend in the Birchbox shop.  They have so many great brands and exclusive to Birchbox brands.

For now I have taken a break on getting two Birchbox boxes a month.  I am super excited to share with ya'll which NEW monthly sub I have replaced it with.  So stay tuned as that box should be arriving this week for me!  Okay on to the unboxings!

They love to feed your ego, too!

I did my experiment for a few months with two boxes to see how different my boxes would be.  For the most part I only had one month were both boxes were exceptional.  I will be doing a blog post soon on my ideas on how to get the most out of your Birchbox subscription, too.

Here is the first box.

• Benefit SugarBomb Lip Gloss-when I search for a lip gloss I need one that is not sticky.  This meets my expectations.  This is a pinky nude color with a nice shimmer to it.  Benefit never lets me down.
• Eyeko Skinny Liner-This is the star of this box. This eye liner is exceptional. It is smooth and precise. It allows me to get a great cat eye or get super close to my lash line.  Oh how I wish this came in more colors than black!
• Obliphica Treatment Hair Serum-I don't like the packaging of this product as I have to pour it into my hand which makes for wasted product.  But the serum itself smooths my hair and doesn't leave it greasy.  Smells great too.  Perfect for smoothing strands after putting hair into a fishtail braid!
• Gilchrist and Soames London Collection Shower Gel-I haven't used this product yet but am a sucker for British items. I also like to use these sizes for when I travel, HA, which isn't that often.  Based on other consumer reviews, this product is not overly flowery but not overly moisturizing, either.
• BeeKind Conditioner-I also don't fancy this packaging.  It's cardboard, enough said.  This brand has a purpose though and I love hearing about things like that.  Proceeds benefit honeybee and sustainable pollination research.  This product is organic and of course, made with honey.  There is a waitlist for this conditioner! I can't wait to try it :) 

This box I have marked as adventurous and trendy, this is my subscription that I have had since day one (over a year) and this is the profile I will be keeping.  

Second box......

Blushing.......

Great box!!

• Marcelle Gentle Eye Makeup Remover-The STAR of this box. This is exclusive to Birchbox and wow, it really exceeded my expectations.  I put some on a cotton round, held it on my eye lid for few seconds and wiped....all my eye makeup came off in one single sweep. It didn't even phase my contacts, either.  This product also has cucumber extract which helps reduce puffiness and under eye circles. BAM!
• Davines Minu Shampoo-I have received this brand before in a curly shampoo one, which I gave to my sister in law, so I was excited to see one that I can actually use! It smells great but I won't repurchase since it has sulfates in it, I can't say that it improved my highlights, either.
• Davines Hair Serum-So the full size product of this comes in a spray bottle, which I would have much preferred to a small paper container.  This was a nice serum and wasn't greasy feeling, either. A little goes a long way and if you have very fine hair, only apply to your ends. Putting serums on your roots will only weigh you down :)
• Harvey Prince Hello perfume-I must have been in a bad mood the last time I tried this because I did not care for it at all. I tried it again in this box and I liked it!  Perfect scent for Spring, which I am SO ready for. It is light and sweet and simple.  Yes, simple is the best word for it.
• Benefit Posiebalm-Another great lip gloss but it is a bit too pink for my liking.  It has mango butter in it which I wish I could eat but I don't think I should.
• And I received the same body wash as in the first box, so I won't retype all that stuff :) 

This box profile is the more natural, crunchy box profile and I think it reflects that well.  Overall, I think both boxes were even in the amount of products I love and liked,

For $10 a month, you can't beat the value and you get to try things you might not normally get the chance to!  Click HERE to sign up today! 

For those of you that have it, what did you think of this month's box??

Let me know in the comments below and if you have tried any of my items, what do you think??

Have a great day!! xo 

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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Ipsy-0

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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Ipsy-2

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!