Birchbox v. Ipsy: April 2015

It's that time of month again: subscription box extravaganza! Two boxes once again enter the ring for a battle royale, only one box can step out a winner. Birchbox in one corner, ipsy in the other... who will win?

Birchbox: This month's Birchbox was a truly beautiful box, the pattern was so exquisite. Designed by Rifle Paper Co., it is a floral print box that I will be keeping for a long time!

However, that was pretty much the most exciting thing about this entire box. I was incredibly disappointed to receive a sample of the Whish Shave Cream...again. I've only received a few samples from Birchbox that I truly loathed, and Whish products are at the top of that list. I've gotten a sample of their Pink Grapefruit lotion and the Pomegranate shave cream, and both of them are just not for me. The lotion didn't work, and when it came to the shave cream I might as well have just shaved with only water. The worst part for me in both cases, however, was the smell. I don't know why, but there is some ingredient in their products that really bothers me. I can't quite put my finger on it, and based on other customer reviews I seem to be in the minority on this, but the smell permeates my nostrils and it's so awful. When I saw another tube of shave cream (in Blueberry of all scents!) in this month's box, I was actually quite angry. The shave cream is one of two products I've ever rated as one star on the Birchbox site, so why oh why did I get it again?! It ruined the whole box.

I also just colored my hair, and I can't find on the shampoo and conditioner samples from Beaver Professional if they are color safe, so I'm afraid to use them yet.

The Jouer Tint looked interesting, and I liked the color, but man, that sample is small! I haven't tried it yet.

The Wei Manuka Bee Venom Mask honestly terrifies me. Anything that has "venom" in the title is probably not ideal for my sensitive, acne prone skin. I'll stick with my regular skincare routine and skip this little pod of anti-wrinkle mask, thank you.

Ipsy: I could not wait to get this month's bag! I try really hard to avoid seeing spoilers on social media, but I caught a peek of the bag design on Instagram and my jaw dropped at the sight of it, I fell in love with their boho-chic theme. The rafia-ribbon combo is perfect for my style, I love it so much!

Ipsy was one delight after another as I unpacked the bag. I love receiving makeup brushes because I am always too frugal to buy my own, and the Crown Brush Oval Concealer Brush is the perfect size to apply my It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness cream that I just bought. I think it might be good for eyeshadow as well.

The idea of a matte finish top coat is really cool, it practically doubles my nail polish collection since now all my glossy ones can now have a matte finish! I'm really excited to give the JulieG Matte Finish Top Coat a whirl, I hope it works.

I've been on the fence about buying theBalm Cosmetics NUDE eyeshadow palettes. I've never tried their eyeshadow before, but the colors are so rich, and the packaging is so clever and cute that I'm very tempted. I was thrilled to see a sample of the shade Flirty in my bag so now I can try it and get off the fence! This shade looks like it'd be a great crease color.

I've never heard of Mullein & Sparrow, but I love trying new brands and I enjoy multitasking products. The color of the lip and cheek tint seems like it'd be better for the lips than the cheeks, but I'm open to trying it on both! I also like that it's a vegan product.

Another accidental sneak peek I saw from ipsy was that some people received a sample of the Too Faced Melted Lipstick, which I really wanted and didn't get, but it's okay because I got something worth its weight in gold... Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Red Door Red. 

I was shocked to receive such a high-end, full-sized product in my ipsy bag. Elizabeth Arden has always been one of those really classy brands to me, where I feel out of place even in the outlet store. I mean, they even stamp the logo into the lipstick! Now that is fancy. I love the color, too, it's such a classic red. I almost don't want to ruin it by actually trying it on, it's too nice to use! But I will...

And the winner for April is... IPSY! There was no contest, ipsy knocked Birchbox out within the first round.

So far the score is 2-1 with Birchbox still in the lead, I can't wait for May!

What did you receive in your subscription boxes in April?

If you'd like to subscribe to either box, feel free to use my referral links below:
Birchbox
Ipsy