Birchbox Vs Ipsy Vs Play by Sephora – July 2017

The Birchbox vs Ipsy vs Sephora post series compares my Birchbox and Ipsy subscription every month to give you a good idea what you can expect from the three most popular beauty subscription boxes. (And since all 3 boxes are $10 a month, it seems fair to stack them up against each other).

If you are interested in finding other great beauty boxes, check out our Top 31 Beauty Subscription Boxes for 2017!

FYI – I pay for these subscriptions, and as a regular customer, I get one of many variations available each month. So while one month alone might not be enough info to make a decision, looking at the results over several months should give you a good picture of what to expect with each box.

Birchbox July 2017 (Check out the full Birchbox review)

Number of items: 5

Full-size items: 1

Deluxe size items: 0

Brands featured: Kiehl's, Oribe, MAC, Juliette Has A Gun, Beautaniq Beauty

Categories featured: Skincare (1) Makeup (2) Haircare (1) Perfume (1)

Total Value: $36

Favorite item in the box: Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser

This creamy, clay formula might be the perfect cleanser. It’s fragrance-free and gentle on my skin and didn’t dry my skin out either. Plus, I love that it is a foaming cleanser with a little grittiness from the clay to help with exfoliation. It does all the things!

Ipsy July 2017 (Check out the full Ipsy review)

Number of items: 6

Full-size items: 3

Deluxe size items: 1

Brands featured: TONLYMOLY, Chella, Tarte, Avene, OFRA

Categories featured: Makeup (3) Skincare (3)

Total Value: $49

Favorite item in the box: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer 

Tarte is one of my all-time favorite makeup brands. They are ingredient conscious, and their formulas work SO well! And this bronzer is incredible. I usually opt for a matte bronzer so I can avoid an overly shimmery look, but this bronzer has just the right touch of subtle shimmer to give you a beautiful, natural glow.

Play! by Sephora July 2017 (Check out the full Play! by Sephora review)

Number of items: 6

Full-size items: 0

Deluxe size items: 2

Brands featured: MILK, Boscia, Bare Minerals, IT Cosmetics, Briogeo, Atelier

Categories featured: Makeup (2) Skincare (2) Haircare (1) Fragrance (1)

Total Value: $40

Favorite item in the box: boscia Charcoal Pore Pudding Intensive Wash-off Treatment

This mask was fun to use, but more importantly, it actually worked! My pores immediately appeared smaller and cleaner after removing it!

Verdict: Each box did such a good job this month! Great brands and products across the board! It's a tough call to make, but I'm going with Sephora since it's their best box ever for me. Each item was a home run, and I loved the sample sizes!

Of course, my favorite box varies every month, so here are my general suggestions for which box to pick:

Birchbox: Birchbox allows you to pick one of your samples or the curated box for each month, so if you want to have a little more control over your box, this is a good choice. They also have a ton of great high-end brands. If you are concerned about the value of your boxes, I recommend going for the curated box each month - the values with those boxes seem to be consistently good.

Ipsy: This will likely be the highest value out of all 3 boxes every month. It's also the best of the 3 if you are looking for full-size items. The one thing to keep in mind is that Ipsy samples both high-end, mid-tier, and drugstore brands, so you're going to get a mix of price point brands.

Sephora: I recommend this box for the brands - if Sephora carries the brand, it may appear in the box, which means they have a ton of inventory to pick from, and you're going to get great brands across the board. Sample sizes may be small for some products, but you get 5 beauty samples PLUS a fragrance sample.

What was your favorite box for July? And what was your favorite product?