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 December 2017 (Check out the full Birchbox review)
Number of items: 6
Full-size items: 2
Deluxe size items: 1
Brands featured: LOC, NuFace, Aveda, Birchbox, Whish, Marcelle
Categories featured: Skincare (1) Makeup (3) Haircare (1) Tools (1)
Total Value: $58.49
Favorite item in the box: Whish Botanical Primer
This is the primer my dry skin needs right now! It’s moisturizing, gentle on my super-sensitive winter weather skin, and provided a great base for makeup. I'm probably going to buy the full-size version soon.
Ipsy December 2017 (Check out the full Ipsy review)
Number of items: 5
Full-size items: 2
Deluxe size items: 0
Brands featured: Lottie, Seraphine Cosmetics, MAC, Smashbox, Barefoot Venus
Categories featured: Makeup (2) Skincare (2) Nail Polish (1)
Total Value: $47.77
Favorite item in the box: Seraphine Botanicals Orange + Cream Lip Polish
Ingredient-conscious, full-size, and tastes like a creamsicle. That should cover it!
Play! by Sephora December 2017 (Check out the full Play! by Sephora review)
Number of items: 6
Full-size items: 0
Deluxe size items: 0
Brands featured: Too Faced, Make Up For Ever, IT Cosmetics, Smashbox, Bumble and Bumble, Dior
Categories featured: Makeup (3) Skincare (1) Haircare (1) Fragrance (1)
Total Value: $38.13
Favorite item in the box: There a lot of products I like in this box, but the IT COSMETICS Confidence in a Cream is new to me, and I'm a fan now that I've sampled it!
It really is a luxe cream! It almost feels like a gel/cream hybrid, and it moisturized my skin and left me with just a subtle glow. It’s designed to smooth texture, intensely hydrate, and enhance the firmness of skin over time.
Verdict: Even though it has the lowest value this month, Play by Sephora is the winner for me. I loved everything in the box, and it was a great mix of products/brands I already know and love, and some great new discoveries.
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 December? And what was your favorite product?
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