Sunday, August 17, 2014

Beauty Subscription Smackdown Month 3- August 2014 Ipsy vs. Beauty Box 5

Heeeellllooooo, it is the final month of this little battle, and I am super excited about both this month. So let the final round of the smackdown begin...


For those of you who don't know, I am taking three months to compare my Ipsy bag and my Beauty Box 5 and determine which one is better. This is my third month, here is where you can find the first and second ones.

Before we start I want to remind you of a few things:
1-Price. Ipsy is $10/month or $110/year. Beauty Box 5 is $12/month or $99/year. So though Ipsy is less expensive month to month, Beauty Box 5 is less expensive for a year.
2-Samples. Ipsy sends out 4-5 product samples a month ranging from deluxe to full size products, Beauty Box 5 guarantees 5 samples a month ranging from packets to full size.
3-Products. Though both boxes are beauty related, most often Beauty Box 5 seems more body and skin care where ipsy is more makeup. But both boxes tend to have a mix.

So I'm going to shake it up and start with BB5.



This months Beauty Box 5 theme is Radiant and Remarkable.
Item 1- Nanacoco Lip Gloss (Mysterious)- These were sent out in various colors. The color I got was a very bright pink. This is super pigmented and not too sticky, so I'm in love with this. Retail Value- $3.99

Item 2- Style Essentials Nail Polish (4?)- I couldn't really find a color name, but it's like an iridescent blue-green color. It's actually really cute, but I think it's more of a fall color since it's pretty dark. Retail Value- $7


Item 3- Pur~Lisse Pur Protect Essential Daily Moisturizer- Hmmm...we seem to have another product that I also received in an ipsy bag. I got this one last month and I LOVE it. It doesn't break my skin out, so I'm not too disappointed to have another one. Retail Value- $16.17


Item 4- LA Fresh Travel Lite Oil Free Makeup- I got LA fresh Oil Free Cleanser wipes in my October 2013 ipsy bag. I HATED them, they smelled odd and didn't feel that great on the skin. I'm hoping these will surprise me since it's a sensitive formula. This is a little 8 count one, so I will get to form a solid opinion. These were also featured in the May 2014 Ipsy bag, however I did not receive them. Retail Value- $2.49


Item 5-Novex Brazillan Keratin Hair Food- Again with hair masks? I think this will go with the one from last month. I will try it in the winter months and see how I feel about it then. Retail Value- $0.63

My total for this months box is $30.28 I'm surprisingly excited for this box, though I am not excited about the brand of wipes. I was about to go out and buy some, so at least I wont have to buy as many. The lipglosss is super bright, but I really like it on my lips. As for the nail polish and hair mask I may not have picked those up for myself but they will get some love pretty soon.

Now on to Ipsy! This month's theme was "Beauty Schooled" The bag this month is one of my favorites. I actually love orange and polka dots are awesome so this was a really nice bag to get. But the products I'm less excited about...

Item 1-Nicka K New York Absolute Lip Balm (Grape)- This is probably the best thing in my ipsy bag this month. The pot it comes in is HUGE, and it smells super yummy. Because it has glitter in it, I was expecting to see some on my lips and be uncomfortable to wear, but I have not experienced that at all so I'm quite pleased. It just feels really moisturizing and amazing on the lips. Retail Value: $3


Item 2- Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer- I was actually kind of bummed to see this in my bag, though I enjoyed the microdermabrasion a lot, and the mattifying lotion was awesome. I was not a fan of this product. So seeing this in my bag was kind of a let down. Retail Value: $11.25


Item 3- Urban Decay Perversion Mascara- I should have been excited to try this right? Right? I don't know. It's another black mascara. I wish ipsy would send more browns. I haven't tried this yet. I may do it in a few days, but I just bought a new mascara and I'm in the midst of testing it out. Retail Value: $5.50


Item 4- Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo- This was one of the few things I was looking forward to. I love blush samples, and these colors looked beautiful. The pigmentation is just plain awesome. I read some people complaining about the size, I was honestly expecting it to be about this big. It kind of reminds me of the Benefit blush sample sizes, but I think I actually like that I get to try two different blushes from the line. Retail Value: ~$1


Item 5- Lord and Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil- AGAIN with the black liner. I have gotten starlooks, UD, and now Lord and Berry. But let's just talk about how freaking tiny this thing is! I might be able to use this twice. I was actually more disappointed in this sample size than the blush duos size. Retail Value: $2


So my total for my ipsy bag this month is $22.75 . Honestly, I know I should be excited about these, but I have WAY too many black liners. I dislike black mascara, I have tried the primer before and was not a fan (you can find the review here). The only things I was really excited to try was the lip balm and blush. That being said, if you look at the ingredients on the blush, it seems like it's two steps away from being plastic. So I'm not sure about this month



I think the winner for this month is Beauty Box 5. Not that it would have tipped the scale either way, since the overall winner still would have been  ipsy. The reason I picked Beauty Box 5 this month is that even though there are two products that have been in ipsy bags, they are things I will get some use out of. I'm not sure I can say the same for my ipsy bag. 

 xoxo
Courtney

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