We’re nearing the end of October already. How did that happen?! I think it seems like it was fast for me because we’ve had such hot weather lately. It only just started to seem like Fall, but I’m still wearing flip flops and short sleeves.
I’ve got my Birchbox and Ipsy Glam Bag to share today. Every month, I’ve been matching them up against each other to see which one was better for the month. Let’s see who comes out on top for this month.
Birchbox
Balance Me | Wonder Eye Cream
This eye cream lifts and brightens while reducing the appearance of fine lines. I seem to get a lot of eye creams in these monthly subscriptions. It’s funny because I don’t have many issues around my eyes (which I am very happy about, of course!). Still, I do like to brighten the area for a more awake appearance so this product isn’t totally wasted on me. I especially like the soft citrus scent it has.
Beauty Protector | Protect & Detangle
A vegan leave-in conditioner that protects against heat and UV rays. I like leave-in conditioners. This one doesn’t have the best scent in my opinion, although it reminds me of angel food cake (yum). I couldn’t find a website for this brand, which seems odd considering most brands have a website nowadays. This product doesn’t thrill me, it’s just okay.
Coastal Scents | Revealed 2 Eyeshadow Palette Sampler
A little sampler quad featuring shades from an eyeshadow palette. The full palette is filled with 20 matte and shimmer shadows. It’s really nice when I get full-sized eye shadows, but this sampler is kind of cool because I can create a whole look with it. As small as these shadow pans are, I think I’ll be able to use them for quite a while.
dr. brandt | pores no more vacuum cleaner
An exfoliating mask that extracts blackheads, tightens pores, and absorbs oil. I have pretty high expectations when it comes to skin care products. For $45 (full size), this would have to be a miracle worker. I’ve tried it twice and haven’t noticed anything mind-blowing. Two uses isn’t really enough to be able to tell how well a skincare product works though.
ModelCo | Party Proof Lipstick in Kitty
Full-size!
A nude pink semi-matte lipstick. The tube says it’s a matte, but there’s definitely a glossiness when applied. The color is gorgeous and I’ve been wearing it a lot. I’ve seen this brand a few times in my Birchboxes, but I’ve liked everything that came from it.
Ipsy Glam Bag
Ayres | Patagonia Body Butter
A creamy body butter containing herbal extracts and shea butter. I’m never that thrilled to receive a lotion, unless it’s a hand cream. This cream doesn’t get my vote of approval because I don’t like walking around, smelling like rosemary. It has too much of an herbal scent for me to use it.
H2O+ | Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment
A moisturizing gel that hydrates skin and minimizes the appearance of fine lines. This moisturizer is different from the ones I’m used to. It’s applied to damp skin after cleansing and it’s blue! The one thing I’ve noticed when using this gel is that it stays sticky on my skin for awhile after application. My daily moisturizer absorbs quickly and that’s what I prefer.
Jesse’s Girl | Mineralized Baked Powder Eye Shadow
Full size!
A blue baked eye shadow. This eye shadow looks beautiful in the pan and is huge! When I swatched it on my hand, it had great color payoff. I was impressed, especially because it retails for only $3.99. I can’t wait to create a look with it!
Skyn Iceland | Mini Glacial Cleansing Cloths
Foaming cleansing cloths that remove makeup, dirt, and oil. They’re infused with Icelandic glacial water. I love cleansing wipes that come wet and ready to go like this. I used one to remove my makeup last night and it did a pretty good job. It didn’t irritate my skin either. I like having wipes to clean up my arm swatches, fix makeup mistakes, and use while traveling. I love that this sample came with 10 cloths!
Starlooks | Lip gloss in Guilty Pleasure
This lip gloss has a moisturizing, non-sticky formula. The color is a pretty muted pink for a natural look. I’m usually not big on lip gloss because of it’s sticky nature. This one really isn’t sticky on my lips like others. Of course my hair still sticks to it, which drives my crazy! This is such a cute little sample though. I like that the brand offers 47 colors of lip gloss!
Battle Rundown
Both subscriptions contained winners and losers this month. Birchbox had that awesome lipstick and the cute palette sampler. Ipsy had the beautiful eye shadow, cleansing cloths, and lip gloss. There were also products in both that I wasn’t overly happy with. They each contained one truly full-sized product. I think they both need to take a hint from Beauty Box 5 …. 4 out of 5 products in my box were full-sized this month!
Who Wins?
It was almost a draw, but I think Ipsy won by just a little!
Birchbox – 1 | Ipsy – 2
Interested in signing up for either subscription?
Sign up for Birchbox here and sign up for Ipsy here!
*Both subscriptions are paid for by me. All opinions of the products and brands mentioned in this post are my own. Referral links were used.
Contact: ashley@peekandponder.com
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