I recently signed up for two  popular cosmetic subscription boxes and wanted to do a quick comparison.

Birchbox – $10 a month plus tax ($10.86 for me)

You get 5 samples in a cute box each month.  There is an online profile you fill out to let them know your preferences so the samples are selected especially for you.  Here’s what I got in January:

Beauty Protector – Protect and Detangle

Eyeko – Fat Liquid Liner

Jouer – Matte Moisture Tint (Linen)

Real Chemistry – Luminous 3-Minute Peel

Whish – Three Whishes Body Butter (Almond)

Of these, I’m looking forward to the hair detangler, the 3 minute peel, and the body butter the most.  I don’t really wear eye makup and black eyeliner is too overpowering on me.  The moisture tint is interesting but it’s hard to match my skintone so I’m not sure about that one yet.

IPSY Glam Bag – $10 a month no tax

Ipsy also sends 5 samples a month, but they come in an adorable makeup bag and a fushia bubble mailer.  It’s so exciting to get the package itself!  You also fill out a style profile for Ipsy.  Here’s what I got this month:

Burt’s Bees – Cleansing oil

Hanalei – sugar lip scrub

Mr.Write (Now) – eyeliner

Pixi Petra – eyeshadow duo

Blending brush

In this bag, I’ve already tried the cleansing oil which dried my skin out a bit, but I will combine with some scrubbing powder I use as an exfoliant.  The lip scrub felt nice and I’ll probably use it once a week.  I didn’t care for the eye shadows and eyeliner because again, I don’t use eye makeup.  The brush will be great for covering up blemishes or red spots.  It was meant for eye shadow but I find that these detail brushes are good for cover ups.

The Winner this month?

I think I’d call it a tie this month.  While I liked more of the products in the Birchbox, I love the bag for Ipsy and a few of the products really made it worth the cost.  So far I’m undecided which one I like better.