Birchbox vs. Ipsy: January 2014

I have been patiently waiting for my Birchbox for a week now.. I usually get mine right on time, and usually before other people I know. But this month's seemed to take forever! It turned out to be perfect timing though, because I got my Birchbox and Ipsy bag on the same day! I'll be completely honest upfront, I wasn't totally in love with either box/bag this month. But I'll get to it and go ahead and compare.

[To see my December Birchbox click here]

1. Nail Rock "Velvet" (Full Size, $6.99) - A 2-step DIY textured mani kit. Apparently you just use 2 coats of polish, dip wet nails into 'velvet dust' and let dry. Excited to use it! And its definitely a color I'd wear. 

2. Ahmed Tea (Full Size, $7) & 3 Packs of 100% Pure Coconut Nourishing Body Cream (Full Size, $15) - The tea is super yummy. I'm actually sipping on hot raspberry tea as I write this blog post. The body cream seems interesting.. not sure why there are 3 small packets instead of 1 big one, but oh well. I think I'll get use out of these 2 samples, so that's whats important.

3. Resist C15 Super Booster (Full Size, $45) - I'm not big on trying new skincare products because I'm always leery of how my skin will react, but I'll give this a try and maybe report back. Its an anti-aging liquid that is supposed to brighten and firm skin and fade dark spots.. It seems like a pretty expensive product so I'm going to try to get as much product out of it as I can!

4. Toni&Guy Heat Protection Mist (Full Size, $15) - I'm excited about this because its a brand I'm familiar with, but haven't tried. The only heat protectant I've ever used is a cheaper drugstore brand, so I'm excited to give it a try. 

1. Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue (Full Size, $5) - I'm always excited about new makeup removing wipes because I use them every night and go through them quickly, and because I use them often, I know what I like and don't like. The smell is nice and not too strong, but the actual wipes are a bit dry. 

2. Healthy Sexy Hair Leave-In Conditioner (Full Size, $18) - This was my favorite item from both packages.. I love the Big Sexy Hair line and have been wanting to try Healthy Sexy Hair. Its a pretty good size bottle too, so I'll get more than one use. I'm not big on leave-in conditioner but I'm definitely willing to try it out. 

3. Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow in "Pearl" (Full Size, $15) - At first I thought this was just a nude liner for the waterline, but once I swatched it (you can see the swatch next to the photo above) I saw its a nice pretty pearly nude color. The tip (forgot to get a picture) is really small though, so I'm not sure how easy it would be to apply. I'm thinking I'll use it as a browbone highlight. 

4. MicaBeauty Tinted Lip Balm in "Natural" (Full Size, $30) - I was really kind of clueless as to what this was at first. Its a mauve-ish sort of color with a slight pearly sheen. I'm not a fan of having to dip my finger into a balm, especially a colored balm, so I'd have to use a brush to apply it. Its okay, definitely doesn't seem like its worth $30 in the full size. 

 5. Apothederm Bright Skin Serum, Not Pictured* (Full Size, $67) - I forgot to photograph this one for some reason. I was kind of blown away at the full price, it must be a fancy schmancy product. Like the other skin brightening product in the Birchbox, I'll definitely give it a try, although I don't see myself buying it full-sized in the future. 

This month, the winner is...

This was my very first month of Ipsy, and I think I had high expectations which is why I was slightly disappointed. I've seen other bags in the past and they had great things, so I'm sure I'll be happy next month. I honestly thought that Ipsy would come out a winner, but Birchbox had it this month. Mainly because I love tea (if you don't love tea, and got it in your Birchbox, you may have hated this box because it had 3 teas!).

I was disappointed with the quality of the makeup remover wipes and the over-priced tinted lip balm. The nail polish in my Birchbox seems super fun and I'm really excited to try it out. If the Healthy Sexy Hair had been in my Birchbox and not Ipsy, I think it may be the perfect box for me. I also like that Birchbox includes a card with a description and full-size price information on it. I always took that for granted before, but since Ipsy didn't have that, I had to go to their website, log in, click on each item individually to even find out what it was, and then click the link to a website where the item was sold so I could find out the price for a full size. I had to go to the website to figure out what the lipbalm even was.. I thought it may be a cream shadow! Like I said earlier, I wasn't gung-ho about either box/bag, but Birchbox won for this month.

Click here to sign up for Birchbox
Click here to sign up for Ipsy

What do you guys think? Who won it for you? I can't wait to see what next month brings.. In another month or two I'll probably make the decision on which subscription service I cancel, so we shall see! I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the items, so comment below!