Sephora PLAY! vs Birchbox vs Ipsy – January 2017 Battle of the $10 Beauty Boxes!

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It’s the Ipsy vs. Sephora Play vs. Birchbox $10 Beauty Box showdown!

Ipsy vs. Sephora PLAY! vs. Birchbox

BOX BASICS: All three subscriptions are just $10 per month, so it’s easy to draw comparisons. All three of these beauty boxes also ship out 5 samples (Sephora PLAY! also sends a bonus fragrance item and occasionally you’ll get a small extra in Birchbox).

CUSTOMIZATION: All three subscriptions also ask you to complete a basic beauty profile. Ipsy allows you to rate items for ipsy match and has started allowing a limited number of subscribers to select an item, but that feature isn’t yet universal. Birchbox also allows you to rate items but doesn’t alter your profile in response to your ratings.

REFERRALS & POINTS: Both Birchbox and Ipsy offer referral points; redeem points on full-size products in the Birchbox shop or on selected samples in the Ipsy bonus section. You earn points on the monthly Sephora subscription plus you can redeem a PLAY! card in-store for an extra 50 points on any purchase.

VARIATIONS: All three of these boxes also send out multiple subscriber variations – we’re showing what we’ve reviewed here, and we would love to hear your experiences in the comments!

Our thoughts? You’re most likely to get items you’ll find in Sephora in PLAY!, including some cult up and coming goodies. That’s a no brainer. Ipsy is a mix of influencer faves, some prestige products, and some drugstore. You won’t often find drugstore products in Birchbox – but you may find some interesting natural beauty brands.


PLAY! by Sephora ($10 per month!) – Box #476

Items:

Total Value: About $36

Full Size Products: 0

Travel Size: 4

Trial Size: 2

Review: Play! by Sephora January 2017 Review


PLAY! by Sephora ($10 per month!) – Box #435

Items:

Total Value:  About  $54.50

Full Size Products: 0

Travel Size: 4

Trial Size: 2

Review: Play! by Sephora January 2017 Review 


Birchbox ($10 per month!)

Items:

Total Value: About $23

Full Size Products: 0

Travel Size: 3

Trial Size: 3

Review:  Birchbox January 2017 Review


Birchbox Curated Box ($10 per month!) – Your Greatest Self Curated Box

Items:

Total Value: About $41

Full Size Products: 0

Travel Size: 4

Trial Size: 1

Review: Birchbox January 2017 Your Greatest Self Curated Box Review


Ipsy ($10 per month!)

Items:

Total Value: About $52

Full Size Products: 2

Travel Size: 2

Trial Size: 1

Review: Ipsy January 2017 Review


Brandy: My fave this month was Ipsy, which actually doesn’t happen often! I loved my full-size Trust Fund Beauty lip gloss, the Pacifica blush, the IT Cosmetics concealer, ok, I used everything! My Birchbox had 2 good sizes of some real basics and it was a good value for that purpose. I really liked the Black Honey, Drunk Elephant, and of course more It Cosmetics in my Sephora but I think Summer’s Sephora variation really took the cake for January with that $25 Caudalie!

Debbie: The Living Proof Dry Shampoo was worth more than the subscription price of my monthly Birchbox, however, my favorite product was the Marcelle 3-in-1 Micellar Solution, which removed my eye makeup completely and without irritation. Three hair items was a bit much though.

What did you think of the February Sephora PLAY!, Ipsy, and Birchbox? Did you have a favorite?

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  • Jenny
    02.08.17

    I’m a bit obsessed with the Ipsy bag itself last month. With having so many of the bags I pass them along often but this one is staying in my stash. I wish it had a wrist strap so that I could use it as a clutch but otherwise I love it.

    • Deb
      02.08.17

      Jenny, I know what you mean! I have a ton of Ipsy bags in my closet but only a few get used and some get passed to my daughters. I liked this one!