Sephora PLAY! vs Birchbox vs Ipsy – July 2018 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 plus a beauty 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!)

Items:   

Total Value: About $31

This month’s Play! by Sephora has Tarte on a roll for this month as there are three of their items in this box: Tarte lipstick, blush, and brightening face cleanser makeup remover. The packaging is beautiful and all of their products work well because of its good quality. Skin care also takes up the majority of the curation and in addition to the cleanser, there’s protein cream, face mask, and hair volumizing spray. There’s a great variety for only $10, with a retail price of about $31! 

Review: Play! by Sephora July 2018 Review

See Play! by Sephora spoilers + past Play! by Sephora reviews or sign up for directory notifications when we post about this subscription!


Birchbox ($10 per month!)

Items:    

Total Value: About $53

The July box had a value of around $29.07, or almost 3 times the price of the box! Just keep in mind that your products and value will vary since Birchbox customizes boxes and sends a variety of product combinations.

Review:  Birchbox July 2018 Review

See Birchbox spoilers + past Birchbox reviews or sign up for directory notifications when we post about this subscription!


Birchbox Curated Box ($10 per month!)

Items:  

Total Value: About $30

July curated Birchbox had some good products to help beat the heat and sticky temperatures this month. The mascara is a standout since it is hard to find a natural mascara that works well and this one did, and actually lasted all day in the heat and humidity too. The value is around $30, a great return for a $10 box!

Review: Birchbox July 2018 Curated Box Review

See Birchbox spoilers + past Birchbox reviews or sign up for directory notifications when we post about this subscription!


Ipsy ($10 per month!)

Items:    

Total Value: About $53

This bag included an exfoliator, a cleanser, a full size Smashboxconcealer, a lip gloss and a versatile eyeshadow which can create version 2.0 of our everyday look. The under-the-sea inspired bag is really pretty. It has a front zipper closure and it is very spacious. The total value was about $53 – a great deal for just $10!

Review: Ipsy July 2018 Review

See Ipsy spoilers + past Ipsy reviews or sign up for directory notifications when we post about this subscription!


Value- and content-wise, Ipsy is the definite winner (again!) for this month. The other boxes offer a great variety of products as well, and Play! is also on a Tarte roll which we really love! The regular Birchbox is enjoyable and we’re quite surprised that the least favorite is the curated one. Still, every box has great items that won’t go unnoticed and unused!

What did you think of this month’s Sephora PLAY!Ipsy, and Birchbox? Did you have a favorite?

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