When I gave up on Birchbox, I decided to resubscribe to Ipsy. I was a subscriber when it was called MyGlam, but unsubscribed because the items sent to me were not exciting and smelled bad. I have since discovered that they switched warehouses (which apparently was the cause of the stench attached to all their products), and retooled their service. I’ve been keeping an eye out on the monthly Ipsy reviews, and decided to give them another try.
I’m glad I did.
Their signature item is a cosmetic case – there is one in every shipment. I forgot to take a picture of this month’s case before I tossed it out – basically, it was navy blue and with no distinct markings –but the inside was kind of cute. It had an Ipsy logo stitched inside.
The items in the bag put Birchbox to shame – for the same price, Ipsy did a much better job in curating products in sizes that are considered deluxe and full. Here’s what I got:
1) Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Mini Body Butter: I learned something new about myself this year: I love Pacifica products. I am fairly familiar with their candles, but was recently introduced to their lip balm/tint – which is lovely. I was ecstatic to receive this body butter to try.
Retail price: $7 for 2.5 oz.
2) Big Sexy Hair Travel Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray: I don’t use hairspray on a regular basis – but every once in a while I use some on my bangs to keep my cowlick inline. I tried this baby this morning, and it worked wonders - plus kept my hair soft.
Retail price: $17.50
3) 100% Pure Argan Oil by Josie Maran: Argan Oil is all the rage now, and I’ve received various samples from various companies through various subscription services. In other words, another one? Ugh. Still, this is a good sized sample and I am eager to try a product by Josie Maran.
Retail price: $48 for 1.7 fl. oz.
4) Nailtini Nail Polish in Frappe: This is a full size product, so Yay! on that! But, the color is really plain – and not a color I would use. I’ve seen it described as pink, but it’s really more of a neutral cream with a warm undertone. (The color shown in the pic the link takes you to is NOT at all like the color I received.)
Retail price: $13
5) SOHO Crease Brush: I discovered that Ipsy sent out three different styles of brushes. This is not one I will use – I think I would have preferred the eyeliner brush. Still, this is another full size product, so to speak. The bad thing: It's made in China. Boo!
Retail price: $8.99
Nitpicks: It’s really difficult to nitpick anything in this bag – except maybe the bag itself. The inside was really cute, but the outside was plain and ordinary. Oh and of course the brush made in China - I really do everything I can to avoid using products from China.
Lasting Impression: Wow – I got all that for $10 – including shipping. And while I might not like every single product in the bag, I can easily gift at least two of the products (the polish and the Argan Oil) – and still feel like a winner!
Ispy really turned themselves around from the first time I was a subscriber - I'm so impressed!
After about six months of lackluster, foil-packet filled boxes, I canceled my Birchbox subscription (for the second time in almost two years) and subscribed to Ipsy to replace it. Even though Birchbox did not notify me that I didn’t cancel in time, guess what? I didn’t cancel in time so I was charged for the January 2013 box.
When BB charged me for the box, I just kind of shrugged and thought, “Watch, this box will be great.” Well, it wasn’t great, but it definitely was good. Good enough to make me resubscribe? Not right now – homey wasn’t lying when she said she had to cut down on her box subscriptions. And since Ipsy was pretty darn good, I’m sticking with that for a while!
Here’s what Birchbox sent me this month:
1) amika Color pHerfection Shampoo: Once again, BB failed to send the accompanying conditioner – they used to do that – what happened? Why are they being so stingy? I know I would really like to try this with its conditioner companion – but since BB was stingy, that won’t be happening. Still, this looks promising: it’s alcohol free!
Retail price: $22 for 14.37 oz.
2) Harvey Prince Skinny Chic: I’ll admit it: I was hoping I would get this. And I did! For the second time, Birchbox finally granted my wish and sent me a fragrance sample. The blend of Meyer lemon, white grapefruit and pink plumeria is supposed to help with weight loss. I don’t know if it’ll help me lose weight, but what I do know is this: I love it! Thank you, Birchbox! You finally gave me the happies!
Retail price: $21 for a roll-on, $55 for 50ml
3) My™ Multi-Purpose Mattifying Moisturizer: I’ve been using this every morning since it arrived, and I like it. Does it do what it says it does? I’m not convinced. I think my face is still kind of shiny at the end of the day. But… it goes on easy, and it doesn’t have a funky smell, so all in all I consider this a win. But, I certainly wouldn’t pay $68 dollars to get myself a full-size – that’s crazy talk!
Retail price: $68 for 2 fl. Oz.
4) theBalm cosmetics Hot Mama: I saw rave reviews for this, and so of course I wanted it. And guess what? I got it! The description states it’s a “universally flattering pigment.” I might have to disagree – it’s a little too peachy for me. But, I wanted it and I got it, so who am I to complain?
Retail price: $20
Then there was my Beauty Extra – let me tell you, I’d much rather receive a beauty extra than a Lifestyle extra. Most of my Lifestyle extras have sucked the big red one. (But I did love my Kind bar way back when – and of course the one and only time I received chocolate I liked that as well!) My beauty extra was a small foil packet (insert scream here) of Deborah Lippmann’s the Stripper to go. I’m not sure how to judge how this works, since it seems like it’s only one glove for two hands. I’m not convinced it’ll work – but hey, it’s an “extra.”
Retail price: $12 for a set of six.
Nitpicks: The fact that the amika Color pHerfection Shampoo did not come with the accompanying conditioner. I don’t know how we are expected to really judge the product if we’re using it with a conditioner that might not chemically enhance the shampoo.
Lasting Impression: I received two products I did want to try – so that does give me the happies!
Will I resubscribe to Birchbox? Ummm... never say never. But after almost two years of boxes, I can count the amount of boxes I liked on one hand... or rather, four fingers.
I know they give out good stuff... I read the reviews! But somehow I never get the "good" boxes, and almost always get the foil-packet filled ones. So... I think I'll hold off for a while.
Green Grab Bag used to be one of my all-time favorite subscription services. Without warning, it went from great to bad quickly. Instead of deluxe and full size samples, December’s bag was mostly full of small one-use only packet samples – so I unsubscribed. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t unsubscribe in time, and was charged for January’s bag.
I was a bit mad at myself for that – because this is one of the more pricey subscriptions I had, and I really need to free up some money. But at the same time, I thought “Okay, one last GGB might not be a bad thing.”
Oh but it was.
Here’s what I got this month:
1) Dead Sea Warehouse Face and Body Bar: Of all the things in the bag, this made me the happiest. Why? Because I’ve seen this product at my local Whole Foods, and I wanted to try it. But, it’s a rather expensive soap – and I don’t normally use soap. However, I have this weird skin issue going on with my back, and noticed that when I bathe with sea-salts, it goes away… for a while. This soap is filled with minerals from the Dead Sea, and I thought it could be helpful – but for the full price of the soap (about $12 for a bar), I didn’t want to spend the money. I was so excited to see this soap in this month’s GGB that I’ve used it twice already – and it seems to really work at abating whatever is going on with my back. This product has a big thumbs up from me.
Retail price: $6.65 for a small bar, $11.95 for a big bar (at my local Whole Foods)
2) Savvy Boheme Coconut and Shea Body Mousse in Breathe: I received this before, but in Summer in Spain – which I absolutely love! This one is peppermint, and so not as decadent or enticing. Still, it’s a good product and I know I’ll eventually use it all up.
Retail price: $14.50 for 4 oz.
3) Golden Path Alchemy Cleansing Oil: This is a fairly small sample, but I should get about three uses out of it. The one thing I’m not happy about is that in order to know how to use it, I was instructed to go to their website. That’s a bit of a fail. Also, when I attempted to use it yesterday, the oil would not come out of the dispenser.
Retail price: $22 – size not mentioned on website
4) Monimay Sun Shadz Dry Shampoo: First I have to say: this sample is super stingy. It’s so small, it’s not really worth fooling around with.
Retail price: Applicator, $29.95; Refill, $29.95
5) Virga Botanicals Pumpkin and Carrot Mask: This is a fairly small sample as well. It looks to be a decent size from the outside (not deluxe… but not stingy), but upon opening the jar, it's a mix-it-your-damn-self kind of product - no thank you! For that kind of money, I want it pre-made! One thing in its favor: it's from an etsy shop!
Retail price: $18.95 for 4.5 oz.
6) Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Everyday Moisturizer: You know what? I almost threw this away. I didn’t even know it was in the bag. It was adhered to the inside of a pamphlet – so if that doesn’t give the size of this sample away, let me spell it out for you: it’s a tiny foil packet! You know how much I love those (insert sarcastic smile here). Additionally, I did open it to try it - the contents had separated and smelled rancid. I tossed it, because I believe it had gone bad.
Retail price: $16 for 2 oz.
Nitpicks: My $15 basically bought me two tiny packets, one tiny cleansing oil, a decent size body mousse, and a rockin’ bar of soap. I know… I didn’t mention the mask – but probably because it’s a non-item to me, as I don’t use masks. A better use of that $15 would have been to just buy the freakin’ bar of soap the first time I saw it at Whole Foods!
Lasting Impression: I had hoped that this bag would be a sweet good-bye to GGB – in other words, that I would have felt sad to see it go when I received this last bag from them. But instead it was a reminder of why I ended up letting it go in the first place. I will keep an eye out on reviews for upcoming bags – when my financial situation improves, I might want to check this out again. After all, for the year I had it my only two disappointing bags were the last two. All the others rocked my mailbox.
The PopSugar Must Have box is not something I could ordinarily afford - but my dad generously gifted me with a three-month sub for my birthday in November. I was excited, and counted down the days until I received my first box.
All I can say is it was a huge disappointment. HUGE.
I've seen past boxes, and most of them seem great - yet this box was underwhelming, as you can see from the picture above.
This is what was inside:
Bodum Bistro Mugs:Okay, I'll admit - these are cool. But homey has mugs coming out of her ass already. Still, I really love the Bodum brand. And I'll use these - and just get rid of two other mugs so I have space.
Retail price: $30
Tea Forté Petite Ribbon Box: For reals? A luxury box and it contains TEA? What a cop out. Seriously - that is my one biggest gripe about all the small sub boxes - they always include tea as a space filler. So what does PopSugar go and do? THE EXACT SAME THING. Bah! Homey can't drink tea - unless it's chamomile - and that's plain chamomile. This box of tea was a total disappointment.
Retail price: $15
Jaboneria Marianella Soaps in Almendra: Ugh.... a bar of soap? Seriously? Homey does NOT use soap - and again, this is something I would expect from an inexpensive subscription box - not from PopSugar! At least it's made in my favorite place: The good old US of A!
Retail price: Too fucking much ($14 a bar)
Pinch Provisions Good Luck Minimergency® Kit: Guess what? I like it! This amazingly small little kit contains 17 items a girl might need in an emergency - like hairspray. Hey! Hairspray can - and has - saved a girl's day!
Retail price: $15
Bogdon's Peppermint Poles: I get that it was the holiday season, but homey would have much preferred something decadent instead of what amounts to a chocolate-covered candy cane.
Retail price: $3.99
GoSwype - Lips: Use these to keep your techy devices clean and free of lipstick and germs. Homey doesn't have any techy-type devices, because she can't afford any. I should have given this away as a gift at Christmas. It would have been great in someone's stocking.
Retail price: $1.99
And then..... the most crappiest thing of all: a $30 gift card from Rent the Runway. Uh... it's not like you can actually get anything for $30. Plus, you know this gift was crappy because it was also in the December Birchbox.
Nitpicks: PopSugar Must Have touts themselves as "an exciting monthly box, full of fun, hand-selected items from our editors." Since when is tea, soap, and candy canes exciting? Since never, that's when! I think the editors need to look up "exciting" in the dictionary and rethink this thing!
Lasting Impression: Well... the excitement of opening the box and seeing what was inside. I've been coveting this box for months now. Thanks, Dad! You made my dream come true!
As always, Eco-Emi was a delight to receive in December. This is probably the best of all the subscription services I receive. It never fails to deliver - never! Their December box is always generous - I haven't been disappointed in a December box yet!
All the items featured in Eco-Emi's December box are all Leaping Bunny Certified products. What does that mean? Well, the Leaping Bunny Foundation reviews products to insure they are curelty-free - and if they are, they qualify for Leaping Bunny emblem.
Here's what was inside December's box:
1) blissoma Adaptive Energy Tonique: This is a hydration facial product - and believe me, here in Nevada I can use it!
Retail price: $21.99 for 4 oz.
2) Burt's Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream: I've tried this before, and I like it! In fact, I'm a big Burt's Bees fan. This is a nice size to put in my purse.
Retail price: $13 for 3.2 oz.
3) Auromere Licorice Toothpaste: Yuck. I was excited that this is a full size product, but um... seriously? Who wants to brush their teeth with licorice flavored toothpaste? Not me, that's for sure.
Retail price: $5.99 for 4.16 oz
4) Chocolate Mint Lip Butter by Organic Indulgence: I actually received this before - and I am FAIRLY certain it was from Eco-Emi. But... maybe not. Homey is getting older and her memory isn't as good as it used to be. Still, I love having these lip balms as they make nice little gifts for people.
Retail price: $2.95
5) Vanilla Bean Granola Chips b Willamette Valley: A nice little treat to try - admittedly I haven't broken into these yet, because I had company for the holidays and it would have been rude to eat these in front of them. I'm taking them with me tomorrow to work - hopefully they are worth every calorie!
Retail price: $4.99 for 6.2 oz
6) Aiyana eau de parfum from Tallulah Jane: I absolutely love this scent - it's so me! It's soft and a tad floral, but also kind of hippie-ish. The description states it's a blend of Moroccan Rose balanced with notes of vanilla and rock rose, then brightened with Italian lemon. I normally don't go for rose-scented fragrance, but this I like. Must be the vanilla and Italian lemon that tone down the rose enough for me to enjoy!
Retail price: $48 for 1 fl oz.
7) Fundamental Face Scrub: This is one of those hated foil packet samples, but I believe I can get two uses out of this one. And guess what? It's made in my favorite place: the good old US of A!
Retail price: $16 for 8 oz
8) 100% Pure Vanilla Bean Nourishing Body Cream: Damn. They had five different scents to give out, and I got Vanilla Bean. Every time I get a lotion, it's either peppermint or vanilla - I would have enjoyed the coconut! I've actually tried other 100% Pure products before, and they are nice. Still... this is one of those dreaded foil packets - enough for one use.
Retail price: $15 for 8 oz.
9) Eco-Dent: I received two sample products: a dental gum called Between! and a dental powder in Mint (much better than licorice if you ask me). Still, these are very small samples, and I'm not afraid to say I'm disappointed in the size.
Retail price: $1.79 for 12 pieces of gum, and $8.09 for 2 oz. of dental powder
10) Bulldog Skin Care: We received a sample of Original Moisturizer for men - blerg. Last time I checked, I didn't have a penis.
Retail price: $6.99 for 3.3 fl. oz.
11) Apricot Eye Therapy by Better Botanicals. Another stingy little foil packet! I feel my inner Grinch reappearing.
Retail price: $18.99 for 0.5 oz tube
Nitpicks: Five of the samples were one-use only foil packets (although I am fairly certain I can squeeze out two uses from the facial scrub). That was a huge disappointment. This is the most foil packets I've received in an Eco-Emi box - I guess everyone is tightening up their belts lately!
Lasting Impression: Because the box was so generous, they survived my subscription box cuts! Plus, Eco-Emi has a waiting list - and I didn't want to go through the hassle of being put back on that list. Last time, it took about three months or so before I was able to join!
While I'm disappointed with the over abundance of foil pack samples, Eco-Emi still was one of the best boxes I received in December. They remain one of my favorites!
December's Goodebox falls into "The Good" category - thankfully! Holy cow, I was getting to feel like the subscription world was working against me until I received this box!
There was an interesting mix of goodies, thanks to curator Sophie Uliano. The theme of the box was fighting wrinkles - what? Did they know I'd been frowning a lot in December, thanks to previous subscription boxes? Apparently so!
In this box:
1) bEST hAIR tIES eVER: There are lots of colors - mine is green. Not my favorite color in a hair tie - still, because of hot flashes, I often tie my hair back when I'm at home. Now I don't have long hair, but it's *just* enough to fit into a hair tie. This one is made from beech wood tree pulp - how cool is that? Not sure what it has to do with preventing wrinkles, but I'm down with it nonetheless.
Retail price: $6.55 for a set of four (free shipping through January 31st)
2) blissoma solutions Amend Facial Solar Repair Anti-Aging Serum: My gawd, that is a mouthful! Still, this is a very interesting product that aims to undo sun damage and protect against further damage. The sample size is decent - not generous, but not stingy, either.
Retail price: $48.99 for 1 oz.
3) Essence of Vali Sleep Concentrate: I guess having a good night's sleep IS essential to dewrinkling oneself. First, let me say that this stuff smells great. One sniff, and I instantly felt myself relax. I love it! Allegedly, a drop of this stuff on a cotton swab or your pillow case is enough to send you off into dreamland. All I know is I can't get enough of it!
Retail price: $18 for 5 ml
4) me and the girls Bar Beleza Multi-Use Beauty Bar: I could have received one of three products from me and the girls.I am very happy that this is the product I received - it's the one I would have picked if given a choice. It's multi-use, and apparently can be used as a non-foaming cleanser - but I think I prefer it as a moisturizer.
Retail price: $28 for 15 ml
5) Suntegrity "5 in 1" Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen: With an SPF of 30, this is a product I'll definitely be using come Spring time, when I'm out in the garden. It's tinted, so I won't need to use a foundation (not that I do... but it's nice to know this will give me some coverage as well as protection!). It's a small sample, and I'll miss it when it's gone.
Retail price: $45 for 1.7 oz
6) TilVee Acai & Pomegranate Rejuvenating Mask: Ugh. A mask - you know how homey hates masks - especially ones she has to mix up herself. The stuff smells kind of strange, and I had to go to the website to figure out how to use it. I would have to have stuff on hand that I normally don't in order to use - this will probably just go in the trash.
Retail price: $26.99 for 2 oz.
7) Furlesse 11's Frown Line Reducing Patches: What? More frown reducuction products? I guess I am a frownie face this season - and these sample boxes are trying to fix that! This sample came with three, and they are apparently for the area between the eyebrows, right above the nose. I am looking forward to trying them, as that is one of my biggest problem spots. Hmm... I wonder why? :)
Retail price: $19.99 for a 30 day supply
The box also contained a very special offer for 50% off of satin pillowcases from Nerro & Ana. Since I buy most of my linens at TJMaxx or Target, I can't imagine spending big bucks for just a pillowcase - still, after checking them out I was tempted.
Nitpicks: The mask! Oh how I hate these masks. Hate. Them. Especially since I have to do all the work myself. What fun is that? And this one requires special ingredients in order to get it to do what it's supposed to do - for $27 it better do it all without me adding more money to the mix!
Lasting Impression: Another Grade A box from Goodebox. If you are not a subscriber, then you should be!
I admit, I canceled this month - but not because of anything they did wrong. They are one of the more expensive sampler boxes, and I had to cut back on my expenses. I see myself subscribing again in the future because they never fail to deliver the goods (do it yourself mask excluded).
You know you want to subscribe! This box never fails to deliver - I believe I've been happy with every box I received. There is always a great mix of products, and fairly generous sample sizes. It is the most expensive one I subscribe to, which is why I had to give it the axe: it's $16. But that includes shipping, and as you can see, a great mix of new products to try!
There is a unique option with Goodebox: get one box every other month. That way, you can save some bucks. I will probably do that in the future!
Remember when I
said December's boxes fell into the categories of The Good, The Bad, and
The Ugly? Birchbox managed to get themselves into The Ugly category - surprise, surprise.
Now, I sometimes wonder if BB reads my reviews and retaliate by sending me crap. Or maybe they think they're Santa, and instead of rewarding me with a stocking full of goodies, they give me lumps of leftovers instead. I dunno - all I know is they had at least 29 different December box combinations and I got one of the suckiest ones.
Here's what was in my underwhelming box:
1) Frownies: All I can say is that I'll definitely need to use this product after reviewing this box. I have a frown the size of Texas right now. Supposedly one can use these 2-4 times - and that's quite a window, considering the size of the product. That's kind of like saying you can use a diaper 1-3 times... okay, maybe not.
Retail price: $29.95
2) Juicy Couture fragrance sample. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it, but I was so happy to FINALLY get a fragrance sample from Birchbox that wasn't a man's that I did a little dance.
Retail price: $19 for .24 oz in a roller ball bottle
3) Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo: Okay, this product was what really made me say "Eff you, Birchbox!" Never in my year and a half of subscribing to sample boxes have I not received a shampoo and a conditioner together. Every company I know of wants the consumer to try both of them together, so they can see how they work in unison. How in the heck am I going to know if this product really does what it says when I can't use it with the conditioner?
Retail price: $32
4) Per-fekt Beauty Lash Protection Gel: It's a primer. It's a conditioner. It's a mascara. What it isn't is a generous sample. Strange, since most mascara samples from Birchbox have been full size or at least generous sized.
Retail price: $28.50
Also in the box was a Lifestyle extra of - take a guess - TEA SAMPLES. Yes, some fucking tea samples. Again. I'm so sick of tea samples that I think I'm going to scream. Can you hear me? I'm doing it now.
Nitpicks: Oh ye gads... everything except for the fragrance. Sure, I didn't love it, but finally Birchbox gave me a fragrance! It's like they said "Okay, give the whiner the fragrance, and then give her some tea samples, too. Happy Holidays, Sucker!
Lasting impression: Well... basically my lasting impression was one that they don't care about me as a subscriber. I've done a fairly good job of letting them know what I'd like to see in my boxes, and yet they pretty much ignore what I want.
I honestly don't understand why they have their subscribers fill out a beauty profile if they do not pay attention to what their subscribers want and don't want. There are a ton of people out there who - unbelievably - do not want fragrance samples. Then give 'em to me! I told you I want them!
I will say this: They have the best rewards program ever. I was able to use my bonus points to get almost half off of my beloved Kerastase hair masque - and then I said "Good-bye."
I'll probably be back - I get suckered in by all the people who post these great reviews, showing off their wonderful BB products. Then I think, "Hey, I want those, too!" and sign up - only to receive a box of fucking tea samples and Frownies. Yay me.
