April 2014 Ipsy, Birchbox, & Beauty Box 5 Comparison

Hello Everyone. :) I received my Ipsy, Beauty Box 5, and Birchbox mid April and here is what I think about them. MY goal of this blog post is to give you an idea of the products within each box/bag and help you make a good choice as to which ones to/not subscribe to.

This was the first month I have tried Birchbox and Beauty Box 5, but I have been subscribed to Ipsy since October 2013...AND I LOVE IT.

These are all beauty product subscription boxes/bags and you get them once a month. First I'll give you the details on each of them before we go into the boxes.

Ipsy- There is a waitlist. I was on the waitlist for about a month and a half before I got my first bag. It is $10/Month and you get 4-5 beauty products (some full size, some deluxe samples) each month tailored to the answers you put in your pre subscription beauty quiz. You also get an adorable bag each month. This bag usually contains more makeup products than Birchbox. The products are usually more affordable that the ones in Birchbox.

Birchbox- $10/Month, 4-5 full size or deluxe samples per box. More upscale/high-end products. Birchbox gives a lot of skin/hair care items along with some makeup.

Beauty Box 5- $12/Month or $30/3 months (making the boxes $10/Month.) I signed up for 3 months. A Mix of Makeup, beauty products, hair/skin products. 5 full size and deluxe samples in each box.



I'll review them in the order than I received them:

Beauty Box 5:

The Contents

Like I said, this was my first Beauty Box 5. I am pretty impressed with the box. The Blum cleansing wipes are the perfect size to throw in my purse, also a full sized item!! The full size Nicka K New York Lipstick is a little too dark for me, but it is a great lip stick and super moisturizing. The 3 shadow BH Cosmetics sample is great. The colors are very pigmented and great for blending. I definitely need the Jergens Natural glow because 1. It works. & 2. I look like Casper the friendly ghost. The Bonne Bell Lip Definer pencil Is the perfect shade for me. Not too dark and you don't have to press extremely hard to get color. Overall, I am very happy I subscribed to this box.


Birchbox:

The Contents

This was also my first month being subscribed to Birchbox. I did not have very high hopes for this box because most of the beauty vloggers/bloggers I like, are never impressed with this box, but hey, I tried It. The Sea Therapy body wash smells really good, and its a really good sized sample, but I really don't need anymore body wash. I don't even really like body wash. I'm a natural soap kinda girl. I can use it in a travel bag though. The N.4 High Performance Hair Care Lumiere d'hiver Clarifying Shampoo and BONUS masque work well, but I really don't care much for Shampoo. I already have a favorite and I really don't like getting Shampoos in boxes. The Sumita eyeliner, is very nice. It is smaller than full size, but still very good sized. The color is like a purple/brown color. It is very pretty and goes on very smooth. The last product, you can't see in the picture. It is a little vile of Atelier Cologne. It smells really good and clean. I was not super impressed with Birchbox, I have already cancelled my subscription. 

Ipsy:

The Contents

This month's Ipsy bag was one of my Favorites. Who doesn't love old school records; ADORABLE! The Dr. Brandts Microdermabrasion is AMAZING. It makes my face feel like baby skin. The Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet eyeliner (Black) is great. Very smooth and it doesn't wear off at all. The Coastal Scents Medium Eye Shadow brush is great. Elizabeth Motts Pop goes the shadow is awesome. The color is a shimmery Champagne color. The last product is a Starlooks Lip pencil. It is very smooth and the color is a gorgeous, nude color. Overall, I love this month's bag. The products are awesome. Also, Ipsy gives you great coupons from the brands of the products in each bag; Definitely an awesome perk. 

I hope this blog post was helpful/fun! I love these blog posts from other beauty bloggers. I think beauty subscriptions are an awesome way to try products you wouldn't normally buy yourself. If you would like to sign up for any of these, I will leave the links below. :) As always, let me know what you think! xoxo

Subscribe to Ipsy!! 

Subscribe to Beauty Box 5!!

Subscribe to Birchbox!!

Sweet & Spicy Drumsticks

Is there a recipe that you make and people ask you to make it over and over again? This is mine. These drumsticks are sweet and just a bit spicy. Perfect combination. They stay nice and juicy and contain a ton of flavor. All you need is a few simple ingredients...and maybe a glass of wine... ;)

Ingredients:

4-5 Drumsticks

3-4 Cloves of Minced Garlic (Fresh is best)

2 TBS Sriracha Sauce

3 TBS Honey

1 Cup Soy Sauce

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine garlic, Sriracha, honey, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add in Chicken and Marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Place the chicken in a baking dish (I used a glass 8x8) and pour the remaining juice over the chicken.

Bake the chicken in the oven at 425 for 35 minutes.  This was how mine was served...Also, drizzle with a little bit of the sauce...So yummy!

Enjoy! Let me know what you think. :)

And if you want the recipe for my Roasted Brussels, you can get that right HERE!

Also, here's a picture of my delicious birthday Dairy Queen ice cream cake that I devoured this weekend!!

Beauty Favorites

Hello :) I decided that this post would be a fun "beauty favorites" blog since it's Spring and wIe're switching from Winter products to Spring products/colors. I've seen some of my favorite beauty bloggers do these posts, so I thought it would be fun to do one, too! Also, I'm a subscriber to Ipsy, Birchbox, and Beauty Box 5, so I thought of doing a post comparing the different boxes. If that sounds interesting, let me know. I'll leave links to each of the websites below and links for subscribing if you're interested! I'm not sure how many people read my blog, but if you do, Thanks! I like writing, so this is fun for me. Anyways, I'll just start with a picture of the product then a brief description of it and why I love it. Here we go..... :)

It's a 10 leave in conditioner plus Keratin. I got this stuff for free when I bought a bunch of stuff from Ulta. I wasn't super interested in it at the time because i already had a leave-in conditioner....BUT....after one use, this stuff became my new favorite leave-in. It smells amazing (obvi most important factor in choosing anything), it detangles my ratty curls post shower, and its makes my hair feel like silk. LIQUID GOLD I TELL YOU!!! The smallest bottle starts at $20.00 at Ulta and you can check it out online here.

I know this seems "mediocre," but these have changed my face washing routine. I love how soft and exfoliated these make my skin feel. I use these for my cleanser and just a cotton pad for my toner. You can get a weeks use out of each of these sponges if you wring them out and let them dry after you wash your face. 

You can check them out on Target.com here. However, there is no price online, I feel like I paid $4 for them. Not sure though...but they weren't expensive.

ELF Eyelid Primer in Sheer. $1 awesomeness in a tube. This stuff is great for the price. It makes my eye makeup stay on and stay PUT. No creasing, smudging, moving....nothing. And, It's only a dollar. Go buy you some. I bought this at Target, but you can read more about it on ELF's website here.

Ladyburg whipped sugar scrub. This stuff is heaven in a tub. I use this EVERYDAY in the shower (after I use their handmade all natural soap, of course.) But really, this stuff makes my skin so soft and isn't too rough of an exfoliator on my skin. I hate feeling like i'm using sandpaper on my skin. This is my absolute favorite store on Fredericksburg, and its the only soap I use!! They make all of their stuff and have a great skin care line, too! Check them out ASAP, if you know what's good for you you. ;) You can check our their website here! OR, you can just buy a tub of this stuff right HERE! It's only $12.95 for 6 oz. 

Paul Mitchell Original Awapuhi Shampoo. The best Clarifying shampoo I have ever used. I soooo wish I would have found this years ago. I use a lot of product on my hair (leave-in, volumizer, mousse, hairspray...etc..) and this completely rids my hair of the yuckies. I use this 2 times a week and my other shampoo twice a week. This stuff is amazing. I totally recommend this if you are just looking for something to get the gunk off of your hair. I bought this at Ulta for like $10, but you can't view it on their website. So, if you want to learn more about it, check it out on Paul Mitchell's website here!

Alright, That's all for now. I hope this was semi-interesting... I always like reading these blog posts from my favorite bloggers. I always find them informative as well as entertaining. I hope you all felt the same way! :)

Ipsy ---- Subscribe to Ipsy!

Birchbox ---- Subscribe to Birchbox!!!

Beauty Box 5 ---- Subscribe to Beauty Box 5!