9.18.2015

ipsy vs. Birchbox, August '15

Happy beauty day on perfectly Priya! Every month, I review my ipsy and Birchbox subscriptions from last month, while I'm slowly becoming a beauty person. 

*This series originally started as I was trying to pick between the two subscriptions. Though I don't have any immediate plans to cancel either, I really need to! I'm just not sold on which one is better for me. The struggle is real. Check out the whole series right here:  July // June // May // April // March // February // January // December // November

Now it's time to move. That. BUS! (any Extreme Makeover: Home Edition fans out there? Anywhere??)
ipsy (left to right)
Marc Anthony Argan Oil Treatment- After a Summer spent in lakes, pools, rivers, etc, my ombre ends were looking a little ragged, so I was excited to try this out! I'm hesitant to use any hair products at all, but especially oil, because it seems counter-intuitive? I've tried this a few times on just the ends of my hair, straight out of the shower, and I have to say, I have noticed a difference! My only complaint is that it's pretty messy to use. 
Marsk shadow brush- I'm not jazzed about brushes, for the most part, because I can't tell one from the other. I have a shadow brush I use daily, this one is a bit bigger, and worked just as well. Meh.
Pencil Me In eyeliner in Boysenberry- I've been using purple eyeliner (on special occassions) since high school, so it's not that I'm against colored liner. This color is just too RED to look normal and pretty as an eyeliner. I tried it, and it was super weird. Who invented this? PASS.
Skone Cosmetics eye/lip pencil in Wine- This was even worse as an eyeliner. I don't see why they had to make it a multipurpose pen. I tried it as an eyeliner, looked like a demon, (while the boysenberry above is reddish-purple, this one is straight up red); then tried it as a lipliner, it was great. Lip liner actually does make your lipstick stay put all day, and not bleed all over your face. So this pencil wasn't a total loss.
*Hikari lipgloss in Merlot*- The lip color always wins, doesn't it? This gloss is shiny, goes on smoothly, and has a great darker red shade. I was happy to recieve this! 

*Favorite of the month!* Lip color is usually my favorite anyway, but especially this month, when my ipsy was all around pretty bad. This is the perfect shade for Fall (yes, I said it!)

I love Houndstooth! But I hated this bag! Something about the pink + houndstooth combo makes it look cheap instead of classy. Plus it looks like it's made out of duct tape. I hid threw this in my gym bag.
IMG_4940
Birchbox (left to right)
IPKN Primer- Primer is something I don't normally use. This stuff is pretty because it has a shimmer to it, but definitely a little too shimmery to use all over (learned that the hard way.) I can't say I noticed a great benefit to using this.
Air Repair Moisturizer- I don't have much to say about this! I took this on my trip to Charleston, the sample size is nice because it's tiny, but otherwise, just another face cream!
*Balance Me Skin Serum*- This stuff actually works! I've used this a few times on blemishes (everybody has them) at night before bed, and woken up with the blemish being significantly less noticeable (especially with redness.) I would recommend this and actually buy this! 
LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip in Cray-Cray- Having gone through TWO of these LAQA & Co. lip crayons, I was pumped to get this one. Something about the consistency of this one (it's for lips + cheeks so it's slightly different) makes it not as great. While the "lip lube" is more sheer/glossy, this is more pigmented and ends up looking pretty flaky on lips after a few hours. Bummer! 
RUSK Mousse- I used mousse in high school just like everybody else. Like I say every month, I don't like using hair products hardly at all, because I wash my hair about once a week and can't risk putting something gross in it. I had a great opp to use this when I went from lake --> downtown and had to work with wet hair. This definitely made a difference, in terms of frizz and texture. By the second day, any crunchy residue had nicely marinated into my hair. Recommend if you need/use mousse!

*Favorite of the month!* I get a lot of skin products that I'm meh about, but this stuff is measurably effective. This is also something that I need consistently on and off. Glad I got this!

I haven't gotten a plain brown Birchbox for maybe a year, but this one is THE absolute cutest! What an adorable idea for Summer. Loved it!

And my Birchbox is the winner winner chicken dinner after a thoroughly disappointing ipsy last month. ipsy has dominated most months since I started this series, but it seems like Birchbox's quality is really stepping up to bat lately. 


A few products that have stepped into the spotlight in today's "Where Are They Now?"
- I finally used this Coolway Salt Spray after curling my hair, and boy did it add volume + texture + tangles for dayz.
- I threw away this empty Oribe Beach Wave Spray this morning! Would absolutely purchase this.
- Loved using this Coola SPF 50 all Summer long. It smells great, works for my face, and hurts when you get it in your eyes.
- My Cargo Swimmables Blush is on an everyday rotation. I can't say it's waterproof, but I love the coral shade.
- Throwing it way back, this Skone eyeliner pen is my go-to for a cat eye. If you're not using a "felt tip" liner, you need to be! 


How'd you fair with ipsy, Birchbox, or any other subscription service this past month? Any of the above mentioned products strike a chord with you?

If you are interested in signing up for ipsy OR Birchbox (or both ;) for $10/month, you can find my referral links here: ipsy // Birchbox. View this entire series here
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3 comments

Lauren @ Exploring My Style said...

I'm glad you go back and talk about the products you still use and later buy. I have a bunch of random samples I'm trying to keep in sight so I'll use them! I'm super low maintenance with products so I don't think to try those extra things!

Sara Strauss {Sincerely, Sara} said...

I officially need to get that Balance Me Skin Serum because adult acne ain't no fun!! Be gone, acne!

On an unrelated note, I keep forgetting to send you a snail mail letter! I need to get one that!
~Sara

Priya said...

Keeping things in sight is essential for using them- I have products stuffed EVERYWHERE.

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