Hello, loves!
Welcome to my Beauty Subscription Round-Up! One of my favorite things to see when I get home, other than my lovely fur babies, is a package at my front door! It’s a dangerous habit, I know, but there’s something that feels like Christmas, opening up a little gift just for me. This is one of the many reasons I started receiving the beauty subscriptions Julep, Ipsy and Birchbox.
For all services, you fill out a survey, providing them with your coloring, skintone, product preferences, etc. I usually say that I’m open to any kind of products, like perfume, highlighters, whatever they want to throw at me! Overall, I would say that Ipsy is more makeup-focused, and occasionally lower-end brands (NYX), while Birchbox offers an even mix of hair, skin, and color and is focused on more higher-end brands (the ones that they sell in their shop). Julep is a completely different animal, as all of the items in their sets are Julep brand. Their bread and butter is nail polish, and most of their recommended sets include at least one polish.
What really distinguishes these services is your level of involvement in what you’ll receive. Ipsy is a complete mystery each month. You can take a sneak peak at the preview email, highlighting what’s already been sent out, chosen for you based on your preferences, but at that point I just wait to see what arrives. With Birchbox, you can either choose a pre-selected themed box, one standout item (a lipstick, or hair serum, for instance), to add to 4 random samples, or let them pick out everything for you. I usually go with one of the curated boxes if it appeals to me, because I’m more comfortable knowing what I’ll be getting. Julep, on the other hand, shows you a few products in a collection that they’ve picked out based on your coloring, but let’s you swap out anything you don’t like, and choose from polishes, eyeliners, cream blush sticks and more to create your ideal set.
Now, let’s talk pricing!
Ipsy is $10 plus tax (free shipping) a month. Something to note about Ipsy is that they also include a themed makeup bag to house all of your samples. They’re usually really cute, although a little small to use as my everyday pouch. I’ll frequently use them for travel and have one for feminine products, hair styling aids, and lipgloss. Here’s what I’ve received over the last 6 months from Ipsy:

A lot of makeup, some drugstore brands, mid-level brands, and those cute bags! Just a couple of skin and haircare products, but all told, definitely worth $65 for all of that loot!

Next up is Birchbox! I pay for BB yearly, to save a bit of money. Monthly, it’s $10; yearly, it’s $110, but they’re currently running a special for $99 with code “BESTYEAR99” If you use my link, you’ll get 50% off your first single box, making it only $5! I also keep the boxes from my sets if they have a pretty pattern on them, because I use them for storage. I love the collabs they do with brands like Rifle Paper, because they make the boxes seem collectable and they’re actually pretty sturdy. Here’s my past 6 months with Birchbox:

A delightfully balanced mix of skincare, hair care and styling products, and cosmetics. I’ve found some of my holy grail skincare items through these boxes, and love having the travel-size approved hair items for whenever I fly. Another thing I love about Birchbox, is that they give you 10 Birchbox points (equal to one dollar to spend in their store), for every sample you review. That’s $5 each month that can go towards buying a full-sized product!

Last, but not least, is Julep! A single-month is $24.99 or you can prepay 3 months for $19.99 a month (my choice). You can use code “WITHLOVE” for your first box free, when signing up for a subscription. I’ve been a subscriber of Julep only for about 9 months, but in that time have amassed roughly 60 polishes. One of the downfalls of Julep is that they offer up extra items with every box, and I’m just a sucker for them! I wish I had more willpower in that respect, because I often end up adding on a bunch more items that I honestly could have done without. The quality of the polishes, lipsticks, and skincare items that I’ve tried has all been very good. That being said, I’m not one to spend $14 on nail polish (their estimated retail price), to begin with, so I sometimes feel that their values are a bit off, compared to what you get. Three polishes for $20 seems like a break-even for me, not a steal, so I will always swap out for a lip product or skincare item, if those options are available. No cute bags or boxes to be had with this choice. To see a roundup of my recent Julep boxes, check out my post here.

All in all, I’d rate the services 1) Birchbox, 2) Ipsy and 3) Julep. I may actually consider cancelling Julep soon, because a girl can only have so many nail polishes! I love the variety I get from Birchbox and the fun makeup I get to try out from Ipsy.

I’ve also tried the Allure Beauty Box, which was sent to me complimentary to try out and I thought it was a great value for the normal price. Jouer also had a seasonal offering of beauty and skincare items that I tried for two boxes, but half of the products were either broken or rancid and their customer service was SO lacking at getting to any kind of a solution. Not sure if they offer this anymore, which I’m not mad at, because it was awful.

I hope this comprehensive review has been helpful, if you were considering any of these plans! If you have any that you’ve tried and think I would enjoy, I’d love to hear about them!

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