@Codette - I think my rub with doing it 'for free' is that I've gone onto many websites where they promise you free stuff you just have to answer a bunch of questions, only to be lead down a dead end because they're wanting information I don't wish to provide, say I'm not eligible, or that they are all out of free samples. It's a much more competitive, and time consuming process to try to get totally free stuff. You have to pretty much be active and know where to look. I have friends who do that kind of thing, and also do the 'get paid to do quizzes' stuff...honestly a lot of it is more work than I really wish to expend. I have tried, for what it's worth.
With the subscription boxes it does cost, but I'm guaranteed to get something each month and the surveys are very minimal. In fact there isn't the need to fill out the Ipsy surveys but they do tailor your bags to your tastes if you do.
I love the idea of subscription boxes, but that's what they're relying upon, isn't it? If I had some expendable income I think it's something I'd go for, even though I don't bother wearing make up >< That says all there is to say really, doesn't it? I'd love to get a box of goodies to open and ooh and aah over each month, despite the fact that I'd put most of it away in a drawer and never use it.
I'm probably just as bad about it too, Jelly, as I don't wear makeup everyday and honestly I only really leave the house twice a week, since I work from home. That being said I have really enjoyed having something to look forward to in the mail on a monthly basis. I've also loved the fact that a lot of them are smaller travel sizes or sample sizes so I can mix it up and enjoy different formulas of mascara. I'm a horrible one when it comes to beauty products/hair care products to open something up and use half of it only to get bored of it and buy something new to mix things up. This keeps me from doing that. I have a mild case of ADD or something. Oh shiny.
I'm still finding I can't help myself when it comes to nail polish, and I've picked up the odd bottle every couple of weeks. Other than that I've been pretty good. O:)
I go on splurges buying polish on Ebay, especially blue shades. I've been very good lately with not buying any, but that probably means another spend is drawing closer
Well nail polish is something that never really goes bad. If it gets lumpy, you just put a small dab of remover in the bottle and shake it up. And you can never have too many bottles of nail polish. Too many shoes and purses, sure...nail polish...never!
Hey now...I'm just helping to justify your purchases. There's endless combinations of colors, sparkle, matte and so forth and so on that I think it is near impossible to ever have too many.
So earlier in this thread I went ahead and signed up for the waiting list for Ipsy (still not heard back from them yet) and then Birchbox about a week later. Just got "in" - should be getting my first Birchbox soon! Excitement!
I did fill out the little beauty questionnaire but I don't know how helpful my answers will be in filling the box, since I basically just chose stuff like "I'm a noob" and "anything's fine I guess." Lol. Will be interesting to compare how our boxes differ, Izumi. :)
I'm super excited to see how our boxes compare, Belly! :3 I think I picked the middle option. I'm not quite a noob, but I wouldn't dare call myself an 'expert'. ;)
I also was fairly generous on types of makeup styles I like. The only one I remember not picking was the 'classic' look as I am not big on red lipstick at all. Other than that I would more than happily give something a go. :3
I've considered birchbox in the past, but always ended up not getting a subscription because I only really use a few kinds of makeup/beauty products, so I'd probably end up getting a bunch of stuff that I'd never use. I think I prefer to go on sephora and pick out what I want myself. On the other hand, when I buy full sized products, I often end up getting bored of them before I can use them up, and then I end up with too many products that I can't finish, so maybe getting samples would be better. If it were possible to specifically say which types of products I do and don't want samples of, I'd probably do it.
I think this setup is perfect for me because I'm at the "I've never really worn makeup and I'd love to experiment but trying to shop for cosmetics without knowing squat freaks me out" stage. Anything I don't use I can pass off to a nearby teenager. :)
Please keep in mind that both bags can vary and even if you do peek you may not get exactly what is there. But you can get an idea of what to expect. Once they ship, typically they'll update the website with your glam room (ipsy) showing your products and birchbox boxes area showing the products there. Neither tell you what shade you're getting, so you still get a surprise there. ^__^
And if you reeeeeally want to be surprised you can just stay off of the spoilers and websites and be patient...but where's the fun in that?
SPOILERX
I'm really hoping I get the nail polish in Ipsy's bag. Everything looks super awesome though! (other than maybe the lip liner -- I've never used one before, and I'm not sure if I want to. I will if I get it though.) Birchbox...Super awesome they're doing a new 'find' item. This month it's the chapstick primer. I'm excited to try that. Also theBalms Staniac and the Pop Lipgloss they show look really fun. I'm crossing my fingers. Can't wait to see what I got. I will probably peak at my website as soon as it updates.
My niece just signed up for her Ipsy box yesterday! I'm really excited to see what comes in it. I'm useless when it comes to make up (I stab myself in the eye with mascara wands), but she's going to cosmetology school so it will be useful to her. One of these days I really want to learn myself without becoming a danger to myself. Being nearly blind and using makeup usually doesn't work out well.
Ohhh cool!! :3 It will be fun to see what she gets as well. Ipsy is trying to be a little more diverse, kind of like Birchbox, so that they can have a little bit more of a surprise element I'm assuming and also so they can better tailor their bags to your tastes. Once they add the items to your glam room, you'll have a month to pop in there and rate what you've got. They apparently have a more complex system to weed out the stuff you don't want.
I'm really hoping Birchbox rolls something out similar. It hasn't been bad for me other than the tanning wipes, but it would be nice to have a system to really tailor your boxes a bit better as they seem to be more diverse than Ipsy.
I got a confirmation email for both this Friday too!!! \o/ I'm soooo excited. I was naughty, and peeked on both. I was surprised as to both of them were similar in a way. I can spoil it if anyone is curious, or wait till it gets here and take pictures. Either way, Birchbox should definitely be here Monday and Ipsy should be following either same day or by Wednesday for sure.
I'm still on the waitlist for Ipsy. It's funny because when I checked them both out I didn't think I would ever get an email from Birchbox, meanwhile on Ipsy I was able to sign up and everything. And then lo and behold, got an email (actually two because I missed the deadline from the first one) from Birchbox. Signed up, filled everything out, wait for box. No progress on Ipsy. I saw some of what Ipsy has, but nothing about Birchbox. So, it'll be a nice surprise when it gets here.
Ipsy took longer than Birchbox. I signed up for both within the same day and Birchbox I got that same month (as long as you sign up by mid month you will typically get in at Birchbox), but Ipsy I ended up missing that month and getting Augusts. I was a bit bummed as I saw what July's items were and was in love with the eye shadow trio and the pink clear bag that was in it. The other items looked really awesome as well...but those were definitely my two favorite parts.
Ipsy also kind of weirded me out as they wanted to take all my payment info before they even secured a spot on the waitlist...If it didn't have the credibility I knew it had I may have questioned the legitimacy, but I'm getting my third bag this month and so far everything has gone really smoothly. I know some individuals were having trouble with their shipping partner taking absurd amount of time to deliver, but I think that's the only major issue I've seen. I think they're trying to use DSL to cut down costs, so they route it in strange ways in order to achieve that.
Ipsy also kind of weirded me out as they wanted to take all my payment info before they even secured a spot on the waitlist...If it didn't have the credibility I knew it had I may have questioned the legitimacy,
Oh yeah! That was strange, but it is good they have the credibility to back it up. Once you get an Ipsy box, is it generally easier to get the next one?
Oh yeah! That was strange, but it is good they have the credibility to back it up. Once you get an Ipsy box, is it generally easier to get the next one?
With Ipsy, once you're on their subscription it's automatic billing. Both subscriptions debit your card on the 1st of the month, and then they will automatically send out the items each month. If you decide you wish to cancel, do it before the 1st so they can cancel you immediately, otherwise your cancellation will take effect the next month.
Both boxes are on automatic renewal... so if you find you're not happy with your subscription do make sure that you go on their website to cancel the autorenewal.
The other thing too is to keep in mind Birchbox has it's own shop, and it will periodically throughout the year do 'limited edition' boxes. I personally am cribbing my points waiting for a box with really good value to come out, and then use my points to get it next to nothing or free. I mean you technically paid for it in your $10 subscription, but you accumulate points for referring people and filling out surveys. :)
I can link one of the previous special edition boxes I got if you're curious...or you can also search on google to see what types they've done. :)
If you search "Birchbox Limited Edition" you can also see they've done previous ones with a wedding theme, a home theme, a valentines box...I don't know when they were officially released, and they're first come first serve. The $12 box (Mass Appeal) I actually got for $2. I had $10 in credit, and a code for free shipping. :DD
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I actually received my Birchbox on Saturday, but didn't realize I had until this afternoon. I had checked the mailbox around 3:30 that afternoon and hadn't gotten anything. Typically the mail is delivered by then. It wasn't until I was on break that I checked my email and saw that the USPS marked it as delivered. It was a wonderful surprise!
I must say I'm pretty happy with my Birchbox that I got. I don't know if you guys want me to share now with you? I could whip up some pictures here and let you know what I think so far. I've used 4 out of 5 of the products once today at least. (Been hitting one up a couple times now, and while I'm not blown away by it...and you'll understand once I 'reveal' it...it isn't bad. :3)
I don't know if you guys want to wait until you get yours? I guess I could post my pictures/descriptions in spoilers though if that's the case. I'll probably wait until either tomorrow morning or evening though to get everything together.
This is what I got from Birchbox. So far I've used everything at least once, and for Birchbox this has been decent. The Chapstick is some new 'hydration lock' Chapstick. That's the one item I was kind of not over the moon about getting but I know it will still get used...especially with winter around the corner. I would of preferred something higher end or a brand I hadn't heard.
The shampoo and conditioner have a very unique smell. A vanilla-y/caramel smell. First impression I like it. It made my hair super soft and shiny. I will definitely get a few more shampoos out of these bottles and I think with more prolonged use decide if it is something I would want to get full sized. (For now it's more fun to trial stuff. :D)
The Evologie cream was really creamy feeling and goes on after washing my face as a moisturizer. It's suppose to minimize breakouts. I'm curious if I see any improvement as I have been having patchy skin. I am always for trying another skin product.
The only real dud is the Staniac. I want to give it a go as it's a very interesting makeup item. It reminds me a lot of Benefits benetint. It's supposedly good for cheeks and lips. My shade is in beauty queen. A very deep, dark red. I didn't see much in the way of tint when I tried it on my lips. I'll try it on the cheeks and see if maybe it looks nicer there. In all honesty, though, when you have rosacea you don't really want that flushed look...you want the opposite.
If you search "Birchbox Limited Edition" you can also see they've done previous ones with a wedding theme, a home theme, a valentines box...I don't know when they were officially released, and they're first come first serve. The $12 box (Mass Appeal) I actually got for $2. I had $10 in credit, and a code for free shipping. :DD
Ooh, very cool! I'll have to keep an eye out now.
Interesting stuff in the box too. I'm interested in the Evologie cream. P:
Exciting!
Once you get an Ipsy box, is it generally easier to get the next one?
