If you’re makeup-obsessed, you’ve definitely thought about signing up for a beauty box subscription. While there are many out there, Play! By Sephora and the Ipsy Glam Bag are two of the most popular ones. Here, we compare and contrast our experiences with both bags. Keep reading if you want to know which bag is best for you.
Play! By Sephora
Process of Subscribing: Subscribing to the Sephora Play Box can be either a challenge or a breeze, depending on what time of year you try to get it. I had no trouble subscribing in October, but I’ve been told that there is a long waiting list for this beauty box subscription around the holidays. Upon subscribing, you fill out a short quiz so Sephora has an idea of the products you would like to receive.
Ordering: $10 + .89 (tax) per month
Pros: The products are all high-end, non-drugstore brands. The quality of your products are assured. Also, Sephora understands that your beauty preferences change. That’s why you can retake the beauty quiz whenever you want, as many times as you want. Along with the 5 mini-products you receive based off of the quiz, you also get a perfume sample! You also receive a “Play Pass” with each subscription box. This is a card that you can redeem for an extra 50 Beauty Insider points. The more Beauty Insider points you have, the more rewards you can redeem from Sephora.
Cons: The products are very small. Some of the lipsticks I’ve received have only lasted me 4 or 5 applications, and that has upsetted some people. You also don’t receive individualized products like Ipsy subscribers do. Everything you receive is from one of five (or six, seven, eight, depending on the month) boxes. You also don’t find out what products you’re receiving until you get the box. I guess one pro out of all these cons is that you can always unsubscribe!
Final Thoughts: Overall, I think the Play! By Sephora box is totally worth it. There might be times where I don’t like a certain product, but that’s once in a blue moon. If I receive something I don’t like, I can easily trade it for something else with one of my other makeup-loving friends, or I can try it out and (hopefully) like it!
Ipsy
Process of Subscribing: Signing up for ipsy was pretty simple, you create a profile and go through picking what you want your bag to consist of. Apparently, there was a “waitlist” but once you make a post about Ipsy and send a message to a friend on either Twitter or Facebook then the waitlist is lifted. I think it is just a way of advertisement to get more people to join.
Ordering: $10 + .89 (tax) per month
Pro: With Ipsy, you can customize the type of products you want. In my first bag, they sent a foundation to which I didn’t use much because it wasn’t my shade, so I changed to not receiving foundations. You get a variety of products with each month. Personally, I enjoy finding drugstore dupes for the high-end. Ipsy allows you get products from both high-end stores and drugstores. It depends on your preference. Each month, a different makeup bag is sent with 5 products, some are full-size and others are mini-size.
Cons: I would love to get products like foundation or concealer but it’s hard when Ipsy has only a general idea of what shade you are. The foundations and concealers I got were either too dark or too light. Personally, the products that are sent are a hit or miss, that I either liked or didn’t like. When reviewing a product, you get points but there are no rewards for that. Unlike Sephora, where you get 50 points to add to your account each month.
Final Thoughts: Ipsy is great in that it allows you to customize your bag with what you want what you want, giving you a feel of both high-end and drugstore products. The bags each month super cute giving you the feel of that month.
Both of these boxes allow you to try different products, but these boxes also work in different ways. If you want more control over what you get every month, Ipsy is the way to go, especially since everyone gets a different glam bag every month. If you’re a regular Sephora customer, the Play! By Sephora box might be a better choice for you, especially with those extra 50 points a month. What box seems to catch your eye? Leave your choice in the comments below!