Birchbox vs. Sephora Play?

[Lizzie541]

Has anyone tried both? I currently have birchbox but I'm wondering if Sephora Play is better? Let me know what you think!

[Rina19]

I had Birchbox for a couple of months and it’s was $10 plus you can sign up for a 3 month, 6 month, and a year subscription and save money. It had natural and new brands that were good but mostly unheard of. They did include a full size item once every 3 months maybe...and some deluxe sample sizes often. But their app is boring and there isn’t much to do on there. I switched to Play just to try it because I was on the waiting list for a while and signed up when I got it and I won’t bother with any other box. You definitely get more for your money and the added perfume sample is a plus! The brands are well known and they send you everything you saw at the store and wanted to try but didn’t want to spend the money on so now you can try it and decide if it’s worth purchasing the full size. The app is great too because there’s a lot to do here! I’d definitely go with Sephora Play!

[nanafantastic]

I’ve tried Birchbox, Ipsy, Allure, and Sephora. The Allure is $15/mo., the others are all $10/mo. I ditched Ipsy - who needs all those silly cosmetic bags? People are selling them on Mercari and eBay. I like Birchbox for the “boutique” feel and box sample choices, as well as curated boxes for men. The actual boxes are pretty enough to hang as art, in a mixed-media display. Allure is terrific, and sometimes a full-size will pop up in there. But my favorite has always been Sephora. The extra 50 points are a sweet bonus. I love Sephora all the way around and will be forever loyal! ❤️

[Anonymous]

I had both Ipsy and Birchbox then ditched them both. Ipsy just felt cheap, like I could buy the same stuff at the dollar store. Birchbox didn’t ever seem to have stuff I’d use. Play boxes have more stuff, different styles of products I love, and better quality items.

[amyleigh515208]

I had Birchbox and Ipsy for about a year before subscribing to Play! I was getting really bored with Birchbox....kept getting the SAME products over and over and what I was getting I wasn't in love with. I kept hoping it would change but it didnt and after I got my first Play! box I cancelled my Birchbox subscription. I'm still getting Ipsy but will probably be cancelling soon. I've been on the waitlist for Boxycharm since the beginning of October.....and ALMOST got off it. But I lost my wallet and had to order replacement cards and forgot to update the payment method on the Boxy charm site....got an email from them that said "you're time on the waitlist is up but since we couldn't process your payment you will be reapplied to the waitlist after updating your payment info" I updated the the second I got the email...but now I'm back on the waitlist...AND it's as of the day I updated my payment info. There's no customer service number to call them at which really sucks. I just subscribed to Allure's Beauty Box in October...$10 for the first month 5 decent size samples and a free full size Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush as a sign up Bonus.

[GlamShannon]

if your looking for a good full sized products box Tribe Beauty Box is launching there first box this month ships on the 10th you get 5/6 full sized products. This one is coming with the Tarte shading/contouring palette. no waitlist its a few bucks more then boxy but i think its gonna be good 3 of the products they previewed are tarte too faced and stilla. you should check it out. Tribe Beauty Box they have IG and website.

[niff11]

I did Birchbox for a year. It was fun because it was "new" but I wasn't crazy about the brands, and most of them if you did like, could only be found on the Birchbox website. Sephora you get the points every month for having the subscription, plus a 50bonus point that can be used on ANYTHING you buy. With Birchbox you only got points for buying the full size of that months sample (or when I was a member that was the deal). The samples too I find are much better with Sephora. What I love is some of the samples I get are items I use now, it's awesome to have a travel size for the gym and vacas. I will say and this is my problem with the boxes in general, I have SO many samples that I haven't got to trying and just sit in a jar. If they had a "pause" button that would be ideal. Overall, you should give it a shot, I don't think there is any commitment to Sephora and Birchbox you can do a 3 month to see if you like it.

[Penaz]

I’ve had Birchbox since 2013 and Sephora since 2016. I can definitely say Sephora has really good well known products, not to forget the play pass you get every month. Birchbox on the other hand has a mix of newer products and some best sellers that keep coming in the boxes (mascaras for example). On the whole I like both, but if you had to choose, I’d choose Sephora.

[RebeccaP43]

I had Birchbox for 3 or 4 months last year. I was continuously disappointed with the items they sent and ended up cancelling. I’ve had play for all of 2017 and even though a few months kind of sucked, i feel like better things have been sent in the last few months and I’ve been happy. I’d been contemplating cancelling play in early summer but Sephora stepped up their game.

[lindzer02]

I have all those boxes, Ipsy, birchbox, beauty fix etc but my FAVORITE one is boxycharm! You get 5 full sized products, $24 I believe a month but always well worth the price.

[megs2010]

I've had 3 months of birchbox and ipsy. I just cancelled both. I hated everything in them. stuff I'm never gonna use n I feel like they didn't listen to the surveys they make u take. I'm on the waitlist for the regular box for boxy charm....and have been since beginning of October which is slightly depressing. idk about glossy box. any one get it n like it??

[VickyG84]

Ikr I️ don’t understand why Play has so many complaints. I️ honestly checked off everything as gar as what I like and my skin type. My box is always really nice. Sephora is by far my fave and for only eleven bucks it’s a win.

[mrsbiz]

I am a subscription box junkie. I subscribe to Ipsy, Sephora play, boxycharm and Birchbox. Sephora play is my favorite of the $10 boxes. Ipsy is my second favorite $10 box and Birchbox is by far my least favorite.... I am continuously underwhelmed compared to my other boxes. Boxycharm is a $20 box it's freaking awesome I love it but I don't hold it in the same category as the others since it's double the price obviously it's going to be better. I like Sephora cuz I get all high-end products that they carry in Sephora . With Ipsy there's a lot of Indie brands but you usually get one or two brands you recognize and most months a full size makeup brush as well, which makes the $10 well worth it for me. with Birchbox it seems to be all indie brands and maybe one or two items that I'm okay with that help me justify the $10 I spent. if I had to cancel all but two it would be ipsy and Sephora I kept. I feel like 20 bucks is well worth it for what I get in the both of them. Also I will say there have been months I haven't cared for much of anything in my Ipsy box but most months Sephora knocks it out of the water. also with the Sephora box you get a card that gives you 50 bonus points on every purchase you make that month which in turn helps you buy more samples when you spend your points so that's a bonus.

[Anonymous]

Check out glossy box or boxycharm

[AnnaIsa]

Sephora play much better than Birchbox. I cancel my subscription with Birchbox because sent empty samples and all they give you its points .

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t do birchbox. I was continuously disappointed in their selection, and I cancelled right away. Sephora, boxycharm, and Ipsy is what I have

[soniamm]

sephora play

[Isisny801]

Birchbox is is the only box I canceled. Sephora is much better. The allure box is good too.

[Jannerdy]

I currently have ipsy, birchbox and Sephora and so far my favorite products are coming from birchbox and I’m only on my second box. Sephora has more variety that’s worth it (high end) and ipsy is fun for make up rookies, I think. You get a variety but it can range from drugstore to midrange. Whenever there’s a high end product, it might be shown all over social media but it hardly makes it to your bag. But they’re supposedly working on it. I started Sephora at the end of October and was so sad when I didn’t get that bag cause that was the reason i started. But already it’s an improvement from what I’ve been getting with ipsy. And, the hardest (best) part is choosing which to keep since they all cost the same. (This was way longer than I was meaning it to be, sorry)

[bluesadett]

Yes is is better.

[wonderhopey]

I have tried every possible subscription box and I got rid of my birchbox. it isn't nearly as good as sephora play, you get 5 samples PLUS a fragrance and they are always Felix size to try a few times. ipsy is also good but I like that sephora play is items I can come and try again in store at sephora.

[Anonymous]

I agree. Plus Ipsy sent items I can get at the drugstore. I want items that I haven't necessarily heard of to try. Not something I can purchase at the grocery store.