Battle of the August Boxes – Birchbox vs MyGlam

Battle of the August Boxes – Birchbox vs MyGlam

I have had my Birchbox subscription now for well over a year.  While some months have been “YAY” I’m finding that for the past 6 months they’ve been more “Meh”.  I decided to venture out and try a new monthly subscription box to see if there was anything better.  I didn’t want to pay over the $10 per month if possible, and I was going to hold onto Birchbox until I found a suitable replacement.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do still enjoy Birchbox, but when I signed up in (I think?) March of 2011, I agreed to pay $10 per month for a box of Deluxe Samples and 1 full sized item in each box.  Over time, those deluxe samples dwindled down to regular samples that get thrown into my bag everytime I shop in places like Sephora, and the guaranteed full sized item seemed to become a chance to get or something silly (to me) like a multigrain bar or a funky hair tie.  A Multigrain Bar?  I can keep my $10 bucks and buy a handful of them.  Also, I should say I don’t really trust food in the mail.  I don’t know why, I just don’t.

So I searched and found MyGlam.  Like Birchbox, it is $10 per month, and the items in previous months I researched looked decent.  On top of that, the samples looked to be Deluxe sized as well.  MyGlam also sends goodies in a cosmetic bag which didn’t really “sell” me since I don’t use them much.  If I’m traveling I need a case to fit my cosmetics, not a bag.  And I rarely keep cosmetics in my purse.  BUT if you love makeup bags – you might like this.

Ok onto the boxes!  These are both the August boxes I received.

Birchbox:

My August Birchbox was just ok.  Honestly if the Schick Hydro Silk Razor wasn’t in there, I would have been disappointed.  There was also a deluxe sample of Whish Shave Cream in Pomegranate, Viva La Juicy La Fleur perfume sample , Yu-Be Moisturizing skin cream and Stila Stay All Day Foundation samples.

Now the breakdown and my thoughts.

Schick Hydro Silk Razor – The star of the box.  I was due for a new razor so this came just in time.  I get a pretty close shave with this baby and so far no nicks or razor burn.  Not too bad!

Whish Shave Cream in Pomegranate – This didn’t smell like pomegranate to me, it actually smelled like a two buck chuck fruity wine.  Not a bad sample size either!  I’ve gotten 2 uses out of it so far and can probably get another 2 before it’s empty.  On the Birchbox site, it’s only $20 for a full size and if I order this month I get free shipping too.  I would consider it.

Viva La Juicy La Fleur Perfume Sample – I like the scent of this more than the original Viva La Juicy perfume.  Would I buy it in full size?  Probably not BUT I do love perfume samples and have a ton of them in a container here.  Never enough perfume samples.

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream – This worked really well on my cuticles.  It looks and feels like a creamier vaseline, but once you rub it in, it doesn’t leave a greasy residue behind.  It can be used on dry skin, cuticles, chapped lips, Eczema or Sunburns.  I won’t repurchase, but this is nice to keep in my purse for cuticle rescue.

Stila Stay All Day Foundation Sample – This came with a Stay all Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm sample, Foundation in Light and Concealer in Light.  I got 1 use out of it and it was just ok.  It didn’t break me out (plus) but the 1 use didn’t sell me on purchasing this in a full size.

MyGlam:

My August MyGlam bag was pretty good.  I received a full size Circus Nail Polish, Salty Cosmetics Mineral eyeshadow, Eclos eye cream and face serum, Demeter roll on Perfume and a MyGlam Glam Gloss (and of course the pink mesh like cosmetic bag under the products in the photo).

Circus Nail Polish in Ringmaster (Full Size) – Very cute.  This is a hot pink neon polish in a chunky square full sized bottle.  Application was pretty good on it and I felt like I could direct traffic at night with my neon talons.

Demeter Roll On Perfume Oil in Dragon Fruit – I LOVE perfume.  Love it.  I stuck this bad boy in my purse too.  The bottle is .29 fl oz total and is actually pretty good!  Very usable for me and the scent is Dragon Fruit.  It has a nice Fruity scent with a little bit of a spicy kick to it.

Salty Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow in Glama-Zoid! – I have a ton of mineral eye makeup but this is a really pretty opal color with a pale pink duochrome look to it.  I haven’t worn this one yet, but I thought it was nice to get.  I’ve never heard of Salty Cosmetics, so its a new brand to check out!

Eclos Anti Aging Regenerative Cream – Basically a face cream, but for a bulky round container, I was expecting more to be in it.  The container wasn’t even half full, only 1/4 – 1/3 of the way full.  I tested it and it felt nice, soaked into my skin with a non greasy feel.  Wasn’t keen on the scent.  If a licorice plant and a mint plant had a baby – this would be it.  That’s what it smelled like to me.  I can deal with it, but it would stop me from purchasing a full size.

Eclos Anti Aging Cellular Activator Face Serum –  I like that they paired 2 items from the same skin care line in the bag.  When I get various skin care samples from different companies in one bag I can’t use them right away.  I test the separately in case I break out, I can narrow down the culprit.  The Face Serum came in a cute little pump tube. The smell reminds me of sunscreen.  I asked my boyfriend what he thought it smelled like and he said sunscreen as well, but he also said “Either way, it doesn’t smell good”.

MyGlam Glam Gloss in 02 – That’s right, no name, just 02.  This is a REALLY pretty lipgloss.  It’s right in between being sheer and being opaque.  Glam Gloss 02 is a Shimmery bright pink and is kind of sticky.  It’s tolerable, but still sticky.  It has a fruity scent and a flexible doe foot applicator.  The tube itself is really cute.

The Cosmetic Bag – You know those none slip grip drawer liners?  The bag feels like a sturdier version of those liners.  Kinda funky, but I really like it.  Mine came is orange with a pink zipper.  Not too bad.

Overall – Birchbox had a decent box, but MyGlam’s was just better.  I plan on keeping both subscriptions going for at least 2-3 months longer and decide from there if I need to cut either Birchbox or MyGlam.  If MyGlam keeps it up, Birchbox will be shown the door.  The MyGlam Bag this month was probably better than 80% of the Birchboxes I’ve received and at this point, I just have to see if it was a fluke or if MyGlam continues to impress me.  My main issue with letting Birchbox go is that they have a program on their site that for every item in your monthly box that you give feedback for, you get 10 BB points and for every 100 points, thats a $10.00 voucher.  I’m up to almost $60.00 in vouchers.  I would tell you if MyGlam was similar, but their Website has been down for a couple of hours now (which worries me a bit, I won’t lie)

If I HAD to pick one RIGHT NOW based on these boxes – MyGlam would be the keeper, hands down.

Both Subscription Boxes retail for $10.00 per month.  I know that MyGlam has a waiting list (I think I only waited 3 weeks). I honestly don’t know if Birchbox does or not.  Thank you to Peace, Love and Glitter – I have learned that Birchbox has a waiting list as well!

***Both boxes in this post were paid for by me.  All opinions are my own***