audrey fong fong

Two of the biggest monthly makeup delivery boxes are Ipsy's Glam Bag and Play! by Sephora. Pictured are their July makeup bags (Top: Ipsy, Bottom: Sephora). For $10 each, they're both great deals. However, I prefer Ipsy's Glam Bag for its makeup focused curation while Sephora's was more skincare/hair care focused. I don't do much for my skin and hair other than what my dermatologist recommends, so I found that a lot of Sephora's products I wouldn't use in the first place. Additionally, Sephora's bag came with only sample sizes while Ipsy's did come with some full-size product. One big thing going for Ipsy is that when you sign up, you list out all your preferences for colors that you would wear. Sephora didn't so the one lipstick they sent me is a color I would never wear.

Overall, if you're trying to choose a box, I would sit down and consider what I wanted out of a box. Ipsy is more fun fashion with cutesy, personalized makeup bags and offers makeup from drugstore to high end. Sephora is more professional and only offers brands that they themselves carry. Additionally, Sephora sends out six beauty items, while Ipsy only sends out five. One thing that I love about Ipsy is that they consistently feature WOC and men in their makeup, while Sephora has mostly been white women (and the men have mostly stuck to skincare).