Ipsy vs Birchbox-March

This is the third month of receiving the beauty subscription boxes/bags. When I signed up I knew that this was the month I would make my decision on whether to continue my subscriptions or cancel one or both of them.

This month Ipsy's theme is The Great Escape.
What I got in my Ipsy bag-
Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist(1oz) I think this stuff smells so bad I can't even try it on my face. Which is disappointing because this was the item I was most excited about. I dumped out the mist and I'm keeping the bottle for traveling. The only good thing about this in my opinion was that it is a really nice size for being a sample.
Glam Rx Freestyle Mini Palette-This is the only thing in my bag this month I ended up liking. I'm excited to put shadows in this when I travel or to keep in my purse.
Yaby Eyeshadows in Azalea Petal and Seashell-These are both really similar to MAC shadows I already have in Star Violet and Shroom. I hoped they could be good dupes that were travel size, but only one of them was.  The Azalea Petal looks like it would be pigmented but it does not show up at all on me. I might repurpose this color and turn it into nail polish. The Seashell is a really pale with a slight shimmer so it makes a good highlight color. I will use this one.
LA Fresh Makeup Remover Wipes(8 wipes)-They smell like baby wipes which I'm not a fan of, but they remove makeup so they do their job. I will keep these around for back up when I run out of the ones I have, but I would not purchase these.
This is the first month this year where there has been a printed bag. It's a super cute nautical theme and I am obsessed with navy blue right now so I loved it.

This months theme for Birchbox is March Madness.
What I got in my Birchbox-
Whish Shave Crave Shave Cream in Blueberry(.75oz) This smells just like blueberries and it's really creamy. It worked ok, I will keep  this one around for travel.
Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Sulfate Free Color Saver Shampoo (2oz) First thing I noticed was that it smells really good. It got my hair clean but I haven't been using it long enough to really be able to say if it's color saving. I will be using up the rest of this sample.
MAKE Matte Eyeshadow in Burnt Umber (.03oz) It's really pigmented and feels super soft. It is a really dark matte brown so it will also make a great color for eye liner.
MAKE Face Primer SPF 30 (.18oz) Again a really small sample. Since it's a face primer you don't need much so I actually tried it out. Since it has an SPF it ended up feeling really greasy on my skin. I plan on keeping this in my purse in the summer as emergency sunscreen for my face.
Madewell for Birchbox Emery Board-This was the beauty extra this month that came in all the boxes. I can always use a new nail file so I am happy with it.

This month for the first time Birchbox won for me.  I was so excited for my Ipsy bag and it was really disappointing when I actually tried out the products. I have had low expectations for my Birchboxes since I haven't been super impressed so far, but this month made up for the first two.

I have decided to keep my subscription to both boxes for now. I have hope that Birchbox will continue to improve and Ipsy has only been a disappointment this one month so far so I will continue.