Birchbox vs. Goddess Provisions – December 2024 Review

I really appreciate how both Goddess Provisions and Birchbox include a card explaining each product and listing its retail price. That really drives home the bargain I’m getting!

First up, let’s take a look at Birchbox’s January box!

Price: Starting at $10/month
Shipping: Ships within the United States

Item #1: Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner ($18 value)

This product goes on smooth and seems fairly easy to apply for a liquid eyeliner; the applicator makes it possible to vary the thickness of your line with only a slight turn of the wrist. If you’re not experienced with liquid eyeliner, though, or simply less dexterous than is ideal ( cough me cough ), I could see it being easy to end up with a thicker line than you wanted. This also came in black, which––while I love me a dramatic cat-eye––was frankly too stark for my wicked-Irish complexion.

Item #2: IPKN Moist & Firm Beauty Balm ($35 value)

The great news: this small bottle of Korean BB cream has SPF 45 built right in! The bad news: the cream, from a well-known Korean skincare line, only comes in four shades. “Medium,” a warm-toned olive color, is as dark as IPKN gets, so this product may not be useful to subscribers with deeper complexions.

Item #3: Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk ($20 value)

Prior experiences with dry shampoo have kept me from using it often; in the past, I found that once I used dry shampoo a few times, my hair would get MORE oily (!) to compensate. So while Klorane claimed that this dry shampoo is a “volumizer, texturizer, waterless cleanser, and oil absorber,” I was highly skeptical. That being said: not bad! I don’t think I’ll ever become a regular user of dry shampoo, but if I ever oversleep and am running late for work, I would keep a bottle of this stuff on hand.

Item #4: Oribe Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray ($ 22-39 value)

For someone who lives in a humid climate (Miami, anyone?) or whose hair tends to frizz, I could see this product being a godsend. Most of the time I don’t have either problem––my pixie is too short, TBH, for frizz to take over. For that reason, Oribe’s spray didn’t do much for me. I’m definitely going to hang onto it for my annual visit to the grandparents in Florida, though!

Item #5: Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic To-Go ($18 value)

What with winter and all, I’ve been on a skincare kick lately, so this product was right up my alley. Anything that promises to “exfoliate” or “brighten” or “hydrate” gets my vote, and these toner pads do all three (as well as… well… toning). The cotton pads are soaked in glycolic acid, soothing aloe vera, and invigorating ginseng. My only wish is that this packet came in sets of more than two.

So that’s the January menu for Birchbox. Let’s see what Goddess Provisions brings!

Price: Starts at $33/month
Shipping: Ships worldwide from United States

What I dig most about Goddess Provisions’ subscription is that each monthly box contains not only beauty products, but goodies that cater to every part of a lady’s full, active, joyful life: jewelry, wellness items, and even snacks to maintain your energy levels. This month’s theme is “Call in Clarity and Focus.”

Item #1: House of Intuition Clarity Bath Bag ($8 value)

This (giant) bag contains everything I could ever dream of in a bath soak: Himalayan sea salt (so classy!), Epsom salt (soooo necessary after a long day of teaching), and organic pink roses, lemongrass, and peppermint. The smell is amazing. I’m saving this delight for an especially rainy and stressful day––like, say, during finals.

Item #2: Ommie Snacks Cherry Chocolate Bar ($2.50 value)

This all natural, vegan energy bar is just what I need between teaching classes, when it’s too early for lunch but too long since my 6 a.m. breakfast. Goddess Provisions calls this “a heavenly treat,” and they’re not wrong! The combo of chocolate chips, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and dried fruit is the ideal ratio of salty to sweet. And it was also a relief to know, for once, that a granola bar contained all the nutritional benefits it claimed, without a ton of added sugar.

Item #3: Your Joyologist pin set ($10 value)

These pins are the best thing I’ve seen so far in 2017. I want to get tattoos of the messages sewn into these pins (specifically, “F*&k Your Fears” on my ribcage). Joyologist, you have brought me so much joy. I will gladly be yours.

Item #4: Awaken Essential Oils Throat Chakra Blend ($18 value)

This oil roller massages a mixture of essential oils––herbs like clary sage, Roman chamomile, and clove, plus a veritable English garden of flowers and gem essences––onto crucial spots on your throat and neck. What’s the deal with the throat chakra, you ask? Well, let me tell you: this chakra allows us to express ourselves clearly. If your chakra is unhealthy, communication gets a lot more difficult! I can only write so clearly here because, after using this roller, I felt a greater sense of calm and mental clarity. With this delectably floral roller in my purse, I’m ready to conquer the world, no cue cards needed.

Item #5: Tree to Tub Soapberry Shampoo & Berry ($5 value)

I used this all-natural shampoo in the shower this morning and loved the experience––it smells incredible, like lavender, and it lathered much better than I had expected (what a fool I was) for a natural shampoo. To top it off, when I saw my roommate at the end of the day, she commented that my hair looked great: really shiny and healthy. She didn’t know I’d tried this shampoo, which I count as a win.

Item #6: Jacq’s Organics Masque & Scrub ($17.50 value)

Let me tell you, I’ve used a lot of face masks. So I was a wee bit skeptical when this claimed to be a masque and a scrub, but I’m glad to say I was proven wrong––the clay powder, once mixed with a little water, becomes a slightly grainy paste that exfoliates as you apply it. After I washed this off I felt all tingly, and my skin did, in fact, appear to glow. LOVE.

Item #7: Black Dress Wild Heart Patch ($6 value) Have you seen that pink, iron-on gem patch? So cute, right? The cutest. Honestly, if you saw the picture of this patch above and didn’t immediately transform into a human rainbow, I don’t know what’s up with you. This patch is the best.

Item #8: Amethyst & Garnet Pendulum ($22 value) Okay, okay, I know I just said that the CHARGED UP patch was the best of the bunch––but this necklace, with a dark violet crystal pendulum, is my favorite this month. Not only is the crystal beautiful and neatly cut, but using a pendulum is said to help users discover their innermost desires and emotions. And who doesn’t need that kind of clarity once in a while? Whether you’re at a crossroads or just happen to dig purple, this amethyst and garnet pendant will only help you on your personal journey.

The verdict:

While Birchbox and Goddess Provisions both have their benefits, I preferred Goddess Provisions. I was impressed with the range of Birchbox’s expensive beauty products, but ultimately Goddess Provisions is a way better fit for me––you get more products per box, and there’s a wider variety among those products. In short, Birchbox looks out for my (well…) looks, while Goddess Provisions looks out for my personality, health, and spiritual well-being. I’d subscribe to Goddess Provisions a million times over.

Birchbox : 3 stars
Goddess Provisions : 5 stars