So, of course, both my Ipsy and my Birchbox arrived in my mailbox about 2 hours after I got on a plane last week and I was left wishing I had caught them and eager to rip into them when I got home. This month's Birchbox Canada was a collaboration with Best Health Magazine and included a subscription offer of some kind... but I kinda lost it, so I couldn't tell you what it was. Pretty sure it wasn't free though. Anyway, I'm not going to keep rambling on here... Let's just take a look at this month's box.

Keep reading for a closer look at the products.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels - 1 Pair Sample - Value $4.12

Once upon a time I tried some cleansing cloths from Skyn Iceland and I really liked them, so I'm looking forward to trying out these eye gels pretty soon. If you read this blog, you know how much I've been loving sheet masks recently, and I have a feeling I'm going to like undereye masks as well.

Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo - 1oz Sample - Value $4.24

I don't love the smell of this, but I feel like that's actually probably a good sign that this will do what it's supposed to do and really remove any buildup from my hair. I'll actually probably use this one up soon instead of tossing it in with all my other hair samples, if only just out of curiosity.

Vasanti DETOX Nutrient Rich Purifying Facial Cleanser - 20ml Sample - Value $3.20

I got another Vasanti product in this month's Ipsy... which is kinda annoying, but at least I've never gotten this one before. I've heard that it's gentle and doesn't strip the skin, though, so I have a feeling I'll enjoy this one more than the other. We shall see!

Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Body Lotion - 40ml Sample - Value $3.00

This lotion is such a throwaway to me, I swear. The smell is unappealing and vaguely old timey and it just kind of sits on the skin and doesn't do anything. I'm definitely not at all impressed with this inclusion. For more reasons that I'll get into here... but keep reading!

theBalm Balm Desert Blush/Bronzer - 0.8g Sample - Value $2.63

So. This happened. I'm not entirely sure what the people who decided on this format were thinking... but how the hell are you supposed to actually sample a face product when the pan is so small that you would ruin your brush trying to dig some product out? This is pretty in a swatch and could probably be used as an eyeshadow, but this sample format and size is just pissing me off, especially when comparing to the Tarte sample I got in my Ipsy bag that was 3.5x bigger than this. Would actually rather have not gotten it at all.

So. This box sucks and is making me feel like it might be time to say goodbye to Birchbox Canada until they improve their boxes and their store to make it comparable to the US version. I'm tired of getting body lotions and shampoos, as are most people, and don't really feel like this is worth my money anymore. I might hang on for one more month to see if Birchbox takes the negative feedback that this month's box has garnered and improves, but if I don't seem improvement in August's box I'm going to call it quits.

Check back next month to see!