My August 2014 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My August Birchbox is shipped out on August 6 and arrived on August 12. 

I received samples of:
* Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream
* Dr. Jart+ Dis-A-Pore Beauty Balm
* Neil George Shampoo
* Neil George Conditioner
* LAQA & Co. Lip Lube

I am extremely disappointed by my August 2014 box. I received 2 foil samples, one lip balm sample in a shade that I can never use, a really bad BB cream, and two samples of shampoo and conditioner (which I especially told in my profile that I do not want to receive). This box definitely does not worth the 10 bucks I paid :/

Benefit Total Moisture cream sample was 2 small pouches, each one is good for one day (two uses). This is a very small sample size in my opinion, especially if you consider this is a paid service and samples have to be deluxe size or full size products. The cream is good in general. It has a nice scent and good consistency. It is absorbed well by my dry skin. Maybe a bit thick for summer time thou, but definitely perfect for fall and winter.

Dr. Jart+ BB is the worst pore concealing BB cream I have ever tried, and believe me I tried a lot of them. It has a herby scent very similar to Dr Brandt's Pores No More pore refiner. I used it on my nose and cheeks near my nose where my pores are the most visible. The product immediately settled into my pores and created this dotted image (product in my pores look tad lighter than the rest of my skin). It looked horrible! I will never use it.

Neil George Shampoo is an average quality shampoo which did not do anything special to my hair that my current shampoo didn't (my current shampoo is L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Shampoo). It lathers well and creates a lot of bubbles but it's only because of the Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) in the ingredients which is used to simulate skin burns in the lab environment. Although SLS is everywhere, but I try to pick products without it whenever I can. This shampoo has a big downside: the strong, masculine smell! I had to hold my breath until I washed it off completely. So, I don't think I will use this shampoo again.

Neil George Conditioner is an average quality conditioner which did not do anything special to my hair that my current conditioner didn't (my current conditioner is L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Conditioner). The strong, masculine smell is the problem here, too. I'm not going to use it. 

LAQA & Co. Lip Lube came in electric purple shade although my Birchbox profile reads "Classic". I don't know how the electric purple is considered to be a classic shade (?!). I still had to give it a chance before I judge it by its cover. It is true to color when applied and gives a matte finish. I can't say it moisturizes well, but at least it did not dry my lips either. It has a huge downside for me: the strong mint smell! I hate lip products with mint scent. I cannot keep them on. That's the very reason why I stopped using Burt's Bees lip balms years ago. I still cannot get myself to try another of them because of the memory of mint scent (it was a glittery white lip balm). The packaging is cute and the sample size is generous. I wish it was in another, more neutral or pink, shade so that I could maybe use it. But with the weird shade and the mint scent, I am definitely not going to use this product. 

So, you see, the August box is total loss for me. I am not happy at all :(( I hope I will get at least some items that I can use in my September 2014 box.

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.

For more information you can check the official page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.