Sunday, April 27, 2014

Pop Sugar Must Have Box April 2014

Believe it or not this was my first subscription box ever!

Whilst I feel that they are fun I have never  taken out a subscription as I'm really fussy about what I buy and just know that I would never be happy with a selection of random, unseen items and end up disappointed each month. Although I love shopping and luxury items I am also quite thrifty and the cost of a subscription over a year does add up.

So why did I get this? Well firstly I saw the 'spoilers' for the contents and thought they weren't bad. There was nothing in there that I would rush out and buy by myself, but there was nothing in there that I disliked and the sum total of the box was a pile of treats for me. Secondly, I can't resist a bargain and I had an online code for free shipping and $20 off. The boxes normally sell for $39.99. I ended up paying just $21.37 (inc. tax) which, quite frankly, is a bit of a steal and you can subscribe for a single month which is great.

PopSugar Must Have is a monthly box filled with what I would call 'lifestyle' items - a mix of beauty, and home goods. Like other boxes they have a monthly theme and this one was 'Spring'. It says in their blurb "time to think about getting outside, cleaning house and going green... Embracing eco friendly habits...". I'm not sure how much the contents fit this bill, but rules are made to be broken I guess.Let's have a look at what I received.




The star of the show (or box) is the Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette (retail $36.00).
I have been considering a new neutral palette recently so this sealed the deal for me. Too Faced wouldn't have been my first choice if I were buying this myself from a store but it gets good reviews online. Housed in a sturdy yet pretty tin case that contains a mirror it has nine shades that are a mix of matt and shimmer. There's nothing too bright or garish and it has a useful how to use guide included that shows you three different looks. I've yet to try it but I'm pretty pleased with this. I also like that it doesn't contain any cheap applicators.




The other beauty related item was Caldrea Rosewater Driftwood Hand Soap (retail $10.50).
I always use liquid soap to clean my hands and this is a really nice one. The bottle is plain yet attractive, the scent is a refreshing floral and it contains only good stuff - no nasties in here. I'm happy with this as it's an upgrade from what I would normally use.




On the home goods front I received Fresh Pastry Stand Totally Awesome Tea Towel Set (retail $18). These oversized graphic tea towels - there were two of them come from an etsy.com seller and I love that PopSugar chose to include something from a small trader in their box. These are generously sized and made of a lovely soft linen, the graphic print is clean, clear and bright. I think nice tea towels make a great gift as they aren't something you would buy for yourself as a rule but I'm going to keep these as they make me smile.

The Graphic Image Pocket Notes (retail $20.00) is a pocket diary sized note book. I'm old school and love making notes by hand rather than electronically. This was a really good quality note book with super smooth paper and a flexible calf skin cover. Mine is in my handbag right now, another winner.




The BlueAvocado Eco Shopper (retail $25.00) is a thin tote that folds into a zipper wallet. It's attractive and practical but not my style...there's nothing wrong with it but I have a ton of eco sacks already... See,  I told you I was fussy! It's made out of recycled water bottles though which is pretty cool.

Naturebox Popsugar Must Have Mix (retail $5.00) is an all natural trail mix. I'm not a big fan of this sort of snack but I've put it in our snack basket and I'm sure it will get eaten at some point or other.

Finally there was a voucher for a discounted subscription to Naturebox, a monthly snack box, which I won't use.

Overall, I thought this was great value with the extra discount - the box contents cost $114.50 yet I paid just over $20.00. Sure, I didn't need any of the things in it yet they are all useful, of good quality and will get used. I only subscribed for a month but who knows, if I get another discount code and the box has stuff as good as this one I may dip my toe in the water again!

No comments:

Post a Comment