POPSUGAR Must Have box: September and October 2013 boxes

Hi, reader! Today is your lucky day as you get two for the price of one today. Yep two Popsugar boxes in one post. See how generous I am and my generosity has nothing to do with the fact I forgot to write up a blog post last month on the September box. Nope.

So on to the September box.

The first item is the Barr-Co. Original Scent Reed Diffuser. This was my favorite thing in this box. This a great scent, like a cross between oatmeal cookies and Shea butter. This also does a great job of making the whole house smell great!

The next item is the book P.S. You’re Invited by Erica Domesek. This book shows you a bunch of crafts and embellishments you can do. This is not really my thing but my mom likes to craft so she was the recipient of the book.

The next item is the Rifle Paper Co. Coaster Set. While these have a pretty floral design, these are a thick paper so I don’t think these would last too long.

The next item is Kitsch Headbands. These are the same material as hair ties. Unfortunately headbands that go around the whole head give me a headache and these are no exception. I might give these to my 11 year old cousin or use them when washing my face.

The next item is a $25 gift card to Shoptiques.com. Shoptiques is an online market place for shops across the world. I haven’t used it yet but there is some cute jewelry I have my eye on.

The last items in the box are two food items, That’s It. Bar and Sharkies. My dogs somehow got into my box and eat these. The dog I suspect was the culprit is a real Houdini when comes to getting food that she shouldn’t be able to reach. So I have no idea how these taste. They also ate them before I could even take a picture of the snacks. I got my box before leaving for work and when I got home the snacks were gone.

Now on the October box.

The first thing is the The Can’t Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified! by Jessica Seinfeld. The book contains simple recipes for the person that is scared of the kitchen. As the person that cooks dinner for the family most nights I wasn’t impressed with the book. There wasn’t anything I really wanted to cook in it and I thought the language was a little condescending. Though with cook books I would always recommend going to your public library and checking out the book before buying as a cookbook that doesn’t appeal to me might be perfect for someone else.

The next thing is the NYX Cosmetics liquid liner and Smokey Shadow palette. I didn’t try the liner (or it seems even took a pic, sorry!) because it is a black liner and I was hoping to trade it for a brown liner. Side note but I am so sick of getting black liners in my boxes. Would a brown or a color liner that is not a pencil too much to ask for?!? The Smokey palette was nice but nothing special. Only the brown shadow has decent pigmentation but I guess if the other shadows were nicely pigmented then it wouldn’t be wearable.

The next item is the Gorjana Charity Bali Bead Bracelet. 100% of the proceeds of this bracelet will go to the charity Breast Cancer Connections. I do think this bracelet looks a little craft project-y but I have been wearing it since I got it in honor of my aunt, who is in remission from her breast cancer. Go, aunt!!

The next item is the Julep for Popsugar Duo. The duo comes with a Freedom Polymer top coat and Char nail polish. I already have Char so it was a little disappointing that I didn’t get a new color. Click here to look at a swatch of Char. I already have a Freedom Polymer topcoat. It works like the Seche Vite top coat but not as thick or shiny. It does shrink your polish so the longer you wait to apply after the last coat of nail polish the better. It is nice to have a backup of the topcoat since I am constantly losing the one I already have.

The next item is the Jane Tran bobby pins. Once these are in these stay put and whatever hair in the pins is trapped! The downside is that there are little hard to put in and it pulls hairs and breaks a few strands when taking them out. I like these better then those solid Jane Tran bobby pins as they are a little easier to open and get in our hair.

The next item is The Wet Brush. This is by far my favorite thing in the box and maybe anything that I have ever gotten in a box. I know, big claim to make. This brush is designed to eliminate “tugging, pulling, and ripping.” I was little dubious of the claim but it works! Having curly hair I can only brush when it is wet and I always have knots. This goes through my hair so easily, without any pain or pulling. Seriously love this brush.

The next thing is The Crispery Halloween Crispycake. This is a huge rice crispy treat. These were pretty good, very marshmallowy and much better then the repackaged ones you can get at the grocery store.

The last item in the box is a $20 credit to Stitch Fix Click on the link to get more info (don’t worry that isn’t a referral link). Now if you want one let me know ;). This alway looked like a cool service, a Stitch Fix stylist sends you a box of clothes and accessories for you to try out. If you like something or all the pieces you can buy them at a discount and send the rest back. The major downside to this service is that if you are plus size you can’t use this service, not even for an all accessory box. Being plus size I lied about what size I wear so I can see what the service was like. This site is so busy that I won’t get my box until March!

So that is what I got in my Popsugar boxes the last two months. Popsugar will be raising their prices with the November box by $5, $35 to $40 a month. So I got an year subscription to lock in the current prices. I think if you get a prepaid subscription by the end of the month you will be able to get the lower price. If you want to help me out by using my referral link click here.

POPSUGAR Must Have Box August 2013

This August box marks POPSUGAR’s one year anniversary. And I think this is becoming one of my favorite boxes. So let me show you what I got.

Must Have Anniversary Gift: Gorjana Open Circle Necklace

This is a gift to the subscribers to celebrate their anniversary. While I think this necklace is cute and delicate I wish it was on a longer necklace. It is a checker on my neck, which is a no go for me.

Must Have Home: Bentgo

This is a bento box that comes with its own utensils. This is also microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. Can’t wait to use this and as it will be prefect to bring lunch to work.

Must Have Beauty: Lulah Body Wash in Magnolia Fig

This is a shower gel. It smells really perfumey so I don’t know if I’ll be able to use this but the bottle is pretty.

Must Have Home: May Designs Weekly Agenda Notebook

This is a weekly to do notebook. I think this is so cute and is slim enough to throw in my purse. I went of this company’s website and they are a ton of cute designs that you can use to custom make your own notebook. If you are interested in checking it out yourself click here. Don’t worry, that link is not referral or affiliate link.

Must Have Home: Lunares Apple Bowl

It is a decorative apple bowl. I don’t know I just think this is so random. Though this can also be used for food and is oven safe. Not quite sure what I will be doing with this yet. I’m leaning towards giving this as a gift. It’s a shame I am not close to any teachers. Well, I have an uncle who teaches but I don’t think he would appreciate a decorative apple bowl.

Must Have Beauty: Dermalogica Precleanse and Special Cleansing Gel

This is a two part cleansing system. The Precleanse is an oil cleanser and takes off makeup and oil. After the Precleanse is rinsed off from the face you use the Special Cleansing Gel to take off any residue and deep clean your face. I’m really liking these two cleansers. The Precleanser completely replaces the need for eye makeup remover and cleaning cloths. These also work well on the eyes and don’t burn. This also isn’t too drying. The only down side is the smell. I’m not a fan of lavender and that is the predominate scent. The good thing is the scent doesn’t last too long.

Special Extra: Naturebox Granny Smith Apples

Naturebox is a monthly subscription box that is $20 a month and gives you 5 healthy snacks a month. I have a subscription to Naturebox and I love it. Everything, for the most part, has been really yummy. This is one of the few snacks I didn’t like. I usually love apple chips but these are spongey and chewy. No thanks.

So that is everything I got. If you are interested in your own Popsugar Box use REFER5 for $5 off your first box. If you would to help me out and use my referral codes for Popsugar or Naturebox send me an email and I will send you an email invite.

POPSUGAR Must Have Box July 2013

Time for another POPSUGAR Must Have Box. After two awesome months this box was a little bit of a let down. So let me show what I got in my box.

The box items.

MUST HAVE FASHION: Baublebar Rose Gold Double Curb Chain necklace

This is a heavy necklace! I wasn’t sure about the necklace, I’m not really one for statement pieces, but I got a bunch of compliments when I wore it to work. So I guess this is a keeper.

MUST HAVE BEAUTY: Supergoop! SPF 30 Anti-Aging City Sunscreen Serum

This seems like a neat idea, give your skin anti-aging benefits and protect it from the sun in one product. Only problem, at least for me, is that this is a chemical sunscreen. So I won’t be able to wear this.

MUST HAVE FOOD: Mighty Leaf Iced Tea in Calypso Mango

I’m not a tea drinker. I know, I’m a bad southerner. My Mom loves tea but she hates mango so she didn’t want to try this. I ended up giving it away to my aunt.

MUST HAVE HOME: Tovolo King Cube Ice Tray

These are neat. It is an ice tray that makes two inch cubes, which melt slower than regular sized ice cubes. So you get a cold drink that isn’t watered down. I’m saving this for my brother. He is planning on buying a house soon so this would be a good house warming gift.

MUST HAVE BEAUTY: NCLA As If! Nail polish

This is a smoky lavender nail polish. This is a little streaky and required three coats on the swatch to fully cover.

MUST HAVE FOOD: Hannahmax Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip All Natural Crunchy Cookie Chips

The name of this is ridiculously long but this was my favorite thing in the box. When I first saw them I was kinda disappointed because I’m not a fan of chocolate, especially dark chocolate. I decided to give them a try anyway. These were so good! Light and crispy, they tasted like freshly baked cookies. I would love more but these are $6 a bag. As amazing as these are that just seems crazy to spend of a bag of cookie chips.

So that is my box for the month. Next month is their anniversary so I cant wait to see what kinda goodies will be in that box. If you got this box what was your favorite item?

POPSUGAR Must Have Box June 2013

Time for another POPSUGAR Must Have box and I like this box much better than last month. As awesome as last month was I didn’t think I would be able to say that this could be better, but it is. There is a bunch of interesting things in this box and an item I was planning on getting myself. So let’s get started. As always if you are interested in getting your own subscription and want to help me out, click here.

Here are all the goodies for this month.

The first item in the box is the Addicted to Sweat 4 workout dvd. This workout is developed by Madonna’s personal trainer and involves a chair. (insert shrug here) Not sure the deal the chair is, is it suppose to give people a false sense of comfort that this workout might be easy? I haven’t used this dvd yet and don’t know if I will as I’m not addicted to sweat. 😉 Also this looks like a really intense workout. My speed is more walking in the neighborhood, Pilates, or swimming, not scary intense cardio workouts.

The next item is the Popcorn, Indiana Fit Popcorn in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I have had this brand brand before and like it so I was excited to try their new Fit line. While this is not as good as the full fat varieties this was tasty. It doesn’t have a olive oil flavor to me but rather tastes like a lightly seasoned salt and pepper chip. This comes in 3 other flavors, onion dijion, sea salt, and parmesan & herb. I would definitely get this again and I’m interested in trying the parmesan flavor.

The next item is the Project 7 Quench the Thirsty wintergreen mints. For every purchase Project 7 supples clean drinking water for communities around the world. Pretty awesome! While I like what the company does I think these mints are just okay. These taste like the cheapy mints companies put in cute containers because they want you to buy the cute container and they they need to make it useful so you don’t mind spending your money. These aren’t horrible and I will eat the mints but I wouldn’t go out and buy more.

The next item is Revenge Wears Prada by Laura Weisberger. This is the sequel to Devil Wears Prada. To find out more about the book click here. I had this on hold at my library and I was like 40th in line. So now I don’t have to wait to read it. I liked the movie and the first book so hopefully this one will be good too.

The next item in the box is Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer. This is suppose to reduce fine lines and signs of aging. I haven’t seen proof of that yet but I do like this moisturizer. For one, this smells amazing! Just like lemon drop candy. It also absorbs quickly and doesn’t feel heavy, which is nice for summertime in the deep south. It also has a neat pump dispenser so you never have to stick your hand in the bottle and containment the rest of the product. I’m glad there is a company out there that realize that people don’t like dipping their hands into a jar of product. The only downside to this is that it is $60+. So hopefully I won’t be completely in love with this when I finish the bottle.

The next item is also from Juice Beauty and it is two samples of their Repair CC Cream in the shades Natural Glow and Warm Glow. In the picture below of the swatches, Natural Glow is the lighter swatch near my wrist and Warm Glow is the darker swatch near my fingers. As you can see Natural Glow is a perfect match for me. It wears nicely but I need more coverage than this provides. This doesn’t smell like sunscreen! but instead has a earthy lemon scent. I heard people hating this scent but I liked it.

The last thing in the box is the Gorjana & Griffin Zuma Scarf. I love the navy and white strips with a trim of neon peach. This combo screams summer to me. This is huge enough to wear as a shawl, use as a sarong, or as a scarf it was intended. I’m not a scarf person so I will probably use it as a shawl. In fact this is going in my suitcase for my work trip next week. It is light weight so it won’t be a problem carrying it my my bag.

Here is the scarf in action. So as you can tell I’m horrible at taking self pictures in the mirror and I obviously don’t know how to tie a scarf but I wanted to show you what it would look like on.

So that is my box. I think this is the first box from them that everything will get used! Keep up the awesome boxes POPSUGAR!

POPSUGAR Must Have Box May 2013

Time for another POPSUGAR Must Have box and I like this box much better than last month. There is a bunch of interesting things in this box. So let’s get started. As always if you are interested in getting your own subscription and want to help me out, click here.

Must Have Fashion:

The first must have fashion item in the box is the Koorigal Giselle mid brim hat in charcoal. The brim has wire in it which makes it easy to fold the hat up and stash in your beach bag. Another neat feature is there is a draw string in the hat to tighten it. I’m not a hat wearer but I think this is really cute.

The next item is a $30 gift card to the website Charm & Chain. The website reminds me of a more expensive Baublebar.com. It is nice that I can pick out my own jewelry but I’m having a hard time choosing. If you sign up for their emails you can get a 10% discount if you are interested in the site.

There is also a bonus little tote bag. It feels like those freebie promotional bag. Not quite sure what I’m going to do with it yet. Guess I can use it as a library bag.

Must Have Food:

The first must have food item is the Modern Margarita set from The Modern Cocktail. This comes with 5 different flavors such as watermelon, blood orange, mango. These come without alcohol so these can also be great mocktails. I haven’t tried them yet but I excited to at my next girl’s night out.

The next item is Sweet Chili tortilla chips from Way Better Snacks. I haven’t tried these yet as I’m not a fan of spicy things. These are supposed to be healthy chips with ingredients such as flaxseed and quinoa.

Must Have Entertainment:

The entertainment item is a deck of conversation cards based off of Mindy Kaling’s book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? called Questions I Ask Myself When I Want Talk About Myself. I read the book the cards are based off of and I really liked it. I would say it is a must read if you are a fan of “The Office”. Since I already read the book I haven’t opened this up yet because I think I might give these away.

Must Have Beauty:

The first beauty item is the Beautyblender and the Blender-cleanser. I am already a beautyblender user so it was nice to get a replacement. This is the perfect product to blend in my under eye concealer. It is suppose to be used damp but since I do my makeup in my room I tend to use this dry and I think it works well either way. I also like the cleanser. It smells nice and it does a good job of cleaning my blender and my makeup brushes.

The next item is the Pacifica Natural Color Quench lip tint in Sugared Fig. This has a very strong plastic-y fruit punch smell to it, it fades quickly but it is really overwhelming at first. It goes on smoothly but as a slight waxy feel to it. It adds a slight color to my lips. This is an okay product, it works but I wouldn’t seek out more.

So that’s everything in my box. Can’t wait for next month’s box.