If I could, I would have a subscription to every single subscription box in existence. Getting mystery stuff in the mail is one of my favorite things, it’s like Christmas! Or birthdays! Or any other time people want to impress you with the things that they give you. It’s pretty much the best!
PopSugar has been my blog fam for over 4 years. Over the last couple, they’ve been sending out a monthly lifestyle package called the PopSugar Must-Have Box.
This is way different than your average subscription box, though. There are way more than just beauty samples inlcuded in this thing. In fact, it’s a pretty consistent mix of these product genres:
- Beauty
- Hair & Body
- Entertaining
- Snacks
- Accessories
…all with a seasonal twist!
You get between six and seven products in each box, and if you’re like me, you don’t want to know anything about them until you get the box. And then, once you get the box, you throw out the little card with the list of products because it makes it way more like Christmas to just discover things as you pull them out!
Here are the contents of my August PopSugar Must-Have Box:
Right up front, I gotta tell you that this is on the expensive side of subscription boxes related to fashion & beauty: it’s $39.95/month. But… It’s not just fashion and beauty. In this box, you get over $100 worth of fashion, beauty, home decor, accessories, tools for entertaining, and always – and I mean always – snacks. Every box comes with some kind of little food thing that doesn’t last more than 5 minutes once the package is open.
A couple of years ago, around the time they were first released, I reviewed a PopSugar Must-Have Box and it was like… really fun. Then, I did it again two months ago for their June box, and if you followed me on Snapchat around that time, you know I was pretty disappointed. The box I got was definitely valued at over $100 – around $140 to be exact. The problem was that $60 of that overall value was wrapped up in one sarong. Yeah, I see the pun, but this is seriously business, ok!!!
It was a big giant square that ate almost half of the value in my seven-product box. Sarong?! I live in Washington state! But I digress… I already gave that rant to Snapchat when I unboxed in June, I don’t have to give it to you, too.
I am so pleased to say that the August Must-Have Box that PopSugar sent me was 100% delightful. It totally redeemed any wrong-doings of previous Must-Have Box experiences.
When I unboxed the Must-Have Box in an Instagram story, you saw how nervous I was. You could hear the trepidation in my voice when the first thing that I saw in this box was a scarf. Fortunately, it was a Michael Stars Porcelain Skinny Scarf with a value of $30. Finally, a One Size Fits All product by Michael Stars that I don’t have a problem with! (Also this scarf is currently on sale for $21, FYI!)
Another major winner from this Must-Have Box was the Pintrill Pineapple Pin, valued at $12. I got messages left and right after this teeny, tiny pin showed up. Honestly, I’m not a pin-wearing person but there’s something incredibly endearing about the size of this little guy. It’s growing on me!
That being said, I have already promised it to a friend of mine who immediately emailed me to negotiate the ownership of this pineapple pin. It’s amazing what pineapples will make some people do!
As far as semi-pointless items go, they are few and far between in the PopSugar Must-Have Box… but they still show up sometimes.
PopSugar included this zany, inflatable swan…? Goose? Anyway, it holds your drinks when you’re floating around in a pool or hot tub. But, let’s be real, this is going straight into my bathtub, and half of the drink holders are getting used for snacks. It’s the perfect addition to my Netflix & Chex Mix.
Okay, it’s a swan. The Sunnylife Inflatable Swan Drink Holder is valued at $18.
Those chips – the Joe Chips? Yeah, they didn’t last more than about 4 minutes once they saw the light of day. I don’t usually buy potato chips for myself because I have a snacking problem, but these were 100% welcome. I can only find them in packs of 28 online (NOT GOOD) but according to PopSugar they’re only $1.50 per bag!
Okay, the next three products are quite possibly my three favorites in the whole box. They represent the beauty portion, the entertaining portion, and the seasonal beauty portion of PopSugar’s Must-Have Box.
First up, the beauty:
This is the Oh My Brow! Brow Highlighting Pencil, valued at $19. It’s a dual-ended eyebrow pencil in a warm, shimmery, pearl white. It only comes in one color, but it blends really beautifully into my skin. I imagine that other skin tones would benefit from this shade, as well, because it ends up really sheer. The other side of the pencil has a very dense sponge, used for blending out the highlight once applied.
There are actually two stripes here, the top is an unblended line and the bottom is blended out. Sheer!
I imagine this product is pretty similar to other brow highlight pencils out there, but the biggest difference I’ve noticed is that I own this one and I don’t own the others. This means that this is the best brow highlighting pencil I’ve ever used! But really, I think this is probably somewhat similar to the Benefit High Brow or one side of the ABH Brow Highlight Duo.
The next product, I admit, I haven’t use yet. But! It’s so cool, and such a good idea that I am confident that it will be very, very useful for the next month or so.
Sachajuan Hair in the Sun, valued at $31, is a leave-in treatment (from what I can tell from the limited directions) that offers your hair, color-treated or not, some major UV protection. As you probably know, the sun can lighten and damage hair. If you’re color-treated, you know the sun is basically your only sworn nemesis after clarifying shampoo.
You’re supposed to use this on your hair once you’re out of the shower (I think), but you can also use this stuff can also be used as a styling cream. It has a really strong floral scent which… we’ll see how that goes, but I love the concept of this product! UV protection is my BFF.
The last, but most certainly not least, product in the box were these absolutely amazing cloth cocktail napkins from House of Pom… with Emojis.
House of Pom makes some really cute housewares, and their cocktail napkins are washable, reusable, and awesome. Each one has a different Emoji embroidered into it, right in the center. They’re so well done, and they feel really well-made. I don’t think I would try serving these with food or anything – they’re too nice! But, to amp up the class at a dinner party, handing these out with your guest’s drinks would be very white tablecloth meets speakeasy of you, with a little dash of YouTube generation. These are valued at $25.
Okay, truly last and actually least, PopSugar included this $20 gift certificate to Trove Custom Jewelry.
They have absolutely beautiful jewelry, especially if you’re into the single-metal, minimalist design aesthetic. Their rings are dreamy, and their necklaces are interesting and inspiring. Their prices, however, are way, way over $20. This gift certificate would be awesome if I’d been eyeing something at Trove, or saving up for a nice piece of jewelry – but I’m not.
In conclusion, I’m happy with this box. I wholeheartedly believe that it was worth $40, and many of the products are things that I might actually buy myself (in a different lifetime where I have expendable income). The swan is weird, and the gift card is a bummer, but everything else legitimately made me smile! And the total value was over $150!
Along with the box for review, PopSugar sent me a discount code for $5 off your first PopSugar Must-Have Box! Just enter SHOP5 at checkout! If you’re a current PopSugar Must-Have Box subscriber, tell me how you liked this month’s box! What was your favorite item?
Thanks to PopSugar for sending me this fun box of goodies for review! No compensation was received for this review, so you can rest assured that it was 100% unbiased. If you have any questions about my brand partnerships, please feel free to get in touch with me!