Popsugar: Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Box – November 2014

So it’s time to review the most expensive sub box I order: The Neiman Marcus Popsugar Limited Edition box. Thankfully it is only offered once a year, although after this box I will probably not be ordering it again. With taxes I paid a whopping $267.50 in anticipation of some awesome high end goodies. Last year I got a great box  so my expectations were high.

As usual fancy box with nicely packaged items and a foldout card.
 

Clare V. Foldover Clutch (Suggested Retail: $220.00)
Description: “This signature foldover clutch is the best of both worlds: style and versatility. Depending on your mood and outfit, choose a side to complete any look. Toss it into a larger bag to keep your most important necessities organized, or let it be the star of your outfit as you make the rounds at holiday parties.”
Verdict: Gift
Is this a nice, well made clutch? Yes, it is. Does it look remarkably similar to other bags from recent Popsugar boxes? Yes, yes, it does. The clutch included in the LE Resort box looked remarkably similar in both color and shape. And in our November box, what did we receive? Another small blue bag that is nearly identical in color to the blue on this one. Tell me Popsugar, why do we need so very many small blue bags? Why? If they had just done this bag in another color scheme it would have been a huge hit. Imagine this in a metallic mix, like a rose gold with silver or a metallic with a winter white…how amazing would that be? This doesn’t scream out holiday party to me and we’ve seen this same blue and black color scheme with Popsugar accessories over and over again this year. I think this purse will make a nice gift for someone, but in the context of being curated for a Popsugar box this was not a good choice.

Mariebelle Azetc Hot Chocolate Tin (Suggested Retail: $14.50)
Description: “Stay warm during Winter with this natural hot chocolate mix. Made with South American cacao and rich dark chocolate, this decadent treat is perfect for sharing with loved ones on a cozy night.”
Verdict: Like/Gift
Hot chocolate made sense for the season and this is an attractive tin. I think this will be the perfect addition to someone’s Christmas gift, so it is being added to the Great Christmas Stash of 2014.

Swing Design Mia Glass Storage Box (Suggested Retail: $55.00)
Description: “Keep valuables safe and tidy in this gorgeous hexagonal storage box. The two-toned detailing, beveeled edges and soft interior make it an elegant place to store your jewelry or other sentimental pieces.”
Verdict: Uninspired
This is a nice trinket box, but there’s just not much to it. It’s pretty, but boring and I think the curators could have found something more compelling that actually screamed out “must have”. I think I may end up using this on my desk to hold little odds and ends since I think it looks more interesting as an upscale office organizer than a jewelry box.

ChanteCaille Brillant Gloss & Supreme Cils Mascara (Suggested Retail: $33.00/$52.00)
Description: “This duo works double duty to keep your lips supple and your lashes fierce all day long. The Brillant Gloss, with green tea extract lives up to its name by naturally hydrating and plumping your lips. The Supreme Cils Mascara, with its rosewater infused formula, plays up eyes with long-lasting volume add definition.”
Verdict: zzzzzzzz, sorry I fell asleep
There are two items that beauty box junkies have in a huge quantity (besides credit card bills). Black mascara and pinkish nude glosses. They come in every other box. But I don’t mind them in a $10 Birchbox or even a $40 Popsugar Must Have, but I expect a hell of a lot more from a limited Edition $250+ box. Last year we got an amazing kaleidoscope beauty palette from Metier de Beaute and this not even close to how special or interesting that was. Chantecaille makes some other cool makeup and for some reason they chose this snoozefest to include. Very disappointing.

Lancer, The Method Nourish (Retail: $125.00)
Description: “Celebrity secret weapon Lancer delivers the Fountain of Youth with this potent antiaging moisturizer. Nourish boosts your skin’s oxygen level and increases its metabolism for a visibly renewed and you youthful glow.”
Verdict: zzzzzz, sorry, still asleep
I like moisturizers and I like trying fancy ones, but I just can’t get excited about this one. It just doesn’t seem that interesting and I have so many moisturizers in my beauty horde that I’m waiting to try out. I think I would have been more intrigued by this if the other beauty items had been more fun.

Monica Rich Kosann Cream Enamel Frame (Suggested Retail: $100.00)
Description: “This beautiful picture frame gives us another reason to show off those precious holiday memories. This frame looks flawless at every angle, with a suede back and cream-colored enamel border.”
Verdict: Seriously? SERIOUSLY!
This small 5X7 frame costs $100. No, really take that in. This is like the over-priced wedding frames that people put on their registries and I always wonder who buys them since you can get nicer ones at TJ Maxx for $12.99. Now I know. Popsugar. This is so, so painfully boring.   Like school filmstrips about plankton boring.  And when did we just get a picture frame? In the October Popsugar box, only it was a lot more interesting than this one. Is it a decent frame? Sure, as far as white enamel frames go. Is it worth $100? Maybe if you had a box with ten of them in it. I don’t even know who to give this to – it’s like “I don’t know you enough to get you a personal gift, but I want you to feel obligated by an item with a high price tag.  Enjoy the frame.” This is the item that tipped me from disliking this box to hating it. This is some lazy, half-assed curation which is not as big a deal for a $40 box, but if I’m shelling out a fortune I expect better than a small white picture frame. Popsugar, you can do better than this.  Shame on Neiman Marcus for pawning off the stuff nobody wants to pay full price for in this box and double shame on Popsugar for letting them do it to your subscribers.

Missioni Home by Apothia Candle (Suggested Retail: $88.00)
Category: Must Have Beauty
Description: “Easily incorporate Missoni’s iconic designs into home décor with this stunning candle. IT’s an excellent pop of pattern for any room or gift for the stylish hostess in your life. Partnering with Apothia, Missoni captures the scent of Italian breezes and night-blooming jasmine in this candle.”
Verdict: Love
Finally, something I really love. One thing in this whole damn box and it’s an $88 candle. But, this has a nice design and it’s Missoni, which is a super cool brand. When the candle is finished I will definitely be reusing the canister. The scent on this is  fresh, unusual and appealing. While candles aren’t super exciting on their own I think this was a good example of taking a basic item and offering us an interesting spin on it. This has a cool design, a unique scent and is from a prestige brand. Everything in this box should have been more like this.

OVERALL:

Angry.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, this box cost me a ton of money – $267.50 to be exact. I don’t expect sub boxes to fit all my expectations or match my interests perfectly every time. What I do expect is curation to be on par with previous boxes and with the expectation that the brand has set up.   Last year’s Neiman Marcus box was interesting and high end. I  gifted parts of it and some items I didn’t personally use, but overall I could see why they chose the items they did and each one fit with the type of aesthetic you expect from Popsugar and Neiman Marcus.

Technically this box is “worth” $714. I honestly, don’t even see my $267.50 in there. Nearly all the items were boring and the ones that weren’t boring, were repeats of stuff we just received in Popsugar boxes. This was some incredibly lazy curation. You do not drop the ball on the $200+ box.

Based on Facebook posts and blogs I was not the only customer hugely disappointed with this box. And to add insult to injury, Neiman Marcus offers this box on their site and just had a sale where you could get $50 off your purchase.   So you could get this “oh so special, limited edition, will sell out asap box” for a huge clearance price. Doesn’t that make all of us loyal Popsugar Subscribers idiots who paid over $250 feel oh, so good?

Adding this horribly curated box to all of the customer service issues in October and I am quite angry with my previously beloved Popsugar sub. They continue to offer special deals and discounts to “new” customers while ignoring their existing ones and allowing a horrific level of customer service. I have seen no coupon deal or extra item for existing customers to make up for all the late October deliveries and ongoing customer service problems.

They have now released their Holiday Limited Edition boxes for him and her and this is the spoiler for the women’s box:

I adored last year’s Holiday box and I have purchased every Popsugar LE box since I joined in Fall of last year. I even like the item in this spoiler. Will I order? Most likely not. I’m so disappointed with the Neiman Marcus box that I don’t feel like handing over another $100 to Popsugar, especially during the holidays when money is tight.  It’s sad because I’ve been an extremely loyal customer, so if Popsugar can lose me, then I can only imagine how many other customers are feeling the same way.

What did you think of this box? Do you think it was worth the high price tag or was it just a big disappointment in a fancy package?

THE BACKSTORY

Popsugar is a women’s lifestyle subscription that delivers a monthly box of fun, full-size products hand-selected by Popsugar editors.

In addition to Popsugar’s monthly must have boxes, they have some seasonal special edition boxes that contain uber luxe items.  The price tag on these boxes is higher, but the products you receive are high end.

Popsugar Pricing:
Monthly – $39.95
3 Months – $109.85
6 Months – $214.70
12 Months – $404.40

Coupon Codes:  REFER5 = $5 off site wide
POPSUGAR10 = $10 off a 3 month subscription