Popsugar Must Have Box: June 2014

So as I mentioned in my earlier  this month, July is going to be chock full of posts since I was out of town for a chunk of June and playing catch up with boxes.  So I’ll be interspersing all my July box reviews with June ones.   So today we’re going to dive into the June 2014 Popsugar box. Popsugar is usually one of my favorite subscriptions, but the May box was a bit of a miss. Let’s see if the June one is an improvement.

Box Open Box 1 Open Box 2

Book
Emily Giffin’s The One & Only (Suggested Retail: $16.52)
Category: Must Have Entertainment
Description: “New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin returns with this highly anticipated novel of an unlikely romance and lifelong friends set against the backdrop of Texas football.”
Verdict: Like
Romance novels are one of my guilty pleasures and while the “backdrop of Texas football” doesn’t exactly thrill me, it will be fun to explore an author I haven’t read before.

Lotion
Sachajuan Shiny Citrus Body Lotion (Suggested Retail: $24.00)
Category: Must Have Beauty
Description:“Using Swedish oats, this lotion reduces the appearance of wrinkles and calms irritation – keeping your skin replenished all summer long.”
Verdict:
Love!
I don’t know about the healing properties of Swedish oats, but I love the scent and feel of this lotion. It goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly. This is the same brand that I got in my Popsugar Summer box and I’m so happy to have them both as a nice  set.

Towel
Turkish-T Beach Towel (Suggested Retail: $32.00)
Category: Must Have Home
Description: “This Turkish-T towel acts as a lightweight beach towel by day and as a glam wrap by night. It’s loomed from the world’s finest cotton, so trade in your overused beach towel for this chic alternative..”
Verdict: Love!
This matches perfectly with the towel that came in the Popsugar Resort Box. Instead of using this for the beach, I’m pairing it with the other towel and using them in my newly updated bathroom. The colors are blue, white and mint and these two towels look great in the space.

Wipes
You Smell Lemon Wet Wipes (Retail: $5.00)
Category: Must Have Beauty
Description: “These naturally antibacterial wipes are not only durable, but also gentle.”
Verdict: Hit!
You can always find a use for antibacterial wipes and I love that these are lemon scented and gentle. A very useful addition.

Ties
Lollies Basics Hair Ties (Suggested Retail: $8.00)
Category: Must Have Fashion
Description: “Made from swimwear fabric, they’ll look cute on your wrist and we love that these braided ties don’t’ stretch over time like your average hair bands”
Verdict: Love!
This is my year for accumulating hair products and I’m always looking for more hair ties and barrettes. I love the circle design on these and how cute they look on my wrist. I wish they made more of this style in solid colors.

Chips
One Potato Two Potato Hawaiian BBQ (Suggested Retail: $2.00)
Category: Must Have Food
Description. “Cooked with all-natural ingredients and packed with flavor, these chips serve as an amazing party snack.”
Verdict: Like
I passed these along to my boyfriend and so this verdict comes from him. He said they were “good, nothing spectacular, but good.”

Giftcard
Native Union $15.00 Gift Card (Suggested Retail: $15.00)
Category: Special Extra
Description. “Native Union creates unique and simple designs in the digital age. With this $15 gift card, peruse the site full of geek gadgetry to find something that fulfills your techie dream”
Verdict: Miss
Unfortunately most of the items at Native Union are priced so high you’d need to spend a substantial amount to use this gift card. I got the oh so hyped Native Union monocle speaker in a long ago Fancy box and gifted that to my boyfriend. It’s pretty terrible. We can’t figure out what to use it for and the sound quality is poor, so I’m not too impressed with them in general.

Full Box
Overall:
Love!

Once again I am back to enjoying my Popsugar boxes. I found this one to have a lot of items that worked for me and the only real disappointment was in the gift card (which was technically just an extra). I had referral credits for this box so I didn’t pay anything and received $87.52 worth of items (not including the extra gift card) but I would have been happy with this box even if I’d paid the full price.

So what did you think of the June Popsugar box? Would you use the Native Union giftcard?

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

Popsugar Limited Edition Summer Box 2014

While it’s always fun to unbox surprises, opening up the Popsugar Limited Edition Boxes is always extra awesome.

My Summer 2014 Popsugar Box arrived in this unassuming (yet substantially heavy) cardboard box.

Cardboard

Once opened it reveals the lovely Popsugar box that is a great size and shape for storing all kinds of odds and ends in your house. I hoard these boxes (along with the Birchbox ones). They are uber useful.
Box

Okay now that my toddler-like interest in the actual box is past, let’s dive into the items. They are all individually wrapped up and packed so nicely that they really do make you feel like someone sent you a present.

Open Box 1Open Box 2

And what’s inside the box? Another box (very meta) – and it’s pretty heavy….
SOLA Box

Glasses Open Glasses
Sisters of Los Angeles City Rocks Glasses (Suggested Retail: $45.00)
Description: “…Sisters of Los Angeles City Rocks Glasses made just for Popsugar. In honor of four of our office locations, we featured SF, LA, NY and London..”
Verdict: Love!/Gift
These glasses are really high quality and so fun. I love the colorful designs and the weight of them is quite hefty. Unfortunately I have a lot of classes in this size, but I know a ton of folks who would love these for a gift. (Although I may break down and find some room in my cabinet for them since they are so cute). This company makes products emblazoned with cool graphics of various cities, so check them out if you want a fun gift for that chic urbanite in your life. Since this set was put together exclusively for Popsugar it’s unavailable on their website so I used a similar set for pricing.

Pouch 1 Pouch 2
Samudra Blue Tropics Pouch (Retail: $60.00)
Description:“Keep all your essentials in your statement bag for an easy transition from beach day to evening soiree.”
Verdict:
Love!
I’m not sure if you know this about me but I’m slightly obsessed with organization and this giant pouch is perfect for travel. It’s even big enough to hold  a tablet. The tropical prints really give that summer vibe and I love that there are different ones on either side. I’ll be using it asap for my upcoming work trip to Baltimore. After that I think it will be making daily appearances in my work bag to corral notebooks, my kindle, pens and other odds and ends.

Hair Mist
Sachajuan Ocean Mist (Retail: $28.00)
Description. “Cult favorite Sachajuan’s Oceamn Mist will give you perfect waves without your ever stepping foor in the water. Spray on dry or damp hair for an effortless yet voluminous Summer look.”
Verdict: Love!
This is my year of experimenting with hair products and I love all the ocean and sea salt sprays where you can just spray on damp hair and boom, your styling is done. My hair is naturally wavy and I think this product will work perfectly with its texture and my propensity for being lazy with hair styling.

NecklaceNecklace Closeup
Soixante Nefu Jewels by Joie Jager Horn Necklace (Suggested Retail: $155.00)
Description: “…This vintage-inspired accessory is sure to be a Summer staple in your collection..”
Verdict: On the fence
I really like the idea of this necklace, the long length and the combination of colors. It’s pretty pricey and according to the description its 14K gold plated, but somehow it just feels a little cheap to me and I can’t imagine paying $155 for it. Apparently lots of celebrities wear this design so maybe it’s just overpriced.  I don’t love it, but it’s not terrible either. It may look cool layered with some other chains I have, I’ll just have to see how it works out. At the moment, I’m not sold.

Olive Oil
The Ingredient Finder Eliunt Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Suggested Retail: $16.65)
Description: “…The Ingredient Finder handpicked the best olive oils to transport you and your food around the world. Each Eliunt Extra Virgin Olive Oil comes with its own custom taste and cultural background to make your dish unique.”
Verdict: Hit!
Being that I am Italian, it is a requirement that I always have an ample supply of olive oil in my pantry. My bottle came from Australia and I don’t think I’ve ever tried an Australian olive oil so this will be something new. It’s a pretty small bottle so I’m going to save this for dipping with bread or drizzling over something special. I couldn’t find individually priced bottles (it looks like the smallest is in a set of 3, so I’m going to estimate the value based on that). I wasn’t familiar with the Ingredient Finder website before but it seems like a really fun foodie site for finding high end international cooking ingredients. It even lets you search by cuisine. If you like cooking you should check it out.

Tarte
Tarte Cheek Stain (Suggested Retail: $30.00)
Description: “…Let your skin glow this Summer with Tarte’s restorative Cheek Stain…”
Verdict: Love!
I love Tarte’s products and I already own one of their cheek stains in a different shade. I love the natural flush and the easy application. I can’t wait to try out this new color.

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment (Suggested Retail: $24.00)
Description: “….This peppermint-infused tint will nourish your lips for a naturally fuller and healthier pout!…”
Verdict: Love!
As I mentioned before I really love Tarte’s products, so I’m very excited to try out this lip tint. The shade seems like a lovely neutral for summer and should work well with my albino skin tone.


Full Box
OVERALL:
Love!

This was an amazing box that totally made up for the lackluster Limited Edition Resort Box and the disappointing May Must Have. I love nearly everything in this box and all the choices feel theme appropriate and cohesive as a collection.

I paid $107.00 for this box and received $358.65 worth of products. Even discounting the overpriced necklace that is an amazing value. After this box, Popsugar has set the bar really high for their limited editions. I can’t wait to see what the next one brings.

So what did you think of the Popsugar Limited Edition Summer Box? Did you like it more or less than the Resort one?


LIMITED TIME COUPON!
Use code XL25K3Z to save $15 off your first POPSUGAR Must Have box

 

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

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