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

Popsugar Must Have: May 2014

So now is my frantic push to review all the May boxes that came late in the month or I forgot about when I got super busy. Cue my review for the May 2014 Popsugar box. The April box was chock full of awesome products so I was psyched to see what would show up this month.

Box Open Box
Open Box #2

DVD
Tone it Up One Day Fat Blast (Suggested Retail: $15.00)
Category: Must Have Fitness
Description: “Give your metabolism a boost, and get fit with the ladies from Bravo’s Toned Up.”
Verdict: Miss
I don’t mind fitness items necessarily, but from what I saw on youtube this is one of those DVDs that kind of needs you to be able to jump around and have a decent amount of space around you. Unfortunately I have a small apartment and not much room for this type of workout. It also requires you to have your workout space in front of something that can play a DVD, which is not always common in this age of tablets, smartphones and streaming media players. Unless it’s something super interesting or universal, I’d really like to see less random “fitness” stuff, and maybe it’s just me but the DVD feels super dated as a workout medium. A code/gift card for a fitness workout download or app would have been more on trend.

Water Bottle
Zing Anything Citrus Zinger (Retail: $16.99)
Category: Must Have Home
Description:“Press lemons, limes, or any other citrus directly into your water for a energizing drink.”
Verdict:
Hit!
While I have a glass infusion water bottle from a long ago Jennifer Love Hewitt box, I don’t own one in plastic so this is the perfect option for me to bring to work. I love citrus in my water and I’m sure I’ll get a lot of use out of this.

Perfume
Smell Bent St. Tropez Dispenser (Retail: $45.00)
Category: Must Have Beauty
Description: “Escape to your favorite tropical island with this intoxicating blend of jasmine absolute and fresh coconut aromas. It’s a relaxing beach day in a bottle.”
Verdict: Miss
I can’t say how disappointed I am that one of the big ticket items is a perfume and in a scent like coconut that is not particularly universal. I’m sensitive to scents so I really can’t use this.  I don’t mind including a perfume, I just think a better option would have been to feature a smaller size and allow for something more accessible to be the “big” item.

Polish
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Nail Lacquer in Pool Boy (Retail: $10.00)
Category: Must Have Beauty
Description: “This polish is densely pigmented and delivers super-long-lasting results. Better yet, this quick drying nail lacquer is 100 percent vegan and cruelty free.”
Verdict: Like
I usually swatch polishes, but I didn’t with this one since I’m on the fence about keeping it. I have a fairly large polish collection and limited space so I have to be a lot pickier about which polishes I keep. It’s a nice color and a brand I haven’t tried before, so I’ll probably end up finding space for it.

Mask
Kerry Cassill Eyemask (Suggested Retail: $24.00)
Category: Must Have Home
Description: “…with your printed Kerry Cassill eye mask designed exclusively for Popsugar Must Have, you can sleep peacefully. It is made with soft voile cotton…”
Verdict: Miss
I’m shocked at the cost of this. It honestly feels super cheap to me—like something you’d pick up at Walmart for $5.00 or thrown in as a freebie in a cheap bath set. I tried to use it but the fabric and print are so lightweight that it lets too much light in. I thought the point of a sleep mask was to make it nice and dark so you could sleep better. I’d have loved a sleep mask that actually kept out the light.

Snacks
Hi, I’m Skinny Sticks in Multi-Grain Sweet Onion (Suggested Retail: $2.99)
Category: Must Have Food
Description. “…are a supertasty and healthy alternative to chips and cookies. With 40% less fat than potato chips, 15g of whole grains per serving and under four calories per stick, you can satisfy your munchies guilt-free.”
Verdict: Hit!
If you like onion flavor, you’ll probably love these. My boyfriend enjoyed them as well. I think they are a nice alternative to chips, but your healthiest snack bet is probably still to grab an apple or banana.

Because the Resort boxes had delayed shipping, Popsugar included a bonus product for those of us who purchased it.

Lip Gloss
Vbeauté Lip Spread® Original – Anti Aging Tinting Lip Gloss
(Retail: $19.00)
Description. “The clear gloss reacts with your pH balance to create your own unique shade of light pink to berry red. Our silky formula gives you the right amount of shine without your hair getting stuck to your lips. Cherry and Pomegranate fruit extract hydrate and BioCellular Peptide’s antiaging properties reduce fine lines and wrinkles.”
Verdict: Love!
I have this fabulous vbeauté travel kit (from my first Nina Garcia Quarterly box) that I’ve been hoarding and plan to use for a work trip at the end of the month. This will go perfectly with it. It was nice of Popsugar to send us a bonus because of their mishap, and I do appreciate the extra effort they went to.

 Full Box
Overall:
Trés Disappointed.

After last month’s box of awesomesauce, it was inevitable that May would be a let own, but I just feel like there wasn’t much thought put into these items. Opting for a perfume to be the big ticket item and throwing in a random cardio fitness DVD (which feels very dated and just not on trend) along with an eyemask that isn’t functional, just made this box super lackluster for me. I’m sure if these items just happen to be your taste you’ll enjoy this box, but I think the odds were stacked that a fairly large group of people were not going to enjoy or use a chunk of these items. The only item I really loved was actually not a part of this box and was an “I’m sorry/thank you for your patience” gift after shipping snafus with the Popsugar Limited Edition Resort Box.

Luckily I got this box free with referrals so I’m not out any money for this particular set of items. The suggested value was $113.98, which I do think is a bit inflated. I’m crossing my fingers the June box will be better.

Now I know I’m slow with posting the last of my May boxes (I’ll catch up, I will, damn it!) but Popsugar also introduced their Limited Edition Summer 2014 box which sold out pretty quickly.  And while the May Must Have box made me a sad panda, and I was meh about the Resort Limited Edition, I still picked up the Summer box, because I obviously have a shopping problem. The Summer Box is now sold out, but if you want to find out what’s inside be sure to come back soon.

So what did you think of the May Popsugar box? Did you use most of the items or gift them?

Do you regularly use fitness DVDs or do you head outdoors or to the gym for your workouts?

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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