March's PopSugar box was centered around a vibrant and refreshing theme - perfect for spring! While PopSugar is one of my all-time favorite subscription boxes, this month's box wasn't quite as on point for me as some past boxes have been. Nonetheless, it still provided some fantastic products that I'm excited to be using this season and of course, still provided way more value than the price I paid.
The PopSugar Must Have box is a monthly subscription ($40/month or less if you make a 3, 6, or year long commitment) that sends subscribers full-size versions of the season's must-have beauty, fashion, home, and fitness products. I love that the PopSugar box includes this little card with descriptions of all the products. Having these descriptionsmakes me even more excited to try all of the products because there are suggestions on how to use each one of them. Plus, being the nerd that I am, I love to go back through my past subscription cards to see all the goodies I've gotten over the years.
Nanette Nanette Lepore: Classic Rose Gold Watch - Retail $55
When I got the spoiler email that this watch was going to be in my PopSugar box I was so excited. My boyfriend can attest to the fact that I did a mini-happy dance in my apartment while squealing and staring at the gorgeous watch. I am a huge watch lover and have been on the hunt for the perfect rose gold watch for months! I can be very picky when it comes to accessories that have too much bling so I was incredibly happy with the simple design of this watch.
Pixi by Petra: Book of Beauty, Minimal Makeup - Retail $24
I love palettes. Mostly because I'm way too indecisive. I find it incredibly hard to buy single color blushes, bronzers, or eye shadows of any kind. This palette has a nice collection of light, natural colors that would really be able to complement any skin tone. I think it'd be perfect for anyone who is just starting out with makeup because you can experiment without having to worry that your makeup will look too heavy. My favorite part of this palette so far has been the highlights. It can be easy to over-sparkle when it comes to highlights but the highlights in this Pixi by Petra palette are light yet provide the perfect bit of sparkle.
Miss Ivy Pearl: Five Tassel Necklace - Retail $38
This necklace is a perfect example of why I love subscription boxes! I don't explore too much when I go shopping on my own and as a result, subscription boxes have really helped me explore and find new products. If I saw a tassle necklace in a store, I can guarantee that there is no way I would buy it simply because I don’t see myself as a tassle kind of girl - however, I have genuinely loved this tassle necklace! It's not too flashy and brings an easy pop of color to an outfit. I'm sold :)
Govino: Go-Anywhere Carafe and Water Glass Set - Retail $14.95
I feel like maybe I'm not classy enough for this product yet? This carafe and glass set from Govino looks like it's made of glass but is made entirely of plastic. The info card suggests that it's perfect for using on picnics or for bedside tables. I'm still un-classily using old water bottles and plastic cups for my bedside table. I'll be putting this one on a shelf until I'm classy enough to appreciate it :P
Hello: Extra Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste - Retail $4.49
This product actually came at the perfect time since I had just run out of toothpaste! So far I've enjoyed using this toothpaste - especially since my teeth could do with some extra whitening! I probably won't be switching to this toothpaste anytime soon but it's nice to have a little variety even in boring hygiene products!
Goodie Girl Cookies: Toffee Chaos - Retail $4.99
I always love getting sweet treats in my subscription boxes! Toffee isn't my favorite flavor but these cookies aren't as overwhelmingly sweet as I usually find toffee to be. Plus, these cookies are low fat, low sugar, and low calorie which is always helpful when you've binge eaten way too many girl scout cookies to count!
LOLA: Gift Card - Retail $10
It seems like tampons are so expensive nowadays so I'm very happy with this gift card to Lola, a subscription box that sends subscribers a monthly box of tampons. This $10 gift card gets you one box free, which includes 18 tampons. The process of ordering a box was incredibly simple, however, it is a subscription service, so in order to get the free box, you do have to sign up for the subscription. Although you can cancel at any time, it's a little bit of a hassle to have to take that extra step of both signing up for a subscription just to cancel it in order to receive your free box.
Half of the products in this month's box were in the "just okay" category for me. While I still love the box as a whole, this specific month was one I probably could have done without. The perfect rose gold watch, however, pretty much made up for the other less than amazing products! What did you think of this month's PopSugar box? Got any other subscription box ideas you think I should try?
Thanks for reading! ♥
Featured Products:
Birchbox: March 2016
As you may already know, I’m absolutely addicted to subscription boxes, and one of the biggest internal subscription box debates I’ve been caught up in is whether I like Birchbox or Ipsy better! I vacillate between the two every month and I'm never sure which one to commit to since there are always on and off months with both subscriptions. Since I was a little fed-up with my Ipsy bags over the last couple of months, I decided to swap back to Birchbox for a couple of months. Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription ($10/month) that sends full-size and sample-size beauty, hair, make-up and skincare products.
Pinrose: Moonlight Gypsy & Pillowtalk Poet
While I'm not the biggest fan of the smell on these samples, I do love that these samples are presented in a creative way. These Pinrose samples are fragrance towelettes that you can easily carry around and brush across your skin when you need to freshen up. Since carry-on liquids have to meet a certain ounce criteria and have to be separated into another plastic bag, it can be quite the hassle to bring regular perfume while traveling. I’m excited to bring these little towelettes on-the-go with me without having to stuff them into a separate bag!
Cargo Land Down Under: Eye Shadow Palette
As I've mentioned before in posts about other beauty boxes, I try my hardest to indicate in my preferences that I do not want to receive eye shadows. I don't use them very often and already have way too many from beauty subscriptions! I decided to try out these eye shadows anyway and found that they were a little too shimmery for my taste. While I love that the lighter shade is shimmery - I expected the darker shade to have stronger dark pigmentation to it.
Parlor by Jeff Chastain: Volumizing and Texturizing Conditioner & Shampoo
Shampoo and Conditioner is something that I typically don’t love receiving in subscription boxes because I honestly don’t care that much about the shampoo/conditioner I use. As long as it smells good and isn’t absurdly expensive, I’m happy. Both of these products smell fantastic so I’m excited to use them the next time I travel (they’re the perfect size!), however, I didn’t love the packaging of the conditioner. Instead of coming in a nice twist-close container like the shampoo, it came in a flimsy plastic sleeve that will be difficult to seal up for re-use.
Ner:D Skincare: Miraculous Brightening Clarifying Face Cleaner
I’m all about trying out new face products, but this sample was a little disappointing! The instructions say to work the cleanser into a rich lather but I could hardly get even a couple of bubbles out of the stuff! On top of that, the cleanser has a very classic soapy smell which makes it seem like you’re basically just throwing a bar of hand soap onto your face. I’m going to give this cleanser a couple more uses before I make a final judgment but so far, I’m meh on this product.
Dr. Lipp: Miracle Balm
Aaaaand here is the star of this month's Birchbox! At first I thought this was just your average lip balm but after following some of the suggested uses on the back - I've actually started using them on my brows to keep stray hairs in place! I love that this product is multi-functional - it makes me feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck! The only downside? This sample is so small - it's hardly an inch tall! Usually I expect to get a liiiiittle bit more out of a sample so I was disappointed by how small this sample was.
Final Verdict:
I really wasn't too happy with this month's Birchbox - I received a lot of samples for product categories that really didn't interest me at all! So what's the status of my internal Birchbox vs ipsy feud? I think ipsy might still have a slight edge! While I originally started with Birchbox, I'm now remembering why I switched to ipsy. Though Birchbox has an awesome points system for its shop, the samples I receive are much smaller than the ones I receive from ipsy and usually involve more shampoo/face cleaner type products - which is great if you love these - but if you're like me and you don't really pay that much attention to what shampoo you're buying, it may not be worth the $10 a month.
Soooooo it's official, after a small spurt with Birchbox again, I guess I'm back to ipsy! I think in the end, Birchbox's samples are just too small for me. I'm happiest when I'm getting a bargain and with ipsy, I feel like I'm (for the most part) getting my money's worth. Next month's review will officially be an ipsy review again! (And maybe I'll be more loyal to ipsy from here on out!)
What are your thoughts on the ipsy vs. Birchbox debate?
I'd love to hear about your experience!
Featured March Products:
FabFitFun: Welcome Box
I did it guys. I finally caved - ah! I have been wanting to subscribe to the FabFitFun box for so long - yet hadn't been able to justify it because I already receive the PopSugar Must Have box and in my mind, these two fill roughly the same space. When a convenient little ad for half off a FabFitFun box popped up on my Facebook feed (those things are dangerous) I figured it was a sign that I needed to hop on the #FFF train.
FabFitFun is a quarterly subscription box that sends full-size versions of the seasons top fitness, fashion, beauty, and wellness products. Each box is about $50 if you subscribe month-to-month and slightly less if you select an annual subscription. While the FabFitFun box is not tailored specifically to each subscriber based on their preferences, I've found that subscription boxes that send the same products to all subscribers tend to select better products that they know everyone will enjoy.
Wren: 14kt Gold-Dipped & Black Sapphire Necklace - Retail $100
I'm typically not much of a necklace wearer but this sweet little necklace was a pleasant surprise! Maybe I've just been wearing the wrong color my entire life - who knows? The rose gold color is absolutely beautiful and I love that the chain is long enough that it hangs just a little lower on the neckline (especially since one of my pet peeves about necklaces is that they hang too high!). The black sapphire is so small that it's hardly even noticeable unless closely inspected, but the fact that only you know about it almost makes the necklace even more charming ;)
Organic Valley: Milk Protein Shake in Dark Chocolate - Retail $2.99
This is probably the only thing in the box that I feel like I could've skipped - prepackaged protein shakes creep me out a little bit :P - maybe I'm just not at that level of "fab" yet.
Passport to Beauty: Tibetan Goji Berry Eye Serum - Retail $88
One of my favorite things about subscription boxes are the skincare & anti-aging items I receive. While I don't go out and purchase these things on my own (prices tend to run high), if I receive them in a subscription box, I am more than happy to use them until they're gone! I've been putting on this serum before bed every night and I love the cooling feeling of the serum on my skin.
Gorge: "I'll Make You Look Amazing" Daily Spray - Retail $24.95
I love trying out new hair products since it can be difficult for me to find products that truly work for my hair! I dye, perm, straighten, curl, blow dry my hair - basically anything I can think of to damage my hair, I'll do it. Since my hair has been through so much, it tends to have zero reaction to a lot of hair products out there. So far, I haven't noticed anything too different after using this spray on my hair but since it's also a leave-in conditioner, I still plan on using it regularly to minimize split ends.
Frends: "The Donna" Earbuds - Retail $80
I'm always thrilled to get another pair of earbuds because I am a perpetual earbud loser :( I swear they run away from me! These earbuds are extremely cute but I'm still trying to figure out some of the more technical features. While it looks like I can control the volume from the earbuds themselves, I can't for the life of me find anything online that tells me how to do just that. Maybe I'm technologically-challenged, but figuring out how to control the volume shouldn't be this hard should it?
Cosmobody/FFF: Jump Rope - Retail $14
I am actually weirdly excited about this jump rope! I don't currently own one (due to the fact that I live on the top floor of a building and all my lower floor neighbors would probably kill me) but I enjoyed jumping rope as a kid and I'm excited about the possibility of adding this as another form of cardio in my fitness routine. Plus, the pink color makes it that much more fun to use :)
Zoya: Nail Polish in Avril - Retail $9
This nail polish shade came as another pleasant surprise! Since I've been a huge nail junkie for most of my life, I already have a *sizeable* collection of nail polish and haven't bought nail polish in many years. Any additional nail polish I receive is usually gifted to me or received through a subscription box and it's usually a repeat of a shade I already own….until NOW! I love this nude shade because it's probably the nudest "nude" shade I've ever found. Typically, nude shades come off more pink than nude against my skin tone but this Avril shade practically looks like a continuation of my finger rather than a separate nail shade.
Bonus: Shoptiques $25 Gift Card
Gift cards are always exciting to get in subscription boxes because you get to pick what you want! I used my gift card on a pretty blue folded clutch that was on sale for exactly $25. Unfortunately, as is the case with most of these gift cards, I still had to pay shipping separately since the gift card doesn't apply towards shipping costs.
The total retail value of this box was over $300 according to the info card included in the FabFitFun box and honestly, I believe it! This box was chalked full of pleasant surprises for me which is one of the things that I absolutely love about subscription boxes. They open up the doors to so many different products that I never would have tried yet when I do try them, I end up loving them!
What were your favorites of the FabFitFun welcome box? Since I already knew what was included in the welcome box ahead of time, I'm excited to be surprised for the Spring FabFitFun box!
