PopSugar Must Have: November 2016

---

AJ Goods: Nest Wire Bowl, Retail $35

Legit guys, I swear on my life - I was about to buy a fruit bowl at Target the other day. My bananas have been sitting all lonely on my counter, so I'm pretty excited that they now have a little home of their own! This has happened to me more times than I can count - where my PopSugar box gifts me something I was just about to buy. Either they can read my mind or I'm a really basic, predictable person. Probably the latter :) 

Stowaway Cosmetics: Dawn to Dusk Palette, Retail $25

PopSugar previously included a Stowaway lipstick set in last year's December box (My review: Here!) which I loved (and still use today!), however, I'm a little sad to say that I wasn't quite as impressed with this eyeshadow palette. I love the colors included in this palette, but when I swatched them out and tried to use them on my lids, most of the colors had almost no pigmentation! The dark brown and blue shades were the only the two shades I felt stood their ground. Now, I do have more golden/olive toned skin so this palette might still show up better on people who have paler skin. On the positive side, I do love the packaging of this palette - it's smooth to the touch and is literally the size of a credit card so it's perfect for carrying around in a purse for touch-ups! 

Kendra Scott: Elaina Scott Rose Gold Bracelet in White Pearl, Retail $50

I have been loving wearing this bracelet because it's such a simple, elegant design. Although it's not something I personally would spend $50 on, it definitely proves the value of the PopSugar box! 

Meri Meri: Star Party Picks, Retail $8

Okay, this is one of those items where I ask myself two questions: Is it cute? Yes. Will I use it? No. As cute as these are, the only situation I can imagine using these is if I were baking Christmas cupcakes with my kids for a cute little Christmas party! Seeing as I don't have kids and I'm not planning on throwing a Christmas party, I'm not even sure where this imaginary situation's come from :P

Pehr: Chambray Runner Wine, Retail $44

First words as I pulled this out of the box: "Oooh I wonder if I could wear this as a scarf instead" :P I've never used a table runner ever before so this will be my first foray into the table décor world, but I love the autumnal combination of wine red and dusty white so much, I wish I could wear it as a scarf!

Oogie's Snacks: Gourmet Toffee Butter Popcorn, Retail $2.99

Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of sweet popcorn so this one was just flat out a no go for me :(

I'm a little mixed on this month's box. While I did love the fruit bowl and the bracelet, the rest of the products were just a little meh for me. This will actually be my last PopSugar box review for a little while (although I've still got one last FabFitFun box coming my way!) because I've decided to do a little experiment by ditching my subscription boxes and re-budgeting the money I spend on subscriptions into what I'm calling a "happy" budget. More on this to come in a separate blog post so stay tuned! 

PopSugar Must Have: Sept & Oct

---

I decided to combine my reviews of the September and October PopSugar boxes because I completely forgot to change my shipment address when I moved! I guess this just means that I got double the PopSugar boxes in October! After hauling my lazy butt back to my old apartment to gather my small mountain of packages, I now bring to you double the PopSugar boxes :)

Flint: Lint Roller - Retail $9.99

I absolutely love the idea behind this lint roller! It pretty much solves all of my lint rolling problems. I have a cat at home, cat sit on the regular, and recently started fostering cats as well, so lint rolling everything I own has become my life! This little lint roller is absolutely amazing because it's the perfect size to throw in a bag, is too cute to even look like a lint roller, and retracts into itself so you do not have to worry about it sticking to everything else in your bag. It literally solves all my lint rolling problems. I'm sold :) 

Smith & Cult Lip Lacquer (Retail $22), Briogeo: Deep Conditioning Hair Mask (Retail $36)

I have to say I wasn't too thrilled with either of these products - but mostly because they're simply not products I use regularly. The lip gloss is a little too sparkly for my taste but the packaging is absolutely beautiful, so it'll definitely make a nice gift for the holidays! As for the hair mask, my hair didn't feel any differently after using it so I probably won't be using this one much at all :( 

Jack & Lucy Bicoastal Wide Brim Hat - Retail $58

This was the sneak peek spoiler item for this month's PopSugar and I was so excited to receive it because I've really wanted to branch out in my hat choices!

MANI-ER Tool Kit - Retail $16

I love when I get useful things in my subscription boxes! While this might not be the sexiest thing to receive in a subscription box, I can already imagine bringing this along with me on vacation or throwing it in my purse to go to work. You never know when an emergency nail situation might occur!

The Gluten Free Bites: Dark Chocolate Cocunut Bites - Retail $4.99

The first time I tried these, I almost spit them out they were so bad! A couple days later, however, I gave them another go and they tasted amazing! I think the reason these two experiences were so different was because I'd eaten junk food before the first experience and healthier food before the second experience! So, pro tip - these are delicious - as long as you don't inhale a bag of barbecue potato chips beforehand :) 

Henri Bendel: Packable Umbrella - Retail $58

I love it when I receive useful things in my subscription boxes and to me, umbrellas are incredibly useful - not necessarily because it rains a lot where I live, but because I am perpetually losing my umbrellas! I love how cute and girly this one - hopefully it won't join the hoards of lost umbrellas I've contributed to the universe!

Power Your Happy by Lisa Sugar - Retail $25

Receiving books makes me irrationally excited. I think it might be leftover from my days as a kiddo bookworm? Who knows! Even though I don’t read as much as I wish I did, books are still some of my favorite gifts to receive because they often hold so much more meaning than another bag or another palette of make-up. I'm super excited to read this and learn more about the creator of PopSugar!

Morning Culture: Rise and Shine Mug (Retail $16) + My Cup of Cocoa: Dark Drinking Chocolate (Retail $4.99)

I love this combination of mug and hot cocoa - it's such a perfect little addition to my giant collection of cozy-at-home things. Even if it's not the best for my physical health, a mug of cocoa is definitely best for my mental health :)

Lalicious: Shower Oil & Bubble Bath - Retail $28

This shower oil smells absolutely amazing and is perfect for the holidays - Yummm vanilla :) I tested it out as a bubble bath and it creates the perfect balance between bubbles and good smells. I'm a fan! 

Makeup Eraser Mini - Retail $12

I've wanted to try a makeup eraser for quite some time so I was super excited that one of them was included in this month's box! So far, this little guy has done an amazing job of removing all of my makeup at the end of the day - with just water! The downside is that all of my eyeliner tends to stay on the makeup eraser even after I try to rinse it out to re-use for the next day. So far, this hasn't affected how effective the makeup eraser is, but I'm not sure how long this will last!

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eyeliner Pen - Retail $8.99

Definitely didn't need this one - but it was a nice bonus! You can never have enough eyeliner, right? :P

What I've noticed in my subscription box experience is that I absolutely love the cozy, comfy, homey themed boxes that come out in the fall and winter months - but I usually don't like the summer "fun in the sun" themed boxes that come out in the warmer months. Maybe it's because I live in a colder climate so I don't have as much use for beach bags? I'm not quite sure what the reason is! I'm trying to be better about budgeting, so my subscription box addiction might be on a hold for the next couple of months - but more on this soon! Stay tuned!

PopSugar Must Have: August 2016

---

I’m finally getting back into the groove of blogging on the regular - which means it’s PopSugar time! Okay - getting a little too excited here, but given all the crazies that have been happening in my life, it’s nice to take a moment to pause and get excited about my subscription boxes. This month’s box was focused on organization and I loved the variety that brought to this month’s box! 

Baggu: Duck Bag - Retail $26

I was pleasantly surprised by this little bag - It’s very sturdy, goes with just about anything, and is easy to use as both a tote or to sling over your shoulder. I’ve been hauling around a laptop and hefty planner with me to work and have loved having this trusty bag to depend on! 

Cargo Cosmetics: The Big Easy Powder Blush - Retail $26

I have really been loving this blush ever since I received it - it’s the perfect shade of peachy pink that goes with just about any lip color or outfit. Oftentimes, I find that it can be easy to go overboard with pink blushes but this Cargo blush is both a nice color and pigmentation that easily complements without coming across too strongly. 

Triple C: PowerGloss in Silver - Retail $30

My phone is slowly deteriorating so this little re-chargeable battery comes at the perfect time! My favorite thing about this battery is that it really looks like a tube of lipstick - if I threw it in my make-up bag, I’m pretty sure I’d have even myself fooled! While I already have something similar, you really can’t have too many re-chargeable batteries…especially if you’re still running around playing Pokemon Go like I am :) 

Cookie Pop Popcorn: Cookies & Cream - Retail $3.99

I didn’t like this popcorn much so I ended up handing it over to my boyfriend to munch on. As much as I wanted to like this healthier cookies and cream option, I think my brain just resists the idea of mixing savory and sweet things together - eek!

Unplugged: Dusti Screen Cleaner - Retail $5.99

This is an awesome product for me because I am constantly getting all kinds of smudges and dust all over my screen! I loved being able to pull these cute screen cleaners out while on the go. I only wish that they would last a little bit longer! After a week or two of usage, the edges of the cleaner start to peel up and no longer stick to the back of my phone :( 

Christian Lacroix Paris: Paseo Sticky Note Folio - Retail $13

Who can say no to more sticky notes? Not this stationary addict. I’ll definitely be throwing this one into my bag for late study nights :) 

I loved the wide variety of products in August’s PopSugar! My only slight gripe is that the August PopSugar box was really late - I didn’t actually receive mine until the 1st of September! Although this isn’t something that bothers me personally, it might be something to consider if you’re thinking about getting the PopSugar box!

What did you think of your subscription boxes this month? Know of any boxes you think I should try? I’d love too hear your thoughts!