PopSugar Must Have: August 2017

August 16, 2017

This month’s subscription box was all about celebration since the PopSugar Must Have box is celebrating its 5th year curating boxes! 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, and home products. I’ve subscribed to a lot of boxes in my time and the PopSugar Must Have box is my all-time favorite by a mile! If you’re looking for a box that gives you a ton of value and awesome products, this is the box for you!

Pastel: Cheers Lacquered Tray | Retail $28

This is the prettiest little tray - that ended up being a lot bigger than I thought it would be! It’s almost the size of a standard piece of paper which I actually love! Most of my catchalls are about the size of my palm and with how much I throw in them, they get filled pretty quickly. I think this one’s going to end up on my coffee table as that’s where all of my things normally end up!

First Aid Beauty: 5 in 1 Bouncy Mask | Retail $38

I’ve never tried anything from First Aid Beauty before so I was really excited to receive this product! It’s a mask that is meant to brighten and firm skin after 10 minutes of use. I’m excited to try it and get my first taste of the First Aid Beauty line!

Dogeared: Friendship Bracelet with Small Open Hear | Retail $34

I absolutely loved receiving this little bracelet in my box this month! It’s dainty and super easy to wear. My only gripe is that it’s listed as retailing for $34. Given that I received it as a part of my subscription, this price tag usually doesn’t matter to me but this friendship bracelet, while cute, is extremely simple and even if it’s retailed at $34 I do not think it’s worth that much.

Meri Meri: Gold Glitter Candles | Retail $7.50

My family is pretty small and practical so we’re really only celebrating birthdays a couple of times year, and when we do celebrate birthdays, we don’t often go through the hassle of putting candles in a cake 😛 As a result, this is kind of a useful product for me - but I can appreciate the fact that it fits in with the “birthday” theme and who doesn’t love glitter! 😀

Fringe Studio: Free Spirit Journal | Retail $16

This was my favorite item of the August box! I love, love, love receiving stationary related products in my subscription box and this beautiful notebook will be perfect for some fall to-do lists! It’s also a gorgeous rose gold - a color I’ve been loving over the past year!

Goodie Girl Cookies: Chocolate Chunk | Retail $2.95

I’ve tried a couple of not so great gluten-free desserts before so I had pretty low expectations for these cookies, but they were actually delicious! So much so that I pretty much nommed them all down in one sitting! 😛 (not recommended). They’re definitely not as fluffy or buttery as normal chocolate cookies are, but hey, they’re gluten-free so they’re never going to be exactly like their full-of-gluten counterparts!

Shoptiques: $25 Gift Card

I’m usually on the fence when it comes to gift cards in subscription boxes but I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Oftentimes, the gift card given isn’t even enough to cover a single product so I don’t end up purchasing anything and the gift card just gathers dust instead. Instead, the Shoptiques website had a ton of very affordable stuff that included all kinds of accessories, clothing, and decor. I ended up putting $50 worth of accessories in my cart - which I only ended up paying $25 for, thanks to this gift card! 😃

Overall, I was very happy with this month’s PopSugar! I loved the happy, celebratory theme of the box and will be using most of the products in my day-to-day life. What did you think of your August PopSugar Must Have box?

Hiding that Muffin Top 😛

August 14, 2017

Shorts: H&M // Backpack: Nordstrom Rack // Top: Target // Shoes: Sperry // Lipstick: The Beauty Crop in Imma Bawse

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I thought about naming this post a handful of other things but if I’m being perfectly honest with myself, my favorite part of this whole high-waisted trend is that it works with my muffin top instead of against it! As someone who absolutely loves food, I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that my muffin top will always be with me, so work with what you’ve got right? I’m still new to the whole high-waisted thing so I’d love to know, where do you find the best high-waisted shorts or jeans? My muffin top isn’t going anywhere anytime soon so I’ll definitely be on the hunt for some more!

BeautyFix: August 2017

August 12, 2017

BeautyFix is a monthly skincare, makeup, and haircare subscription box created by DermStore. A monthly subscription is $24.95 per box and a one-time box purchase is $34.95. Most items in the box are either full or deluxe sample size products.

DCL: Power Kit | Full-Size Serum $95, Moisturizer $75

This little kit includes one serum and one moisturizer that are perfect little travel-size companions! I like both of them enough to finish off the samples but since they don’t feel much different from my current serums or moisturizers, I won’t be repurchasing.

MDSolarSciences: Mineral Tinted Creme SPF 30 | Full-Size $32

This is one of those products I just don’t have a use for! I find that tinted sunscreens are generally just not my cup of tea. There are a lot of other products out there that function as full-coverage foundations or really nice hydrating moisturizers that also contain SPF so adding another layer of greasy sunscreen just doesn’t seem necessary.

Foreo: Luna Play | Full-Size $39

This little facial brush was definitely the star of the box for me! I’ve wanted to try the Foreo Luna line for a while but given their super high price tag, I didn’t want to take the leap without testing out the product first. This Foreo Luna Play is a super cute travel size version of the full-size brush that uses sonic pulsations to help you get a deeper clean. After using it a couple of times, I definitely feel like this little brush is doing a lot for my skin. My only gripe is that it’s not rechargeable - which makes it feel like a gimmick to get me to buy the full-size brush 😔

Keranique: Daily Essential Supplements | Full-Size $49

I really don’t know how to feel about supplements that help to promote hair growth. If anyone else out there has more experience with these kinds of supplements - please share your experience in the comments! I’ve never taken a hair supplement and actually am kind of wary of them so these were a flop product for me.

Perricone MD: Superberry Powder with Acai | Full-Size $75

Same sort of notes as the previous product! Although I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, I haven’t quite gotten to the point where I throw supplements or protein powder into my food. This powder is antioxidant rich and supports overall health so I might throw it into a smoothie someday, but I probably won’t be purchasing this anytime soon.

Juice Beauty: Blemish Clearing Cleanser | Full-Size $22

I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure this i the full-size version of this cleaner - and I always appreciate receiving a full-size product in a subscription box! I’ve tried a couple of Juice Beauty masks before and I’ve always wanted to try more out of their line! Unfortunately, I do not enjoy the smell of this cleanser but since it’s a blemish clearing (something I often experience on my skin), I’ll put up with the smell - I just won’t be re-purchasing anytime soon. 😃

Dermablend: Loose Setting Powder | Full-Size $27

This translucent powder from Dermablend is meant to conceal imperfections, set makeup, and claims to last up to 16 hours. My face can get pretty oily throughout the day and unfortunately, I don’t think this powder actually lasted me 16 hours - but it does do a great job off setting makeup and has an amazing silky texture!

Products Mentioned:

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this month’s BeautyFix. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the edible samples in this month’s box, the value of this box is still awesome. Since I’ve been wanting to try the Foreo Luna line of brushes for so long, receiving that little brush pretty much made up for the rest of the duds in the box 😛 What did you think of your August BeautyFix? I’ve really been loving this subscription box!