My Review of the AUGUST 2012 POPSUGAR Must Have Box

I recently discovered beauty/subscription boxes of all sorts.  Literally - I've signed up for 11 of them (oops!).  Here is my review of the August 2012 POPSUGAR Must Have Box.

The stats:  $35/mo with free shipping
You get (per their website):  
• Hand-selected items in beauty, fashion, home, fitness, and food

• Full-size products and premium items worth over $100

Here's what my August POPSUGAR Box looked like:

1st impression - "Ooooh, pink paper and wrapped up all pretty!  It's like opening a fabulous present!"

Stuffed full of goodies!!

This box included:

Givino Wine Glasses - 4 pack tote - RV $12.95

Alora Diffuser - 8oz - RV $60.00

Baggu Bag - RV $9.00

Tatcha Blotting Papers - 30 ct - RV $12.00

Pop Physique DVD - RV $10.98 (normally sold in a set of 3 DVD's for $29.95)

SPROUT 1 oz. Cleanser - RV $6.00 (normally $24 for a 4 oz bottle)

SPROUT 1 oz. Exfoliant - RV $7.00 (normally $28 for a 4 oz bottle)

Pretzel Crisps - 7.2 oz - RV $3.49

Bear Naked Granola - 1.35 oz - RV $3.34

PostAGram Prints - 10 of them - RV $10.00

Benziger Family Winery Coupon for 15% off - RV $4.35-$9.90 (depending on the price of the wine you choose)

2 pink and white cardboard POPSUGAR Wine Coasters - RV - $1 million dollars (just joking - they're cardboard - you determine)

TOTAL ESTIMATED VALUE:  $139.02 - $144.57 (plus the million dollar coasters)

MY COST: $17.50 (I found a 1/2 off coupon online)

A closer look at these items.....

Food and Home items:

1.  Govino Wine Glass - 4 pack tote - (1.5 stars) - The pamphlet (and the online promo info) said "They're shatterproof, but still look like crystal....".  I was really looking forward to these.  What they forgot to mention is that they're plastic.  Not to sound like a snob, but they don't look like crystal and, well, THEY'RE PLASTIC (and not the hard kind either)!!  I decided to try out the shatterproof claim and promptly chucked one onto the floor.  It bounced.  At least that claim is correct.  The side finger indentation is nice, but I still wouldn't pay $12.95 for them regularly.  

    In fairness, I did show these to my husband though and he LOVES them!  I told him they were shatterproof and he too quickly dropped one on the floor and smiled like a kid.  He thinks they're great.  OK, fine - they get 2 stars.....

2.  Pretzel Crisps - 7.2 oz bag - (5 stars) - A great sized bag.  And very tasty too!  I went and bought these at Kroger!  LOVE!!

3.  Bear Naked Granola (fruit and nut kind) - 1.35 oz bag - (5 stars) - A nice sample size.  All natural ingredients with 17g of whole grain.  SO GOOD!!  This is the perfect snack to eat when I'm craving something sweet.  It has honey and maple syrup in it (along with healthy things like whole grain oats, almonds, raisins, flax seeds, and sesame seeds).  I ended up buying these at the grocery too (in the fruit and nut flavor, banana flavor, and chocolate flavor).  They're so yummy!!

4.  Benziger Family Winery Coupon for 15% off - value varies based on price of wine selected - must be used by September 30, 2012 - (1 star at best) - I logged onto their website and found prices anywhere from $29/bottle to $66/bottle.  This = a savings of $4.35 - $9.90.  I may order a bottle for my hubby and I's anniversary (which is this month), but I doubt it.  I like to drink my $12 bottles of wine in my crystal Mikasa wine glasses.      

5.  POPSUGAR Pink and White Coasters - (2 stars b/c they're cute and pink) -  I'll use these the next time I need a coaster, but they're cardboard, which means get them wet once and they're going into the recycling! 

Health & Beauty Items:

6.  Alora Diffuser - Isola Fragrance - 8 oz set - (4.5 stars) - This is a nice set!  The bottle is huge, the diffuser reeds are sturdy, and the wooden bottle cap and topper are a nice touch!  The fragrance is a mixture of gardenia, tuberose, & fig.  It's a strong, floral fragrance (which I'm typically not so much a fan of).  However, I'm going to try this out.

7.  PopPhysique "Original Butt" DVD - (5 stars - If I could give it 10, I would).  This DVD is no joke!  And it doesn't just focus on your butt.  It works your entire body and is HARD (for an overall out-of-shape person anyway)!!!!!  It's a 55-minute workout that claims to burn 500 calories or more (I was sweating like crazy no more than 10 minutes in).  It claims it will make me "feel long and lean like a dancer.  Strengthening and stretching your way thru each muscle group.  You will enjoy the quick results:  lifted, rounded butt, sleek arms, flat abdominals, and slimmed legs.  Do this DVD 3x a week and make your physique popular".  I need a workout DVD and was going to buy a yoga one since I just stopped going to my personal trainer, but I'll try this one for a while.

8.  Tatcha Aburatorigami Japanese Beauty Papers - 30 sheets - (3 stars) - Pretty, but not functional for me.  I have tried other types of blotting papers before.  These are definitely the largest size (3.74" x 3.74") and prettiest (they have gold flecks within the papers).  Unfortunately, my skin is just too oily for these.  I could easily go thru 3 or 4 of these a day and at $12 for 30 of them, that could get expensive!  For now, I'll stick to my pressed powder.  I thought about using them to wrap jewelry in when I give it as a gift, but decided instead to put them up for auction on Listia (see 9/3/12 post).

9.  SPROUT All-Natural Exfoliant - approx. 1 oz - (2 stars) - Oh, how I wanted to LOVE this product!  It's made of all-natural ingredients - organic almonds, organic oats, and Maine sea salt.  I have sensitive skin and normally can't use salt-based scrubs (I have to use the sugar ones), but I gave this a try.  Here's an "action shot" of the texture:

The granules of almonds, oats, and salt were just too big - and they didn't want to come off!  And yes, the salt did irritate my skin.  Off to Listia this goes too!

10.  SPROUT All-Natural Cleanser - approx. 1 oz - (2 stars) - So, I struck out with the exfoliator.  I was excited to try this all-natural, non-foaming cleanser.  It's made of organic rosewater, organic vegetable glycerin, and organic tea tree oil.  Only problem was - I failed to think this thru and give stock to the fact it contains "glycerin" and "oil", which for someone who has combination skin, is like skin cryptonite.  When I put it on my skin, I was instantly taken aback by the strong, floral fragrance.  Wow!  Potent!  I then "washed" my face with it, only to find my skin feeling very oily - worse than before I washed it.  Enter my normal cleanser to save the day and get this off my face:

(**Disclaimer:  Clean & Clear was NOT part of the August 2012 POPSUGAR Must Have Box**).  Maybe the organic cleanser would work great for someone with dry skin.  Unfortunately, that's just not me.  Off to Lista it goes!

11.  POSTAGRAM - 10 free - (5 stars b/c it's a cool concept) - Postagram allows you to send postcards with detachable photos (which you upload from your phone) using the Postagram app.  I like it!  It's something I've never seen before.  I just don't think I'll ever use it.  Up on Lista this goes too!

12.  Last but not least - the Baggu Bag: (5 stars)

This reusable shopping bag tucks away into the tiny pouch seen above (which you can throw in your regular purse).  It's washable and can hold up to 50 lbs.  It's affordable (at $9.00 retail) and comes in a variety of colors on the website.  I love reusable bags!  (I'm just debating if I need another one).  Here it is open (and holding all the items that came in this box):

The final verdict:  4 stars!!  I LOVED it when I came home to find this package had arrived!  I tore into it like a kid at Christmas!  There were some definite "hits" - the diffuser, workout DVD, Baggu Bag, Postagrams, pretzel crisps, granola, and blotting papers (they're a "hit" b/c they're so pretty).  And there were some misses - the wine glasses, wine discount code, cardboard coasters, exfoliator, and facial cleanser.  Still, I LOVED trying all these products that I normally would never have purchased out (12 items/products in all)!  It was worth the money - $140 worth of products for $17.50 (with the coupon code I found online), and it was fun!  I will definitely continue this program to see what future months hold!!