Pop Sugar Must Have Discount Code and Review!

PopSugar Must Have is a monthly subscription service that costs $35 including shipping (you can try it for just $30 with the code REFER5 on the site: POPSUGAR). This lifestyle sub box is geared towards pop culture and is curated by PopSugar editors, who regularly choose their "Must Have" items for inclusion in the box. Since its debut last June, there have been both highs and lows, but loyal fans have fallen in love with their unique -- at times quite whimsical -- approach to selection of Must Haves.

PopSugar first came to my attention in September 2012, when they included a truly stunning Brokedown scarf (at the time retailing for around $80!) in the box.

The Brokedown scarf everybody wanted!

When added in with the Benefit cosmetics kit that retailed for $36, a book, two free movie tickets, some fun food choices, and several other fun little extras, the September box was nothing short of spectacular. This, of course, presented a bit of a quandary: Could they keep it up? When something is this much of a hit, when the items are this amazing -- where would they go from there?

The answer is still being revealed, and I got a glimpse of PopSugar Must Have's unique box in two ways for this review: The Luxury Box and the December Must Have box.

First,  I'll cover the PS Luxury Edition box. The "Luxe Box" was released on a limited basis and sent out just prior to Christmas. With its $100 price tag, it was definitely a pricey gamble, but luxury lovers, the insatiably curious, die-hard PS fans, and others  just couldn't resist.

The Luxury Box was a complete surprise, and I genuinely had no idea what to expect -- neither did anyone else, as this was their first Luxe box! It came in a large black box which was simple but attractive and was tied with a shimmery silver ribbon.

 Inside was shiny silver paper that had a "PopSugar" sticker affixed. Again, very attractive and definitely built the anticipation
for what lay within.







Upon opening the tissue paper, I found a number of items, carefully bundled up in individual black tissue paper wrappings. PopSugar normally doesn't wrap items individually, so I found this to be a nice touch that made it feel like a real present to yourself. Once it was all unwrapped, here is what I had:

The Epicuren moisturizer, in Tahitian Vanilla scent, is definitely a luxury item as it costs about $40 per bottle. For an 8 oz body moisturizer that is not cheap, but it gets rave reviews almost universally. It's not a thick lotion, but it does absorb into the skin and do the job a moisturizer should.

The Savon De Marseille hand soap
was an interesting inclusion, but
not an unwelcome one. This is, after
all, hand soap. Most people don't
get giddy over hand soap. As hand soaps go,
it's quite nice and it does have a
good moisturizing effect. Gwyneth Paltrow
is said to be quite enamored of this product,
which is why I think they included it.





The Deborah Lippman nail polish and lipstick set is definitely a luxury item,
The polishes alone are around $20 a bottle, but DL is amazing quality. This duo came packaged beautifully in
a special limited edition box. The colors are quite bold, and may be a holy grail  polish for anyone who loves red.

My favorite item of the box was something I was not too sure about at first, but this little Jewelmint clutch somehow grew on me. It looked almost like a flask at first glance, and is made of a silver chainmail type material. The real charm of this bag is the way it opens, however.

As I said, I'd have to liken it to a flask due to the opening:
The little circle on top is pushed upwards to open it. Naturally, you can't work with a purse opening so small -- so
now the fun part. You open it by pulling the sides of the bottle neck gently apart.




Which leaves you with this! It's really quite ingenious, and while the purse is tiny (just room for maybe an iPhone without case, a lipgloss, and your keys) it is perfect for a dressy evening out. PopSugar sent out several different clutches to subscribers, and all were part of the Kate Bosworth collection there. The clutches are no longer in production, according to JewelMint.

The Heather Belle cuff bracelet is one of those "love it or hate it" type items. When I first saw it I hated it but I have yet to wear it. It's brass and is a flexible cuff, quite wide at around 2 inches.

 The Tocca candle was in "Kyoto" scent, a blend of
 Kinmokusei flowers, apricot, and light florals. It's a peachy scent, but a very natural one that smells delicious. These candles retail for $38, so it is fun to try an expensive candle that I would not normally buy.








 The Vosges Chocolate Library (no photo -- people descended upon these like starving locusts, so you have an idea how great they were) was an awesome surprise. It contained an assortment of 9 different chocolate bar flavors (each a single small serving) and included such highlights as Pearl, Red Fire, Naga, Amalfi, Barcelona, Woolloomooloo, Oaxaca, Bapchi's Caramel Toffee and Milk Chocolate Bacon flavor chocolate bars. There was a pink peppercorn flavor that sounded like it would be awful but it turned out to be delectable.

The first PopSugar luxury box was interesting. If I were to evaluate it purely from the viewpoint of "Was it all perfect and amazing for me personally?" the answer would be mixed. I loved some of it, while other parts of it are not terribly useful to me.

But, that's the thing about a luxury box: It's not really meant to be evaluated for its usefulness. Rather, it was designed as a group of luxury items for people who wanted to spoil themselves or a loved one. Luxury items are often the type of things you'd be hesitant to purchase for yourself because they are expensive, sometimes crazy expensive. Did the box deliver on that front? Absolutely. These were, for the most part,, luxury items that I can spoil myself with.

With a price of $100, this was definitely a more expensive box -- but it was a one-time thing. That is a fairly expensive gamble, but the gamble (the surprise, the anticipation) is one of the things I love about subscription boxes the most.

Word has it that PS will be releasing more luxury boxes in the future, perhaps even quarterly or on some type of seasonal basis. I look forward to seeing what is coming next from the Must Have box curators at PopSugar!

Want to try PopSugar? Go Here: POPSUGAR MUST HAVE. Enter the code "REFER5" to get 5 dollars off your box!

                         DECEMBER POPSUGAR MUST HAVE

The December box was an interesting one, and rather unexpected.  

Bodum Bistro mugs just make coffee at home more fun!

Bodum Bistro 10 oz Mugs (set of 2): Bodum makes double walled transparent glass products that are designed to insulate extremely well, keeping cold beverages colder and hot beverages hotter. They are pricey, retailing for $25 each normally, and the quality does reflect that. Very nice quality, although I wouldn't call them super sturdy (they are, after all , glass!) An elegant way to drink tea or coffee, so I was pleased to try these out.

Tea Forte Sampler Box (contains 10 tea bags) : Tea Forte is a high end brand that makes teas in unusual flavors. They normally sell for $15 for this particular type of sampler. The exotic flavors included: Black Currant, White Ambrosia, White Ginger Pear, Green Mango Peach, Earl Grey, Jasmine Green, African Solstice, Chamomile Citron, Raspberry Nectar, and Lemon Ginger.

Pinch Minimergency Kit: This tiny zippered bag from Pinch holds a plethora of emergency items that can get you by in a pinch. Contents include threaded needed, safety pin, deodorant towelette, hairspray, and nail polish -- 17 total items, all useful. Mine had a black patent bag, but others got colors like pink or purple. It's really very cute, and so tiny! It will fit right into nearly any purse, and I can think of many occasions I could have used these items.

Marianella Moisturizing Soap: This huge soap bar is packed with antioxidants and smells wonderful. It is very large, and retails for $14. It is beautifully packaged and does feel quite luxurious.  I am not much of a bar soap user so this may end up becoming a gift.

Bogdon's Peppermint Poles: These are long skinny peppermint sticks dipped in dark chocolate. Absolutely delicious and the perfect complement to hot chocolate.

GoSwype Electronics Cleansing Cloth: This dry cloth is a microfiber thing designed to clean your personal electronic devices. I used it on the iPhone and was not too impressed. It does remove fingerprints and smudges if you really put effort into it.

There was also a "Rent the Runway" code included. I am not going to even discuss this because it's a $30 discount code with purchase that anyone can get when they join the site so this did not add value to the box.
Want to try PopSugar? Go Here: POPSUGAR MUST HAVE. Enter the code "REFER5" to get 5 dollars off your box!