POPSUGAR Must Have Box Review - April 2014

My POPSugar Must Have box must ship later than a lot of other subscribers', because I saw a spoiler for this one about a week before mine arrived. I HATE spoilers, especially since I look forward to POPSugar so much. So if you don't want to know, quit reading now.

This month's box theme was Spring cleaning; CLEARLY they aren't playing to their audience! Luckily, it was a loosely fitting theme so I could still enjoy most of the contents.

Too Faced Natural Eyes ($36)

This was the spoiled item. Grrr. I'm the girl that plugs her ears during movie previews so surprises aren't ruined. This was my favorite thing in the box, so I was still thrilled to get this. I am already a fan of Too Faced bronzers, and I have picked up and put back this same kit on at least a dozen occasions. From the looks of it, they've slightly revamped the color selection, which contains a mix of matte and shimmery nudes with double-entendre names. I feel like if you boiled down the essential colors from the three Urban Decay's "The Nudes" Collections, you would end up with this palette. It's a perfect set and comes with an illustrated instruction booklet for the eyeshadow challenged.

BlueAvocado (Eco) Shopper ($25)

I've recently started using reusable shopping totes because they make grocery carrying so much easier and prevent contents from sliding all over my car when I inevitable brake too hard. This one is much cuter than the free ones I've randomly collected (apparently totes are "the thing" to give pregnant women as giveaways). It feels a little flimsy, but I love that the entire thing folds up on itself and can be zipped up small. Will I use that feature? Probably not, but I still feel cooler knowing it's there.

Caldrea Rosewater Driftwood Hand Soap ($10.50)

This is the closest to cleaning supplies I want to see in a surprise boxes, and I'm happy with it. It says "rosewater driftwood" on it, but if that's supposed to be a fancy scent description I'm not picking it up. I have the blessing of a weak sense of smell, so I'm not the one to judge. It's soap, and looks nice next to the sink.

Graphiv Image Pocket Notes ($20)

Wouldn't it be fantastic if we still COULD run the world using paper and pencil? Not really. I think someone needs to call POPSugar and let them know most of the United States now uses their phone for, well, everything. If I WERE to use a notebook, it would be this one. It's a beautiful blue leather bound pocket notebook with silver edging. I'm trying to convince myself I need to carry this alongside my phone everywhere I go, but I'm losing the argument. Either way, it's really nice for a dinosaur - I mean paper.

 

NatureBox POPSugar Must Have Mix ($5)

Stuff like this POPSugar custom Trail Mix really only tastes fantastic when I'm so carefully watching what I'm eating that I start counting craisins as dessert. Since I had ice cream for lunch it's pretty obvious I'm not at that point. It's decent for dried soybeans. This mix was made to convince POPSugar subscribers to jump on the Nature Box bandwagon. I had been considering it before, but I think I will wait until I'm much healthier and really hard up for flavorful healthy snacks. in the meantime I'm open to suggestions for a good dessert box.

Fresh Pastry Stand Totally Awesome Tea Towel Set ($18)

I wasn't sure what these were at first. I dig the font, but they aren't a great fit for my kitchen decor so they will be lovingly placed in a new home soon. They're pretty dang big and I'm sure they adequately dry dishes and mop up spills.

 

Overall, I'm not sure that I "must have" most of what I received this month. At $114.50 the value was good, and as always the quality was great for every item. Because I can swap the stuff I won't use with other box subscribers, I still consider it a win. The Too Faced cosmetics were, by far, the most Totally Awesome item for me.

 

If you want to sign up for POPSugar, you can do so here.

Maybe She's Born With It, Maybe it's a $2 Brow Pencil

Powders, gels, pencils, pens, combo kits. I could probably teach an undergrad course on the variety of eyebrow makeup available. And given the prices of this stuff that the market bears, someone would probably pay to take it. Through years of experimentation, I have yet to find anything I like better than the tried and true Maybelline Expert Wear Brow & Eye Pencil. As I'm sure will become apparent, I am all about an indulgent trip to Sephora to pick up a top notch foundation or lipstick, but if I can find a cheap, quality drugstore substitute then bring it on!

I can't remember how I stumbled across this little gem, but it's a good blonde shade that applies quickly, is easy to control, and doesn't look orange, cakey or powdery. The only time I get compliments on my brows (usually the color) is when I use this pencil.

This works great on my brows which are fairly long-haired. If I don't keep them trimmed I quickly look like Father Time; if I do they can look more sparse than I prefer. I keep the pencil sharp and use quick short strokes to correct and fill in the shape, and to even out the color.

Any Questions?

Some reviews state these break really easily when sharpening. I haven't noticed that myself, but some time in the freezer first should cure that. Sold in a two-pack, this $3.99 purchase easily lasts me 6 months.

One for each brow?

You can find these at most drugstores and in-store or online at ULTA. They offer free shipping on $50 purchases and this product currently has a Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer. If I've done my math correctly, that means you only have to purchase 34 pencils to get free shipping. 

Unfortunately, I don't know how the other colors look. I apologize to all the brunettes and redheads; take comfort in the fact that you haven't had to put up with blonde jokes your whole life. You'll need to invest the $4 to test it out. I also don't know how it works as an eyeliner, because I think this would be a funky color as a liner. I'm currently looking for a good black one though, so if you have any suggestions, please share!

Oh, Roger