Popsugar Must Have Box : December 2015

dootsiebug

Dec 29—2015

11_0113_BD-2_grande Y’all know I love the PopSugar Box.

I accidentally failed to take a picture of the box in the midst of the holiday rush. You’ll forgive me, right?

LUV AJ Ombre Plated Bracelet ($65 value – similar pictured) – Oh my goshhhhh this is so chunky. So chunky and too short for my chunky wrist. It’s gold, silver and rose gold plated. I feel like the “ombre” looks like a mistake from every angle. I would’ve been much happier if the links had been mixed or something. But it’s SO DARN CHUNKY. Like, bad mobster dude chunky.

Stowaway Creme Lipstick Trio ($30 value) – Designed to be perfect for jetsetters, the shades–Cranberry, Muted Plum, Raspberry–are perfect for the holidays. Very pretty, and I could see these working for a variety of skintones. I probably wouldn’t drop $30 on three trial-size lipsticks, but this will make a great gift. Included was a coupon for three more lipsticks free with a Stowaway purchase, which seems like a weird offer.

Swing Design Nova Collection Blue Mist Box ($36 value) – This is a pretty stitched powder blue leatherette. The interior is suede. It’s a really nice size. I think the value is a tiny bit high, but the look of it is very luxurious.

Nima Oberoi Geo Stopper ($24 value) – This has a cool look with polished edges and a geometric shape. I feel like the cork is a bit on the small side. I definitely think the value is too high for what I’d ever possibly pay, but I’m a hater!

Meri Meri Glitter Tape ($4 value) – The tape is white with silver glittery stars. I used it to decorate some of my gifts. Very cute!

Tinyprints Gift Tag Stickers (side item) – These were made to coordinate somewhat with the tape! They’re a flat printed round label with the look of silver. Smart! It also came with a coupon for Tinyprints.

My Cup of Cake Belgian Chocolate ($6 value) – Mug cakes are never my fave, but this one was okay. The mix is designed to just add water and nuke for two minutes. The packaging calls the texture a souffle, but the actual mouthfeel was a bit confusing. I wanted it to be more chocolatey. The box included a coupon for this.

5 responses

KathyRo

January 3, 2016

Well it’s official : I cancelled almost all my subscription boxes. I was starting to feel like little bottles and miscellaneous crap were filling up my life. I’ll miss being able to give stuff away but I won’t miss managing it. The only boxes I have left are Gwynnie Bee and Blue Apron. I’ve got Blue Apron ratcheted down to once per month and still on the fence for GB.

So this was my last PopSugar box! I gave away everything but the “cup of cake”. You’re right — the mouth feel was weird. My niece and her friend were over so I split it into 2 cups. One came out pretty good and the other was… rubbery. Or something. We all spat it out. I would try it again except I don’t need access to instant-sweets in my house.

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1. dootsiebug
  
  January 4, 2016
  
  I can hardly blame you! When I was wrapping up Christmas gifts for everyone, I hauled all the stuff I’d squirreled away out into the living room and… WOW WOW WOW that was a lotta crap!
  I feel like Gwynnie Bee is the hardest decision to make. While I was subscribed, I was never like “I absolutely need to have this in my life”, but as soon as I stopped getting it, everyone around me noticed that my wardrobe had gone flat (haha) and I just found myself occasionally wishing for the option to have a bunch of great potential outfits waiting in the wings. But so many pffffffffffft clothes came and went from my mailbox! Haha
  For January, I picked up this Birchbox, Ipsy if you can believe it and I FINALLY got off the waitlist for the Notoriously Morbid Vanishing Cabinet. I’ll almost certainly cancel Ipsy and Birchbox after this month, but I really liked Ipsy’s spoiler item for this month.
  
  Reply
  1. KathyRo
    
    January 5, 2016
    
    Yup. I get a lot of compliments from the GB outfits and some of my favorite clothes are ones I bought from them. I have to remind myself that when I’m returning yet-another-box.
    When companies make a waiting list for their subscription boxes, I’m always skeptical. One on hand, I can believe that a small company like Notoriously Morbid Vanishing Cabinet can only guarantee a certain number. They can’t spool up to the size of a big company in a week if they get overwhelmed by demand. But I got waitlisted at birchbox which has been around forever so pfffttt.. they can f–k right off.
    I’m not blind to the effect creating the impression of scarcity causes. Or even the reality of scarcity. It makes you want to sign up! I once was part of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin’ Sock Club where I got a skein of sock yarn per month for a year. ( Payable in advance thankyouverymuch! ). It was crazy stupid for me to sign up because there’s no way I can knit a pair of socks every freakin’ month but then I did it the next year too. Why? Because it’s a hand-made product and it really was limited availability — the lady who owns the company can’t just double her workshop overnight if she gets a ton of orders. Plus former members got preference to join again every year ( it’s not an automatic rollover ). I didn’t want to feel left out! So now I have a whole bunch of hand-knit socks I almost never wear and a bunch of extra sock yarn to boot. Lesson learned.
  2. dootsiebug
    
    January 5, 2016
    
    I feel like the scarcity principle can defffffinitely backfire, and Birchbox was a very real example of that for me. By the time I got my “off the waitlist” email, I was completely over it. I made an account and so I guess that let me skip the waitlist for this box??? but I have no intentions of keeping the subscription going.
    Ipsy is actually another example. Since I couldn’t skip a month, I stuck around with my subscription longer that I probably should’ve to be sure I wouldn’t be stuck on the waitlist. But in truth? It made me resent them.
    And I feel like of all the advertising goals a company should have, resentment probably isn’t one?
Birchbox January 2016: Korean Beauty

January 11, 2016

[…] As KRo and I discussed in the comments on a previous post, Birchbox always set itself off on the completely wrong foot with me. I had to wait–I believe–nearly a year to get off the “waitlist”, and by then? I was completely over it. I understand that some brands–especially smaller ones–can’t just throw the barn doors wide open and invite everybody in all at once. But a year for something that’s become a major player in the beauty box game? Uhhhhhh. Some brands attempt to employ to scarcity principle, making themselves seem more elite and desirable by being unattainable. For me, that tactic completely backfired. […]

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