Popsugar Must Have February 2014

Popsugar Must Have February 2014

First Look

This month's Popsugar Must Have box had a "pamper yourself oh and also it's Valentine's Day" theme.  This was the month that people could get for $20 using the awesome 50% off code released a few weeks ago.  That made this box an excellent deal for some people, and it caused some of those who paid full price to have a few issues with the box.

PSMH February 2014

Me? I'm indifferent.  This just confirms to me that not renewing my subscription after it expires in March is the way to go.  I already signed up for FabFitFun which is $50 quarterly.  (Get $5 off the Spring box using code ZOE or EARLY5.)

Dial Vitamin Boox Lotion Infused Body Wash

I'm just going to get this one out of the way.  This body wash polarized the internets.  It is listed as a "Special Extra" in the booklet, and is not supposed to count toward the total value of the box.  Fine.  Birchbox does this all the time- they feature drugstore items in addition to the normal content for the month.  I don't have a problem with BB or PSMH doing this.  As long as it is a bonus, great.

Some people found the inclusion of this body was to be insulting.  They felt it devalued the box as a whole, and would have been better to just omit it all together.  It inflated the box weight significantly without contributing to the value.  That's their opinion, and they are entitled to it.

I am just happy to stockpile more bodywash!  This one smells like kiwis and isn't too girly.  

$3?  Price may vary depending on stores and current sales.

Whew!  Onto the "real" stuff...

Nourish Organic Argan Face Serum

Last month Ipsy included a sample of face lotion from this brand in my bag.  It was just ok.  This is better.  Normally when I read "face serum," I think of a thinner, gel-like product.  Serum?  Right?  Something with some viscosity to it? 

No.  This is a mixture of oils and oils alone.  I wouldn't call that a "serum," and it totally squirted all over the place because I was expecting something with a little more heft to it when I pushed on the pump.  Oh well.  Nomenclature notwithstanding, this is a decent mix of oils.  It is mostly safflower, with argan, sweet orange (which contributes the most to the scent), apricot and rosehip seed oils.  It also has vitamin E.  That's it.  No additives or silicones or anything.  It was a little on the heavy side on my skin, and took a little longer than I'd like to absorb, so I won't wear it in the morning.  At night,  this is great.

20 mL is $23.99 on Nourish Organic's site.

Sugarwish Mini Red Cinnamon Hearts

Cinnamon hearts always remind me of my mom.  There were very few candies in the world that our family did not enjoy, but as far as I remember, she was the only one that liked these.  I thought they were too spicy for my delicate baby mouth.  I've since aged a couple decades, and discovered that these are indeed delicious.  They are also small, which is good.  And not chocolate, which is better. 

I don't like chocolate.  It's ok if that makes you not read my blog anymore.  

Sugarwish is a mail-order candygram company.  You send a gift card to someone and they pick out the candy they want, and Sugarwish sends it to them.  The smallest size you can gift is 4 1/4lb bags for $25 including shipping.  They have the kinds of candy you normally see in the bulk-candy mall stores.

The candy hearts we were sent are 1/4lb, giving them a value of $6.25.  I definitely wouldn't pay that much for cinnamon hearts, but they did come in a cute box with a bow.  Packaging is everything!  There was also a 20% coupon. (I also think it's kinda cute that Popsugar included another company with sugar in the name!)

k. hall designs Peony Travel Candle

This is such a cute candle!  I love the tin, I love the scent (I wouldn't normally like a floral), and I will definitely burn this.  Very appropriate for a pampering/Valentine's themed box.  Would a jar candle have been better?  Yes.  But I'll make do.

$11 on k hall designs' site.

ModelCo Lip Pops Duo Lip Gloss and Lipstick

This is a dual-ended lipgloss and lipstick combination product.  Both ends smell like strawberry to me.  The gloss is clear with a little shimmer, even though it is tinted pink in the bottle.  The lipstick is a brown-leaning medium mauve color which will be flattering on most people.  I managed to leave the lipstick twisted-up after this picture and smushed it into the cap.  That is what I get for taking pictures of my stuff while on too much cold medicine.

I could not find this product individually on ModelCo's website.  It looks like this is the nude lipstick/ striptease gloss combination included in this set.  The set is $49 and includes three of these combos and a mascara.  

I'll estimate $12.25 for this by itself.

ncLA Polish in Rodeo Drive Royalty

What could be more massacre-themed than blood-red nail polish?  Not much, and I'm happy to have another ncLA polish to try out.  We got one over the summer in another PSMH box, and I really liked it.  However, that one was a creme formula, and this one is more of a jelly.  I prefer the creme!  This went on unevenly and was tricky for even me to apply.  My bottle does have a wonky brush, though.

Rodeo Drive Royalty in bright light, 2 coats

This picture is a little lighter than the polish looks in real life.  It is closer to the bottle color.  I'd say it is the color of blood before it has a chance to oxidize- like when you are getting blood drawn into a small tube.  That color.

This is $16 on the ncLA site.  They also call it a creme and that it is cran-apple colored.  They may be less-morbid people than me.

Gorjana Brooks Jewelry Roll

This is this month's "big ticket" item: a faux leather jewelry roll from Gorjana + Griffin.  It is a poppy-red color, close to the zipper pulls in the next picture.  There are three zippered compartments inside and it is held together by wrapping some ties around the thing and kinda tying it the best you can.  The edges of that tie are not stitched onto the back of the pouch well, at all.  I also have random glue splotches around the zippers on the inside.  

Gorjana Brooks Jewelry Roll, inside

I don't feel like this would make traveling with jewelry any easier for me.  I don't often bring much with me, and what I do bring, I wear.  I have a small container I put it in while I go through security, and then it goes back on.  I will probably use this as a clutch, instead.  My iPhone fits in a pocket, and I can put my cards and cash in the others.  Voila.

This is $45 on the Gorjana website and this exact color doesn't seem to be listed.  PSMH also included a $25 off-your-next-full-priced-order coupon code.  I have two of these now, and will never use them because shipping is too expensive and I can't combine the codes with each other or with sale items.  If you think this is something you would be interested in, please let me know in the comments! I will email you one of my codes! I have two! Two people can get $25 off codes!  Yay!

PSMH February 2014

All together, this box had a total (approximated) value of $117.49.  More importantly, I'll actually use and enjoy everything included.  I still probably won't renew my subscription.  I'd rather try out other boxes!

Popsugar Must Have is $40 per month, with slight discounts if you prepay for a certain number of months ahead of time.  You get 6 (sometimes with +1 bonus) full-sized items from various categories.  It is a very diverse subscription and you never know what will be included.  It consistently has a value of over $100.

If you want to try PSMH for yourself, please use my referral link here.  I'll get a free month for every so many people who join using that link.

This post contains items purchased by me.  No special consideration or compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are my own.  This post contains referral links to PSMH and FFF. 

Ipsy January 2014

Ipsy January 2014: 19 Things

Ipsy's theme this month was skin care, it seemed.  That's cool.  I need to replenish my skincare sample supply.

Ipsy bag, January 2014

I don't like this bag.  It smells terrible- like plastic and burning and grossness.  The design isn't that great, either.  I like the colors, but the design seems like something you would get with fake makeup for 6-year-old girls.

LeeAnni Eco 3 in 1 Revolotion

This is a little pot of a combination toner, serum, and lotion (get it... revoLOTION) from LeeAnni Eco.  It smells like cooked minute rice.  It doesn't feel heavy or greasy or anything, it just doesn't really have any distinguishing characteristics.  The white rice of face lotions?  Perhaps.

Full size, 4 fl.oz $29.98.  This container is 1/4 fl.oz., making it worth $1.87.

Mica Beauty Tinted Lip Balm in #5 Natural

I didn't expect to like this as much as I do!  I wouldn't call it a balm, though.  That implies something with the texture of ChapStick, to me.  This is more like a light, solid stain.  The website claims the color will last up to 24 hours, but I can't really comment on that as I've only had it for 4 hours.

This color is great, it is a total MLBB (my lips but better) color for me.  It doesn't feel like I'm wearing anything on my lips, I keep wanting to put more on because it is so light!  It's not sticky, not greasy, not liquidy or powdery.  Nice.

The full size, 4g, is $30 (and comes with a brush like the Cailyn version) and the 2.5g sample from Ipsy is worth $18.75.

Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner

As a curly-haired girl, I can never have enough leave-in conditioners.  This one smells faintly of passion fruit and left my hair nice and soft.  I like it.  Plus, it helped detangle everything.  FINALLY a Sexy Hair product from Ipsy that I actually like and will use!

250 mL at Ulta is $17.95.  50 mL sample worth $3.59.

Nourish Organic Face Lotion

This lotion is not one of my favorites.  It smells like an orange creamsicle and turned really watery when I went to rub it into my skin.  It left my skin smooth, but I'm not a fan of the texture at all.  Oh well, you win some and you lose some.  This brand is available at Target, among other places.

$21.99 for 1.7 oz.  Sample is 0.5 oz, worth $6.47.

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil in penny

I got the other makeup item offered this month: an eye pencil by Elizabeth Mott in a shiny copper color called, of course, penny.  The other option was a white pearl color, called, duh, pearl.  Creative names.

Copper swatched on bare skin

This is a pretty nice pencil.  I wore it out last night on my lids and it was subtle, but with a little kick.  The above swatch is still visible on my hand, but it has dulled.  I've washed my hands a few times since taking the picture yesterday, but I didn't vigorously scrub.  This pencil has serious staying power!

I saw some comments on Ipsy about sharpening this- it is not a twist-up, it is like NYX jumbo eye pencils and can be sharpened.

Sample is 0.7g, the full size is 1.5g and sells for $14.99, making the sample worth $7.

Ipsy January 2014

All together, my bag this month totaled $37.68.  

I wish I hadn't gotten two face lotions, there was enough variety this month that I could have received something totally different.  That's ok, I like the eye pencil and lip balm, and I love the leave-in conditioner.  It's a win overall for me.  

If you want to try out Ipsy for yourself, it is $10 per month and you can use my link here.  You might have to wait on the list, but they often do promotions where you can skip the line if you share a post on Facebook.  I'll get 250 Ipsy points for each referral.  1000 Ipsy points can be redeemed for a bonus item in your next bag.  Each product you get and review earns you 10 Ipsy points.  This is not the best system, but the products alone are worth the money you spend per month.

Also: Many thanks to Michelle for using my link! I hope you like your bags!

This post contains items purchased by me.  No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.