Friday, March 10, 2017
PopSugar Must Have August 2014 Review
PopSugar Must Have August 2014 Review
At a relatively high $40 a month, I always have a few reservations about PopSugar Must Have. Its nice when that hemming and hawing ends up being completely unnecessary. I was quite happy with my box this month!
Lollia at Last No. 17 Perfumed Shower Gel (8 fl oz), retail value $22.00
Although I am totally body-lotioned out at this point in my career of receiving subscription boxes full of goodies, I have managed to avoid getting gallons of body wash. This fancy-pants shower gel, then, is actually an appreciated bathroom addition.
I was expecting the smell to be a little more floral, given the bright yellow blooms all over the tube. The subtle smell, though, is still very pleasant, and the packaging looks lovely chilling out in my shower.
PaddyWax Ocean Tide + Sea Salt Mini Jar Candle (3 oz), retail value $10.00
This candle doesnt smell like a literal ocean, but the faintly soured sweetness is definitely evocative of one.
As a child, I got very excited about scented candles. I havent had one in about ten years, though! Since crappy tea lights cant fulfill 100% of my need for unadulterated fire, Im excited about using this when the weather cools down a bit.
Think Thin High Protein Bar in Brownie Crunch (2.1 oz), retail value $1.99
I have been experimenting with protein bars lately, so I was really happy to get this one. Its frustrating as hell to find something promising, be unable to buy a single bar, order a box, and find out that they are actually disgusting. (Seriously, fuck Quest bars, you guys. I dont care how popular they are or how excellent their macros are; they taste vile.)
This one is neither the best nor the worst that I have tried. Its sweetened with maltitol, which is a sugar alcohol that is used as a lower calorie sugar substitute, at about 2 calories per gram to pure sugars 4. If youve read the hilarious reviews of the 5 lb bag of Haribo Sugar Free Gummi Bears, which went viral a while back, you may already know that maltitol has a laxative effect, but its not potent enough to matter if youre eating a single protein bar. The sugar on these is at 0g, but its worth noting that there are 12g of sugar alcohol. Maltitol does have a pretty high glycemic index (not quite that of sugar, but close), so its not like its an amazingly healthy alternative. I personally would prefer to just go ahead and eat the sugar.
It contains 20g of protein, which is pretty standard. Its a mix of calcium caseinate, whey protein isolate, and soy protein isolate. Most research suggests that whey protein is best for people who are serious about gaining muscle, but for many of us, a blend like this will be good enough.
There is a very slightly chalky taste to these and theyre a bit bland, but the flavor is not bad.
Personally, the best-tasting protein bar I have found is Clifs Builder Bar in Mint Chocolate. It certainly comes with its downsides: Its slightly higher in calories (270 vs. 230), it gives you your fucking sugar (and lots of it at 22g), and its soy protein isolate, not whey. However, I am just the kind of person who would rather eat things that taste good. Ill find the perfect protein bar one day.
The Mason Jar Cookie Company Festive Celebrate Cookie Mix (20.2 oz), retail value $12.99
MORE FOOD!
Inexplicably, the Mason Jar Cookie Company chose to send us something that was not in a mason jar-- it was in an opaque pouch printed with mason jar pattern that did not reflect the contents of the pouch (as there is no chocolate in the cookie mix). Hm…
The mix is a sugar cookie base with chocolate candies and sprinkles.
In theory, you add an egg, half a stick of butter, and a little vanilla, mix, bake, and you get cookies! Despite the mild annoyance of using half an egg, I was able to split the recipe in half.
Right out of the pouch, it looks like this:
Cookie dough:
Pre-baking:
Baked:
I think the bake time was a little too long on these (they ended up too crispy for my taste. I use an internal oven thermometer so I know my oven was the recommended temperature!), but they were definitely yummy.
Kendra Scott Elle Earrings in Slate, retail value $52
These earrings were definitely my favorite thing in the box. Not only do I love them, I am considering purchasing another (more expensive…) pair of Kendra Scott earrings. Her style just hits the mark for me; theyre the perfect combo of gaudy and classy.
The stone is chrysoberyl (also called cats eye) and the metal is rhodium over brass.
Ive been getting a crapload of use out of these and will almost certain continue to do so.
Goodbyn Small Meal Box, retail value $6.50
Goodbyn Little Dipper, retail value $1.49
This is a neat little storage tub option.
Although I believe its intended for lunches, I feel like it will be most handy for storing leftover taco supplies.
Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Popsugar (0.13 oz), retail value $22.00
This limited edition Bite Beauty lip gloss is a fandango pink. As a lipgloss, it looks like a near-radioactive melted candy.
Its a bit sheer. I wish it truly committed and packed a color punch!
Its also very, very, very sticky. Its a classic lipgloss for people who like not a lot of color, stickiness, and an ultraglossy look.
I assume that those people are out there.
Total Box Value: $128.97
Overall, I think that this is the most consistent PopSugar box that I have received. Usually, there are some things I love and some things that are basically trash for me. Even though every product wasnt flawless, everything I got this month had value to me. It was a good box. Thatll do pig. Thatll do.
If you feel that PopSugar has been desperately missing from your life, you are always welcome to use my referral link by clicking here. I believe the code MUSTHAVEYT will get you $10 off for at least a few more days. After that, REFER5 will get you five bucks off. (Side note: The September box is scheduled to include a Tilo scarf that retails at $125… so that should be good.)
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