*Spoilers* December 2013 Popsugar Must Have Box

[utgal2004]

I just did that yesterday - I picked up one of the Revlon Bitten lip stains w/Balm and it is awesome. Actually it almost stains too much  I was waiting for my prescription and of course I had to kill time in the makeup aisle. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Just tried one of those for the first time and was blown away by it. Survived 2 cups of coffee at work. I had a few drugstore bad day splurges last week. Perfect therapy!

 

[honeybee7]

hmmm.looks to be an indeterminate gold.if it was gold plated i would think it would be more shiny.and gold-like.appears to be a golden bronze base metal masterpiece.still like it, i'm just not gonna get it anywhere near water.like all of these got dang gorjana pieces!not hating- i wear the dog snot out of my snircle necklace and i love it so.

 

[skylola123]

Okay I know this is weird but I went Sam's today and forgot some food I purchased behind. I didn't realize I did until I got home...has this happened to anyone else?

 

[stephstrong]

hmmm.looks to be an indeterminate gold.if it was gold plated i would think it would be more shiny.and gold-like.appears to be a golden bronze base metal masterpiece.still like it, i'm just not gonna get it anywhere near water.like all of these got dang gorjana pieces!not hating- i wear the dog snot out of my snircle necklace and i love it so.

Weren't the Gorjana necklaces at least gold plated?? I wasn't a subscriber that month but they look so pretty /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[sparklesgirlxox]

Quote: Originally Posted by Verissmd /img/forum/go_quote.gif

@spiritwind Please google the definition of a forum troll.
Also, godiva isn't fancy or expensive, and I'm finding it difficult to take your rant seriously.
This  board is for us to say negative and positive about things I think spritiwind cant handle that or does not understand.  Also since when godiva fancy they sell it in the drug store where I live. I like the positive and negative and  the word troll is mean to say . Name calling in any form is just mean.  In addition posting ridiculously long post seems weird to me like someone on here seems to be doing. I was one who commented on the chocolate and I think there was nothing wrong with doing so  if that's how I feel.

 

[honeybee7]

Quote: Originally Posted by stephstrong /img/forum/go_quote.gif


Weren't the Gorjana necklaces at least gold plated?? I wasn't a subscriber that month but they look so pretty

edit: yes the gorjana necklaces are gold plated.i know for sure the circle one is not sure about the tassel one.

 

[stephstrong]

From the looks of their website, most of the Lulu Frost stuff is brass

 

[sparklesgirlxox]

I am excited about the bracelet  looks really nice

 

[honeybee7]

holy ****!!! they're charging beaucoup bucks for brass?nay i say!!!!naaaaayyyyy!!!!!

or to quote sarah jessica parker "neigh"

i actually love sarah jessica parker.girls just wanna have fun come on now!!!

 

[Kittylasmu]

I didn't sift through the chocolate posts, but I'm assuming someone got upset.

I've lived on the east and west coast so I've had Ghiradelli, See's and Godiva. They are all completely different tasting chocolates for people who like different kinds of chocolates. Ghiradelli is a little on the darker flavored side in my opinion. See's does a great milk chocolate and their butterscotch squares are like delicious maple sugar candy wrapped in chocolate. They are also my favorite as I grew up with them. Godiva was known as a fancier brand until they started carrying them in B&N and such--but if you go to a Godiva shop, they have some pretty awesome stuff you can't order online and they are the kings of raspberry chocolates.

I REALLY like that bracelet and the brand--super want Victoria Plaza #5 bracelet, my favorite number and that is a CUTE bracelet. Lulu Frost actually has a ton of really cute things I would like, too bad it's mostly out of my price range for an accessory--though I'd wear that #5 everyday.

I am happy to be getting more mascara--I haven't gotten one form Ipsy or Birchbox in months and the ones I did get I am just meh about. I just need to plunk down the cash for another Buxom, that works best for me.

Kinda excited about the whole box. I make cookies for my co-workers for Christmas, so I can put in some chocolates as well. This year I'm doing Thumbprint, Chewy Ginger and these ADORABLE Hedgehog shaped and decorated shortbread cookies. I love baking and apparently it's good because I get requests now  lol

I am happy there is no lip color. I love lip stuff but Ipsy sends me like 2 a month and BB sends at least 1 and it's like a lip explosion in my vanity. Same with nailpolish--I paint my nails more now just to use it lol But the more Julep I get, the more I like it so yeah--keep it coming. I also buy some stuff from, oddly, this webcomic I like--Super Black is the brand. Like Julep it's all 4-free and I love that every brand has different colors and glitter! I love glitter!

But, what is with the popcorn? I've had several different subs in the past and I come and go on certain ones and popcorn is like sub-filler. 

I want more soap. Actually, I just want more of that pine soap we got last month haha

 

[Snolili]

Quote: Originally Posted by skylola123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Okay I know this is weird but I went Sam's today and forgot some food I purchased behind. I didn't realize I did until I got home...has this happened to anyone else?
I've left things behind at the grocery story before. Usually the case of water on the bottom of my cart. 

 

[honeybee7]

pretty sure i'm going to need that see's butterscotch maple hotness deep inside me in the exceedingly near future.

 

[honeybee7]

Quote: Originally Posted by skylola123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Okay I know this is weird but I went Sam's today and forgot some food I purchased behind. I didn't realize I did until I got home...has this happened to anyone else?
i hope you went back and got it! i am the worst about walking away without my change because i'm so used to paying with my debit card.my daughter totally waits for it and nails me every time.the smartass runs deep with her.

 

[Lolo22]

Sorry I lost the post from a few pages back, but yes you can use nail strips on your toes. I have many times and it works well, although depending on your toenail size it's possible the strips won't fit. I also like to cut out designs/shapes out of strips and use them as accents rather than a full on patterned mani.

 

[skylola123]

Quote: Originally Posted by honeybee7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  i hope you went back and got it! i am the worst about walking away without my change because i'm so used to paying with my debit card.my daughter totally waits for it and nails me every time.the smartass runs deep with her.
No I didn't go back for it! It snowed really bad here and was finally able to get out and get some food and I didn't even realize I was missing food until I wanted to snack on it...and I was like OMG where is it?!?! By the time I realized Sam's had already closed...but I will call tomorrow & hopefully I hear some good news.

So I checked my receipt and sure enough paid for it. 

I forgot my change once it was about $15! Just walked away...I also feel that when I have cash I spend it faster than if I paid with my debit card. 

 

[meaganola]

I checked groceries in college, and my mom was a checker for something like twenty years. People left their stuff behind *all of the time*. It was an unusual week when someone didn't walk off without a *full* cart of bagged and paid-for groceries. We had a standard spot in the dairy cooler for that forgotten cart. The holiday season was the worst! I don't know whether more people forgot stuff or we just had more stuff because we had more customers, but it happened at least once a day.

 

[aquaria527]

Quote: Originally Posted by Verissmd /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Spirit doesn't fully understand what a troll is...

Anyway, PSMH doesn't receive free items from vendors. They purchase in bulk, usually surplus stock. I pay a monthly fee for a box that was self-described to introduce me to new brands. The quality of the boxes has declined. There's no debating that. Plastic cups and popcorn just doesn't cut it.

Wow. I came on to see the spoilers and... wow. 
 
Anyway the only thing I wanted to say is that it's not necessarily true that they purchase things in bulk! I contacted Gorjana abt the pink bracelet a few weeks back (it was a longshot but I was hoping I could exchange or get store credit -- predictably I could not). They told me that those bracelets had been provided to PopSugar free of charge which is why they couldn't give me credit. Now maybe that was an exception for breast cancer donations, but I do think they probably have some deals going on....
 
I've only been subscribing since October, so this is my third box. I have yet to be totally blown away by the box (though I did resubscribe right before the price increase). I've liked it, mostly, but haven't loved it. I wonder if part of it is that the spoilers ruin part of the fun for me -- instead of being excited to open the box and discover piecemeal what's inside, I already have formulated an opinion of what I already know is in there. I tried to go spoiler-free this month to test that theory but as you can see, it didn't work /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
 
I don't love this box but I don't hate it. I'll probably use everything, at least, which hasn't been the case for previous boxes. Though I have to see the bracelet in person. 
 
I understand why some may feel frustrated by a lot of negativity (that kind of stuff definitely can be wearing), but I also think the frustration generally expressed on this forum is less about unreasonable entitlement, and more about a frustration growing over time because boxes haven't felt very "premium" which is what we expect we are paying for (within reason obviously!). 
 
But hey, let's all chill out. No need to fight! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[aquaria527]

Another thing I WILL add though, is that with the decline of the quality, and knowing (or suspecting) that some of this stuff is coming from surplus stock... this box is starting to feel a little more "best of the bargain bin at Marshall's" than something more premium... I mean, can we at least get "best of the bargain bin at Nordstrom Rack?" /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Kittylasmu]

So, I started some math:

Lulu Frost Bracelet--hard to know since they dabble in gold and silver and this is most likely neither--but as a base and not seeing it yet, let's say $40

Mint Studio Wrapping Paper: $9

Model Co Mascara: $20

Govino Flutes: $13

CC Made Caramel Corn: $4

NCLA Wraps: $16

Ghiradelli Chocolates: $10-15ish

So, that is a monetary value of: $112-117

The argument, however, seems to be more about the actual value in terms of what PS supposedly is offering:

"With POPSUGAR Must Have, you'll get an exciting monthly box full of fun, full-size products that are hand-selected by our editors."

"Now we'll curate the very best in home, fashion, and beauty and send them right to your door."

Perhaps it is that second quote which is upsetting some people and making them feel as though the sub isn't living up to their standards. However, it's also supposed to be fun:

"Unwrap, have fun, and share with friends!"

Now, monetarily we get our money's worth. We do get full sized products and I'm sure their editors are bombarded with different items to feature in the box each month. And if we go through enough of these threads--there is a LOT of fun and anticipation that occurs each month, as well as a bit of disappointment. However, there is no way each and every one of us could be satisfied by the contents, we are all too varied for that to ever happen. And we all talk about sharing the items, gifting things we know someone else would enjoy far more. Frankly, I could go blow $40 on cocktails or fancy snacks or any number of things BUT, a sub is far more fun--we pay not only for the items but for the entire experience from the forum posts to the wish lists, seeing what other people have done with their items and finding out what we'll do with ours. 

Case in point--I am making thumbprint cookies for christmas and am going to use that jam we got last month. I am getting a co-worker a large tumbler with chocolates for her secret santa gift (she really wants a tumbler) and I am going to put it in the wine tote we got last month as well. Those chocolates coming to my door will end up in cookie gifts. Those nail wraps will look great at my company party, I will wrap my small gifts in the paper, try out that mascara since I am almost out, whip on that oh so cute bracelet and toast in the new year with my new flutes which won't be as precarious as real flutes (I have a very curious cat who likes to knock things over).

So, ladies--let's remember there is a person behind every post. And, winter is almost here, the wonderful holiday season is upon us and we are so fortunate to have roofs over our heads, food on our tables, people in our lives AND still have extra money to blow on treats like subs. 

 

And as a PS--it's not like we're getting a box filled with $40 worth of gummi bears or plastic army men--we aren't just getting a box of junk. 

 

[Kittylasmu]

Ooh, GoVino makes a Wine Glass/Decanter set. I've always wanted one for water on my bedside table but glass seemed like a not good idea. But plastic--that's fantastic!