PopSugar Must Have Review: October 2013

PopSugar Must Have's October box featured some products that support breast cancer charities, which was a very nice touch. I loved part of the box and I hated part of it this month. Once again, PS didn't really give us a true "WTH" item this month (bless them, we've had plenty of damn laundry soap and sweater shaver stuff in the past!)

The PopSugar Must Have box will be raising their prices in November, November 4th to be precise. The raise is equal to $5 per month, a pretty significant hike in price. I'm still on the fence about continuing with this sub because $40 monthly (plus tax where applicable) is quite a significant sum if I got a lot of junk I never used. However, I will say that PSMH consistently gives me the most new products that I have the most fun with and use the most in terms of lifestyle boxes. So yeah, I'll probably suck it up and keep them. But I am not happy with the price hike.

Gorjana & Griffin Bali Bead Bracelet (retail $45): I'll get the rant out of the way early in the review. The great thing re: this bracelet is that proceeds from this bracelet go to Breast Cancer Connections. That is a wonderful thing, but the quality of the bracelet... well, the bracelet is a piece of crap. Now, I am a BIG fan of Gorjana normally, I truly am. But this bracelet turned a dingy color on day two of wearing it. On day TWO. Not exactly green colored, but close to it. I didn't wear it in water. I understand this isn't real gold, etc -- but two days? Really? As long as I am whining here, why in the heck is it so darn hard for PopSugar to send us silver, in fact why does Gorjana do so little silver jewelry? I swear silver seems to turn colors more slowly than fake gold does. Okay, rant over and on with the review.

Nyx Smokey Eye Palette and Nyx Liquid Liner ($7 and $4 respectively): At first I was not thrilled to get Nyx (as in drugstore makeup) in PSMH but this palette is actually quite nice. The liner is quite decent as well and I've used both of these more than I'd thought already.

The Wet Brush (retail $14): This is hawked as the best brush for after shower, as in it won't tangle or tear your wet hair. Well, the hype is true. This brush is fantastic and I don't know how I lived without it. I've got a lot of hair, nearly waist length, and this is a life saver. It is gentle on the hair even when totally saturated so I love it. This brush totally made me happy after my intense displeasure about the Gorjana bracelet.

Can't Cook Cookbook (retail $28): This is a fun little cookbook. It has great illustrations and the recipes really are easy to follow. Not something I'd have ever bought on my own, but this is why I like getting PSMH box -- it introduces me to fun new stuff.

Jane Tran Bobby Pins (retail $12): These are very pretty! There were actually six in the set but I seem to have already lost two of them. Much like hair ties, I always need more bobby pins since I leave them all over the place and lose them.

Julep Maven Polish and Top Coat (retail $14 each, $28 total): I get Julep most months, and by some miracle I don't have either of these so this was a real score! Been waiting to try the Freedom Polymer Top Coat especially. I'm not at all convinced that it beats my beloved HK Girl Top Coat but I do find it may be better for me than Seche Vite as I had less shrinking the few times I've tried this so far.

The Crispery Halloween Crispy Cake (retail $4): So this was pretty good. It was very very large, and I love the sprinkles on top. It was definitely less buttery tasting than rice krispy treats I'm used to (it is dairy free) so it was an adjustment taste wise. Side note: My dog went insane begging to share this. She can sniff out marshallows a mile away (racing greyhounds are often given a marshmallow or "mooshie" after a race as a reward. Believe me, they never ever forget that early training and will turn back flips for mooshies or anything with a mooshie smell many years after retiring).

 Missing from the photos was a StitchFix card, in the amount of $20. This card will allow you to try out a personal stylist service and keep what you want, return what you don't. I look forward to trying StitchFix out using my gift card in the near future.

Want to jump on the PSMH waitlist? You can try it here (you'll often be able to get in on the next box, waitlist is rarely long!) POPSUGAR!