POPSUGAR Must Have is a monthly lifestyle subscription box for women. Each month they send a mix of items from categories like beauty, fashion, food, fitness, and home.
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: POPSUGAR Must Have
The Cost: 39.95 a month
ACTIVE DEAL: Get $20 off your first box!
CODE: MSA20
The Products: “Must Have” items for women selected by POPSUGAR editors. (Fitness, Home, Beauty, Food, and more)
Check out all of my POPSUGAR Must Have reviews and the Women’s Subscription Box Directory!
Each box comes with a fold out card detailing the items included, and what themes inspired the box.
The themes this month are: beach read, swim, waves, breeze, mermaids, and palm trees.
Now, on to the items!
Aloha Collection Mid-Size Ocean Coco Palms Pouch – Value $36
This pouch is made from 100% coated Tyvek, so it is splash proof. (They don’t call it waterproof, since you can’t submerge it in a pool for example, and expect there to be no leaks onto any items inside the bag.)
But it is perfect to use as a swimsuit bag, makeup bag, beach clutch, etc.
The material has a crinkly feel, but it is still pretty soft. And it measures 11.5″ across x 2″ wide x 8.5″ tall so it can store a lot.
Here it is with a few items to give you a better sense of scale:
This bag also came with a coupon for 25% off an Aloha Collection purchase.
Captain Blankenship Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray – Value $24
This spray is made with all organic and natural ingredients: Water, Atlantic Sea Salt, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Sea Kelp Extract, Organic Rose Geranium Essential Oil & Organic Palmarosa Essential Oil.
AKA - it smells lovely!
You can use it on dry or damp hair, and it is designed to give texture and beach waves to your hair.
My hair is naturally wavy/curly, and adding this spray to it just made it look a little more frazzled. It didn't make much of a difference to my straight hair, either. But! I found a different way to use it that I really like.
Here is my attempt at a hair tutorial 😉
First, I started with straight hair. (This $20 hairdryer/brush has been a game changer for me. I don't use a hair straightener anymore!)
Next, I curled my hair with the 1 inch Beachwaver. Since my hair is naturally wavy, it retains the curl really well. A little too well...
So this is when I brought in the Sea Salt spray! I applied it liberally on my hair and brushed it out to get this result:
(If you apply a lot of the spray like I did, you might get some crunchy hair pieces at first, but I was able to brush them out.)
I like the relaxed, more tousled looking curls - and no frizziness! Let me know what you think!
Billabong Aloha Trucker Hat - Value $18
Confession, I literally googled, "Are trucker hats back in style?" when I saw this in the box. And the answer is.... yes. (Exhibit A: WhoWhatWear article.)
When I think "trucker hat," I think of Ashton Kutcher in a Von Dutch hat, so I'm happy that this hat has a different vibe - much more sporty/baseball.
And I like the bright blue color - this definitely feels like a summer hat.
It's an adjustable snap back, with a white mesh back panel.
While this hat is pushing me out of my fashion comfort zone, and not something I would have bought myself, I can give POPSUGAR points for mixing it up. I have several floppy straw hats for summer thanks to subscription boxes, but this style of hat is a first!
My husband Eric told me I looked "pretty cool" in the hat, but I'm not sure I'm convinced. Here it is on:
Honest thoughts?
Meri Meri Party Straws - Value $6
Meri Meri has been featured in POPSUGAR before, and they make the cutest party accessories!
Thes pale blue paper straws would be great for entertaining, or just keeping in your car for various summer drinks.
And speaking of drinks...
Starbucks Frappuccino - Value $2.20
(This item is a special extra in the box.)
What a great special extra! My husband is always SO curious to see what the food item is in every POPSUGAR box (he has discovered so many favorite snacks thanks to this box), and this month he gets a drink and a snack!
FYI - subscribers will receive one of several flavors.
And there's a coupon included with your Frappuccino, too.
Snack time!
Belgian Boys Mini Cookie Stash - Value $1
These cookie butter mini cookies are shaped like mustaches!
This is a fun and easy treat to throw in your beach bag/purse, etc. My official POPSUGAR treat taste tester said these reminded him exactly of animal crackers and the bag was finished quickly!
NCLA So Rich Mermaid Tears - Value $18
Don't worry! These are "mermaid tears of joy, not sorrow." 🙂
This vitamin-e infused oil is made with sunflower seed oil and smells like honeysuckle. It's the best smelling cuticle oil I've come across!
And I needed only a few drops to make my cuticles look instantly better, so this little bottle should last all summer!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Retail Value $26 (On Amazon for $17.10)
This is a brand new release book - it was released today, June 13th! I love when POPSUGAR includes books in their boxes. And as someone who spends probably too much of her day in front of a screen, I always appreciate a hardcover book over a Kindle edition. (Of course, I still use my Kindle, too!)
Book Summary from Amazon:
In this entrancing novel “that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all” (Kirkus Reviews), a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
This book was available as one of the Book of the Month options this month, and I didn't pick it. The summary just didn't call out to me, and I'm not much of a biography reader, so I wasn't sure it would be for me. But I'm so glad POPSUGAR sent this and forced my hand!
I found the book interesting from the first page, but I really wasn't drawn in until the chapter that starts on page 43. Once I started reading the fictional biography chapters from Evelyn, I couldn't put the book down. And then I started to get more invested in the story with Monique.
I'm past page 200 now, and I plan on finishing this book tonight! (If you aren't sure of this book like I was, I definitely recommend giving it a chance.)
Verdict: This box has a retail value of about $131. (About $122 if you use the Amazon sale price of the book.) While this isn't my favorite POPSUGAR box, I always appreciate a good theme. This box feels like everything you need to throw into your bag to take to the pool or beach: a beach read, summer hat, water/sand proof bag, snack and drink, and two mermaid inspired beauty products. (Oh, and some cute straws!)
I'll use just about everything. (The trucker hat is a miss for me, though.) And I have to remind myself that sometimes the best part of subscription boxes is that they send things you wouldn't buy yourself. (I'm so glad I started reading the book!)
What do you think of the June POPSUGAR Must Have Box?
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