POPSUGAR Must Have is a lifestyle subscription box for women that delivers beauty, fashion, food, fitness, and home items from top and up-and-coming brands that POPSUGAR editors have tried, tested, and loved. (It was voted one of the Best Subscription Boxes for Women by MSA readers, too!)
For Black Friday, they've teamed up with luxury home fragrance brand, Apotheke, to create two fantastic box assortments that are perfect for gifting! One features their deep woody scent "Charcoal," while the other highlights the lighter, airy "Hinoki Lavender."
These boxes were sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About these Curated Black Friday Boxes from POPSUGAR
The Box: POPSUGAR Must Have x Apotheke Box
The Cost: $44.95 ($115+ value)
The Products: 4-5 products (depending on which box you choose) from luxury home fragrance brand, Apotheke.
Good to Know: Both boxes will be available via the POPSUGAR Must Have site on Black Friday (November 29th) but only while supplies last!
POPSUGAR Must Have x Apotheke Box - Charcoal
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Apotheke Charcoal Bar Soap, 5 oz. - Retail Value $10.00
Bar soap was the first item Apotheke began making in 2011. Each batch is handmade with an olive, palm, and coconut oil base using only natural ingredients and high-quality essential oils. This particular Charcoal version of their soap includes not only their scent of the same name but also charcoal powder which causes the deep black color. It's also known for its skin benefits that help oily skin, acne, and skin conditions like dandruff and psoriasis and well as detoxification. The fragrance is very light here and fades quickly after washing (which gives you a slight grey foam that rinses clear). Afterward, my hands feel well moisturized due to the three included oils.
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Apotheke Charcoal Candle, 11 oz. - Retail Value $38.00
Be still, my heart! If you're like me and are a fan of woody fragrances like Commodity's Book (RIP) or Maison Margiela's Replica - By The Fireplace, you'll most certainly be a fan of this hand-poured candle that uses cedarwood, sandalwood, smoky amber, and oud. Perfect for fall and winter, this has serious campfire vibes and I cannot. Stop. Smelling. It. I want to permanently insert this scent into my nose and smell it until my last breath. Okay, I'm being dramatic, but it's just so full-bodied without giving me a headache and I love it. The candle included in this box is a hefty 11 ounces and will last a whopping 60-70 hours. Not enough for the rest of my life, but I'll take it. Like all of Apotheke's candles, this one is hand-poured in the USA and made with a soy wax blend.
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Apotheke Charcoal Diffuser - Retail Value $48.00
Can you believe that I've never owned a reed diffuser before? They've been wildly popular for quite some time now and I've never been really tempted until I laid my eyes upon this beauty. First of all- I love the sleek black matte glass design and very minimal branding on it. The 10 black reeds match the monochrome colorway and are each 10 inches long. The fragrance is, of course, the same Charcoal scent as the other items in this bundle which I find just intoxicating. The diffuser has a life of 3-4 months and I find it to be lingering without being overpowering. I have it sitting directly on my desk in my office and it isn't offensive or too strong. It's bringing me quite a bit of joy, in fact.
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Apotheke Wick Trimmer - Retail Value $24.00
Whether you choose the Charcoal or the Hinoki Lavender box, you'll receive this gorgeous gold-plated metal wick trimmer. If you're not a super serious candle aficionado, you may be unaware that you should be trimming your candle wicks before burning each time. Doing so will maximize the burn life of your candles and eliminate black smoke and residue. This scissor-like tool allows you to easily trim your wicks down to 1/8" even on tall candles that have burned far down to the bottom of their vessels. One snip is enough for these sharp little shears to get the job done. The design also allows you to catch the trimmed wick piece as you cut so that you don't have to dig it out of the bottom of the vessel.
POPSUGAR Must Have x Apotheke Box - Hinoki Lavender
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Apotheke Hinoki Lavender Candle, 11 oz. - Retail Value $38.00
If you love soft scents that make you feel cozy and remind you of freshly cleaned laundry- this candle is perfect for you! Quite different than the bold woody smells of the Charcoal line, this Hinoki Lavender is somehow calming and uplifting at the same time. I'd describe is as a more floral scent than your traditional lavender. This candle is still earthy but has a more floral vibe with lotus flower, lavender, Hinoki cypress, and sandalwood. The vessel the candle comes in is a clear frosted glass with simple "Apotheke Brooklyn" branding in grey text near the bottom which keeps it the focus on the scent. As with most candles, this glass could easily be cleaned out after the wax is gone and reused for cotton balls or makeup brushes since it's such a nice holder.
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Apotheke Hinoki Lavender Bar Soap, 5 oz. - Retail Value $10.00
Similar to the charcoal soap, the scent for this Hinoki Lavender bar soap is very subtle and not nearly as strong as the candle. The bar measures 2.25 inches wide and tall x 1.5 inches deep and is made with the same sustainable oils as the other soaps from Apotheke: coconut, olive, and palm. This bar is great for travel since it's not so large, or can be placed on a decorative tray in a guest bath for a soothing and aesthetic touch. I rather like the lather it creates in my hands and the scent doesn't linger too long.
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Apotheke Hinoki Lavender Liquid Soap, 10 oz. - Retail Value $22.00
The liquid soap version of this scent comes in a well-sized 10-ounce plastic bottle with a pump that can be used in the kitchen, bath, or powder room. Paraben-free and phthalate-free, this soap is made with plant-based ingredients like coconut, aloe, and jojoba seed oil. The liquid produces a more fragrant smell than the bar soap and has a conditioning feeling to its rich viscosity.
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Apotheke Hinoki Lavender Lotion, 10 oz. - Retail Value $22.00
Exclusive to the Hinoki Lavender version of the curated box is this full-size lotion. While I don't find it to be the thickest or richest lotion, it does have more fragrance than the liquid or bar soap that sticks around after absorbing into my skin. It's not greasy at all and doesn't leave any sort of residue on the skin but after washing my hands with the other three soaps, I did feel the need to use a little extra. This formula is made with aloe, sesame seed oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil to name a few, along with the essential oils needed to create the scent carried throughout the box.
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Apotheke Wick Trimmer - Retail Value $24.00
The Hinoki Lavender box, like the Charcoal version, also comes with this fancy yet sturdy wick trimmer! This item (which I just love), along with the candle is already worth more than the cost of the box and there are still three other fragranced items to behold.
Verdict: Whether you prefer dark woody scents or lighter, floral, earthy ones, I think both of these curated boxes by POPSUGAR Must Have x Apotheke are well worth the $44.95 cost! The Charcoal box has a retail value of $120 while the Hinoki Lavender has a retail value of $116.00. They're extremely giftable since most of the items already come in nice boxes so you can parcel them out or give the whole set to someone who loves bringing rich scents into their home. I think the packaging, ingredients, and fragrance all read as luxury to me and would love to receive this for the holidays. My preference? Definitely the moodier Charcoal!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you order today? Yes, both boxes will be available via the POPSUGAR Must Have site on Black Friday (November 29th) but only while supplies last!
Check out all of our POPSUGAR Must Have reviews and the Women’s Subscription Box Directory!
Will you be grabbing a POPSUGAR Must Have x Apotheke box on Black Friday? Which one sounds the best to you?!
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