My Subscription Life is a new series designed to help you get to know the MSA team a little bit better. Each profile introduces a different member of the team, showcases their favorite subscriptions, and explores how subscriptions impact their lives.
This week on My Subscription Life, we're catching up with Naomi Pandolfi. Naomi has been reviewing for MSA since March of last year, and she's a Cali-based producer and writer who's created all kinds of content for page and screen. She's also an actor, and she did a turn on Broadway in the original show Jury Duty with two-time Telly Award winner JD Lawrence. Here on MSA, Naomi reviews Glossybox, LookFantastic Beauty Box, Brown Sugar Box, The Bikini Bottom Box, IPSY, Birchbox, and more.
Let's get to know Naomi and take a peek into her subscription life!
My Subscription Life: Naomi
Lindsey: Hi, Naomi, thanks for taking some time to talk about your subscription life! Let's start with a couple of get-to-know-you questions. What do you do when you're not working?
Naomi: I am an exotic bird handler, so at any given time I have two or three parrots flying around my house. I recently adopted a 27-year-old Blue Fronted Amazon named Gus. He is a chatty fellow who favors salty language and loves to dance to trap music lol.
L: When and how did you first discover subscriptions?
N: Growing up, I had all brothers, so naturally, I had no skincare routine or any idea how to apply most forms of makeup — and to be honest, I had never even heard of a “skincare routine.” A very close friend of mine gave me a subscription to BoxyCharm for my birthday years ago, and I was slowly introduced to the wonders of a “subscription addiction.”
L: What are your current subscriptions?
N: For my own personal subscriptions, I currently have Tonal. Trying to drop that quarantine snack pudge, lol. I also have Splendies because it’s so much easier to receive a couple new undies each month, delivered directly to my door than trying to remember to restock and replace on my own every now and then. With MSA, I receive a multitude of beauty and lifestyle boxes, including the Brown Sugar Box, Ipsy Glam Bag, Birchbox, Cocotique, Glossybox, and more.
L: Which is your favorite subscription? Why?
N: Currently, I’ve been enjoying the Glossybox subscription. I’ve only received one box so far, and I thought it was fabulous. But my all-time steady favorite has been the Brown Sugar Box. I just love how they celebrate BIPOC women and I really enjoy how they curate products that go so well together.
L: Which subscription item that you’ve received in the past is the most memorable? Why did it make such an impact on you?
N: One of my most favorite items that I’ve received in a subscription came from the Therabox. It was the Batch’s Dream 1000 mg CBD full spectrum hemp extract tincture. I’ve always had trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Who’s to blame? Myself, probably. I work long and sometimes odd hours and tend to be overly caffeinated, but this product really did make a difference in helping me unwind and get ready to fall asleep no matter what time I start my bedtime routine. I am a lover of sleep, so naturally, I love this product.
L: People gravitate to subscriptions for different reasons. What are your primary reasons for subscribing?:
N: Subscription boxes allow me to try different products that I never would have purchased for myself (because I’m cheap; though, I prefer the term “fiscally responsible”). Also, I have never been able to turn down a good bargain.
L: Which subscriptions to you think offer the best value for money?
N: All subscription boxes are a bargain, but are they a good bargain? I usually determine this for myself by retail value and how many of the curated products I actually get good use out of. My top winners in the best bargain category have to be Nourish Beauty Box, FabFitFun, and old school Allure.
L: If you could only subscribe to one box or service, which would it be? Why?
N: That’s a hard one since there are so many amazing subscriptions out there, but if I had to choose just one, I think I would go with FabFitFun because of the variety. You get some beauty, some skincare, some lifestyle products, and more. Also, it’s completely customizable for annual members, which would hold the most value to me if I were only able to get one subscription. I would be able to select the things that I definitely want and would use.
L: You mentioned previously that you only really got into skincare when you started subscribing. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
N: After my introduction to subscription boxes, my skin drastically improved. I had less breakouts and more glowy skin after about a month. I tried using a serum for the first time and never turned back. You might even say I became obsessed, lol.
L: Any particular products you can point to and say, “Yes, this helped my skin improve"?
N: Oh yes, 111Skin Rose Gold Mask, Evolve hydrating serum, and good old fashioned Neosporin changed the game for me.
L: Neosporin, eh?
N: Oh yeah, it helped heal acne after a picked at it lol and on super chapped lips it works wonders!
L: Wow! Mind. Blown.
Thank you so much to Naomi for taking the time to sit down and talk about her subscription life.
Questions for Naomi? Jump into the comments section below!
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