Mine and Henry's Xmas Subscription Boxes to Each Other. :)

So since I've been having this crazy addiction to subscription boxes this year, Henry and I decided to make each other subscription boxes for Christmas. Well, he decided that he wanted to make me one first, and I figured that would be a really fun and great idea. And it was! For being together for four years, it should have been easy to come up with stuff, but I always have trouble getting him things as he's really a laid back "I don't need anything" kinda guy.

What do you think of what we came up with? Whose is better? I personally think I put a lot of thought and effort into his, but he also didn't have as much to spend on my box since he bought me a Chromebook for my birthday. He has the unfortunate timing of Christmas, my birthday, and our anniversary pretty much in the same 2 weeks. Poor guy. Anyway, I know this isn't a normal review of a normal box, but I thought I'd do this anyway, in case someone wanted to try making one for a subscription box addicted significant other one day!

Henry's Box For Me

So I really loved the box Henry got for me! He did a great job in remembering what I liked and thinking about what I need. I don't really want to look up the prices though, since it was a gift. That just makes me feel weird and rude. Even if he is okay with it. I guess he does seem to pay attention when I'm talking to him... strange. :P

What was in it?

1) Hanky Panky Low-Rise Thong in Canary Yellow

I really love Hanky Panky Thongs. It's the only kind of underwear I wear now since I've discovered them. They've got to be the most comfortable thongs on the Earth. And they make your bum look really cute too. I don't have many of them since they're really pricey for underwear (about $20 a thong), so I'm always welcoming more into my collection! Henry likes bright colors, so that's why he picked yellow. I highly recommend them! I've seen that they make Hello Kitty ones now too. Those are my next targets, although I know I'll never find them on sale. :(

2) Box of Goodies from Lush!

I love Lush. It's my absolute favorite store to go to when I frequent Scottsdale Fashion Square. I'm a bath kind of girl. When I'm sick, I take a bath. When I'm down, I take bath. When I'm happy, I take a bath. You get the picture. They're just so calming. I really miss our big garden tub in our old apartment. Anyway, he got me a lot of the holiday bath bombs, and a seasonal shampoo. I haven't gotten a chance to try them all yet, but Dragon's Egg is my favorite. It smells so good and I love the sparklies. I always think of the movie scene in Harry Potter when he puts the dragon egg into the water whenever I use this. I don't know why.

• Golden Wonder (looks like a present, releases gold glitter, and has a surprise inside)
• Dragon's Egg (big round one that looks like it has colored polka dots, releases gold glitter)
• Party Popper (pink and blue one, has soap confetti inside)
• So White (Apple scented and lovely)
• Cinders (Spicy and crackles)
• Fair Trade Honey Shampoo (Smells really strong, but is pleasant after you wash it out)

3) Tokidoki Lip Balm Stain in Pink Martini

I actually thought it would be really bright on me since it looks so bright in the container, but it's actually not. I thought it was a lipstick at first, but it's a balm stain, so it goes on really sheer and gives just a hint of color. It also has a slight tinge of fragrance to it but I can't put my finger on what it is. Anyway, I do love my lip balms! And I adore anything Tokidoki.

4) Tokidoki Mini 6-Piece Rollerball Collection

So this is a little set of mini perfumes that come in Rollerball form. There are 6 different types. I've only opened two of them so far, but they all seem nice. I'll probably throw them into my minimergency bag since they're so tiny.

5) Arkon Seat Rail or Floor Mount for iPad

At first, I was a little like "Huh?" when I saw this, but then I realized that I could use it for when I'm listening to my podcasts in my car. I usually just throw my ipad into the passenger seat and it moves around everywhere, so it's nice to have something to hold it steady. Safety first! This was the practical gift that Henry would enjoy installing into my car for me, I could tell. :)

6) Silky Sleep Bridal Satin Pillow Case with Hidden Zipper

So I actually asked for this for Christmas, because my hair stylist told me that I should totally invest in one because it works! A satin pillow case is much more delicate on your hair and face and helps reduce friction which can cause breakouts, or frizzy hair. I like it so far. I still have frizzy hair, but I do notice that it's less. Boomer somehow got onto the bed one morning and was trying to paw at me when I woke up and left a few claw marks in it though. I was not happy.

7) Hello Kitty MAC Mini Brush Set

This was a really nice set! The brushes were really soft, and I love Hello Kitty. Henry thought it would be easier for me to have a travel set when we go traveling instead of almost ruining my brushes by putting them in my regular bag. Another practical gift. Upon further research, I found out that these aren't real MAC brushes (as they are super duper expensive), but they'll do the job. I still think they're cute, and as long as it works well, that's fine with me!

8) "I will always be with you" Stainless Steel Ring

This one made me tear up a little. Henry meant for it to be a promise ring while I wait for my real one. It's really pretty. I don't usually wear jewelry unless it means something significant, so I've been wearing it quite often. It's a little big for me, which is surprising, since I thought I was a size 6-3/4 but this is a 6. It's very lovely and warms my heart whenever I look at it. :)

My Box for Henry

I wrapped it in gold and wrote his name across the fold. I would have done it all over the wrapping if I had the patience, but I really don't. Oh, and all the prices that I post next to the items are just the retail price for it. I actually paid a lot less for most of the items in here, because after all, a subscription box is supposed to be worth at least twice as much as you paid for it. :) And also because we had a $200 limit that we could spend on the boxes. I was under.

And then I individually wrapped everything except for the 32gb micro SD card I got for him, since that was supposed to be a stocking stuffer. I got it on cyber monday for a really good price. We didn't end up hanging our stockings so that's why it's in there!

1) Micro SD card 32gb - $39.99

Thought he could use a bigger memory for his new phone.

2) Sport Armband for his Galaxy Note II - $24.99

It's a huge phone, but if we go jogging or hiking one day, he won't have to lug it around in his pocket.

3) Etude House Milk Talk Body Wash in Strawberry Milk - $7.89

Henry actually hates it when I buy body lotions or washes that smell like food. I love products that smell like sweet things though. He says it just makes him hungry. Anyway, this is the only product I've ever used that smells like food, which he LOVED. So I bought him one for himself. It's a Korean brand so you can't just find it anywhere. I had to order it on ebay. He says it smells like Nestle Strawberry Milk. And it makes your skin really soft afterwards too, with no lotion needed.

4) Roku LT Streaming Player - $49.99

This had really great reviews on Amazon so I got it, not really knowing too much about what it did. I knew it could play Netflix and Amazon Prime videos on there, and that there were some channels you could watch but I didn't know what kind. Anyway, I've been using it a lot more than Henry during the break. We've been watching movies off it with my Amazon Prime account. I probably wouldn't replace this with the antenna we have though. It doesn't get live TV channels. 

5) New Trent iMirror 6000mAh Heavy Duty 2A/1A USB Ports External Battery Pack - $89.95

Since Henry works in the middle of the desert sometimes, I thought it'd be nice to provide him and external battery pack. And it drives me nuts when we have to delay going out somewhere because we're waiting for his phone to charge or his phone starts dying when we're out and we need to rush home so he can charge it. Hopefully this alleviates that problem. Unfortunately, it is a little bulky, so he probably won't be carrying around all the time. It'll definitely come in handy for long festival days or shopping days when I'm walking around looking at things while he's playing games on his phone waiting for me to be done.

6) Batman Dual Compartment Lunch Kit by Thermos - $30.00

I thought he'd like this! But I guess it's too kiddish for him to bring to work. He loves Batman and I thought it'd be more of a fun part of the subscription box. He says he likes it, but he doesn't want to be teased by his coworkers I guess. It even has a cape!

6) Funko Tupac Rock Pop Figurine - $12.99

This was actually his favorite item out of the whole box. Can you believe it?! When I asked him why, he said it was because he would think it would be really cool to have but he would never buy it on his own. I guess that's the secret of getting someone a gift. Henry loves his Tupac.

7) Travelchair Slacker Chair - $37.89

I got him one of these because he's always wanted a pocket chair, the one that's like "As seen on TV"? But it never got good reviews, so I refused to get him one. Well this one, actually has great reviews. It's light and portable, and can hold up to 275 lbs. It'd come in handy for when he's at work and has nowhere to sit in the field, or if we go camping one day.

8) Adidas Men Superlite CC 3-pack No Show Socks in Black/Graphite - $16.10

Henry has holes in his socks. I got him new ones. These got good reviews. That's all.

9) SE KC5006S 4-Inch Camping Steel with Detachable Knife - $6.99

Tell me that's not one of the coolest, most practical things you have ever seen. Anyway, I thought it would be good for him to take to work in his new lunch bag. You can detach the two sides from each other so you can actually use your fork and knife at the same time. Brilliant!

10) Personalized Calendar from MiniBox - $34.99

I wanted to make something personal and found a really good deal on living social to make a calendar, so I decided "Why not?" It took me FOREVER to put the pictures together and customize the dates (anniversaries, birthdays, etc). But it came out really well! You can see it below in the photo of all the things that came in the box.

Total Value: $351.77

I admit, I did go all out on the box, but that's because I had a lot of time to think about it. And I did get very good deals on most of the stuff in there. It's was a fun project! I highly recommend trying it at least once for your significant other for an occasion. It would have been a really fun idea for an anniversary too. Anyway, Henry seemed to like everything that came in his box! So I think that's a win? What'd you guys think of it? Not bad for my first subscription box making, right? :)

Thanks for reading!

TheRxNina

December 2012 Loot Crate Review!

Hey guys!

So I am on a blogging spree to catch up with my reviews before classes begin again! I definitely felt like December's Loot Crate was much better than November's. Fortunately, our box was received on Christmas Eve so we were able to open it for Christmas. I was a little worried that it wouldn't arrive before then, so definite win for getting here on time.

Here's a quick rundown on things you should know about Loot Crate:
- Monthly subscription box for gamers and geeks
- Items can range from food, shirts, energy drinks, toys, etc.
- $19.37 a month with shipping and handling (gets cheaper with the more months you buy at a time)
- Referral program
- They do NOT ship internationally (yet)

December's Theme: Kyujitsu

Aww... I actually didn't see this earlier, but for December, Loot Crate had donated one meal for every subscriber through Feeding America! I love that! It's very similar to what Love With Food does, as they donate a meal for every box that is sold. I'm all for companies that give back to the community.

What was featured our December Loot Crate?

Holiday Doodle Jump Sticker in Elf ($2.40), Super Hero Domo 6.5 inch Plush ($7.99), Honey Badger Don't Care 6.5 inch Plush ($2.35 - when bought in bulk), "It's 13:37 Somewhere!" Beverage Tool (~$1.00)?, Geek/Gamer Split Personality Wristband (~$1.00), and Atari Collectible Joystick With Gum (~$4.00).

Total Value:

~$18.74

(For the things I put an about sign next to, I'm just estimating since I couldn't find the actual item, so I base it on approximate cost to make in a bulk order, or there are multiple prices so I choose the one that's about average)

Here's Henry sporting his Gamer/Geek Bracelet ("Gamer" on one side, "Geek" on the other).

I thought it fit him nicely, although he wouldn't wear it everyday.

I like the concept though.

Atari Joystick Gum, Coupon off for Wall Graphics, and "It's 13:37 Somewhere!" bottle opener

I definitely thought the Atari Joystick Gum was cute. Henry appreciated it more though since he was actually old enough to play with one when it was out. The gum inside was pretty meh though. It held its flavor for about 2 minutes. It would make a really cute accessory for a desk though, maybe to put paperclips inside or something. The bottle opener came in really handy for Henry since we held a Christmas party at our house, so he had that thing in his pocket all day/night. It's good. We like practical tools. Especially for opening bottles of beer or orange cream soda. The wall graphics coupon was nice, but I probably wouldn't get much use for it since we rent our house. I'm sure they've got a lot of cool stuff for personalizing a house though.

These two were me and Henry's favorites. Well, Henry had no idea who Domo was, but he really dug Honey Badger. I believe he's sitting at Henry's desk at work right now. I got to keep Domo though. :) I believe you either got Super Hero Domo (seen below) or Super Geek Domo (with nerd glasses) in your box.

As you can see, they're having a face off on who's more ferocious.

Domo is cute. Honey Badger doesn't give a sh*t.

Honey Badger wins.

Overall, we liked this Loot Crate. Well, I liked it. Henry had pointed out that he wished he hadn't gotten two plushes in this month's box and something else in place of it. We liked that we got something practical in it that we could use everyday, and we definitely liked Honey Badger. If you don't know anything about Domo, here, read this wikipedia article, it should clear up any confusion... not. Lol. But in any case, my only grievance for December's box is again (see Nov review) the value of the box. I'd love to see higher priced or more items in the box to balance out the amount we pay out of pocket for it. A good subscription box offers at least twice the value of what you pay for it (including shipping) and a great one triples or quadruples it's value. I'm starting to get discouraged that maybe Loot Crate will just be a "you get what you pay for" subscription box, and it's unfortunate because I am a huge fan of subscription boxes and the idea behind them. If they could just somehow get this one thing under their belt consistently, they would have a pretty awesomely epic box. And if that's not possible, then they could at least lower the price of their box so we didn't have such high expectations.

Hopefully January's is going to be awesome though! I still have my fingers crossed that one of these Loot Crates will be as awesome as the one they offered in August when they had just started out.

If you liked what you saw and want to take a chance on Loot Crate, sign up here.

Thanks for reading!

TheRxNina

Update (1/15/12) - Thank you to those who signed up through my link on my page! So far, 3 very generous people have signed up to Loot Crate using my link, and I am very appreciative that my blog is being read and that my reviews are being rewarded! I don't get paid to do any of these, nor do I get any boxes for free outside of using my referral link like everyone else, so I'm very thankful and happy when I see a new email popping up telling me someone has signed up! I don't know who you are, but you are appreciated. :)

November 2012 Loot Crate Review

Hey everyone!

I know this is a really late review, so I apologize for that. I had some family issues to attend to and a really hectic month at school. This is November's Loot Crate! The theme was Infinity. I guess it has something to do with Halo? In my attempt to try to make a video, I completely forgot to take pictures of the crate, so that was an epic fail on my part. I did make an unboxing video this month though using Magisto. It's really easy, and I would recommend anyone use it for making any kind of video. You can see that down below. I revamped my blog a little! Hope it looks better and easier to navigate.

Here's a quick rundown of the things you need to know about Loot Crate:
- Monthly subscription box for gamers and geeks
- Items can range from food, shirts, energy drinks, toys, etc.
- $19.37 a month with shipping and handling (gets cheaper with the more months you buy at a time)
- Referral program
- They do NOT ship internationally (yet)

What was featured in our November Loot Crate: Infinity?

Master Chief Helmet Tee, Cube Puzzle Keychain and Solution Guide from Howtube.com, PWN GUM Energy Gum for Gamers, JINX Awesome Random Sticker, a Tobuscus Slap Bracelet, a Creeper SSSsss JINX + Mojang Sticker

Didn't take a picture, so I just stole this one from Loot Crate's facebook. :)

Some pictures of Sookie sporting the slap bracelet.

Don't worry, we kept it on her just for a second.

And here's Boomer sporting it.

He acted as if it was kryptonite and he was unable to move with it on.

Overall, although it was cool getting another shirt, which Henry actually wears it quite often, we were a little disappointed in this month's crate. Unfortunately, the shirt was the only thing that was really worth mentioning in the box. The cube puzzle keychain is way too big to be used as an actual keychain, and Henry wouldn't actually wear the Tobuscus slap bracelet in real life. And the other items, the stickers and the gum, are things you could probably get by going to a comic con convention for free. Another friend of mine who gets Loot Crate mentioned to me that he couldn't identify with any of the items with the Infinity box, and trust me, my friend is definitely the one of the geekiest guys I know. It saddens me to write this, but I have to be honest in my reviews.

I've mentioned in other reviews that I really love subscription boxes in which you get your money's worth. For a box that you pay almost $20 a month for, I expect it to be brimming with cool and awesome stuff! And I am a firm believer in that if you're going to buy a subscription box, you should expect it to be filled with a ton of hard to find samples (like Conscious Box does) or that it the value of the box should be at least twice as much as you pay for it (I pay $10 a month for an Ipsy bag and there's at least $70 worth of items in there every month). Now, I usually go and try to find the prices of the items in boxes to evaluate the value of the items in it, but I can already tell just by looking at it that everything was probably $20 at the very most. So you get what you pay for. But it's disappointing because with subscription boxes, you'll get things that you like and things that you don't like, and when the box is at a higher value than what you actually paid for it, it makes up for the things that you didn't like as much that came in the box. You want people to feel like their $20 was totally worth it, even if they didn't like everything that came in the box. Or else they feel like they could have used that $20 for something else.

Now, this is just mine and my friend's opinions. Maybe other people opened up their crate and LOVED it. You can't always hit the demographic you're going after every time, since everyone is different, but for us... we just thought it was a little underwhelming this month. Hopefully as the company grows bigger, they'll be able to get a bigger discount on better things and will improve in terms of the overall value of the box.

Still, on a positive note, Loot Crate is the only subscription box out there that's geared just for geeks and gamers, so they have that unique feature to it. If you look at the items and think that you'd be completely happy and content with the boxes, I would definitely recommend signing up for one. Loot Crate is really top notch on their customer service and are really active on facebook also, if you'd like to follow them there. I signed Henry up for a 3 month subscription to cover Valentine's Day (I'm really interested in seeing what they are going to do for that), but hopefully it improves drastically in the next few months or I'll be cancelling Henry's subscription with them, unfortunately.

As always, thanks for reading!

TheRxNina

December 2012 PopSugar Must Have Box! AND Luxury Must Have Box.

This was my first time getting a Popsugar Box. I was really interested in it because it wasn't a one tone kind of box with a specific theme like only having beauty items or only having food items. It's a lifestyle box that includes everything from accessories to books to food to household items. Of course, it's a $35 a month box, which is absolutely nuts for a college girl with no real income to have, which is why I didn't sign up for it before.

So seeing as it was December, I felt the urge to try it out since I had a suspicion that the December box would have to be awesome, being the holidays and all. AND in addition to subscribing to the regular Must Have Box, I decided to purchase a luxury box that they were offering as well for the holiday. I really couldn't help myself. They just made it seem so special since only 1,000 were supposed to be sold (although it's debatable if they really had capped the number at that - story later).

Quick rundown of things you should know about Popsugar's Must Have Box:

- $35 a month (It used to be $30, but I guess they've bumped it up this year)
- Lifestyle box for women
- Referral program

Popsugar Must Have Box

Pretty big box that came. Luxury box was even BIGGER.

I know you can't really see it, but I just wanted to show you a picture of the fold out brochure it comes with the features all the items. I like the layout. It's very professional and helps you appreciate the products that come in the box with details. Now, if only they had included the retail prices of all the items, that would have given me less work to do. :)

December's regular Must Have Popsugar box featured: 

Bodum Bistro Mugs, Tea Forte Sampler, Jaboneria Mirianella Soap in Amendra, Pinch Provision Minimergency Kit in Hot Pink, Bogdon's Peppermint Pole Candy, and GoSwype Cleaning Cloth Wipe

Total Value:

$87.98

(And that is exactly how it should be, ~3x the price you pay for it)

$117.98 (counting the $30 Rent The Runway Gift code)

Bodum Bistro Mugs - $40.00 for set of two

I was pretty pleased to see these mugs in the box. They're really pretty and I love drinking tea! Plus, it was the perfect month to have these in, since it's so cold out. I fell in love with them even more because you can actually hold the outside of cup with your whole hand, which I can't do with any of my other mugs. Since it's double walled, you can't feel the hot liquid inside. It's a little warm, but that's actually a nice feeling on a cold night. They seem pretty fragile, more than a regular glass, I guess because they are hollow, so I feel like I need to be more cautious with them. It also says that you can put cold liquid in there and it won't cause any condensation on the outside. I like!

Tea Forte Petite Ribbon Box Sampler - $15.00 for 10 pyramids of different teas

I was pleasantly surprised to see Tea Forte in the box, since I used to actually buy these a while back. They're very elegant and pretty. The tea comes in a little pyramid shaped vessel and it has a little wick on top with a paper leaf. The tea is very mild too. We've tried to Green Mango Peach and Jasmine Green teas so far. I liked the Green Mango Peach, but the Jasmine was a bit too bitter for me. I believe I liked African Solstice before when I drank it too, though it's been a while. It came with 10 different teas, listed below. I can't wait to try them all!

one pyramid infuser each: Earl Grey, Black Currant, White Ambrosia, White Ginger Pear, Green Mango Peach, Jasmine Green, African Solstice, Chamomile Citron, Raspberry Nectar, Lemon Ginger

Here's a picture of the Jasmine Green in my Bodum Mug.

Isn't it pretty? ^_^

Jaboneria Miranella Soap in Amendra - $14.00 for 6 oz

I haven't had the chance to use this yet, but it smells nice, although I wish it had more coconut and less sandalwood fragrance. I would probably never ever pay $14 for a soap of this size, so I'll use it tonight and indulge and let you know what I think. It better be damn good soap for it's price! It says that the rejuvenating version that I received in my box has anti-aging properties and a bit of exfoliant.

.: Update - Used it last night, and it is a very nice soap. It did leave a sort of film on my skin though afterward, kind of like if you ran your hand down your arm, it's not smooth but kind of does a slip and stop kind of thing. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, the smell is nice, and it's HUGE bar. It's gray in color with a little bit of sandyness in it, I believe that's for the exfoliating properties. It's a nice soap. Hopefully it lasts long! :.

Pinch Provisions Minimergency Kit in Hot Pink - $13.00

I was actually really excited to see this in the box because I've always wanted one of these but could never bring myself to pay $13.00 for it! I always thought, what if I never use anything in it? But now that I have it, it's awesome. Especially being a pharmacy school student who practically lives at school on some days. As you can see, there are so many things in that tiny bag. Although I would have preferred something a little more inconspicuous than hot pink for the bag, I just love the concept of it. I might throw a couple more bandaids in there for good measure. I did need a needle to stitch up the doggy bed for Boomer and Sookie, and remembered I had a needle in this little baggie, so it's already come in handy! Not sure if I could get away with bringing a sewing needle onto an airplane, but at least this way, I'll always be prepared. This would make a great gift for any bridesmaid, and I actually think they make a men's version too. Oh, and the bag is about the size of the palm of my hand, so it's really small.

Bogdon's Peppermint Pole Candy - $3.99 for 21 sticks

I think I've said it before in one of my other posts that I love peppermint and chocolate. These were delicious by itself, but I've also tried it with the peppermint hot chocolate mix I made this Christmas, and it goes GREAT with that too. Stirring in the stick till the end melts and then eating the rest of the candy while livening up my hot chocolate was really fun and relaxing. At 17 calories a stick, I really didn't feel bad about having something so delicious and sweet.

GoSwype Cleaning Cloth Wipe - $1.99

This was a cute and practical product that I'll probably throw into my purse once I get the chance to clean it out. It's true that every girl needs to wipe off her cell phone screen after she talks on the phone with it, and with all the texting and facebooking we do on our phones now, it's good to wipe off those germies once in a while. I'm hoping that it works better than my shirt. I'll update once I actually try it. :)

Overall, I really liked everything that came in December's box! I know that some people were very upset with it not coming on time and disappointed in the products, but I guess I was just one of the demographics they were going after this time. Oh! And I almost forgot, it came with a special code for $30 off order just for popsugar must have subscribers (it says you have to be one) for Rent The Runway, which is kind of like a service that let's you "rent" designer clothes for about a week. I haven't tried looking yet, but I will probably use it in March before it expires to rent something nice to wear for a wedding I'm going to. Based on December's box, I would keep my subscription to Popsugar. In reality, I will have to check with Henry if I can keep it or not since I said this would only be a temporary thing for Christmas. You do get about three times the amount of stuff than you paid for it, so I believe that it's worth it. And these are all things that I would use up in my everyday life, which Henry is all for. In all actuality, although he wants me to be more girly, he'd probably make me cancel my beauty boxes if I wasn't really using all the things I got in them, and let me keep this one. If you'd like to sign up for a Popsugar must have box, click this link here and use the code "REFER5""REFERFRIENDS" and it's good until 2/28/13. You can get $5 off your first subscription and you'll help me earn more boxes at the same time! We both win! Plus, I work really hard on these reviews, and it'd be nice to know that people are reading and appreciate the effort. :)

PopSugar Must Have Luxury Box

Just wanted to throw in some pictures of the luxury brochure. It's glossier and nicer than the regular must have brochure, and instead of being foldable, it has pages that you flip like a booklet.

Featured in my December's Must Have Luxury Box:

Vosges Mini Chocolate Bar Library, Compagnie De Provence Liquid Hand Soap in Fig of Provence, Epicuren After Bath Moisturizer in Papaya Pineapple, Heather Belle "Niki" Cuff in Polished Brass, Jewelmint Brass Envelope Clutch, Tocca Scented Candle in Kyoto, and Deborah Lippmann Lip & Nail Duet in Midnight Confessions

Total Value:

$275.00

Vosges Mini Chocolate Bar Library - $25.00

I couldn't find this variety of library under her website, so I wonder if Popsugar did a mix and match and just requested a certain type of chocolate, or if it was a holiday theme. In any case, I love Vosges! It's one of my favorite boutiques to go to when I'm in Vegas. I would have loved a bacon bar library since those are so delicious, but I was content with being able to try out new flavors. My library came with three types: Peppermint Candy Cane bar (dark chocolate), Amalfi Bar (lemon white chocolate with a hint of spice), Woolloomooloo Bar (deep milk chocolate with coconut, hemp seeds, and macadamia nuts). My favorite was the Woolloomooloo Bar. I thought it would have been the Peppermint Candy Cane but there was just too much dark chocolate and not enough peppermint. The Almafi bar was yummy, but it tasted a little of too much lemon to me and I really prefer the chocolate taste. In any case, I enjoyed this, and will probably end up saving the rest for days when I'm feeling down.

Compagnie De Provence Liquid Hand Soap in Fig of Provence - $24.00

I was a little disappointed to see hand soap as one of the items of the box. Just because I would probably never spend $24 on a bottle of soap. I also wasn't very fond of the scent that I got. It kind of smells like Christmas trees, but it's not. It's also made with vegetable oils, so it's got a very oily feel to it rather than actual soap. I probably wouldn't have bought this particular fragrance, but it does wash your hands nicely, I guess. And I've noticed that because it uses oils, it doesn't dry out your hands afterwards, so that's a plus.

Epicuren After Bath Moisturizer in Papaya Pineapple - $38

At first, I was a little disappointed in seeing lotion in the box because there are so many great lotions out there with cheap price tags. But when I read the brochure and trying to find the price, I realized that this particular brand was only sold to spas and salons to use, so that was kind of neat that we got to have something that isn't available to the masses. It's a nice lotion... a little greasy at first. It doesn't absorb right away. I actually got a little annoyed because it left greasy fingerprints on my keyboard after I applied. I do like the smell though. It reminds me of Hawaii. I've lived there practically my whole life. It's a nice lotion, but I probably wouldn't purchase a bottle for the price. Maybe I can get a massage from Henry with it for a real spa experience. :)

Heather Belle "Niki" Cuff in Polished Brass - $52.00

This took me FOREVER to get out of the little velvet baggy it was in. It was just too tight. Too tight! Anyway, it's pretty. I am not an accessory kind of girl, so I don't have anything like it. I'm not sure if I would ever purchase this for this price either though. It kind of has this gladiator, cleopatra, rock star vibe to it. I will try sporting it with the envelope clutch (see below) I got and see if I get any comments. In the brochure, it says that Charlize Theron sports this same cuff, so that makes me feel sorta special to have it. Charlize Theron definitely knows her fashion.

Jewelmint Clutch in Bronze Envelope - $60.00 

(wasn't sure if it was $30, since a subscription to Jewelmint is that much, but that's what ebay says, so I'll go with that)

At first, I was a little iffy about this "clutch" because it has two hinged triangles on the side of it intended for a chain or strap of some sort, but there was no chain or strap included. That would have been nice. And it seemed a little impractical because it closes using a magnet, and with my clumsiness, I could just imagine all my stuff spilling out onto the street and my struggling to pick everything up. These are the kinds of things a clumsy girl thinks about. Anyway, I think maybe if I could get a strap for it, it would be really cute to wear on a shopping day out or even out to a club. I even think I lucked out, because out of all the four possible clutches I could have gotten, I got the one that goes with the cuff that came also. This is very convenient for me since I never buy accessories. Ever. So hopefully I will remember to put these on one day I go shopping. Another thing I didn't like about this clutch though, is that, although it's very cute, it's tiny. I can't even fit my Samsung Galaxy SIII in it. It has a case, but even without the case, there is no way my phone is fitting in there. So I would have to carry my phone in my hand or my pocket if I wanted to use the clutch and that's no bueno for a clumsy girl. There are ups and downs, but I'll update once I actually try it out one day.

Tocca Scented Candle in Kyoto - $38

This smells like peaches and flowers, and you could definitely smell it once you opened up the subscription box. It's a nice scent, but $38 for a candle?! Holy smokes. Diamond Candles come with a ring inside, probably lasts just as long (60 hours), and is cheaper. I've seen these candles before but the price tag just made me turn my head in the other direction. I have a lot of half burned Diamond Candles laying around so it might be a while till I get to this one. I'm sure it burns just fine though.

Deborah Lippmann Lip & Nail Duet in Midnight Confessions - $38.00

I haven't been able to try this out yet but it came with a very sultry pearl crimson nail polish (Bitches Brew), and a sheer berry lipstick (Under a Spell). I might try these on for me and Henry's 4 year anniversary dinner coming up. I'll update with more pictures if I do. Hopefully they will look nice on me. I don't wear darker colors on my lips very much.

Overall, I liked the luxury box, but was a little disappointed in it at the same time. I probably wouldn't purchase it again next year. Some people might have loved it! But I think it was just a little TOO luxurious to me. I guess I just wouldn't pay so much for hand soap, lotion, and a candle. I have great products that I use in those categories that cost much less, but I guess that's what luxury means. It was really nice getting all those expensive things to try out at a fraction of the cost, but I guess I was just expecting more from the box since it did cost so much. Also, it was very aggravating from the start with the whole luxury box thing.

Now, getting to my story of the luxury box fiasco... So the luxury box was announced and everyone was really excited about it. There was a countdown on the site that was counting down from 1,000 (the amount of boxes that were going to be sold). Unfortunately, the demand was so high that night, that everyone clogged up the server and the site was acting very slow or not going at all. I'm not sure how long this went on for, but some people were afraid that weren't going to be able to get one. It sort of reminded me of when me and my classmates try to sign up for electives that only have limited spots and we're all fighting to get into the server (it's a fiasco, and lot of people are really disappointed afterwards). Anyway, Popsugar ended up fixing it somehow but the count started over a little while after that, which was very suspect. The point of a luxury limited edition box is that it really is limited, and if they decided to make more boxes to sell, it takes away from the people who fought to get one and takes away from the "specialness" of it. I ended up sending an email to Popsugar about this, and although a lady got back to me in a timely manner, and her answer was professional, she definitely dodged my questions of how much the box would be worth and if it really was limited to only 1,000. I think I was just bothered by the shady business practice. The whole thing was very aggravating to us who actually went out of our way to sign up for the box early, and made us feel like we were going to be the special few who got it. I had also heard through the grapevine that there were a lot of people who didn't receive their box before Christmas, which is a huge no no in my book, especially when Popsugar guarantees that it will be at your mailbox before then. Luckily, mine came a few days before Christmas and I was able to open it that day. This caused a few people cancel their subscriptions with them, I think. Apparently, Popsugar has had a few missteps in their business practices like these incidences in the past and people were getting tired of them. They don't even have a facebook page just dedicated to their box where we can communicate with them and post reviews. What is that??

On the other hand, it was really fun to open it in front of my friends and family. Especially my almost sister in law, who was reading the brochure while I was tearing open tissue paper, trying not to say anything. If I could go back in time, I would decide not to get it. It was just too impractical of a box for me, and I've realized now that I actually like getting things in boxes that I could try and actually purchase in real life. Besides the chocolate, I can't imagine myself indulging that much money into any of the products that came in the box in my regular life. But this is just one girl's opinion. I'm just not in that place in life to be spending so much money on special hand soap or candles (okay, besides Diamond Candles, but at least you get a chance at winning your money back with a $5,000 ring!).

Anyway, this was one of my longer posts, so thank you for reading if you got through all of it! If you got a luxury box, how did you like it? Comment down below. I'd love to hear your opinions!

TheRxNina

P.S. - Again, if you'd like to sign up for a regular Popsugar Must Have box every month, just use this link and type in the code "REFER5" "REFERFRIENDS" *Thanks Hillary!* at checkout to get $5 off your first month! Code is good until 2/28/13!

Update: Thank you Hillary and Jaime for using my referral link! I really appreciate it!