October 2013 Popsugar Must Have Box

I feel like I wait all year for Fall.  I absolutely love everything about Fall - sweaters, the changing leaves, Halloween and most importantly...pumpkin everything. There is just something so cozy about Fall.  It makes me want to curl up with a blanket, a mug of something warm and a good book. 

When I got home today I found my October Popsugar Must Have box waiting for me.  It is like Christmas waiting for my Popsugar box every month.  If you are not familiar with the Popsugar Must Have box it is a monthly subscription box.  The box is described as a lifestyle box so it can include beauty, fashion, home and food items.  The cost is $35/month and is billed every month to a debit or credit card.  The value of the box is supposed to be over $100 and for the most part I think that is pretty accurate. The link to subscribe is: https://musthave.popsugar.com/. While this isn't entirely makeup or beauty related I thought it would be fun to start sharing these with you guys. 

This month's box includes brands that support breast cancer charities.  More importantly, $1 from every box sold this month will be donated to breast cancer research.  Below is a list of everything included in this month's box, an approximate price, link the brand's website and my general thoughts about each item.

* The Can't Cook Cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (value: $16.45) - I'm actually really excited about this.  I love to cook and I like to think I'm pretty good at it but it is always fun to try new things out.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cant-Cook-Book-Absolutely/dp/1451662254
* NYX Smokey Shadow Palette (value $6.99) - I almost bought this from Ulta the other day when they had NYX on sale for 40% off but I figured I didn't need another smokey eyeshadow palette.  I quickly swatched some of the colors and like most NYX eyeshadows they are pretty pigmented.
http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/
* NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner ($5.99) - I am not really a fan of liquid eyeliners that have the little brush on the end like this one.  I much prefer felt tipped liquid liners but in my quest to find the perfect liquid liner I think I should probably give this one a try.
http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/
* Gorjana Charity Bali Bead Bracelet ($45) - This is an adorable dainty little bracelet.  I was surprised to see the actual price of it on the company's website because it is such a tiny bracelet. It is made up for by the fact that when you purchase this bracelet from the company's website 100% of the proceeds are donated to Breast Cancer Connections.
http://www.gorjana-griffin.com/
* Julep for Popsugar Nail Polish Duo ($25) + 1 Month Free Julep Maven Box ($19.99) - This duo includes a top coat and a Fall inspired color.  I really love the color I got - it is called Coco and it is a deep oxblood color.  In addition to the nail colors that came in the box there is a promo code included that gives you a free month of the Julep Maven subscription box.  I ordered the Classic with a Twist box that comes with Padma which is described as a royal plum and Florence which is a camel colored polish.  The starter box also comes with Luxe Repair Skin Serum.  I'm not sure if I will keep the Julep subscription going after my initial box but this was a really great way to see if I like it.
www.julep.com
* Jane Tran Bobby Pins ($12) - The design of these bobby pins is cute but I doubt I will get much use out of them.  I rarely wear my hair up and when I do I just use plain old bobby pins.
http://www.janetran.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=6&products_id=301
* The Wet Brush ($14) - This is the item that I was most excited about.  The Wet Brush was designed to use on wet hair.  I know, I know you're thinking "brushing wet hair is a no no".  The beauty of this brush is that the bristles are super flexible so it reduces the risk of breakage when brushing it through wet hair.  I was going to pick one of these brushes up the next time I was at Sally's.  Having it in this month's box was perfect timing. The Wet Brush company is also making a donation towards breast cancer research for every brush included in this month's box. 
http://thewetbrush.com/
* The Crispery Halloween Crispycake ($3.95) - Who wouldn't love a giant sprinkle covered rice crispy treat? Seriously - this thing is huge.  Yum.
https://www.thecrispery.com/
* Stitch Fix $20 Off Coupon + Styling Fee Waived ($20) - I was not familiar with Stitch Fix so I had to go out to the website and do a little research.  The basic premise of the site is that you build a style profile, pay a $20 "styling fee". The company then ships you five handpicked items, you pick the one you want and send the other four back.  The $20 fitting fee that you paid can then be used towards the price of the item you decide to keep. The site says the average price of each item is $65. I am going to try it out so I'll give a full report back after I receive my first five items.
www.stitchfix.com

All totaled this month's box has a value of approximately $169.  While I like some of the products in the box I'm not super excited about it. This is my fourth Popsugar box and so far I haven't really been wowed by any of the boxes I've gotten.  I signed up in June because I had seen an unboxing video on YouTube for the June box and that one was amazing.  The $35 subscription price is a bit pricey for a monthly subscription box and I just got an email the other day that they are raising the price to $39.  I will probably keep it for a few more months and see if the boxes get better.  If they don't I will probably cancel my subscription and spend my $35 at Sephora ;-)