PopSugar Must Have Lifestyle Box Review, November 2014 + $5 & $10 Discount Codes!

Someone asked me recently which subscription box I'd keep if I could only have one. Well, if I lived on a desert island where only one box could be delivered each month, it would have to be PopSugar Must Have's lifestyle box!  I have subscribed to this one for about a year now and they consistently send fresh, interesting, fun, useful and beautiful full size items.  This box is ALL about the curation and PopSugar repeatedly demonstrates an uncanny knowledge of their customer base.  

I try not to review the same boxes every single month but with PopSugar, it's hard to avoid the temptation....there is always something to get excited about!  November is no exception.  This month, they sent six really nice items:

There is a foldout card with color photos of each item in the box and a brief description. This card tells us that the inspiration for this month's box was "Gratitude, Gourmet Treats, Indulging, Hosting, Giving and Gathering". Another card provides a $25 discount code for use on one of the vendor sites and a third card advertises PopSugar's newest theme boxes..."Baby Girl", "Bridesmaids" and "Baby Boy".

The big prize in this box is an absolutely gorgeous coffee table quality dessert cookbook called "The Secret Recipes" by Dominique Ansel.  I love cookbooks but don't remember ever receiving one in a sub box before.  The author of this book is the pastry chef who invented the Cronut....and yes, the recipe is in here!  The recipes are organized by skill level so there is a section for Beginners, one for Intermediates and one for Advanced. This book is beautifully illustrated with mouth-watering photos.

Just to give you an idea of what's inside, here are a few photos:

What I really like is that these aren't your standard gourmet dessert recipes.  There are a lot of recipes in here that I've never run across before, like "The Angry Egg", "Gingerbread Pinecone", "Pink Champagne Macarons", "Frozen S'Mores", "Popcorn Chouquettes" and "Mini Me's".  If I get ambitious enough to try some of these, I'll share the results on this blog! Retail $35

The next item is a big package (7.5 oz.) of Chicago Mix Popped Corn, which is a mixture of caramel corn and cheddar cheese corn.  Does popcorn get any better?  I love this stuff. Retail $3.69

Despite all the subscription boxes I receive, somehow I was low on hand cream.  So along comes this Ambergris Shea Butter Cream from K. Hall Simpatico.  The word "ambergris" comes from an old French term, meaning "gray amber".  The substance comes from the sperm whale (trust me, you don't wanna know the details) and is used in making perfumes.  This has a sweet musky scent and is highly emollient. Retail $22

Since I'm not a party animal, the next item isn't really useful for me but it IS a neat idea...a set of three wine glass writers.  These were made exclusively for PopSugar and come in metallic silver, blue and gold colors.  They are quick drying and non-toxic, just the thing to mark glasses when you have guests. Retail $9.95

A very stylish wallet on a chain is not something I owned but this one is quite pretty and I can see how useful it would be. This is the Saffiano wallet by Sorial in a beautiful sapphire blue shade.  The chain is long enough to be worn over the shoulder or cross-body but I think I'll just use this as a small organizer inside a larger bag.  This has an outside zippered pocket and a leopard print lining. Retail $49

The last item is a pretty watercolor stationery set designed exclusively for PopSugar by Lisa Sugar (PopSugar's co-founder and Editor in Chief) and Tinyprints.  This set includes 15 all occasion heavy stock cards and matching envelopes.  I love the "return to civility" aspect of the stationery products that have been showing up in some of the sub boxes; I hope that is a trend that continues.  Retail $15 In addition, there is a card with a $25 discount code that can be used for other stationery products on the Tinyprints website. For once, that's a discount that doesn't require a minimum purchase, so I will actually use it!

So the November box has a total retail value of $134.64 or $159.64 if you include the $25 gift card. I am now inspired to do some cooking, some note writing and a little gourmet popcorn munching! If you're interested in trying PopSugar, their pricing structure is:

Monthly - $39.95
Three Months - $109.85
Six Months - $214.70

All plans have free shipping, auto renew and you can cancel at any time.

Click here and use code CHEER or REFER5 for $5 off your order.  NOV14SELECT will get $10 off a three month subscription.  (For some reason, that doesn't work on a six month subscription.)  

PopSugar also has individual boxes available right now that would be great for holiday gifting:

Neiman Marcus 2014 - $250 (This is the BIG one that all the buzz is about!)
Special Edition Holiday Box for Him - $100
Special Edition Holiday Box for Her - $100
Gift Collection Baby Boy - $75
Gift Collection Baby Girl - $75
Gift Collection Bridesmaid - $75

I'm guessing that the first three will go fast, if they are not already sold out. You can always count on PopSugar to surprise and delight!

Thank you for reading,

Cheryl

Disclosure:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was purchased with my own money. Post may contain referral or affiliate links.