POPSUGAR Must Have Mini Subscription Box Review – April 2016

I subscribed to this mini, and I’m also new to the regular Popsugar Must Have box this month (April). As others have said, while I liked the items in this first mini, I wasn’t wowed by the value, especially compared to the Must Have box (comparatively speaking, for the price). I also agree that including at least one more item, even of small value, would have swayed my opinion the other way, I think, on this first mini box. I will wait for the next one and see how that goes and then decide whether to keep my subscription. IMO, there’s just not enough excitement for the cost of just two, even “full size”, items unless you happen to be crazy about both. That said, I know that with Popsugar, the products…whatever they are… will always be “quality”, and that’s a plus for me.

This box would be so much better if it had even 1 more item. As others have said, I do like both products but there’s no way I’d pay $20 normally for a small candle and a lip balm. So this didn’t seem like a good deal to me. And am I the only one that is having more cracked lips since using this particular balm? I feel like it is not a coincidence. Hmm.

I agree that they should have put more value into this box. One more item (even with a $10 value) would have made a big difference. At the same time, I’m considering a subscription. I like the curation and it seems like it would pair nicely with the regular PSMH.

I’ve had PSMH for about a year and a half, and it’s one of my favorite boxes (I have more than 20 right now, so that’s saying a lot for me). When I saw the Mini, it was a must for me. Candle and lip balm? They played it safe, and that is….disappointing. The candle is almost burned out and the lip balm was put in rotation even though I don’t like the finger in the pot thing, so yes, I liked the items. But, seriously, candle and lip balm?

It’s difficult for me to be objective about this box because I can’t help but compare it to the full size. I paid half the price and got half the amount of excitement, and while that may SEEM reasonable, it’s not 2014. Sub boxes are now a “thing”, expectations are very thoroughly set, and customers are fickle and filled with choices.

The items themselves were satisfying, I smiled, was mildly excited and thoroughly enjoyed being exposed to new companies, it just was not the showing I’ve come to expect from a PSMH. First world problems, and who complains about an awesome candle and some great lip balm? Me.

To be clear, I’m not dissatisfied with the items themselves. It is PopSugar themselves that has me feeling so meh about the box. But if I could forgive last year’s CFDA…..

Very well said Liz. I totally agree that both items were very very nice but being that it was my first PopSugar I think they could just put a few simple things to the box would of been a huge hit with me. I cancelled

So glad that I skipped this one. For $20 and only two products I feel that it isn’t that great of a “value” especially for what was included. I will continue to wait and see if they change things around however if there is an item I see I will keep my fingers crossed to nab it in a swap 🙂

I was disappointed with this box, and cancelled it right away. I liked the candle and the lip balm, but they didn’t wow me. Not to mention I already had the lip balm……

When I first saw the spoilers, I was disappointed. But once I got the box that changed. I’m burring the candle as I type this and my house smells really good! I’m reserving judgment on the lip balm because I haven’t tried it yet, but it smells great and is beautifully packaged, which adds to the experience for me; I realize others may not care about packaging. I don’t see either item as being inflated in value, because you can find them online selling for the quoted prices. Now, as far as assigning a personal value to things, that’s obviously up to the individual, but just because you (or I) wouldn’t personally pay a certain price for an item, doesn’t necessarily mean its value is inflated.

What is the old saying “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression?” They missed the boat with this inaugural box. I think PS could have made this a literal MUST HAVE and they blew it. I nearly broke my leg running to my Macbook to cancel this subscription. They have the buying power and resources to make this box something to look forward to every month, maybe throw in a couple of extras just to fill out the box and leave the recipient excited about the contents, but no. I don’t begrudge them the ability to make a little profit, and I don’t expect the boxes to be high value for $18.50 but please, a smallish candle and a lip gloss? Had they WOW’d the customers with a great presentation they could’ve doubled the subscriptions in a month, instead they lost a lot of new subscribers right off the bat including me.

Very disappointed. I cancelled, if this is the first box with 2 overpriced items it’s definitely not worth the money to me.

I signed up for this box right and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the contents. I’ll wait to see next month’s before cancelling. Also, May is my last prepaid month of the full size PS box and I was planning to cancel and keep this mini. I don’t expect to keep both of them, I would like to keep just the mini but the value really doesn’t compare with that of PSMH

A good number of people must have canceled because it had said if you sign up that the next box would be July, but now it says May. Waiting to see a few more before I decide to sign up or not.

Since I have a lot of samples thanks to my sub box addiction I was happy to get the candle. And I would never pay $16.50 for a lip balm without knowing if I’m going to like it so it’s really fun to get to try this balm and the brand is new to me. So while I get with only two items someone could be disappointed if they didn’t like even one item I figure that’s just part of the gamble of sub boxes.

Bubblicious is EXACTLY right! I was thinking the exact same thing but I wasn’t sure what flavor. You NAILED it!

I wish I got the Strawberry Basil. I would’ve used that one. Now I have to figure out what to do with the lavender mint…

Let me see…$18.95 for a candle and a lip balm valued at $33.50. Yeah, sounds like a deal to me…..

I am surprised at the value of this box; especially when considering other boxes around this price point or lower have a higher value recently. Petit Vour, Goodbeing (even without the bracelet), LaRitzy Lamini, Boxycharm, are all examples.

Only in SwapLandia could a candle and a pot of lip balm be “valued” over $30. C’mon, now.

I am signed up with the first box in July unless there are cancellations. From my own opinion and reading other opinions, I might get it sooner than July. Hope they improve by the time I get my box. If I get another lip balm I just might scream. Burt’s Bees lip balm is just fine with me.

I cancelled love w food and good being recently and picked this up. I was giving away a lot of the food items since I am allergic to nuts and when good being sent me that bracelet a second time that was the last straw for me. I like both items. It is not a very good value, but I think the two items go well with the regular box. I honestly would have prefer the lip balm to the night balm, but happy to bet both. My discounted 6 month sub ends in May so if I were to keep both the regular and the mini, it would be over $60 a month with tax, so I will wait one more month and see.

The candle was worth about $10-$12 to me. The lip gloss I would have paid $5 tops. If I look at it that way, considering I paid $20 total, it was an easy decision to cancel. I wish it would have been a great first box.

I burn this candle all the time…love it!! I am happier with it than the regular box

Maybe the strawberry basil is better, but the lavender mint just smells nasty to me. No way do I want it on my lips! Very disappointed.

This box was a fail for me. My husband is allergic to something in most candles when we burn them, and I’m allergic to mint and received the lavender mint variation of the lip balm. 🙁 Just really unlikely this time, I guess.

I really love that candle and I plan to buy more from the company’s website with the 25% code. That lip gloss is such a dud for me though. I know it’s nice lip gloss, but it just feels like an extra to me, probably because I would never spend $16 on a potted lip balm. With only 2 items in the box it’s going to be hard to please everyone. I’m giving it another month to see where they go with this. With sub boxes I need either a great value for things I like/need (not necessarily exciting) OR I need top notch/interesting curation. This box doesn’t have the value and it was boring for me.

For me, the candle made me think of the White Mystery airheads! I had to go out and buy some.