Popsugar has entered into the rather competitive subscription box market with their Popsugar Must Have Bags. These bags are $35, have a monthly theme, and feature full size products. You can buy one month at a time, or subscribe for longer periods and get a bit of savings. Their blog shows you what is in the previous bag, although I don't think you can see what is in the bag currently for sale.

I was sent a bag for review and, while it had a few kinks, I think it is a decent enough entry into the subscription box service market. Kink number one I don't think is Popsugar’s fault, but I have to point it out to explain my photos video. My box arrived mangled!  The outside packaging was clearly smashed and it looked like the box had been opened and taped back up again with a very poor tape job. So, here is what the inside box looked like. It should, of course, not be smashed up.  I assume UPS did the mangling, but I also am apparently not the only blogger to have received an opened box (read on for more on that).

The packaging is cute and fun, which I like in subscription boxes. The box had wrapping paper on it too, but it looked like someone had opened it and taped it back up, so I didn’t photograph it.  I figure if I am going to pay for a box each month, I want to feel like I am getting something special when it comes, so I do appreciate the extra packaging effort. For a more detailed look at the box, watch my box opening video of it at the end of this post.

Inside were two nice Body Drench Products (I love their products!), two RGB nail polishes (a brand I have not tried), two Ilia lip products that look particularly nice (another brand I have not tried), and a good size tote bag. All products are full size, which is nice to see, since most subscription boxes offer only sample and deluxe sample sizes, with maybe only one full size item thrown in.

But, here is where kink number two occurred.  Looking at the Popsugar website, I noticed that the bag was also supposed to include two Kind brand food bars. Those were missing from my bag. My box did look like it was opened all the way to the inside packaging and pink tape across the inside box holding the products had been broken open, but the tissue covering them did not look disturbed. So I don’t know if UPS removed the food items for some reason or if Popsugar removed them or failed to include them.  I inquired with other beauty bloggers and another reported that her box had also been opened and she too did not receive the food bars. So, it is a mystery!

Overall, for 8 full size (6 in my case) products at $35, this is a decent enough bag. It also seems like some good thought went into this. I would like it a bit better if the contents were known before you buy, but the mystery of it is a fairly common element of subscription boxes. I would also perhaps prefer to see 8 different brands instead of 2 each from 4 brands, but that is nit picking it a bit. I also like that you can buy one month at a time if you like.  That way, you can avoid any need to subscribe and later cancel.

For a closer look, see my Popsugar Must Have Bag video review below. I’ll have reviews of the single items in the bag at some point as well. I am looking forward to trying the lip items!

Disclosure: This review is based on a product given to me by a representative of Popsugar.

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