March PopSugar Must Have Review and Coupon

There was a lot of chatter about the March PopSugar Must Have box and I know a lot of people weren't as happy with it.  I actually didn't mind it and found the items to be pretty useful, but I can understand why others were less than impressed.

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love! Post contains referral links.

PopSugar Must Have costs $39.99 a month (shipping included) and contains over $100 worth of items.  Currently they only ship within the United States.  It's a lifestyle box, so it could contain anything from beauty and skincare to accessories or home items, all of which are full-sized.  I think they have included a good mix of items in their past few boxes.

The inspiration for March's box was "renewal, citrus, spring break, fresh, and traveling."  I want to start traveling a lot more so I was excited to see what they'd include that could help me in my travels.  I know a lot of subscribers were unhappy with the selection this month, but I have to say that I liked this box.  It wasn't as exciting as the past two, but I thought that it had some really useful items that I enjoyed.

• Wet Brush The Squirt ($4.99) - Okay, I think the name of this product is really weird, but I guess it makes sense.  It's a mini brush to use on wet hair, and it's the perfect size for throwing in your suitcase.  This was one of the items that other subscribers weren't so happy about because they felt it was cheap, but I've heard great things about it so I'm happy to have one.
• Halfpops Halfpopped Popcorn -($1.69 for 2 oz)  I got the Butter & Pure Ocean Sea Salt flavor and they were so good!  They're exactly what they sound like--popcorn kernels that have only been popped halfway.  At first I thought they might be hard on my teeth, but they were crunchy without being too hard and had great flavor.

• benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara and POREfessional ($8.00 for 1 oz and $4.13 for .1 oz) - I traded my Roller Lash away because I got it in a previous Birchbox and was not impressed, but I'm glad there was a POREfessional sample included.  Although I no longer purchase benefit, before I realized they weren't cruelty-free I bought a full-sized version of this primer and it works well with my oily skin.
• Bliss Micromagic Microdermabrasian Treatment ($48 for 3 oz) - This was the first spoiler that PopSugar released for this box and people were freaking. out. about it!  Many were upset because it contains five different parabens, and if you haven't heard, there was a study a few years back that showed parabens inside tumors of women with breast cancer.  While that is certainly cause for concern, the sample size for that study was very small and further research has shown that the results may have been overblown.  Plus, the parabens are the very last ingredients listed (meaning they are the smallest concentration in the mix) and are a common preservative in everything from food to skincare.  I personally have no problem with using this, but I respect other peoples' decision not to use it.  That being said, I was surprised by the uproar.  If I get an item that I don't like/won't use in a box, I just either gift it, swap it, or sell it on eBay.  Oh and this is an exfoliating scrub with vitamin E, volcanic pumice, and aloe.

• Samudra Pink Piña Zip Pouch ($40) - This was a PopSugar exclusive item and the third item that people were the most unhappy with.  I think a lot of subscribers were annoyed by the supposed $40 retail value because it's a basic pink zip pouch, but I never pay too much attention to retail values with these types of boxes anyway.  True, PopSugar promises $100+ value overall and when $40 of it is a zip pouch that's kind of disappointing, but you win some, you lose some.  I think this is actually nice and I'll definitely use it for liquids when I travel.
• Knock Knock What to Pack Pad ($7) - This was the only item in the box that I didn't really like, but I think it's got a cute design at least.  It's a checklist of things you should pack, but I'm pretty confident in my packing skills so I probably won't use it.

• Greenmarket Purveying Co. The Archivist Lemon+Cucumber Reed Diffuser Kit ($20) - This was my favorite item in the box because I love home fragrance products.  I usually buy candles over diffusers, so it was nice to get something I wouldn't normally purchase.  At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like the scent, but it's a great balance of sweet and citrus and I think it smells wonderful!

Bottom Line: This box had an approximate retail value of $129.68.  If we completely remove the $40 for the pouch, that's still a value of $89.68, which is more than double the price that I paid for it.  I know I'm in the minority here, but I liked this box!  It certainly wasn't the best ever, but I will use most of the items.

• Use coupon code MUSTHAVE5 for $5 off your first box!

What did you think of this box?