Review: Popsugar Must Have bag

I've heard about beauty subscription box services (like Birchbox and Glossybox) for awhile now, and as much as I love the thought of a surprise box of goodies coming to my door every month, I have sensitive skin, which means "testing" new beauty products every month is out of the question for me. So when Popsugar came out with their "Must Have Bag," consisting of items from beauty AND fashion, fitness and home decor, I decided to give it a try. Plus, each bag supposedly includes a variety of full-sized products worth over $150 for a $35/month subscription. I opted for the 3-month subscription, which brought down my monthly cost to about $31.67 + tax. Shipping is free.

I received my box a few days ago and this is what I found inside:

A beach bag (I was surprised at the quality of the cotton canvas. Plus it has a zipper and is washable.)
ILIA lip color
ILIA lip conditioner
RGB nail polish - Doll (a pinkish color). The brand is known to be carcinogen and formaldehyde free.
RGB nail polish - Minty

Body Drench body scrub in raspberry
Body Drench body lotion in pomegranate
KIND bar - vanilla almond
KIND bar - cashew & ginger spice

After searching online for the retail prices of these items, I was disappointed to find out that it totals approximately $95, not including the bag. And the bag, while sturdy and durable, is definitely not worth $55. I guess they can argue that it included a bit of fashion, fitness and beauty, but where was the home decor? Anyways, I wasn't fully thrilled with their first box so I emailed Popsugar under their "First Bag Guarantee" clause in the terms (gotta read the fine print!), which guarantees that you'll be satisfied with the first bag, and they offered to refund the cost of my first box with an option to cancel my subscription + I get to keep the July box. They also said that they changed their "value" amount to $100 to curb the expectations of the buyers, adding that when/if they do add products equaling $150 retail, buyers would be pleasantly surprised. I'm not overjoyed that they switched the number after July boxes were already sold, but I felt that they would take the feedback of everyone who bought their inaugural box and make an even better box in August, so I opted to keep my subscription until September. Will let you know how that one turns out.

If you're interested in signing up, here's the link to the Popsugar Must Have home page.