FabFitFun Spring 2016 Review

FabFitFun – is a lifestyle box. It promises $175+ worth of full-size premium items. It has the season’s hottest beauty, fitness, fashion, and wellness items. It's one of our favorite boxes. For annual subscribers, there are now options where you can customize some of your items, which is great because then you are sure to get the colors you really want.

Cost: $49/quarter.
How Often: Quarterly
Ships To: United States via USPS

I like this months box design, it's totally unique. It has "In support of I Am That Girl" stamped on it, and I need to find out more about what this means.

From what I can tell, it is a pledge to support other girls. There is a girl pledge and a guy pledge. After reading more, I've discovered it's a mission to raise the standards for how we treat each other, how we treat ourselves, and how we treat the world.

The inspiration for this season's box is Spring. "Spring is a time of growth, rebirth, and inspiration".

31 Bits Gift Card -  $25. This is an online jewelry store. The sales go towards helping empower women's lives in Uganda. This jewelry is beads that are made from recycled paper. I don't normally like beaded jewelry, but I'm pretty fascinated by both the story behind the jewelry and the process the women use to make them. I will try and find a way to use this.

 

Sterling Forever Gift Card - $30. This is an online jewelry store. I just checked this out and there are quite a few items under $30. Everything I really want is just over that amount so I will end up paying a few dollars. Shipping is free though.

Makers Kit Herb Garden - $35. You can grow mint, thyme, and basil. This is a complete kit that has the plants, plastic pots, and compost. It even comes with a wooden trough to keep your plants in.

Shaving Emulation Lotion by HelloLegs  - $19.95. I thought this was lotion, but it's actually a shaving cream. Mixed with lotion. I can't wait to try and I hope it gives the shave it claims to.

Argan & Hemp Oil Therapy by Marrakesh -$22.99. Blend of nutrient-rich Argan Oil, from Morocco, and ultra fortifying Hemp Seed Oil significantly improves hair condition and texture. Leaves hair feeling silky smooth with a healthy, frizz free, glossy shine. Cuts drying time in half. K loves stuff like this so I'm def saving for her.

Merrithew Mat Strap Plus - $14.99. I really like this, even if I'm not quite sure how to use it. It does have a code for a Free downloadable exercise guide. Which I am totally going to need. This also doubles as a mat strap. I love the bright pink color. I can only find grey online, but this is way cooler.

Jook and Nona Gold Plated Tag Necklace - $65. I love this! This was one of the spoiler items and subscribers got to choose between Inspire (my pick), Love, Happy, or Dream. My usual gold bar necklace broke a few months ago, so I really wanted this.

Bodipure Keratin Gloves® and Socks - $9.98. You just put them on for 20 minutes and it makes your hands and feet nice and soft. These are disposable, so one time use. This is great for at home spa/pamper day. I will try it out this weekend when I can find 20 minutes that I don't need to my hands.

jus D’Amour Bath Bomb Trinity - $28. I love getting bath bombs. I think it's nice that an entire set was included. This does have lavender in one of them, which is the first thing I smelled when I opened my FFF box. The flavors are Lavender/Chammomile,/Ylang, Jasmine/Rose/Sandalwood, and Eucalyptus/Peppermint/Lime. The last one is the only one I can use, so the others will need to go to someone who can handle flower scents.

ISH Contour Kit - $32. The all-inclusive palette includes a highlighter, blush, bronzer, and contour. This was another spoiler item and subscribers got to pick their shade, either Light/Medium or Medium/Dark. There are ISH videos available to help you get your grasp on highlighting and contouring. This was a collaboration between FabFitFun and Joey Maalouf. ISH is a new brand. I was expecting this to be cream based, but it really is powder.

Well another great box from FabFitFun. This box has an approximate value of $282.91. I cannot pick a favorite item this month because I really like this months box!

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PopSugar Must Have Box March Review

PopSugar Must Have Box – is a monthly lifestyle box, geared toward women, founded by Lisa Sugar. They send full size products and a mix of beauty, home, fitness, and other items. They guarantee a value of over $100. They also curate Special Edition boxes that are released throughout the year; they are very popular and contain luxury items. We recommend this box for anyone new to subscription services. 

Cost: $29.95
How Often: Monthly
Ships To: United States via USPS and FedEx

The inspiration for this months box is feminine, illuminating, refreshing, and vibrant.

Pixi by Petra Book of Beauty Minimal Makeup - $24. I like this book. it includes two highlighters, two cheek tints, and four eye shadows. Colors are designed to create the "no makeup" look.

Goodie Girl Cookies in Toffee Chaos - $5. When I opened this box I was really craving a cookie and had to try this right away. I love it when popsugar includes snacks like this. Especially since it's a bag of cookies and not a just a granola bar. These are gluten free and made with kosher dairy, low fat, low sugar, and low calories. My tastebuds do not believe this. In fact, snacks that are explained like this normally put me off. I really like these, still eating as I type this. I want more.

 

Miss Ivy Pearl Five Tassel Necklace -  $38. This is a PopSugar exclusive item, so no link. I tried to find a better picture from the internet, hope this one is not a copyright infringement, I found it on a for sale site. The chain is bright and sparkly. The tassels just detract from that and I've concluded it's because there are one-two too many. Most likely I am going to repurpose the chain.

Nanette Nanette Lepore Classis Rose Gold Watch - $55. No link because this is also a PopSugar exclusive item. This was released in a spoiler, and I was really excited about it. I love that it's a neutral color. I just was not expecting the face to be so big. It's really big. We have petite wrists so this is like a statement piece!

Hello Extra Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste - $4.49. I don't think I've ever heard of this brand. And it's pretty rare that we get a full tube of toothpaste. I think this might be my favorite item this month. No, definitely the cookies. Anyway, this is a whitening toothpaste. And it's vegan, packaged in recyclable carton and made in the USA. I think this was  great addition. 

Govino Go-Anywhere Carafe and Water Glass Set - $14.95. I have gotten govino glasses plenty of times in sub boxes throughout the years. They really are nice to hold. I received some govino champagne glasses once, but I took them on a cruise and just ended up using them as disposables. I just prefer my drinks in solid quality glasses. And this is not dishwasher safe, which means I'm likely to stick to the disposable method. This is shatterproof, however, which makes it nice and safe for the pool area. So, there's that.

My Lola Coupon Code  - $10 coupon to get your first box free. Lola delivers 100% cotton tampons right to your door. You choose your assortment.

This months box has an approximate value of $142. If it wasn't for the cookie high I have right now, I might be feeling a little let down this month. I really wanted that watch and I'm just a tad disappointed it's bigger than I'm comfortable with. This was, however, definitely a great mix of items for this months curation.

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Fabletics March 2016 Review

Fabletics  – is a fitness wear subscription box that is co-founded by Kate Hudson. You can skip or pick each month. If you choose to pick then you pick out a complete outfit. If you forget to skip, they will charge you the monthly fee and then you will get credited to your account. They do send  you an email reminder to pick/skip, but if you are out of town, away from email, then you will end up getting charged. They do not let you set up the skip ahead of time, which I personally find inconvenient.

Cost: $49 - $89/month.
How Often: Monthly
Ships To: United States via USPS

 

Coronado Convertible Tank - $39.95/ VIP $24.95. I love the style of this, and I really love that you can wear it either way. But the quality is NOT there. The quality can be hit/miss with Fabletics, and this is a complete miss. The material is really thin and feels like it could stretch out to easily in the wrong places. I do love that you can pick which way to wear it, but you are going to have to commit to one way or another, otherwise your back will have boob stretch showing.

Lorraine Skirt - $44.95/ VIP $29.95. I originally got this a few months ago, but there was a sizing issue (my error, not Fabletics), so I swapped it over on MSA, and repurchased the correct size.  I love this skirt. It's a really cute tennis skirt and has just the right amount of stretch. I'm showing you the back of it, and if you can see, there is a zipper that is perfect to keep a key in.

The one thing about this company that is not cool is the cancellation procedure. You cannot cancel online, you must call them. And it must be during their business hours. And you must have a lot of free time in order to do this successfully. I have tried several times over the past couple of months, but since my day during normal business hours is quite busy, I could not devote the time on this. This time I happened to have an afternoon I was able to ensure I got this done, and it took me three tries. Each time I called I had to go through the computer system, which you speak to like a human, and it interviews you. When it's confident that the reason you are calling is because you want to cancel it will transfer you to an agent, where you get to go through the entire questionnaire all over again. The first time I got transferred, I was placed on hold for over 15 minutes, then my call was suddenly disconnected. The second time I was placed on hold for almost as long, I did get to an agent, but before she could confirm she was processing the cancellation the call again disconnected. The third time I called the agent was very polite, but kept repeating her memorized speech in an effort to get me to change my mind. She also offered 500 points. I declined, because frankly this was such a hassle it wouldn't have mattered what she was offering. Who has this kind of time to spend just trying to cancel? Why can't they just offer an online cancellation like everyone else? This makes me hesitant to even consider trying again in the future. The process is ridiculous!

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Allure Beauty Box March 2016 Review

Allure Beauty Box (formerly Sample Society) - is curated by the editors of the Allure Magazine. It promises 5 deluxe sizes “expert approved” beauty items from luxurious brands. It comes with a great info card "mini magazine" that tells you why they picked what they picked, how to use it, and why they like it.

Cost: $15/month or $165/Annually
How Often: Monthly
Ships To: United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) via UPS Ground

 

I may have mentioned this is previous months, but the info booklet now talks about the products that are actually included in this months box. It also gives some helpful tips from the editors, since they have actually tried the products out.

Nunzio Saviano Anti-Frizz Sheets - I love that these were included. If you are not familiar, these are hair smoothing sheets that contain oil to help control frizz. And they smell like coconut. I use this type of product often, but I have never received it in travel packets, so these will work great for my travel bag.

 

Julep Konjac Cleansing Face Sponge - This is an all-natural exfoliating sponge. The key ingredient is charcoal, which is good for unclogging pores. When  first opened my box, this sponge was rock hard. A few days later the package looked like there was moisture inside. I am relieved to find out that this is normal and the sponge should look damp and humid inside the unopened package. Recommended to toss after 1 month, just like with all sponges.

DP HUE ACV - This is an apple cider vinegar-rinse that gives hair a deep clean, removes buildup and restores PH balances. This is great to use if you use dry shampoo often.

Makeup Forever HD Microfinish Powder - This is a loose translucent finishing powder. I am very happy to try this and it's probably my favorite item this month. It sets and "mattifies" makeup. We don't get powders too often, ocassionally, but not all that often.

Cargo Cosmetics Duo Blush in Catalina and Bronzer in Medium - This is a duo set. I do not have pics of the colors because I already know I'm not keeping this so I wanted to keep it sealed. I do like that it's a nice combo and all in travel size.

L'Oréal Pro-Last Infallible Lip color in toujour teaberry #109 - This is a two step process. Apply the color, let it dry, then use the color seal side to lock in color.

Macadamia Professional Ultra Rich Moisture Cleansing Conditioner - This is a cleansing conditioner, which is something I've yet to try. This is great to add moisture to your hair as it contains macadamia oil, Argan oil, and she butter. I hear it smells like brown sugar.

This months box was pretty good. The konjac sponge and the macadamia cleansing conditioner are both new to me, I'm very happy to get the makeup forever HD loose powder, and I'm always thrilled to get hair anti-frizz sheets.
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L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blue Instant Eye Smoother

What I'm raving about this week!

L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Eye Smoother - $17.99. This is said to be the first anti-aging eye treatment with opti-blur technology and light-diffusing pigments to instantly reduce signs of aging and fatigue around the eyes and create a younger, radiant finish.

This stuff worked great on erase the look of crow's feet, dark circles, and puffiness. It says you will see a difference in 4 weeks, but I noticed it worked immediately. You just  dot on a small amount around the eye area with fingertips and gently blend in. Safe for daily use. Safe for contact lens wearers. I have now made this part of my makeup routine because it makes my eye makeup look finished.

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