So apparently I'm terrible about writing Fab Fit Fun box reviews! When I got my spring box last week I was thinking about how I still need to write about my winter box and then when I got to thinking about what all I got in that, I realized that I never wrote about my fall box! So this is a hodge-podge catchup post! It's actually kind of nice that I'm playing catch up so I can honestly tell y'all what I still use or what was a total waste for me, instead of just my first impressions.
I also thought it might be helpful for those interested to see what's the actual breakdown of "fab" vs. "fit" vs. "fun." I'm assuming that all beauty products are fab, all workout products are fit, and everything else is fun.
Related: My first thoughts on the Fab Fit Fun subscription box
Fall 2017 box
Since I prepaid for a full year of boxes in advance, I get to go to their site and choose between different options before my box is shipped.
Gym bag- I chose the "meet me at the barre" bag because I liked it better than the "gym & juice" and "will workout for cupcakes" option. What sucked is I got this about a month after I ordered my gym bag so I've actually never used this. It's a very simple gym bag made out of this jean-like material and tbh I'm pretty sure they used the same pattern that I did in home ec in high school when I made my own bag. I currently have this stashed in my closet in case I ever need an extra overnight bag, but this hasn't gotten a lot of use out of it.
Mud mask - I have just about used up this mud mask and I love it! You really have to layer it on pretty thick to make it a "mask," but afterwards your skin is really, really soft. My only complaint is that the pump was on the bottom of the bottle so you have to lay it flat on your counter and maneuver it just-so to get it to work one handed.
Charcoal teeth whitener - I was really excited about this because I've seen the viral Facebook videos about how this will instantly whiten your teeth. However, after reading the reviews online I became a little concerned because some people reported that the charcoal got stuck in their gum lime and gave them nasty looking gums. I also was a little worried when I talked to my friend in dental hygiene school about it and she said they hadn't learned about it but her concern would be that it would be too abrasive on your teeth and ruin your enamel. Truthfully, I have only used this twice. The charcoal dust gets everywhere and stains your bathroom counter and sink and you do have to rinse a lot and use the re-use the brush after you've cleaned it off just to get all the black out of your mouth. And it didn't really seem to whiten my teeth so it just wasn't worth the hassle.
Hot/cold pack - This was the one thing I was most excited to get. Whenever I'm hungover, I always get hot the next day and force Ry to put his cold hands on my forehead to cool me down. Needless to say, I knew I'd get a lot of use out of this and already have. It especially came in handy when I felt nauseous those first few days after my surgery.
Jewelry tray - I really thought I'd have no use for this and was annoyed when I got it because I thought it would be a waste, but I proved myself wrong. I took this up to my study carrel at school and used it to keep binder clips and paper clips on and it's actually at my work desk right now doing the same thing. It's perfect because it's copper and my stuff is rose gold but the colors are close enough that they match. And I've realized the big heart is actually perfect to clip a horizontal picture of me and Ry on!
Cuticle oil - I've used this exactly once, not because I didn't like it or anything but just because it's an easy thing to forget about. It did make my cuticles soft so I really should get it out more, but it's so tiny it's easy to miss.
Lip crayon/balm - I was a little disappointed by the color I ended up with because it's almost the same shade as my natural skin tone so you can't really tell that I'm wearing it. And since it's just a lip crayon, it doesn't last near as long as my lip stains. But this actually turned out to be my saving grace this winter when the air was so dry that the lip stains were causing my lips to dry out and chap so I switched to this and although I had to reapply it throughout the day, I didn't have chapped lips and still had some color on me.
Beanie - Instead of the belt that is pictured, I opted for a black beanie. I tried wearing it to my nephew's peewee football game and it just didn't last. It's so loose that you're supposed to wear it sagging off the back of your head but that was just a little too hipster for me and I had to pull it down. But then I looked stupid wearing a black knit beanie. The whole way to the game my sister and I had fun making fun of it— saying I looked like Eminem in 8 Mile in it, that I looked like a Sticky Bandit from Home Alone in it, or that I should be down by the dock bringing in my catch of the day in it. The pink probably would have been better (I just went for black because I thought it'd go with more) but honestly even then I probably wouldn't wear this just because of the shape of it, plus it was REALLY thin so it was definitely made to be more of an accessory than to actually keep you warm.
Cottonelle wipes - Cottonelle sent this sponsored sample to get people hooked on their products, but jokes on them I already use these and love them (seriously go try it, it's worth the $). Since I already have these at my house, I threw this little sample pack into my toiletries bag to have some when I travel because now I guess I'm that extra.
Scarf - I ordered this in pink instead of the gray in the picture (I'm an idiot and didn't match my scarf to my beanie). I tried to wear this out of the house once but it was just so damn big and fluffy I chickened out because it just didn't feel me. However, since then I've repurposed it to be a runner on my bed because the pink looks perfect on top of my navy duvet cover. I also do think that it would be perfect for traveling with because it's so big you can use it as a blanket. And now, a funny story about this scarf— I came home from work the day after I got my fall FFF box in and see this...
Me *laughing*: What are you doing?
Ryan: I got cold..
Me: Why didn't you just turn off the AC?
Ryan: Well I was gaming and couldn't get up and you left your box on the couch with everything in it so I just grabbed this.
Me *laughing*: Oh, okay.
Him: Actually can you turn on the fan? I'm getting a little hot.
Me: Why don't you just take it off?
Him: Well it's soft and I kinda like it
So when I went to choose what I wanted to get in my box, I saw that you can get some add-ons so I paid extra to get three.
Felt hat - I love hats on fashion bloggers that I see, so I ordered a black felt hat and I regret it. From now on I'm sticking to only floppy hats. I tried to wear this to Thanksgiving and even tried to take an artsy picture in it and I just could. not. It looks like a damn Canadian Mounty hat! Why is it so tall?? Ugh I wish I could return it because it was just awkward AF.
Lip scrub - I've seen plenty of makeup tutorial videos to know that everyone always recommends using this when getting ready and now I know why. Wow the difference it makes! My lips are sooooo much softer now that I use this every morning and lipsticks/stains definitely look better on me after I use this.
Brunch shirt - Hands down this is my favorite thing I've ever gotten from FFF (and probably ever will)! I love this shirt! Not only is it super cute, but it's crazy comfortable. It's made out of kinda the same material that jerseys are made out of so you just want to lounge around it all day. Tbh I may or may not wear this every single weekend. It's just perfect. And I was a little worried about sizing since it was a one size fits all, but it actually fit really well (for reference, this photo is with my old boobs).
Fab: 5 (lip crayon, cuticle oil, mud mask, Cottonelle wipes, charcoal whitener)
Fit: 2 (gym bag, ice pack,
Fun: 3 (scarf, jewelry tray, beanie)
Winter 2017 box
I found this picture off the internet since I can't take pretty pictures of all of my stuff anymore and since each box is a little different, I don't have everything in this picture and instead have some things not listed.
Hair mask - I chose to get a hair mask instead of gold under-eye patches because I figured I'd get more use out of it, but to be honest I have yet to use this and while righting this post just thought Duh Nikki, why don't you just add the hair mask to your weekend bubble bath? and I have no clue why I haven't done this yet lol. I think it's because I've been using coconut oil for so long that I just forget to try this instead. For me it has kinda ended up like the cuticle oil from the last box where it's a good product I just can't ever remember that I have it.
Poncho - I have yet to wear this poncho/wrap. My boss wore one the other day and she looked pretty good in it, but I do not. It makes me wish I would've gotten the black belt in my Fall box instead of the beanie because I've seen a lot of other FFF users pair those together so it doesn't look like you're just wearing a potato sack. Like the scarf from the last box, I'm anticipating that I probably won't use this until I travel.
Coffee mug - I don't drink coffee and don't even have a coffee maker so I didn't think I would even use this, but as I mentioned in my makeup organizing post I've realized that this is absolutely perfect to store my tall lip stains and mascaras so technically I actually use this every day.
Necklace - I wasn't the biggest fan of this necklace when I first got it because in all honesty it seemed like it was made out of the same material as the chain on closet lights that you pull to turn the light on. And it tangled pretty badly when I was getting it out. But I forced myself to wear it out with this bodysuit and it actually looked really great! While it isn't something I would normally wear myself, once I pushed myself of my style I realized that I really liked it.
Face exfoliator - I was a little annoyed at getting another exfoliator after I had just gotten one two boxes ago, but I realized this was because I wasn't really using what they had sent me. If I had been using the first exfoliator more, then I would've ran out before they sent this one. So now I have a weekend routine where I take a bubble bath and will exfoliate my face to use up what I have. This exfoliator is an ugly green color and smells a little weird but damn it makes my face soft! I really do love this and am glad they sent it to me even if I didn't need it.
Hand lotion - Truthfully I don't use this that much. I was a little disappointed that this was used with materials from the Dead Sea because I hate how Lokai bracelets and other items like this are exploiting and ruining the Dead Sea, but that's my own opinion. It's fine for a lotion but I already have lotion so I don't end up using this anymore.
Aloe socks - I haven't gotten around to wearing these yet. I originally was saving them to wear while I was recovering from my surgery and then when that time came around I wasn't in the mood for them anymore.
Makeup palette - This, like the exfoliator, I was a little annoyed at because I just got this a few months ago. I'm not a big fan of how the eyeshadows slide around and there's so much plastic around this thing that it's actually really heavy. So much so that at first I was keeping this in my purse as to-go touchup makeup because the colors are pretty but it weighed down my bag so much that I switched it out for the last palette they sent me. It now just sits on my dresser and rarely gets used.
Workout ball - I chose this instead of the pillow sleep spray and based off the reviews of that, I regret my choice. Although the ball is small and has lots of use when I work out, I would much rather fall asleep easier than have something to figure out how to incorporate it into my workout routine.
Fab: 4 (hair mask, exfoliator, lotion, eyeshadow)
Fit: 1 (exercise ball)
Fun: 4 (poncho, coffee mug, necklace, socks)
Spring 2018 box
Since I just got this box last week, I haven't been able to really test much so a lot of this is going to be first impressions.
Candle - This candle is so pretty I almost didn't want to use it, but it smells great. I got to choose which sent I wanted but that's kinda hard to do online since you can't smell it.
Lip gloss palette - I mentioned on my Insta stories that I thought this looked like little kids play makeup since it's we all had that lip gloss and brush set and this is literally just like that! But I did play around with this and the colors are actually pretty and it goes on your lips smoothly and it stays for a decent amount of time. Just can't get over that damn toddler brush.
Face lotion - I haven't used this yet because I already use Cetaphil face moisturizer every day anyways. However, this claims to help minimize pores so it's worth trying to use it.
Massage roller - I just started working out this week for the first time in months and was looking forward to this box's arrival just so I could try this! Ooh this feels so good on my sore muscles and has helped to get rid of some of the knots in my back. My only wish would be that the spikes were shorter and duller because they can kinda hurt you when you aren't even using that much pressure. I've also realized that you for sure have to use this over clothes because it hurts more directly on skin.
Nail polish filler - I had just gotten a fresh manicure a few days before this box came in, so I haven't had a use for this since it's supposed to fill in for your polish when your nails grow. I'll try to use this but I have a strong feeling that this will be forgotten just as easily as the cuticle oil was. I just don't do that many at-home manicures to ever think about these products.
Tassel earrings - I chose these in black and although originally I felt like these weren't my style, I'm actually excited to try them out when I go to the Houston Rodeo because I think they seem fitting.
Lip mask - I chose this instead of another item (can't remember which tho lol) and have tried one so far. These things are huge which makes them a little hard to keep from falling off. I ended up taking mine off after 5 minutes because I kept gagging because it felt like I was accidentally going to swallow the silicone mask, so I'm not even sure how well these work.
Eye mask - First off I was super excited that they partnered up with Free People because FP is an expensive brand! I've only used this eye mask once but I really loved it! I learned that the hour mark for how long to freeze the insert is just long enough because you want it to me slushy so that you can fit it back in to the eye mask and any longer than an hour it can get still and hard to maneuver back in. Once I got the insert in, it felt perfectly cool, but not cold, against my skin. Even without the insert, this works great as a sleeping mask because it doesn't put a lot of pressure on your eyes and is thick enough to really block out light!
Clutch - I just chose this pattern because none of what was offered was really my style, but I really like the cream of it when I flip the pattern to the inside. I'm not a big clutch girl because I tend to sit things down and forget about them, so we'll see how often this gets used.
Fab: 4 (lipgloss set, face moisturizer, polish filler, lip mask)
Fit: 1 (massage roller)
Fun: 4 (candle, earrings, eye mask, clutch)
And there you have it, my past three FFF boxes (finally!). Overall I'm happier than I expected to be with what I'm getting. I've learned that I need to work on actually using all of the products since I've already paid for them and usually they're good products. I have noticed that for 3 out of my past 4 boxes, they've all had some kind of wrap (bikini cover up, scarf, poncho). And for 3/4, I've gotten some kind of makeup set (eyeshadow, eyeshadow again, and lipgloss). And every time I've either gotten a new piece of jewelry or a jewelry holder.
One thing I wish they'd work on is the "fit" part. Part of the reason that I signed up was because all the Pinterest adds had it as a fitness subscription box. As you can see in my monthly breakdowns, the ration of Fab to Fun is about the same but usually you only get 1 Fit item per box. As someone who aims to workout regularly (and noted so in my intake quiz), I could probably use more workout accessories than another eyeshadow palette. But, to be fair I do realize that they have a wide audience to please so it can be a challenge to have a box that someone who doesn't even workout would still want. I'll just continue to keep an eye out for some fitness add-ons that I can add to my boxes.
