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FabFitFun Review: [First Unboxing]

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FabFitFun Review: [First Unboxing]
Latest posts by Alizabeth Swain (see all)
Winter 2018 FabFitFun

Winter 2018 FabFitFun

Winter 2018 is starting off rather chilly, but was warmed up a little bit when I received my Fabfitfun box! Fabfitfun is $50 quarterly lifestyle subscription box that has over a $200 value inside of each box and each box has a little bit of everything inside of it; fitness, fashion, beauty, self-care, and home décor!

Fabfitfun gives their subscribers early access to their boxes, allowing subscribers to choose between a selection of options in a handful of categories. Here are the options that Fabfitfun allowed subscribers to choose from:

  • Bearpaw Combo Set: Headband and Pop Top Glove Dup ($45) vs Moroccan Gold Series Treatment Mask ($49)
  • H Halston Jewelry Portfolio ($48) vs Orbie Gold Lust Dry Shampoo ($44) vs Lele Sadoughi Silver Circle Necklace ($49)
  • Richer Poorer Reina Over the Knee Textured Sock ($24) vs Sherrie Matthews Acupuncture Jade Stone Roller ($45) vs Pur Cosmetics Be Your Selfies Palette ($36)

Select members (subscribers who pay for the annual plan instead of quarterly) got to choose between these items:

  • Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in ‘Meringue’ vs Chic and Tonix I’ll Coast to That! Four-piece coaster set vs Brooke Burke Body Sliders
  • Way of Will Elevate Essential Oil Set: Sweet Orange and Eucalyptus Oil vs Anthropologie X Mer-Sea & Co Whip Body Cream in ‘Coconut Sugar’

Let’s see what I got in my Winter 2018 FabFitFun!

  • What is it? Quarterly lifestyle subscription box that delivers over $200 (or more) in every box
  • How much is it? $49.99 a quarter (once every four months)
  • The total value of my Winter box: $322
  • What I got in my Winter box:
  • Mark & Graham Colorblock Throw In ‘Gray/Ivory’- $49
  • Bearpaw Combo Set: Headband and Pop Top Glove Duo- $45
  • Lele Sadoughi Silver Circle Necklace- $49
  • Pur Cosmetics Be Your Selfie Palette- $36
  • Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in ‘Meringue’- $26
  • Way of Will Elevate Essential Oil Set: Sweet Orange and Eucalyptus Oil- $31
  • Thrive Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener in ‘Stella’
  • Ahava Hydration Cream Mask- $33
  • Blaq Hydrogel Eye Mask with Hyaluronic Acid- $29

This is the package that arrived right at my doorstep. The illustrations on the box are different for every box (and season) and are designed by a different artist. On one page in the Fabfitfun magazine, they talk about the artist that designed the box and what inspired the artist to create the design for that season’s box.

I was really sad to open up my box and see that the tissue paper that usually holds everything together in a Fabfitfun box was torn and that it had seemed like everything inside of my box was thrown in. This wasn’t a great first impression of the Winter Fabfitfun box, as I’ve never had a problem with this with their subscription box. There’s always a first time for everything, but thankfully nothing inside of my box was broken.

This is the magazine that Fabfitfun puts inside of their boxes, although this magazine was custom made to go inside of the Winter 2018 box. The inside of Winter Fabfitfun magazine contains coupons from the brands that are featured in this season’s box, horoscopes, fitness tips, cooking tips, advice on how to use the products inside of the winter box, tips on how to practice self-care, beauty tips, and even a crossword puzzle!

This is a card with a coupon code for subscribers to give to friends or family members to recommend new subscribers to the subscription with a $10 coupon.

This is a $60 gift card for a discount off of your first couple of Hello Fresh boxes. The $60 isn’t included in the overall value of the Winter box, because these coupon codes are just ways to suck you into signing up for another subscription. On the other hand, if you’ve always wanted to try Hello Fresh, you now have a coupon code to give you a discount for when you first subscribe!

First product: Mark & Graham Colorblock Throw in ‘Natural + Ivory’

  • Product value: $49

Annual members have the option to choose between what color throw they would like to receive, as the other option with a grey and ivory color combo. As I am not an annual member, I didn’t have a choice in the color that I received, which means that the creators of Fabfitfun selected the Natural + Ivory colored throw for me. However, all subscribers received a throw in their boxes.

This is a woven throw with a stripe design and fringe detailing, this is a perfect lap blanket to keep around your home for those nights that there’s a little nip in the air. As far as sizing goes, this blanket measures to be 60 inches tall and 50 inches wide, which means it’s the perfect size to wrap myself up in on a cold winter night! I had a friend tell me that the Mark & Graham brand is a Williams-Sonoma brand that mainly focuses on monograms and gifts (which is really cool if you’re super into name brands).

As far as the material goes, this blanket is made up of 100% acrylic and is a soft blanket, although I was disappointed to find how easily this blanket become unwoven (pro-tip: if you want to preserve your blanket, be careful with it around pets who like to play with string)! I have to be super delicate with this blanket because I wear a lot of jewelry that has snagged this blanket (and further unraveled it), so I’m not super impressed with the quality of this throw.

I love how this is a multi-purpose throw, as not only does it make a nice blanket to wrap around yourself when you get home from work, but it also makes a super cute throw just for decoration!

Second product: Blaq Hydrogel Eye Mask with Hyaluronic Acid

  • Product value: $29

The Blaq Hydrogel Eye Mask with Hyaluronic Acid will run you $29 for a set of five, which breaks down to $5.80 for one pair of eye mask. I don’t think that I would ever pay that much for one set of eye masks, but I have heard a lot of people say a lot of good things about these eye masks. Most people are in love with how well these eye masks stay in place, but I wasn’t able to use these eye masks for myself because I’m allergic to active charcoal. Hopefully, they help a lot of the Fabfitfun subscribers de-puff their eyes!

Third product: Lele Sadoughi Silver Circle Necklace

  • Product value: $49

This minimalistic silver circle necklace is so simple, yet makes a beautiful statement piece! I love how dainty this necklace is, but I’m also so happy that this a silver necklace. I love pairing this silver circle necklace when I wear all black, as it’s such a dainty and delicate piece. I love how there is a simplistic feminine feel to this necklace, although I do wish the circle was just a tad bit smaller.

It’s been a while since I’ve received any sort of fashion piece in my Fabfitfun subscription box (like jewelry), so it was refreshing to see this circle necklace in my box!

Fourth product: Ahava Hydration Cream Mask

  • Product value: $33

The Ahava Hydration Cream Mask was a product that all subscribers received in their box, but I’m absolutely obsessed with it! I normally don’t opt for a hydrating mask and tend to stick to detoxifying and mattifying formulas, but the Ahava Hydration Cream Mask is my latest obsession!

There are so many different things that I love about the Ahava mask, but I think what I love most about this mask is that you have the option to leave it on for just three minutes or keep on your thirsty skin all night. I personally have been choosing to leave this mask on overnight, as with my busy schedule, it’s hard for me to fit in time to practice self-care. I love that I can wear this while I’m sleeping and wake up to perfectly hydrated skin!

Another thing that I totally love about this mask is that it doesn’t break my skin out! Most of the time, I always find these hydrating masks to be very oily feeling, leaving my skin covered in a greasy texture. This hydration cream mask left my skin with a light hydrated feeling, which didn’t make my skin feel like it was being weighed down. I’m also completely obsessed with the scent of this face mask, although I haven’t yet been able to figure out what the scent is similar to. The scent on this mask is noticeable, although it’s light enough to not be overpowering (another win)! My skin stays hydrated all day long thanks to the Ahava Hydration Cream mask, but it’s an even bigger win that it doesn’t break my skin out.

Fifth piece: Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in ‘Meringue’

  • Product value: $26

This Bite Beauty lipstick is a high impact lipstick in a stunning peach nude shade, but was very surprised at how creamy and moisturizing this lipstick felt in both swatches and on my lips! Meringue has a slight lemon-lime scent to it, which is very different than the typical vanilla buttercream scent that a lot of high-end lipsticks tend to have.

This Bite Beauty lipstick was only taken one swipe to get a color payoff from the formula, which is something that I expect out of all high-end lipsticks, so it was nice to see that this lipstick actually delivered! I also love how stunning the shade of this Amuse Bouche lipstick is; Meringue is a shade that I never would have picked out for myself, but it looks absolutely stunning!

This is a lipstick, so it doesn’t have a whole lot of staying power and doesn’t dry down like a matte lipstick does, which doesn’t bother me too much. But I’m totally obsessed with how creamy and hydrating this formula is!

Sixth product: Way of Will Elevate Essential Oil Set: Sweet Orange and Eucalypts Oil

  • Product value: $31

I never would have asked a subscription box to put essential oils inside of a box, but I’m so stoked about these two essential oil scents that I received in my Fabfitfun! For the longest time, I have been looking for a citrus-scented perfume that I could wear on a daily basis, but I never once thought about trying out an essential oil.

The Sweet Orange scent smells like a blend of citrus fruits, with the sharpness of lemon and with the sweetness of an orange. I’m obsessed with the scent of this essential oil and have been wearing it on a daily basis, although I do wish that the scent lasted a little longer in between applications.

My winter allergies are really starting to kick in, so I’m using the Eucalypts oil way more than I was expecting myself to be. I’ve been putting a couple of drops of the Eucalyptus oil on a loofah when I’m in the shower and letting the loofah just hang in my shower. The steam combined with the Eucalyptus really helps to open up my sinuses, which allows me to start off my day with easy breathing!

This essential oil duo was something that I wasn’t expecting to receive in my Fabfitfun box (or any subscription box for that matter), but the two scents that I was sent are scents that I’m 100% in love with!

Seventh product: Thrive Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener in ‘Stella’

  • Product value: $24

This Thrive Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener in ‘Stella’ was an item that all subscribers received in their box, but the first thing that I caught on to was the unique spelling of ‘Causemetics’- it’s so cute! I’ve received sampled from Thrive Causemetics in other subscriptions and have been overall impressed with the quality of their formulas.

Another cool bonus of this Thrives Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener is that the formula is vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, petrochemical-free, and latex-free. I also discovered that the bottom of this brightening pencil has a built-in sharpener for you to use to sharpen your eye brightener (I only discovered this because I dropped my brightener more than ten times).

I love the champagne shade that this highlighter has on my skin tone, although I’m also really pleased with how this highlighter has more glow and less shimmer to it. On my days where I’m wearing my no-makeup makeup looks, I use this eye brightener all over my face; you can find this on my cupid’s bow, my bottom lash line, my brow bone, the inner corners of my eyes, on top of my lids, and even on the bridge of my nose!

This pencil has the perfect consistency to use all over your face for that glow from within look, without making you look greasy or glittery. It also blends out extremely easily, almost as if it had a powder finish. I’m so impressed with the overall quality of this pencil, but I’m also very happy with the champagne color of this highlighter!

Eighth product: Bearpaw Combo Set: Headband and Pop-Top Glove Duo

  • Product value: $45

Subscribers had the chance to choose between the Bearpaw Combo Set: Headband and Pop-Top Glove Duo ($45) or the Moroccan Gold Series Treatment Mask ($49), but I choose the Bearpaw Combo Set. I have looked all over for a headband and glove set, so I’m happy to see that I got something I legitimately needed for the cold weather in my box.

The inside of the headband is lined with super soft 100% polyester Sherpa-lined headband, but the inside of the fingerless gloves are not lined. I’m so happy that these aren’t just fingerless gloves, but you have the option to convert these gloves into mittens! In the magazine that you will find in your Fabfitfun box, there are several hair tutorials that the FFF magazine editors included to go along with the Bearpaw combo set, which is super helpful for those who aren’t quite sure on how to style their hair with this Bearpaw headband.

As someone who has recently delved into the world of short hair, I have discovered how cold the tips of my ears will get in the cold winter wind. My Winter Fabfitfun box couldn’t have come a moment too soon, as the Bearpaw headband that came in my combo set has saved my ears from the harsh winter cold!

The mittens weren’t anything that I was super impressed with, as I found them too thin to really keep my hands warm. The fingerless glove option with these mittens was really nice, especially as I’m constantly attached to my phone, but working on being more active outside. I thought that the button on the top of the glove to hold back the mitten part of the gloves was really convenient, but these gloves weren’t thick enough to keep my hands warm.

While I do really like the headband in this combo set, I don’t think that the quality of the gloves and the headband make this set close to being worth $45. I’m not impressed with the pricing, but having the headband around for my winter wardrobe is super convenient!

Ninth product: PUR Cosmetics Be Your Selfie Palette

  • Product value: $36

To be completely honest, I saw this PUR Cosmetics palette in my box and I didn’t have high hopes for it at all. I’ve recently received several palettes from PUR Cosmetics from my Boxycharm subscriptions, but most of the palettes that I received have been of poor quality. Besides a few palettes that have proved me wrong, I’ve formed the assumption that PUR Cosmetics is a hit or miss brand.

This Be Your Selfie is another palette I need to add to the list that proved me wrong, as I was shockingly impressed with the quality of all of the pans in this palette! The packaging for the Be Your Selfie palette isn’t anything impressive and has that same, cheap looking gold on the inside of the palette.

I do think that the cover of Be Your Selfie is cute and reminds me a lot of New Year’s Eve, with the gold glitter and the confetti around the diamond shape with the logo and palette name on the inside. On the inside of the palette, you’ll find a mirror and the following shade names:

  • Pure (matte)
  • Natural (matte)
  • Free (matte)
  • Charming (shimmer)
  • Alluring (shimmer)
  • Gorgeous (shimmer)
  • Fabulous (shimmer)
  • Strong (matte)
  • Confident (shimmer)

When I opened up the palette, I was greeted with a faint vanilla scent that you often find with other high-end eyeshadow palettes. At $36 for the palette, with each pan costing roughly $4 a piece. I do think that this is expensive, as the pans in this palette are very big or deep.

I love the color selection of this eyeshadow palette, as it’s a supernatural palette that doesn’t fall into the ‘Instagram makeup’ category. There are all sorts of natural and day time appropriate looks for women of all professions, skill-levels, and levels of love for makeup to wear!

I’m very happy with how blendable all of the shades in this palette are, although I did have problems with a lot of fallout from Fabulous, Strong, and Confident, which I did kind of expect considering that these are the darkest shades in the palette. For Fabfitfun being a lifestyle box that doesn’t have its primary focus being on beauty, I’m very impressed with the quality of this selection in my box!

The quality of this PUR Cosmetics is much better than the palettes that I’ve received from Boxycharm, which is a subscription box that specializes in makeup, so I think that this speaks wonders about the jobs the Fabfitfun editors do when picking out quality products for their boxes!

Conclusion:

Between all of the combinations of variations that subscribers could receive with the Winter 2018 Fabfitfun box, the value of boxes ranged between $290 to $335. Considering that my box was worth $322, I would say that the combination of products that I received gave me a high-valued box!

The total value of my Winter 2018 box was $322, but I only paid $50 for everything inside (technically only $49.99, but rounding up it so much easier). To break it down with the $50 cost, here’s a comparison of what the actual retail value of each item inside of my box is in comparison to what I actually paid for each item, thanks to Fabfitfun!

Product Retail value Value with Fabfitfun
Mark & Graham Colorblock Throw $49 $7.60
Bearpaw Combo Set $45 $6.99
Pur Be Your Selfie Palette $36 $5.59
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in ‘Meringue’ $26 $4.03
Way of Will Elevate Essential Oil Set $31 $4.81
Thrive Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener in ‘Stella’ $24 $3.73
Ahava Hydration Cream Mask $33 $5.12
Blaq Hydrogel Eye Mask with Hyaluronic Acid $29 $4.59

Overall, I’m very excited about the overall quality of my Winter 2018 Fabfitfun box! I wasn’t super in love with the majority of my Fall 2018 Fabfitfun box, but I’m glad to see that this season’s box was a lot better. I felt like my Winter box was a lot more personalized for my taste and the profile that I filled out when I signed up for Fabfitfun.

I’m also really happy to see that this box wasn’t filled with collectibles and knick-knacks (stuff that just adds clutter and isn’t really useful). Everything that I got inside of my box was something useful for my life, with a mix of products that I needed and the products that I didn’t know I needed! I also loved how this box had the perfect ratio of brands that I was familiar with or name brands that I had heard of and brands that I’ve never had any exposure too!

I’m so happy with the overall quality of my box and was really only disappointed in the quality of the throw that I got in my box. My Fabfitfun was a wonderful box that I felt like was filled with products that were personalized to the lifestyle profile that I filled out when I first signed up for Fabfitfun. The essential oils and the Bearpaw combo duo are unlike any other products I have ever received in any other beauty subscription box, so extra points to Fabfitfun for sending out unique products in my winter box!

What do you think of my Winter 2018 Fabfitfun box? What was your favorite product?