FITFABFUN Spring Subscription Box

I decided to try the Spring box of FITFABFUN with a $10 off coupon. I was able to chose 3 things in my box and if I think it is worth the value/money, I will get the annual membership. I like that it has a mixture of beauty, fashion, and lifestyle items. It will feed my beauty addition, but also add a few things our home needs and a few pieces to my wardrobe. If there is anything that I don’t like/need, they would make really good gifts. As long as this month, I get my $40 worth then I will continue the subscription, because it would still be worth it. I am really happy with my 3 picks and it was really easy to sign up for the box. The annual membership, you get to choose more items that go into your box, so I am looking forward to that if I decide to do that. Oh, and this is a quarterly subscription, so the next box that I would get would be in June/July. Plenty of time to decide if I want to get the year plan or just another month. This is something I always wanted to try, but could never afford before.

The Box:

The box is cute as hell and I will be keeping it to collect items for birthday gifts and such. It is the perfect size for things like that to store away in a closet. I can for sure see myself in the future repurposing more of these boxes as they are pretty, sturdy, and generally a good size to have around.

The box has a magazine insert in it that has recipes and articles, but also has the list of everything in the box and the breakdown of the prices as well. I will also be double checking the prices online to let you know how true to scale what they say you are getting in these boxes. The magazine is a nice touch and I will be reading/using it for sure. I like having light reading material sometimes.

Ciate London Extraordinary Translucent Setting Powder, $22

I am pretty darn excited about getting this one! I have a finishing powder, but now I have a setting powder that I can pair with my concealer or foundation if I want to wear those types of products or anything that really needs a setting powder to “set” it. Otherwise, on the day to day, I use my finishing powder to give my skin a soft blurring effect. I will be putting this powder to good use for sure and now, I will not be needing to buy any face powder for a long, long time. It is also a pricey brand that I wouldn’t buy unless on sale at Sephora.

OUAI Leave In Conditioner, $26

I was just talking with my boyfriend, Martin, that I recently finished up my current leave-in that was doing nothing for me and switched to using my expensive Moroccan oil and the wonders it was doing to my hair keeping it knot free. I am going to immediately start using this instead of my expensive oil and see how it compares. If it doesn’t hold up, I want to finish it up and go back to what works for me. I am willing to try new things, but my hair oil (even though expensive) does the job of detangling, moisturizing, and keeping it tangle free when I don’t wash my hair for days. I am excited to try a prestigious brand from this box. Already, this box is equal to what I paid for and I am very happy. I will give you the grand total at the bottom of this post.

Manna Kadar Champagne Body Scrub, $24

This is a huge and generous body scrub tub. It isn’t very pricey when you consider that VS sells their 8 oz tubs for almost the same price and you are getting more than double the amount in there. I will be setting this aside for when I finish my other two body scrubs from VS. I like to use a body scrub before shaving my legs and about once a week to keep my skin soft and smooth. It’s actually a “secret” of mine. It really works to give yourself baby soft skin and to keep your skin in its best condition. The best part? Most of these scrubs with oils hydrate the skin and seal in moisture. This means you don’t have to put lotion on your skin when you get out of the shower. I love skipping a step when I can, because time is a precious commodity.

Unplug Meditation Aromatherapy Diffuser, $55

We just used this last night and I am in love. It changes colors, so it is a pretty cool nightlight. I love the essential oil included. It is a sweet orange scent that is very uplifting. I filled it when we were settling into our room for the night and it diffused until we fell asleep. Don’t know how many hours it works for, but it was very nice. Only con is that it needs to be plugged into a USB port which is a pain. I will buy a USB charger/battery thing, so it can run on its own. Currently, I hook it up to my laptop at night. It isn’t ideal since I tend to knock things over and I don’t want to get water anywhere near my laptop.

Eleven By Venus Jump Rope, $15

Not sure that this jump rope is worth $15, but I will be keeping it as part of my exercise routine indoors that I need to get back to. May is a brand new month, my birthday month, the perfect month to get back to exercising again. This will be nice to rotate into my routine and get some good cardio going. I will be keeping this at my desk, which is in a corner of our living room where I will be keeping my exercise equipment/supplies as I collect them. I like having the extra space over here (next to a cement ledge), because it sort of extends the top part of my desk. I didn’t care for this item, but I will put it to good use and will use it.

Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Facial, $48

I thought this was a face mask, but it is more like an overnight treatment face cream? I am excited to try Korres, another high end brand that I have always wanted to try before. I will set this in my bathroom to alternate which my night time face oil, since one of the serums that I do use at night is more compatible with a cream than an oil. This will be a good pairing with that. This seems EXTREMELY STRONGLY of roses which I LOVE but may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I feel so fancy! I can say without a doubt that I am keeping the subscription right now. Not sure that I can afford to swing the annual membership for a bit, but I will as soon as I am able. That’s like paying for 3 1/2 instead or 4 boxes. Even saving $20 makes a difference, plus with the upgrade, you get to chose two more products in your box instead of 3.

Giadzy Copper Plated Measuring Spoons, $15

One can never have too many measuring spoons when cooking and these are a super nice pair and SO SHINY! I am reserving these for my dry ingredients, since these don’t separate. I am excited to have a plastic set for wet and a nice sturdy pair for dry. You really do need two pairs, because yesterday I had to use a TBS of oil and then a TBS of sugar. I had to wash and dry in between cooking. A second pair will just make things so much easier while cooking.

Dr. Brandt Skincare Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel, $42

I have a major problem with dark circles under my eyes (Genes) and my eyes are always a bit puffy in the morning. I am currently using a roller ball by ELF for $3 that I am enjoying for depuffing but it does nothing for my dark circles. I am excited to give this a try once I finish up my ELF morning treatment. This will be put in back stock until then, but at least I know that I don’t need to buy any day eye cream/gel anytime soon. My evening eye cream is getting low though. I have a few things on my list to get for my birthday that I limited myself to 4 stores: Lush, MAC, Sephora, and ELF.

That is everything that came in my box. So, I paid $42 with shipping and the value of this box was…..$247. I definitely feel like I got my moneys worth from this box and will use everything. I had nothing set aside for gifts, because I know that I will use everything. This was a very nice surprise! On future calculations, whatever I set aside for gifts will have a box total and a usage total of what I will actually use. I am very happy with my first box and I am looking forward to the Summer box in June/July.

With Love,

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March Sephora Play

I finally got my first Sephora Play and I am so happy that I am finally off of the wait list. This subscription is better than Ipsy and Birchbox combined. I am receiving products that I actually want to try and brands that I already buy from. I love getting deluxe sized samples to try out the product and to see if I actually want to buy it full sized. Products in Sephora aren’t cheap, so I will take any opportunity to try before I buy. The subscription box from Sephora allows me to try all the products that I have my eye on and I actually use them up quickly. They don’t tend to sit in my makeup stash for long, although some things really stick around a long time. I’m looking at you deluxe sized mascara! I use my mascara until it’s empty and a deluxe size usually takes me about 6 months to use up. I’ll use it up in three if it is an everyday mascara that isn’t too dramatic for work. The Benefit Roller Lash is too dramatic for office use. I use it on my days off though, even when I wear no other makeup. Mascara is a necessity for me.

The Box & Insert

The bag is cute, but not very functional. I cannot think what I could use it for, unless I was making little gifts for my coworkers for Christmas time and fill it with bits of candy and a makeup product or two. Actually, I quite like that idea, so I think I’ll save them. Technically, my unit would be two other women right now and one guy (would have to buy a dollar mug to fill with candy for that one). I think it’s something sweet to give. The bigger unit that I’m apart of, I might have enough bags for the women. We shall see! I love the insert that comes with the box, so I know what to do with the product!

Atelier Cologne Divine Clementine

The 0.25 fl oz roller ball is $25 and this sample is approximately $1 worth of perfume. If I end up really enjoying the perfume, I could see buying the roller ball. I have a ton of perfumes on my to buy list, so this would really have to compete. As is, I’m not really a fan of it, but I will use this sample up. I love that it was sealed in wax paper to prevent spilling on everything else in the box and I’ll be hanging up the pretty postcard at my desk.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original

I am so excited to get my hands on the primer potion FINALLY. This is a cult favorite that I could not convince myself to purchase, because it is pricey when I’m not sure that it will work for me. The mini is 0.16 fl oz for $12 and this one is 0.06 fl oz for approximately $5. This is almost half the size of the mini that goes for $12. This is a decent sized sample to see if it makes any difference for me and if it does, I might try out some drugstore primers. I’m sure that the drugstore primers contain more product for under $12.

Benefit Cosmetics Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter

I love the golden sheen that this highlighter gives and I’m the type of girl that can never have too many highlighters. I wear highlighter everyday, usually a subtle one. I like to be natural and subtle when it comes to makeup. I have no problem rocking an unexpected lip color or wear pops of color like blue eyeliner. This will get a ton of use from me, once I am done with my current project pan on March 2oth. I already have a highlighter that I’m trying to get good use out of. I tend to rotate through my makeup by putting them in project pans to see how much progress I can make on the product. This is $30 for 0.33 oz of product. Sephora gives a generous looking 0.08 oz, approximately $7.50 for a fourth of the full size. Already, the box paid for itself and the running total is $13.50.

Verb Ghost Oil

I have never heard of this brand before. I am always happy to try something new and this is a hair oil that you can use as a detangler or to give your hair a lot of shine. I love to put oil in my pony tail after using a lot of dry shampoo, which makes hair look dull. I’m almost out of my detangler, so this will be a great multi-use product. The full size is $14 for 2 fl oz and it comes in a spray bottle. This sample is 0.57 fl oz, approximately $4 since it is a little more than a fourth of a full size. I am glad that Sephora has introduced me to a product that I haven’t heard of before and it is on pair in pricing with It’s A 10. I’ll see if it’s just as good. Nothing has beat that brand yet.

GlamGlow Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer in Nude Glow

This is the product that I am the most excited about and I was so happy, when I saw this in my sneak peek! This has a very high glow, so I will not be using it as a moisturizer. I will be using it as a highlighter underneath my blush to give an extra rosy glow to whatever blush that I’m wearing. I have combination oily skin, so I cannot use this as a moisturizer. I love a good glow though and this will be perfect on the cheeks under blush. A full size goes for $49 for 50 ml worth of product. My sample has about a 5th of that (7 ml) for approximately $7. I am glad that I can try out this product, though I will never buy the full size since I cannot use it as a moisturizer. I’d rather buy a GlamGlow highlighter. Do they make that yet? I hope they branch out into highlighters! Tally $20.50

 Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm in Etheric

This balm gives the skin that lit from within glow and I will wear this for sure as my highlighter on work days. You can dab this on top of makeup, so hopefully, this looks nice on top of powder.I love the fancy little jar, but I wish that it came in a tube. I don’t like tub products, but I’ll use them. I just don’t personally buy them. A full size is $36 for 0.5 oz of product. My sample has a fifth of the product 0.1 oz for $7.20. These samples are really decent size. They really are deluxe and contain plenty of product. I can see everything lasting me a couple of weeks, except the Benefit and Urban Decay. Those will last me months I think, because I only wear eye shadow on the weekend and that highlighter has TONS of product in it.

This $10 box has a value of $27.70. The value is almost three times of what I paid for it. I am very happy with the March box and I will use every product that I got. I know that I won’t always like everything every month and I might not like the color picked for makeup. March was perfect for me though and I give this month 5 stars out of 5. I am looking forward to the April box already.

With Love,

Beauty Protector

For Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave in Conditioner

I love the scent of this product and if they made a perfume of it, I would buy it. Once I use up some of my perfumes that is. This does what any detangler does. It detangled my hair and made it feel silky and moisturized. I still prefer Its A 10 just because I can nab it in stores like Walmart. I wouldn’t mind getting this in another sample/subscription box. I’m on a strict nobuy, except for necessities and Christmas. I have too many backups to use up. Once I get my stash under control, I would subscribe to Sephora Play. I enjoyed using this product, but I would not repurchase. I do recommend it, though.

With Love ❤

August Empties

My bag is overflowing from all of the empties I have in there. I am hoping that there is at least twenty products in there. I was really dedicated last month in using up products that just had a little bit left in them. I still have a few almost empty products that I’m sure will be empties in September. I’m so happy for myself! I cannot wait to see how many products I actually used up. I will be coming back Sunday and Monday with new posts, since it is a long weekend! This might be a long one!

1. Lansinoh Nursing Pads, 60 count = 30 day supply

2. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags, 50 ct

3. Pantene Pro V Deep Cleanse Purifying Shampoo

4. Swisspers 100% Cotton Rounds

5. Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars in Pecan Crunch

6. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Smooth Light Roast Coffee

7. Degree Men Motionsense Dry Spray Extreme 48H Antiperspirant

8. Rite Aid Feminine Care Cleansing Cloths

9. Dunkin’ Dark Coffee

10. Aveeno Nourish + Condition Leave-In Treatment

11. Groovi Beauty Pink Champagne Bubble Bath

12. Tarte Tarte Guard SPF 30

13. Kalos Triple Threat Detox Masque

L to R: LA Girl Flare in NL33 Neon Yellow, Avon in N910 Sweet Mint, Sephora in 83 Jungle Playground, H&M in Mad Mint, Julep in Amy, Color Club in 984 Wild Cactus

14. L.A. Girl Flare in Neon Yellow

15. It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

16. Forever 21 Love & Beauty Cucumber Sheet Mask For Sensitive Skin

17. Philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Sample

18. Olay Fresh Effects Swirled Mattifier Sample

19. Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium Sample

20. Olay Regenerist Luminous Moisturizer Sample

21. Chanel Le Lift Sample

22. Gevalia Kaffe French Roast Coffee

23. Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in 010 Fair

24. Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum

25. Marcelle BB Cream in Golden Glow

26. Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter Sample

27. Malibu Ultra Body Lotion Sample

28. Hair Tie

29. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

Wow! Almost 30 products that I have used up. This is so amazing! I cannot wait to see what I use up in September. I don’t have any empties so far, but I’m sure that I will start using things up left and right. I have nothing to repurchase yet. I haven’t used up the last of anything important in my skin care routine, plus I have plenty of back ups! I will be buying a few school/college supplies next week when I get my books for my class AIT 131 Essentials of Information Technology. I love shopping for college/class supplies. Maybe, I’ll get some supplies for my desk as well. Anyways, I’ll be hitting the dollar tree and Walmart for supplies next week I’m supposed to get my books on Thursday!

With Love ❤