FabFitFun Spring 2017

I audibly squealed when I pulled into my driveway on Friday and saw my Spring FabFitFun box on my front porch. FabFitFun is a seasonal lifestyle & beauty box that arrives 4 times a year. The Fall 2016 box was my first of their seasonal boxes, and it was amazing, introducing me to the only scarf I would wear for the entire winter & to the sinfully frivolous but wonderful Spongelle body wash infused sponges. The Winter 2016 box didn't have the same *wow factor* for me that the Fall box did, but I still received items that became favorites of mine (such as, somewhat unfortunately, pricey candles from DL & Co. and, less unfortunately, the incredible mineral peel from ORG). FabFitFun  is $50 per box, or $180 if you purchase the entire year of boxes at once.

The Spring 2017 FabFitFun box included: 

• Emerald Duv Joshua Tree Cage Bracelet | $80
• Access to the brand new FabFitFun TV
• Karuna Hydrating Face Masks | $28
• Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin, & Nails Gummies | $7
• Milly Zip Pouch | $45
• RealHer Lip Kit | $48, "Neutral Pink"
• Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray | $20 
• Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator | $79
• Deborah Lippman Polish Set | $19, "Like a Virgin" & "Blue Orchid"
• Gypsy 05 Roundie | $50

Total Paid: $45 (due to yearly subscription)

Retail Value: $376 

I struggled to take a good photo of the cuff on my arm, and almost went with a selfie that looked more like a serial killer was forcing me to tell my family that all's well, So, I went with this one! The Joshua Tree Cuff Bracelet is gold-plated brass and I really like the minimalist design. There was a choice between this bracelet from Emerald Duv or a rose gold earring set from Luv AJ - I don't have pierced ears, but I love this bracelet enough to have chosen it either way.

The Fit part of this month's box is access to the brand new "FabFitFun TV", which has a collection of work out videos from barre & pilates to bootcamp & cardio. I've been wretched at going to classes through ClassPass so I'm looking forward to these videos.

The Karuna Hydrating Face Mask set is a 4-pack of deep conditioning cloth sheet masks. I am thrilled to have a month's supply of a nicer brand than I typically use (I waste money on plenty of things, but it's hard for me to justify $8-$10 for a sheet mask). I'm SUPER excited about the silly Nature's Valley gummy vitamins, which are only a sponsored item in the box and aren't even meant to be factored into the total value. But I think they're a perfectly good fitness-ish (y'know, FabFITFun) item. The Milly Zip Pouch is cute, though not necessarily something I would have picked out for myself. I'm worried that the white fabric will get destroyed quickly, especially since it's advertised as a waterproof bikini bag (the beach & pool don't seem like great places for white fabrics, but what do I know). "Slay All Day" is my favorite of the phrase variations that were sent out; others were "Life's a Beach" and "Resting Beach Face", etc. 

This was another item that yearly subscribers were able to choose between - the options were Neutral Pink, Deep Red, or Deep Nude. This is a pretty pink and, considering my absurd amount of lip colors, I don't think I have anything like it! The Deep Red is also beautiful, and if this lip kit ends up working for me, I'd consider purchasing that shade on my own. 

Swatched above are the lip liner closest to my wrist, then the lip gloss, then the matte liquid lipstick. Please ignore my scraggly-as-heck fingernails. 

. 

Briogeo Rosarco Milk Leave-In has extremely mixed reviews on Sephora, and I've had mixed experiences with the brand in general; I think Briogeo Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Spray is the best blow dry cream I have ever used, while the Don't Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask didn't do anything at all for my hair, & at best was like a lightweight daily conditioner. I'm open-minded about this leave-in, and it's good timing because I'm getting low on my It's A 10 Miracle Repair Leave-In. In contrast, I am super pleased to receive a full-size Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliant because 1) It's $80 and 2) I have sampled this product multiple times over the past year and I know that I love it. 

I sound like a broken record, but again I'm so excited about this Deborah Lippmann mini nail set. I've never tried Deborah Lippmann polish before (because they're $20 a pop!) and these mini bottles are a little over half the size of the full-size bottle. There was an alternative set sent out that has "Like a Virgin" (the white shade) and a pale pink called "Shape of My Heart" - considering the pink Julep polish, "Reese", I ordered with my March Julep Maven Box, I'm glad to have received the blue variation.

I feel a little conflicted about this item, the Roundie - a circular picnic blanket - from Gypsy 05. I was able to pick my variation, and I love this sunshiney retro print. However, I seriously can't believe the company has named themselves "Gypsy 05" and uses taglines like "Become a Gypsy". I feel like it is 2017 and there is no excuse for people to still use the slur "gypsy" to mean free-spirited or bohemian. For some thoughts on why or whether "gypsy" is a slur, check out this article or this one. I love the look of this roundie (above, it's spread out on my queen-sized bed to show off the design) but it says "Gypsy" in large bold font & while I'd like to use it as a picnic or beach blanket, I think it'll have to stay inside because of that.

Finally, with FabFitFun you are able to add on extra items to your order for extremely low prices. I added on the Luv AJ earrings for $10 (they retail for $85, a close up pic is below). I also added on three Spongelle sponges for about $7 each, which is way too much for a sponge, but they do retail for $20 or so and I really adore them. I added a foot peel because it was cheaper than the one I typically order on Amazon, and I added two Living Proof Dry Shampoos for $9 each vs. the usual $22 each & the Dry Volume Spray for $11 (typically $25). FabFitFun threw in the new Burt's Bees Protein Shake sample, which I've already given to my roommate!

I know this is a longer post than usual, but I feel like a lifestyle box like FabFitFun deserves it. I highly recommend it, especially if you sign up for a year at once and gain access to Select options, to choose which color variations or whatever else you want. This is the one box I'd keep if I cancelled everything else.