I’m going into my 3rd annual FabFitFun subscription period, and my thought process for renewing was simple: I still enjoy the surprise element, and I still get enough value from each box to make the subscription cost worthwhile. Most of that value comes from skincare and beauty products I would be buying anyway (moisturizer, shampoo and conditioner, etc.); FFF allows me to try new brands at a lower cost, especially higher-end stuff that I wouldn’t otherwise splurge on. I do think that when the pandemic is over, and casual trips to Winners are back on the table, I will re-think my subscription — I used to get a lot of my skincare on discount from the Winners beauty aisle. But, for now, I’m happy to continue with FFF.

The Spring 2021 box was one of the best ones within the past year, although I have a less than happy addendum to that (more below). It seems like FFF is offering way more variety of products than before for most of the customizable options in the box, which is great; there was less of “I don’t like any of the choices, so I’ll pick something random”. The FFF picks (3 of the 8 items) continue to be the weakest part of the box for me, but they were pretty good this time around.

Here’s what was in my box.

The only item I picked from the Add-On Sale was the Sunday Riley CEO Glow oil. I got this before, and it’s part of my regular skincare routine now. I’m still only about half way through my first bottle, but I wanted to stock up at the discount price because there is no way I would pay $100CAD for this. I think I paid about $45 or so, which is not inexpensive but seems reasonable to me — it lasts a long time. I didn’t see this in the last Add-On sale, so it’s not a regular item hence why I jumped on it when I saw it this time around.

This was a FFF pick – they are reusable make-up remover cloths. Or something like that. I gave these to my sister-in-law, as I wouldn’t use them.

Retail value: $15USD.

Another FFF pick, these lip masks wouldn’t have been my first choice for this option (there was a cactus shaped water bottle I really wanted!) but they’re fun enough to try.

Retail value: $16USD

The last FFF pick, this oil is something I’m very excited to try. I’ve recently discovered blue tansy products, and I love them. I’ve been alternating between Lapis by Herbivore (love it but it’s way pricey) and Acure Blue Tansy oil (also good, far less expensive). This is a spirulina and blue tansy brightening oil, so I’m curious how it will measure up. Haven’t tried it yet, but will report back.

Retail value: $38USD

This was probably the tier/option I was least excited about, so I chose the Cocofloss but, honestly, it’s probably one of the most useful items of the whole lot. I’m not sure I know why “bougie floss” is a thing, but I’ll take it. It does smell nice. There is one container (with roll) and 2 refills.

Retail value: $28USD (LOLOLOL!)

I’ve been curious to try this brand (Elemis) for a while, but it retails for a price point that I don’t normally go for. I’ve used this peel (it’s really more like a face mask) once, and I can’t say that I saw immediate noticeable results, but it smells lovely and I am happy to continue using it to see if it makes a difference.

Retail value: $45USD

I was super excited for these MAC lipsticks because one of them is red, and I’ve been looking for a new red lipstick. I recently realized that having a bright lip really helps me look better on Zoom calls, even when I’m not wearing any other make-up (apart from eyebrow pencil, always). I haven’t tried the other colour yet – it looks to be a pinky beige – but I like the red. The formula is powdery, not creamy, and somewhat sheer at first but easily buildable. Staying power is about average for regular lipsticks. Overall, I am a fan; you can control the intensity of the colour from a more sheer “wash” to a full red lip.

Retail value: $42USD

I needed a new moisturizer (my last one, Caudalie, came in the Fall 2020 box and is almost done) so I decided to pick this as one of my “expensive” tier options. I like the smell a lot – it’s kinda graprefruity? – and so far, it seems to work about as well as my old moisturizer. Which is to say, I am happy with it. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this again, but it will do just fine until it runs out.

Retail value: $98USD (holy smokes!)

Lastly, I was very excited about this ring. My experience with FFF jewelry has been mixed, but I really like the Jenny Bird cuff I got a while back, so I thought it would be worth trying again. The ring looks lovely in real life:

I was quite pleased with it … and then the stone fell out the second time I wore it. Luckily, it happened at home; I found the stone and was able to pop it back in. But talk about shoddy quality! I’ve seen a few of these floating around on Poshmark already and if you were considering it, I would say (a) don’t bother, and (b) if you must, don’t pay more than $10 for it. And even that is a stretch.

Retail value: $75 (this is actively offensive)

Apart from the ring, the rest of the box was a winner for me and I’m quite pleased with the products I’ve tried so far especially the lipstick and the moisturizer. If you’ve also ordered the Spring 2021 box, let me know what you thought about the products. Next month, I think I will do a round-up of some of my fave products I discovered via FFF over the past 2 years, and I would love to hear about yours as well.

Valentine Delight

I just *had* to get these rainbow sequin jeans, and I simply *had* to wear them for Valentine’s Day. This is where my style journey has brought me in 2021, and I’m okay with that. It’s a fun (and sparkly) place to be. If, like me, you’re feeling this energy and already on your way to google these jeans, here’s my tip: they’re from Topshop, and I recommend sizing up. I got my usual denim size (Poshmark for the win!) but they juuuust fit, and not as intended. It’s supposed to be a loose, boyfriend fit and, ummm, it’s not on me. They’re also quite cropped, which considering how short my legs are, is somewhat of a feat. But otherwise, they’re fun. Go on, and get some sequins in your life!

Mixed Prints Encore

If you’ve been reading the blog since 2013 or so, you may remember this sweater. I was super into it at the time. Then, around 2016 or so, I gave it up. Years later, I came to regret that decision; my style has moved in such mysterious way that, while on the whole I dress nothing like my 2013 self, this sweater now once again appeals greatly. I am so lucky to have made some wonderful friends through social media, because one of the them helped to find this sweater again — brand new with tags, no less. A feat, considering how long it’s been since it was actually released. And here it is again, paired with another new-to-me piece that I love just as much. Bold graphics, what can I say!

Casual Cozy Chic

This is my version of sweats-but-make-it-look-like-you-tried. Instead of pants, a lighweight, potato-sacky skirt with a generous elastic waist. And instead of a sweatshirt, well, a cozy, soft sweater. They both, ummm, have the word “sweat” in them? Anyway, I love this shade of blue and being swathed in it is heavenly.

Throwback, Academichic Style

How’s this for a 2017/2018 throwback? Since re-discovering this Theory plaid blazer in my closet, I’ve wanted to do something interesting with it, colour story-wise. In the end, I picked this blue-forest green (not quite teal, not quite sage) sweater to pair with it and bring out the purple in the plaid. Love it. Added a shirt for a bit of extra layering, and to extend the line since the blazer is somewhat cropped on me, and I quite like how the pop of white brings out the other colours. Professor chic is timeless, I guess.

First of all, let me start by saying that I’ve been loving Poshmark a little too much lately, all around. It’s just so darn easy; all those listings at your fingertips, so easy to scroll through mindlessly, especially late at night. (Revenge procrastination is a real thing, apparently.) Ahem. That being said, I thought it would be interesting to look back and take stock of how my Poshmark strategies have evolved over the past 6 months of use.

Here’s what I like about and how I use Poshmark.

Keeping an eye on favourite designers

I regularly check new listings associated with a shortlist of my fave designers (think Dries Van Noten, Marni, Carven, Issey Miyake, etc.). There are usually one or two new listings a day, at most, so keeping on top of “new arrivals” is easy. I am not actively hunting for anything in this category, but I am basically on the lookout for (1) attractive bargains, and (2) holy grail pieces. Have yet to spot anything in the second category; as for the first, finding an attractive bargain is only the first step, of course – it still needs to be something I like and want. Lately, nothing has really caught my fancy. Still, I check on these usually every day or every other day. Good bargains don’t come up often for these designers, and don’t last long, and I don’t want to miss out on any one-of-a-kind deals.

Keeping an eye on fabulous deals

In addition to my shortlist of designer faves, I have a longer list of liked brands that I check in with once a week or so. My strategy is similar to the above, but because these aren’t my most favourite designers, I’m less worried about missing out – hence, less frequent checking. I always sort listing by “most recently added” to see fresh listings first. Once in a blue moon, I will also sort by “price dropped” to see if any older listings have been re-priced to move, so to speak. I try not to let myself be swayed by price too much, but sometimes, if something is a good enough deal, a “maybe” can become a “why not”. As we all know, I love experimenting with clothes.

One example of a piece from this category is a MaxMara skirt I snagged for $30 plus shipping. I don’t check on MaxMara all the time, but I will occasionally look it up to see what’s new. I’m mostly interested in costume jewelry (they have some fun pieces) and any unlikely bargain on a wool coat (fat chance!). This skirt wasn’t something I was specifically looking for but (a) it checked all my boxes, style wise; and (b) hello, huge bargain!

Looking for specific “want not need” items on the cheap

Thrifting is all about the joy of the unexpected discovery; I love that about it but, sometimes, it’s nice to have the option to look for something very specific without paying a premium for it (ahem, eBay). Enter Poshmark. This works especially well for more mass-market brands, which tend to have more available listings than designer ones (so the chances of the item you’re looking for popping up for sale are much higher). I have a rough list of items I’m looking for, and I will run specific searches for them once in a while. For example, the black tulle H&M dress I got a while back? I’m hoping to find the same dress in the cream colourway. Similarly, there is a Zara dupe for a Wilfred skirt I’ve been coveting; also on my “BOLO” list. There is a Topshop dress I randomly spotted last year on eBay, and I’m holding out hope that I can find one someday in my size for a more reasonable price I’m willing to pay. Basically, if I can find it for cheap on Poshmark, I will get it; if I can’t, then I won’t.

The downside of Poshmark is that you can’t “save” searches, so you have to manually search for things each time. As a result, some of these searches only get run once in a blue moon, when I remember a particular item. This is also a good way to test whether something is memorable enough to be worth pursuing.

My one lesson learned here is: comparison shop. Always. Most brands have a market price range, but there can be outliers – both on the high end and the low end. Needless to say, you want to try to find the low end outliers, and avoid buying a high end outlier. Aritzia is a good example. I find most of the listings to be overpriced, relative to retail value; sweaters, for example, run from $50 and up, which is at most 50% off retail. But, with luck, you can stumble across a decent deal under $30 for a new or like-new sweater. I find Zara and H&M are also, weirdly, becoming similar in terms of pricing – lots of listings with prices near retail value (or higher, after you account for shipping). I don’t know what that’s about but I’m not a fan – it’s why I avoid eBay nowadays, after all.

Speaking of Zara and shopping around, here’s another piece I score recently: this red belt.

I have been looking for corset-style belts to accessorize some dresses in my closet, and happened to see this belt. It looked promising. Saw it was Zara and decided to hunt it down. The first listing I saw had it for $25 (plus shipping). Kinda pricey. After more scrolling, I eventually came across a listing (with not great photos) that had it for $10. THAT was a deal I was willing to entertain.

Hunting for inexpensive jewelry

This is one of my most favourite things to do on Poshmark, and it’s what I spend the most time doing. I do a mix of approaches here, running both general searches (“ring” sorted by newest) and specific ones (looking up favourite brands). While there are certain general criteria I look for when it comes to jewelry, I am not looking for specific pieces; in this sense, my searches are most akin to thrifting – I don’t know what I’m looking for until I see it. I’ve actually discovered lots of new-to-me jewelry brands this way, as well as found some unique pieces I love – most of them for well under $50 (all in). Here are some of my faves:

Do you have a strategy for shopping on Poshmark? Or favourite things to hunt for? Tell me everything in the comments.