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.

I have to admit that I’ve been highly disengaged from the concept of bag organization ever since I stopped being aesthetically super-invested in my bags. My works bags have been a mess of hastily thrown together items and hardly a worthy subject for a blog post. But I have been influenced! I have been watching Instagrammer Things I Bought and Liked’s “What’s in my bag” series, and my latent obsession with organizational systems flared up again. You know what? I like putting things in bags, and putting those bags in bigger bags, and so on until I have a veritable bag Matrioshka. It’s deeply satisfying – more so even than being a total slob, which is my only other mode of existence.

Highly organized or total slob. C’est moi.

What I also like about TIBAL’s series is seeing all the little products she carries in her bag; while a lot of her tastes run far more “champagne budget” than my own “beer budget”, I do like making notes of things to try. Some of it is cheap stuff off Amazon (sometimes surprisingly effective/useful), and some of it is stuff I can look for in the clearance aisle at Winners, Nordstrom Rack, etc.

With that in mind, I thought I’d write this post in case you share my interest in strangers’ bag contents. Also, I’ve finally reorganized my work bag and I feel like this accomplishment needs to be recognized somehow.

First up, the bag.

I still switch up my bags from time to time, but not everyday. I used to match my bag to my outfit every single day, can you believe it? Good times. When I say that I’m not a “bag lady” anymore, this is what I mean. Bags have gone back to being largely functional items for me, although I still do get the occasional heart-eyes moment over a bag design (like the highly impractical but gorgeous Danse Lente mini bag I got for Christmas).

By necessity, on work days, I have to carry one of my large totes – you will see why in a moment. On weekends, or whenever I carry my laptop backpack, I tend to switch to a smaller bag. When I’m running errands only, I use one of my small crossbody bags or MbMJ backpack, and I radically streamline my bag contents (more below).

In terms of totes, I alternate between 3-4 bags I’ve had for years. My 2 favourites in terms of function – and specifically, volume and shoulder handle drop – are the Fossil tote pictured here and a Moulinette Soeurs canvas bag. I am deeply intrigued by the MZ Wallace tote that TIBAL has featured in her IG Stories, but I am not entirely sure yet that I want to spend multiple hundreds on a bag that is pure function (I don’t particularly love the aesthetics) when I already have other bags that work just fine.

Ok, on to the contents.

Omitted from this photo are my packed breakfast and lunch (including a bottle and a can of Diet Coke, go ahead and be horrified); I also often pack a pair of shoes. I don’t wear my “nice” office shoes outdoors, even in summer. I keep some nice shoes (3-4 pairs in neutral colours) at work, and then bring extras from home as my daily outfit needs dictate. I prefer to commute in flats that I don’t mind beating up, getting dirty, etc. I have a plain black pair that I wear into the ground over a couple of years, then thrift a replacement; lather, rinse, repeat.

I’ve had this Louis Vuitton Sarah wallet since 2010 or 2011, and I will probable never need to buy a new wallet again. It still looks almost new, and I purchased it secondhand from a local consignment store. I think I spent a couple hundred bucks on it; it’s practically indestructible and I have not babied it in any way. I do have to clear stuff out of it every so often – I tend to hoard random bits of paper and gift cards – but otherwise it’s quite capacious.

The only downside is that I do have to switch to a smaller wallet if I’m wearing one of my small bags. I use either the zip-around MbMJ wallet or the tiny Fossil pouch (which fits a few cards and some cash).

Ok, so yes, I carry 2 phones (not pictured): one for personal use, one for work. I use my personal phone for all my blogging-related needs (including photo taking) and also to watch Netflix so it’s basically a personal necessity. I rarely use our home laptop as my husband and son have commandeered it. I currently use an ancient iPhone 6 from 2015 (a former work phone) but I have decided to upgrade to the iPhone 11 … soon.

I don’t carry any chargers with me (although maybe I should) but keep one at the office and one in my car. My headphones are usually a tangled mess at the bottom of my bag because I am an animal.

These are my blue light glasses (under $20 on Amazon). I don’t know if they actually have any measurable effect on my eyes, but I get tons of compliments on how they look.

I started using a pencil case last year when I got back into fountain pens. This is a cheapie I picked up at Michaels for, like, $2.

Lamy Safari pens (medium nibs) are my daily use pens. I love them. They glide so, so well. I have 3 and will probably buy more; I’m waiting for the 2020 limited editions to be released. Each pen is filled with a different colour ink because I like variety. My fave inks are Iroshizuku by Pilot. They are not cheap – each bottle is about $30CAD on Amazon or at a local store – but they last forever. I’m still barely a quarter of the way through my first bottle of my most-used colour after a whole year.

Apart from the Lamys, I also have highlighters, some Sharpies, and a mechanical pencil and eraser. Nothing fancy. I may need to get some cute Stabilo highlighters soon.

Ok, this is the main bag within bag. First, a word on the bag. It’s a random Jones NY pouch and it’s old. I don’t remember where I got it, but it may have been Winners. I don’t love how it looks but every time I try to find a replacement on Amazon, it’s impossible. The 3-zippered compartments are genius, and it seems like no one else has made this type of design. Anyway, this one still works fine so I just have to get over its blah aesthetic.

In the main compartment, I keep a notebook. It’s a random one with lined pages from Winners. I use this mainly to track my personal expenditures every month (and have since about 2017), but also to jot down other things like party planning needs, packing lists, things to sell, etc.

I also have a small notepad with tear-off sheets; a Post-It pad may replace this in the future.

And I have a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

In the middle compartment, I keep my sunglasses. I know I should probably keep them in a separate case, but I treat my sunglasses like a barbarian. It’s why I always buy cheap ones; actually, I hunt for designer ones on deep discount. My current pair is Judith Leiber, and I bought them for around $20 at Winners.

I also keep some hair stuff in here now that I am growing out my hair. This barrette came from Nordstrom Rack; a pair of 3 was under $10. It looks quite luxe and does a decent job of holding back my (grown-out) bangs if I want them out of my face. The scrunchie also came as a 3-pack from the Nordstrom Rack. My hair is now long enough to pull back in a micro-ponytail and I find that these scrunchies work better at holding it all in place than the usual elastics or those plastic swirly things that other people seem to love.

I also have a travel size Mario Badescu facial spray; these don’t do much in terms of skincare, but feel refreshing so I like to spritz a bit throughout the day if I remember. I buy these for under $10CAD at Nordstrom Rack.

I recently also added a hand cream in here. I have been trying to be more diligent about washing hands throughout the day, and using hand sanitizer in between, and it’s very drying. I keep a large bottle of Hempz lotion at the office, but I also like having this little Lollia mini tube. I got it for $6 at Winners and it smells very nice.

Lastly, I have some roll-ons from Saje: one peppermint (supposedly for headaches), and one called “stress release”. I don’t know how much these really help, but I like the smells and applying a tiny bit is a nice pick-me-up in the middle of a day.

In the small compartment is where I keep my emergency make-up. I have an eye pencil and a lipstick basically. I don’t bother to re-apply my face makeup through the day because (a) I don’t care to; (b) I don’t want to have to carry extra stuff, and (c) my foundation is expensive and I don’t feel like buying multiples. I do keep some floss and a small tube of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Miracle cream, which is perfect for chapped lips and noses.

And that’s it, folks. Notable mentions of things I don’t carry with me, but keep at the office: Kleenex, Advil, chewing gum.

If you’ve got reccs for must-have products, bags within bags, or anything related, drop me a comment below because you know I’m ready with my browser open.

So, the Fall FabFitFun box came and … it was alright. Honestly, I don’t feel like writing about it but I feel that I have to given my past posts. You know those people who write glowing blog posts all about “this cool new favourite thing I can’t live without” and then never mention that thing again? I don’t want to be that person, so I guess I’m stuck writing about FFF until the end of the year (when my annual subscription expires).

Alright, here goes:

I was predisposed to be disappointed with this box after some less than great interactions with the company over their communications regarding the Fall box. I hashed out that situation on my IG Stories, and don’t want to belabor it here, but suffice to say, FFF pulled the highest value item from the Fall box at the 11^th hour (after the customization window opened) without a real explanation; then, I saw it pop up on an influencer’s post as being included in the box she received. I guess FFF sends advance boxes to influencers, and this one went out before they decided to pull the item. I took me numerous messages back and forth with FFF to get that much of an answer out of them, and the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway. This box arrived looking messier (and emptier) than in the past.

I selected this hair towel as one of my customizations because I have a similar one, and find it useful. It’s not a “wow” product by any means, but the other options were even less appealing for me. (I’ve heard good things from friends about one of the other alternatives in this category, an eye makeup set. I don’t use eye makeup anymore, which is why I didn’t select that.) Retail value was listed as $18USD, but you can find similar towels at Winners for under $10CAD.

This Aveda hair product came in all boxes. The Ouai leave-in conditioner that came with my Spring box is about to run out, so I will use this as a replacement. I haven’t tried it yet, but it has good reviews, it seems. Retail $30USD.

This is supposed to be a lunch bag but, honestly, I might be able to fit my breakfast in there at best. It’s also a really blah colour, which is weird since it’s a Kate Spade product – you know, a company known for its bright, whimsical, colourful prints. Anyway, I plan to use this as a make-up travel bag. Retail $30USD.

This was another customization which I chose for lack of better options, but I ended up loving this scent. It has sandalwood in it, which I love. I don’t know that it does much for me in terms of relaxation, but I enjoy wearing it as a light perfume on weekends, or layered over my everyday scent, Maison Margiela’s By The Fireplace. I forgot to note down the retail price but it was probably under $30USD.

Same story here – my pick out of a disappointing selection. I have a good skincare regime for my face at the moment, and I don’t want or need to add more exfoliants to it, so I will be using this on my body instead. Or gifting it – haven’t decided yet. I would have preferred a different product, for sure. Retail value $32USD.

This body cream came in all boxes, and I wish it had been a Sol De Janeiro product. I received some DMs on IG telling me that it’s surprisingly good. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will eventually once I finish my current jar of SdJ cream. Retail value $18USD.

These scrub cubes also came in all boxes. They’re a fun product to try, but I found them too rough for use anywhere except my legs and feet. Retail value $16USD.

Last but not least, this hair straightener ended up being the highest priced item in the box (and available in general, I believe). I don’t need a new straightener yet (my old BaByLiss is still working just fine) but I figured I could always use this down the line. Someone told me that they use one for “ironing” creases out of clothes on the go, so to speak, which is the kind of life hack I’m all about. On the other hand, another IG follower DM-ed me to warn me that there some potential safety issues reported with this particular brand/model of straightener. Duly noted. Retail value $80USD.

Overall, I was very underwhelmed by this box, and it’s the first case where I didn’t feel like I got my money’s worth. To be clear, there are enough products in the box to make up the $80CAD that I spent on the box including shipping (even accounting for the inflated retail values), but not enough that I personally needed or was excited to receive to make up that value. I could have spent $80 at Winners on random beauty products, and been happier.

As I mentioned above, my subscription includes one more box; after that, I will decide whether to continue my subscription or not. I am currently leaning towards “no” after this most recent experience, but we shall see how the Winter Box fares.

If you’ve got questions or comments to share about FabFitFun, let me know in the comments.