Times flies, here is another FabFitFun box to review. To start, a reminder that this post isn’t sponsored in any way; I pay for an annual subscription out of my own pocket, and always have. The cost works out to about $80CAD including shipping for each box, and there are 4 of them every year. As an annual subscriber, I have the option to customize 5 of the items in the box. The remaining 3 items are selected for you. I seem to recall it being the case that everyone got the same set items, but now there is a selection of 2-3 options for each additional item (though you still have no control over what you get).
Here’s a look at my FabFitFun Summer 2020 box.
I look forward to seeing the box design each time. This one was meh. Still, my daughter loves these boxes – she uses them for her doll houses.

This time around, I chose 2 items from the “Add On” sale. Add Ons are items that you can choose to, well, add on to your box at an extra cost. They are usually the same brands that you would typically see in your boxes, available at a supposedly discounted price. [I’ve never bothered to check with regular retail outlets to see if that’s the case. I just look at the FFF price and decide if it’s worth it to me or not.] The first item I chose was a C. Wonder watermelon-print foldable umbrella. My last one bit the dust last year, so I needed a replacement. This one was cute and something like $9USD which seemed reasonable enough. Unfortunately, I later got a notification that the umbrella was no longer available and my money was refunded. Too bad.

The other Add-On item I picked was a set of 3 masks. They were $11USD which, again, I thought was a decent price even after the exchange rate. They are light blue, light pink, and black. My husband has already commandeered the black one. They are very nice – lightweight and breathable. Here’s what they look like:

On to the box!

This Spongelle hand cream was one of the FFF picks. I’m not mad about it, but not super excited either. A hand cream is always handy, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Retail price: $18USD.

Another FFF pick – I guess they wanted to make sure all my extremities were being looked after. This is even less exciting for me than hand cream, but I’ll take it. I am sure it will get used. Maybe I can even convince my husband to give me a foot massage.
Retail price: $24USD

This was an item that I chose and I love it. Does an ice roller do anything? I have no idea. But it feels really nice on the skin, and now I can feel like one of the cool girls on Instagram.
Retail: $30USD (LOLOLOL!)

While this was an FFF pick, it was actually one of the items I was hoping to get. I normally don’t care for make-up in my FFF boxes because I hardly wear any and I’m picky, but I was intrigued by this “universal” brow pencil. Doing my brows is my one remaining daily make-up routine, even now. Not sure if I would consider this pencil truly universal, but it seems to work. It’s a bit darker than my usual one, but not clownishly so (I think). Will be a useful item, for sure.
Retail: $16USD

This was a much anticipated item. I first tried this shampoo and condition duo in either my Winter or Spring box (can’t remember) and liked it a lot. I ran out just as this box was being shipped. I had actually planned to buy this as an Add-On, but when I saw that it was an option in the box itself, I was stoked.
Retail: $64USD

I like ceramic vases a lot, so I wasn’t mad to see this as an option (especially as the other options in this tier were less appealing) but it was a bit disappointing in real life. It’s a little too blah for me.
Retail: $28USD

This was the one tier I really struggled with. There was a wireless charger I was initially going to pick, only to realize that I don’t need more cords in my life. Then I was going to pick an eyelash serum, until I read reviews that said it wasn’t much good. After getting burned with GrandeLash (not literally, it simply didn’t do anything for my lashes), I decided to skip. In the future, if I’m going to spend money on a lash serum, it will only be EyEnvy. The other items in this tier were a towel (meh), an eye cream (meh), and a straw tote (not my style). Anyway, this was ultimately the item I picked by elimination. Thankfully, the scent is fine and not overpowering. I like the way it looks (see below) – it’s nice and sleek.
Retail: $59USD (As if!)

Ok, these Toms sunglasses were the one item I was most excited about. And they look great! Except … I think they are too narrow for my face and they pinch at my temples. Saaaaaaaaad face! I’m debating whether to try to stretch them – is that even possible? – but I will most likely pass them on to my SIL. Siiiiigh.
Retail cost: $58USD.

And here’s everything all together:

Overall, this was a more than acceptable box – sunglasses heartbreak notwithstanding – and I am already looking forward to the Fall box; fun mail has never been a happier event than in the last three months.

Instagram vs Real Life

For the most part, I like working from home but there are a few things I miss about the office. Seeing my coworkers in person, for one. And having a reason to dress up. Most days, I am fine with wearing one of my growing collection of schmattas (loose sack dresses) or something with an elastic waist. But there are days when I yearn for something more. This outfit was a case in point. The dress, by itself, is practical enough for WFH – it’s loose and comfortable, even if it is a bit fancy (silk fabric). The topper, again, is something that would make sense at home, if I get chilly; it’s soft and stretchy and not constricting in the way that a regular blazer would be. But what makes the outfit, IMO, is that third piece: a skirt layered under the dress to change up the proportions and add some texture and visual interest via the peekaboo tulle. Is that something I’m going to wear around the house? No. I could, of course. But I can’t bring myself to do it; it just seems like overkill. [I’ve only recently gotten used to wearing my “nice” clothes around the house.] So, yeah, some days I miss the office.

Butterfly Squad

Now that I have added a weekly thrift outing to my social calendar, I have one reason to make a bit more of an effort with my (casual) attire. This was one such effort, enabled in part by a snap of colder weather. I haven’t had much opportunity to wear my transitional pieces this year – March and April were spent in lockdown, and May was warmer than usual – so I jumped at the chance. I don’t normally wear this much leather all at once, but I think it worked out ok. I’m still really impressed with these Commando leggings; they’re very comfortable (not tummy-strangling at all) and easily elevate an outfit. I am also very much in love with these Ash sneakers, a post-lockdown thrift find. They are my second pair, and they’re one of my go-tos; they’re casual but funky, comfortable but with an edge (and a bit of heel).

Deconstructing Jo March

You may remember how obsessed I was last December with the costuming of the new Little Women movie, especially Jo’s wardrobe. Well, it took a little bit of time, but the thrift gods have delivered an outfit worthy of Jo but also perfectly suited to my own aesthetic. Or so I like to think. The Crea Concept skirt is older (from last year), as are the shoes, but the vest (J. Crew) and linen jacket (Sarah Pacini) are new finds. I told you I would eventually find a nice waistcoat! It took almost 6 months, but thrifting delivered. However, the clincher is, IMO, the white jacket. I thought it was a shirt at first, but it has pockets, y’all. It’s basically a perfect layering piece – lightweight, with very cool little details. I can’t wait to play around with it some more.

Kismet

This COS dress used to belong to my BFF until she decided the length wasn’t great on her. We listed it on our resale page, and had 2 sales fall through on it. I took that as a sign that the dress was meant to stay … with ME. It’s an oversize fit on me, which I love. I also love the contrast of the stretchy knit top, and the striped cotton bottom layer. I mirrored the contrast with the choice of shoes which – full disclosure – were worn for these photos only. Wearing shoes to work from home? Nah! But these Ferragamo heels are so cute, and I do miss them.

Back in Colour

I do still wear colour, you guys! Take this outfit as proof. Colour and bold accessories are my favourite little pick-me-ups these days. I’m also back on the Rafael Canada collecting bandwagon, and have been actively on the hunt for new pieces to add to my collection. This necklace is a piece I got last year, but it deserves a bit of spotlight – just look at those confetti-like sparkles:

I had a lot of fun with Sequin Sunday in March and April, so when I ran out of sequins, I decided to move on to my fancy frocks with Fancy Friday. Now, to be clear, I didn’t actually start dressing up in cocktail attire every Friday – working from home with children is challenging enough without having to do it in high heels. But it was a nice excuse to post something a little different to my IG account once a week. After all, it’s not like I’ll be getting the opportunity to wear these dresses in real life any time soon.

If you were ever curious about my special occasion dress collection, wonder no more. Here it is in all most of its glory:

One of my favourite dresses of all time, this Lela Rose for Target number (part of an old Nordstrom collab) is one I always recommend to people. You can still find it, very reasonably priced, on ebay – where I got mine years ago – and it’s perfect for weddings and similar occasions. The quality is shockingly good and it’s just a beautiful dress. I’m wearing it with my own belt, rather than the original belt that came with the dress which is only part that’s a little bit shoddy, quality-wise.

This is a very cool Tracy Reese dress – the bodice is partially (real) leather, which gives a nice contrast to the pretty lace. I love that it’s dark blue (not navy) rather than black which makes it stand out a bit more as well. Good for weddings, cocktail parties and the like.

Photos do not do justice to this Tadashi Shoji dress. The dress is made out of ruched layers silk and has an iridescent sheen to it – it looks reddish purple at some angles, and purplish blue in others. It’s the kind of body-con style that I tend to avoid in general, but I will make an exception for a special occasion and for this dress.

This Betsey Johnson dress is the stuff that goth-ballerina-princess dreams are made of. I love tulle, I love pleats, I love subtle sparkle. This dress has it all. The photos don’t capture it well, but there are micro-dots of glitter all over the dress, which make it twinkle under low lights. I’ve worn this for NYE before, and felt like a million bucks.

Another fabulous Tadashi Shoji number, this one a lovely dark forest green. I especially love the lace-mesh combination at the top. Since this dress is a bit loose on me, I decided to belt it and make that the focus, accessory-wise, but this is a dress that would look amazing with a proper statement necklace.

Last but not least, this BCBG number was a relatively recent addition to the line-up and I cannot wait to wear it for real. Again, photos don’t really capture its amazing details very well. The sleeves are unusual (I normally hate “cold shoulder” but I think the cutouts here are very well executed), there is a flattering slit, and the back detail is chef’s kiss.

*** Honourable mention to these dresses which I somehow forgot to add to the Fancy Friday line-up:

From left: Adrianna Papell dress, Armani Collezione dress, Nicole Miller dress.