PopSugar Must Have vs. FabFitFun Summer 2018 Box!


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Happy Saturday, everyone! Today, I’m excited to be sharing my thoughts on the summer PopSugar Must Have and FabFitFun boxes :) I know I’m a little late to the party on this one (especially since the fall boxes for these two subscriptions are already out!) but since PopSugar has changed its format to a quarterly box instead of a monthly box, I thought it was still worth sharing my comparison of the two. If you’re curious about how these two quarterly boxes compare to one another, stay tuned! 

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PopSugar Must Have Box: 

This summer box is the first quarterly PopSugar Must Have box. Each PopSugar Must Have box is a $75/box quarterly subscription that includes full-size fashion, beauty, fitness, and lifestyle items. This summer’s box focused on products that will help you unwind and relax! 

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Eberjey: Wrap Robe - Retail $88

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Mela Artisans: Concha Round Box - Retail $60

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Ahmad Tea of London: Fruit & Herb Teas - Retail $4.50

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Mrs. Meyer’s: Bar Soap & Hand Sanitizer - Special Extra

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Propel: Watermelon Powder - Special Extra

Box Faves: 

  • Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum - You know me, I’m a huge skincare junkie so this product was by far my favorite of the box! My skin is pretty amenable to new products so I love getting to try out new skincare. I’ve heard tons of good things about Sunday Riley and I was really happy to see such an expensive product in the box because it always makes me feel like I’m getting more value than what I paid for it!.

  • Lele Sadoughi Circle Garland Earrings - I didn’t expect to love these earrings, however, as I’ve been trying them out, I’ve found that they literally go with any outfit so I have to put them in my faves!

Box Flops: 

  • Beauty by PopSugar Lip Gloss - This one’s just a personal preference, but I’m not one for glosses (I love a good matte lip!) so this one went straight to my mom - who I’m sure appreciates having another gloss in her collection!

  • Sphynx 3-in-1 Portable Razor - This product might be useful to someone else but it really missed the mark for me. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with shaving products because honestly, I don’t really feel the need to buy shaving cream when I can use things like soap or conditioner and get the same effect. Since I usually only bring a simple disposable razor with me when I travel, this portable 3-in-1 razor would actually be heavier than what I currently pack with me, so I don’t think it’ll see much use.

Overall, this PopSugar Must Have box was a bit of a flop for me. Even my favorites of the box were items that I love, but weren’t things I necessarily felt like I needed (although they were nice to have!). Nothing in particular excited me about the box and while the retail value of the box is quite high, I’m a girl on a budget and would likely never spend $80-$100 on a pair of earrings or a robe! Most of the items in this box were in the “just okay” pile and didn’t make it into my flops or my faves!  


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FabFitFun Box

FabFitFun is a quarterly subscription box that sends full-size versions of the seasons top fitness, fashion, beauty, and wellness products. Each box is about $50 if you subscribe month-to-month and slightly less if you select an annual subscription.

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Erth: Tu Y Yo Ring - Retail $55

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Pier 1 Imports: Marble Ring Dish - Retail $14.99

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Foreo Luna: FoFo - Retail $89

 

Box Faves: 

  • Foreo Luna FoFo - I already love my travel size foreo face brush but my biggest gripe about it is that it doesn’t have a replaceable battery so once it dies, I won’t be able to use it! This foo does have a replaceable battery and is an even bigger size so I’m super happy about receiving something I already love from a brand I already love! :)

  • Tarte Tarteist Pro Palette & Liner - I chose to receive the liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow palette (instead of the pro glow palette, which I already own) and I am so happy I did! This eyeshadow palette is creamy, has the perfect muted shades, and smells like chocolate - AMAZING.

  • Orlando Pita Play Hair Protectant Spray - I did not expect to love this spray as much as I did because, in my experience, a lot of hair products don’t make a noticeable different. This protectant spray? Game changer. It leaves my hair feeling so smooth and all the tangles in my hair are completely gone after I use it. I’ve already used half the bottle and might have to re-purchase soon! 🙈

  • Yumi Kim Makeup Train Case - You can never have too many make-up bags so I chose to receive this train case and it has been so handy for traveling this past summer! It has a little top compartment perfect for all of my brushes and the main compartment is big enough to fit all of my make-up -even blush palettes and giant face powders!

Box Flops: 

  • Minor History: Post Script Wallet - This wallet is waaaay to small to big functional. It’s partially my fault since I didn’t read its specs more closely, but I expected it to be a normal wallet size when in reality it’s smaller than my palm. Unfortunately, I just don’t think I’ll have much use for it!

Verdict: This summer, the box win goes 100% to FabFitFun. I was so much happier with the products I received from the FabFitFun box and actually felt excited about most of the things I received. Usually I’m a bit more torn when comparing boxes but I am pleasantly surprised by how happy I am with the products and the value of the FabFitFun box. 

Before the switch to their quarterly box, I was a huge supporter of the PopSugar Must Have box. Their original box was a monthly subscription for $40 per box (or less if you bought a 3, 6 or 12 month bundle) and since I always looked for deals or bought bundles of boxes, I always ended up paying less than $40 a box for what I felt was a really good collection of lifestyle, beauty, and fashion items that appealed to a lot of different people. PopSugar’s decision to switch to a quarterly box was partially motivated by the fact that they also offered more expensive but also popular limited edition boxes that offered high-end products. In essence, they’ve combined their monthly subscription box and their limited edition box into this quarterly $75/box system. 

Unfortunately, I’m really torn about this new PopSugar switch! I’ve never felt the need to purchase a limited edition box and honestly think that the $75/box price point is a little too high. I still plan to receive the next PopSugar box, but frankly, if the next box shows the same pattern, I think I’ll be giving my PopSugar Must Have subscription the boot! 

What are your thoughts on these two subscription boxes? Do you like PopSugar’s new quarterly box? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

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ESQIDO Little Black Lash Review!


Disclaimer: This blog post is in partnership with ESQIDO. ESQIDO sent me a free product for review. Opinions are 100% my own. Thank you, ESQIDO

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Happy Friday, everyone! I am excited to be partnering with ESQIDO today to share my review of their lashes and lash glue! Full disclosure on my experience with false eyelashes - it has not always been an easy journey! As my other monolidded friends out there can attest to, having a monolid makes eye makeup a bit more difficult! This isn’t to say it’s impossible, but it does take more trial and error before you find a makeup look that works for you. My journey with falsies has been no different, but I’m excited to share with you all my thoughts on the ESQIDO products I received. 

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The Lashes

I chose to try out ESQIDO’s Little Black Lash style. I wanted to try this style because it’s a beautiful, subtle lash style that gives a very natural feel. I find that, especially with my eye shape, dramatic falsies appear even more dramatic which isn’t really suitable for my day job! I was impressed by how natural these lashes look - while I probably still wouldn’t wear them every day (I’m still not the smoothest at putting on falsies!), I think they are subtle enough to fly under the radar at work. 

At $28, the Little Black Lash will set you back significantly more than a standard pair of drugstore eyelashes. On the bright side, however, I can definitely tell that the quality of these lashes is much better than the quality of the lashes I own from the drugstore. The ESQIDO lashes are very comfortable, the lashes are soft (made out of mink hair) and as a result of this, the lashes come across fluttery and natural. I think if you’re someone who does a really good job of taking care of your lashes, these lashes are absolutely worth the splurge. I’m still a bit torn on whether I would repurchase these since I do love my classic Ardell drugstore lashes, but I can definitely attest to the fact that these lashes from ESQIDO are much better quality if that is what you look for in a false lash!

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The Lash Glue

I am a pretty picky person when it comes to beauty products but I can say without a doubt that the ESQIDO companion eyelash glue was THE BEST lash glue I have ever used. Hands down! I honestly cannot say enough good things about it! I’ve owned my fair share of lash glues and the ESQIDO lash glue has everything that I wished my other lash glues had. 

The applicator for this lash glue is a small brush that makes applying it onto a lash band super easy, the formula of the glue is thin and dries quickly, and my falsies stay on much better than they do with other lash glues!  I’m so thrilled to have found a lash glue that works so well! This lash glue will set you back $10 - but it is 100% worth the price! 

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Overall, I’m really happy with my ESQIDO products! I’m enjoying the lashes and will for sure be repurchasing the lash glue as soon as I run out! Thanks so much for checking out my blog post in partnership with ESQIDO! Have you tried ESQIDO products? What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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BeautyFix: July 2018 Review


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Dermstore: Wet Bag | Retail: $19.99

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Raw Spirit: Eau de Parfum Spray in Desert Blush | Full-Size: $185

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Box Faves: 

  • Avene Thermal Spring Water! I about jumped for joy when I saw this one in the box. Funnily enough, it was already in my shopping cart on a different website so my BeautyFix subscription box saved me from having to purchase this on my own! What I love about the Avene hydrating mist is that it comes out in a very thin mist and has almost no scent to it (I've had mixed experiences with scented hydrating mists) which makes it feel especially luxurious and hydrating - highly recommend!

  • R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo - Another tried and true product that I was about to re-purchase myself, this dry shampoo is by far the best dry shampoo I've ever tried. A lot of dry shampoos leave a weird sticky residue on my hair but this one is the first one I've tried that really leaves my hair feeling just as light and dry as it was before I applied the dry shampoo. Another one of my favorites (albeit a little on the pricey side!).

  • Glo Skin Beauty Suede Matte Crayon - Although I wish the color was a little on the nude-er side, this crayon went on evenly, had great staying power, and even had a nice minty feel to it - such a nice surprise! I'll definitely be keeping this one in my bag!

  • Bioderma Sensibio H20 - This is another tried and true one for me (there were a lot of them in this month's box). The bioderma micellar water might be one of my all-time favorite micellar waters. It feels super light but does an absolute killer job taking off make-up. It's way more effective than I initially expected and I've loved it ever since! Although it tends to have a slightly higher price point than other micellar waters out there, I think it's absolutely worth the price difference for how effective this micellar water is.

Box Flops: 

  • MD Solar Sciences Mineral Cream - I've received this product before and unfortunately, it is a huge flop for me. I'm not sure if I'm receiving especially oily samples or what, but this mineral cream has a ton of oil in it that starts to separate if you don't mix up the product. Since I'm already prone to oiliness on my T-zone, it just feels counterintuitive to put this on my face - sorry!

  • Raw Spirit Eau De Parfum - The scent I received just was NOT for me. I'm always wary of receiving perfumes in subscription boxes and this is why! They are such a personal thing (and I tend to be so picky about scents) that I find myself chucking or gifting most of my perfume samples :(

This month's BeautyFix box was an absolute slam dunk for me! I was excited about trying nearly all of the products and many of them were already some of my favorites! Usually, I'm just on the fence about receiving products again but most of the repeat products I received this month were items that I absolutely loved from previous boxes! It's clear that many subscription boxes have a strong sunscreen theme in the summer months and although they don't necessarily excite me, I have to admit that sunscreen based products are extremely useful and have saved me a ton of money over the years! 

What did you think of your subscription boxes this month? Any other ones you think I should try? I'd love to know! 

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