First FabFitFun Box!

I've tried a LOT of subscription services and boxes.  But most of the time after about 6 months I get tired of the samples or just start to accumulate too much stuff - which is against my new-ish mantra.

I've seen a few YouTube unboxing of of FabFitFun box and it intrigues me for several reasons:
1) It's quarterly, or not a lot of unnecessary junk
2) It's fitness related
3) For $50 you normally get about $200+ of product

Already interested???  Use this referral link 'here'

So I decided to give it a go!  I went for the annual subscription because it knocked $20 off the total price.

I got my box last week and was pleasantly surprised by the range of items!  Here's the spread!

The first thing about this box is it comes with a little catalog giving you descriptions and MSRP of the product, and talks about the brands it works with.  A lot of videos I've seen show that this box curates around small businesses or businesses that 'do more good' by helping employ women in underprivileged areas. ASIDE - this has recently gotten my attention since Stella Artois started the 'Buy a Lady a Drink' campaign and I realized that $13 can supply a person with 5 years of water!! END ASIDE -- Total retail value of this box is $282.91

Let's dive a little deeper....

I got two gift cards, one for 31 Bits ($25 value) and one for Sterling Forever ($30 value).  31 Bits is an online retailer of handmade jewelry by artisans in Uganda, giving them access to a customer base and allowing them to rise above poverty.  Sterling Forever seems to be more of trendy and knock off style jewels.  I've narrowed it down to a few items I like on each site, I need your help on how I should spend my gift cards!  Sound off on my facebook page!

31 Bits options - this or this (in black and gold)
Sterling Forever options - this or this

The next item falls into the 'fitness' category for them.  The Mat Strap Plus by Merrithew is sort of a triple threat: you can use it to carry your yoga mat to class (which I don't), you can use it to help you hold difficult yoga poses (which I won't) and you can use it as a light resistance band (which I will!).  I see myself using this more for warm-up moves at the gym or fit I want to get a few light sets in at home.  I've already used it after volleyball to help stretch out some tight muscles!

The next item falls into 'beauty/health' and just plain fun.  I love bath bombs and bubble bars from LUSH, so this Jus D'Amour Bath Bomb Trinity will get some use.  There are three scents: eucalyptus/peppermint/lime (awakening), lavender/chamomile/ylang ylang(relaxing) and jasmine/rose/sandal wood (feelin' sexy).  It's fun to have these, since there isn't a LUSH around me and I always forget to hit it up in St. Louis.

 The next item is beauty related again, the Bodipure Keratin Gloves & Socks.  I imagine the premise is like when you're at the nail salon and you get a heated moisture glove-thingy.  Keratin is a moisturizing oil so these will soak/deposit the lotion and then you're suppose to rub in the remaining after removal.  I'm sure my hands and feet will feel awesome after, but I would never buy this for myself.

 This next item is probably what I was most excited about.  The ISH Contour Kit was made just for this box and I've been REALLY wanting to dip into a pre-curated contour palette for a while.  I've already used this several days before work.  They are all powders, with a highlight, blush, contour and bronzer (clockwise from upper left).  The contour color is meant really just to hit the areas you want to chisel on your face (cheek hollows/jaw line) and the bronzer is meant for more of the all over glow.  I attempted to do some swatches below, but as you can see I need a little more practice at that.

Next up is this full size bottle of Argan and Hemp Oil Therapy from Marrakesh.  It's a hair oil/treatment that smells amazing.  I've been using it after my shower/before blow drying to give my fine hair a little weight so it doesn't static out in the drier air we've been having.  I even used it on baby J to tame his wild mane after bath time!  There are cheaper products out there that do the same thing, but I'll definitely use this up!

I'm super excited to reap the rewards of this MakersKit Herb Garden.  It's already up on our kitchen window and J waters it every day.  They give you everything you need, seeds, growing medium, canisters to hold it all.  Soon we'll be cooking with fresh Thyme, Mint and Basil!

Also in the box is the HelloLegs Shaving Emulation Lotion.  I used it today AFTER my shave, but you're also suppose to use it while shaving for a soft, smooth result.  I'll have to circle back around and give a better review after I use it as intended.  Right now it smells great and gave my morning shaved legs a smooth feeling!

The last item is really cool, this letter press necklace from Jook & Nona.  I got 'dream' but others could have gotten 'inspire', 'love' or 'happy'.  It's just a fun delicate necklace that'll look great with my Stella & Dot pieces I love.

So that's the box!  I enjoyed seeming the range of items from fitness to beauty to health AND I loved that they were all full size items!  Let me know if this post got you interested, if you want more detail on a specific item, or what you think I should buy from 31 Bits and Forever Sterling! If you're interested in your own box, make sure to use the link above!

I'm excited for the post coming later this week, talking all about pant hems and how them make you look taller!

I'll see you guys later, back here in my closet!

Stitch Fix #2!

It finally arrived!!  The con about doing every other month on Stitch Fix is that you have to wait!  I feel like I should make a disclaimer that the link above is affiliated and if you sign up and receive a fix, I'll get a $25 credit....just being transparent!

This month my stylist used a combination of my feedback and what I had recently been pinning to give me a little of everything!  Let's dive in!

I got this color blocked dress, which I love the graphic nature.  It also just happened to match some spring shoes I bought from Target two years ago!  However, this will be going back.  Mainly due to the fact that I have more dresses than I need and the price was a little high for me.  Below I styled is for a casual weekend, but it's also easily dressed for work.

Next item I got was this great flared, textured skirt.  I'd been pinning a lot of graphic full skirts recently, and while this isn't a duplicate, it gets me in the general area.  I'm keeping it mainly because I love the pattern and I don't own a skirt this cut yet.  Paired with a button down and heels for work, this is also great for weekends thrown with a basic cotton t-shirt and a jean jacket.

I ended up styling the final three pieces together, since they were a blazer, jeans and a blouse.  Since I loved the cut, fabric and fit of the blazer I got in my last fix, but not the color...they sent it to me in black!  I'd been meaning to update my black blazer anyway, so this is a keeper!  It's an investment piece, so I had to come up with some money....so I pulled items I hadn't worn in several seasons and got $98 for them...paying for 60+% of this blazer.  I also got the checked blouse, which has great shoulder lace detail and dark skinny denim.  I was too in love with the blouse to pass it up, plus at $34 it was the best deal in the whole fix.  I'm passing on the denim, since I already have dark skinnies.  However, this fabric felt like wearing pajama pants and had great stretch!

So that's my fix!  Three out of five pieces kept!  Have you gotten a fix yet?  Tell me about it!

Favorite Polishes for Winter!

After reading that one of my favorite bloggers, Kate, at The Small Things Blog mentioned that she got her first monthly Julep Maven box, I thought....do other people not know about this?

Right now a lot of my friends get Birchbox....and I LOVED Birchbox when I used it for about a year over a year ago.  My problem with the company at the time is that I started to accumulate samples of things I probably would never use.  I think over time it's gotten better brands, but it wasn't worth the money so I quit.

I like Julep Maven because you get to choose the polishes or products you get every month...and you can skip if nothing catches your fancy.  I have been skipping recently just because I seem to have similar colors.  It seems like one year on a subscription service is it's max shelf life for me.

Below are a few of the colors I like to wear during the winter, along with a variety of brands I use.  I attempt to do my own nails as much as possible since I do pay $8 per bottle and have a pretty steady hand.  I've learned over time that nail prep is the key to having polish that lasts.  I do a 4 stage file once a month to have a smooth surface and I make sure to use a base coat and a no chip top coat.  Tips I've learned in magazines is every few days reapply the top coat...but I've never had to do that.  Polish never really lasts on my nails more than 4-5 days....I get tired of it.

Sephora for OPI - Metro Chic...I was really into the 'grey-iege' thing a few seasons back and this was and has since been my go to color.  I just learned while writing this post this line has been discontinued in leu of the new Formula X line at Sephora.  I do love those polishes as well.

OPI - Russian Navy...it looks navy in the photo, but actually looks more purple on my nails

Julep - Laura (aptly named)...this has become a recent favorite since it's a muted color I make it into a neutral for cold temps.  Plus I feel like it's camo for my nails (I know...I'm weird)

Essie - Mink Muffs...just a good neutral that doesn't blend in too much

Sinful Colors - Black on Black....nothing says winter like black...it's the way most of us feel dealing with the frigid temps

Besides these 5 colors, I will consistently reach for my go to red no matter the season.  Nothing is as classic as a red nail.  The color looks good on long or short nails and unless you're wearing something really out there, it goes with everything.  Mine is the L'Oreal Paris Pro 'Lady Luck' and as you can see from my husband's practice photo below, I'm nearly half way through this bottle.  

And to end this post, I know I haven't had any OOTD photos in a while, so I'll dump a few below....

I'll try to get a post set up for when we're in Mexico....but I'm just going to enjoy weather that's above freezing!!!  See everyone later, back here in my closet!