Should You Subscribe to Fab Fit Fun? An Honest Fab Fit Fun Box Review

I have a love-hate relationship with Fab Fit Fun (FFF). I like that the items are still better than those in most subscription boxes out there, but would never get any of those items at their original retail value.

An Honest, BS-Free Fab Fit Fun Program Review. This blogger finally tells it like it is! — What I imagine a FFF-loving hipster would look like. I like the American flag on her shirt, though. You don’t see that very often anymore.

This post was motivated by two recent events:

A coworker recently got her first two Popsugar boxes and did reveals at work. In case you didn’t know, that is a monthly subscription for $40 (YIKES $480/year!!), and the items are okay at best. Yes, not worth it. Instead of getting useless “trendy” stuff I won’t use or wear, I’d rather at least pick out the junk I’ll get every month (or not get any at all). That stuff (from her first and second boxes) reminded me of things one would see at a garage sale in a few years.
The most recent Fab Fit Fun Box, and what celebs are saying about it.

Let’s focus on this second point:

Celebs’ Paid “Opinions” About Fab Fit Fun

I recently saw two reality “celebrities” post the exact same thing about their Spring 2017 FFF boxes. (By “exact same thing,” I mean the posts were 90% verbatim and about the same “favorite” product from their boxes.) These ladies are nice but this was beyond disingenuous:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR58as1DWKY

…I love what [the RealHer Lip Kit] stands for. It was words of affirmation to make you feel beautiful from the inside out! It comes with three pieces so it’s a very substantial lip kit…. I love this subscription because the products come FULL size. Plus most items are worth more than the box itself…” –Maddison Brown Bush, of Sister Wives fame (she’s Janelle’s daughter)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSJzUoxDYTa

…I’m loving the RealHer Lip Kit – It was words of affirmation to keep the important things in the forefront! Beauty is more than skin deep and starts from the inside out! It comes with three pieces so it’s a very substantial lip kit…. My favorite part is everything is full size and fun! Many of these items are worth more than you pay for your box…” –Caroline Manzo (formerly on Real Housewives of New Jersey)

The lack of ingenuity and honesty the company seems to be OK with promoting is why, besides the video below and this post on the pros and cons of the program, I don’t ever share evergreen posts on FFF or my feelings about a recent box or even a photo: People can detect BS a mile away.

(Also, I’m not paid by FFF [I pay for each box every season], and I doubt companies would appreciate a truly honest review like this one from yours truly after sending free product.)

Instead, here I am sharing the good and the bad about FFF–things that I’d have liked to know when I first signed up: Like the fact that I hated my first box and cancelled my subscription for two seasons. Or why I now it’s *sometimes* (i.e., not always) an incredible value.

Spring 2017 Box Reveal & Review

On the video below I’m unveiling my Spring 2017 Box so that you get an idea of what someone who has nothing to gain from FFF actually says about the things it sends out.

If you’re looking for a coupon, you’ re out of luck as you won’t find one here because I frankly don’t care if you join the program. (Though if you really want one after reading my honest take, just look up a particular hashtag on IG and you’ll see 100s of IG celebs share their cookie-cutter FFF-provided “opinions” + their discount codes.)

I won’t encourage you or discourage you from getting one. They’re cool but you’re really not missing out if you skip any of them. What you want and can afford is your business.

Here I go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F1F_qmwmdA

(Sorry it’s vertical!! I was doing an IG Live and din’t want to shoot another video/give the company more unpaid air time and effort.)

There are a couple of things from this FFF box that would separately cost the same as the complete box (what I paid for it). For instance, the “roundie” (that round fabric thing on the video cover and on Madison’s post) costs $50, which is what the FFF box costs each season.

In the video, you’ll hear me say things like, “this would have probably cost $15 at TJ Maxx/Home Goods” or “I’d never pay that price for that” because it’s exactly how I see life. I’m not naive and I’m not going to be taken advantage of. So no, I wouldn’t pay $45 for a plastic pouch, either, but I’m glad it was included in this box.

Which brings me to my next point: This box was valued at almost $400 and included about ten products. However, the subscription costs $50 (each SEASON–not every month), so each thing technically costs members less than $10. Which is why, to me, is definitely worth it: I wouldn’t pay the actual cost of each of those overhyped products, but getting them for a small fraction of the total price is so fun.

Why I Hated Fab Fit Fun

Before I finish, you probably saw earlier that I said I hated my first Fab Fit Fun box, which was a definite fiasco. It came with the lamest things (even an “herb garden” that had no chance at prospering) that I don’t even know where they went. So I canceled my subscription for two seasons and thought, “Ugh never again.”

Then I started seeing Pinterest posts for another box (maybe Fall 2016 or Winter 2016) and I could see it included SO many cool things that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on because I didn’t see myself going out of my way to make a list and shopping for them separately when here they were all neatly packaged.

So I re-subscribed (again, with a coupon code), and overall, I’ve been a happy camper since then.

In my opinion, this is the best subscription box program for random (read: theme-less) goodies out there. They’re hella expensive “in real life,” but the fact that you can get them for close to what you’d expect to pay in the normal world makes it quite appealing.