FabFitFun Autumn 2019 Review UK // Beauty Box

I completely forgot to post the summer box...or rather I wrote up my review and then never took any photos. I could post the review however it is a wall of text and well I don't think people will be too happy if I just stick random memes in place of product photos so this time I made myself take photos as soon as the box arrived.

FFF only started shipping to the UK with their Spring box this year and this now marks my third box and it's without a doubt my favourite sub. There is nothing like it in the UK and it's so great to be able to try out so many new brands and products. Also, I can now have post delivered to work so no longer do I have to pray that Yodel will not throw my box in a ditch somewhere and claim it's been delivered.

Without going into too much detail (because you can go overboard with this sub) you basically receive 7-9 full size products every month and there are 5 different categories that you can pick an item from (3 if your a seasonal sub, the other 2 will be picked for you randomly) and then you get 3 items that everyone receives in the box. Also, if you like some of the other items in the categories you can "add them on" for between $7-$15. Still with me? Ok cool, lets take a look at Autumns mammoth box.

For us UK'ers the straightener was pulled and then the teeth whitening system was pulled for everyone due to "discrepancies". I was never going to pick that anyway but seriously wanted a new straightener to replace my decade old babyliss pro 230. So I was upset that we could only choose between the scarf, yoga mat and mystery item. Seeing as how I have many yoga mats and Zara do beautiful plush scarves every winter for around £20 I went for the mystery item and boy did my gamble pay off.

Detox Night Cream // Grown Alchemist

40ml Full Size - RRP £86

I have heard so many good things about this brand and everyone on the FFF forum boards is obsessed with GA products and they pretty much hate the UK right now because they all got Murad & Kate Somerville as their mystery products and we got this GA night cream. I couldn't be happier but I won't start using this for a while as I just recently started a new jar of Origins Night-a-mins. The latter is my favourite night cream so I'm excited to see how this ridiculously priced cream stacks up against the £30 Origins one.

EDIT 07/04/2020
I've been using this on and off for about 4 months now and honestly; save your money. It's not worth it. It has a strong cologne-like scent (it reminds me of this one my uncle has been wearing for the past 25 years) and I'm convinced it causes me to break out in spots. In the morning I don't look refreshed, I look exactly the same as I did the night before.

I'm half-way through the tube now as I keep stopping and starting to let my skin calm down to really test if it's causing breakouts. I also found this brand recently in TK Maxx and this exact product was selling for £9.99 (with no actual RRP listed, just TK's 'our price'). Looking at the ingredients, there is nothing listed that should cause the extortionate price tag. They're charging La Mer prices but using Garnier ingredients. I feel this brand is like SkinChemists and 111Skin; hiking up the prices to make them appear to be a 'luxury' brand.

Once I've finished using it completely, I'll be writing a full review over on my new skincare blog where I only post once I've finished the entire product.

EDIT 11/06/2020
I have now finished the tube and have a full review here.

This was the round where I pretty much just wanted everything and it was only $10 to add-on stuff. Seeing as how I spent some $$$ in the add-on sale though I limited myself to just one extra product. 

Lunch Tote // Kate Spade

One Size - RRP £???

This is quite an old Kate Spade product and first hit the market in 2016 I believe. Right now you can't actually buy it but there are similar ones that went for £28 but again are no longer sold. I don't really care though because I love the fact that I can get lifestyle items in a box. I would never really buy something like this so it's a nice random surprise to be like "yes, I'll add this in my box". A lot of people on the forum have been complaining that it's far too small to fit any actual food in but I don't know how much they like to eat but this tote is more than big enough for lunch. It fits my Sistema lunch cube with room to spare and that can hold more than lunch...sometimes I think I put too much food in it. It's also insulated which is great for picnics.

ADD-ON

Detox Pads // NassifMD

Full Size 60 Pads - RRP £36.67 (with current conversion rates)

Throughout the entire customisation period (it lasts for around 5 days) I kept adding this on, then taking it off then adding it back on again before finally just leaving it as an add-on and I'm so happy I did because these pads are well worth $12 ($2 tax). This appears to be a brand you can't buy in the UK either so I'm happy I got a chance to try them out and I hope they turn up in an edit or add-on sale so I can buy some more. The pads are huge; about the size of your palm and so I cut them in half to maximize usage. I've only used them for a week now but my skin is looking firm and supple with less breakouts. I'm really impressed.

Originally I had both the Pure C vitamin C powder added and the Lava Magik but after some research I dropped the Pure C as apparently it only works with certain skin creams and is highly acidic. As for the earrings; my ears aren't pierced so they were an immediate pass.

Lava Magik // The Better Skin Co

60ml Full Size - RRP £26.08  (with current conversion rates)

Briefly available at Asos this is again a US only brand but has rave reviews. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting with this product. I was aware it was a face scrub but some reviewers said it felt like scrubbing your face with sandpaper. It's described as a "triple threat" though as a cleanser, scrub and mask. It comes with a fancy little applicator spoon as well to scoop it out. It's a lovely dark pink/salmon shade and has a fruity yet vanillary scent that I really love. It has very fine granules that do feel like sand but I don't find it too harsh. The scent is just so good though. Another fantastic addition.

I knew straight away what my selection would be for this round because bleh to eyeliner, towel wraps and gels.

2 in 1 Grinder // Epare

RRP £17.89 (with current conversion rates)

I love lifestyle products and I have been meaning to buy a new salt & pepper mill for ages but everytime I go in TK Maxx I get distracted by the stationary and nail products. This is a really sturdy, well made manual grinder and now I can't wait to go to TK Maxx again and buy some fancy salt and pepper to stick in it. 

For me this was the least exciting round and it took me a while to decided what to choose. I originally had the eye masks but I never use them so I made myself pick something else that I would use.

Truffle Therapy Face Toner // Skin&Co Roma

200ml Full Size - RRP £24.45 (with current conversion rates)

I got the Truffle cleansing oil in the Summer box as I picked the mystery item (the guarateed value was a lot lower last time though) so I decided to pick the matching toner for this box. I use toner everyday and it's something that gets used quickly. I do love Aromatherapy Associates but I never use those rollerball products; I always forget. This has a very light earthy scent to it but I haven't finished up my current toner yet so I don't have any views on it. Still happy with the selection though.

EDIT 07/04/2020
I now have a full review here after using the product completely. 

ITEMS EVERYONE RECEIVES

The final three items can be found in every box and they were good ones this box.

Body Souffle // Human + Kind

200ml Full Size - RRP £16.45

I've tried this body cream in a previous Birchbox and it was alright. Not the greatest scent, kind of like watermelon and grass; a bit too outdoors-y for my tastes but I go though body moisturiser like water so this is another product that will get used up quite quickly. I like these practical items as well because everyone needs body lotion.

Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair // Aveda

100ml Full Size - RRP £25

I received a 40ml version of this is a Look Fantastic box once and it left my hair feeling super soft. I always tend to buy hair products that are tailored for damaged hair as my hair needs all the moisture it can get; it absorbs moisture and leave-in product like crazy. This is a leave-in treatment and I tend to use about a walnut size on each half of my hair so this tube will last quite a while. 

Juice Cleanse Exfoliating Sugar Cubes // Harper + Ari

4oz Full Size Jar (8 cubes) - RRP £13.04 (with current conversion rates)

Holy hell these sugar cubes were made by Jesus. I'm annoyed because this is another product that is only available in the US. These beautiful cubes smell like sour fizzy apple gummy bears; it's intoxicating. You only get 8 cubes in this jar but they go a long way. I used an entire cube on my first go but you can get away with half to cover your entire body. The cubes are squishy; kinda like blue tack and then you rub them over your body in the shower. The best part is that they don't disintegrate upon immediate contact with water; it takes about a minute for them to fully dissolve allowing you to have a really good scrub. Your skin smells amazing afterwards and is super shimmery thanks to the tiny shimmer pieces. I can't get enough of these and I really hope they turn up in the box sales.

// Box Price £50 + £9.78 (for the Add-On Pads)

// 9 Full Size Items

// £245.58 Estimated Box Worth

This sub man; it's insane. I don't get how so many complain about it saying the products aren't exciting. I loved this box and yes it wasn't very "fall like" however I don't care as I got £250 of products for £50. There is no other subscription available that allows this amount of customisation than FFF and that is their real strength. The winter box will be the final box of my annual subscription (it passed so quick) and I have no hesitations about renewing. It costs £202 upfront (or well it did conversion rate wise when I subbed in Spring) for an annual UK subscription and it's so worth it. 

FabFitFun
// Seasonal // 
$49.99 per box + $10 Shipping* + $10 Tax
// Annual //
$179.99 (4 Boxes) + $40 Shipping* + $40 Tax

*UK Subs do not get charged any import tax, only VAT. 

For those wondering about shipping times, I received a shipped notification on 17th August and it was delivered on the 21st. They started shipping on the 8th August but they give themselves a month long window to ship all the boxes so the box could've been shipped anywhere between the 8th to the 7th September. 4 days is fantastic for US to the UK and I've never had to wait outside of the given time frame for my box.

Little Cactai // Clairestelle8 August 2019 Challenge

I've been wanting to do this look for so long, I've just never had time. For context, I bought a plant pot from TK Maxx about a year ago with this design on it and every time I looked at it I would think "that would make great nails". Well the time finally come and I loved wearing these. My peel off basecoat held up strangely as well for 3 days of wear. Considering I expect a mani to last about 6 hours with my peel base, the polish gods were clearly shining down upon me.

How I did it:
I started off with just 1 coat of Don't cry over spilled milkshakes and then 1 coat of sweet memories. I then mixed some acetone with Giant Peach to give it that glazed painted look. Using the cactai design from Explorer 33 I stamped first using Little Pickle and then followed it up with Dragon and deliberately stamped it a little off.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- OPI // Don't cry over spilled milkshakes (sheer white)
- OPI // Sweet Memories (sheer pink)
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails // Giant Peach (peach/pink)

- MoYou London // Little Pickle (bright lime)
- A-England // Dragon (forest green holo)
- MoYou London Plate // Explorer 33 

Essence // Nail Tattoo Liner & Pro White Active Review

Essence are quickly becoming one of my favourite nail brands because a) they are cheap and b) good quality. I just bought a £3 blusher from them and I love it. It's a beautiful mosaic of peach shades and exactly what I wanted. They seem to be as well, the only drugstore brand in the UK that actively create new ways for you to do nail art. They sell water decals, nail stickers, dotting tools and today I just saw this new nail and cuticle tattoo liner. Seeing as how you can get Essence at any Wilko's, it's ridiculously easy to get hold of. I don't see any other drugstore brands like Barry M, Essie, L'Oreal and Sally Hansen coming out with interesting nail art stuff.

Nail & Cuticle Tattoo Liner // £2

A quick search shows Europe has had this item for quite a while but I've never seen this in a UK Wilko's before. Why they don't do this in ALL the colours is beyond me because I love this! As you can see it's going to take me a while to learn how to draw straight lines on my nails but it makes it so much easier. I thought you could get the same results with just a regular black sharpie but it drags on the nail a little and isn't as black. I used a few other sharpie colours to add some colour and it looks ok but the colour is no where near as vivid. 

Once you're finished drawing you just seal it in with a top coat. This stuff is amazing. I'll deffo be buying some more.

Pro White Active // £1.80

This is supposed to help 'instantly whiten stained yellow nails'. Thanks to all the mustard/olive shades I've been wearing I definitely need that in spades so I thought I'd give this a go. I'd say your nails appear pinker at the bottom and a little whiter at the tips but they do say that it's more of an 'optical effect' through a slight pink/purple tint. It's supposed to help prevent staining as well but I haven't tested yet but I'm not sure if I will because it seriously dehydrates your nails. A few minutes after application, they looked like I hadn't applied nail oil in weeks:

I may use this on top of my peel off base coat but it doesn't look promising. You win some, you lose some. At £1.80 though, I'm not that bothered.

Part-Time Seashell // Clairestelle8 August 2019 Challenge

I legit can't stop staring at my nails. It's like that scene in Family Guy when Peter gets beautiful and he can't stop staring at himself in the rear view mirror and crashes his car. This is me but with my nails. I should go get in my car with my Starbucks cup and take a photo to flex....show off my sick 14 year old Hyundai; that'll show the haters.

I also feel like another scene in Family Guy with these seashell decorations on:

For once I feel like I've had my nails done by an actual nail tech. I'm not sure what that feels like though because I've never had my nails done by someone else. They're just so shiny and glisten-y and duochrome-y. I got inspiration for this mani from Pinterest where I discovered a very talented nail artist called @nailartist_motico. 

The decorations were super cheap and easy to use; the same cannot be said about the glue. I kinda wished I had filmed this because it was actual disaster at one point with those stupid squirty nail tubes. They were just oozing out glue and then I had a big brain moment and tried to wipe it off with cotton wool...then cotton wool got stuck to everything and it was going all over my nails and not on the seashells. It was a stressful 5 minutes. I then managed to find my brush on glue which was so much easier. Nail hack: ignore glue in tubes and get brush on glue.

How I did it:-

OK so, the ring finger and pinkie are 2 layers of Pretty in Putty followed by a dusting of some iridescent powder from Born Pretty. I wish I could tell you which but it has no identification on it. It was a pale greenish looking one though that shine blue/pink. I then stuck two starfish on them.

The other fingers had two coats of Part-Time Mermaid and Dance Party 'Teal dawn sponged on. The sponge was mainly Part-Time Mermaid with the teal shade blotted around to give some depth in places. I them stamped on some sea foam using Pretty in Putty and the Nicole Diary L09 plate and dabbed on a little of risky business. It's such a great glitter and kind of looks like bubbles with all the different size glitter chunks. I applied a layer of top coat before the decorations; brushed on some glue and then stuck them on.

You can't do anything with these things on, especially if it's to do with your hair because it just gets caught. I'm so glad I'm wearing a peel off basecoat because these would seriously start to annoy me after a few hours. I love how it looks but it's so impractical. Good thing I like doing my nails everyday.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- Ciaté // Pretty in Putty (off-white beige), Part-Time Mermaid (blue/green shimmer), Risky Business (blue/purple glitter)
- OPI // Dance Party 'Teal Dawn (teal)

- Random eBay seller // Sea themed nail decorations
- Nicole Diary // L09 Plate
- Barry M Hi-Shine // Plumpy Top Coat

Hooplamingo // Clairestelle8 August 2019 Challenge

Another entry for this months August challenge. If I continue with this rate of productivity I may actually finish this one! I'm starting to utilise my weekends more though. It's so strange, I've not had weekends off since I was 13. I'm so used to doing everything on random days during the week. But anyway, I was inspired by @lieve91 for this mani as her designs are just always the best. I hope one I grow up to be as good as her (..it's depressing though 'cause I think we're the same age lol).

Here's me trying to do my best lieve91 hand pose. Somehow I don't think I'm quite there yet. This mani was a nice break though as it features no stamping. Yes that's right, no stamping. I finally used some of the numerous water decals that I keep buying but then never use because they're too cute. I then used a fine brush to draw the lines on. I really need to practice my hand drawn designs more.

I like this design but I don't love it. I think the Hoopla pink shade is just too pink for what I was going for. I ummed and ahhed over this or a sheer cuccio pink shade for quite a while. I also feel like the pink shimmer is misplaced and I should've done another finger with it to tie it all together. It's still nice and pink and basic though. Using the decals was fun though, I really need to start using them more often. I also got some foil paper recently as well.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- Ciaté // White Heat (white), Paradise Lost (pink/gold shimmer), Hoopla (pink)

- Born Pretty Water Decals// BN-866
- Barry M Hi-Shine // Plumpy Top Coat

Mani & Lola August 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

We round out the last of the Mani & lola summer months with an edit containing 2 neons, a soft taupe, top coat and an interesting remover. When I saw the spoiler for the box though I knew I would love it just for the fluorescent Orly shade. There's something about those green/yellow polishes that just do it for me. Both the neon shades this month feel every 80's and I'm cooking up a neon/white look.

Flip Flop Fantasy V2 // China Glaze

14ml Full Size - RRP £5.95

Collection: Poolside
Release Date: 2015

This is not the original version of FFF as I found out when googling this shade. Apparently the Poolside collection was first released in 2010 and the original was a beautiful bright coral whereas this is more of a neon orange/peach. Swatch and Learn has fantastic photos of the original if your interested. I love how tan this shade makes you look and it's hella bright but that's where the good points end for me. I wanted to love this but it has the same application as the god awful Paradise range from last summer (I swatched them here). They were all matte finishes and streaky and this no exception. The first coat looks awful, you need a minimum of two but even then it's still a little patchy in places and because it's so bright you can really tell. I think I would've preferred the original coral shade over this neon cheeto offering. Adding a nice glossy top coat helps though (the second photo), I really hate these built in matte finishes that CG keep doing.

Glowstick // Orly
18ml Full Size - RRP £9.95

Collection: Feel The Vibe
Release: 2012

I have so many emotions about this shade; I love it. I also appreciate that this is a newer version of the shade because it has the more recent brush that NailsInc use and it perfectly hugs the nail. Application was a breeze with this compared to the China Glaze polish. It does take at least 3 coats to cover streaks and reach full neon but it dries quite quickly between coats for a slight satin finish. Also, apparently this was the exact nail polish used by Queen Kim herself on one of her numerous vacations during summer 2018...I'm so late to this hot summer trend.

Rose Dust // Mavala

5ml Full Size - RRP £5.20

Collection: Grace Trio (??)
Release: 2012 ( I think)

Rounding out the nail polish is this beautiful transition into fall shades. Rose Dust is a soft rose/taupe with some slight shimmer mixed in. I'm not the biggest mavala fan however this shade is my nude. Everyone has a different 'nude' that is 'their nude'. This one is mine. It's so close to my actual skin tone. It also makes a great base for duochromes that need a base shade.

Lacquer Lock // Nails Inc

14ml Full Size - RRP £15

God damn man, this thing takes about 17 years to dry. It's always the same with these "daylight curing" top coats. They think they're being clever because gel polish is a thing. I really don't know why gel is popular, UV light causes skin cancer, they should be applying sunscreen onto someones hand every time they stick it under a lamp. Side note, I once had a conversation with a nail technician who told me their lamps were fine and didn't give out UV radiation because they were LED bulbs...I was like

But anyway, these types of top coat are all garbage unless like Kim K and Ko, you are on holiday every week in the sun where, you know, actual UV light can 'cure' the top coat. I don't know about you but we don't get much sun here in the UK and I always do my nails at night so these products are pretty much useless to me. 

Rapid Remover Pot // Nails Inc

60ml Full Size - RRP £9

I've never actually used one of these 'dipping' pots before to remove your polish but I'm intrigued by them. This one has been formulated though specifically for your toes! So you can either use this as a dip in or use the sponge built into the lid. I tried this with the Mavala shade; just 2 coats on top of my peel off base coat and it removed the the polish rapidly but struggled with the base coat. It did leave my fingers feeling dry and sticky; the strangest combination. It does smell quite nice though with the peppermint coming through strong. I'm worried about how hygenic this thing is though. After several uses all I'd be thinking about is the nasty acetone pooling at the bottom. Not my cup of tea for £9. I can buy about 4 of my 250ml Cutex bottles for that.

Also, I have to add this because I'm secretly 9 years old; removing polish from your fingers with this thing looks... suspiciously adult... 😂 

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Estimated Value - £45.10

// Verdict

A great box to round out the summer with and I'm hoping next month we get some burnt oranges and clay red. I'd say the only dud for me this month is the top coat as I enjoyed using everything else, even if the China Glaze shade applies like a nightmare. A part of me is toying with perhaps cancelling this sub though and seeing if I can buy similar items for £22.95...maybe I'll make a video about trying to curate my own autumn box for the same price.

Mani & Lola

Monthly - £20

3 Months - £62.85

6 Months - £113.70

12 Months - £203.40

£2.95 p&p every month