Hey hey, it’s MJ,

            Alright so let’s get this started. I have some things that I need to say but I will wait those until the end of the post because I want to get through what I got before I have my words. Some of them are not so great. 

            This season they didn’t give a price range which is the first time in I think the history of my subscription that they haven’t had the price points on the inside of the magazine with all of the options, maybe I am just not reading closely enough but I can’t find it. So I will tell you that my box is worth over the $250 mark. I could do the math for the upper and lower limits of the box but I don’t want to do that much math today, I’m on spring break and I don’t want to. 

            As usual all opinions are my own and I doubt any of my opinions will ever be influenced by anyone else so I’m not too concerned but really, it’s just me sitting in my apartment writing this post.

            I want to say one thing before I start with what I got, I miss when there were like four options for things, like for this one; the first customization for all members had 9 items to choose from. I also am not a huge fan of the bringing back old choices from pervious boxes but that is just me. There were forty potential items in this box and that is just a lot, I feel like I have been complaining a lot about this box but 2020 made me a little more cynical so it is what it is.

Tech Candy UV Sanitizer: 

            This was the only thing that I really wanted, it was either this or an indoor planter and I don’t have the room for that in my apartment. My kitchen is very small so having an indoor herb garden, while super cool, is not something that I can feasible swing right now. I know that your phone is like the dirtiest thing you touch during the day and I figured that this would be a good thing to have because I live on my phone, I know that is such a cliché millennial thing but I do. I take my phone everywhere with me and I work in a school so you never know what’s floating around there. I have used it and I like it so far. Just set your phone in it and forget it because it turns itself off after five minutes. Usually here is where I would tell you the other options but there are eight and I don’t want to. 

Gaiam Ultimate Core Toning Kit:

            This was the second choice that was given to all members and this category unlike the last one only had seven options which was still too many for me. This has really been the only fitness item I have seen in the box in a long time. I am trying to get better with my fitness and adding more equipment to my home workout area is never a bad thing. Also if someone comes over and ticks me off I can throw the tiny exercise ball at them. I am excited to give them a try in the coming weeks as I swing myself back into the workout groove because it’s finally nice enough outside to actually do things again. 

Joy Dravecky Chloe Ring:

            It says “adjustable” it’s not, not really (ring size 6-8), it’s just cute out in the back but if you try to move it, it makes a noise like it’s going to crack so I have a cool pinky ring. It’s a really cute ring I will for sure say that and I really like how it looks as I sit here writing this post with it on my pinky. I don’t know, I chose this one because all of the other choices weren’t things that I actually wanted. I like it and that’s really all that matters. I’m just confused on how it’s “adjustable”? There were only five in this category but I am still not going to list them.

Sorbus Makeup Organizer: 

            This was the first thing that was picked for me because I am not an annual member. I prefer to choose my own makeup storage options and for some reason this gave me like 2008 Delia’s vibes. I just don’t know how the product buyers over at fff are choosing products right now because this one feels really juvenile. In the magazine it says that they “choose the best option for you” and I am trying to figure out how that fits in but fine, it is what it is. I’m going to use it for organizing sewing stuff. There were six items in this category and none of them actually got me excited at all. 

Pur Cosmetics Iconic Glow Illuminating Face and Body Dry Oil:

            I was on the phone with a friend when I was opening my box and my first thought was “2005 called and they want their body glitter back”. I feel like I am just complaining and I don’t like that feeling but again, like the last one I am trying to piece together what the method is for their choices of products. I am not a product buyer, I am nowhere close but I am confused at how they are making the choices on what is actually going in their boxes. This whole section of the box confuses me in general. I like Pur Cosmetics, it’s a good brand but a face a body oil is just not for me, I was a teenager when Twilight came out and I think that we should have left sparkly skin back there. 

Human + Kind Hand Scrub Elderflower + Raspberry: 

            We are coming out of winter so a hand scrub is never a bad thing and I like Human + Kind, their body lotion is great and I love the one I have. This only had three options and I don’t really know what else to say about it. It’s a scrub, their packaging is fun and cool which is nice so this product is fine and I am looking forward to giving it a try. 

Pink Sky Cactus Sipper Cup: 

            I have some concerns about this cup and one of those is the fact that arms are hollow so cleaning the inside of them is not going to be fun, also the lines on the lid don’t watch up with the rest of the cup and that’s annoying. I am going to use it as a vase, I just have to get some fake flowers first because the less water I can get anywhere near it, the better. 

Saie Reusable Beauty Rounds: 

            I love my Makeup Eraser that I got in Winter 2019. I use it pretty much every day so I am trying to figure out how to use these and all that stuff. I will work on it and I will be throwing them in the washing machine this weekend to see how they hold up. I will let you know. I am so hopeful because I love reusable beauty products that help me cut down on waste so here’s hoping. Of the two options this was the better for me because the other was nail polish and I haven’t worn nail polish in almost a decade so it is what it is. 

            So here it is, you got to see what I got. This is the second box in a row that has overall underwhelmed me. I don’t like to be negative, I really don’t enjoy finding faults in things but no matter the price point of this box, do I feel like I got my money’s worth? Not really, if we are being brutally honest. This box missed the mark for me with the quality of boxes in the past. I know that we are still in the throes of a pandemic and sourcing things is difficult but I would rather see a paired down box with fewer better quality options than a large potential catalogue with items that I feel have lesser quality. 

I know that this is not the first time I have expressed concerns with my box, the shipping time, and even the quality of the items. I have never had a problem with the company and I doubt that I will, and if you got this box you may have loved it and I hope that you do. I know that I shouldn’t compare this box to boxes past but I will because I have been subscribed since like March of 2018 and I loved it when I felt there was more diversity in the types of products we received. Now it is a lot of similar products and that has been a problem for the last year or so. 

So what does that mean for the future of my fff unboxing posts? I don’t know at the moment, I am going to wait to see what the choice spoilers are for the summer box and hope that they are amazing or at least worthwhile for me to keep my subscription or I may be finding an alternative. I used to look forward to receiving my fff boxes each season but now I just wonder what sort of “stuff” I will get to find alternate uses for or just find a place to store it. 

I am glad that they are getting rid of products that have 12 different harmful or not so savory chemicals in them, that is such a step in the right direction but I would also love to see more lifestyle, fitness, and just general quality décor items instead of just beauty and skin care. I subscribe to IPSY so I get enough in those. I want to see more fun in my fff box.

This is such a stupid problem to have, I don’t like the things that I get in a box that is a luxury to even be able to have and I know that. I know how whiny I sound but I still pay for this box four times a year and I want to feel like I am getting really cool things because we used to in these boxes. I don’t want to complain, but I want to give my honest opinion; no sugar coating because if you are considering getting this box I want you to be informed no matter how I feel about it. I want people to make informed decisions on what they spend their money on, especially now in the times we are living in at the moment. 

I think I need to be done because the more I say the more annoying I sound. So I will be back mid-week with another post that promises to be a lot more fun, who knows I haven’t written it yet but if everything shows up like it’s supposed to it’s going to be a fun spring DIY, if not it’ll be my first Bullet Journal post of the year so either way I’ll be back Wednesday with another post. 

So until then be happy, stay safe and stay healthy,

-MJ