Is It Time To Say Goodbye? FabFitFun’s Lackluster Summer Box

I came home to my FabFitFun Summer 2023 Box after being out of the country for almost a month. To be honest, I could barely remember what I picked, and unboxing my items was a lackluster experience.

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Category 1, Summer Box 2023

Strictly speaking, I didn’t need another set of ankle/wrist weights since I already got another pair from a previous box (Koral 1lb Ankle weights). But since my first choice (Underwater film camera) wouldn’t be arriving in time for my Philippines trip, I went with my second choice.

It was pretty much the only other practical option for me in Category 1, everything else was a lackluster option. Very cute for what it is, and easier to pack away/bring to the gym than the Koral weights from a previous box. I would prefer to bring these to the gym over my previous ankle/wrist weights since they stand out less.

I’ve seen these around before and I’m glad I got it through FabFitFun rather than buying it outright. After using them, I don’t think they’re worth the full price. Sure, it’s cute to begin with, but they don’t scale well once someone’s ready to move to heavier weights. Buying multiples of these (for different weights) is expensive and unnecessary.

I wouldn’t call it a lackluster product per se, since it does offer something. But ultimately, sand-filled weights are cheaper, while dumbbells offer far more versatility. I would rather spend my money on those two options, rather than pay the “pretty” tax. 

Still, I suppose they’re nice to have on hand (or wrist). 

Category 2, Summer Box 2023

I knew for a fact my hair would be a mess after coming back from the Philippines. The heat & humidity back home is…intense. In light of that, coming home to a bottle of the Olaplex No.8 was sheer bliss.

I’ve never used it before since it was too expensive of a gamble. It’s rather pricy, and I wasn’t sure if it actually would make a difference. So when I saw it on the FabFitFun Summer box teasers, I was sold (despite the otherwise…lackluster offerings). At that point, I told myself I’d figure something out for the other 5 categories.

Though I feel like my results weren’t as life-changing as some other reviewers, I did still feel a noticeable improvement in texture, if not quite appearance.

Still, this one item alone made the whole box worth it (price-wise). But at the same time, it’s the only item I think is worthwhile from this whole season’s box. Everything else is just on the “I don’t hate it,” level for me.

Category 3, Summer Box 2023

I know it’s not quite a toner or an exfoliant. But I was hoping that this would somewhat help lessen the appearance of “strawberry legs.” So far though, I haven’t seen much of a difference. Tried it on my face too (where it’s supposed to be used anyway), but I haven’t noticed a difference either.

While I wish it yielded better results, I’m not quite disappointed either. Disappointment would mean I had high expectations, and I didn’t. Category 3 was simply lackluster. It didn’t have anything else that appealed to me, whether for personal use or gifts.

In case you haven’t noticed, that’s pretty much been the trend of my feelings about the recent FabFitFun options. I generally like 1-2 items, or I love 1 item enough to opt in, rather than swap it for credit. For the other categories, I just end up picking something that looks vaguely interesting or looks useful.

I know a lot of other users gift items they’re not excited about, but most of the options are hair or skincare items. I don’t know about you, but for me and my group of friends, those are highly personal choices. Most of them know what works for their hair and skin and stick to that. 

When the best case scenario is more along the lines of “didn’t work as good as other product,” and the worst case is an allergic reaction…well. It’s a gamble I’m willing to risk for myself, but not a risk I’m willing to gift to others.

So anyway, I would’ve appreciated FabFitFun more if there was more variety of home decor or even fashion accessories. Lackluster or not, those are easier to gift away.

Category 4, Summer Box 2023

Second of all, I knew my hair would need all the help & love it can get! After all, it got subjected to the heat & humidity back home in the Philippines. So I figured eh, why not?

So far, I appreciate the fact that it doesn’t feel too oily, nor does it weigh my hair down. But otherwise, not seeing much of a difference. So here’s to another lackluster product. But I’m willing to use this more consistently, to give it more chances. 

However, I ran into an increasing problem I didn’t realize I would have when I first signed up for FabFitFun: I only have so much skin & hair. I can’t keep up, and finish the products before I end up with another (different) hair/skin product.

I’m still working on using up previous products from past boxes. It’s hard to use up all of it, but it also feels wasteful to toss them when they aren’t finished/expired. At the same time, offering an open product to friends also feels weird.

At this point, I’m just not sure what else to pick. Home decor items or accessories are easier to gift, but those tend to be in the categories where I want something else for myself.

Category 5, Summer Box 2023 (only annual members can customize)

The best I can say about it is that it’s lackluster. 

Though to be fair, I could also just be experiencing hair/skincare fatigue at this point. Which wouldn’t surprise me, as I seem to be slathering so many things on my hair and skin recently. One to genuinely make up for neglecting hair/skincare while I was on vacation in the Philippines. Two, so I can honestly say I’ve tried the product.

But as has been the case with most of my selections for the Summer Box, I chose this item by process of elimination.

I literally couldn’t muster interest, much less enthusiasm, for the other similarly lackluster products offered in this category. So I defaulted to some sort of moisturizer. Again.

At this point you would assume my skin is so dewy, I get mistaken for a baby, but no.

Category 6, Summer Box 2023 (only annual members can customize)

The good news is that this is more useful than most. Granted, it’s because I was already running low on my preferred hair protection spray anyway. Otherwise, it could’ve just been another haircare product to add to my graveyard of my “tried but it didn’t make a difference” hair products.

Upon typing that, I realize I’m probably due for a scalp detox or cleansing…

The other piece of good news is that I’ve at least had previous (good) experience with Bumble & bumble products. That was a deciding factor on why I picked this over the other products from Category 6.

Now, I wouldn’t call it underwhelming, unlike the Laneige cream or the Briogeo Avocado spray. But I don’t know if it’s something I would be excited to purchase on its own. Again, it’s not a bad product, just lackluster and I’ve had better…

My feelings for this item follow the general trend I’ve been experiencing with my FabFitFun experience: increasing disinterest & fatigue.

I used to be excited to try new products, but the variety doesn’t feel like it’s where I want it to be. Maybe their selection is amazing for other customers, but not so much for me.

Is it time to say goodbye?

In all honesty, I’m leaning towards just letting my current annual membership expire this year.

It sucks since I think that I won’t be an annual member during the Winter Box Customization. That’s usually the one I enjoy the most, not to mention Christmas gifts! I am somewhat tempted to use up my credits to buy a seasonal box, but we’ll see…

Otherwise, unless they greatly revamp the variety (& grouping) of items they have on offer, I don’t see myself renewing for annual membership at this time.

When I first joined, I was excited about an assortment of accessories, home items, & beauty products – in that exact order. But lately, most of it seems to have been hair & skincare products. Plus the grouping feels off, though I can’t explain exactly what bothers me about it yet.

I feel that if I were to assemble all the FabFitFun items I still use, versus the ones I don’t, it would be a huge discrepancy. Off the top of my head, I could only recall still using a small handful of my previous box items.

Eventually, after the novelty of trying something new fades, I go back to using the hair & skincare products that I already know work best for me.

At least the sales are still somewhat interesting – if a lot – so I can still use my credit for those. But mostly I’m saving my credit for holiday gifting purposes.

Otherwise, the main appeal lately has been the anticipation for spoilers & reveals. But even then, that only lasts until I see the lackluster offering, then I’m over it. Maybe I’m just a sucker for surprises and looking forward to reveals.

To be clear, I’m not against the idea of coming back to subscribe for more FabFitFun boxes someday. But their recent options & the direction they seem to be going are not for me.