Jennifer Love Hewitt Fancy Box – September 2013

For more on Fancy  subscription boxes and a coupon code, jump down below, but let’s get to the review of the September Jennifer Love Hewitt Fancy Box.  This is one of the five celebrity curated boxes that Fancy offers.

Limited Edition Ciate Nail Polish Caviar Manicure in Tutti Fruitti: (Retail $25:00)
Verdict: Miss

As you probably know if you read the blog, I have a Julep subscription so in theory this should work since I love nail stuff.  The thing is this looks like something it takes at least a little skill to apply and I am still working on not getting nail polish all over my fingers, hands and table.  There is no way I would be able to pull this off and not have those little beads everywhere.  I also don’t think it’s the best look for work.  In terms of mass appeal, every time I look at the pictures I envision those beads scattering all over the floor and women frantically running to keep their toddlers and dogs from eating them.  It’s an interesting item, but I think impractical for most folks.  Another one for my gift stash.

L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil: (Retail: $8.50)
Verdict:  Product = Hit; Size = Miss

Now according to the Fancy site this product is $10, but the L’Occitane site lists it at $8.50.  As you can tell from the picture, this product is very small basically a deluxe sample size.  In a box this expensive where even shipping is extra, I expect better sizes.  And if you are going to go the sample route, then either do a couple items as a “travel set” or pick some things that work great in someone’s every day bag, like hand cream, lip balm, antibacterial, etc.  L’Occitane does make wonderful items, so the product itself is welcome.

Mustache Bandages:  (Retail: $6.00)
Verdict:  Hit!

While I’d never pay $6.00 for these, they are fun and practical, plus the tin is extra cute.  I’m not sure if you can tell in the picture, but the tin came slightly dented.  It included a “free prize inside.”  Mine was a temporary tattoo of a zombie so that’s a double win right there.

Sophie Sparrow Shark Tooth Necklace:  (Retail: $40.00)
Verdict: Miss

This is a brass necklace with a long chain.  For me personally it doesn’t read as a shark tooth.  My first impression was more toward a variation on a Native American arrowhead.  Honestly, it’s not my aesthetic and my brass chain actually came with a tiny bit that was already tarnished.  I think the necklace was aiming for edgy and instead languishes at mediocre and uncompelling.  The retail on Fancy is $40, but a  quick google search found tons on ebay and craiglist in the $20/$25 range.  So if you happen to love this, I’d suggest picking it up on one of those sites for a lot less.

One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book (Retail $12.66)
Verdict: Gift

This is a journal with an interesting variation.  It’s a 5 year journal that is set up for you to write just one line a day.  It’s well made and a cool concept, but sadlyI have enough daily writing projects.  I do think however it will make a great gift.  I’m thinking it’s perfect for an expectant parent, and once the kid is born they can jot down a line every day about how trying or wonderful parenting can be.  Now again, this is overpriced on Fancy.  According to Fancy, the price is $25, but you can pick it up on Amazon for $12.66.

So overall, I was kind of disappointed with this box.  There wasn’t much for me to use personally and it didn’t feel particularly Jennifer Love Hewitt-esque.  The cards that come with the box give a little info on the products, but also state why the celebrity chose them.  This time, only three items had info on why JLove chose them (the necklace, the bandaids and the journal).  The nail polish set and the shower oil only contained generic messages.

This box cost me $46.95, according to the retail values (using the cheapest prices I found) it’s worth $92.16.  The problem is I probably wouldn’t have selected a lot of these—even as gifts.  I’m hoping next month is improved otherwise as much as it breaks my heart, I may need to say goodbye to the Jennifer Love Hewitt Box.

What did you guys think of the items?  Am I being too hard on Fancy?  Did you love anything?

THE BACKSTORY

Fancy Box is a monthly subscription service that curates items that are popular on the Fancy website.  There are a few different subscription options.  They all cost $39 plus shipping (an additional $7.95).

#1 –Fancy box (Original)
This box features a collection of some of the most fancy’d items, curated by the fancy community. Each box includes $80.00+ of products in the categories of your choice.
The categories you can choose from include: Men’s, Women’s, Kid’s, Home, Gadgets & Media.  It also lets you customize your Tshirt size and your cell phone type.

#2 Fancy Food Box
Each Fancy Food Box includes five or more food products – anything from cookies and chocolates to teas and sauces – along with a selection of tasty recipes and pairing suggestions.

#3 Celebrity Curated Fancy Box
There are seven celebrity curated boxes to choose from.  Each box includes $80.00+ of products.  Most boxes are geared toward men or women though they do include unisex items.

They include:

• Verbal Fancy Box  (This box is more geared towards Men)
• Cocha Rocha Fancy Box (This box is more geared towards Women)
• Tyler Florence Box  (This box focuses on home, kitchen & cooking items)
• Pink Fancy Box (This box is more geared towards Women)
• Jennifer Love Hewitt Box:(This box is more geared towards Women)
• Ashton Kusher Fancy Box: (This box is more geared towards Men)
• Kelly Rowland Fancy Box:  Brand New! (This box is more geared towards Women)

 

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