REVIEW OF TRENDING POPULAR SUBSCRIPTION
In recent years, the subscription-based model has grown in popularity. From the rise of this trend, many brands have chosen to implement online subscriptions. The rise of subscribers has led the establishments of brands solely subscription based. The subscription based model relies on the idea of selling a product or service to a customer who will receive goods bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc. The whole idea behind subscription business models focuses on the way revenue is made so that customers pay multiple payments for a product or service for a prolonged period. Subscription revenue is an easy way to keep that customer relationship as they will keep paying for the product or service for a long term.I’ve been fortunate enough to experiment with a fair share of subscription-services. I’ve had the opportunity to try Fabletics, Dollar Shave Club, Function of Beauty, and Seed Probiotic. A lot of these brands are heavily advertised and have become extremely popular in recent years. I’m also aware that because these brands are heavily advertised, it’s hard to find reliable reviews and know they are 100% honest and authentic. Now, I’m here to tell you what’s good, what’s worth your money and my honest review. Here I will be giving you an overall rating on the product and service and then I will give you a breakdown of the rating. FableticsI can confidently say that I have been interrupted, in the middle of a youtube video, by a fabletics ad at least 50 times in the past 6 months. Their advertisement is huge, they have an insane amount of sponsors, and have done many collaborations with celebrities. Overall, I would give Fabletics a 6 out of 10. For starters, I did their highly-advertised deal of 2 leggings for $24 USD (~ $32 CAD) and then 50% off the rest of my order. I purchased the Zone High-Waisted ⅞ leggings, the Anywhere High-Waisted Leggings, the High Wasted PowerHold ⅞, the Trinity Medium Impact Sports Bra, and the Nara Half Zip Hoodie. What I really liked about Fabletics is that you are encouraged to try on their clothes, sweat in them, and workout in them before deciding whether you want to keep them or return them, which is super great. What is also nice about Fabletics is that their activewear is offered in a wide range of sizes. The quality matched what I paid for from the 2 for $24 USD and 50% off the best deal I got when I placed my first order. However, the quality does not match the items at regular price. Although the leggings I purchased were labeled as “sweat wicking”, they showed a lot of sweat. To add, the leggings were not “squat proof”. The mesh trimming on the Nara Half Zip Hoodie was very sharp and rubbed on my skin weirdly. I don’t have any complaints in regards to the sports bra I purchased but it is very expensive (similar price point to Lululemon but without lululemon’s quality). One important thing to note is that I found it very difficult to find reviews online that were not sponsored. Also, because Fablectis is highly advertised, everything is always sold out on their website. I don’t know if it is because they have a small inventory of each product or what but I found it surprising that they do a lot of branding but they don’t have the inventory to match it. Dollar Shave ClubI give Dollar Shave Club at 9 out of 10. Buying a Gillette razor (or any other brand) and Gillette razor blades is unnecessarily expensive for some unknown reason, so I was very attracted by this concept. The starter pack includes a handle, travel shave butter, and 4 extra razor blades all just for $9 USD (~ $12 CAD). Back when I purchased a razor from Dollar Shave Club, there were three different razors to choose from (The Twin, The 4X, and The Executive) but now they only offer The Executive (the highest level). I purchased The 4X and I think it is better that they only offer The Executive now because I found the blades on The 4X not sharp enough to let’s say, for example, a Gillette razor. Shipping is extremely fast and they use very minimal packaging. My only other note about this brand is that it is targeted and more catered towards male customers. There’s no problem for Females to use Dollar Shave Club but now there are brands like Billie that are catered more towards female customers. Function of BeautyI give Function of Beauty a 5 out of 10. I was attracted to try out Function of Beauty because of how customizable their hair products are. All you have to do is take a very short quiz where you are asked about your hair type, hair structure, and scalp moisture (I have curly, coarse hair and dry scalp). Next, you are asked to select your top five hair goals. The goals that I chose included curl definition, lengthen deep condition, hydrate, and anti-frizz. I also chose the silicone-free option. The Fragrance I chose was called “All (you)calyptus” in the medium strength which is their eucalyptus mint scent. Lastly, you choose what dye you want for the bottles (I opted for no dye). Now, here are my thoughts on the shampoo and conditioner and my overall experience. For starters, the order took about a month to get to me. Of course, COVID-19 might have contributed to the delay so hopefully, in regular time, the order would have arrived much faster. Despite this, the packaging is great and super cute. The scent I chose, eucalyptus mint, was very nice and cooling but if you are sensitive to scents, definitely consider choosing the lightest intensity for your fragrance of choice because the scent was a bit too strong (and I chose the medium intensity). Overall, after trying the shampoo and conditioner several times, I have come to the conclusion that it’s a lot more expensive for the results I was hoping to get. Comparing Function of Beauty’s silicone-free conditioner to other silicone-free conditioners, a lot of conditioners had to be used for slip (i.e. to detangle hair). I didn’t feel like there was anything special about the shampoo. I found there to be a lot of advertisements (even from A-list celebrities) and people don’t have bad reviews about Function of Beauty but I don’t feel like it’s worth your buck. Overall, the concept is great but not worth paying for (especially silicone-free) because I didn't find that it made any difference in my hair or satisfied any of my hair goals. However, I am aware that my hair goals are hard to find in the hair industry and I am aware that I have curly hair so keep in mind that this is all relative to your hair type and hair goals. Also important to note that I only tried their silicone free formula so one may have a completely different experience and result using their regular formula with silicone. Seed ProbioticI give Seed a 9 out of 10. There is an overwhelming amount of information online about probiotics, gut health, and the importance of the two. This company keeps it simple as it only offers one item, their synbiotic. I’ve been taking Seed’s daily synbiotic (which is a probiotic + prebiotic) for the last 6 months and I have really enjoyed how I feel, how my skin looks, and the story and research behind cultivating their product. Seed takes the microsystem approach and delivers benefits for your gut health, heart health, skin health, immune functions, and more. I take the recommended amount of 2 pills per day with water in the morning. It’s dairy free, gluten free, preservative free, and vegan. Your first order comes in a refillable glass jar and a travel glass vial. When you subscribe to get your refills monthly or quarterly refills (your preference), your refills come in a Compostable Bio-Based Pouch to refill the glass jar. They are eco-conscious- all their packaging is biodegradable. They use a recyclable FSC-Certified Shipping Box with compostable mycelium tray and soluble corn foam. I prefer to get 3 months of refills at a time because shipping is cheaper that way. Overall, great product.
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