FABulous FABletics

New Year usually means change in one way or another, and for me 2015 has definitely marked a new beginning in SO many ways. After a long time of being employed full time with an established company with lots of perks, I decided to take stock of what I was doing, and I reached the decision that for me the right thing was to pack it in, leave what I was doing - a nice and secure job and doing something completely different. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made and not something I would recommend that you do lightly. I've been fortunate enough to have had a very good job for a long time, but when push comes to shove, it actually didn't make me HAPPY. In these dire economic times you might think that I'm completely crazy to give up something that I know and was at least semi-happy doing, but ultimately it came down to, will I regret not having done something else when I eventually retire? The answer to that very difficult question was YES and having thought things through a besquillion times I decided that it was time for me to put my brave pants on, and to follow my heart and take the leap into the unknown. For me that has meant to commit fully to my biggest passion in life - Pilates, and over night I have become a self-employed Pilates teacher. It's been the scariest thing I've ever done, and it's without a doubt also been the BEST thing I've ever done.

My days are now filled with Pilates classes, working to improve flexibility and mobility of my clients and it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Unfortunately that also means that I work long hours and don't have much time for blogging. So, after much consideration I've decided to merge the things that I love the most; Pilates and Blogging. With that I launch my Pilates homepage: Head To Toe Pilates and my professsional FB page, and as of now you might see blog posts that are more Health and Pilates orientated as part of that process. I will still continue to post about beauty products, but sometimes it will be from my sister blog for Head To Toe Pilates. I hope you'll continue to follow Makeup By Candlelight and give me your comments and also to check out my professional FB page (perhaps also Like) and even my Head To Toe Pilates home page from time to time. Today's post is an example of the cross-over between my biggest passions, looking at the amazing FABletics Boutique.

 

Sad as it may seem, I can't even remember the last time I went on a proper shopping spree, but since I spend every day in some sports outfit or another it's a pretty good chance that my most recent purchase was a pair of black opaque leggings... Not particularly exciting, but what IS exciting is my latest obsession when it comes to sports wear - FABletics Boutique. The concept is based on a membership profile, so when you sign up to become a member of FABletics (free), you take a quick lifestyle quiz to find out amongst other things which your favourite colours are, what type of exercise you prefer to do, where you prefer to exercise and what type of clothes you prefer to wear e.g. long or short sleeves etc.

When you've signed up, you'll get an offer to become a VIP member. All that means is that you are offered to by an outfit at a heavily discounted price to start with, and after that you will receive monthly offers that are handpicked for you at a discounted price. Even though you get these personalised offers, you can still see the complete range of clothes and buy whatever your heart desires - well, as long as it's sports wear... You're under no obligation to buy anything, you can either buiy the outfit selected for you or let them know by the 5th of every month that you don't want the monthly offer. Then you can always go back and buy something completely different or nothing at all. If you decide to become a regular member it means that you can come back at any time and buy whatever you want at a slightly different price, but then again you don't have to worry about being organised enough to say "No" to the monthly offer by the 5th of every month.

I've been a VIP member for 2 months now and a very happy one at that. Why? - Well first of all you're offered to buy a 2- or 3-piece outfit from a starting price of £44 every month. Considering the quality of the items, the fit and styles to choose from, and the wonderful selection of styles to suit everyone, that's a pretty good deal! Secondly if you do decide that what you bought isn't what you wanted, FABletics have an easy to use return policy and you'll get your money credited back after about a week of returning your item free of cost. Thirdly, every time you do a review of an item that you've bought, regardless of whether you returned it or not, you accumulate points which you can then redeem for an item of clothing - brilliant! Not only are you encouraged to share your honest opinions about your purchases, but you actually get rewarded for it too.

The only thing you should be aware of is that sizes are generally generous, and at least half a size too big than your normal size, which is something you might want to consider when you create your profile, since you also get to add your size for tops, bottoms and bra's. 

So far I've bought 2 monthly offers - yes I know I'm greedy, and a shrug on the side and I'm so impressed with the quality, speed of delivery and customer service. The materials are soft, comfortable to wear, they wash well and come in all colours of the rainbow. If you're looking for something a little bit different, something you won't find on the high street, then FABletics is definitely the way to go. Oh, and did I mention that the FABulous Kate Hudson is one of the co-founders, recommending certain picks every month? Well, we can't all be Hollywood stars, but we can certainly feel like one!