Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Beauty Bloggers VoxBox

Hey, guys! I hope you're all having an amazing week! Today have a different post than usual for you all. A while ago I signed up for Influenster, a wonderful little website for reviewing products. You put in your interests and fill out some surveys, and if they decide that you qualify, you'll be sent a box of goodies to review. 

I decided to just try it out, even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't get any boxes. But a month or so ago I discovered, to my excitement, an email from Influenster saying I'd qualified for the Beauty Bloggers VoxBox! 
My box arrived a few weeks ago, and was just like a second Christmas! I tore open the packaging and ravaged through the box. Ready to hear about what all I received?

NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact
Retail Price: $4.99


I'm not really a makeup person, so I don't quite know what makes a good or bad eye shadow. I diligently tried it on, though, and I really liked the shades, and had no trouble with anything. So A+ in my book!

Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit
Retail Price: $5.99


Remember how I said I'm not a makeup person? This specifically applies to false eyelashes. Don't get me wrong, I know some women can pull them off fabulously, but I just find them extremely tacky. We already have eyelashes. Why in the world would we need fake ones too? So I haven't tried this product yet (and probably never will) but I'm hunting around to find someone to review them for me.

Bath & Body Works Mini Candles
Retail Price: $3.50


I'm pretty sure they sent out a bunch of different scents for this one, and I got Pumpkin Cupcake. I love the smell of pumpkins, and the smell of cupcakes, so I was pretty darn excited about this one. I really only have good things to say about it. The pumpkin smell does overpower the cupcake one a bit, so know when you buy it that it's mainly a pumpkin-scented candle. I know not all people like the pumpkin smell, so if you're one of those people, don't get this one thinking you'll still enjoy the cupcake part of it- there's not too much cupcake scent to enjoy.


And this is pretty unrelated, But I thought it was funny. There was this little plastic packaging lid thing covering the candle, and apparently Bath & Body Works thinks us candle-buyers are pretty slow- they actually had to tell us to take off the plastic before lighting the candle? Wow. I never would have figured THAT out on my own! Thanks for the heads up (sarcasm alert)!

EBOOST
Retail Price: $28 for box of 20 effervescent powders, $39 for box of 30 effervescent powders, $39 for box of 12 shots


I wasn't really sure about this product. I was terrified it would get me a sugar-high feeling and then I'd crash a few hours later. And that's never fun. But I woke up one morning with loads of stuff to do and not enough energy to get it all done. That's when I decided to test this one out.
I poured a medium-sized glass of water, ripped open the packet, and poured the powder in. I was glad I'd used a large cup and filled it up halfway, because this stuff bubbled up at the top, and if I'd been using a smaller glass it would have overflowed for sure.
I'm not a fan of orange-flavored things, but I was still expecting something... better. Maybe it would taste like a nice orange soda or something. Boy was I wrong. I don't quite know what it was, but this thing tasted disgusting. There's no way I would make myself drink a glass of it every day. 
It took a half hour or so but I dutifully downed the entire glass. And I really didn't notice any change in anything. I wasn't more peppy or energetic or anything. Maybe it works like cold medicine, where the effects happen without you noticing, but I'm not too sure.



And here's my biggest complaint with this product. Read what the packaging says. "Boost  your day, everyday." It's every day! Didn't ANYONE notice the grammar mistake when proofreading the labels? There's a difference between "everyday" and "every day," people! Don't use the incorrect form on a professional package (okay, grammar rant over)! 

Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin
Retail Price: $7.29


I have to say, these are the most nifty little things I've ever seen. They're like little screws that you put on each side of a bun and twist clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to unscrew. On the downside, though, my hair doesn't even reach my shoulders, so I had no luck using them. However, I tried screwing them into a tiny bun I made in my hair, and they don't come out unless you twist them. They don't fall out like bobby pins or hair clips. I do think that, even if I had long hair and hadn't received this product for free, there's no way I would buy this in stores. It's a brilliant idea, but I feel like $7.29 is WAY too much for two pins.

Nor Your Mother’s Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream
Retail Price: $6.00 for full sized 4-oz bottle


So at first, I was pretty disappointed about receiving this one. I have limp,  straight hair, and the most it curls is when my bangs curl out and look like little horns (much to my embarrassment). I decided to try it on my hair anyway; maybe it would magically make my hair beautifully curly? It didn't  But it DID leave my hair smelling amazing, so that’s a bonus! It was pretty greasy, though, and I had trouble washing it out, so I was just about ready to give up on it until the perfect situation cropped up last Saturday.
I was preparing to go to a party with a friend when she asked me if her hair would look nice if we curled it. Now, because I have hair that refuses to curl even with a curling iron, I NEVER have a chance to curl hair.  So I jump on the opportunity, grabbing my rarely-used curling iron from deep within my bathroom drawer, and start curling away.
I didn't want the curls to go limp halfway through the party, so I gave her hair a healthy coating of hair spray to keep it in place. And all of a sudden we've got problems. There are strands of hair sticking out, now practically glued in place. We can’t get the brush through it. It’s a tangled, yucky mess.
We have to leave in less than a half hour. No time for her to wash her hair or for us to straighten it out again. We’re in full-blown crisis mode now. She’s panicking. I’m panicking. Everyone’s panicking. And then I remember something- the hair cream.
I scramble to retrieve it from the next room and frantically squeeze a dollop onto my fingers and run it through her hair. And all of a sudden, the curls are beautiful.
No more tangles. No more frizz. This cream performed a  miracle. Her hair was perfect. I was ecstatic because the product worked; she was ecstatic because her hair wasn't a hideous mess. And the best part? Her curls lasted all night. Usually the curls go limp and are gone after a few hours, but these looked almost the same as they did at the very beginning.
So if you have curly hair, or like curling your hair, or some combination of the two, or whatever, I recommend this product. It’s magic. I swear. I intend on buying ever y single one of their products I can get my hands on after this experience. I know I received this product for free, but if you’re thinking about getting it, $6.00 is a complete steal for what you get. And I'm pretty sure that once you try this, you'll never stop using it.

Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin
(Bonus Product)



And last but not least, I have the bonus product that was sent to "select members" "based on scores and demo  info." I have not idea what the heck those phrases mean, but it DOES mean I get an extra product! Woopie! I really loved the one on the right. It was moisturizing and didn't smell too bad, and it didn't leave my face feeling greasy, which I HATE. The cleansing balm one was a little bit more strange. You're supposed to rub it in and then wipe it off with a warm, damp washcloth. Now, I don't exactly have the longest attention span, and so I decide to leave it in for a few minutes and then usually forget about wiping it off.

 And that's about it! I hope you guys enjoyed reading my reviews. If you recieved the VoxBox too, or have tried any of these products yourself, let me know what you thought about them! If you haven't tried any of them, which one do you think sounds the best?
If you liked this post, make sure to stay tuned for the next one by following here, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
xoxo,
Muffin



2 comments:

  1. I NEED to try that hair stuff! I'm forever trying to find shanpoos/conditioners and products to tame my 'fro and keep my curls beautiful and frizz-free all day! If you need someone else to try it out, I would most certainly be willing! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, you can borrow it whenever you want! It's really wonderful- and the rest of their products sound just as amazing!

      Delete

I love reading every one of your comments, and I do my best to respond to each and every one!