#Influenster Holiday VoxBox December 2011

Do you know about Influenster?  I only just found out about them in the last month when I was contacted to be part of their reviewing community. Influenster’s community is a select group that gets to try out a variety of new products out there and give my honest feedback.  No one is paid, but we are rewarded with more VoxBoxes if we offer insightful reviews.  I happen to love trying new things out…yes,that..and receiving packages in the mail. Oh the fun!

The day I got the box I immediately took photos for my unveil and shared them on my sister Facebook page, Claudia’s Health & Beauty Community. I now get to give you a more detailed breakdown of the items and what I really think of them. Really.  

P.S members also receive special deals and coupons for brands we test out!

MENTOS CHEWING GUM- PURE FRESH

The claim behind this gum is that it will instantly freshen breath with its unique green tea exctract core and candy shell.  The container is also supposed to be perfect for carrying in my purse.

[Review]  I was excited to try out Mentos gum because I was already familiar with the candy from before and I figured it would taste good.  However, not much of a review I can do considering I can’t open the darn container.  The little tab snapped off immediately and after fuddling with it and trying to pry it open with pens and then my nails, I then stopped after I completely ruined my nails. It reminds me of the impossible Gatorade bottles you do your best to open but you swear have been sealed shut with superglue. Kinda like this guy ….

Because really…what women wants to mess up her nails trying to crack open an impossible container of gum.  I’d rather go for something wrapped in foil if its going to do this to my nails:

Sorry Mentos, I need something easier to open. But the gum smells good from the container. Oh well. Love Mentos? Did you know they’re on twitter? You can follow them at: @mentosus   #mentosready  

LARABAR

I should note that this picture (above) was taken minutes after opening the voxbox.  What did it look like right after the picture?

A LARABAR is made from only a few ingredients making it a wonderfully yummy fruit and nut bar to munch on as a simple snack.  It is also available in 19 flavors, wowee, that’s a big selection. wanna know more? follow them on twitter at @larabar   #larabarsnacksavior

[REVIEW] This little LARABAR didn’t stand a chance in my house.  I love fruit bars and eat all kinds of brands, all the time.  I loved that this one attempts to stay as natural as possible,  and is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free for those that prefer that sorta thing.   And being a healthier fruit bar, I’m glad it didn’t go overboard on the nuts.  I’ll eat nuts, but not by the handful.  Cherry pie was an awesome flavor, but so does apple pie, pecan pie and tropical fruit tart!  The price seems decent at approx. $1.50 per bar if bought in a pack and can be easily taken along in your purse or lunchbag. Would I purchase? Yes, I would if I saw it at the market where I shop. Pssssssstt. That would be Ralphs

SOFTSOAP COCONUT SCRUB BAR SOAP

Softsoap is widely known for their liquid hand and body soaps, but did you know they also have a line of bar soaps in their fragrance collection? The collection has three scents: Coconut, Sweet honeysuckle & Orange Peel, and Juicy Pomegranate  & Mango Infusions.  The coconut scrub bar has crushed coconut extracts and gentle exfoliants embedded to into the soap to renew the skin, all while helping the skin retain moisture. Like Softsoap too?  Follow them on Facebook here. #crazyforcoconutsoftsoap

[REVIEW] I’m a sucker for all things flavored or scented coconut.  It doesn’t matter if it’s for the house, or myself, I already love it.  I was interested to find out if the crushed coconut was worthwhile at all at exfoliating, and realized when I was using it, well, not really.  I typically use a shower poof when I’m in there so I use that to scrub myself and use my le edge tool for most of my body exfoliating. I think this bar caters to someone who prefers a lighter less-fragranced soap than I’m used to.  I love taking a hot shower and smelling the bath gels I use.  If I don’t smell it…ehh..  SoapSoap‘s Fragrance bar in coconut is very light in scent, but it does make up for it in moisturized skin.  I thought for sure my skin would crawl when it knew I was going to use bar soap, but I was left surprizingly OK and didn’t have dry, tight skin on my legs afterwards. Yay!  I would most likely opt for the liquid soap version if I was at Target, I just don’t like fuddling with a bar, ya know?

NEW YORK COLOR LIQUID LIP SHINE

New York Color‘s Liquid Lip Shine  is a non-sticky gloss that creates a 3D gloss effect using pure pigments and infuses vitamins into the delicate skin of the lips. The gloss is available in 10 shades from neutral nude, to berries & fushias, all at a price everyone can afford! (Thats $2.49) You can follow NYC on twitter at:  @nycnewyorkcolor  #shineonnewyorkcolor

[REVIEW] I honestly hesitated when I saw the color because nude frosty lips make me look sick and washed out.  It just doesn’t work well with me.   I was relieved to see that the color I got was sheer and gave my lips a nice shine.  It lasted a few hours before I ate something and licked it all off. Oh yea, the flavor. YUM! Thumbs up NYC, who doesn’t love a buttercream frosting flavor/fragrance?  I loved it.  Because I am a beauty addict and cannot go to a drugstore or Target without getting “just one thing” I can see myself getting this eventually.  I experiment with all brands in all price ranges.  Glad I found this one. Really.

GARDEN BOTANIKA LASH PRIMER

Garden Botanika’s Lash Primer claims to lenghten and thicken lashes with Panethol while conditioning them to keep them nice and healthy.  This product is to be used over bare lashes and layered with mascara. Garden Botanika is Cruelty-free (Yay) and gentle to the environment.  #gardenbotanikaholiday

[Review] I love using lash primers to get my lashes looking their absolute longest.  I’ve recently been using one that has fibers and extends the lash ever so slightly longer, but I was curious what a non-fiber primer would do.  GB’s Lash Primer has a much more subtle effect in my opinion of lengthening.  It thickened my lashes ever so slightly, not quite as much as their picture on the site. HOWEVER– while this sounds like it didn’t live up to its word, it definitely conditioned the lashes.  I felt my mascara glide on more easily and had a slight lift or curl to it.  I did the test by coating my left eye with the primer and without on my right. What do you think? I have to say that I appreciate the fact that it’s conditioning my lashes unlike others that can make them feel dry and ready to break.

Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask

Montagne Jeunesse is a line of facial masks filled with delicious natural ingredients and bursting with fragrances.  Of the available flavors available: Cucumber Peel Off, Passion Peel Off, Dead Sea Mud, Fruit Smoothie, and lastly, Strawberry Souffle. If you didn’t know, this company has heart, just take a look at their history, its pretty refreshing to see.

[Review] #maskeraid .  The mask comes out of the packet looking like a pale strawberry paste with real strawberry seeds and smells yummy.  I applied the mask to my face and waited the 20 minutes for it to do its magic.   The mask claims to purify and moisturize the skin with strawberries, betonite clay and cream. So, I slapped this baby on and checked my emails as I waited.

The mask does dry on the face letting me know that the betonite clay in the formula is soaking up excess oil, while the cream keeps the skin balanced as moisturized.  How did I feel when I rinsed it off?  Well, My skin did look fresh and felt nice afterwards.  Do I feel its a miracle worker? No, but that wasn’t my expectations.  I expected a fun mask that smells good and to hopefully have soft skin afterwards.  This mask lived up to its expectations.  I enjoyed using it (can you tell?), and would gladly try another one! The masks come in single use packets so you can really experiment with a few and not have to commit to a giant tub of unknown mask goop.

IMPRESS PRESS-ON MANICURE BY BROADWAY NAILS

Broadway Nails makes a variety of manicure and nail art tools; now, they bring you the revamped press-on nail.  The claim is that they will look salon-perfect in just seconds and come in 36 colors and patterns to choose from.  No mess, no waiting time, just fabulous nails.

[REVIEW] I was a little scared. Press-on nails? Would they stay? Or would one be hanging from my hair after running my fingers through it? Who knows, but I had a vibrant zebra-print pattern set to try with.  I’ll have to admit, I prefer polishing my nails. Afterall, I blog about it.  The process is too quick this way, and to be honest– there ended up being no review. I sat on this one for a long time.  I just could NOT get myself to put them on.  Listen, I work in a high-end cosmetic practice. I can’t have a finger nail come off when I am talking to a client, it wouldn’t work.  I couldn’t take that risk, and I wasnt willing to try.  I saw some other influencers like A Diva’s Perogative rocked them!  I even tweeted to my dear friend  Patricia for moral support–couldn’t do it. But at least I linked you to someone who did review them. Shame on me, i know. Sorry (hides behind door)  For those still interested they can be found in several locations.

Well folks, that was my first Influenster Holiday VoxBox. I’m not sure what to expect, and hopefully they find my review 🙂  Have any other influensters found this blog?  Do you agree with my reviews?  What was your favorite one?  And for those who aren’t in the program, what would you be most willing to try from this box?