Influenster Relaunch

So as some of you may know, what really helped this blog get off the ground was my very first voxbox from Influenster.  I mean it is no secret that I ADORE samples, and a box of free ones? SIGN ME UP!!!! I was beyond excited when I got my first Voxbox.  They have totally revamped their site, and as with everthing, there are pros and cons.

Pros:
The site is prettier and easier to navigate.  There is also a new points system where you can see where you stand in completing badge tasks and among other Influensters.  This appeals to my inner nerd who likes to see "100" (as if this was some epic beauty test or something?!? lol. and no..not even close to a score of 100...)

Cons:
The points system, while awesome, is a bit flawed.  One thing that irks me is that one of the tasks is to write reviews, but these reviews are not verified.  I have seem reviews that are "I would love to try this product!!!" umm...thats not really a review.

Overall, it is still fun, and I will keep participating due to my love of free samples.  If you wanna check it out, head to influenster.com

Review: Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist

Another VoxBox review! Today is the GIANT bottle of Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Paris Amour.  I know this is the normal retail size, so really its not huge, but was not expecting a full size to review! *happy dance* 

First impression: ACK vanilla. Usually not a fan of vanilla in fragrances.  But, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things I checked the Bath & Body Works website, here are the fragrance notes:

• Top Notes: Sparkling Mandarin, Petite Strawberry, Cassis, Pink Champagne, Apple Blossom, Dewy Freesia
• Mid Notes: Luscious Peach, Jasmine Petals, French Tulip, Water Lily, Frangipani
• Dry Notes: French Vanilla, Coconut Milk, Amber Wood, Sandalwood, Creamy Musk

After wearing for a bit: The vanilla note fades after just a few minutes.  I am then left with this awesome sweet scent I love.  It lasts a few hours, but this is pretty good for a body mist.  I also like how it isn't a heavy scent so it is great for summer. 

Overall: I am really happy I was sent this scent as it is something I never would have bought on my own.  I would have been scared away by the initial vanilla scent.  The only aspect of the this spray I haven't seen a huge difference is how it conditions and nourishes skin.  I only spray around my neck which is the least dry part of my body, so I haven't seen any difference. 

Head over to www.bathandbodyworks.com so see all of the scents in this line.  There is also a huge sale going on right now! 

Note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects

Today is another VoxBox review! Today I'm going to take a look at the Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Laced Up. First up, what comes in the box.  Everything you need is in the box which is great! You have the nail strips, a nail file, and a cuticle pusher.  I really like that, assuming you have clean nails, you can just grab the box and be set to go. 

Without flash:

With flash:

First Impression: LOVE the fact there is zero dry time.  For me, the first nail was not the easiest thing to put on.  I will also admit I am far from...coordinated.  After about three nails I got the hang of it and start to finish both hands took about 15 minutes.  For me, the fit wasn't great.  I am cursed with very straight square shaped nail beds, and the nail strips were more curved.  Luckily it wasn't so much that there was a huge gap at the cuticle, but if you look closely you can see it.  The pattern was nice, but not my favorite for my skin tone, but that is really just personal preference.  I am very picky about nude shades of nail polish.  

Wear: The package says it lasts up to 10 days.  I decided to not baby my nails to to treat them like I usually treat my nails...which is...terrible.  I'm the type of girl who never wears dish gloves when cleaning or doing the dishes so usually nail polish lasts a whole day before I get my first chip.  These lasted halfway to day three, not the 10 days promised, but MUCH longer than nail polish.  I had to remove them after day three because they started to come up around the cuticle...and they got stuck when I was washing my hair. THAT was not fun! 

Overall: I would totally consider these for a special occasion.  The price ($9.99) is a little steep for everyday wear for me.  But so many of the designs are cute and would be a great quick way to add the final touch to a special outfit.  They are also on sale quite often, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to snag one you love and keep it on hand for a special day.  These would also be perfect for travel because you don't have to worry about spills or breakage. 

Note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

Review: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

Today I have another review from my VoxBox! This is the only non full size item from the box. But, at 2 ounces, this is a pretty good sized sample. 

Initial Thoughts: I love Aveeno so I was very excited for this.  I have only been disappointed by one Aveeno products in years (tinted moisturizer, but I blame my super oily skin for that one). I love how it had directions for shaving right on the bottle.  I have been using body wash as shaving cream for about a year now, so yay! I'm not the only one. 

After a few days: I decided to test how moisturizing this body wash is by not using lotion.  I have to say I am very pleased with how my skin does not feel dry at all! Usually I have to use lotion every day or my skin gets really dry, itchy and/or ashy.  Even after one use, I wasn't missing the lotion at all.  This is also fantastic for shaving, it created a very nice rich lather which I love for shaving.  Shaving usually dries out my legs, but not at all with this body wash, no lotion needed to feel moisturized. I cannot see "visibly healthier skin" but, my skin feels very moisturized even without lotion. 

Overall: This may be my new favorite body wash.  I love not having to use lotion every day! It creates a rich lather that is great for washing and shaving. 

Note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

SoyJoy Blueberry Bar Review

Today I have another review from my VoxBox! Today we will take a look at the SoyJoy Blueberry bar. 

This bar is all natural, gluten free, and has real fruit.  Needless to say, its healthy. And it tastes healthy.  This is not something you want to reach for when you are trying to kill a chocolate craving! But, if you want a healthy snack its not a bad option. 

Appearance: Honestly, not the prettiest thing I have ever seen.  

Texture: Nice variety.  Nice chunks of fruit and some crunch, but it is dry 

Taste: First bite was not amazing, mainly because it was drier than I expected.  But it does not have that odd taste other energy bars.  Best part? It didn't remind me of cardboard! 

Best part: For sure the blueberries.  I love blueberries and I liked how I could tell it was real fruit.  I was expecting a few specks of berry, not whole berries, so it was a nice surprise. 

Overall, not sure if I would go out of my way to buy this again.  But it might not be a bad idea to have a few in my desk drawer at work for those days when I start dragging around 3pm. 

Note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

ChapStick Lip Shield 365 Review

Hello! Today I am reviewing another awesome product from my VoxBox. This one is the ChapStick Lip Shield 365

First Thoughts: I love anything with SPF.  If I am going to be outside for more than an hour I always want a lip balm with SPF on it.  Trust me, sun burnt lips are very painful!! Been there done that, and never want to again. Curious as to what the texture will be, as many of the higher SPF lip balms I have tried are not as smooth as a non SPF balm. 

After using for two days: First, this has an awesome scent.  It is a mild lemon scent which I totally didn't expect.  And since citrus is a scent I'm a total sucker for, this was awesome! Once I applied it I was happy with the texture, it didn't have that weird waxy feel other high SPF balms have.  It was moisturizing, but I cannot tell you how it would hold up to anything extreme as living in California, 70s and sunny isn't even remotely extreme.  

Overall: For the scent alone I would purchase this again.  Add in the high SPF and the texture and its a winner for me. 

Note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

Dr. Scholl's For Her Ball of Foot Cushions Review

Welcome to my first review! Out of all the goodies in the VoxBox, this is the one I was most excited for.  Why? Because it was on my shopping list for the week! 

First off, I am short (woohoo beat 5 foot!....barely) therefore I have many many heels in my quest to be average height.  Since I also have a standing desk at the office, I spend a lot of hours on the balls of my feet. No matter how comfy the shoe, a little extra padding would go a long way.  

I chose to try them out in this pair of Carlos Santana shoes that I am madly in love with, but have trouble wearing for 8 hours.  

Initial thoughts:

-The cushions are fairly thin.  Not so thin they don't provide padding, but not so thick they make the shoe tight on my foot

-They are sticky, but do not leave a residue.  This is a big plus for me as I like to switch up what shoes I wear each day

-They have the rippled gel that is common in many of the Dr. Scholl's inserts I have tried in the past

After an 8 hour day:

-The package claims they will prevent feet from sliding forward and they do! One reason these shoes were so hard to wear in the past is my foot would slide forward and the open toe would feel like it would cut off my toes after a while.  With these cushions my feet stayed in place all day

-I was able to wear my shoes all day and was not sore at all

-After removing the cushions from the shoes, they did not leave a mark and were still sticky.  I like this as I will be able to rotate the cushions between a few shoes and not have to buy multiple sets

Overall:

I would buy these again in a heartbeat.  If you are like me and wear heels a lot, you will be surprised at how much a difference these little cushions make.  I also like how they are not glued to each pair of shoes so I can use one pair on multiple shoes. They are also small and fit completely under my foot, so even with an open sandal you would not be able to see the cushion. 

Note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

Influenster Spring Beauty Voxbox!!

Welcome to my beauty blog!! Thank you for visiting and oh my do I have an exciting first post! 

SQUEEEEE sooo while browsing on some of my favorite blogs I kept seeing things about Influenster and with my intense love of samples and things free of course I signed up! Since I'm new at blogging (say hello to my first post!!) I thought it would take quite a while to work my way up to qualify. WELL!! Very happy to say I was wrong.  When I got the email saying I qualified I totally did a happy dance. At work. Were my coworkers shocked? Nope! Oh they know me so well.  

When I emptied out the box I was shocked in the best way! Usually when I get samples its a tiny little sample.  This box was full of FULL SIZE samples! And yes, totally did another happy dance.  In the box there was:

-Sheer Cover Duo Concealer

-Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash (only sample sized item, but a big sample!)

-ChapStick Lip Shield 365

-Sally Hansen Salon Effects

-Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Paris Amour

-SoyJoy Bar

-Dr. Scholls for Her Ball of Foot Cushion

I am beyond excited to try out and review everything. More to come! 

Note: I received each product complimentary for testing from Influenster