Let's Spread a Little Influence

   I love trying new things, don't y'all?  I've always been the one who goes for the odd or least known; often times discovering fantastic things before most or figuring out the duds before they become a trend.
   Last July I was perusing one of my fave magazines, Woman's World & came across a spiffy little site.  It was all about testing products & giving feedback to the brands & consumer's through lots of different channels. Ha needless to tell y'all, I jumped on the site!  It is Influenster.com.  When I signed up in August last year, it was still very new.  They still had quite a large number in their community to be so fresh. At that time it was open to the public & sort of in beta stages. 
     Influenster offers what's called a voxbox.  In a nutshell, if you actively interacted with Influenster.com, twitter, facebook & had a blog you could pre-qualify for a themed voxbox chalk full of goodies.  You aren't ever guaranteed getting one. Often times brands are targeting specific demographics which plays a huge part in getting picked. You also have badges to unlock which represent your life & interests.  They're no fees or subscriptions. You're required to answer a post experience survey to stay active. 
     You have the option to complete brand specific challenges for an opportunity to win rewards & unlock the brand badge.  Usually these challenges consist of talking about the product & your experience through twitter, facebook, blogging about it, sharing pictures etc.  Thus the birth of my first blog.      Since I've been a member I have participated in 4 voxboxes, & a demographic specific product reviewing.  I have been very pleased with all the things I've got to try.  They recently did a relaunch of the site (its lots of fun & great improvements), made it invite only, and broaden your opportunites for giving your thoughts about a product.
    They also recently reached a milestone number of members & are officially going public with their company.  Everyone should check out this spiffy little article about Influenster reaching 200K users.
   So when I get some great Influenster products, y'all will be the first to hear about it!! Let me know what you think after you check out the site!!
  

And the Mom Voxbox is here! Quick Take

So yesterday I received my much anticipated Mom voxbox! It was chocked full of goodies! I will be fully reviewing the new products in their own blogs & giving a quick recap & links to posts about previously experienced products right now!

                                   
I received another set of Broadway Nails imPress press-on manicure. Lovely purple shade! These are great, fast, & fun nails! You can check my full review of them here.
These last a decent length of time if applied properly. My 2 best tips for application & ut-most stay power... 1) press them on firmly & hold firmly for at least 25 seconds. 2) do not immerse your hands in any amount of water for at least 30 min. Just to be clear these are not requirements for application just my tips from experience. ;-) And they also came with a great $1 off coupon.

                                             
I also got another sampler box of Stash Tea. I will definitely have a review up either today or tomorrow giving all my take on this brand! This one came with a double coupon. Good for a $1 on 2 boxes in store and 15% on a $25 or more order online
                                        

Along with the Stash Tea I received some Nektar Honey crystals. My first experience with this product & I will give you a full on take on it in the next few days!

                                         
A bar soap I received was Ivory. Used this before & love that its 99.4% pure (no dyes, no heavy perfumes & such). I'll give a more in-depth take on it in the days to come.
                                           

Got two travel packs of Dentek floss picks. One for grown ups (Comfort Clean Thin Silky Floss in Fresh Mint) & a Fun Flosser pack for my kiddos. Another product that I have plenty of experience with & I'll unload my take soon!

                                            
And the final little goodie I got was a Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. First time trying this & I'll let you in on my tastey thoughts (& those of my boy-o's) soon!

                                                       

A sweet little testing project & hope y'all enjoy my take on these & more soon!



Disclaimor: I received these complimentary nail products from Influenster.com. I have not & will not be compensated for my time or opinion by either company(ies) whether it be monetary or otherwise. My opinions are solely mine based on my own experience testing this product!

My Palmolive Fresh Sponge Goodie Basket (via Influenster thanks to Colgate)

   Yay! So I received my goodie basket I earned doing the Palmolive Fresh Sponge challenge for Influenster!

Included in this delightful little entourage was a sweet little Palmolive pot holder! Love it! With my four boys cooking happens a lot & never can have too many of these!

Also was thrilled to see some Softsoap Pomengranate soap bars! Love the smell & cleans wonderously! Already us the body wash ;).  This is really a yummy smell! Really should give it a go!

And of course love the Softsoap Pampered Hands foaming hand wash! Got the "scentilating" Tangerine Treat!  The foam is rich, only needing one maybe two pumps. It cleans great and leaves your hands feeling silky & moisturized!

Finally but definitely not leastly, the Colgate Optic White toothpaste! I am uber excited to try this out & will do a review after using it for about 2 weeks. I will have pics & all and let you lovely people in on just how optic it is!

So that sums up my "uuuhhh-Mazzzing" (of course done in a lovely sing song voice!) goodie rewards! Great products & fun testing!
Hope you enjoyed my quick take on these products! The Mom Voxbox is on its way & I'll have more Influenster reviews to come soon!!! Oh & some craft blogs too!
DISCLAIMER: THESE PRODUCTS WERE COMPLIMENTARY & EARNED BY BEING AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE INFLUENSTER COMMUNITY. I HAVE RECEIVED NO MONETARY OR OTHER COMPENSATION FOR MY TIME OR OPINIONS FROM INFLUENSTER OR ANY OF THE BRANDS. MY OPINIONS ARE UNBIASED AND SOLELY MY OWN!

Mom Voxbox Here I come!!

   This is one happy chic right here! I qulaified to test an Influenster Mom Voxbox!  Very soon I will have great new Influenster voxbox products to chat about!
    We, the Influenster community, recently had a twitter party to discuss the upcoming Mom Voxbox. We got various clues as to what we'd be fortunate enough to test. I must say that as a mommy to 4 wonderous lil' boys (ages spanning from 1 yr to 8 yrs), I am uber excited about the organizational tool that was hinted at!! After all life can be chaos at any time, add kiddos to the mix & well... ha ha you can imagine!
    I'm sure all the goodies will be as wonderous as I have experienced with past voxboxes. This will be my fourth voxbox & I can honestly say I have not tested a single product that was a total flop. Some haven't been my thing but they've all been good products.
    Keep an eye out on my blog for the upcoming reviews! Plus I'm going to possibly do a giveaway soon!! Being my first and all, it will probably be completely unsponsered but hey still awesome free stuff!!
    Oh and check out the Influenster Facebook page!

UPDATE: THE BOX WILL NOT HAVE AN ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL BUT A BEVERAGE, MANICURE, SOAP, SNACK, SWEETNER, & ORAL CARE PRODUCT TO TEST!

DISCLAIMER-CHECK IT OUT: And as always I have been chosen to test these COMPLIMENTARY products by being an active Influenster Community member! No monetary or other payment has been given or offered to me by Influenster or the brands I've tested!!

Kiss Nail Dress Review!

   Ah the wonderful world of nails!! In my complimentary  love voxbox from Influenster I was able to test out the Kiss Nail Dress stickers. I have tested an older version of these & liked them a lot. These were definitely no dissappointment!

   Besides the obvious no dry time, these are quite easy to apply if you just have a little patience. For a full set it can take me about 6-8 minutes from start to finish.  I always start by washing & drying my hand thoroughly. I then use rubbing alcohol to clean my nails. I allow that to dry while selecting my sizes (if I'm doing a full set). Then I remove the sizes one by one, applying each & trimming away the excess before going to the next.
   I find it easier to apply them in the center first, rolling to the right then left. After they are on I will press on my nail firmly & hold for about 15 seconds. Then I either use cuticle scissors to trim away excess of the filing method given in the instructions. Which way I use really depends on what my intentions are for the scraps. After I've applied them I wait for about an hour before I get my hands wet or in any oily/lotion like substances.

   I have gotten 5 days wear out of the stickers on my nails & three weeks as an accent on my big toe. I rarely leave my nails the same for longer than 5 days so the durability is just fine for me. And the variety of styles is awesome. They're great to mix & match too.

  With 18 designs to choose from, there's something for everyone! Each packet includes 28 strips, a small nail file, & a leaflet of creative designs to copy or inspire you!

You can purchase these at most drugstores such as Walgreens, CVS & at your local Wal-mart. Disclaimor: I received these complimentary nail products from Influenster.com. I have not & will not be compensated for my time or opinion by either company whether it be monetary or otherwise. My opinions are solely mine based on my own experience testing this product!

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor Review

     I have truly enjoyed being part of the Influenster community since joining last summer. I have been introduced to many awesome products. 

    I'm no stranger to Gillette Venus, so I was so ready to test the not-sold-in-stores-yet Venus & Olay razor.   This 5 blade, dual shave cream bar razor offers so many pros. It has the expected sharpness of a Gillette razor and the rich moisturizing properties I've come to love from Olay. 

The head is flexible to contour to all the right places.  It contains some of the key ingredients from Olay to help lock in moisture & give you that goddess glow! 

   I've used my Gillette Venus & Olay razor for a couple weeks now & am still lovin' my goddess skin! Can't wait for the refills to be sold in stores so I can stock up!!


Check out the Influenster Facebook page here. Like them for awesome product news & links to other freat reviews from other awesome Influensters!


Plus check out the Gillette Venus Facebook page here. Like it for product news & more!




Disclaimor: I was fortunate to test this complimentary product by being an active member in the Influenster community! I have not nor will I receive any payment, monetary or otherwise, from either company for testing this nor for my reviews!

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine

    I got another wonderful treat in my holiday voxbox. I received NYC New York Color's Liquid Lipshine in Nude. I was so ready to give it a try. I have & do currently use other NYC products. So my expectations for this lipgloss were high. 

    The packaging is sleek & simple which I like for lipgloss.  The color when looking at the tube seemed it would be a light brown but came out a wonderful shade of nude. It was just the right amount of color. Unlike other similar glosses I've tried, NYC New York Color LIQUID Lipshine isn't tacky or thick. It glides on with this pretty shimmer leaving just the right amount behind. The brush is soft and flexible making it great for following the curve of your mouth. 

     NYC New York Color Liquid lipshine also has a tasty smell however doesn't taste that good. It's rich with Vitamin E and pure pigments which give it a "3-D gloss effect". The shine from NYC lipgloss lasts for a very good amount of time. MIne still had some shine 1 meal & 4 hours later.

   What better way to top off a great gloss than with a great price! At $2.49 you can have these glosses (hey why not try all 10 trendy hues) without breaking the budget. With hues from neutral nudes, to berries & fuchsias its very simple to find a shade just right for you. This NYC lipgloss has quickly become one of my faves since getting it last week. Another thing I like is that I can find it at alot of local stores such as Wal-Mart, Family Dollar, Rite-Aid, and CVS.  Love that Influenster chose to send out this product. It's always nice to find good quality product at good prices. 

DISCLAIMER: I received this product to test by being an active member at Influenster.com. I received no compensation for my time, monetary or otherwise, from either company.

"PAC"king in the Good with A Montagne Jeunesse Kelp & Seaweed Mud Pac

     For quite some time I have enjoyed face masks. My mom and I have always used at home face masks as a way to bond and catch up. One brand we've loved is Montagne Jeunesse. The price is affordable and the product is great.
     When I opened my Influenster Holiday Voxbox, I was genuinely thrilled to see a trial of the Mud Pac Kelp & Seaweed face mask. I couldn't wait to use it. As kids get older & days go by, my mom & I have less time for facials. This reminded me of the need to make time for one another.
     This particular mask is a Dead Sea mask containing of course Dead Sea Salt, Seaweed extract, Lavender oil, Bergamot fruit oil, the natural clay Kaolin & much more. I love that their ingredients are natural & mostly plant based. They meet the vegetarian standard with their masks & don't test on animals.
     In four easy steps you have a relaxing at home facial. The whole process takes about 20 minutes. You wet your face then apply the mask. Take care to avoid your eyes & its best to avoid the hair line. Give it between 10 to 15 minutes to dry. The scent is light & refreshing so use those minutes to de-stress. Either meditate, read or do some other "me time" activity. When it comes time to rinse I recommend applying a warm damp cloth to your face first to further open pores. I also recommend you rinse with warm water then splash with cool water & pat dry. Your face will feel smooth and refreshed. 
      These are inexpensive wonderful facials and I recommend them to everyone. During these stressful days of family, travel, gifts and so on... Treat yourself to a quick, inexpensive, quality gift, Montagne Jeunesse facials! 
They also have an awesome site: http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/. They offer three newsletters, one of which is for the man in your life.  Check out the other great products they have and enjoy!






DISCLAIMER: I received this product to test by being an active member at Influenster.com. I received no compensation for my time, monetary or otherwise, from either company.

Time to imPRESS You with Broadway imPRESS Press-On Manicure

    So I got my Influentster Holiday Voxbox yesterday! I was very excited when I opened my box and saw the Broadway imPRESS Press-On Nails! I am a nail fanatic of sorts and truly love trying new nail products/color.

     I have to chat for a second about the site for this product. The above link will take you directly to the site. It has this neat app on it that allows you to try out different designs and colors on a model hand. This was a fun tool and it allowed me to pick a few future choices! The site is quick and user friendly with lots of great color and catchy music.

      I received the design Wink Wink and loved it!  This is such an elegant design but still fun & flirty!  They're also super easy to apply with no mess!  

Loving them! Thanks to Influenster!

So sweet!

    There is no drying time, no long wait at the salon and yet you still get a look that has salon quality shine and color. In 3 easy steps you can have a quick look for any time. The adhesive can last for up to a week but is still gentle on your nails so that you can switch up your look as often as you like. I do reccomend however to not submerge your hands in water for a few hours after application. I took a shower about 45 minutes after applying and a couple came off. However I dried them and my nail & just reapplied. They have done very well to be press ons with my busy mom life. They have a combined 36 colors and patterns. 
     The price is very reasonable for these kits, $5.99 for solid colors & $7.99 for designs. They come with a variety of sizes to pick from in each kit. You can find them at your local CVS Pharmacy, Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart, or Target. Find a full listing at the imPRESS Nails site. 

   I plan on getting the design Over The Moon and solid Tweetheart! Give them a try, definitely worth the time!

Disclaimer: I received this product as an active member of Influenster.com to test. I received no payment for my time or opiniion, monetary or otherwise from either company. 

Get ready.... I'm getting a holiday voxbox!!

So tomorrow from somewhere up in the great windy city of Chicago, Influenster will ship out my holiday voxbox!! Going to have lots of awesome goodies to give a try! I'll be letting you know about a face mask, fun nail product, breath freshener, snack bar and more.
From my last experience with a voxbox you will definitely want to check back in soon to get the scoop on the goodies! Influenster has great products for testing!

Dove in head first...

   I have always loved writing, whether anyone finds me good at it well that's their opinion. I love trying out new products of all sorts and sharing my thoughts on them! I can be quite opinionated and talkative-just ask my husband. So lately I had toyed with the idea of blogging about my opinions, and my thoughts on various products, services etc, sharing recipes, sites I like and so on. I like being helpful and hope that what I have to say may just shed some light for at least one person.
   I suppose just to shed some insight about my life I'll give you some tidbits. I am a mother of 4 wonderful boys all 7 and under. My husband & I have been married for 8 years and 5 months and I am very thankful for him. I was born and raised in a small town in the southeast of Kentucky and despite the stereotypes and the lack of "bustling metropolises" I love living here. 
    Recently I joined a program called Influenster. I learned about the site through a magazine I was reading one day. So I decided to see what it was all about.  I read up on the requirements and the object of the program. You register for a free account and inform them of your likes and aspects of your lifestyle. They have "badges" that you can unlock by answering questions or completing certain tasks. They allow you to give and read reviews on products and once a month they have a "voxbox" for their most active members. This box contains various products corresponding to a badge for qualifying members to test. Once you try out the products you then must review them and share these reviews on various sites/social media. I qualified for my first voxbox in October and received it a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed trying the products and sharing my experience through various outlets. 
   I hope to find other opportunities similar to influenster to expand my reviewing and experiences. 
   My life gets pretty hectic and is a crazy beautiful ride so you may get overwhelmed by my journey. All in all though you'll have some good laughs and smiles along the way!

Smooth as... Well as a shave with Gillette Venus Proskin razor!!

     I am all for equal rights and women lib and all that but my personal like is to have smooth, close, clean shaved legs and underarms. Nothing to anyone else just my preference. I've always liked Gillette and especially like their Venus line. So when my Influenster Voxbox arrived a few weeks back I was excited to see the Venus Proskin razor. 
     This Venus razor was made with an easy-to-handle-with-wet-hands ergonomic handle, the well trusted three-blade technology known to Gillette, and the get-in-those-hard-to-reach-places pivoting round head. Three things that have made Venus a #1 selling global brand for women. The newest feature to this would be the two shave gel bars consisting of a triple blend of body butters. These create a protective layer over your skin to help minimize nicks and razor burns. You just dip the razor in water and viola` instant shave gel gliding across your skin! 
   I was ready to get going with this because I love the feel of a good smooth shave. All it took was one dip in the water to activate the shave gel bars. I had a slight problem though. The gel bars are quite thick and since it was just a maintenance shave it was fairly hard to get close enough to my skin to shave the small stubble. I decided to scrape away some of the top bar & it worked so much better.  Then there is a second thing that I didn't care for and that is that with it being a "gel" bar is it has a slimy texture. With that said, once I rinsed my leg it felt amazingly smooth and velvety. Even though I had a couple hitches in the road, it was just as I expected, a great shave!  Those two minor quirks are worth the end result and I have reccommended this to several friends and family!






Update: Ok so it is January 16, 2012, a full two months after reviewing this razor and I have just now had to change the blade!! How awesome is that! So in love with Venus Proskin razor!!


Disclaimer: I received this product in my Influenster Voxbox as result of being an active member in their program. I have received no monetary or other compensation for my time or opinion from either Influenster or Gillette.

Scrumptious? Indeed! Vitabath my new love!

     I am an avid lover of scents, especially those in my body wash, lotions etc.  A little over a week ago I received my very first Influenster voxbox. I was extremely stoked to begin this program and even more so when I encountered one of the products-Vitabath Fragrance Collection Body Wash. I was first delighted with a very cute packaging of the body wash. Then I read up on it from the info card provided by Influenster. The next thing I love is that this is a paraben & sulfate free product! Then when I opened the bottle I was hit with an intoxicating scent! I was lucky enough to receive the In Bloom scent which I find heavenly! I was ready for a shower after one whiff. This company has been providing quality products for 50 years and decided to rejuvenate their brand with a new release this year.   They whipped up four delightful fragrances to invigorate your senses: Cupcake Couture, Spa Day, In Bloom, & Fruit Fanatic. They're formula is rich in nourishing vitamins A, B3, B5, C and E,  with an added kick from an antioxidant superfruit blend. The superfruit blend is one of acai, goji,coffe fruit, noni, pomegranate, green tea, and mangosteen.  Their formula contains no petro-chemicals or triclosan and is free of DEA, TEA, mineral oils, propylene glycol, and silicone.  They are also reasonably priced at $9.99 USD or less at various retailers such as Bed Bath and Beyond or Fred Meyer as well as their home site: www.myvitabath.com. 

     Needless to say I was amped that night to try it out! With just a small amount (maybe the size of a nickel) I had an amazing luxurious lather that engulfed my senses with a lovely scent & creamy feel. It was great to see that such a small amount gave me such a full lather and one that lasted the whole shower. This just ups the value of the product in my book! I didn't have that tight filmy feel when I rinsed away the lather either. My skin felt clean and refreshed. I have used it everyday since and my skin has been soft and moisturized. I also used it as a bubble bath. It took maybe a quarter size for as many bubbles as I like but thats still a reasonable amount! It was such a relaxing bath with the In Bloom scent and still left my skin feeling refreshed.     

     


     I am extremely satisfied with the results of using this body wash and reccommend everyone give it at least one try. I bet you'll be hooked! They have become one of my new faves & I'm excited to give all their products a try. 




Disclaimer: I received this product to test as an active member of Influenster.com and have received no payment, monetary or otherwise, to test this product and/or review this product.