If you are not familiar with Influenster, it is a word of mouth marketing site! Influenster will send you free products such as the ones in this blog in exchange for an honest review! None of these items cost a cent. They are completely free, shipping and all! Once you get the items, you do things such as writing a blog similar to this. You also can make youtube videos, share on facebook and twitter and many other activities! Usually there will also be a Twitter party that goes with each box. I would recommend joining in on them, they are pretty fun! The excitement doesn't stop there! Each brand that has an item in the box will have 'brand challenges'. I have not done any of these yet as this is my first box and they have not begun. However, I do know that when you do the 'challenges' that they give you, you are eligible to win more prizes directly from the brand! I've seen people get some pretty awesome prizes from these!
Now...onto the fun stuff! Here is what came in my box and a review of each item:
Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid Cleansing System:
This is the first item that I tried out of my box! The system retails for $12.99. When I first took it out my first thought was, 'Wow! Why is this thing so tiny!' Only about 4 inches! Wowee did that tiny size fool me! What this basically is, is a facial cleansing brush that vibrates. It simply runs on a AAA battery which is awesome instead of those cell batteries that are oh so expensive. The brush cannot be submerged in water, but it can be used in the shower! That in itself is a huge plus for me! I put about a pea sized dot of the cleanser in the middle of the brush. That tiny, tiny amount was MORE than enough for my entire face! The smell of the cleanser is one of the best 'beauty product' items that I've smelled! It is fresh and clean scented, but not over powering! With the system you only get a .68 FL OZ tube, which will last quite some time since you don't need much. A full sized tube (5 oz.) retails for $6.99. Now, the cleanser is called 'Shine, Shine Go Away. Well...I didn't really notice my face less shiny, but my skin was sooooo soft and clean feeling it was unbelievable! Not to mention, my face smelled so good for hours after use! I would recommend this product to anybody!
Skinnygirl On-the-Go Bar:
My second item was this Greek Yogurt Blueberry Crisp bar! I have mixed feelings about this. The taste was good, nothing that I couldn't get from a different granola bar. When I opened it, I could swear it would have been some sort of 'coffee' or 'mocha' flavored bar, however it was not! I first saw the name and immediately assumed that this is a 'diet' or low calorie bar. Maybe 100 calories or so. However, one bar has 180 calories and 70 calories from fat! Am I just crazy, or does that seem like a lot for a 'Skinnygirl' bar? The main positive that I can mention is that the bar is natural and kosher, always a plus! It also looks pretty and delish! All in all, I would eat these bars if I was given them, but I would not spend the $9.99 on a box of 5!
Not Your Mother's - Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt spray:
Basically what this is is a spray that adds waves and texture to your hair. It is not at all a hair spray, as in that it doesn't make your hair 'crispy'. You actually don't really notice that it is in your hair other than the scent, which I must say is AWESOME! It has a coconut-y smell to it that would remind anyone of the beach! First thing first...when they say 'Sea Salt', they mean 'Sea Salt'! I must have accidentally got a bit on my lips somehow because when I licked them after spraying this, I could easily taste the salt! So people....don't taste your texturizing spray, it won't taste like coconut! Lol! Onto the main purpose of this review! I have really long hair (as in down past the middle of my back) and nothing really works to curl it. I expected the same from this. I sprayed it in damp hair and followed the directions on the bottle. When it came to curls, I didn't notice much of a difference other than at the very ends. I expected this as my hair is very heavy and doesn't hold curls well. I have seen where it worked on other people though! What I did notice is that my hair had extra body! This in itself was enough to get me to recommend this product to others! It did also give it somewhat of a matte beachy look as well, but nothing major.
Retail Price: $6.00 for full size
Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant
Last but certainly not least was the most fabulously scented deodorant I've ever used! The first thing I thought when I picked this up was 'Wow! Fancy'! It comes in its own little brightly colored box! The deodorant is a solid, but not the kind that you just rub on. There is a top cap that has 4 slits where you roll the deodorant up through! Very nice this way so that you don't get too much! Now, there are many plus' to this stuff, but the BEST thing about it is the scent! The name is Serene Citrus and is smells heavenly!! Let's just say, if it were a perfume, I'd wear it!! I'm not sure exactly what the scent it, but I would guess maybe orange with a hint of grapefruit....or maybe lemon? Well...anyhow, it's incredibly fresh smelling. I put this on in the morning when I got up and didn't need any more for the rest of the day! I would say it lasts a good 12 hours with moderate activity. Ya know how some solids leave a white residue on your skin after you use it? Yeah...this doesn't do that. After you apply it, it's completely clear! Always a plus!! The only minor problem I had with it is that the tube is just a bit over half full. I checked my other deodorants and they all are only about half full so there is no way to get away from this. All in all for $8 to $10 per tube, I'd buy it based on the scent alone!
Now that I've gone through and tried all of the items, I can tell you that the Olay Fresh Effects and Secret Deodorant were my two favorites! Luckily for me, none of the items were a complete bust! Thank you Influenster and all of the product brands for allowing me to try these items for free! I cannot wait to get another box to review with you all!
Nice review. I am looking forward to trying out the Olay Fresh Effects system. The information on the Beach Babe spray is really helpful. I'm a bit wary of trying it out, since my hair is already dry, but your review is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIf you do try it, definitely let me know what you think!! (: