Influenster Re-Vamp

My all time favorite website, Influenster.com, just totally redid their website and they look amazing. Let me know if any of you want to join the Influenster Community and tell me why and I would love to invite you because I have 3 more invitations left.

But, I love their new website, it shows all the badges you have and there are now way more badges you can try to get, so that you can keep busy while waiting for your next box.  I am so excited because I am currently working on my brand challenges and I love that they are now posted on the website.  I really hope I win some cool prizes.  I wish that the website had the reviews more easily sorted but that is my only complaint.  So far, I love it and cannot wait to let you all know how great it is turning out.

Natural Vox Box Recieved

What I saw when I opened it up, it was packed full of products!

I have been really busy for the past week and a half, but on Monday, September 17th I had an amazing day.  I got my braces off and then I went home to find this giant package in my mailbox (:

It was huge! Like bigger than the average shoe box:  wider, thicker, and taller.

It was HUGE!

How it looked once it was empty.

So, if any of you don't know what Influenster is, it is "A community of trendsetters invited to share their lifestyles and show off their influence to qualify for personalized product shipments, special rewards and exclusive deals from the brands they love. Members love testing the latest products, giving insightful feedback, and spreading the word on their favorite finds!"  (I got this right off of the Influenster website Influenster.com).  Many people have complained about it taking forever to get chosen for a box, but I had been signed up since June and this is my first box as well, all you have to do is fill out all the badges you fit and then wait to get chosen.  I received all of the products in this box for free which is amazing, because I pay $10 a month to get a Birchbox which is way smaller than this (I love my Birchbox as well though).

The items I received are:

• LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer
• CleanWell Individual Hand Sanitizer Wipes (single packet)

• EBOOST- Orange (single packet)
• The Original Dish Drying Mat
• NECTRESSE sweetener (two packets)

It had coupons too!

• GEODEO Natural Deoadorant Plus Detox Complex
• SheaMoisture Raw Shea, Chamomile & Argan Baby Bar Soap

FYI, I love this soap!

Overall, I got 4 full-sized items which (just including those 4) total up to a $20 value.  Which plus the 3 single (or double) use packets is an extremely good deal that I received for free.  So far I am loving everything I have received and only have great things to say about all the brands that are participating so I guess giving out these free products/ samples is worth it to them.

So far I LOVE Influenster!

I will do a more detailed review of each product a little bit later and add in the rest of the pictures (:

Birchbox August 2012

 

So, the first thing I am going to talk about is Birchbox, this is the fourth month I have been subscribed.  Sorry it is so late, school has been crazy. (I may go back and do posts for all the previous months but I am just going to start with the most recent).  First, let me tell you what Birchbox is, it is a beauty subscription service that sends out a monthly box filled with 4-5 deluxe sized beauty samples.  It costs $10 per month, or you can spend $110 and get a year long subscription.  It is a fabulous treat to receive this box full of goodies every month, it must just be the little kid inside of me that gets excited every time I find mail addressed to me inside the mailbox.  Another thing I love about this service is that it has an amazing point system, in every box you receive at least 5 products and if you review the products by the end of the month you get 10 points per review.  Every 100 points you earn is 10 dollars off one of your purchases from the Birchbox Store (where they sell the products sent out in all of the boxes).  If you are interested in trying out Birchbox you can use my referral code: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=g3l41 (which will give me 50 points to go towards a purchase I will share in a haul) or you can just go straight to the Birchbox website if you would prefer I did not receive points from your subscription.

Accordion style pamphlet

The supply list did not include the Schick Hydo

This months theme was Beauty School, although I was not very excited about this theme I did like how Birchbox went about it, the pamphlet inside was amazing and contained many beauty tips that pertained to me personally.  It was a lot more interesting then just the plain list they usually send out.  Although this box was not my personal favorite I still feel that it was definitely worth the $10.

 

My August 2012 Birchbox included 5 items: a small Jouer moisturizing lip gloss (in Tender, a really cute orange-y, coral color), a two pack of black Show Stoppers fashion tape, a Schick Hydro razor, a Viva La Juicy la Fleur perfume sample, and an Oscar Blandi dry shampoo!

Individual Review:

Show Stoppers Fashion Tape

Truthfully, I was not that excited to see this in my box.  I had just bought like 100 pieces of fashion tape (not the name brand one) from dollar tree.  But, I am sure I will use these because I can wear them with a strapless dress when it gets closer to party season, since I always have trouble keeping up my dresses.

Value= about $0.83, Birchbox sells a 24 pack for $9.99

Next, the Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss

Even though this is a really small size I was quite excited to receive it in my box.  I got it in the color Tender, which personally I feel is extremely gorguess.  When I saw it in the tube I was like "Oh no, this is going to be a weird bright orange, fashion magazine color" but after I tried it on (as you can see by the swatch) it is really a cute light color color and it blended in nicely with my natural lip color.  Although this tube is not really a great value either I like the small size because I can just stick it in one of my pockets and I am good to go.

Value= $5.71 for .06 fl oz. (probably not worth that much to me but still very nice), Birchbox sells a full sized (.21 fl oz.) for $20.00

 Next, Viva La Juicy La Fleur

I am not a huge fan of perfume samples, they kind of make me mad because I know that I could get them for free at any makeup counter in the mall.  But, since I order most of my makeup things online and I am getting this as part of a box of stuff received in the mail and didn't actually have to go out and get it I don't mind that much.  Personally, I actually love this scent! I have the old Viva La Juicy in the full size and although I enjoy using it, it will never be one of my favorites, this actually could become one of my favorites because I love the floral scent.  But, it is likely that I will never spend $70.00 on the full size, but if I receive it as a gift (like I had for my other Juicy Couture fragrance) for Christmas from one of my family members I would love it.

Value= $1.40 for .05 fl oz., Birchbox sells the full sized (2.5 fl oz.) for $70.00

And saving my favorite two for last:

Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo

I was so excited to look online and see that my box was going to include Oscar Blandi dry shampoo.  I have crazy hair that gets really dry at the ends but super greasy at the roots.  Some days I just don't have time to wash it and when I don't wash it, it goes from medium blonde to really dark brown and super greasy at the roots.  I tried this out one day last week and I love it.  I had heard great things about dry shampoo but the first can of dry shampoo I bought (Suave) was really awful, I only used it one time and 1) it did nothing for my hair except somehow make it look greasier and 2) the bottle was empty by the second use, it was super awful.

Value= $3.75 for .75 fl oz., Birchbox sells the full sized (5 fl oz.) for $25.00

The Schick Hydro Silk Razor

I love this razor.  I had really needed a new razor so I was so happy to find out that this was being included in the box.  This was actually my favorite part of the box, it is a really cute turquoise color (designed after water) and it has five blades and moisturizer in the bar surrounding them.  I used it on my legs the night after I received my box and it made my legs so smooth and soft and it totally removed the hair.  I will definitely be repurchasing this.  I am actually really excited that Birchbox is going to start doing Birchbox finds where they feature affordable drugstore or big box store like Target or Walmart brands.

Value=I saw it at target for about $7ish dollars (this is a full sized razor) and it may be less at other places, listed as $9.99 on Birchbox website.

All in all, even though I wasn't thrilled with this box I still found tons of products I have enjoyed trying and I know that it is definitely worth way more than 10 dollars.  I love Birchbox!

Let me know how you liked you box or your opinion of Birchbox in general.

First Post! (:

So, I have been reading and posting in blogs for the past year but I never thought I could actually start my own blog.  But, finally I am going to begin my own blog about: makeup finds, freebies I receive, products I review, giveaways, and many more.  I already have so many ideas of things to talk about.  Post comments if you ever have any requests of posts or products/beauty box subscriptions you would like me to try and review.