I'll Make an Influenster Out of You!

Back in late 2012, my friend Luna introduced me to a great website...Influenster. I remember her texting me and telling me all about this website where I could earn boxes with free items to test out and how she had gotten her first box. I thought, hey...it's worth a try right?

So she invited me (it is an invite only website) and I joined. I started doing surveys on there about things I liked, wrote reviews for things I used and wracked up some points. 

When I got my first email a month later, I was ecstatic. I was told that I would be testing out a new dish soap. Now dishes weren't my thing but I figured I would receive anything but small sample sized bottles of the product.

BOY was I wrong. In a box I received three full sized products of Palmolive Fresh Infusions (see my blog post about it here). I gave one to my boss at the time to give a try and I tested them out. They smelt amazing and were kind to my hands. I was so happy to try something like this out.

And the boxes (called voxboxes) came rolling in. The next one I received a bunch of different items, including the entire Colgate Optic White line, a new spray on lotion from Vaseline (which became one of my favorite lotions, Dickinson's Face wipes (which I also came to love) and some other goodies. 

I also received voucher programs for products that can't be shipped. One was for a wonderful yougurt drink and frozen yogurt and the other was for Sargento cheese.

But this website isn't just for the free items that you receive. I found myself a community of people with opinions. I'm not going to lie, half the time when I am trying to find a new product or see if something I am thinking about buying for the first time is worthwhile, I take a little trip over to influenster to see what kinds of thoughts others have had.

And I get to share my thoughts. Have you ever found a shampoo, makeup, household item, etc that you just can't live without? You can share your full thoughts on it for others to view. You can ask questions and get feedback on products. You can learn about other products. This website is literally for everyone. There are outdoor products, mom products, mens products, etc.

So...if you want to take on the challenge of being an influenster. If you are willing to share your opinion with others...let me know. I'll send you an invite!

Check out their website here for more information.

See below for products I have tried and won!

This was my latest voxbox, all these products were wonderful!

This came last Christmas, what a wonderful gift!

Each voxbox has "tasks" that you complete. IF you complete them and you are seen as one of the best, you can win prizes. I won this entire box of makeup as a prize for my Rimmel London Mascara box!

They couldn't send the cheese but they did send me a free lunchbox!

This was my 2nd box Such wonderful products (and the Optic White does work!)

This is my first college box. These products are perfect for any sorority girl!

Sugar And Spice...And Everything Nice!

Earlier this week I received my 2nd Voxbox from Influenster. If you don't know what that website is, check it out and get back to me if you want an invite! Anyway, a voxbox is basically a box of free products that companies give Influenster to send out to some of their users. And they aren't just sample size...they are full sized bottles and boxes of these products...free!

This box has some amazing products that I am currently trying out. Let's check them out:

BelVita breakfast biscuits are a yummy on the go breakfast idea for the person who doesn't have the time to eat. They come in several different flavors, including: Golden Oat, Blueberry and the kind I tried, Cinnamon. The Cinnamon ones taste just like a graham cracker. Now, it doesn't seem like much with these 4 little crackers, but after eating a pack they really are just enough for the morning. Full of whole grains, these crackers have some staying power. They are great with your morning coffee.

You can find them at your local supermarket for about $3.99 a box!

This next products wasn't one...but three! That's right, I got the whole set of toothbrush, paste and mouthwash to try out the Colgate Optic White System. This system is supposed to start whitening your teeth in as little as 5 days. I am on day two...so I'll let you know if I notice anything later.

Anyway, the toothbrush has nice soft bristles which make brushing not that bad. It also has the cheek and tongue cleaning side which is nice to have around to get those nasty germs off those areas too. The toothpaste does have a minty flavor but it isn't the same minty that most give you...the too much mint type (which for those who know me, know that I HATE mint!) This toothpaste does foam a lot though so if you don't like that, then you may have an issue. I don't mind it too much. As for the mouthwash, it is also another one of those not to minty types. It is a peroxide mouthwash...not alcohol...so the burning sensation isn't there (which is a relief). Because it is peroxide, it foams a lot too so you actually don't need as much of it to get the job done (or you will be literally foaming like crazy from the mouth!)

You can find these products at your local supermarket/pharmacy for about $3.99 each.

I know...this seems a little odd and maybe too good to be true. We all know those sunscreens that are just like this and run out in about 3 uses (I don't know how many bottles of those that I went through last summer!) Influenster included the middle bottle...total moisture for me to try and I was pleasantly surprised. With most of the spray sunscreens, you have to wait to go in the water, put on clothing, etc. This is different. Basically you just spray about 4" from the skin, rub in (which actually is just wiping once over the spray to spread it out) and voila! It doesn't spray too much lotion on the skin so you don't get greasy and it soaks in really fast. (I applied it to all my extremeties after a shower last night and could get into my clothing in less than a minute with no issues). It is super fast and leaves my skin feeling wonderfully soft. And it didn't feel like I depleted half the bottle in one use, so I have hopes that it lasts awhile. Once again, I will update after I know more!

You can find this at your local supermarket/pharmacy for $3.99 a bottle.

I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners. Those after tastes just gross me out. I don't drink diet pop (really I don't drink any pop much anymore) and I try to stay away from things with the Splenda logo. I just don't like the taste and it gives me a funny feeling in my stomach. But this sweetener is different. I made Tanisha try it first in her tea the other day before I would give it a try. I have a box of 20 packets so I knew it wasn't going anywhere. I put some in my tea later and there was no aftertaste and it was a really concentrated sweetener. My box came with a recipe book for this sweetener and I may try to make some of my own. Warning: As it is really sweet, you do not need as much of this sweetener as you do regular sugar. If using in recipes, you may need to recalculate the wet/dry ratio. 

Give this a try though, it is a wonderful sweetener for those who can't use sugar. Find it for $3.99 for a box of 20 packets.

Last but not least, I got a box of 20 of the Dickinson's Witch Hazel wipes. I have used Witch Hazel before on my face as a cleaner and I always liked the pleasant tingle that it gave me. I sometimes forget it as a facial cleaner that is not as stinging and strong as other astringents. These wipes are a wonderful version of witch hazel...and convenient. They come in 20 individually packed pouches and the towelettes are quite a bit larger that I expected once unfolded. They give that wonderful tingle of witch hazel and later leave your face feeling clean and soft due to the added aloe. I looked down and saw the amount of dirt and oil it cleaned from my face and was a little surprised. They really clean quite well! Influenster gave me five $2.00 coupons off my next purchase. 

You can find them for $5.99 a box at your local supermarket or pharmacy.