December 4, 2014 by Stephanie

Clearproof Box

I received this box thanks to Influenster. If you haven’t gotten on this bandwagon, come join me.

As a teenager, I never really had problems with acne. Then I started birth control due to my crazy periods, which I believe helped stave off any acne issues I would have had otherwise in college.

Then come to the time when I got off BC in my late 20s to try to start having babies. Holy moly am I becoming a normal 16 year old? The acne was insane for me.

Then it proceeded to get even worse when I was pregnant. Pregnancy hormones plus deciding not to use my normal face regimen to be more natural=acne nightmare.

Coconut oil and baking soda worked alright for me as a natural remedy, but it did not stave off the acne as much as the internet said. Lies.

So when I was asked to preview this box, I said sure. Let’s see if it can work it’s magic.

2014-11-06 21.22.37

I do not have before and after photos because well to be honest I was too self-concision to take them. I do mostly have hormonal acne since it is around my mouth and chin, but I also get some on my high cheekbones (probably because I sleep on my hands a lot which can cause the irritation.)

I also have a lot of acne scars from over the past few years as well. I honestly hate these more than a new breakout. Devil acne.

I have been using this line up of Clearproof products from Mary Kay for a month now.

I will be honest that I am indifferent about it.

My acne has gone down since I have started using it, but it has not gone away. Instead of the massive daily crop up I had, I am only experiencing maybe one a week. So I guess that is better! I started back on a low dosage birth control at the same time. So there is that.

It has not done anything about my acne scars, which it didn’t claim it would. I was just hoping for it.

All in all, I guess I do like the product. The wash isn’t too soapy and a little goes a long way. The spot treatment did seem to help with the breakouts so they weren’t so scary, so I appreciated that. The moisturizer though I did love. This is another that a little goes a long way. It is not overly thick and it soaks in very quickly. I have been using it a few times a day.

I did like that it was a complete set. When you are at the store trying to pick out facial products, there are not many that have a wash, toner, and moisturizer combo. Usually it is the toner that is no where to be found. I am not a fan of mixing different lines, so I liked that this had it all. A+ for that!

I did experience some dryness right at the beginning, but this could also be due to the face when I started this was when it got cold here. My skin basically has no moisture in the winter months.

Does this product work? I think so.

Does this product fix all my acne issues? No, but it did seem to lessen it. I think it is comparable to other lines.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. As I said it is not a cure all, and I feel that I have had similar results from other products I can get a drugstore.

voxbox-blogimage-popup2

I did receive all of this set complimentary for the review, and these thoughts are my own.

If you are interested in getting a box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact, the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

Have you tried Clearproof? What are your best acne fighters?

July 7, 2014 by Stephanie

SurfsUpVoxBox

I recently received my second complimentary box from Influenster.

I really enjoy being part of this community because it gives me a chance to try new products and items that I may not otherwise look twice at. The last box encouraged me to switch my eye shadow, so I was excited to see if there was anything that would change my routine this go around.

Here is what I received:

2014-06-30 19.53.24

1. Jamba Juice Smoothie Kit coupons: I was really pumped to see this in my box because I have a smoothie every single morning on my way to work. I thought it would be good to try this brand to see if it was better than my other frozen fruit options. The bags are normally about $3 and say they are a 2-4 serving. I used a whole bag for one morning. There was nothing special about this bag, and I think you can get more out of your money buying the large store brand bags. It literally was just frozen fruit in a small bag. Mind you it was still good, but I don’t think the price is worth it considering the other options I have.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun: I don’t normally get sun-burned so I was a little skeptical about this product working. Plus, since being pregnant my skin hasn’t seen a lot of sun, so I wasn’t sure if this would be used any time soon. I did end up joining my family for some pool time on July 4th and was able to get some adequate rays. Just to safe guard against any sun affects, I used this that same night. I wasn’t really impressed. It was a thick gel that was kind of sticky going on. It also wasn’t very refreshing as I feel most after sun products are. Not so much a fan.

3. First Aid Shot Therapy: I did not try this purely because I am pregnant. I have been trying to stay away from any medications if I can, so this just went into one of our camping prep bags for emergency use later on. I feel like it would be really handy on long races though.

4. Sinful Colors Professional Nail Polish: I am glad this was in the box. I am always skeptical buying new polish and trying different colors. I haven’t used it yet because I haven’t had the time to sit and do my nails in the past week, but I am sure that this will go to good use. I feel like it is a color that you could use any time of year too.

5. COVERGIRL Bombshell Curvaceous by Lashblast Mascara: I love CoverGirl! They were my first make-up product when I was 13, and I have been hooked ever since. Mascara is also that one make-up item that I rarely leave the house without. So naturally this was the item I was most pumped about! It is a combo mascara with two different applicators that you layer on each other for a real pop factor. CoverGirl mascara is my favorite mascara by far, and rarely (if ever) have I been disappointed. Until I used this. It really isn’t that bad of a product, but it is really difficult to apply. The casing is really bulky, and I can’t get the wand into the corners of my eye very easily because the base runs into my cheeks. I feel like it causes a real uneven layering because I have to position the wand in weird ways to reach all of my lashes, whereas other wands I can hit all the lashes in one direction. I think this is what has caused some clumping, I think if the body of the casing wasn’t so thick I wouldn’t have any issues. The other qualm I have is that it is really hard to clean off. I normally wear waterproof mascara, which is traditionally difficult to get off. I have no problem getting that off, but this product I had to clean my eyes, wash my face, then clean my eyes again, and then I would still wake up with some mascara left under my eyes. So sadly, even after trying to make it work for a week, I was not a fan. I will be sticking to my other Lashblast mascara.

While this box was kind of a bust for me, I still really enjoyed getting the box. It enables me to try some new things, as well as appreciate products that I have been using for years.

I did receive all of these complimentary for the review, and these thoughts are my own. If you are interested in getting a box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

voxbox-blogimage-popup2

January 7, 2014 by Stephanie

JollyVoxBox

I recently signed up for a review box from Influenster thanks to a blog friend Erica. A box is sent to you after doing a survey with Influenster. I was really excited to get the box for my very first product review!

These are not big boxes, but they have around 5 small items for you to review. Just the perfect size to try something new and see if want to become invested in that product.

Here is what was in the box:

Puffs Ultra Soft and Strong To Go Tissue Pack: I love these Kleenexes! These have come at the perfect time since this weather is making me a little nasally. I love these travel packs because it ensures that I have a tissue wherever I go. (I am ready to be a mom folks, been carrying the mom bag for years!)
NYC New York Color HD Color Trio Eye Shadow: This is the item I was most excited to receive. I was waiting until we got back from our vacation to go get some new eye shadow, and this is the palate I always get too. I had never tried this brand before, but I love it so far!
Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer: I am not one to use lip color because I am a chapstick girl for sure. I always feel silly wearing anything else, but I am sure I can find someone to try this out since I won’t use it. It looks super fancy!
Skinny Cow Candy: I love Skinny Cow chocolates, but this is the one kind I don’t like because I am not a peanut butter fan. However, as you know Tom loves PB, so these will be gone very soon in one of his pantry raids.
Ducklings Mini Rolls: This item was fun to see as a crafter. This little roll of decorative duct tape will emerge on some craft or labels of some sort I am sure. I love the splatter paint effect.

This is my first box, but the site seems pretty fun by earning badges of things that you have reviewed and checking in your boxes. You can win prizes the more things that you check in, so there are rewards to be interactive with the site beyond just getting the box. It seems pretty self-explanatory from what I can tell so far. The only thing is that I don’t have a lot of the social media outlets like Instagram and Twitter which can earn you more points, so we’ll see how it goes without those.