I was super lucky to have received another Influenster VoxBox! This box piqued my attention, since its theme is natural home/baby/mom/family items.
Aaaand, I’m just gonna jump right in.
Here are the items that I received in my free Influenster box:
The Original Dish Drying Mat, $4.99
I was very excited when I saw this item in my box (can you tell I’m the dish-washer of the family?). This is a microfiber dish drying mat that absorbs a ton of water. I actually have one similar to this already, but this brand is a little cushier than mine. I love it! It absorbs a ton of water, and I am not concerned with water sitting on the counter when I have dishes drying over night.
LypSyl Intension Protection LypMoisturizer, $2.87
I should probably preface this little review by saying that I have always been, and always will be, a fan of Burt’s Bees chap stick. It’s the only chap stick that keeps my dry, chapped lips comfortable, and I attribute that to the beeswax that is in it. This LypSyl chap stick is, dare I say, better than Burt’s Bees? The component that I find is better than Burt’s Bees is the glossy-smoothness that I feel after applying the LypSyl. Do you ever feel like lip products are either moisturizing or they simply make your lips look moisturized? For instance, lip gloss tends to just make our lips look like they’re not dry but they don’t do much for the actual moisture in our lips. Chap stick moisturizes but doesn’t enhance the look of the lips. Not sure if I’m the only one who thinks that … but, anyways, I feel like this one does both. I love it and will definitely purchase it!
EBOOST, $28 for box of 20 effervescent powders
Um … here’s another review I should preface by saying that I don’t like soda. Now, this EBOOST is not a soda and it doesn’t even taste like one. However, the aspect that I don’t care for in soda is the fizziness. So, you can pretty much guarantee that something described as “effervescent powder” drink won’t be a winning product for me. And that was true in this situation. It tasted … off to me. I’m sure there is someone out there that will enjoy the drink powder, but this is not for me. For what it’s worth, I did feel clear-minded (not usual for me, haha) and energized after I drank it. But, no, I will not purchase this. At all.
CleanWell Individual Hand Sanitizer Wipes, $29.99 for 50 pouches
This was another product that was exciting for me. I always have some sort of hand-sanitizing product in my purse at all times. With three kids, you have to either clean up messes or sticky hands or snotty noses quite a bit and spreading germs is, of course, a concern of mine (but I’m not TOO concerned, because I’m of the mind that exposure to germs can be a good thing, in the long run). I like that these wipes are alcohol free, so you don’t have that stringent smell on your hands after ward and it doesn’t dry out your skin. These would be nice for around the house, I guess, but if we’re at home then I would just wash our hands. When we’re out, I don’t think these are practical since you have to worry about the throwing away the packet. Also, my kids would not be able to open these on their own like they can a hand-sanitizer squirt bottle thingy.
So, while I like the idea of these and think they probably have a place in someone else’s home, they’re not for us. But, they’re a great product! I feel bad saying that I wouldn’t purchase this, but it’s simply because it’s not a convenient product, especially since this is the type of item that would be marketed towards parents.
GEODEO, $5.99 for 2.3oz stick
Another exciting product! Deodorant!! No, but really. I use natural deodorants from Tom’s of Maine and Lush. No aluminum for my pitties! (sorry, that’s what my son calls arm pits. I think it’s hilarious.)
I was interested in seeing how this natural deodorant stood up to my two staples. The scent is lovely, not too girly and not too hippie-y (you know what I’m talkin’ about). I was the normal amount of stinky at the end of the day. Aaand… I think that’s that. What more can you say about deodorant? Most people don’t like to talk about pitties, so I hope this doesn’t offend anyone. I would buy Geodeo again, most definitely.
NECTRESSE, $3.99 for 40 servings
You might not remember my last VoxBox review, but I had received a natural sweetener in that box, too. Natural sweeteners are great and all, but they’re not always my thing. I think it’s simpler to just use sugar, since I keep sugar in our pantry anyways. Also, I tend to have a more ‘whole’ approach to the way we eat, and natural sweeteners don’t tend to fit into that frame of mind. That being said, this is basically Splenda but natural. And, when I’m at the office or out and about and don’t have plain sugar, Splenda is the thing for which I reach. Nectresse doesn’t taste much different than Splenda, to me. I probably wouldn’t purchase this, since I use sugar, but I was please with the taste!
Shea Moisture Raw Shea, Chamomile & Argan Baby Bar Soap, $4.99 for a 5oz bar (link is for liquid version)
Shea Moisture is a brand that I see in the store quite often but never pick up because it’s on the edge of being too expensive. I was glad to try this out for free before committing to a whole bar of soap that we might not like! The consensus: this is good. I’ve been using it as a hand soap, since it has so many moisturizing properties. My hands are SUPER dry, so the fact that my hands don’t feel chapped after using this is a huge plus for me. We haven’t quite got to the months where my hands are extremely dry yet, so this will be a continuing experiment into the winter months. I also used this in my daughter’s bath, and she has SUPER sensitive skin. And by super, I mean super duper extra super extremely sensitive. And she didn’t break out in any bumps or anything. I am so glad I had the opportunity to try this, because I will definitely buy it and also try out other Shea Moisture products.
I hope you all enjoyed this! It’s a lot of fun to receive a free box of goodies to play with for a month or so. I’m not sure if any of my readers are concerned about natural/organic products, but I think it’s an important topic to consider when purchasing products for ourselves and our families.
Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
