Influenster sent me this complimentary box (and all the products within it) for testing purposes and my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links included in this post. See full disclaimers here.
I’m pretty excited about this post. If you’ve been following along, you know I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with awesome brands (and lots of subscription boxes)! I’m pretty obsessed with them and love discovering new products through our partnerships! Actually, most of my very favorite things have come from subscription boxes…hmmm…I should write up a post about that one of these days.
Anyway, I signed up for Influenster a couple of months ago, and quite honestly, wasn’t sure what I thought about it. I mean, I think it’s a super cool website – they have tons of blog posts about pretty much everything (from beauty, to food, to pet stuff and home electronics) and you can read other people’s reviews of products you might be interested.
And, then there’s the “Free Stuff” bait. You connect your socials and engage with the community to grow your impact score , which in turn makes you eligible to receive free products to test. Not like samples, but legit products. I read one blogger’s post and she received a Keurig. An entire Keurig coffee machine.
So, I signed up. But to be totally honest, I didn’t know if I had the time to invest in keeping up with it. Blogging is HARD WORK and pretty much eats up all my free time. So, when I got the email that I was “in” for the Darling Voxbox (aka free stuff, yey!) I almost peed my pants because I hadn’t done much so far, except sign up, tell them about myself and connect my socials!
I’m sharing the deets of my first Voxbox below and everything (well, mostly everything) you need to know about Influenster if you decide you want to give it a try. Ready, set….go.
WHAT IS INFLUENSTER
Influenster is an online community of a gazillion (over 3 milion, officially) shoppers who test free stuff, review the stuff and share thier honest opnionions with the community and online.
There’s millions of reviews and products – and, it’s super awesome because you can totally stalk other people’s stuff and see what they think about it. This is pretty much my favorite way to shop. [otw_shortcode_button href=”www.influenster.com/r/3058277” size=”tiny” icon_position=”left” shape=”square” color_class=”otw-pink” target=”_blank”] Check it out! [/otw_shortcode_button]
You can create lists, and compare prices, and enter fun giveaways…if you’re into online shopping and love cool stuff, it really is a fun little community to be part of. Oh, they have an app too. I mean, they pretty much have everything – showoffs! 🙂
WHAT IS A VOXBOX?
Oh, it’s a good ol’ fashioned box of free stuff. Many times you get full-size products. Literally all they want you to do is test it and share your honest opinions with the community. You’ll get products from some of the biggest brands in the country from beauty to food in exchange for sharing your authentic thoughts (the good, bad and ugly). Brands need this type of feedback to learn how to better their products, produce more (if everyone is obsessed) or take em’ off the shelves.
Members are not guaranteed Voxboxes, but here are a few ways to make sure you have a better chance:
- Um, sign up 🙂
- Fill out your profile (the more details, the better)
- Connect all of your socials so you can get an impact score (your impact score helps you qualify for VoxBoxes and can grow based upon following and other actions you take on Influenster)
- Answer surveys (snaps) so they can figure out what kind of stuff to send you
- Contribute. Share reviews, ask questions and engage in the community
- Do a couple cartwheels when your first Voxbox arrives (I did!)
SO, UM…WHAT DID I GET?
Okay, let’s talk about the superstars of this post. I received the Darling Voxbox which was sent to 10k mamas celebrating Mother’s Day. How adorable is this card? And, seriously…why am I not eating Macarons right now.
You get a handy-dandy little card that gives you a bazillion details about each of the products you received.
First up, was this Surf’s Up Texture Spray (Retail $11.99). This full size bottle is super tiny but pretty mighty when it comes to creating soft, beachy waves. I’ve used other texture sprays in the past, some that leave my hair feeling gross and sticky. And, when I’m looking for beach waves, I want to feel like I was…at the beach. I definately don’t want to feel like my toddler dumped a bottle of glue on my head. This spray left my hair feeling great and helped add a little “oomph” to my waves. And, I mean it smells like summer so I was pretty much sold there. Details: Zeolite delivers buildable texture in a dry, matte finish, while Vitamin C & fatty acids enhance shine, nourish & repair. Verdict? I’d definitely buy this again.
Let’s talk cakes in mugs. I was maybe most excited to try this, because I’m a ravenous bear who is trying to eat healthy and was stoked to have a reason (um, testing purposes) to jump off the healthy train for a treat. 
Duncan Hines got it right with this Perfect for 1 Chocolate Lovers Cake (Retail: $2.50). My hubby and I have a great recipe for a 1 minute, egg-less chocolate chip cookie in a mug, but it takes time to prep all the ingredients. So, I love the idea of opening a bag, plopping it in my favorite mug, adding a little milk and eating it 1 minute later. This was delicious. Hubby and I shared it and I panicked the whole time thinking I wouldn’t get my share.
DETAILS: A warm, fresh baked treat ready in about a minute. VERDICT: I mean, I feel like you can’t go wrong with Duncan Hines stuff. I was totally bummed out by two things though: (1) Coupon is on a gigantic piece of cardboard. I felt like I needed to hire a professional body builder to help me cut through the cardboard, so not very convenient; and (2) Stop and Shop didn’t carry the product. So, I’m going to have to hunt the neighborhood grocery stores if I’m going to purchase it. Wah!
My little lady got two HUGE bottles of goodness from Live Clean. Let’s start with the Baby Gentle Moisture Tearless Shampoo & Wash (Retail: $5.99). We use the California Baby wash for the tub, but I was excited to get a bottle of plant-derived goodness to use once the Cali-babe is gone. We did give this a quick test just to make sure we liked it and it seemed nice! It also smells like a clean kiddo should, with hints of lavender, chamomile and aloe. I mean, I don’t think I could smell the aloe, but I definately could smell the lavendar and chamomile. And, no tears….so that was a huge bonus. DETAILS: A clinically tested, mild tear-free formula , made with purifie d water and enriched with certified organic botanicals. VERDICT: I might not buy this on my own, but I’m happy to have it!
We tested the Baby Gentle Moisture Baby Lotion (Retail: $5.99), but won’t be using it. It’s not like it’s horrible or anything, but we use another product (and also are big coconut oil fans) so we’re not accepting new lotions 🙂 I will however share this with my SIL who has a sweet little babe on the way SOON. DETAILS: The non-greasy formula absorbs quickly, leaving skin soft and smooth with a gentle scent to sooth baby.
Hello, buttery spread! The voxbox came with a coupon to snag a totally free Country Crock Buttery Spread at the store, so since I was headed that way anyway, I picked one up! We’re not super huge butter people, but when we do use it, we usually use an organic or “healthy” version. So, I probably wouldn’t find myself buying this butter again only as a matter of preference.
That said, there was a cute little recipe card included in the box that I will probably try at some point since I have the tub in my fridge. I did give it a taste by spreading a teeny-tiny amount on my English Muffin and it was good. Is buttery stuff ever not good? I mean, it’s butter. DETAILS: Made with real ingredients like delicious oils, purified water and a pinch of salt. RETAIL: $2.99.
Last bust certainly not least was one of the standouts for me, for sure. These Nature’s Bounty Energy Gummies (Retail $7.99). This was a full bottle of watermelon flavored gummies, so I was excited to give them a shot. These guys are supposed to support energy production by converting food into energy. I’ve only taken them for a couple of days, and can’t say I’ve noticed a huge difference in my day to day, but I’ll update the post once the bottle is gone if there’s anything worth mentioning. I can tell you that they taste really good. Like I wish they were candy so I could eat them all…right…now. DETAILS: Contains 250mcg of B-12 along with a unique blend of herbs.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FREE STUFF?
I was very pleasantly surprised with my first Influenster Voxbox experience. I was stoked to get a box in the first place, but to also get a box that came filled with stuff I actually cared to try was pretty awesome. So, I’m in. Bring on the next box!
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