Review - Daisy VoxBox from Influenster

** DISCLAIMER: I received a box of free samples to review from Influenster. The products were all complimentary. The opinions are honest and sincere, since you cannot buy my integrity.**

Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's get on to reviewing swag!

DA BOX OF FREEBIES

Open Sesame!

The lineup

You can't tell the players without a program!

THE REVIEWS

Always Infinity Pads 

These are my go-to brand ... and I was thrilled to get a sample (Because I had used the emergency pad in my purse when I was having a coughing fit for non-menstrual-but-anyone-who's-given-birth-would-understand-reasons ... do I have to spell it out? [I typed that first as "do I have to SPILL it out. Freudian Slip?]).

They sent me pads for a heavy flow ... it's like they know me.

ALSO, part of the box was a coupon. That's handy.

It's a little hard to review a product that I already have used (I don't always got for the Infinity ones) ... But, suffice it to say that I dig these. They work. That's important. Since I hate doing more laundry than I have to.

Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt

 There's a coupon for yogurt. It reminds me a bit of the old Target:Women video by Sarah Haskins:  

At the same time, I do really like yogurt. I like eating yogurt, drinking yogurt, eating yogurt-covered dried fruits ... I'm a yogurt-lovin' fool.

But, yes, the yogurt was good. Tasty. A bit thinner than I'm used to eating lately, since my heart belongs to Greek-style yogurt (or Noosa ... that's good stuff). But hey, a free yogurt! What's not to like, right? (Unless it's a free GREEK-STYLE YOGURT!)

Nature's Bounty Probiotic Gummies

These also came with a coupon.

Given my druthers, I prefer all vitamins/medicines possible to be in gummy form.

These are tasty ... I don't know, though, if they've improved my gut flora. (TMI, I'm sure: I've been crazy flatulent and have loose stools. Maybe these are TOO EFFECTIVE? Maybe one shouldn't be taking gummies for vitamins AND fiber along with these? Maybe I should eat more whole foods? Maybe I should get an enema? [I hope not])

Regardless, these are tasty enough. They're really firm gummies. (The Up and Up brand of Melatonin gummies are MUCH softer. But I know that optimal-gummies-texture is a very personal thing.)

SkinnyPop Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn

It's a pretty nifty idea to advertise microwave popcorn that pops into a box for eating (so you don't get the popcorn oil/salt all over your knuckles and the back of your hand while double-fisting handfuls of popcorn. ... What? You're telling me that's NOT how you eat popcorn, too?

It's cool that they use only three ingredients. I'd be happier if they used something that wasn't Palm Oil (THINK OF THE ORANGUTANS!)  ... maybe coconut oil? 

Setting up the box was pretty easy. And I liked the "pop quizzes" (There were two.)

That's SO fetch!!

Popping the popcorn was pretty simple ... if you've made microwave popcorn that even I can't manage to scorch, that's a pretty big accomplishment.

This is after sharing with my daughter ... it WAS full to the top!

Eating it:  It's definitely not too salty. But, since I'm used to the regular, fatty microwave popcorn, I'm missing that fake-butter flavor. I can't tell if it's the palm oil that tastes so different or if I'm just expecting that movie-popcorn-butter flavoring. Regardless, my mouth felt a little waxy after each mouthful. But my lips weren't covered in that salty, fake-butter film ... so ... okay.

I shared some with my youngest daughter (after I took the other kids to school). She liked it, but agreed that she likes "butter popcorn" more.  (Score one for Paula Dean!)

I think that I'd try this  popcorn again ... maybe check out another flavor (Looking online, there IS a butter-flavored option -- There are three additional ingredients, but they're all pronounceable, so that's cool. I might pick some up to try). The packaging, though is pretty awesome. And I like that I didn't burn the popcorn at all. 

Of course, since I had to go to their website, now I'm wanting to try some of the other flavors available in their bagged popcorn (You had me at "Dusted Dark Chocolate").

Though, the more that I got through the box of popcorn, the more I thought about it as an idea for my kids' lunches ... None of the popcorn was very oily, so it'd pack really well. Maybe I am getting sold on this, after all. (That's the danger of free samples, you know.) 

Live Clean Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner

 These smell AMAZING. I'm a sucker for coconut-scented things. When I was in high school, especially during the winters, I'd throw caution to the wind and use Suave shampoo and conditioner most days, just so that my hair would smell like summertime. So, using this is a throwback to my high-school genius. ... Though these smell more like a sweet coconut, as opposed to the fake, suntan-lotion coconut smell. Still, if my hair were longer, I'd be pulling it to my nose to sniff all day.

When I used the shampoo, I noticed that it didn't lather up as much as my usual Biologe. I checked the back of the bottle, sure enough, it's because it doesn't have sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS), which is supposed to be much better for one's hair. I liked how clean my hair felt afterwards. I might have to try this on my older daughter's hair. I definitely did need a conditioner afterwards.

The conditioner (among other things) is silicon-free ... which should be really nice on my baby-fine hair.  Once I ran it through my strands, I was a little worried that I used too much ... Nah, I'm good. I combed through my hair with my wide-toothed comb and ... my hair felt pretty amazing.

 After using the paper mask (reviewed last), I took my hair out of its microfiber wrap and combed it out again. I even pulled out my hair dryer and helped speed along the drying process (which I barely ever do. 95% of the time, my hair dryer is used to help dry my make-up setting spray. No lie.) ... I don't have the patience to dry my hair fully, so I just usually let it air-dry (99% because I'm lazy).

Yes, I put on some makeup: moisturizer, concealer, powder, eyeliner, mascara, and clear eyebrow gel.

 But, seriously, my hair is SUPERSOFT. And I usually pride myself on my soft hairz ... but my hair is REALLY soft right now. And it still smells amazing. I didn't notice as many bits of my hair being as flyaway as normal, either. ... This necessitates further study. Thank goodness there are full-bottle-samples of shampoo and conditioner, not just the little travel-size pouches. Because I need to see if this is an every-time result. FOR SCIENCE. 

Say Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Paper Mask

"I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!" ... And I hope that this doesn't offend anyone. This is not supposed to be blackface.

I think that paper masks are great ... mostly because they look creepy as all-get-out.  (You can tell the few times that I've used one in the past because I post it to Facebook and make jokes about "it rubs the lotion in its skin." Because I'm a classy woman like that.)

I've used some of the Say Yes to products before. And I've liked them mostly (I was SUPERBUMMED when the tube of Say Yes to Tomatoes Charcoal Warming Mask that I had bought broke before I even got halfway through it [I'm a superfan of those warming masks, THANKS BIORE, YOU ENABLER. I've been spoiled since high school, thanks to your self-heating mask! Such innovation! No, that's NOT sarcasm, that's SINCERITY.]).  ... ...  So I was looking forward to using this mask. Especially since it warned about giving a "tingly" sensation. ON YOUR FACE!

 I don't know that it's terribly tingly ... it's a little more intense than a bubble mask, though, when a breeze blows through, I'm more aware of it. I noticed it most under my nose (since I was constantly breathing on it), later I noticed it on my cheeks.

I find that with how the paper mask is cut, it's made for someone with a longer and slightly narrower face than mine ... and with a smaller, wider nose. Also, this is the first time that I had a paper mask that I COULD cover my eyes with. Right now, I'm typing with the eye-flaps folded down like panting-dog-tongues below my eyes. It's a little weird for my peripheral vision. 

Do I creep you out?

It smells nice. But, in my limited experience, everything by the Say Yes to line has smelled really pleasant. Whenever I'd adjust it, my fingers (besides smelling really nice) would be very silky soft from the essence/serum/whatever-its-called-I'm-not-a-professional-beauty-blogger-I'm-not-paid-to-know-this-I-just-got-a-free-product-to-review. 

Here I am, post-mask ... All glowy with essence-y-stuff

So, after the mask, I ... for lack of knowing what else to do, rubbed the rest of the essence/liquid-stuff into my skin. My face felt super-smooth (and smelled amazeballs). There's the picture of me ... right above this paragraph. I look pretty darn glow-y and dewy and all. Between washing my face prior to the mask (Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleaner and St. Ives Apricot Scrub) and using the mask, the pores on my face are looking pretty darn nice! 

_____________________________________________________

And so concludes my off-the-cuff reviews of these products. I might have to buy the shampoo and conditioner. I'll give the paper mask another try (maybe while eating microwave popcorn with my older daughter). I'm not totally sold on the probiotic gummies or the yogurt. And I already use the Always brand pretty often.

***Just in case you didn't catch it above, these products were provided for free to review. I am giving my honest opinion. I got to keep the products listed above. You can sign up, too, if you want. These were provided by Influenster.com in the Daisy VoxBox. Legal, legal, legal, blah, blah, disclaimer, blah, blah.***

Renuzit Fresh Accents - Review

****Disclaimer: I received two free samples of the Renuzit Fresh Accents Air Fresheners for this post.
This is because I'm a Purex Insider. ... Because I like free stuff AND I like Purex.
Just keeping it real. Since these are my honest, candid opinions. Because that's what I do. ^_^

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I can give you my honest review (since that's the point) of this review ... and of being a Purex Insider.

Truth be told, I ONLY JUST opened one of them today... and I received my kit back in October.
It's been a little crazy around here, can you tell?

BUT, with only having the Winterberry scent freshener out, I can honestly tell you that my bathroom smells MUCH better (Now, just ignore the major pile of dirty laundry and the huge amount of clutter. Please??)

I did notice that Michael's grandma, when we were visiting family at Christmas has the Festive Snow scented freshener in HER bathroom ... and it does smell really nice, too.

There also were three coupons for free air fresheners ... and I WOULD share ... EXCEPT that they expire at the end of this week! Oops!!! So ... well, the thought was there. But, maybe it's just THAT much more important for my house to smell nice. Especially since, in a couple months, we'll have dirty diapers and spit-up to deal with.
(And, really? One of those puppies is SO going into the kids' bathroom. I don't think I have to tell you why. And that's the bathroom that, generally, I clean most often! And it STILL needs air fresheners in there!! Ew!)

But, since I haven't had mine out of the box for long, I can't tell you much about their longevity.
They're supposed to last for 30 days, in case you wondered.
And, judging by the other air fresheners in the Renuzit family, I'm betting they'll last pretty well.
And they ARE pretty. The holders have little snowflake-designs cut out of them. And I hear that they're really pretty in a window or somewhere they can have light shining through them.

If you have any questions about MY experience with them, just ask.
If you just want to know about the product, go and mosey over to http://www.renuzit.com/products/winter-berry-fresh-accents/ and check them out (You can click through to look at the Festive Snow-scented one, too).

And, in full disclosure, I'll let you know that some air-fresheners are WAY STRONG right out of the box (especially to someone who happens to be pregnant and has a bloodhound's sense of smell [well, when she doesn't have the plague, that is] ... This is not one of them. It smells really nice. Strong enough to be noticeable, but not strong enough where I have the urge to wrap it in plastic. ^_^

So, could I honestly recommend this? Sure! It's pretty and smells nice. And it doesn't take up a whole lot of room.  So, yeah, I'm feeling pretty lucky. ^_^

Product Review - Purex Complete Crystals Softener

So, as I mentioned, I received a free sample of the new (as of December 2010) Pyrex Complete Crystals Softener.

Now to USE them:

First load - 1:20 PM, February 28

• They're easy to use. You just toss them in with the clothes. 
• Since this is a free sample, it didn't come with a measuring scoop. I just poured them into my hand until I reached the "load" line on the back.
• Now my hand smells like "fresh spring waters" ... I keep sniffing it. Like, OBSESSIVELY.
  I'm not worried, obviously ... probably because the crystals are 92% natural.
  I wonder what the other 8% is? From the scent ... I'd guess "pure awesome." Just sayin'.
  (I also wonder about the other scents. Maybe, after pay day, I need to see if Target carries all three scents? Hmmmm. Just for the record, I checked over at Purex.com to actually see the names of the other fragrances: Lavender Blossom and Tropical Splash.)

2:57 PM - My hand still smells wonderful. Just for the record.

Pulling out the first load - 3:00 PM
(Should have been earlier. But I forgot to start the dryer on the previous load! Ugh!)

• I can't tell for-sure-for-sure if the fabrics are all softer when I remove them from the washer.
• I can tell that they all smell great.
• I threw in the other dark load that was waiting. ... Now my other hand smells delightful.
  I checked, just in case ... contact with skin? No warnings. Just don't get it in your eye.
  Consider yourself warned.

Pulling out the first load from the dryer (around 4 PM):

I had my helper, Bucket, assist me in unloading the dryer.

We noticed that the clothes smelled really good.
She affirmed that, yes, the towels and her pajamas were softer than normal.

I can't swear that the scent lasts for weeks and weeks, but I can agree that it's still pleasantly scented after coming out of the dryer. I'll check the first load again in a couple hours, after laundry is done.
The loads that I did this morning, before my sample arrived? They don't really smell like anything after sitting on the couch for a few hours.

After the second load is done (about 5 PM):
It smells and feels nice.
The first load doesn't smell as strongly ... but it still smells nice.

I'll have to check it again after a week or so.

Will I buy a full-size product?
Yeah, I think so. It smells nice enough that it makes me want it.

I did request 3 e-coupons for my friends. So, if you want one, speak up!
(I don't have them YET ... But I hope to get them soon. If I can't get them ... you'll still like me, right??)

------------------------------------

As I said in my previous post, this is probably the best packaging I've ever received with a free sample. Bruise and Bucket were impressed.

It came in a shiny, blue box.

With a slide-out insert:

Inside was the bottle of crystals and the promotional material -- A letter from the Purex Insiders Community Manager (and she writes that this is the same sample that was sent to executives at Target and Walmart, as well as to editors of numerous publications).

It's a really good sized sample. That's five loads' worth in there!

No, my wrist isn't broken. It's just a trifle difficult to use a DSLR one-handed.
Especially if you're leaning on your (low) couch. The things I do for you. ^_^

There also is an informational sheet telling the benefits of using the crystals instead of liquid softener.
(Truly? I love soft towels. But everyone says that using softener makes your towels less absorbent. So I haven't been using softener for a LONG time. ... I wonder if you can use the crystals when you wash microfiber cloths? Because if you use liquid softener, you've pretty much ruined them. ... Don't ask me how I know. I'm sure you can guess.)

Click to embiggen. I figured that if you wanted to read it, I'd facilitate that desire.
Because you're so, so pretty. And smart.

 In short, the informational sheet attests that the crystals will let you use softener on things that you normally wouldn't: towels, children's pajamas (because of the flame-retardant properties), and sportswear.

Now, honestly? I don't have a lot of sportswear. And, really? The stuff I have? Not used so much.

But I have kids' pajamas and towels.

Another cool claim is that, because the crystals aren't oil-based (therefore they work by penetrating the fabrics to soften), the freshness is longer lasting. As in weeks.

I'm game for sweet-smelling laundry. (Especially if someone else folds and puts it away, amirite? ^_^)

Full disclosure here: I received this product as a free sample. And I didn't HAVE to blog about it.
I didn't have to like it at all. What I've written is my honest opinion. I refuse to sell out my integrity. Srsly.

Though, if Purex offered me a bajillion dollars? ... I might be tempted. A little.

And, really? It does smell amazing. I'll let you know if it keeps the clothes fresh for weeks. Remind me, if I forget.

And if you are really curious ... I washed these loads with Arm and Hammer Mountain Fresh detergent. And added Clorox 2 Color-Safe Bleach. And, OF COURSE, the Purex Crystals. And I have one of those dryer balls. The ones that looks like a plastic, curled-up hedgehog. ... I don't know where the other one is. Probably in my pile of to-be-folded laundry. Sad but true, I know.

I had to buy the bleach and laundry detergent myself. Just for the record.
The washer and dryer were gifts. 

Anything else? ^_^