All about my #JingleVoxBox - FREE products to try from Influenster :)

I was so excited to find out I was getting the #JingleVoxBox from @Influenster! I hardly ever get VoxBox’s so it makes the experience extra special when I do ;).

 

This VoxBox contained the following items:

 

*Cetaphil moisturizing cream – I wish it had been a larger sample because this lotion works great on my dry winter skin! It is thick but absorbs very well and doesn’t leave my skin greasy or sticky. Apparently this unique formula attracts water to the skin and helps prevent moisture loss.

 

*Biscoff cookies – Great snacking cookies to go with hot cocoa or coffee, or just by themselves. They are crunchy and have a good but somewhat plain flavor (which is why they pair well with coffee, or I even dipped one in peanut butter…yum!).

 

*Ore-Ida tater tots coupon – I loved tator tots as a kid, and of course my nieces and nephew really liked when I made some for them to go with their chicken nuggets. I still love them, and we picked up a bag of the mini ones which were really good since they had the perfect amount of crunchyness and softness. Making “Totchos” with the kids was fun even though they only wanted cheese and some salsa on them.

 

*Hallmark itty bittys – I received a super cute Spiderman itty bitty. They would be so cute to collect all of, but I can’t imagine doing that with prices starting at $6.95! Yes they are cute, but they are kind of small for that price if you ask me.

 

*NYC City proof 24hr waterproof eyeliner – I really liked this eyeliner that I received in a brown shade, but it certainly would NOT last 24 hours, at least for me anyway. Granted I suffer from allergies so my eyes tend to water sometimes, but I am fairly certain it wouldn’t last that long on anyone.

 

*KISS True volume lashes and strip lash adhesive with aloe – I am not usually one to use fake lashes, but if I were to, I am glad that these lashes were fairly easy to apply and didn’t look fake.

 

*Pure Ice nail polish – For a “cheaper” nail polish, I really liked it. The offer a lot of colors and it wasn’t too thick or runny. It also lasted a good amount of time without chipping off, yet it was still fairly easy to remove when the time came…all around good!

 

As you can see, it was a great opportunity to test these products for FREE from Influenster!  These of course are my honest opinions of the products.

Snuggle bear free from snuggle community

We received a free mini Snuggle bear from Snuggle bear den community. Our nieces and nephews really enjoyed having it tag along when we would go swimming, for a walk, and even camping! He is small, but soft and cuddly still, so the youngest girl loved snoozing with him too 😃. Thanks snuggle community for including us in this mission, we all enjoy having mini snuggle bear as part of our "family".

L'Oreal Ultimate Straight Collection

When I saw commercials for new L’Oreal Ultimate Straight  Collection, I knew it was something I wanted to try. It must have been my lucky day because a few weeks later I was chosen to receive the L’Oreal Ultimate Straight  Collection VoxBox FREE from Influenster!

I was excited to try it out, and started reading the instructions on the bottles and was shocked that it was a 4 step system, something I knew I would have trouble remembering to do all of. First you shampoo, then use a PRE conditioner for about a minute, then add the conditioner over that, and finally after towel drying the hair you put the balm in it. I had trouble either remembering to use the pre-conditioner or putting the balm in after towel drying. And to me the products smelled kind of funny…not necessarily bad, but not exactly light and/or fruity like I was used to.

Unfortunately I didn’t really see much of a difference in how straight my hair was with just using the products and not a flat iron, I tended to still have waves. But it did turn out very nicely with using a flat iron, and I think it straightened out a little easier than if I had not used the products. 

Johnsonville Grillers courtesy of Crowdtap

I was sent a coupon from Crowdtap to get a free box of new Johnsonville Grillers to try and give my honest opinion of. We found them at Meijer and Kroger, but Meijer had a larger sell toon and we chose Steakhouse Onion flavor. My husband, a friend of ours, and I all really liked the flavor! They looked a little weird while cooking since they are a pale greyish color, but once grilled they looked like regular burgers. I especially like that you prepare them frozen, so they are excellent for the days when I forget to defrost dinner!

The only problem I have with them is the calorie content, or more importantly the fat and saturated fat content. One griller = 350 calories and a whopping 29 grams of fat, with 10 grams of saturated fat. Since we all liked them, it will still be something we do occasionally for dinner.

Yummy Brookside Chocolates!

I love being able to try new things for free before I have to shell out the money to buy it, and discover that I don’t like it or it doesn't work for me as planned, which is why I love being a crowdtapper! They sent me a bag of Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters in Berry Medley flavor. I have to admit, I was skeptical that I would like them…but oh boy was I wrong, they were DELICIOUS!! But I still thought to myself there is no way that my picky husband would like them…and I was wrong AGAIN, he also really liked them!

The flavor is unique. I like that they fix not only a sweet craving, but a crunchy one too. Most sweet snacks that are also crunchy use peanuts, and I am not a fan of peanuts. The combo of the dark chocolate, fruit, and crunch are a match made in heaven for your mouth!

The only “problem” I had with them was the price in the store! For a relatively small bag, our local Kroger had them on SALE for 2 for $7, making them $3.50 a bag. Wow. I guess it could be considered worth it since it is a “smarter” snack for you; not as bad for you as a bag of cookies or chips. Overall, I liked them enough to buy them when they are on sale, but probably not as often as I would like.

**I received one bag of Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters in Berry Medley flavor for FREE from Crowdtap in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.**

I LOVED being a #CampbellsTasters for Crowdtap! #DiscoverCampbells

I was given the AWESOME opportunity by Crowdtap (www.crowdtap.com) to receive an abundance of great new Campbell’s products to try for FREE! Here’s all the goodies we received:

Skillet Sauces in Creamy Parmesan Chicken : This was absolutely DELICIOUS!! By far one of my favorites of all the products I tested. And it was so quick and easy to make, very budget friendly too. We poured ours over brown rice. I have already bought another for a quick weeknight dinner and we will definitely be getting more of this and trying some of the other varieties offered!

Prego Light Homestyle Alfredo sauce : I came up with my own little concoction since I was dealing with picky eaters and could not make a traditional alfredo with broccoli. So I sautéed chicken and mushrooms and then added the sauce and whole wheat pasta. It was very good, but lacked flavor somewhat, so I will have to tweak it if we try it again.

Campbell’s Chunky Beer and Cheese soup : It sounded kind of gross, and unfortunately for my husband and I…it was. My husband thought it was OK at first, but said it had a funky aftertaste, and could not finish it. Bummer. The good news we tried a few of their other varieties like slow roasted beef with mushrooms and it was very good. We topped baked potato with it and it was yummy!

Campbell’s soups for easy cooking in Savory Portabella Mushroom : I used this to make a recipe I got from the Campbell’s website for Skillet Mushroom Lasagna. Just like my alfredo, it was good but could have been better if it had more flavor. This is definitely another one of those things that makes dinner come together faster and easier, so we might try some of the other varieties offered.

Swanson traditional Cream Starter : I made the recipe on the back of the carton for loaded potato soup for us and some friends and it was a hit all around, even with our friends 8 year old son! Everyone loved it, especially when I explained to them how easy it was to make.

Spaghettios Micros : This product and coupon I shared with a friend for her 8 year old son. So I do not know anything about how they cooked or tasted, but she said he liked them.

Campbell’s condensed soup in Creamy Poblano and Queso : This is another product that I shared with a friend, and unfortunately I have no further details.

Campbell’s slow kettle Chicken Noodle Soup : I enjoyed this for lunch one day. It tasted like homemade, very hearty with veggies and noodles, it was very good. I liked how it was ready to go, I didn’t need to pour it into a bowl.

V8 juice cocktail : Unfortunately I did not realize the expiration date on the coupon for this product and did not buy it in time, so I did not get to try it, or share it L.

They also sent me a cutting board, wooden spoon, a shaker cup, and re-useable bag! I had a lot of fun experimenting with these new products and hope to have a similar opportunity again in the future!

*Just wanted to mention again that I received these products for FREE, these are MY honest opinions of those products. * #DiscoverCampbells #CampbellTasters #sponsored

Vaseline Intensive Care advanced repair lotion, compliments of Influenster

I suffer from dry skin. Like Sahara desert dry at times. So I was really excited to receive the opportunity from Influenster to try Vaseline Intensive Care advanced repair lotion! And then the U.S. Postal service decided it wasn’t quite time for me to try it, since my VoxBox left PA on October 24th to end up traveling to NH, NJ, MI, to my home state of Ohio, back to MI, to NH, NJ, MA, NJ, NC, back to MI to FINALLY arrive at my doorstep Nov 12th, almost 3 WEEKS LATER!!

Anyway, on to my actual review of the product. I have tried MANY lotions over the years. I prefer something scented, but I also want it to work to heal me of my dry skin. In my opinion a thicker lotion usually does a better job hydrating my skin, and unfortunately this lotion feels fairly runny to me. It also left my skin feeling kind of sticky or tacky. Not too bad, but definitely different that what I am used to. It did a fairly good job of hydrating my skin, but did not seem to last as long as my usual thicker body lotion either. Overall I did like it and would recommend it, but I will probably stick to my usual brand, which is a little more expensive, but in my opinion worth it.

*I received this product for FREE to try from Influenster in exchange for my honest opinion on this review*.