Frosty Vox Box Product Reviews

Just after Christmas, Influenster sent me their Frosty Vox Box, with all sorts of goodies:

Over the past month or so, I've had a chance to use some of these products, so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

First up, the most often-used product: the EcoTools Styler & Smoother Hair Brush:

This thing is enormous! I stopped using plastic bristle brushes a few years ago, sticking strictly to wide-tooth combs to detangle my hair, and occasionally using a nice bristle brush for smoother heat styling. This thing? Combines the best of both worlds-- the individual "teeth" are as wide apart as my wide-tooth comb, but it's a brush. On the few occasions I use a blow dryer to dry my hair, this thing allows me to separate my hair safely and more effectively, reducing drying time (as promised on the label). Even if I just want to quickly run something through my hair for a simple detangle in the middle of the day, this thing does the job so much better than my combs-- faster, smoother, and it doesn't get stuck as much.

Suffice it to say that this thing is a winner in my book :-)

Next up: Makeup!

1. I got NYC's Expert Last Lip Color in #418, Sugar Plum. It's actually a nice, neutral color with a bit of shimmer. Very office-appropriate. Wore it a few times and it seemed to last pretty well without drying my lips out, which is a plus. And not bad for a retail price of $2. I might have to explore this particular brand in other colors at the local drugstore!

2.  I'm not much on makeup, but I wore Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner to a New Year's Eve party. Swanky! They sent me a black one (yay) but unfortunately, the cap came off in transit and the tip of the pencil broke off. Still usable, except you know how you break off part of the tip of a pencil, and it results in double lines when you first write with the broken tip? That's what happened to me. I ended up with double lines underneath my eyelid. And whatever this thing is made of, it does not smudge easily. I tried using my fingers to blend it in-- no dice. Had better luck with a Q-tip, but ultimately, let's just say it's a good thing I wear glasses, which helps camouflage eye makeup. On the plus side: it seems fairly smudge proof!?

(sorry, too lazy to find a pic. You all know what eyeliner pencils look like, anyway!)

3. When I got home from the NYE party, I decided to test out Rimmel's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. It certainly got the eyeliner off without any trouble. Not sure how gentle it was, as my eyelids felt a little funny afterward, but since I hopped into the shower immediately afterward, I'm not sure how long it would've lasted. While I was at it, I tried it on my lipstick, and it seemed to do a pretty good job of removing it. Lipstick is always the toughest makeup for me to remove, mostly because I have a lot of deep grooves in my lips that the lipstick seems to like to settle into.

Finally: Foodstuff!

1. The package of Fruit Vines Bites from the makers of Red Vines had me excited. I love candy (who doesn't?) and I especially love Red Vines. However, when I tore into the package, I was met with disappointment. First of all, these things cannot really be called bites. They're huge! Secondly, they stick to your teeth like nobody's business (do not eat if you wear braces!). Thirdly, the taste left something to be desired. When I eat Red Vines, I expect the artificial sweet red licorice flavor. When I eat something with the word "fruit" in it, I expect more of a, well, FRUIT flavor (yes, I know, "fruit" is a misnomer on a lot of such candies, but shoot-- even Skittles make an attempt to taste fruity!). This tasted more like regular Red Vines, but somewhat... flat. Compounded by the awful stick-to-your-teeth texture, this candy, I'm afraid, is not one that I'll be buying anytime soon.

2. It's been dreary and chilly in the morning this past week, making it the perfect weather to sip some Celestial Seasoning's Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea. Basically, a peppermint green tea. I love tea. I especially love green tea and I love mint tea. So this sounded like an awesome blend!

Unfortunately, much like the Fruit Bites, it fell flat on expectations. It wasn't bad, actually-- lovely strong mint smell that clears the sinuses, and tastes, well... minty. The problem I had was that I was expecting a green tea taste underneath it, and I didn't get that. It seemed mostly just mint. Which is tasty enough, but if something's labeled green tea, I expect green tea! If I'm just gonna end up with pure mint, I might as well buy the peppermint tea (sans green) at the local 99-cent store for much cheaper.

Things from the box I have yet to try:

McCormick's Gourmet Thyme (because I don't cook much and have literally NO idea what one does with thyme-- or most other herbs, for that matter)

Boots No7 Protect & Perfect ADVANCED Serum (because they gave me a small sample packet, and I'll be honest-- unless your default is NO moisturizer, I don't think you can accurately gauge how well something works by just one or two applications).

So there you have it. Nice little holiday delivery full of hits and misses, but a great way to get me to try some new things!

Disclaimer: this box was provided free of charge for review purposes, but the opinions in this post are solely my own.