Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been on a roll with the Influenster VoxBoxes lately. I’ve gotten two in a row these last two months. I don’t think I’ve gotten that many back-to-back since I first signed up for the program.
This may be the last one for a while though. I’m not certain, but I think Influenster only ships to the US, UK, and Canada, and (spoiler alert) I’m going to be in Paris, France for the next fourth months as a part of a study abroad exchange program. In fact, I’m writing this from my Paris apartment in the 14e arrondissement, though the photos were taken while I was still in Kentucky.
I got two selection surveys for Influenster products the other day, but since I had to put my French address, I doubt I’ll be chosen for the campaigns. It’s a real shame — two of the campaigns I was eligible for were for Make Up For Ever and Laura Mercier products. Quel dommage.
But enough about products I may or may not get in the coming months — what about the products I did get last month?
In my “Let’s Chill” VoxBox were three products: eos Super Cashmere Tinted Shea Lip Balm, Gold Bond Ultimate Radiance Renewal Oil-Infused Cream, and Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Styling Mousse.
Up first for review — the tinted lip balm. Oh, eos. I remember when every little girl in middle school absolutely had to have one of those round lip balms in her Vera Bradley purse. The very first one I saw was my fifth grade best friend, Kitty’s. She was always super trendy and fashionable, and she seemed to have everything just before it broke into the mainstream. She was the first one I knew to start wearing those elastic waistband floral skirts from Hollister, the first one to buy Uggs, the first one to experiment with Silly Bandz, and the first one to buy an eos lip balm. Hers was the classic pomegranate raspberry flavor, and I knew after I saw her pull it out of her backpack that I had to get one as well.
The first one I got was a pale pink color, I think it may have been strawberry lemonade-flavored. I’m pretty sure I begged my mother to buy it for me at the grocery store when I saw it on a special display on the endcap. Not wanting to copy Kitty exactly, I opted for a different flavor so as to demonstrate how unique and independent I was.
For as trendy and cute as those lip balms were, though, they weren’t all that great at actually moisturizing your lips. I remember they’d get dirty and stained if you had even a touch of lip color on, and they had a tendency to rub the delicate upper layer of your lips off if you weren’t gentle enough with application. Honestly, Chapstick was better.
And honestly, with this new 2020 iteration of eos, I still think Chapstick is better. Even now, ten years later, I still can’t resist the cute egg-shaped design and the way it rests in the palm of my had like a little round polished stone, but the lip product inside isn’t nearly as exciting. I still have the issue with it being too hard and just tearing up the upper layer of skin on my lips, and while I like the tinted variety, the color is barely noticeable. Lip balms should be soft and melt into your lips; this one is almost like an exfoliator.
Speaking of being moisturizing, the Gold Bond Ultimate Radiance Renewal Oil-Infused Cream is just that. It’s super thick, but for the winter when my skin is rather dry, that’s just what I like. Honestly, I don’t have any major complaints about this one. It’s a perfectly good lotion, but I’m not picky about lotion.
The bottle is a little weird, I’ll admit — it’s almost like a shampoo bottle, you have to shake it upside down in order for it to come out, and with how thick it is, that’s easier said than done. I think a pump would have been much better. Also, the scent is very strong. The moment I put it on, my parents both asked what smelled like tropical fruit. If you like tropical fruit, great — if not, you may want to stay away.
Lastly: the Eva NYC hair mousse. This product was something of an odd one for me to review. I honestly just don’t use hair mousse…ever. I had a phase there for a while (again, in middle school) where I’d wash and blow out my hair every morning in an attempt to create those texturized beach waves that were super popular in 2013, and I’d use it then, but I just don’t have time for that sort of thing anymore. Plus, with my bleach-damaged hair, I don’t really like to use heat styling products at all, and so doing a blow-out is out of the question.
How do you use mousse without using a blow dryer as well, though? That’s the question. I ended up running it through my hair after a shower and then putting it in a braid to dry.
Then I waited 36 hours for it to dry.
That’s not an exaggeration — it really takes my hair that long to dry properly when I try to braid it after it’s wet. I think it has to do with the bleach again — something about the pores becoming more receptive to holding water after it’s been chemically treated, and so it stays wet for longer.
One my hair finally dried, though, I liked the result. It gave me a nice, naturally wavy look, which is something I’ve never been able to achieve with an iron. The waves weren’t crunchy at all (though a little bit dry), and they lasted for the day. I’m not certain it was worth 36 hours of waiting for me, but if you have the kind of hair that you can braid at night, sleep in, and wake up with beautiful (not soaking wet) waves in the morning, maybe you could try this mousse for a little extra staying power and volume.
Have you tried these products? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite hair, lip, or skincare products? Let me know your thoughts below!
That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!
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