Influenster Review: Latina Beauty VoxBox

It's that exciting time again, time to review my latest free products from Influenster! This time it was the Latina Beauty VoxBox, which contained:

• a box of 40 Veet Ready to Use Leg & Body Wax Strips, plus 6 Perfect Finish wipes
• a 0.24 oz (7.2 mL) tube of NYC Liquid Lipshine lip gloss
• a 3 oz (89 mL) bottle of Bath & Body Works Shea-Enriched Signature Collection Shower Gel
• a 2 oz (59 mL) bottle  of Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion SPF 30 Sunscreen
• a box of 16 Always Radiant Infinity scented feminine hygiene pads, which also contained a $2 coupon for two Tampax Radiant products, a $2 coupon for two Always Radiant products, and a $1 coupon for Secret body spray when you buy Scent Expressions or  Fresh Effects antiperspirant
• an Always Tampax Radiant Collection sampler, containing a variety of tampons, pads, and panty liners in a pretty purple-y fabric pouch

My impressions:

I am in love with Veet wax strips even though I admit I was scared of them at first. I wasn't scared of being waxed -- I'm an old pro at that and don't mind it a bit -- but that I wouldn't be able to do it by myself. I've tried other home waxing systems and they invariably turned into disastrous messes. But these strips work like a charm and they're amazingly easy to use. Literally within a few minutes of opening the box my legs were as smooth as could be, and no sticky mess at all!

My other concern was that they wouldn't be economical, but I used one strip per leg and it was plenty. (I did use the backing as a separate strip so that may count as two, I guess, but there was plenty of wax on it and I wasn't about to waste that.) Admittedly the hair on my legs is fairly sparse, but even so it should be fine for most women. I probably could have gotten a couple more passes out of them if I'd tried.

The Perfect Finish wipes surprised me by being (1) oily and (2) scented. The oil absorbs fast but it did leave residue on my hands that transferred to things I touched and only went away with soap and water. My legs also remained oily but that's less of a problem and, besides, my skin can use all the moisturizing it can get. The wipes also left both my legs and my hands nicely scented with a sort of floral/botanical perfume. It comes on strong when the wipe is first opened but soon settles down to a pleasant background sensation.

Overall, the Veet wax strips are a big plus. I will definitely be buying them in the future.

The NYC lip gloss is a more complicated story. I like it more than expected but I'm not a big fan. First, the packaging described it as "Non-Sticky" and, while it is less sticky than most glosses I've used, I found that misleading. I normally don't even use glosses and stickiness is the #1 reason. I hoped this one would change my mind; alas, it did not.

My second disappointment was the color I received. That was just the luck of the draw and it's not a complaint about the product in general, but I got a color called "Nude York City" and it's basically clear. It has a tiny bit of caramel-ish tint and a slight shimmer but neither is enough to be noticeable. I have very pale lips and I like to have a little color on them. I thought this lip gloss might be a good option for times when I don't want full lipstick but this particular color just isn't enough and I don't think I like the product enough to try a tube in another color.

That's a shame because I think it's probably the best gloss I've ever used. It's less sticky than most (as I mentioned), it has a nice scent, and I like the applicator a lot too. I'd recommend it highly to people who normally use lip gloss; unfortunately, it just isn't for me.

The Bath & Body Works shower gel is beautiful. It has a lovely scent (I had Sweet Pea) and it's wonderfully thick and much richer than I expected from a transparent, nearly colorless gel. It only takes a small amount to make a nice lather and it leaves my skin soft and moisturized. My only complaint is that the scent didn't stay with me as well as I'd hoped but, being from B&BW, I'm sure there are coordinating products (body spray, lotion, etc) that could be used to intensify the effect.

I do like the B&BW gel and I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to try it, but I'm a supermarket and drug store kind of girl and I honestly don't see me going to the trouble of buying from B&BW just for some shower gel. I would, however, definitely recommend this product to people who are willing to go to a specialty store (or its website) to get it.

The Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen is another big hit for me. I'm an enormous nerd who doesn't spend much time in the sun but I also have very fair skin that requires sunscreen. Most sunscreens that I've used have been runny and, therefore, messy and I hate them. But this is in a lotion form so it's super easy to apply and goes on beautifully. And not only is it in lotion form; it is lotion so it moisturizes while it protects -- perfect for my skin. The biggest bonus of all is that delicious classic Hawaiian Tropic scent. I'd wear it as perfume if I could. I love everything about this product!

I found the Always Radiant Infinity pads to be as impressive as Always products... er, well... always are. I've been an Always fangirl since the '80s so I already knew that they make a quality product. I use pads daily as panty liners and I normally use Always Ultra Thin Overnight Pads with Wings because they're thin enough to be comfortable but large enough to stay securely in place and protect a broad area. Using those means that I'm used to a longer, thicker pad than the regular size Radiant Infinity ones that I tested, but the regular size came through just fine. I wouldn't use them again simply because I do like a longer pad, but the thinness was amazing. It literally felt like I was wearing nothing, and yet I was invariably well protected.

There is an overnight version of the Radiant Infinity line but I'm not sure what sets them apart from the Ultra Thins. I think they may just be lightly scented (as the ones I tested were) but I'm planning to use the coupon I received to find out. (I'll also be using the Secret body spray coupon because I'm a Secret fangirl as well. Wonderful products!) In any case, I highly recommend Radiant Infinity or any Always product. They never fail to impress.

We were instructed to give the Always Tampax Radiant Collection sampler to a friend, and that's what I did. I asked her what she thinks of the products and, like me, she has been using Always and Tampax for years so she wasn't surprised to find that they worked great. She also likes the bag a lot.

I guess that's it for the Latina Beauty VoxBox. (Incidentally, I'm not sure what made it "Latina", but I enjoyed it, so I guess that's ok.) In summary, everything in the collection was wonderful with the slight exception of the NYC lip gloss, and even it was pretty good. Another big thank you to Influenster and to all the companies that sponsored this box. It was fantastic!

Check out all of these great companies here:

Influenster
@Influenster

Veet
#veetsmooth on Twitter

New York Color
@NewYorkColor
#LiquidLipShine on Twitter

Bath & Body Works
@LUVBBW
#sheashowergel on Twitter

Hawaiian Tropic
#HawaiianTropic on Twitter

Always
@Always
#infiniteprotection on Twitter

Tampax
@Tampax
#RadiantCollection on Twitter

Secret
@SecretDeodorant