Once in a while, a product will be recommended to me and I’ll try it ~ and of course, I’ll have an opinion.  And once in a while, a friend in the guise of Santa Claus comes into your life and sends you a box of goodness in all shapes, sizes and forms!

Through Carlos, a family friend, I was recently privileged to learn about  this one fun company that rated the everyday products that you and I purchase.

Product of the Year is the only consumer product award that rewards innovation and is voted on by real consumers. Established 25 years ago in France, POY currently operates in 28 countries with the same purpose: Guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation.  Backed by the votes of 60,000 consumers, the distinct red POY logo serves as shortcut for shoppers in the supermarket, saving them time and money. For manufacturers of the winning products, the award is a powerful marketing message proven to increase retail distribution and sales by an average of 10-15%. Product of the Year accepts entries every year from consumer packaged goods that demonstrate innovation and were launched within the previous year. Entered products are then placed into specific categories such as food, beverages, personal care, household care, etc. with a product then being chosen as a winner in its category through a nationally representative online study.

Be sure to check out next year’s 2012 Product of the Year winners – Call-to-entry for all innovative consumer packaged goods products is extended until September 31st!”

The iPhone photo I took of the contents of the box I received

From the website, a snapshot of 2011 Winners

I like awards and rewards for consumer goods because it makes for innovative product, that’s a good thing for us!   I was thrilled to have my friend send me a whole entire box of all 2011 winners!  Some were already BRANDS and products that I have been using ~ but there were some that I wasn’t yet aware of.

Yesterday, while we gathered with all my family members, I shared the products for everyone to test.  You may click on each thumbnail for a larger view of the product.  Here are some of them in no particular order:

    
  Good stuff for the kitchen, great spices for awesome recipes!

    

Personal Grooming products that I already love (and use), but the Lash Factor is new to me!  

The vainest and sweetest  person in my family got to test this one!  Okay, maybe not vain, but she does love her eyelashes.

My husband, the hairiest one of all of us, opened up this packet before I could photograph it.  He discovered this a few months ago.

I love the new Lysol Healthy Touch No-Touch Hand Soap System!  Perfect for families with little children who come back from school and need to get their hands cleaned when they get home. The  Raid Max went to my daughter who just by chance was losing an ongoing battle with ants.  Not anymore!   And of course, our furry animals were not left out of the taste and testing!

Indeed, there was something for everyone in the family.  An all inclusive selection of fine products that were newly launched in 2010 and voted Best Of in 2011.

Want to see the whole entire list of the best products for 2011?  [I'm heading out to the grocery in a bit to use my coupon for Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles from Sara Lee].  Check it out over here!  There is a total of 22 Winning Products altogether.   What a fun box to open, what a fun company this is!   I felt like Santa distributing this to my family and they’ll all be chiming in with their opinions shortly.

You are familiar with all these brands.  They all enhance our daily life in one fine way or another, don’t they?

Disclosure:    I received the products for free and the opinions are mine.  The opinions weren’t difficult to reach. All the products sell themselves well.