Book Review: Bend Your Brain

I'd been meaning to post this review for awhile, but after my laptop conked out I forgot. Lol I requested a free copy of this book from a site I am a member of called Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Source



 

What is it?

Bend Your Brain is the result of a collective effort by several puzzlers that combines visual perception, retention, critical thinking and coordination skills in a variety of 100+ puzzles meant to challenge and help strengthen the brain. Now I love brain challenges. I'm not often good at them lol, but I enjoy them nonetheless. I've been using a couple of daily brain training apps and they've both been a lot of fun for me, so when I joined Blogging for Books a few months ago and came across this book, I requested it immediately. I assumed I'd sail right through it, might have a few tough puzzles but otherwise figured it'd be pretty easy. Oh, ye of too much faith in oneself. LOL I horribly underestimated the level of difficulty of the book, and overestimated my brain power to the same degree. I wouldn't classify the majority of these exercises as being easy. Fun, yes. Maybe even a little frustrating, lol, and I have no shame in admitting that I felt like quite the fool after being unable to complete a few puzzles that I had previously underestimated as being easy.

 

 

What I liked about this book was how many different puzzles there were. I've learned through the different brain challenge apps that I have been using lately that there are so many ways to challenge your brain and its power. I still somehow wondered how 100+ puzzles in one book was somehow going to be educational, fun, challenging, and still hit different areas of the brain. This book accomplishes all four things. I also liked that the different parts of the book were categorized according to the skill that would be tested, which I think helps a lot if one is trying to strengthen a certain part of the mind. I liked that other ideas were given at the back of the book four different activities that strengthen the brain. Although many of the challenges in the book would not be suitable for younger children, like the trivia questions, these suggestions at the back of the book would be good options for parents trying to integrate some education into their child's games. It was helpful to include what skills each suggestion would test as well.

 

 

If I had a complaint with the book, I'd say to make the challenges easier, but that's frustration talking. Lol I'm really enjoying this book and have no complaints. Even the size and weight of the book are unimposing; I can easily drop this into my purse or laptop bag and for a book that said it had 100+ challenges, I was expecting something larger. I thought that the instructions for each puzzle were easy to understand, the light tone of the book fit right in with the puzzles, and the puzzles themselves were designed in a way that made the experience fun and educational, not boring.

 

 

Do I recommend this book?

 Not if you're in the market for something easy. I do recommend the book if you're in the mood for something challenging, you're a whiz at puzzles, or want something different to do in your free time. For my first experience with Blogging for Books, this was a pretty cool introduction. When my laptop is fixed, I'll update the post with some peeks at the challenges so you can see if this book is something you'd like. See you all soon!

 

 

My Rating:

 

Read More »

Still here!

I just wanted to do an update really quick and let you know that I'm still alive, lol, I know I went ghost after my last post (rhyme alert lol) and that wasn't originally the intention, but as I have come to realize, my intentions don't matter bc shit happens. Lol and that's exactly what happened shortly after putting RRNT on a short hiatus so I could get caught up. I'd published the post then gotten to work, finishing the new header, finalizing one of the icons and finally coming up with a posting schedule that integrated both this and the vintage blog, then shit happened.

And now its time for Storytime with Mandy:Broke Dick Laptop Edition. It broke down the night before I was going to implement my schedule, and what I initially thought to be a CPU problem ended up actually being the motherboard, so obviously I have to get a replacement laptop. Since I'm no longer in school, I don't receive the stipends I used to get, which is how I got my other laptops. The laptop that just crapped out was a backup laptop as my primary computer went belly up with hard disk failure last summer, shortly before I finished school. My final stipend from school was used almost completely on paying for my trip to Arizona for graduation, so I wasn't able to get it fixed. I'd been given a replacement by that time and I was also relying on being able to go back to school later, and because of that I didn't think much about repairing the primary right away. That was my bad, because now I can no longer re-enroll so there are no more stipends to fall back on. Which means that my primary laptop is now broke dick indefinitely. With the backup now being broke dick as well, I'm all the way up the creek with a hole in the middle of the boat and a Popsicle stick to keep me company. Lol I've looked at some repair prices for the primary and we're looking anywhere from between $70 to $140, if not more. Since I can't afford that at the moment, I have all the potential of the Titanic at making it to shore. lol Did I mention that I can't swim? And that concludes the latest chapter of Storytime with Mandy: Broke Dick Laptop Edition.

Its very frustrating and discouraging bc it feels like there are 10 million obstacles in my way. Money rules the world and not only do I not have any, I'm not in a position to make any. Financially, this year has been crazy tough on me and this is just the latest addition to the past 10 months of constant fuckery that's been going on in my life. I'm a review blogger and trying my hardest to pursue this seriously because its one of the few things that makes me happy. But I swear, its been one thing after the other. If not money, its cable. If not cable, then my laptop. Neither of those things would be as much of a problem if there was more $. See how it all comes full circle? Lol That's just the tip of the iceberg though, if I'm being completely honest, my life, in every way, is a shitstorm. Which is why i try so hard to keep the few things that make me happy. But moving on, this lovely post is being done on my phone, and i would like to include a small sidenote on my hatred for AutoCorrect and touchscreen keyboards at this time. I have still been reviewing while I've been in blogger timeout though, and I now have a notebook full of posts ready to get typed out when I can get back to a computer. I have a new addition to the TV portion of the site that I thought of during my satellite sabbatical, and I can't wait to implement it. I'm two months behind in my SBS posts, so I'm going to try to get to the library soon so I can at least get those up.

Until then though, just hang in there with me for a little while longer. I'm sorry I have to keep doing this. I'm also sorry that our chit chats always seem to have a negative undertone to them, that's not my intention either. See the beginning of this post for my thoughts on intentions and we will have officially done a 360 on this post. Lol I don't mean to complain, I really don't. I haven't fully explained whats going on in my life and don't know whether or not I will, but despite everything that's going on I know full well I could have worse. I have had worse and I'm super grateful that I'm not experiencing a lot of that stuff anymore. I've just always been of the belief that when you're at the bottom, the only other way to go is back up and that's where I'm fighting to get. Unfortunately, right now fate disagrees LOL and my hands are tied, so I get frustrated. But anyway, I hope you're having a wonderful weekend and I'll hopefully be seeing you again soon! Do you have any Halloweenie costumes in mind yet? Let me know!

Read More »

August Favorites

I've mentioned my love for YouTube a couple of times in past posts, but when I tell you that I'm addicted, I mean it. I'm on there 98% of the time. Anyway, a monthly series for all of the beauty personalities I watch is their monthly favorites, where they go over the beauty products that they'd tried and loved during that month. Since I cover so many subjects on RRNT, I thought that a Monthly Favorites series would be perfect. I think it'll help you get to know me better aside from the bits about me that I include in my reviews. Towards the end of every month, I'll update the side bar with my current favorites, with a full post to follow. I'm pretty excited to get started on these and I hope that they end up becoming RRNT regulars.

*Note: This is also the first time that I'm rolling out our new subject headers until I've redone the design. These will be at the top of each post for that subject. I'm not a pro graphics designer by any means, but I think they're cute. Let me know what you think!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beauty: Julep Bare Body Milk, Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder 01

As you'll see in my SBS, I received the Bare Body Milk with my polishes and I love it. It's very moisturizing for the skin, it's not greasy and didn't leave my hands feeling like they were covered in a film. The smell is subtle, the formula isn't either too thick or too watery, and my hands stay soft for quite a while after using it. I would love to purchase this in a larger size so I can use it everywhere.

The Laura Mercier powder is from last month's SBS box and I'm still in love with it now. As I mentioned last month, the fact that it's both multipurpose and portable makes it even more fun for me to use, and I've used it as a number of things within the month. I've used it as a highlight, a brow highlight, eyeshadow, a highlight for the inner corners of my eyes, and I think I could even use it as a highlight for my bottom lip on days I don't want my lipstick to be as matte. It's not chalky, it's buildable, and it complements my skintone both with and without a tan. It's been awesome for light/lazy makeup days. 

Books: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois

I just started reading this book a couple of weeks ago and I can already tell that it's one of those books that I'm going to have to unwind after reading so I only read a chapter at a time. It's intense, at least for me. The book is about its namesake, the souls of black folk, towards the end and just after the abolition of slavery. It challenges your mind about the struggles that African-Americans experienced during that time, and it also gives you a bit of a revision on what your definition of "free" is as it relates to the ending of slavery. Considering the time it was written in, the book makes me feel both blessed and stupid to be reading it. I feel blessed because I am so glad I got my hands on such a well-written piece of work and that I am now able to see a period of time through the eyes of my forefathers because one of them decided to allow me to do so. I'm not reading re-enactments, I'm not reading third-hand accounts, I'm not reading folk tales or fables. This is a first-hand account of someone who lived through the infant years of Black "freedom" in America and fought for our equality. I also feel blessed that at a time that the majority of society felt that there were no Blacks who were intelligent or even literate enough to write down thoughts that were worth sharing, this book was written. And it's still relevant today in so many ways; many thoughts that he conveyed I feel too and didn't even realize it until he vocalized it. Which brings me to why I feel stupid after reading a passage; the words are so eloquent that they're almost too eloquent. It's so well-written, such an intelligent body of work with a number of big words dispersed throughout, that it borders on being too wordy. How ironic that such a critique is coming from me, right? LOL Sometimes I have to reread things like, "Wha?" But all in all, I'm loving this book. I got it as the free featured book from BookShout a few weeks ago, but here's where you can purchase it:

BookShout! | Amazon | Audible

TV: Sequestered

With my satellite service disconnected (probably indefinitely lol) at the moment, I've had to start looking at Netflix and Hulu for their original series when I want to find new things to watch. Jesse Bradford and Patrick Warburton star in this Crackle original series about a kidnapping/murder trial of a governor's son in which the jury has to be sequestered following the vicious beating of one of the jurors. Each of these jurors is very different from the other and it would appear that more than one of them has something to hide. Simultaneously, a conspiracy is being uncovered that may or may not involve said governor. How closely connected is this conspiracy to the murder of his son, where the jury found his former manny guilty of the crime? Is the manny even guilty of the crime? We don't know yet; the season's only half finished. The first 6 episodes were released on Crackle back on the 5th, but they're making us wait until October 14th for the second half. Crackle for the longest time to me has been the anime/B-movie graveyard so I never paid too much attention to it before, but watching these first few episodes made me sit up and take notice. I think Sequestered has had a pretty good start and I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the season. It's moving along rather slowly, but I have to see how everything plays out so I'll be coming back. Smart move on their part by making us wait for the second half of the season too. Click the link if you want to check this show out.

Games: Dynasty Warriors 7, PS3

I was introduced to the DW series a couple of years ago when 6 came out and I've been hopelessly hooked ever since. I used to (and kinda still do) have a thing about playing games that are in a series; I don't usually like to buy the newer game until I've finished the older one. That was my viewpoint when I bought and started playing 6. I bought 7 when it came out, but due to said oppressive mentality (LOL), I didn't touch it....until a couple of weeks ago. And I frackin' love it! If you've never heard of the Dynasty Warriors series, the games are based off of a novel called Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which is loosely based off of events that took place following the collapse of the Han Dynasty in China. All of the games follow the three main territories--Shu, Wei and Wu,--but a fourth territory, Jin, is introduced in 7 with a familiar face at the helm. You get to explore the game through each territory and relive their side of this historical war. The gameplay, to me, is better than 6, although it took me a bit to understand it fully. I think that the game is more extensive, which allows for longer playing time, there are more characters and more locations, weapons and animals to unlock, all of which make gameplay as a whole pretty fun. I love the game and recommend it if you like historical games, fighter games, or those that follow actual events.

Apps: Vinted

Vinted is a fashion app that I don't want to go into too much detail about because I'll be reviewing it in full in another post, but it's like the Pinterest of gently used fashion. 95% of the things I've come across on the site are affordable, including the designer stuff, everything I've seen is in good condition, and I waste a bit too much time on there adding things to my favorites closet. I highly recommend it if you want to buy, swap or sell clothes on your own terms (minus Vinted's selling guidelines, ofc lol) from home.

Websites: Go Fucking Do It

Firstly, that is really the name of the website. LOL GFDI is a website designed to push you to accomplish your goals or stop procrastinating on something you've been wanting to try. The difference between other goal pledge websites and GFDI is that they make you put your money where your mouth is...literally. lol When you decide what you'd like to pledge to do, you have to not only set a deadline for yourself, but you also have to decide on an amount of money that you pledge to donate if you don't make the deadline. I don't mean like $1 or $5, the beginning pledge amount is $25 and the highest one is $1000. To date, 393 people have pledged just over $30,000 to accomplishing their goals, and I'd like to see how the number increases as the site gains more attention and begins to grow.

DIY Projects: Desk Organization, Fall-themed decorations

I'm in the process of overhauling my desk, but I wasn't sure what I wanted. So yet again, I turned to the good ol' Tube for some inspiration, and I found a few organization DIYs and desk tours that I really liked. Right now I'm thinking it's going to be black with sky blue and pink accents. Other than that, I've been looking for fall-themed home decor accessories, mainly candles and subtle seasonal accents that I can put on my desk. 

Random Things: Fall lookbooks, documentaries, 7-11 Chillers

I know that fall doesn't begin until the end of September, but for me summer unofficially ends when the kids go back to school. Labor Day weekend is usually what I consider the last hurrah for summer, then my mind goes straight over to fall stuff. The kids went back to school on Monday, but I've been checking for fall lookbooks for a couple of weeks now in preparation for the season. I put together a small playlist on my second YouTube account that you can see here, which has some of the inspiration I got for autumn this year from both a fashion and beauty perspective. Some of the fashion lookbooks are more for color or individual piece inspiration, while others are entire outfits. The beauty tutorials and looks just help me to get in a more 'fall' mentality and give me ideas on how to integrate season-appropriate colors into my daily makeup wear.

I'm normally a documentary buff, but when I'm on Netflix these days that's pretty much all I watch now. If you're in the mood for a true story but you're in the mood for something crazy intense or just plain out crazy, watch Jonestown: Paradise Lost. This follows the 900+ mass suicide that took place in Jonestown, South America, and the events leading up to it. It's heartbreaking, it's tragic, and it's scary to know that people like Jim Jones really do exist. It's even scarier to think about the fragility of the human mind and the fact that he was able to convince, then in essence kill, so many people. When I tell you I cried, it wasn't the silent, tears streaming cry. It was a sob from the gut kind of cry because a lot of the footage was original and this made it so much more real, so much more personal than a re-enactment or secondhand account.

Aquatic and geographic lovers, I recommend Turtle: The Incredible Journey. It's a documentary following a loggerback turtle from her birth, throughout her journey in different oceans, and I felt like a boob for nearly crying while I watched it, but I did. Anywhoodle, the last random thing I fell in love with this month was 7-11 Chillers. I don't care for hot coffee too much but I love me a good frappe or cold coffee, but because of the tummy problems that any kind of coffee usually creates I try to stay away from it. Thursday I had to get up butt early and I ran into these at 7-11. I was willing to risk the pain since they were only $1. They come in mocha or french vanilla, so me being the obvious masochist that I am, I got a little bit of both in mine. Not too sweet, not too bitter if you add an extra creamer, and it tasted amazing. The amount of pain I was in not long afterward, however, not so much. LOL

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that wraps it up for this first monthly favorites post. I hope you enjoyed it; it's a long post but I'm sure it would be shorter if it was on video or if I had more pictures. Maybe next month, I'm still figuring out how I do these reviews. See you next month!

Read More »

Hiatus.....sorta

No joke, I've written at least five posts on this subject and still don't feel like I've gotten my thoughts out correctly, so I'm just gonna write. I've been working a lot on the blog design and I finally feel like the vision I have for the site is coming together, now all I have to do is bring it to fruition. I believe this clusterfrack of a blog might finally have a logo! I've finished with the subject header icons for the menu, I've decided on what to have on the blog, I even added a new series for monthly favorites which should now be on the right side of your screen, and the header is coming together. I just have to get all the HTML crap and codes together so that I can put it together as one fluid design. I've also been prepping posts on a bunch of pretty cool apps that I found which may or may not be really new (I don't know how on top of apps you all are, so whether it's new to us or just new to me is up in the air lol) but I'm still figuring out the layout of those posts which is why they aren't up yet. In short, everything's coming together now which is why you haven't heard too much from me apart from the occasional review and my SBS. Which brings me to the subject of this post. Until I get those posts together and the site can really be revamped, so that I can promote it, apply for review opportunities with companies and just be proud of what I'm directing others to look at, RRNT is going on a sort of hiatus while I get the kinks worked out. I'm working myself to death trying to learn, then do, everything that I want to do with this blog and still keep up with doing the exact same stuff for my vintage blog. So other than my SBS posts and my monthly favorites, which are going to remain consistent, you probably won't be hearing too much from me for a little while. As always, be a little patient with me. I think I can get everything going in the next few weeks here and I'm really excited to roll out these reviews and finally get caught up. But until then, I can't break my back trying to do the exact same design things for two blogs, do all of the post work for said blogs, and still maintain consistency. It's just too much for me by myself. But know that I am working on it and the 20+ posts I'm about to roll out will show that I actually have been working on stuff instead of just saying it. But anywho, I hope you'll be patient with me (I feel like I'm always saying that and I'm sorry, I promise after all of this is over it'll be the last time......maybe lol) while I get everything straightened out. Just wanted to do a quick little post and explain where I've been. My SBS for this month will be up within the next couple of days, as will my monthly favorites post. See ya soon!

Read More »

Subscription Box Series Month 7: Allure Sample Society

I have finally returned to the land of beauty boxes! lol I believe the last beauty box I purchased was way back in February, when I went with Beauty Box 5. Geez, that was five months ago. Well, I did say I'd try all kinds of boxes within my budget. But I have come home (lol) and this month I went with a beauty box. I had a bit of a hard time choosing this month because I saw so many of them that I liked, but I finally chose one; I do surveys with Allure sometimes and keep running across their beauty box through ads so I said what the hell. lol 

Source

What is it?

Allure Sample Society, partnered with Beauty Bar, is a beauty box with products selected exclusively by the editors of Allure magazine. Fragrances, skincare, hair and makeup are all included in these boxes and each month the editors will select 5 deluxe-sized samples to send to the subscribers. 

How much does it cost?

$15/mo

Sign-up and ordering:

Signing up for the site was easy, as always, and I signed up for the site at the same time I ordered my subscription. Ordering the box was just as easy as the other sites; I believe I filled out a small beauty profile after ordering my box and that was that. When my order was completed, I found out the date that the box would be shipping, and I like that more of these box services are including that bit of info for us. 

Delivery & cancellation:

I ordered my box back on the 2nd. After ordering my box, the site informed me that my box would be shipping out on the 11th of the month. As with all of the other boxes, I got a confirmation email on the 11th when it shipped, and I received it on the 18th via UPS. The box came in good shape; it wasn't dented and even though one of my products had spilled a bit, everything else was fine. There were no cracks or other damage to the box or any of the other products. Cancelling my subscription was easy as well; under the Account section the 'cancel subscription' link is easy to find. Once it's cancelled, you get a confirmation email and your name is removed from the company's email list as well.

What came in my box?

Here's what came in my box.

Fekkai PrX Reparatives Intense Fortifying Hair Masque, $24.99/7oz.
This was the product that had spilled a little bit in the box, but one very good thing about that is that I was able to get a healthy whiff of what it smelled like and I love it. It reminds me of what I'd expect to smell in an upscale spa and resort. It smells of something high quality. I rubbed some of it into my hands as I was cleaning the outside of the container off and hell's bells, my hands felt so soft and moisturized so I was intrigued, like if this is what my hands feel like what will it do to my hair? My hands were also a little sticky, but seeing as how this is a hair and not a hand product, I sort of expected it. I was sick when I first received the box so I had to wait until I was feeling better to try it out.

The instructions say to put this on immediately after hopping in the shower and wash it out just before you get out. I did that and went on to do the rest of my shower biz, so I guess I left the masque in for about 10-12 minutes. I rinsed it out and at first, I didn't feel anything different at all. The texture of my hair hadn't changed, it smelled amazing, but it didn't feel any different. But after it dried? Fab-u-lous! It was much easier to comb out, was less prone to tangles, and did I mention that my hair smelled like heaven? It's very fragrant; if I turned my head or walked anywhere I had a constant whiff of this stuff hitting my nostrils, even after I pulled my hair up. I straightened my hair the day after using the masque and the smell of the hot comb dampened the smell of the masque, but my hair is now straighter than normal, much much softer, lighter and shinier than normal, and it didn't take half as long to straighten. I am in love with this stuff.


Butter London Nail Lacquer in Champers, $15/.4oz
This is advertised as being a shimmery rose gold color, but it looks like a mix between that and a shimmery sand. I think it's perfect for summer. It didn't clump when I applied it on my nails, the color seems to intensify a little bit with multiple coats, and there aren't any formaldehydes, DBP, toluene or carcinogens. It still has that nail polish smell, but it's 10x lighter than a lot of other brands and I liked that. I painted some of my nails with this the day after I received it and spent the next morning with my hands in chemicals and water, and it still didn't chip. I didn't see significant chipping in the entire week I've had this on; a light coat easily covers up any chipping at the top of the nail (which is where I notice this one primarily chips at) and you're good for another few days. This polish is awesome and has become my new summer favorite.


Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Aqua Universalis Eau de Toilette, $175/2.4oz
First of all, that price is hellacious. LOL But moving on, this perfume contains citrus, floral and musky notes in it and while it's not something I would wear everyday, it does smell wonderful. This perfume has Sicilian bergamot and lemon, lily of the valley, mock orange blossom and a musk base. The light hint of lilies in the perfume reminds me of the vanilla notes in the English Laundry (I think that's the one) perfume I sampled earlier this year; they smell a bit similar but this one has stronger citrus and floral notes. All of the elements combine flawlessly with each other in this perfume. First it's sort of lemony and woodsy, then you get a hit of the lily and orange blossom, then you get the musk. After a few more minutes, the majority of the scent has settled but by then it's more well-rounded and you can smell a hint of everything. Overall, this perfume isn't very heavy on the nose at all after it has settled but it definitely has the potential to overwhelm if you drown yourself in it. If applied correctly, it will be light and pleasant to the nostrils and last for awhile.


L'Oreal Paris Extraordinaire by Color Riche Liquid Lipcolor in Coral Encore, $9.99
This is my first time trying out a L'Oreal lipcolor of any kind--actually, now that I think about it, this is my first time trying a L'Oreal product at all that isn't the face wash. I love me a good coral lip, but most of the shades I considered trying had a bit too much orange in them and I didn't like how they looked on me. This one gets it right, though. It looks a bit bubblegum-ish both in the container and when you first apply it, but after the color is blended out it looks more like a mix between a sheer coral and pink. It's thick, not quite as thick as a lacquer, but not as thin as a regular gloss. It has a bit of a shimmery finish but it's still very pigmented. It's also very buildable, so if you just apply one thin layer like I did it still allows the color of your lips to come through, but if you apply more layers or another product to it the color will intensify. With one thin layer it wasn't sticky but still pretty vivid. It smells like candy, too. Another summer fave on days with light makeup.


Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlighter 01, $36

Because I'm a hopeless YouTube addict, I was already a bit familiar with the Laura Mercier brand but more so with the skincare and foundation products. I don't clearly remember seeing the highlighter in the videos I watched, but it was exciting to see that I'd received this highlighter in my box anyway because I've heard rave reviews about a lot of the products. After swatching the highlighter, I can see why I've heard so many positive reviews. A highlighter in the shade I received definitely has potential to look chalky on my skin and products in the same shade but of lesser quality end up looking just as I said. This one, however, despite being very pigmented, blends out beautifully so that you have a subtle highlight and glow. It's easy to blend, buildable and versatile so I could (and probably will) use this as a shadow or brow highlight at some point when I want a simple makeup look. 

Allure Sample Society booklet
The purpose of this booklet was to provide more information on each of the samples, with a note from the editor at the beginning on why each of the products were chosen for this month's box. Instead of a bunch of filler cards from each company taking up space in the box, there was just this little booklet that tells you everything you want to know. Each product has its own page, with information on what it is, why it was chosen, how it works and the full-size price, which saves you from having to go search online, another of my usual complaints. There was no useless information in this booklet and I loved that.

My thoughts:

At first, it was difficult for me to go from the 6-10 products per box that I'd become accustomed to over the past few months to just 5 products, but that was just subscription box greed. LOL The 5 products that I received were regular-sized products and all were of good quality. No small samples in sealed sample containers. No tiny, single-use portions. Each of these products (excluding the perfume, which was in the purse-size spray sample you usually get nowadays) were in sizes that provided long usage and were well worth the $15 I paid for the box, especially considering that the full price of each of these products is either a few dollars less or much more than my subscription. Each product in this box was useful to me, which was amazing as usually one of my complaints is that I wasn't able to use everything in the box. That wasn't the case here at all. Another reason why I liked the fact that I was able to use everything in the box is because I didn't have to fill out a beauty profile or preference survey so that the company could match me up with more personalized samples, which was initially one of my concerns. When I don't fill those out and sometimes even when I do, I don't always end up with a box full of beauty products that fit me. Again, that wasn't the case here at all.

Something I liked on Beauty Bar's website was that each category had a section called a "Beauty Brief" in which various recommendations were made for customers on what products in the section to purchase. Now some of these companies do have recommendations, but they're usually the new products, the best-selling ones or just random selections. There were no chosen selections for each specific visitor, but when you go to a particular category, say perfumes for example, at the bottom of the page are different recommendations of perfumes offered based on people's tastes. I think for a beginner to the site like myself, knowing which direction to go in based on what I like is a pretty good way to start off. 

The site was pretty large (by my 'expert' standards LOL) and extensive in terms of the included categories and products. That's another reason why the Beauty Brief was a good thing in my book; it is easy to get lost in the site and still not know which products to select without some sort of help. My experience with the site was pretty good; throughout the month I wasn't bombarded by emails, deals and supposed discounts and when I did visit the site, it was easy to find what I was looking for.

I liked that the box was simple in design, content and other materials; the only thing that I can say I didn't like too much was the little filler paper. I do much better with the usual gift wrap paper that comes with my boxes; the crinkly little papers was pretty annoying to deal with after a minute. I wish that some of the products were more affordable in full-price, but these were high-end products so I'm glad that I at least got to try them out. That brings me to another note; I got to try more high-end products in larger sizes and there was a good mix of both drugstore/affordable and high-end items that provided a well-rounded box. The month's theme was summer essentials and minus mascara and a good sunscreen, the products included hit the mark for me. I really enjoyed my entire experience with Allure Sample Society & Beauty Bar and would love to purchase another box at a later date. 

Do I recommend this box?

Absolutely. My $15 was well-spent and I wish I could try it out for another month to see if they'll knock it out of the park for me again. If you want products that have more affordable full-sized prices, then this probably isn't the box for you. But if you want a beauty box that doesn't just consist of makeup and you want more exposure to high-end lines, this is a good subscription service to try out.

Rating:

I loved this box. This is one of the few subscription services in which I loved every product I received. Sample Society definitely has the Mandy stamp of approval!

Read More »

Beauty Review: Influenster Surf's Up VoxBox

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I'm a member of a site called Influenster, which helps you to unlock brand and product badges, provide reviews on brands and products, and receive boxes for review. As you unlock more badges, you qualify for more complimentary products and boxes. Sometime in June I qualified to receive the Surf's Up VoxBox in exchange for a review on all of the products in the box. I would have mentioned that I received these from Influenster regardless, but policy lists that I have to include that I received these free of charge for testing and review so there ya go. Here's what I got: 

1. Jamba Juice Smoothie Kit, $2.99--$3.49

I've heard of this smoothie brand but I've never had one before. You receive a coupon in your box to go redeem at your local grocer but there isn't one in my local area, so unfortunately I couldn't try this out. If you've had a Jamba Juice smoothie before though, did I miss out on anything?

2. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun in Coconut Papaya, 2oz./$2.99 or 8oz./$8.99

I used this on my shoulders and arms after a couple hours out and about, and it did make my skin feel more moisturized after coming back in. During the summer, exposed skin, my arms, shoulders and feet in particular, tend to take on a leathery appearance the longer that I'm outside because my skin dries out so quickly. The weird thing about the majority of my skin is that even when it's dry, it still feels soft. lol Anywho, within minutes of applying it, my skin looked hydrated, moisturized and felt a little smoother to the touch. Another thing I liked about it is that regardless of the temperature the bottle is in, it's still cooling on the skin. I really like the scent. It has a light, summery/beachy sort of smell to it, if that makes any sense. It's not very heavy but it does perfume the skin for a little while after application. It looks kinda like toothpaste and it's not watery although it does tend to be a little sticky until it fully dries. 

3. First Aid Shot Therapy, $2.99

I never knew that NSAIDS existed in liquid form or I probably would have tried them sooner. I have a really tough time swallowing pills so I usually have to take my medicine crushed with some water. Technically, I'm not supposed to take NSAIDS because I have asthma and a few stomach issues that cause me some intestinal distress when I take them, but I also suffer from hellacious migraines so I have to go with the lesser evil and deal with the stomachache so I can get rid of the headache. These little liquid shots boast 500mg of NSAID power combined with 65mg caffeine as a fast acting pain reliever. I tried this during one of those hellacious headaches earlier after reading some reviews about it online, which came in handy with prepping me for the taste. Most of the complaints with this product were taste related, so I wondered, "How bad can it be?" I smelled it and it reminded me of the berry flavored sparkling waters, and when I initially tasted it it reminded me of the same, but the aftertaste is a bitch. I've been burping for a couple of hours and the taste is still there. Unfortunately, so is the headache. But since I have to take 1000mg ibuprofen per headache and sometimes that isn't enough and I have to take another 1000mg dose four hours later, I kind of figured that this wouldn't work for me. I also noticed that about 45 mins after drinking a bit of it, I got a burst of jitters that lasted for about 10 mins. So if you aren't prone to jitteriness or don't have as high a tolerance for ibuprofen as I do, then this will probably work for you. I get where they were going with this product, I do. And I don't hate it, it just didn't work for me because my tolerance is too high. And it tastes awful. LOL

4. Sinful Colors Polish in Firefly, $1.99

This looked kind of bright in the bottle and at first I was a little intimidated to wear it. I don't mind my bright polishes, especially during summer, but just from experience I know that many yellow polishes tend to wash out my skin and make it look a little ashy around the cuticles. This one thankfully looks okay on my skin but I think it looks better with multiple coats. It looks like a mix of mustard and sunshine LOL and the color intensifies as the number of coats increases. Let me know if you'd like me to include photos of how it looks after one and two coats. There is subtle sparkling in this polish, but if you like really glittery polish I'd suggest adding a separate glitter topcoat. The shade had to grow on me and I probably wouldn't wear it on all of my fingers, but I kinda dig it. The first time I painted my nails with this shade, I went up to 3 coats but even with a topcoat it chipped fairly easily. I wasn't crazy about the brush; it tended to hold extra polish and make my nails look kind of clumpy. These last two things are more so brand complaints; I've been buying Sinful Colors polishes for a couple of years now and the majority of these polishes have the same kind of brush and chip pretty quickly. I do think this is a pretty color for summer, but only if you like bright polishes and don't mind reapplying in a couple of days.

5. CoverGirl Bombshell Curvaceous by LashBlast Mascara, $9.49--$11.99

The first time I tried this, I wasn't impressed at all. I like my lashes long, with borderline spider leg vibes, and this didn't do it for me. It didn't even elongate my lashes the way I liked. One thing I did like was that the step 1 base wasn't that white formula that I've had with a lot of the 2 step mascaras; sometimes that white base made my lashes look powdery even after I'd applied a couple coats of the actual mascara. I didn't have that problem here. I was wearing a pretty sweet cat eye the day I tried it out though lol, but the line was rather thick so I figured that the eyeliner detracted a bit from how my lashes looked. I tried it out again on a day that I was wearing just mascara and it did work, but I still felt a little underwhelmed from all the hype I'd heard about it.

In short, I liked my Surf's Up VoxBox. I thought it had a lot of fun things for summer, everything was easily portable, and the retail price for all of these products wasn't expensive at all. Despite my experience with the Bombshell mascara, I've heard a lot of positive reviews so I'm open to trying it again. I appreciate the thought that Influenster put into this box and trying to make sure that the box really screamed 'summer' as all of these products are lightweight, colorful (whether it be with the actual color or the packaging), and easy to use. 

Read More »

Subscription Box Series Month 6: Conscious Box

*Mandy's note: This is a pretty random note, so bear with me. This box review might be a little different from the other five that you've seen; my box reviews are probably going to change a little bit over time because I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I want to do them. I'm also working on a lot of reviews that I want to cover for different apps and things like that, but I'm going through some really tough times in my personal life so my motivation to post isn't as strong as it was. So please be patient with me and I'll have things up and running as soon as I can. 

But anywhoodle....

We're already at Month 6 for the SBS, and even though I miss my beauty samples something serious I've really been liking this who eco-conscious, healthier route I've been on, so I delayed my return to the beauty boxes for another month. I'll be sampling a beauty box next month for sure though. Anyway, I don't quite remember what led me to this next box, but I decided to go with Conscious Box for this month's review. 

What is it?

Conscious Box is a subscription box service that offers natural, GMO-free samples with the goal to help the customer live a healthier, more eco-conscious lifestyle. Everything from nutrition, beauty, skincare, and even a couple of home goods are covered in this service and you could receive something from all of these areas in your box. 

How much does it cost?

I paid $10 for each box I ordered. 

Sign-up & Ordering:

Sign-up for the site was fairly easy, as it has been with the other boxes. You get to select one of three boxes that Conscious Box offers--Gluten-Free, Vegan, or Classic. I went with the Classic box. You can also choose from two different sizes; the Taster box has between 5 and 8 products, while the Plus box has between 8 and 12. You can also select the frequency at which you want to receive your boxes; you can get two a month. There are deadlines throughout the month for each box and when I signed up, I was able to get the month's second box. The second box goes out towards the middle of the month. I only intended to get one box but I didn't cancel my subscription in time so I ended up accidentally getting two. I received my first box a couple weeks after placing my order. As with every other box, I received a confirmation email and an email with my tracking number a few days later. Here's what came in the first box.

Delivery & Cancellation:

As you can see, my box came in good shape. It came right on time and there was no damage to the box or any of the products inside. It was a little heavier than you'd expect from a subscription box, but as you can also see, it's packed full of goodies. A few days after receiving my box I got another email from Conscious Box reminding me to rate my products. As with the other boxes, you acquire points for each product from your box that you rate, review or purchase. Each 100 points equals a dollar in the shop. Cancellation of the service is also easy; if you're just trying to sample the service like I was, my advice is to cancel as soon as you receive your first one to avoid charges for a second box.

Site Navigation:
The site is fairly easy to navigate and each box you order is kept separate from any others, so if you want to go back and look at what was in one particular box you can do so. Of course, there's the option to rate the products for points which will eventually be redeemable in the store (every 100 points equals $1) which I'm noticing is a part of many of these boxes, but in order to buy a particular product you have to go to the shop. There's no immediate link to the shop from the product. All of the menus are simple and everything is categorized, so there's no getting lost. Even after your subscription is cancelled, the shop and option to rate your products remains accessible. I wish I could directly access the product page in the shop from the rate page because I couldn't find all the products using the search bar, but otherwise I like how the site is set up.

So what was in my box?


1. Barney Butter Almond Butter
Holy balls I loved this stuff. I'd never tried almond butter before I received this sample but I'd been hearing about it a lot on YouTube, where I spend (AKA waste) too much of my day. There was enough in this sample for me to use on a couple pieces of toast and omgballs it tasted so good. You can totally have this in the morning with some coffee and maybe even an egg. I wouldn't use this like regular butter, although it would probably be pretty slammin' on a sandwich. It tasted a bit like peanut butter but not as heavy on the palate or the teeth as pb, but at the very end I got a hint of almond. The only complaint I had with this almond butter was that I thought the almond flavor would be stronger than it actually was. It was still yummy.


2. San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee
If you've been reading through my reviews for awhile then you already know I'm not usually a hot coffee drinker. The strength of many types of coffee upsets my tummy, I'm lactose intolerant, it's summertime so it means we're one step closer to hell here in Texas, and I just don't have time for boiling guts because I decided to drink hot java with milk in it. There are many reasons why I don't drink hot coffee; those are just 4 out of the top 10. I'm rambling. This single serve sample should be made in something with the little pods, like a Keurig, but I have an old school maker so I just removed the grounds from the filter and brewed them that way. This sample will get you about one medium to large cup of coffee and I was extremely pleased with the taste. It's so light on the tastebuds and it has just enough strength to put a snap in your step and open groggy eyes (if caffeine affects you that way. I'm an addict so it doesn't affect me like that anymore lol). It was an amazing cup of joe and the stomachache I got afterwards was so worth it. LOL


3. Flents Biodegradable Lens Wipes
Unlike the wipes I usually use, these wipes only have alcohol, detergent and anti-static in them so they smell a bit like an alcohol pad. I suppose they kinda are. I cleaned my glasses first, then I cleaned off my laptop and the back of my tv. It worked really well, no different than any other wipe that I use for my electronics. Not much to say about it and no complaints.


4. Weleda Replenishing Shampoo & Conditioner
I tried this out the other day and I liked them both. The only problem I had with this set was the scent. It reminded me of hospital soap and that's no bueno for me. I'd had my first surgery a few days before washing my hair and to finally get the hospital smell off of me and out of my hair, only to put some of it right back in my hair when I used this shampoo, I felt defeated. LOL I did like how effective the shampoo and conditioner were, though. My hair is dry and brittle so a lot of shampoo/conditioner sets tend to weigh my hair down with product and make it feel greasy afterward, but this one didn't. My hair felt very lightweight, it felt like both products had gotten down to my scalp, and my hair was more manageable after it dried. I'm growing out a relaxer so right now my roots are in their natural state, which is a very deep kinky wave that is easily tangled. I used the conditioner as a leave-in which I think helped with how it felt afterward, but it was softer and even a bit shinier once it was dry. I later straightened it with a hot comb (yes I'm old school LOL) and it was still soft and light. My only complaint is the scent.


5. Via Nature Moisturizing Lotion in Vanilla Coconut
I used this lotion on my face after I got out of the shower a couple of days ago and I really enjoyed the scent. It was very rich and at first, there isn't a distinctive smell but it smells pleasant. After rubbing it in, that's when you get a mix of the vanilla and coconut and they blend together much better than I initially thought they would. It has a very light feel on the skin but it does leave a slight greasiness behind for the first few minutes after applying. But shine aside, my hands felt soo smooth afterwards. I'd get a larger bottle to see how it works on the entire body.


6. Larabar in Peanut Butter Cookie
I have yet to find one of these energy-type bars that I actually like. I've been sent a couple of energy bars now and none of them have appealed to me. They've all been in peanut butter too, smh. What is that, the default flavor for the sample boxes? This was no different and I was not fond of it at all. This bar has dates and peanuts, and I don't like dates so it wasn't very good. It has a soft, almost mushy texture and the bottom reminded me of leftover peanut butter cookie dough. The smell is a bit like stale peanut butter but you can pick up a little of the date flavor once you bite into it. I wasn't a fan.


7. BioBag 3 Gallon Trash Bag
I haven't had the need to use this trash bag yet but I felt the material when I was removing it from the box and it feels a bit tougher and sturdier than the types of trash bags we normally buy for the house. This is a perfect sized bag for one's bedroom or if you live alone I don't expect it to be any different than other bags I've used except in perhaps sturdiness, which I can already tell this has. It doesn't feel as though it's going to collapse under the strain once it's full.


8. Spatone PurAbsorb Liquid Iron Supplement
The concept of a liquid iron supplement that has no side effects and is all natural is a new one for me, but it's welcomed. I am 93% positive I have an iron deficiency at some level and I hate taking pills so this liquid supplement that you can mix in with juice or water is right up my alley. I haven't tried it because I want to research it just a little more before I try it out (I have a problem taking supplements and medicine anyway but even more so when it's not specifically prescribed) but I'll update once I have.


9. Cascadian Farm Squares in Vanilla Apple with Almond
The first thing I thought when I saw this little square was, "Man, this stuff looks like bird food." I even checked the back of the package to make sure it wasn't an organic pet treat. LOL Now when I eat it altogether, it's not so bad. I can't see it becoming one of my regular snacks, but it was okay. It has a crumbly texture overall because of the sizes of the various ingredients, but when I tried to eat them separately so I could figure out the individual tastes it was awful. There were these tiny little robin's egg looking things that stuck to my teeth and looked (and felt) rather slimy when I removed them; it was the highlight of neither my sampling experience nor my day. lol


10. Sneakz Organic Veggie Nutrition Milkshake
At first sip, this tastes like Ovaltine. Then dirt. Then a mix of the baby food vegetable medley. It finishes with a carrot flavor. When I tell you I wasn't happy with it, it's an understatement. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't being overly biased, so I had my family try it and they weren't happy with it either. What I did like about this is that it's geared and probably marketed more towards kids, which is why the chocolate was more of an Ovaltine flavor at first. I saw where the company was trying to go with sneaking the veggies into a drink that most kids these days don't get to have very often and I applaud the intention, but I do not applaud the end result. Then again, I was taking small sips so I was able to taste everything in it. If you take larger gulps, the chocolate will probably have a chance to dull out the veggie taste.


11. Pangea Organics Eye Cream in Turkish Rose & White Tea
This eye cream is supposed to help soften lines around the eyes, rehydrate and nourish the sensitive skin, and provide it with antioxidants to help keep the skin healthy. I think it's very important to make sure that the undereye skin is as healthy and strong as possible; I not only suffer from eye allergies which usually has my eyes irritated but I also wear the majority of my makeup on my eyes. Health problems have resulted in some emerging dark circles underneath that I'm trying hard to eliminate before they get darker or lines begin to develop, so I'm more than a little willing to try something out. Minus the eye roller I tried from Birchbox last year, I've actually never tried an eye cream before.

My thoughts:

The overall goal of Conscious Box is to help introduce folks to a healthier, more eco-friendly way of living in every way and I believe that they achieve that goal and then some. There's a bit of a stigma on organic and natural foods in places that they don't receive a lot of attention, and sometimes one's thinking (and when I say 'one' I mean me lol) can become a bit skewed as to how organic food or drink will taste. I think Conscious Box does a great job of handling and eliminating that stigma while showing off both the tasty treats and the companies that create them. 

I never cared much about what goes into my favorite candy bars and beauty products, but the more that I try these eco-friendly and natural-based box services, the more I realize that I like being able to pronounce everything on my product's ingredient list. I like knowing that there are no chemicals in what I'm using or consuming. 

They're a bit more expensive than regular goods and that's why I haven't fully switched to organic/natural goods yet, but it has become a goal for the future. Conscious Box, at the risk of sounding like a late night infomercial, actually lives up to its name by making you more conscious of both what they introduce you to and what you are currently using. 

They also make an effort to be informative and really help you to learn about everything while sampling the selected items and I like that. Between the product card enclosed with every box, the more detailed product page on the company's website and the enclosed company cards that some of the products have, they try to make sure that a newbie to the product, company or box is aware of exactly what is in the box, what is in each item in the box, and how it can benefit you to try it. 

Another thing I liked was that they try to make sure you have a well-rounded box. They covered food, drink, health & wellness, beauty & skincare and home goods in just one box for me, and I appreciated that I was able to try things from so many different categories. Even though some services say that their goal is to help you improve your living, they only focus on one or two categories, while Conscious Box focused on several. As a newbie to the whole thing, I was able to get a well-rounded, full look at it. 

I really don't have any complaints with the box, other than that if you don't know about the deadlines you end up buying two boxes on accident. LOL 

Do I recommend this box?
Yes I do, especially if you're considering making the switch to natural products but either don't know where to start or just want to sample before going out and making full-size product purchases. Even if you're not too keen on the idea of the whole organic/natural concept but you're willing to give it a test run, I still recommend it just to give you a few more options. If you go into it feeling 'meh' like I did, the box might end up pleasantly surprising you with what's in there and what you end up enjoying. It might learn ya somethin'. LOL



Rating:

There were a few things that I did not like simply because they weren't my preference, but overall my experience with this company was great. Conscious Box definitely has the Mandy stamp of approval! I'd love to order from them again!

Read More »

App/Site Review: WWE Network

Confession time: I am a pro wrestling fan. Have been all my life. Hold your tomatoes, I know some of it is "not real." I don't care. I swear that's the excuse I hear from everyone who doesn't like it. "But don't you know it's fake?" Of course I know some of it is fake, dolt. But so are breast implants, McDonald's chicken nuggets (I don't care how many statements they release about it), Viagra-assisted erections, and reality tv. But they still have fans, so if I want to watch a couple of oiled, muscled, long-haired men throw each other around a box for 2-3 hours a few times a week, leave me alone. So there are storylines. Situations and things on tv do not always reflect the wrestlers' actual feelings. So what? I can deal with that. Regardless, pro wrestling and I are sort of like the relationship between lifelong friends. There are times where I don't follow the product at all, but then something always draws me back and then it's like I never left. For example, up until this past January I'd been on a 2+ year long sabbatical from watching wrestling because I was dissatisfied with the content. But thanks to my uncle making me order this year's Royal Rumble, which introduced me to one Roman Reigns and later the greatness that is The Shield, I'm back. LOL So I'm a fangirl as well. Don't you dare judge me. Professional wrestling, renaissance fairs, movie scores and video games. Those are just some of my interests. Why aren't the men lining up outside my door, right? LOL #unpopular

Another thing that drew me back was the upcoming launch of the WWE Network, which hit the public back on the 24th of February. I debated getting it for so long, mainly because I was unsure that it would really be a free trial, that I missed the initial round of trials being offered. The company re-offered it back in April so this time I took advantage. I tried out the free week trial, then I kept the paid subscription for a month so I could give a fuller review. This is definitely one of my longer reviews, so get yourself some snacks and something to drink, and get comfy. You'll be here awhile.

What is it?: WWE Network, an online subscription service that gives the user access to every PPV that WWE, ECW and WCW have held, live streaming of each current PPV, each year's Hall of Fame ceremony and original shows, all for $10 a month with a six-month subscription.

How much does it cost?: $9.99 a month after a free week trial

Platforms available: PC, Roku, PS3 & PS4, Xbox 360 & Xbox One, Android & iTunes

How does it work?: Sign-up & initial access both went fine; downloading the app didn't take long and it doesn't take up a lot of space on a console, depending on your phone memory it doesn't take up a lot (just remember to keep the cache cleared) and none on a laptop. Within 5 minutes you're all signed up and ready to go. For PS3 users, the Network will be under your TV/Video Services icon. Once you login, the home page looks like the photo on the left on PS devices and Droid home pages on the right.

Source

Source

Select what you want to watch (if you're on a PS3 you navigate between menus using the d-pad) and go for it. You can also just go to the current lineup by pressing "Play" and then choosing if you'd like to watch the ongoing program from its current spot or from the beginning. Not complicated at all, find what you want to watch and go for broke!

You know the drill from here out, so let's get started!

Here's the good:



--

First and most importantly, the library is super extensive. As I'm sure you've heard ad nauseum from Michael Cole the last few months, every WWE pay-per-view is available on the library, as is every PPV from both ECW and WCW. There is no shortage of throwback material to watch; you can easily watch the Network for a week straight and still not have watched everything that it has to offer.





--

The original programming has a lot to offer as well, although I can admit that some of the programs aren't everyone's cup of tea. Raw and Smackdown both have either a pre- or post-show program, where there is about 10-15 minutes of commentary from various Superstars on the night's show. NXT is gaining some steam, as are the previously televised shows Main Event and Superstars. Legends House is a Real World/Surreal Life mix-up that is being heavily promoted and is so ridiculous it's hilarious. Beyond the Ring is another program that takes a behind-the-scenes look at some of your favorite Superstars. I think the show is underrated, underpromoted, and worth watching. So if you're not in the mood to watch any more PPVs, there's always exclusive original content available to watch instead.



--

Because of the mix of older/current programming, the Network does have a daily lineup that you can watch as though it were a real channel, complete with shorter commercials and ads for WWE products and shows on the Network. The lineup is available for at least a week in advance. You can either follow the night's lineup--by either starting the program from the beginning or from its current spot if you join the lineup during the middle of a show--or you can choose what you want to watch on your own. I enjoy having that ability to control what I watch despite there being a daily lineup.



--

Due to WWE's new deal with NBCUniversal, replays of Raw and Smackdown are now available on the Network 30 days after the air date. This wasn't available until recently and because this was previously a big complaint of mine and many other subscribers, I think this will actually end up doing some good and gaining a few more users. To some, I guess a month is a long time to wait for a replay but think about it--we wait months for the current seasons of our favorite shows to hit Netflix. Thirty days in comparison isn't so bad.





--
Parental controls are available for users who have children sharing the account. The televised product is PG, but of course with older PPVs, the overall content is PG13+, so if you want to limit the available shows being displayed for your child to watch, you can do so.





--

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, pros of this Network is that you get access to each PPV every month without having to pay more than the regular monthly subscription rate. With cable/satellite providers you're paying anywhere from $45 to $60 depending on the PPV and whether or not you're viewing in SD or HD. With this, you get a lot more than that every month for a fourth of what you'd pay for one single PPV.




--

This is more of a personal thumbs-up, but when you call tech support, instead of the typical elevator musak that you get when put on hold or when you're between departments, you get Superstar theme songs. During my call, I heard quite a few of the theme songs and I thought that was pretty rad.  <- by="" how="" is="" p="" that="" the="" way="" word="">




--

This is a more random thumbs-up, but if you were like me and didn't have the WWE App before downloading the Network, they combine once you download. I'm not sure if you can have the app without the Network because I didn't have the app first, but I think the two have combined to create a fuller experience. App originals like Second Screen during PPVs and the weekly broadcasts have quizzes and trivia as well as Twitter posts from various members of the Universe so if you'd prefer a more interactive experience then the app itself will provide that for you. It also gives the viewer the option to save a list of favorite wrestlers as a shortcut, view live events and even set calendar reminders if they'll be near your hometown, and I believe you can also get connected to Ticketmaster from the Event page if you'd like to order tickets right then.



--

In addition to being able to search for programs you want to watch, you can also search by Superstar. So if you were in the mood for, say (and this is just a hypothetical example, of course), a Roman Reigns marathon, you could indulge yourself in that. If you want to search by faction, you could do that as well. In addition to the massive PPV library, there is also a way to search by Superstar and I like that.






And the bad:




--
Depending on your service area, your 'Net might run a little slower and this prevents you from being able to watch the Network at all. This is my biggest complaint because it keeps me from enjoying the programs I pay for, and if I'm going to have this hard of a time trying to watch anything I have to question sometimes if I'll keep the service. Even though my speed is 3mbps, the area I'm in for some reason is notoriously bad at receiving service, so my ability to connect to the Network is iffy at best. Most of the time, I get an error message on my PS3 when trying to watch videos and trying to watch on my phone screen gets annoying after awhile. The Network needs so much of the Internet to run properly that if you're in a house like mine with multiple devices connected at once, your subscription will probably be useless unless you access it away from home. For me personally, I have a laptop, PS3 and my smartphone, but I haven't had reliable signal with either the laptop or PS3 so most times when I'm watching the Network it's from my phone. Even though I get a picture, it isn't always a good one. Here are a couple of screenies I took during last month's Extreme Rules PPV.














--
Tech support is a joke. I called them the day of Extreme Rules last month when I was unable to pick up any feed from any videos shortly before the pay-per-view and within the first 15 minutes of the call, I'd already been switched twice and had to explain my issue 3 times. The tech agents you speak to may or may not know anything about the console they're advising you on; mine didn't. They only have a couple of rotating suggestions that they all seem to think will cure the problem; I was asked if I'd restarted my console, uninstalled/reinstalled the app several times and one even asked if I was a member of the Network. They also seemed completely clueless about the platforms that the Network broadcasted on, and I think if you're going to be part of any company's technical support team, especially the advanced tech support, you should know what sort of issues you'll be troubleshooting per platform. The "advanced" agent I spoke to didn't even know what the home screen of the PS3 looked like, so the directions he gave me were completely irrelevant. Not good at all. Thankfully, the issue I was having ended up correcting itself later, but in short, tech support was no help whatsoever.



--
Even though you sign up for a free trial, be prepared for a temporary hold (that will probably be the same amount as the subscription price) to immediately be debited from your account after your sign-up has processed. I signed up at the end of April when my money was low and my cable had just been cut off (I'm suffering from some temporary financial difficulties lol) so I was looking for something to watch at night. I was also going through wrestling withdrawals. Don't judge me. Anyway, I didn't really have any money to spare but within the week of the trial, I was supposed to get my money so I figured I had enough time to decide without it costing me anything. Wrong. They snatched that $9.99 out of there quick as shit and didn't put it back for a couple of days. Now they don't mention that during all of the tv advertisements and it's not on the sign-up page either. It's in the FAQ so my advice is look there first, then sign up. When you only have $21 in your account, someone snatching half of it away (during what's supposed to be a FREE trial) almost makes you want to cry. lol And it was right before the weekend, so I had to wait until that Monday before it was put back on my card. It made little to no difference, however, because they just snatched it right back out 4 days later. So really, it wasn't a 7 day free trial for me, it was more like 3 or 4. Thankfully though, I could afford the charges this time around. lol


--

When you're watching the Network from your phone, I have noticed that there are no controls. No rewinding or fast forwarding; if you select the option to watch the Network, that's about all you're going to do. This is more of an inconvenience, especially if you have slower Internet that gets tripped up by buffering; the issue is usually fixed if you pause the program and let it load and buffer on its own. Because the option to pause is not available with the Network, those of us with a slower connection oftentimes have long pauses, only for the program to skip to its current spot. That could be several seconds or even a couple of minutes ahead of where you just were. You also don't get the option to choose if you want to watch an ongoing program from its current spot or from the beginning as you do on consoles and laptops; you start from the current spot and that's the end of it. lol There are more viewing options on the larger devices and if you've skipped ahead due to buffering/sync issues, there's no way to rewind and see what you missed. That can be extremely irritating if you're trying to watch live programming such as PPVs.





Overall:
Overall, this app, while overpromoted, is definitely underrated. To understand just how much has been opened to the users for just $10 a month is insanity. WWE is taking a huge loss here by giving us so much. Firstly, many of these things could be sold via DVD, like a collection of the Behind the Ring and Legends House seasons. But we're getting them for $10. Cable and satellite providers no longer carry PPVs, so they took a $40 hit per customer per PPV to give us access to each one on the Network. I really didn't think about what a loss that was until I listened to the problems each provider was having with WWE airing their PPVs on the Network at such a discounted rate. Both the providers and WWE take a bit of a loss here and we get a lot in exchange for it. As long as I have reliable Wi-fi, I can watch WWE anytime I want, any PPV I want, as many times as I want. The ECW and WCW libraries are also available for perusing and that's a massive amount of content by itself. I wonder about how much things will change with the recent crash of WWE stock combined with whispers of rising subscription rates, but I suspect we'll find out before summer ends. If WWE adds a bit more thought into the original content rather than repeating the night's lineup twice and begins to correct some of the issues noted above, I think the company stands a fair chance of hitting those target numbers for the Network. For a lifelong wrestling fan like myself, this app is amazeballs. If my Internet was faster, I'd be able to enjoy it even more than I do now but I see the potential. If you enjoy gorging yourself on pro wrestling content or reliving the 'good ol' days,' this app is perfect for you. There are still a few kinks that need to be worked out, but since the app is in infancy, I'm willing to wait for a little while. Of course, this was just my personal experience. It has been more of a positive than negative experience, although the negatives are significant enough to me to make me reconsider my subscription sometimes.


Do I recommend this service?

Yes. I don't recommend it for everyone though. If you're an old-school wrestling fan, if you like seeing a more in-depth look at the world of WWE in general, or if you want to watch replays of your favorite Raw, Smackdown or PPV replays, the Network would be worth your money.

I don't recommend it for those with slower Internet service; your subscription is all but useless otherwise. I don't recommend it for those who are expecting current episodes of Raw or Smackdown as part of the subscription; they won't be there right away. I also don't recommend it for those who don't watch a lot of wrestling; if you're not a die-hard then the programming may be lost on you. If you're an 'ehh' fan, put the bucks towards Hulu Plus instead. LOL Make sure your $10 is going to be used is really all I'm saying.

Rating:

Read More »