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. 

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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!

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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:



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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.





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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.



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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.



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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.





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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.





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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.




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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="">




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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.



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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:




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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.














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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.



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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


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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:

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App Review: Confide

What is it?: An app allowing you to have text or email conversations with full confidentiality by hiding the message until you swipe over the words, then self-destructing after the message has been read.

How much does it cost?: Free!

How does it work?: After signing up using your email address, you are prompted for your phone number(s) to be added to your Confide account. Each email address or text message that you add to your account will be monitored and given confidentiality. The Confide team then sends you a test text message so that you can see how it works. Your contacts are added to the app so that you can either text/email or send them an invitation to try out the app as well. When you send someone a message who does not have Confide, the recipient will be informed that they'll need to download the app in order to receive the message. Once a message comes through, each word is blocked out in orange until you swipe your finger over it, which reveals one word of the message at a time. As the words are revealed, the text that has already been read turns from orange to gray until the entire message has been read. At that point, you either reply or return to the menu. Returning to the menu discards the message. The inbox will show who has sent you a message along with the subject and date, but you're not allowed to click on it. Replying leaves no conversation history like with regular texts and emails, and there is even a screenshot blocker attached to the app. So if you're conversing with someone and they try to take a screenie of the message, not only will you be notified but the message will automatically self-destruct. Pretty nifty, right? This works with email conversations, text conversations with both regular cell numbers and even those with textPlus as long as one (and eventually both) users have the app downloaded.

Available platforms: Android & iTunes, there is no "full"/website version of this app.



My thoughts: 

I downloaded this app Friday night and I love it so far. It does everything that the app says it will do, from keeping my message encrypted to allowing me to only see a word at a time, then destructing once I have read it. I haven't been able to try this with anything other than test messages because I'm on a temp phone that isn't a smartphone (long complicated story short, I have an old Cricket not-smartphone because my Droid broke sometime last month, but I have an unflashed Nexus that I use for everything except for calls until I can afford to flash the phone and switch my service. For the time being, that's how I access apps) but from what I did see of the app, it works exactly as advertised. I think it's great that in this age of oversharing, mass sharing and abundant screenshotting of everything under the sun, there's finally a way for us to retrieve some of that ever-dwindling privacy in our everyday conversations. The only problem I see with this app is that for the tech-savvy cheater, Confide has the potential to save his entire ass.




Rating:

I love it!



Do you have Confide? Will this app keep some of you (like myself) out of jail--because apparently, joking about kicking someone in the throat can be used against you in court if you follow through on said 'joke'--or will it keep some of you (not like me) out of divorce court? LOL Let me know!

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Subscription Box Series Month 5: graze

This month's choice was admittedly more about frugality than it was about an actual choice. I mentioned that I was running a little low on cash due to bills and extra expenses like my replacement laptop charger, so I was on the hunt for a service that would let me get my first month discounted or free. I had a voucher for a free NatureBox, but I didn't sign up by the deadline so it lapsed. Being that I wasn't entirely pleased with my Bulu Box but was still interested in the idea of healthier eating/living options, I re-stumbled across graze. 

While I was signing up, I could have sworn I'd received an email from them as well, so I checked again and lo and behold, graze had just sent me a voucher for a free box last week. I had looked at the site before but I think that was when I went with Love with Food instead. This is the third month in a row that I've ended up ordering digestibles (LOL) so I might be switching gears next month. I've begun to miss my beauty samples. lol I ordered my nibblebox on the of this month but didn't receive it until the 22nd of this month. Here's what I got: 

Honeycomb Flapjack (rolled oats with honeycomb & chocolate drizzle on top)

This was the first snack of the four that I tried. It reminds me a lot of brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal, but like if you didn't put enough liquid in there. The taste was a little raw, which was a different experience. At first if you're not used to natural oat-based snacks then the taste of the oat without all of the artificial flavorings and sweeteners can be sort of bitter. It would definitely be an acquired taste. But after eating, the aftertaste puts me in the mind of brown sugar oatmeal, and even that is a light taste that doesn't linger on the palate. The honey seems to be the dominant sweetener in this snack; I did get the hint of chocolate from the drizzle on top but it was more of a light accent than anything else. It's soft and split into 3 small portions so you can eat a bit and save some, or you can share. If you're a picker like me (someone who picks at their snacks with their fingers, sort of like a bird lol) then eating this can get sort of annoying because it falls apart pretty quickly. I let it sit for a couple of days so it would harden up a bit and it was much better after that.

Lightly Salted Popcorn

First off, let me just say that when the package says 'lightly salted,' they mean it. This is right up the alley for those who are on a low to no sodium diet, because I could barely taste the salt. The bag is a mini one and I thought that was super cute. One thing I really liked about this bag was that it was completely full once I finished popping it. It didn't burn, didn't have a lot of kernels at the bottom, and didn't cheat me by giving me half a bag of air like some of the other brands of popcorn that I eat. It has a very light taste, almost to the point of being completely tasteless. Everything about it was light actually. I think because it was so tasteless but was also a little soft, it gave me a bit of a stale taste. It definitely wasn't stale because I'd just popped it, but after awhile that was the taste I got. If you try to spice it up by drizzling a little butter on it, it will immediately wilt the hell out of your kernels so don't do that. lol I'm going to finish the bag and it did answer the craving for popcorn that I'd been having the past couple of days, but I wasn't in love. 

Herby Bread Basket (garlic crostini, oregano rice crackers, basil breadsticks)

I tried a couple of the crostini and baguettes not long after waking up and to my sensitive tastebuds these were extremely salty so it initially put me off. I went back a couple of hours later after I'd eaten a meal and the taste thankfully had mellowed out a lot. I like the flavor that they create when eaten all together; separately you can appreciate the different elements of each piece and I liked that as well. The oregano rice crackers did have a heavy dose of oregano but the flavor of the cracker itself helped balance it out a bit. The garlic crostinis weren't bad at all; they reminded me of the crackers you get in the Chex or trail mixes but were a bit crispier. Finally, the basil breadsticks, which ended up being my favorite, had a great balance of basil and garlic powder; they were amazing and the basil wasn't overpowering. I received enough to get a great snack out of it, even though the glutton in me would have preferred a larger portion. LOL I'd definitely recommend this for a snack. 

Natural Energy Nuts

Disclaimer: I have a pretty immature sense of humor, so if you find that you cannot read this portion with a straight face or you keep hearing a phantom of a giggle as you read, it's my fault. If you're more mature with nut jokes than I, then I'm sorry. Anyway, minus my romantical preferences, I'm not really a nuts girl. I enjoy eating them, but not for a regular snack. I keep hearing that they're healthier for me, but they're hard for my teeth, they're dry in my mouth, and they're just not my preferred snack. But I have finally realized and accepted that just because I still look (and sometimes act, judging by the disclaimer for this product) 17, I cannot continue feeding my body that way so I've been looking for healthier snacks. This particular assortment of nuts included raw almonds, blanched almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. I failed at the healthier snack concept because since half of this container had almonds, I needed something to wash them down with so I ate those and the almonds with some brownies. LOL The hazelnuts were my favorite out of the bunch and the only ones I ate by themselves. The walnuts were good too, but they tasted better with brownies. I wasn't that fond of the blanched almonds; I preferred these nuts raw. (There I go again. SMH) But seriously, the blanched almonds seemed drier, with less flavor than the raw ones. I enjoyed this little container, but I can't see myself eating them as a regular snack. At least not without some brownies around.

Overall:

Overall, my experience with graze was a good one. Ordering my box was fairly easy and so was cancellation. One of my favorite parts of the whole experience was the narrowing down of snacks afterward. graze has the complete list of snacks that they offer, and you get four options on your opinion of the snack, which further personalizes your future boxes. If you select that you 'love' something, you'll definitely get it in a future box, which I saw when I selected that I 'loved' the salted popcorn then later received it. If you're open to it, you'll probably get it. If you select that you 'trash' a certain product, you won't get it. You're able to view your current and past boxes as well as when they'll deliver, and once you cancel you're still able to see everything. The packaging of the box was very simple, fits in the normal mailbox, and everything I received was in good shape. A small booklet with the friendcode coupons and nutritional information is included with your selected samples so you can see the value of each component in the box. I didn't need to reach customer support but the site was easily accessed and navigated so I was able to handle everything myself. No complaints with the experience as a whole at all.

Do I recommend this box?

I do! These snacks are different from the normal types of snacks I eat, the various things offered would be perfect for someone to try if they're looking to widen their horizons or change the way they snack. The variety is great; there are all kinds of snacks from sweet to salty, soft to hard. graze is affordable, easy to personalize and has a little something for everyone. 

My Rating:

P.S. I'm offering a free box to first-time grazers who want to try out the box. Check out this link to get your first and fifth (if you continue your subscription) boxes for free using my graze code. I never really paid attention to gift codes and stuff before because they usually didn't amount to anything (10% off has never appealed to me for any reason) but at the beginning of the month, I was racking my brain trying really hard to find a box that I could sample for free because I couldn't afford to buy one this time around. Since I found this as a freebie, I wanted to offer the same in case anybody else wants to try out this box. *Small disclaimer: Graze is generous enough to extend this offer to everyone who signs up for the site, so this is not a sponsored advertisement or plug and there's no preferential treatment going on.* I just wanted to share my link. 

Another reason I wanted to offer the code is because graze has a school of farming, where they teach Ugandan locals how to grow fruit trees. The effort is meant to increase productivity, give the citizens a sense of morale, and bring in consistent income while improving nutritional standards. I've been reading this book called No Longer A Slumdog (you should go check it out) that focuses on the stories of people in impoverished and developing communities and just finished a Bible challenge where the goal was to help those less fortunate. I thought it all came full circle a little bit when I saw that trying out the box benefits the Ugandan people, so by you taking this code, graze donates $1 to the school and then you get a friendcode of your own to pass along. I think that's purdy awesome myself so for once, I found a code and actually paid attention to it. lol If you end up taking advantage of the free box, let me know what you thought of graze in the comments once you've had a chance to try it!

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I'm Back!

Sorry for the inordinately long absence. A few weeks ago, my laptop charger blew out on me and when I finally realized that the charger wasn't doing its job, my laptop was just about dead. I had to wait until I was finished paying this month's bills to get the replacement, and I finally picked it up today. I received last month's choice for the SBS but I wasn't able to post it because I only had my phone so that'll be up soon. I haven't yet made a decision for this month's SBS (but it's gotta be something cheap because I am super low on cash this month lol) but I'll be getting to all the posts I fell behind on in the next couple of weeks. I've also got some reviews waiting in the wings so give me a little time to get re-settled here and we'll be back up and running!

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Subscription Box Series Month 4: Bulu Box

For the fourth month in the SBS, I wanted to choose something I probably never would have chosen six months ago. I'd heard of Bulu Box, but up until this past January I never would have considered trying it out. I was not at all on any sort of fitness train. I'm not sure what change occurred in me this year, but I've been really focused on it for the past couple of months, so I figured it was a prime time to give this box a go. 

Bulu Box is a fitness and wellness box that provides an array of health, fitness and wellness products. You can subscribe to the monthly box, the 3-month, 6-month or annual subscriptions, paying anywhere from $12-$110 depending on the one you choose. When you sign up you can fill out a brief profile summary basically detailing your health/fitness concerns and what you would like Bulu Box to address for you. I ordered and paid for my box on the 27th of March, it shipped on the 15th of this month and I received it on the 17th or 18th, I can't remember which. Here is my box. I didn't get to choose any of my samples or see what I'd be receiving beforehand. 

Fruit.0 Organic Snack Alternative, $22.99 for 10 pouches

This is described as an "organic snack alternative," a liquid snack if you will, and since I have yet to find a smoothie I actually enjoy I was sorta excited to see how I'd take to the Fruit.0. The consistency seemed rather smoothie-like and mine was a mix of mangoes, pineapples and pears, so I was thinking it was going to taste great. Wrong! This stuff was not at all what I thought it would be. It did not look very appealing and had both the appearance and consistency of certain baby foods. Didn't smell all that great, either. lol I could taste the pineapples, but the mango seemed to be the more dominant flavor. You only have 24 hours after opening to finish the pouch, and I realized the intestinal repercussions of not listening to said expiration date when I went back two days after I'd opened it and the smell that met my nose was somewhat akin to sewage. It was terrible. I guess this type of 'snack' is what some honestly prefer, but I'm not one of them. 

Dr. Price's Energy Vites Metabolism Booster Formula, $37 for 30 packs

I received one pack of this powder metabolism booster that you're supposed to pour into 10 to 12 oz. of cold water. The booster doesn't contain any stimulants or artificial sweeteners and helps your body create its own energy, which I think is pretty cool. I'll update once I've tried it. 

Rainbow Light Advanced Enzyme System Digestive Support, $20.99 for a 90 capsule container

I received a small box of 10 capsules and 2 $3 off coupons for the 90+ container of supplements. I haven't tried these yet, but you can either take one of these immediately before/at a meal or sprinkle them over your food. They're horse pills so I'll probably be sprinkling my food with it instead. These supplements are supposed to aid with digestion by encouraging the body to break down proteins, fats and carbs, easing discomfort, gas and bloat, and encouraging the absorption of the meal's nutrients into the body. They're gluten-free to boot, so if that's one of your dietary concerns then these are still fine for you to consume. I don't see any notices that you should inform your doctor before taking these, so there must not be any side effects or medication interactions to worry about. I have a number of stomach problems and don't like the medication that is usually offered for my ailments so I want to see how a more natural alternative would work for me. I just have to remember to take it. LOL 

WhiteShield Coffee Stain Prevention Packs, $22.99 for 50 packets (on sale now for $17!)

I received three of these little granule packs in my box. These are little stick packs that you can use per cup of coffee, hot or cold, to prevent your teeth from staining and yellowing and also begins to lift existing stains if used over a prolonged period of time. It's supposed to be tasteless, quickly dissolving without changing the taste, color or consistency of the coffee and has no side effects. I'm not a hot coffee drinker and fortunately (or unfortunately in terms of this review), the infrequent cups of cold coffee that I drink don't stain my teeth. So this was one of the many samples that I couldn't try out. 

Rally Hangover Capsules, $24.99 for a 10-pack container

Another of the samples I couldn't try out. Rally Hangover Capsules are supposed to be taken after the last alcoholic drink of the night or right before bed with a full glass of water. It hasn't been evaluated by the FDA and it mentions that individual reactions may vary. Despite this supposedly being just a supplement, the package does mention that you should contact your doctor before taking it if you're on OTC's or dietary supplements. That might just be a cautionary direction to make sure it'll be okay for you to take, but even if I did drink I would probably be a little skeptical about taking these. I don't drink at all though so I have no idea whether or not these are truly effective. 

Promax Low Sugar Bar in Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, $27.60 for 12 bars

I'm not a fan of energy bars really, excluding Clif bars, which you may have caught my review on a couple of months ago. When they mention that this has peanut butter, boy do they mean it. The minute you open the package, the peanut butter aroma bursts out. It's a soft but solid bar and extremely heavy on the peanut butter. I didn't even taste cookie dough or anything like it. It reminded me of those old school peanut butter candies, the Bit 'o Butter candies. And I wasn't too fond of those either. lol In short, if I want something with peanut butter I'd rather go with the peanut butter Clif bar. It wasn't nasty, it was just heavy on the peanut butter and not my personal preference. 

Bonus: Booya Fitness 30-Day Trial

The little card with this trial offer on it was included with the little information cards at the bottom of the box and I nearly passed it up. Booya Fitness is an up-and-coming fitness company that aims to give you a more efficient, challenging but fun workout in 30 minutes or less. You can join the monthly program for $10 a month or $99 a year, so if you were to take on the Enthusiast (monthly) subscription it would be the workout equivalent of one of the cheaper subscription box services. You can choose from bootcamp, yoga, strength and toning or cardio as the type of workout you want to do and go from there. What I like about Booya is that 75% of their workouts don't include any equipment, which I think is wonderful because I don't have any. LOL

Overall:

Overall, I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed by Bulu Box. I expected a bit more fitness in the box; that's actually why I signed up. The majority of the items I received I either did not like personally or they weren't relevant for my life, so I probably won't get this box again. And it's a shame too, because I liked just about everything else about my experience with the company. The sign-up, ordering and purchase process are all fairly easy, and cancelling your subscription is the same. The website is cake to navigate, you get 70 reward points just for signing up, paying for your box and completing your profile, and the opportunity to earn 10 more points per item that you review is pretty good. Shopping from the site is just as easy and I've noticed that some of the products have free shipping as well. It's not hard at all to pull up any of your information, like past orders or deliveries, reviews you posted, or your current reward points. Those can be redeemed for products later, but you have to use them within 90 days. Still good, that gives you at least 2 months of boxes to accumulate more points, even more so if you buy anything else from the site.

There's a little card at the bottom of the box that you can scan to give a free box to a friend, which I thought was rather generous. So there's no shortage of ways to get a little more than what you paid for, whether it be through discounts (which they also had a little card for) or reward points. Bulu Box gives you a little card with a list of your samples on one side with a little bit of information and prices on each one, and on the other side is what they call a "sample journal," where you can jot down some quick notes on your thoughts before and after you try each sample. One of the companies from my box included a card going into more detail about their product, which I appreciated because the product was new to me and I didn't know too much about it. I know this is going to sound weird, but I liked the packaging. It's a bright orange box with different motivational quotes going across the top and repeated on the bottom, and I thought that was a cool touch. In general though, they did provide a wide-ranging box of products and that's usually what I look for. I don't want 7 products doing the exact same thing, and I can say that Bulu Box did an awesome job of hitting on different areas.

My main problem with Bulu Box was that some of these products didn't apply to me, and I think if a bit more personalization of my box was allowed, I would have been able to at least narrow down the products that would have been applicable for my lifestyle. A lot of what was in the box just didn't speak to me. I was also disappointed in the prices for the full products; a couple of them are actually more expensive if bought from Bulu Box. For example, the Promax bars are being sold for $27 for a pack of 12. However, GNC has the same amount on sale for 10 bucks less. Their regular price of $24 is still slightly cheaper than Bulu Box's. Eh. If I'm going to buy a full-size product of some kind from one of these sites, I want to make sure I'm getting a good deal, not wasting my money. I didn't like that but maybe I'm just being nitpicky. I'm cheap. Sue me.

Fave:
Booya Fitness 30-Day Trial

Dud:
Rally Hangover Capsules/Fruit.0

So do I recommend this box? 

Yes and no. Yes because if you're already well-informed about supplements, don't mind trying out new ones and already eat pretty healthy, then this might be up your alley. In my box, they addressed an array of concerns for the average Joe/Jane: hangover prevention, digestive health, metabolism boosting, healthier snacking options, energy providing snacks, and a month of free workouts. I like that the box didn't just focus on one area of wellness; it focused on several. I also liked that some of the options were gluten-free but all of them provided a healthier option to regular pills and doctor-prescribed medications. That takes the edge off for some who don't like conventional medicine but still want to address certain fitness/wellness concerns that they have.

I say no, however, because if you aren't the average Joe/Jane, then you risk getting a box that might not really be applicable to your life. You don't want to be stuck with a group of products that you can't use. Out of the 7 products I got, I can only use 3. So more or less that's about half. Is it worth a consistent subscription though? Not for me personally. It's still a good box, the offerings per box are very varied and I can see it doing a lot of good for lots of people, but it just wasn't a good fit for me. Keep in mind that this was just my personal experience; I tried to include both the good and bad so you'd have a more unbiased idea of what the box is like. 

My Rating:

Despite this not being a good fit personally, the box still covered different health/wellness concerns, did their best to keep you well-informed of each product, provide more natural/healthy alternatives to products and medications, and the box is super affordable. It doesn't quite get the Mandy stamp of approval but I do think it's a solid box. 

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