Review Bunker is a review blog where the goal is simply to review everything. Below are the latest reviews. In the About section you can read more about this blog and it's author. Comments are always appreciated, so if you've got something to say, please feel free!
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Archive for January, 2008
After recently reading a number of articles that suggest having more than one revolving line of credit, I decided it was about time for me to get a second credit card - not only for credit purposes, but also for backup financial security. After looking into the matter for a few minutes, I decided that I would find a card that offered me some sort of promotional APR, or other incentive to join, to make the whole process more beneficial to me. After looking around online, it became apparent that some of the best offers available in the credit card game come from Citibank, so I started the application process on their website, citicards.com.
I found the process of narrowing down which card I wanted to apply for very easy and quick. After finding a card with a 0% introductory APR for 12 months, I filled out a quick application, and expected to hear back from them by mail in a week - but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the citicard approval process is instant, and I was told that I had been approved only moments after submitting my details. In addition to an approval message, I was told what my APR would be, as well as the amount of my new credit line - now that’s what I can call instant gratification.
Secure in knowing that I had a new credit card on the way, I just had to wait for it to arrive in the mail, which it did about a week later. So, if you are looking for a quick and easy place to apply for a new credit card, and a place that has a lot of card options to choose from, definitely try out Citibank’s citicards.com.
Citicards.com Credit Card Application: 
5/5
5/5
Do you have 2-3 revolving lines of credit? Would you apply for a credit card online? Do you know of a bank or service that is better than Citibank in the credit card world?
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Being a manly man, I obviously can’t consent to going to chick flicks very often, and I certainly can’t be caught reviewing them here on Review Bunker, so I have decided to bring in my girlfriend, Crystal, who I accompanied to the romantic comedy, “27 Dresses” last night. She will be here to answer a few review questions about the movie for my audience, so I can remain manly, and you all can hear about this new movie.
Me: “Did you enjoy 27 Dresses? Why?”
Crystal: “Yes. I liked it because it was a happy movie that I can see myself watching multiple times, and even though it was predictable, it was still entertaining.”
Me: “What did you think of the performances of Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, and the other supporting cast members?”
Crystal: “I thought, that even though some of them played quirky and obsessive characters [ex: Katherine Heigl’s Jane], they portrayed real characters that were relatable. I was able to think of people that I know in real life, that were similar to some of the characters in the movie.”
Me: “Were there any actors that you think did a poor job?”
Crystal: “Not really, actually I think one of the things that made it a good movie was that everyone in it acted very well. ”
Me: “What was your favorite part about the plot?”
Crystal: “I enjoy romantic comedies, but not necessarily romance movies, so I appreciated that they didn’t make the movie too mushy.”
Me: “Did you find it funny enough to be considered a comedy?”
Crystal: “Yes, it wasn’t over the top comedy, and instead the humor fit within the plot, and they didn’t seem to be trying to add comedy to the script.”
Me: “Did you ever find yourself bored with the plot, were there any slow parts?”
Crystal: “No, not really, even though I had an idea of what was probably going to happen at the end, it was still entertaining and paced well. I am glad that the plot didn’t get dragged out, going back and forth endlessly.”
Me: “Did the soundtrack stand out at all?”
Crystal: “mmmm… not really.”
Me: “Did you think they portrayed weddings accurately?”
Crystal: “Some of the themed cultural weddings seemed too unrealistic and odd, but at the same time they added humor to the movie.”
Me: “If you had to give the movie a rating between 0 and 5 stars, what would it be?”
Crystal: “I guess maybe a 4.5 because I really liked it, and I am comfortable with the predictability, and I expected it, so I won’t count that against it.”
27 Dresses (2008): 
4.5/5
4.5/5
So, there you go! Crystal, who likes romantic comedies, gives this one a 4.5 out of 5 - so if you are looking for an upbeat, happy, funny, and romantic movie to see, check this one out, and then come back and tell us what you thought.
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I am constantly analyzing my own design and content here at Review Bunker - but I think it’s much too easy to grow accustom to the familiar, and stop noticing things that might need to change. This is one of the many reasons I offer my blog feedback service for other bloggers - and why I love reviews in general. I like the idea of giving people who might otherwise be too invested in a project an outside perspective on their work. That is why any time I find an offer for a free blog review outside of my own site, I jump at the opportunity.
Recently I ran across Chris Brandrick’s blog, http://www.chrisbrandrick.com/ - and found that he is offering free blog reviews through the end of the month, and naturally I submitted Review Bunker for consideration. I was pleasantly surprised today to find that Chris has already had an opportunity to take a look at my blog, and give me some great feedback. So, if you are looking for a bit of feedback yourself, make sure to head over to Chris’s site before the end of the month, and don’t forget to submit yourself for blog feedback here as well (although I certainly can’t promise the kind of turaround time that I experienced on Chris’s offer). Also, make sure to stick around and check out Chris’s other content while you are there! Thanks Chris.
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I’ll admit upfront - this is going to be a pretty lame review. The first strike against it has to be the fact that I actually bought, baked, and consumed the product months ago, and frankly, I’m not even sure that they are still sold in stores (I couldn’t find them in a product listing on the pillsbury website). Secondly, the pictures I took are barely passable, and there aren’t enough of them. I apologize for these oversights, but there really isn’t anything I can do about it, so here we go!
As I recall, these Pillsbury Mint Chocolate Brownies were delicious as brownies, but not quite minty enough. The box boasted of real Andes mint candy pieces in the batter, which is what sold me on the product - the idea of little bits of delicious candy melted into my brownies was too much, and I had to try them. Sadly, the effect of the candy pieces wasn’t really that powerful, and I remember them tasting mostly like plain brownies with a hint of mint. The included mint-chocolate drizzle was definitely minty, but wasn’t very good as a topping for the brownies - it was a bit too sticky, and didn’t seem to compliment the brownies.
Mixing up the batter was like any other brownie mix, easy and quick - all I had to do was add oil, eggs, and maybe water (I can’t quite remember), mix it around, and dump it into a baking pan - definitely easier than doing it from scratch.
If I recall, this mix was only $1.50 - another reason that I decided to try it out, and I would say that it was pretty good as far as brownie mixes go, but I might not pick it again over the cheaper non-mint mix in the future (why are brownie mixes so cheap, by the way?). I guess sometimes there’s just no reason to mess with a classic by trying to spice it up with stuff like mint. That said, these brownies weren’t disgusting by any means, and the mint flavor was slightly enhanced when eaten with a glass of cold milk - so we had no problem polishing off the whole pan. I would suggest trying them out next time you are buying brownie mix, just to see if you agree with my conclusion, and if you do, please come back and tell me if my memory from a few months ago is faulty or not. Hopefully you didn’t find this review as terrible as I prompted at the beginning, and if you get nothing else out of it, at least you should have a craving for brownies now (I know I do).
Pillsbury Mint Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix: 
2.5/5
2.5/5
Have you tried any uniquely flavored brownie recipes lately? How did they turn out? What’s your favorite brownie recipe/mix? Stay tuned for more current reviews in the near future!
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If you are not familiar with the terms henna art or henna body painting, I suggest reading the Wikipedia article on henna. Henna is generally sold as a powder which is mixed into a paste, which is used to dye the skin, giving the recipient a temporary tattoo. Initially skin is dyed a bright orange color, but after a day or two, the orange darkens into a brown color. The time a henna tattoo stays on your skin is a result of how long you leave the henna paste on during application.
I recently purchased the Earth Henna Mini Henna Body Painting Kit in a local “import gift” shop. I paid $15, which seems to be the normal retail price for this kit, and which is a pretty reasonable price when compared to other do-it-yourself henna kits that I’ve found online. I bought the kit to try out a few at-home henna designs for Crystal. Henna is a popular service offered in tourism centers - Crystal got a rose design on her hand at the beach during our last vacation - and buying the at-home kit is a much cheaper option that allows me to be creative with my own designs.
The kit packaging boasts the follow items:
- One Cone of Henna Powder
- 5 gm Earth Henna Solution
- 6 gm Eucalyptus Oil
- Applicator Squeeze Bottle
- Screw-on Applicator Tip
- Re-usable Stencils
- Cotton Swabs (for cleaning off mistakes)
- Toothpicks (for forming straight lines)
I didn’t receive re-usable stencils in my kit - I did get a plain sheet of paper with some basic designs on it, but I wouldn’t call it a stencil. I also didn’t receive any cotton swabs or toothpicks, but these are minor items that I easily found in my own cabinets. All of the important items were included - and I was able to easily follow the instructions to mix up the henna paste. The fact that the contents of the package did not meet the description on the outside does make me feel slightly cheated - but I guess I can forgive them for not tossing me a few toothpicks.
After mixing the paste in the plastic-bag cone, resulting in a somewhat disgusting looking puke-green goop, I had to wait 2 hours before using the mix. After the required 2 hours, I transfered the mix to the plastic squeeze bottle, screwed on the nice metal applicator cap, and I was ready to go. Since I was spending most of my time messing with the actual henna paste and not designing a tattoo for Crystal, she searched the internet for some designs she liked, and we chose one to try out. The setup was nearly effortless, and I was quickly working on a hand design. Basically, you squeeze the toothpaste-like henna paste onto the skin of your subject, and leave it on as it dyes their skin.
The directions suggest leaving the henna on your skin for up to six hours to maximize the dying process, but we found that it is hard to leave the paste on your skin past an hour, as it starts to dry, crack, and fall off. The first design I finished was a week ago, the paste was left on Crystal’s skin for about 45 minutes, and the tattoo is just now starting to fade all the way. The second design I did today, and we left the paste on for an hour - we’ll see if this one lasts longer than a week.
Since the paste is stored in a plastic squeeze bottle with a screw on cap, it lasts up to 4 weeks if kept in the fridge, according to the directions. I have used about half of the paste on my two designs, but I have to admit they were both pretty big. Hopefully we can find some cool and creative things to do with the remaining paste over the next 3 weeks, and hopefully it will last as long as predicted.
Basically, we’ve had success and fun so far using this Earth Henna mini kit. The directions did not specify what the eucalyptus oil should be used for, and so far we haven’t used it, so if you happen to know, please let us know - until then it will continue to be a bag decoration for my kit. I would definitely recommend this kit to anyone looking for an easy to mix, easy to use, and good quality at-home henna tattoo kit.
Earth Henna Mini Henna Body Painting Kit: 4/5
4/5
I would love to hear what you think of my design (the hibiscus flower) - also, have you ever gotten a henna tattoo, and if so, what was your impression of the experience? Also, I apologize that I don’t have any pictures of a completed design that isn’t orange - I have continually forgotten to take a picture of the first design done last week, now that it is brown. I will possibly add a pic of the brown new design in the next few days, so make sure to check back.
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