Nerd Block - February, 2014

Hey, everyone! Mike here, and I am just a tiny bit late this month with my Nerd Block post due to work and multiple viewings of "The Lego Movie". I swear this film is my "Titanic". I'm probably going to end up seeing it a hundred times in theatres. LOL

Okay. Nerd Block. February. The shipment arrived just before the middle of the month as usual, which shows a good amount of consistency in the 6 months that Nerd Block has been around. The only difference this time around, however, is that the box arrived a little beaten up. I'm going to blame that on Canada Post. They have been pretty bad lately with my other shipments as well. *Shakes Fist at Canada Post*

Now, in case you didn't know, Nerd Block is a monthly subscription box and each month, people receive all sorts of products from "nerdy" franchises. Here is some information:

NERD BLOCK

- $19.99 USD plus shipping per month

- $30 CAD total per month in Canada

- arrives around mid-month in Canada

February, 2014

Last month, I was extremely disappointed with my Nerd Block. I felt I didn't get my money's worth, and considering it was the first Nerd Block of 2014, I expected much, much better. Could the Gods over at NB HQ have been waiting for Chinese New Year to unleash the awesome? Well, let's find out. Here's a list of what I received in my Nerd Block with approximate Canadian retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Metroid / NES T-Shirt ($15.00)

- Smurfs Tag-A-Thon Figure ($4.00)

- Halo HeroClix 3-Pack ($4.00)

- Spider-Man Minimates ($9.00)

- Marvel Mash'ems Figure ($4.00)

- E.T. Miniature Figure ($1.00)

- 80's GelaSkins Stickers ($5.00)

T-Shirt

Right off the bat, I'm going to state that I am absolutely disappointed in Nerd Block for giving people yet another black shirt. That's 4 black shirts in 6 months. I get that this particular shirt looks pretty bad ass in black, but they could have just saved it for another month. Maybe August? You know, after several months of shirts in other colours. Hey, Nerd Block! You do realize there are other colours out there, right? Red? Yellow? Green? There are shades, too, like light grey, white, and dark grey. Actually, I would have liked this month's Metroid shirt in dark grey just as much as in black. So, come on, Nerd Block! Give us some friggin' variety! *Grumpy Cat Glower*

Smurfs Tag-A-Thon Figure

Growing up in the 1980's, I watched the Smurfs. A lot. To this day, I am a fan of that show. However, am I going to play a game featuring miniature Smurfs? Nope. Am I going to collect miniature Smurfs figures? Nope. However, I can see others doing it, especially kids. With that being said, if you haven't heard, Nerd Block now has a new subscription box called "Nerd Block Jr." that starts shipping out next month. I'm hoping that the inclusion of items such as this Smurfs Tag-A-Thon figure in the "adult" Nerd Blocks will cease in March. I think I have enough gifts for my niece to last a couple of years at this point. ;)

Halo HeroClix 3-Pack

Not surprisingly, we have a second item from WizKids, a company that makes games featuring collectible miniature figures. You may have noticed above that the price I put down for the Halo HeroClix 3-Pack is the same as the single Smurfs figure. That's because the Halo series of HeroClix has been around for a while, while the Smurfs game is brand new. So, don't be fooled by the 3 figures in this pack of HeroClix. They are not worth 3 times the Smurf! Still, I'm a fan of Halo and know enough about the rules of HeroClix in general to know that I can probably add the figures from this 3-Pack into some kind of multi-series HeroClix mega battle game. Unfortunately, the Smurf is not a HeroClix, so it can't be blasted away by my new red Master Chief. Why, WizKids, WHYYY?!

Spider-Man Minimates

I am a huge fan of Minimates figures. Their concept is similar to Lego's Minifigures in that they are figures that are all based on a single mould except for the accessories and paint jobs that make them different. Unlike Lego, Minimates have more articulation, more series, and more nerd cred. Yes, I said "nerd cred". LOL Oh, and the holes on the bottom of their feet can fit Lego pegs! Awesome, right? Anyway, I'm happy to see some Minimates in this month's Block, despite the actual included figures being a little lame. This could mean more Minimates in the future, and as long as I don't keep getting crappy ones, I'll be happy. :p

Marvel Mash'ems Figure

This is yet another item that I feel belongs in Nerd Block Jr. It's cheap fun for kids and I'm sure that when my niece gets it, she'll be throwing it around her room in utter glee. Me, I have no interest in this line of toys. There probably are adults out there who would have a great time with it, though, especially ones with kids, but right now, it's not worth the money for me.

E.T. Miniature Figure

Wow, this is the second month Nerd Block has given its subscribers something that can be found at the local dollar store. I had a very hard time understanding the inclusion of last month's Hunger Games miniature, and this month's E.T. figure is making me scratch my head even harder. I mean, come on! I love E.T. and all, but do I seriously want a cheap plastic figure on my shelf? Nope. And, I can't even give this thing to my niece... because she has no clue what E.T. is... (Note to Self: Educate niece on what is awesome.) 

80's GelaSkins Stickers

This is the second time Nerd Block has included a sheet of stickers from GelaSkins. Last time, I questioned the logic since GelaSkins are supposed to be for the decorative protection of mobile devices and the included stickers were just characters' heads, which meant they were only good for decoration and not protection. Well, here we are again with more character heads, and this time they're awesome 80's characters! You will definitely not find them useful for protecting your phone or tablet, but you can certainly stick them on the back of stuff or maybe on your guitar case. They look awesome, much more so than the Ninja Turtles ones from a few months back. This simple sheet of stickers is, surprisingly, my favourite item in this month's Nerd Block. O___O

Overview

The February, 2014 Nerd Block had a lot of stuff, but not much that really made it worth the price for me. There are certainly people out there who would appreciate more of the items than me, but looking at the value of each individual item, it's really disappointing. Coupled with the fact that Nerd Block seems to be obsessed with black shirts (DARKNESS. NO PARENTS. CONTINUED DARKNESS. MORE DARKNESS. GET IT?) and we seem to have a deterioration in the quality and value of items over time. I honestly am considering cancelling my subscription, but for the sake of nerdom and this blog, I'm going to keep going for a couple more months to see if things improve. I honestly hope it does.

Nerd Block - January, 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Mike here! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and had a great time ringing in 2014. I think you'd be happy to hear that my family, friends, and I survived Icepocalypse 2013. If any of you were affected by the ice storm, I hope you weren't without power for too long and that you were able to stay warm. Now it's January and that means I have a brand new Nerd Block to review! In case you didn't know, Nerd Block is a monthly subscription box and each month, people receive all sorts of products from "nerdy" franchises. Here is some information:

NERD BLOCK

- $19.99 USD plus shipping per month

- $30 CAD total per month in Canada

- arrives around mid-month in Canada

January, 2014

Being the first Nerd Block of the new year, I was extremely excited and had high expectations. As a business, although every single Block should be mind-blowingly awesome, I think it makes sense to open a year with a bang. Well, let's see if that happened. The following is a list of what I received in my Nerd Block with approximate Canadian retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Batman T-Shirt ($15.00)

- Star Wars Luke Skywalker Pop! Figure ($10.00)

- My Little Pony Mystery Mini ($8.00)

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splat Flyer ($6.00)

- Hunger Games Catching Fire Figurine ($2.00)

T-Shirt

I love most things Batman, so this month's T-shirt was right up my alley. The design is also really, really cool. For those of you who are wondering, the Japanese text says "Ninja of Justice", or at least that's what my friends who know Japanese tell me. My biggest concern, however, lies in the fact that Nerd Block has been around for 5 months and this is the third black shirt I've received. The other two shirts are two different shades of blue. So, as of right now, I can rightly say that there is very little variety in the shirt colours. However, I will give Nerd Block points for having different franchises. None have been repeated in the shirts yet. Now, if they can give me a red, green, white, orange, yellow, or anything-but-black-or-blue, I'll be truly happy.

Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) Pop! Figure

Speaking of a lack of variety, subscribers have received yet another Pop! figure. Now, I myself am a huge fan of these cute "Chibi" style toys, but not everyone is. I wouldn't be surprised if some people are getting frustrated with receiving more and more of these things. Nerd Block really needs to branch out a bit more in the non-blind-box figure department. As for this month's figure, it is from the Star Wars collection. I got Luke Skywalker, which is awesome. My buddy Ryan, however, got Jabba the Hutt and is quite disappointed. Which figure did you get?

My Little Pony Mystery Mini

Bronies rejoice! Yes, a My Little Pony product finally made it into Nerd Block. I am not a Brony, but I don't dislike My Little Pony either, which is why I opened my Mystery Mini. I honestly think that the figure I got looks really cool. Some of you may notice, however, that this is the third Mystery Mini Nerd Block has included in their boxes. Thankfully, unlike the shirt colours or the Pop! figures, at least with Mystery Minis, different brands have distinctly different figure types. There is variety! So, I'm good with this.

TMNT Splat Flyer

Right off the bat, I'm going to say that I personally find this product to be stupid. It's Raphael's head made of a material resembling that used on Schticky products. You throw the thing onto the floor or at a wall and it flattens and sticks to the surface. This thing gets dirty really quickly and can be washed clean in warm water. But, seriously, who would pay $6 for it? I certainly wouldn't. And, judging from the lack of sales of this product at stores I frequent, not very many other people will either. I understand that Nerd Block is meant to introduce people to new products, but this is one toy that will be... tossed aside.

Hunger Games Figurine

The most disappointing item I have ever received from Nerd Block is this month's Hunger Games figurine. I've seen this product at the local dollar store being sold for $2 and have been mildly curious. The packaging is quite large, leading one to believe the figure inside is also on the larger side. $2 for a blind box figure sounds pretty good, right? Well, not for this. The figure, as it turns out, is TINY! Just look at the picture! What an absolute waste of packaging! And, what a horrible bit of trickery! I wouldn't pay $2 for this. It's worth $0.25 tops! WTF, Nerd Block?

Overview

Wow. Just... wow... And, not a good wow. This is a really bad wow. If you add things up, the products included in this month's Nerd Block are worth more than the cost of the subscription, but not by a lot. Also, there were only 5 products, 2 of which were ridiculous, 2 of which makes me worry about variety, and 1 of which was pretty cool, but was not for everyone. Overall, I was quite disappointed. Nerd Block should have opened 2014 with a bang, but it just ended up being a splat.

Nerd Block - December, 2013

Hey, everybody! Mike here and I received the latest Nerd Block from Canada Post yesterday, which is very strange since we don't normally get mail on weekends. But, hey, I'm not going to complain when something awesome is left at my door! In case you didn't know, Nerd Block is a monthly subscription box and each month, people receive all sorts of products from "nerdy" franchises. Here is some information:

NERD BLOCK

- $19.99 USD plus shipping per month

- $30 CAD total per month in Canada

- arrives around mid-month in Canada

December, 2013

I was very excited about this month's Nerd Block since I got an e-mail not long ago saying there would be a "high value item" that "retails over $45". Plus, it's Christmas / Holiday season, so I figured there would be some awesome, gift-worthy items. Well, let's see if Nerd Block's claim and my own expectations were met. Here's a list of what was in the box with approximate retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Legend of Zelda Triforce T-Shirt ($15)

- The Hobbit Gandalf Pop! Figure ($10)

- Samurai Inferno Watch ($25)

- Gogo's Crazy Bones Series 1 Pack ($2.50)

- Monster Marbles Pack ($2.50)

- Marvel Grab Zags Pack ($1.50)

T-Shirt

I absolutely love the T-shirt that came with this month's Nerd Block. I admit that I'm not as big a fan of the Zelda games as most of my friends are since I have never actually beaten a single one of the games in the franchise (blasphemy, I know), but I can't help but appreciate the fantastic design of the shirt. As with the previous months, the shirt is well made and fits me perfectly. Plus, the shirt is navy blue, putting it in the "not black" category. This is good since, as you may remember, I had been worried back in October that Nerd Block would be sending more black shirts than other colours. But, it seems we will be getting a good variety. Here's hoping next month's T-shirt will not be black or a shade of blue. :p

Gandalf Pop! Figure

Over the past year or so, I've become quite a fan of Pop! Figures. I don't have that many, though, so I'm happy Nerd Block is helping me expand my collection. This month's box has a figure from The Hobbit and I received Gandalf. I am so happy Jess wasn't home to see the nerdy dance I did around the living room when I saw the figure. Gandalf is my favourite Tolkien character, so getting a Pop! Figure of him is a real treat. My friend Ryan received Invisible Bilbo, which looks pretty awesome. There are other figures in the series, but I'm not sure if Nerd Block included them as well. If you received someone other than Gandalf or Invisible Bilbo, please Comment. I'd love to hear what you got. Thanks!

Samurai Inferno Watch

This is the big one! This is the highly anticipated "high value item". Guess what? Nerd Block wasn't entirely honest. The Samurai Inferno Watch is a LED wristwatch from the peeps over at Gadgetsandgear.com. It's made of a metal-like material and has a face that shows the time or date in red LED lights when a button is pressed. If you go to Gadgetsandgear and look up the watch, the suggested retail price is $49.95. However, right now, it is selling for $24.95. Some of you may point out the fact that the watch is on "Cyber Sale", so normally, it would sell for "over $45". BUT, WAIT! Have you tried looking at Amazon.com? No? Well, you should, because the watch sells for a whopping $10.99... Now, I'm going to be fair about this watch. It looks pretty awesome, is solid, and I'm actually wearing it right now. I love it. So, I'll go with the Cyber Sale price from the manufacturer as the true value. It's definitely NOT the "over $45" claimed by Nerd Block, but still good enough for me.

Gogo's Crazy Bones

I've seen Crazy Bones on shelves at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us for quite a while. Kids seem to really like these. In fact, there are web sites dedicated to people's collections of these things. Personally, I have very little interest in them and this single pack of 3 Gogo's Crazy Bones is the only one I'll ever own unless Nerd Block sends me more. However, they're a popular toy and I'm sure that it would be more appealing to other subscribers. Hmmm... Is that a toy drive across the street? ;)

Monster Marbles

Prior to this month's Nerd Block, I had never heard of Monster Marbles. After receiving a pack, I decided to look it up. Basically, Monster Marbles are collectible monster figures that roll around on metal ball bearings. Normally, you purchase a box that contains 3 single monster packs and a stick of chalk. You draw the suggested designs on pavement and then play various games with the monsters. The idea is that the monsters are supposed to take the place of traditional marbles in old-school schoolyard marble games. I've been able to find a small number of YouTube videos reviewing Monster Marbles and a few posts here and there talking about them, but nothing more. Their inclusion in Nerd Block is definitely a method of spreading the word and considering how much research I've done since getting a pack, I think it's kind of working.

Marvel Grab Zags

Now, we come to the seemingly obligatory super-cheap item in the box. Marvel Grab Zags are blind packs that come with a mini figure, a mini pen, or a mini light-up projector. I'm a huge Marvel fan, but this item is definitely not for me. It's a great little treat for kids, though, which is why my niece will be getting my Grab Zag pack in her stocking this Christmas.

Overview

Okay, so the December Nerd Block definitely had no holiday feel to it. I'm a tiny bit disappointed, but I understand. Christmas is not for everyone. I won't fault Nerd Block for that. What I will comment on once again is the watch. They hyped up this item quite a bit and, as it turned out, their claims were off by quite a bit. Honestly, Nerd Block needs to do their research before making claims in their e-mails. I mean, come on! The price is wrong and, aside from the name, the watch isn't even nerdy! Sure, I love the item and am thrilled to have received it, but that doesn't mean I am okay with exaggerated claims. But, it is what it is and, in the end, this month's Nerd Block was still worth the price of subscription. Will I continue with this box? Yes, I will, but with a new wariness when it comes to e-mails and Facebook posts by Nerd Block's staff.

And, that's it for this month. Stay tuned for more posts from Jess and my Marvel Vinylmations post!

JULEP - November, 2013

My first monthly subscription box! So exciting! I have been intrigued by this idea since Michael got his Nerd Blocks and, when I went looking for one I could order (as a nerd, I love the idea of the Nerd Block but there is no point in ordering two) , found out there was the same concept out there, but for beauty products! I am what Jenna Marbles would call a Goo Hoarder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1usT9C04Foc *WARNING* Swearing*) so this whole idea was magical to me. Plus, I am not an expert in makeup, just the basics, so I thought this might be a good way to find new products and therefore new techniques. Anyway - to the box! This box is from Julep.com. When I signed up for their monthly subscription box (Which costs $19.99 US including shipping) I used a code to get an intro box for free! (current code FREEBOX). Already love the company just for offering a great deal right off the bat.

So this is the intro box I received, which took around 6 business days to arrive.

I took their intro quiz and they told me I was "Classic with a Twist". Now, if you don't like the style they give you, you can choose another one if you want to and have the option to change your style every month but I really liked the "Classic with a Twist" box.

I received two polishes - Myrtle  and Zora. I really like both colours. All Julep nail polishes do  "not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP" which I'm guessing is a good thing. They are also made in the US which I like. Both polishes are $14 or $11.20 Maven Price, which is the 20% discount they offer to subscribers.

I also received Luxe Repair Skin Serum ($28 / $22.40 Maven Price). I tried it last night and it went on nicely and didn't burn but there was a slight tingle. I can't say for certain after only one use but my skin did seem nice and fresh in the morning.

(Update: Have used this a few times.  No adverse skin reactions, and, maybe it's just my imagination, but I feel like my skin looks tighter [in a good way] after using this at night. I have lines on my forehead and between my eyebrows from frowning/squinting and they seemed a lot less visible after using this)

Julep also offers add-ons at checkout on any order for a discount so I ordered their Freedom Polymer Top Coat ($18 / $14.40 Maven Price) and  Julep Acetone-Free Conditioning Nail Polish Removal ($14 / $11.20 Maven Price). I got both for $4.99, a pretty great deal! 

I liked the remover, it worked well and not a strong scent but I found the dispenser a little finicky.

(Update: Really like the nail polish remover, and the dispenser is actually really practical. Its worked pretty well so far and I even used it to take off glitter polish [it took some work but I did it], so I'm very happy with this)

The top coat is supposed to work like a gel but goes on like a polish and using only natural light. I don't have any experience with top coats except at the Nail salon but I think it works pretty well. My nails really shined after application. They did chip after a few days but  only slightly. I didn't use a base coat and don't have the best application techniques yet so I'm not going to hold against the top coat just yet. I'm going to try a few more times and see.

So, I'm really happy with my first Julep box. I paid $12 and received a box worth  $88 or $70.40 Maven price. Julep also threw in a small reusable shopping bag as a bonus. Not bad! I'm excited to use what I got more and see what I get in my first actual monthly Julep box.

If you would like to sign up for your own Julep box, please consider using my referral link: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/442026/ and don't forget to use the code FREEBOX to get your intro box free!