Can be a good read when there's no alternatives (Real People Magazine)

Member Name: danielleg1989

Product:	Real People Magazine
Date:	26/09/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice and colorful pages some interesting articles

Disadvantages: Some ads and this was sort of hit and miss for me

DESIGN

This magazine is very brightly colored luminous pinks,oranges and yellows occupy the cover and it stays that way throughout the pages which are very nicely laid out and almost every single one is full with details and titles that stand out thanks to nicely styled writing and eye catching colors.


ON THE COVER

The cover has lots of stories sometimes with rather odd descriptions. Sometimes they sound a little over the top and you wonder why or even how some of the more peculiar stories came about. The people who created real people magazine certainly know how to draw your attention with rather bizarre titles for there stories for instance the one i just finished reading had headlines for story's such as seven ops to look like Demi Moore and potty police thought my carrots where cannabis. There have been even more bizarre titles in previous issues. These are certainly the main thing that intrigues you and makes you want to read it and once you do the stories don't sound quite so ridiculous anymore. On the cover it states that all off it stories are 100 percent true so if you like true stories this is probably the magazine for you.


SO WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO OFFER?

This magazine offers a wide range of interesting articles that are in depth and interesting. It has something to suit everyone's tastes and it has quite a few puzzles and a horoscope section too. It also includes fashion pages showing some lovely clothes and there prices and where they can be bought and a my world page at the back where readers answer 18 questions about there lives. Thankfully it only has a few ads, so you don't have to worry about your moneys worth being wasted on a bunch of adverts that you see flashed in front of your face every minute on TV anyways. I for one am glad of that cos i am rather fed up of ads in what ever form they come in. They are annoying especially when they are on TV in between films or my favorite TV shows and when there's more ad pages in magazines than ones that are of actual use and that are good to read.

INTRODUCTION PAGE

This page includes a round up of the top 5 madcap stories from around the world which are usually quite funny to read and a message from the editor Samm Taylor. It has a index telling you each part of the magazine and the corresponding page where you will find it. It also has a part titled "got a story?" and tells you you can earn up to a thousand pounds for submitting your own and provides a email to contact them about it or a address to send a letter to them.


THE STORIES

The stories range from really bizarre to normal everyday experiences. Some are funny and some are quite sad and will make you sympathize with the people who are telling them. They are all well written and interesting to read and most have various different pictures included in relation to each article these usually show you the people who the story is about and help you get a more clearer picture of what you are reading about.

RECIPES

The recipes provided are very helpful and the information they give you is everything you need if you choose to make any of the food suggested, including all of the prices and the ingredients you will require. There's usually at least one that will take your fancy. Even if you don't use it it will make you wonder what it would be like or if that fails then it will probably remind you how hungry you are when you look at the pictures which show some very tasty looking food lol.

PUZZLES

There is a wide range of puzzles throughout the magazine including crosswords, word searches quizzes and i-spy where you look for at two pictures and spot the differences between them both. Some of them are competitions and some are sent in by other readers who get paid 30 pounds for there efforts and if there lucky enough to win puzzler of the week prize they get awarded 50 pounds. At the side of the pages there is solution's to the puzzles for if you get stuck or just cant be bothered and want to cheat lol.

SHOPPING AND FASHION

The shopping and fashion influenced pages show nice clothes and tell you how much they cost and where to buy them. The real beauty page is full of nice products suggested by Helen Wright there is short descriptions of each product, prices and where you can buy them. There is also a do it your self article in this issue it tells you how to make your own hand scrub and displays good value deals.

COMPETITIONS

The competitions are mainly linked with doing crosswords and other various puzzles or alternatively you will find a few that you enter by answering questions. There is plenty of info provided so you can be sure of the terms and conditions of each competition. In this particular issue you can win a break to Ireland and a stay at a luxurious hotel there. Then there's also a ad in this for real people bingo and although i don't like ads this one is relevant and actually quite helpful because it offers you 15 pounds free play when you join and provides every reader with there own unique code so they can benefit from the offer.


YOUR HEALTH

There is two pages with the title your health. In one of them readers send in stories about health problems that they have and there is a pink box in the bottom left hand corner describing the conditions effects, the symptoms and how to treat them. On the other page there is a ask the doc section where people ask about there health problems and get advice from the magazines doctor Helen Crawley. There's also various other articles on this page including suggestions for health problems,remedies for them and a cringe section where readers send in embarrassing problems and get advice. There is also a top ten section in this issue its top ten things you should know about eyes.

HOROSCOPES

The horoscopes are not overly detailed there quite short and to the point there is just a small section dedicated to them and they are by Jenny Blume. They basically just go over a few things then give you a tip below on what you should try for instance i am a cancerian and the tip provided tells me to try a clear-out this Saturday.

NEXT ISSUE

There is a part that tells you about the next issue and what you can look forward to in it.

BARGAIN HUNTING

There is one section dedicated to this featuring Tim Wonnacot from the TV series bargain hunt. In this section readers send in photos and details of things they own and ask him if they might be off any value to them then he gives them his opinion free of charge.

My opinion


There is 56 pages in this magazine and almost all of them are quite good except for the few ads. I say this because i really don't like them and i believe for every ad they stick in its a waste of some of the money you paid for it Which could of been used to make some quality pages with entertaining worthwhile reads on them. When i buy something i do not buy it to know about phone offers or the latest cereals. I buy it to read good quality info and i am sure everyone else does too for this reason i resent every page with a ad. That aside this magazine offers many different subjects and great articles on each one. Its a interesting read although in my opinion some of the pages are not even worth looking at. I skip past them but thats due to my own preferences and i think this may be hit and miss with a lot of people. There will probably be pages you like then ones you don't like. Its my own personal opinion that i prefer cosmopolitan and bliss because although there plagued with ads they fit my interests and thats really what its about finding a magazine full of articles you enjoy to read and that are of interest to you. Overall this was hit and miss for me there was more pages i didn't like than ones i did.

PRICE

This magazine is very reasonably priced at 67p its very affordable.

Summary: This is a ok magazine but its not my first choice.