Reviews

Every actor knows that headshots are a key piece of the professional puzzle. Without a flattering photo, bookings will be few and far between.

Online daters face the same problem. Without the right pictures, your profile is doomed to be skipped over – even if the rest of it is perfect.

It’s standard practice to seek professional headshots for business cards, websites and even social media accounts, so why not for online dating profiles? In fact, it's becoming increasingly common for singles to do exactly that.

DatingHeadshots is a large network of professional dating photographers and profile writers working in the US and Canada. The company partners with top dating coaches and matchmakers to create a 'personal brand' for clients, enabling them to put their best foot forward online.

Here's how it works:

1. Step One: Enter your zipcode to see a list of recommended photographers in your area.
2. Step Two: Select your preferred photographer.
3. Step Three: Select the package you want and schedule your shoot.
4. Step Four: Select any add-on services you want and make your payment.
5. Step Five: Shoot. You will shoot for 45-60 minutes. During that time, you will be able to make 2-3 wardrobe changes and your photographer will take a variety of different looks, from headshots to full body photos.
6. Step Six: Download your photos. Within 48 hours of your shoot, you will receive a link to a private online portfolio of your pictures. Choose your favorites to save.

DatingHeadshots offers several packages tailored to a range of needs. The simplest, Silver, is available for $159. The Silver package includes a 45-minute in-studio shoot, 50 photos and 2 wardrobe changes. Upgrade to Gold ($199) for double the photos, 3 wardrobe changes, a 60-minute shoot, and the option of sepia or black and white photos.

For on-location shoots, choose the Emerald or Sapphire packages. Emerald (starting at $159) offers 50 photos and 2 wardrobe changes over 45 minutes. A 60-minute Sapphire shoot (starting at $199) offers 100 photos, 3 wardrobe changes, and black and white or sepia images.

Following your shoot, you will be emailed a link to a private, secure online proofing site where you can review your images. The link can be shared with friends and family if you want a second opinion. All photos can be downloaded directly from the proofing site.

Unsure if you want to take the professional headshots plunge? DatingHeadshots offers a guarantee to ease your nerves. If you are unhappy with the technical quality of your photos, or there is a technical issue like poor lighting or improperly focused shots, the company will either re-shoot the photos at no extra cost or offer a full refund.

Professional photos could be the boost you need to take your online dating profile to the next level. Please check out our Dating Photo Service category for other options.

A pork lover's dream, a vegetarian's nightmare. The online dating world's newest app is also one of its strangest: Sizzl, a dating app for bacon lovers.

It was bound to happen at some point. People love dating. People love bacon. A melding of the two is a natural progression. Oscar Mayer is the genius brand behind the app and sure, it's a gimmick, but that doesn't mean we can't love it. There's a niche dating service for everything else. Might as well be one for fried pork strips, too.

iOS users (sorry Android fans, no sizzling for you) can download the app and sign in with Facebook. You're then tasked with answering a series of questions about your taste in bacon. What kind of bacon do you love the most? How do you like your bacon cooked? What would you do if you were with a date and there was only one piece of bacon left?

After you've answered these important philosophical queries, you can start searching for a sizzling Saturday night date. The app takes the familiar Tinder approach to matching, using GPS to find other app users locally or nationwide. But don't expect a swipe. Sizzl is way more fun.

Sizzl users indicate how much “sizzle” they feel for each other by holding a finger down on a heart-shaped button. The longer you press, the more the screen pulses with bacon-y colors (that is, if you're will to put your bacon greasy paws on it in the first place). If two users “like” each other, they are directed to an in-app messaging platform and can set up what Oscar Mayer is calling "bacon-wrapped dates." Oy.

If you happen to run across someone who doesn't actually love bacon (blasphemy!), you can report the trespasser by clicking a button on their profile picture that says "Doesn't love bacon." It all sounds like a joke, but according to Oscar Mayer marketing director Eric Dahmer, the app is the real deal.

"In love, as it is in bacon, it's important to be discerning when selecting your perfect match and to never settle for less than the best," Dahmer says in a statement. "We passionately cure our bacon for 12 hours, and lovingly smoke-house it for another 12, making it the true bacon for bacon lovers. With the launch of Sizzl, we're thrilled to give our true bacon lovers the chance to find each other and potentially meet their soul mates, in life and in bacon."

Step aside, “must love dogs.” “Must love bacon” is the new catchphrase in town.

Spark Networks, owner of JDate and ChristianMingle, has launched a brand-new iPhone app. Named simply Spark, the new app turns the swipe into a way to make conscious, informed dating choices.

The world of dating apps isn't exactly sparse. Far from it. And users are used to seeing the same features over and over again. So what sets Spark apart?

Spark is both free and ad free. It also pulls user profiles directly from Facebook, making it exceptionally easy to use. Its most distinctive feature is that Spark, unlike other dating apps, offers ‘swiping with a choice.’ Instead of mindlessly swiping past single profiles at a time, Spark users compare multiple profiles simultaneously.

Spark presents two pictures, one on top of the other. Tap a picture to bring up more information on the person. Swipe up or double tap to select your favorite and, if it's a match, the two of you will be able to message each other within the app. If it's not a mutual match, communication isn't allowed.

If you're not interested in either profile, you can tap the “Skip” button to receive two new profiles. You can skip up to five times within a 24-hour period. If you run out of skips, you can either wait for them to be replenished or purchase points within the app, which can then be used towards additional skips.

“After matching on most other dating apps, many users realize the match is not a good fit and don’t pursue additional communication. The Spark dating app’s unique interface changes this behavior by encouraging each person to take a moment to learn a bit more about their matches,” said Michael Egan, Chief Executive Officer, Spark Networks. “This process helps members to be more selective, which ultimately leads to better matches and better dates!”

Spark is very new on the online dating scene, but it has potential. A minimal profile and simple swipe suffice if physical attraction is what you're looking for, but if you're on the hunt for a more serious relationship, Spark's dual profiles could be the answer. The process encourages users to pause, spend more time reading profiles, and get a deeper understanding of their potential dates.

The Spark dating app launched on August 27 and has so far been a success. It was featured as a “Best New App” on iTunes and registered over 10,000 users in the first five days. iTunes also continues to feature it in their list of the top 100 Free Social Networking apps.

This could be the best news you'll hear all day. Maybe even all year. A proposed Tinder-style app promises to take 'Netflix and chill' to a whole new level.

There's no one who isn't obsessed with Netflix (except perhaps the jealous haters who don't have it), so it seems only natural that someone would find away to turn your love of Netflix into actual love. With a human.

The new service is, appropriately, called Netfling. Unlike other dating services that match you with people based on shared interests, Netfling matches based on similar taste in Netflix viewing. It starts by logging in with your Netflix info. The app then gathers data from your Netflix account to determine your most-watched shows and movies. After that, you're presented with possible matches and swipe, Tinder-style, to indicate your interest.

Netfling calls itself a way to “find your perfect couch companion” and says that “the secret to a happy relationship isn't communication. It's having the same Netflix taste.” It's, well... it's a bold, and ridiculous, statement, but you can't blame them for trying. Go big or go home. And ridiculous or not, there are bound to be binge-watchers who love the idea.

The truth is, sharing your favorite flicks with a partner or date creates an intimate bond. There's something special about cuddling up on the couch together, and a person's taste in entertainment can tell you a lot about their sense of humor, intelligence, interests and maturity.

This could be big business. Netflix has more than 65 million users as of last count, 42 million in the US alone. Tinder has significantly fewer, at an estimated 50 million (the company hasn't released official figures). If all those single Netflix users could turn their obsessions with Breaking Bad and Friends into matchmaking opportunities, there might be far fewer lonely nights spent in front of laptops.

Of course, the Netflix dating scheme doesn't come without problems. Pretty much everyone was in love with Breaking Bad at one point, so it's hardly a point of differentiation between possible suitors. A more in-depth profile will be needed if you're to decide who is actually a compatible match for you.

There's also the fact that, in the grand scheme of things, liking the same TV shows is hardly a predictor of long-term relationship success. Sure it's nice to watch The Wire together, but is it really a big deal if you don't share favorite TV shows?

We're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, Netfling is only a proposed app. It's waiting on the release of a Netflix API before it can be made. But hey – we can still dream of an efficient way to find an intriguing stranger to share popcorn with.

Our new Fitness-Singles.com review is now live. This dating service was launched in 2003 and since then, has had over 2 million visitors register as members on the site. As the name suggests, this niche dating is design for those singles who lead an active lifestyle.

As you would expect, the profiles on Fitness Singles are geared towards health. There are questions asking what are your top 3 physical activities (from a list of over 100 activities like bodybuilding, running, and soccer) and a rating system to show your proficiency in each. You also specify things like how often you do physical fitness and what type of diets you follow (if any). Also, what is listed in the profile is what you can search for in other members to find your idea match.

To find out what all the fuss is about regarding this dating service for singles who enjoy a healthy lifestyle, you can check out our full review of Fitness-Singles.com.

We all have that friend: the one who dates jerk after jerk, ending up in a string of relationships so bad they make you question why anyone bothers dating at all.

A new app helps you give that friend's hopeless love life a lift. Spritzr allows you to refer potential love interests to single friends using Facebook. With you as matchmaker, you no longer have to put up with your friend's endless parade of unsuitable suitors.

To sign up for Spritzr, you must first indicate if you're a Dater or a Matchmaker. If you choose the latter, start suggesting friends to each other. Friends who indicate mutual interest will be sent notifications and can connect. If mutual interest isn't established, no notifications are sent and no one is the wiser.