2022 ~ TEO DEGAS' REVIEWS

12/28/2022

Maped Study Compass Universal

This is a good quality compass. it comes with a small lead pencil that has a pressure screw to adjust it. The pencil can be easily adjusted up and down and, other pencils can be inserted instead. I've tried others I have, and they fit without problem as long as they're a similar short height; otherwise, It's difficult to use. The storage case if very good. However, the compass is very small, even for my very small hands, and I find it difficult to use naturally; like I struggle to use it. I guess it will be OK for children's hands, but not for mine for sure. I regret not having paid for something more expensive and getting something that I can easily use and move around.

IZE Seminyak (Bali, Indonesia)

Trendy hotel in the heart of Seminyak, very modern and fairly new when I first visited.

THE GOOD BITS
> In the heart of Seminyak, walking distance to plenty of shops, spas, cafes, restaurants, and bars. Plenty of taxis go around all the time.

> Very modern, stylish hotel. Spacious, well-equipped trendy, elegant and comfortable room.

> Very friendly staff, from reception to security guys and cleaners.

> Free mini-bar! Only frizzy drinks and water inside, but that was enough to make me happy!

> The upper floor pool. People complain about the seats being in the shade, but I think that is really smart if you don't want to get burnt, or if you get easily burnt. So, I was happy with it!

> Good fast free Wi-Fi.

> Sixty TV channels, local and International, different languages.

> Extensive set of toiletries (besides the bottled body wash, hand wash, shampoo and conditioner). Mind, they are inside the drawers.

> Very good quality towels.

> Complementary bottled water, coffee & tea facilities (Mind, they are inside the covered drawers) and snake skin fruit plate.

> I was given an upgraded room, something that always makes me happy.

> Walking distance by plenty of awesome cafes and restaurants.

> Well communicated, and easy to get a taxi from/to to the main sights in the area.

THE DOWNSIDES

> Surrounding area is crowded, as expensive as Australia, too Westernized and touristy for my liking.

> Signs on flooring. (Mind, reception is on floor 2). There are signs around, but not immediately visible. I expected them to be beside the lifts, where they would have been most helpful, but they were a bit far from them.

> Lobby, apparently, had limited air-conditioning, so it was a bit 'stuffy'.

> I was given wrong information about walking distance to Seminyak Square, postage fees for postcards, date of release of the 500,000 rupiah deposit demanded upon check-in and timing of room payment.

Watercolour Paper Art Sketch Pad, 140 LB/300 GSM, 20 Sheets/40 Pages

I have this as a warm-up exercise pad to do mixed-media projects. I use a lot of liquid supplies: flow acrylic, inks, water drops, etc. and I've also pre-gessoed the pages before use. The paper is thick enough to withstand most of the media without bleeding and holding the painting pigments quite well. The paper texture is smooth and the colour white. For the price, this is an excellent watercolour and mixed-media paper pad.

My main disappointment is with the binding system. It 's supposed to open and close easily so that one can extract the page, paint on it and then put it back. I haven't been able to open the rings no matter how hard I've tried. Leaving the pages in the pad makes them prone to medium and paint transfer on the edges, even if I use some baking paper behind the sheet I'm using.

For the rest, very pretty cover, very good paper and very handy size to store away and do small projects. I'll buy again

These tablets have a great flavour and are more chewies than tablets. I've used them to help me with minor signs of indigestion and light heartburn, after heavy meals and they work well for me. If I have a real indigestion or stomach upset I get something else because they aren't strong enough. I've used these tablets for travelling, and they are easy to pack as I can put it in any small handbag or pencil case or small corner in a suitcase.

Madura Camomile 20 Enveloped Tea Bags, 1 x 30 g

Good camomile bags. The herb produces a clean tasteful chamomile tisane. I tend to use one bag for average mugs and two for my larger ones. Nicely packaged and designed all over, from the tea bags, the tea tags, to the container box. Not organic, which is disappointing.

There is no way on the packaging that it says it is organic. For the rest this is an average chamomile, not better than the cheapest brands, which, by the way, are organic.

SECOND VERSION

Camomile teabags are always in my pantry as I swear by it for stomach upsets. I gave this brand a try just because it's a local brand. The packaging and design of the packet and teabags is excellent. However, the product itself, the chamomile, it is too weak for my taste. It is a nice clean chamomile to taste if I just want to have a healthy drink, but not enough if I have stomachache or tummy upset as it isn't strong enough for the purpose. Also, I always want my chamomile to be organic, but this packet has no indication of that being the case, something that find really disappointing.

I WON'T BUY EVER AGAIN :)

NB = The review has been deleted thrice from Amazon, despite being completely honest and having nothing that you would consider against Amazon guidelines. I tried the second version, to no avail. Like they have blocked me for saying that the chamomile is too week and packaging isn't clear about the ingredients in it, which is against Australian food regulations. I guess that the people declining publication are Madura company themselves, as it takes my reviews at least two days to be published but when I publish these, they come up as negative immediately afterwards. That's kinda dodgy and I won't buy from these people every again, mediocre products, bad labeling and manipulative ratings.

Madura Green and Papaya 20 Enveloped Tea Bags, 30 g

This a good green tea tisane, made with a mix of green tea and papaya leaf. The packaging design is great overall (from the containing box to the sachets to the tea tags system) and the quality of the herb is good. However, I was expecting something that does taste a bit of papaya not just of green tea, and this is what this tea tastes of to me, green tea. The package doesn't list the percentage of papaya leaf in it, but I think it's very small because of what I've said. This tea is still very nice, but not what I expected. As any green tea, the tisane has a small amount of caffeine in it, but nothing that keeps me awake. There is no way on the packaging that it says it is organic.

SECOND VERSION

In a few words, not my cup of tea. It is a nice very-light green tea with some papaya leaf added but the taste of latter is not noticeable to taste. The packet doesn't list the percentage of papaya leaf in it, something that is a red flag to me. Besides, I like my green tea to be organic but there is nothing on the package to indicate that this is the case. It has a tiny amount of caffeine but nothing that prevents me from falling asleep if I take it at night.

I WON'T BUY EVER AGAIN :)

Australian Natural Care 500mg Korean Ginseng Super Strength Capsules (50 Count)

I have been using these capsules since I bought this bottle, 4 weeks ago or so. I was feeling tired and sluggish at work, especially mentally, with low stamina and needed of an energy boost as, for the rest, I'm a healthy person. I have never taken a Ginseng supplement on its own, so I decided to buy these bottle as advertise as 'energy support' and the product seemed to provide the support I need. The bottle has a good clean design (by the way, it has changed from the one on the photo in the product page), the capsules are good quality, easy to swallow, have no after-taste and my stomach hasn't shown any sensitivity to them, all of which is great. Although I noticed a slight improvement in my energy levels at a physical level, my stamina hasn't shown a significant improvement either physically or mentally . That being the case, I won't buy this product again.

Kopiko Sugar Free Coffee Candy, 75 g

I'm a fan of anything Kokipo does, as their coffee lollies are my all-times fav. I was a bit hesitant to buy this sugar-free version as I love the original. However, I'm delighted that these lollies aren't only sugar-free but the flavour is almost the same as the original Kopiko. I'll definitely buy them again.

Aromatherapy Coffee Essential Oil 10 mg

I'm quite disappointed with this essential oil. This smells and feels a bit alcoholic (to call it something) not properly oily and not a 100% pure oil for sure. I put a drop on my fingers and it is not oily at all. The smell is more like sweet latte than coffee, still lovely, but it's too subtle to perfume the room area where I have the diffuser/humidifier. This doesn't happen with other 100% essential oils I have. My diffuser is average, so that might be part of the issue; however, my other oils work beautifully in it nevertheless. I love the bottle brand packaging and logo; the bottle looks classy and luxurious, but the results are disappointing. I won't buy it again.

This oil spray bottle looks stylish and expensive and, beforehand, this was what I was looking for. The glass bottle is good quality but has a very small mouth, so I had to use a tiny funnel to fill it in. The top part. which is the pump and spray, looks metallic but it's actually good-looking cheap plastic, and badly assembled. I put rice bran oil in it, which is lighter than other oils, and the pump would not pump it up or spray. The top seemed a bit loose, so I tried to move it in different ways to see if it would work but without any luck. Besides, The photo of the bottle on the container box doesn't match what I received as the middle 'neck' is missing, so I wonder whether this is the issue that prevents the pump from working. I had to empty and wash the bottle as I will be returning it. Most disappointed.

Western Digital My Passport USB3.0 External Hard Drive, 2 TB, Black

This is a good-quality surprisingly-light USB portable drive that allows me to store 2 TB.

I have gazillion files in my computer, both of work and personal nature, plenty of photos included, so this is super handy to back up my files and, also, to save files that I don't want to have on my laptop because they consume too much hard drive space.

The drive comes with a short USB plug to plug it to my laptop but it's too short for a normal desktop computer. It comes very nicely packed in an inner plastic sturdy structure that I'm keeping to have the drive insulated.

No installation necessary. It took about 1 minute for the drive to set up itself in my computer. My computer came with a pop up window asking me to reformat it, but that's not necessary whatsoever and I think it came up because I tried to open the drive before the set-up was finished.

Transfers of large files is fast and reliable.

I wanted to buy this model in another colour, but really it is more than 10 dollars up, so this black one is still lovely and easily recognisable by the embossed lines on the top.

I have had, an still have, some other WD drives, and they're very good quality and have lasted me for years so I hope this does the same good job.

I will update the review in the future if necessary but, so far so good.

This package contains three smaller packages with cotton buds. They are a bit shorter than the average ones I usually use (see photo), but they're still good and do the job. The handle is not plastic or flexible but wood and rigid, yet I have no problem using them as the others. Instructions and description at the back are written very faintly with little contrast between the background and the lettering, therefore barely readable even using my phone camera 3x zoom. I find the small packages great k for my impending trip as they come in handy zip mini bags and can be stored anywhere. On the downside the wood part, which is not flexible, tends to halve if a bit of pressure is exerted.

I paid little money for this minis compass, so I was pleasantly surprised upon receiving the item. It's truly portable and is beautifully compactly packaged. Besides, the compass is made of good quality metal and comes with some spare leads. Unfortunately, the barrel that holds and pushes out the lead out wasn't working and also broke all the leads I put in. What's more, it does not push the lead out enough to get it out the barrel. As it was breaking the spare leads, I used good quality leads of my own, which are a bit longer, and I got the same results. It seems that the barrel is faulty; therefore, the item not usable. Returned.

This is one of my favourite patterned stencils. Unfortunately the material and cutout quality aren't the best, and the impressions on paper aren't always clean. It works well with ink pads ink and acrylics if the latter are applied with a makeup sort of sponge. It cleans well under running soapy water or with acetone.

Not as yummy or flavoursome as the sugar-full fruit chews, but good nevertheless. Handy packet to carry in my small crossbody bag and munch on when I'm hungry and I don't want to eat anything full of calories

This is a cute pen holder, that can hold a good quantity of of pens, pencils and markers. It's made of good quality sturdy canvas, and the up-down sleeve is just great to keep the pens safe when not in use. It stands still well. As it's made of uncoated fabric, I don't put it on my table when using acrylics. I wish it was a bit taller and large to accommodate larger markers (Townbows for example). For the rest, a great stationary holder.

This is a great dotting set. It's cute and girly, but it's also sturdy and makes clean dots. I use the larger nibs with acrylics in my artwork and no issue. They wash easily with soap and water. I don't use this for my nails, so I cannot comment on that. Good value for money.

Derwent Academy Watercolour Pencils, Set of 24 in Tin, Multicolour Artist’s Pencils, Ideal for Wet or Dry Colouring, Drawing & Illustration, Premium Hobbyist Quality

This is a good started watercolour pencil pack. It has a good selection of primary, secondary and neutral colours and the tin box is just great to keep them organised or to use it with markers or other stationery. Perhaps because I own some good-quality watercolour pencils, comparisons are unavoidable; these pencils falls short re intensity of the pigment and water solubility. Yet, they are decent quality for the price a great pack for beginners.

HASK Argan Oil Deep Conditioner Sachet, 50 g

These sachets are perfect for travelling, as they don't spill, are easy to pack and they have a tear to open the sachet without the need of scissors. I have long wavy hair and this sachet gives me two generous treatments. The texture is very creamy and thick, i.e. buttery not runny, and it is very nourishing. The smell is the classic Hask mandarin scent that I love so much. I leave the treatment for a few minutes on, that is, I don't remove the product just after detangling my hair, and then I wash it out. I tend to use the oil from the same brand as finishing touch once I have towel-dried my hair. The results are excellent re detangling and nourishment of my very dry hair. I'll buy it again.

Great collection of crayons, brown and skin colour tones (from the Nordic whitest people to the Blackest African). Great price and a huge amount of crayons. I think that half the number of crayons would have been enough, but, on the other hand, I can use these for everything not just to paint faces or skin. They are a great selection of neutrals. Like all crayons by this brand, I have to be careful not to exert too much pressure or they break in half. Good value for money and they can be stored anywhere.

I was super excited to get this art journal as I love Krans' tarot imagery and artwork. The excitement lasted while I browsed the book, but then, when the reality of the journal quality sank in, I felt equally disappointed.

EXCITED
> The whole journal design, colour scheme and Krans' artwork are very much my liking.
> This a great practice journal to get your creativity started, flourished or regained. You can use the journal to write, paint or collage, or all of them, whatever you want.
> I see this journal as suitable for children and beginner artists.
> The cover image (an eye in the centre of the labyrinth) really resonates with me because the creative process is just an insight into a soulful labyrinthine path that expresses itself through our eyes, psyche, and hands.
> Great hard-cover binding. The journal can be fully opened without you feeling that the pages are going to come off at the turn of the page. Besides, the hard cover makes the journal more elegant and durable.
> Fear of white page no more.
> I can use some of the pages in the book as collage paper into my artwork.

DISAPPOINTED
> The journal is intimidating, in a way, as the author's artwork is already done, and, in my case, I feel like a frog beside a princess.
> The paper is not especially good for anything liquid or inky unless you apply translucent/white gesso primer beforehand. Pencils are OK. Oil pastels need of a fixative as they don't hold well onto this paper surface.
> I don't find that prompts help me create anything meaningful to me. In that regard, to me, the journal is more a level-up colouring book than a journal.
> The hieroglyphs (decipher exercises) in the book, which I find delightful, are wrongly done. If you create a symbol and give it an equivalent letter, as Krans does, you then transcribe any text following this system. However, that's not the case and if you use the same equivalents you won't be able to transcribe some of the texts because the same symbols are given different equivalents in different pages.
> No ribbon bookmark. How could the editor forget that?!

OVERALL
I Love Krans' introduction and artwork, but the bad quality paper and the simplistic prompts do not help me create on this book. However, I owe to this journal the rekindling of my artistic pursuits on proper paper surfaces and with my own intuition as prompt. I will be using some of the pages to transfer images into my artwork or to incorporate them as collage elements into my artwork.

Orgran Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Cacao Cookies 130g

I bought these cookies because I love the brand and they were on special. I wanted a snack for work that wasn't too sweet and not packed with calories and fat. These cookies are everything free, (gluten, dairy, animal products) even from yumminess. The taste is not too bad, to be fair, as the cocoa flavour is there. I know they're made with many cool healthy ingredients but, overall, they taste like a chocolaty all-bran cereal. Not very popular with my co-workers either, despite the low calories. Not too bad to munch on something when I've been munching on unhealthy stuff, but not a cookie that I will be looking forward to eating. I won't be buying them again.

John Frieda Detox and Repair Deep Conditioner Masque, 250 ml

I love Frieda's hair masks and this is also the case for this one. It detangles my hair beautifully and my hair looks shiny and healthy afterwards. It has a very pleasant fresh scent, too. However, this is not my fav Frieda's hair mask due to the texture not being as creamy and nourishing as others and to the fact that it takes a bit more of product to detangle my long hair than others. For the rest, very happy with the product. Price is an added bonus.

I bought this soldering iron to have it at home in case of need, but, above all, to use it to burn paper that I then use in my artwork. This allows me to make patterns on the paper without creating flames and with minimal ash spread.

The iron takes a few minutes to fully heat up, and the temperature it reaches isn't too high. I know this because, once it does, the tip easily burns rice paper but not as fast average printer 80mgs paper. Yet, I don't put my hand on the tip because I will get burnt.

The stand is too feeble to stand the weight of the iron without the risk of the soldier auto-releasing and hitting me. It's safer when unplugged or when the stand is used horizontally, but when the iron is plugged the weight and tightness of the cable is too much for this paper-thin metallic stand to stand still.

I got what I paid for and it suits my needs and purpose.

MIND
The iron doesn't have an on/off button to switch.

This is one of those products that I buy when I travel or I'm on a budget. It does the job quite nicely for a fraction of the price I pay for other brands. It is not as good as others I buy, but it's good quality nevertheless. The bottle design is simple and effective as it has the average quantity of product but isn't as bulky as others.

I use this brand and colour kit on a regular basis between visits to my hairdresser's. It fully covers my very white grey hair and I find it easy and safe to apply. I always let it on more than the time the package recommends, as I've seen that, if I don't let it stay longer, my greys aren't fully covered. I do this as I haven't noticed any allergic reaction when using it for longer. The colour lasts me great about 2.5 weeks, which is OK and what I expect it to do.

I wish the bottle had a bit of more product so that I could cover my back head roots. The quantity in this retouch kit allows me to cover the front and top layers not the back or my hair, which is OK as I have long wavy hair and it would not show much either way.

Unlike the same brand full-regrowth package, this kit comes without conditioner.

The application brush is excellent for the price. I don't put it in the rubbish, but I use it for my artwork, to clean grout or other home purposes.

Youshares Colored Pencil Case 166 Slots Pen Case Organizer

PROS

> Beautiful exterior design.

> Good quality sturdy materials.

> It accommodates tons of my drawing stuff: different kinds and lengths of markers, pencils, crayons and what's not. See my photos.

> The elastic bands aren't individual but 2-3 joint together, large ones, which comes handy to put different sizes of pens together still keeping them all secure.

> Great to carry around.

CONS

> A bit bulky.

> Takes lots of space in my drawer and it's not easy to accommodate in small spaces. > Zip area a bit too tight or close to the inner trays.

Mavala Switzerland Mini Nail Polish Baghdad, 5 ml

I've bought Mavala mini nail polishes before and I love the travel size and the quality of the product. However, this item has been a great disappointment. To start with, the photo is misleading as the colour is not orange but an orange-ish pink (see my photo); most importantly, the colour is quite translucent and, even if I use two coats, the results are quite neutral. If I had been looking for a neutral pink I might have been happy with this colour and texture, but I was looking for an opaque orange as per the colour in the photo and I got neither.

This is a beautiful selection of antique/vintage inspired tapes in different widths and printing motifs. The prints are neat and good quality. These rolls are a great addition to some of my mixed media projects. I tend to add matte gel medium to the top once in the artwork just to secure their position as they're low tack and can be lifted/removed easily. The main downside is that they're a bit pricey

I don't use these for sculpture but for my mixed media artwork. I paint on thick watercolour paper, so I can use these without a problem to make marks, but minding the pressure I put as they can be quite 'abrasive' on the paper. Both tools are made of good quality metal. The needle tool comes with a protection cap, which is needed as it's really pointy and I could harm myself if I placed it in my pen holder without any protection. I wish the fan tool came with a cap and the 'hairs' were a bit more flexible. Overall, a good must-have set for abstract painting

This is an amazing product that I've used for years during periods of great work stress, grieving, and personal relationship upheavals that affect my mood. St John's Wort is scientifically proven to treat mild anxiety and depression (I actually researched this before I took it for the first time, because I don't trust just the cover of any supplement). I take this occasionally, so I don't consider this a medication, but a short-term solution when I cannot mentally or emotionally cope with tough life situations and taking into account that I don't suffer from any psychological illness. I usually take 2 tablets a day for a couple of weeks and it's enough for me. The longest I've taken this is a for a month. I usually see results quite rapidly, in a week, and my anxiety and negative thoughts calm down and I see an improvement. Unlike friends/family that have used this, I don't get sleepy, so I take it usually in the mornings. This is a must-have in my fist-aid kit.

This an acrylic directed to crafters not painters, but I wish it had professional quality because this is one of my fav neutral colours ever. The colour is like a super-light neutral grey. I use it on its own, and I love it as it is or mixed with other neutrals. This is a flow acrylic, therefore low viscosity, and a bit liquid. I wish the brand specified this on the package. The price is amazing for a large amount of product. The tap is quite mediocre as it has no screw stop; also, it's too small to use it to keep the tube vertically. This being the case, the tube cannot be stored vertically but horizontally, which multiplies the chances of getting paint spilled. . For the rest a great product for the price.

MOR Boutique Little Luxuries Lychee Flower Hand Cream 50ml

This is a wonderful lychee-flower scented hand cream with a long-lasting scent that can be used as everyday perfume. It has a semi-liquid texture, so it absorbs well and quickly. It's very moisturising. and it doesn't leave a greasy residue; after using it, my skin feels velvety. The packaging is lovely and luxurious, as well.

The main problem with the cream, to me, is that the scent is overwhelming; it masks my perfume, and it gets to my nose and throat lingering there for too long. The cream is moisturising but not enough to fix my very dry hands issues; said differently, moisturising level is medium. Besides, the back of the tube has the description and ingredients list in a very small gold lettering, so there is barely any contrast against the pink background and it cannot be read without a magnifying glass. I won't buy it again.

Meeden Flat Paint Brushes Set Short Handle, 7-Piece

I've had this set for a few months already and use all the brushes on a weekly basis. This set has a good selection of flat sizes. I especially love the two smallest ones, but all of them are good. The flat shape is wonderful for most painting purposes. I tend to leave the brushes in water for a long time, and the handle and ferrule haven't been affected or deteriorated. The synthetic hair perfectly stands all the acrylic paints I use (heavy body, flow and high flow) and the hair recovers its shape easily once it is cleaned. I clean them with hand soap and water under the tap when they're really stained, and they wash beautifully. The only downside is that the hairs are not as flexible as I'd like to, but, for the price, they're great and beautifully designed.

Scotch Magic Tape

I use this tape to glue small pieces of paper onto the art inspiration boards I make; I reposition the elements on the page quite often, and the tape works beautifully without tearing the paper. I also use it to bookmark magazines or book pages as well as a removable keyword label to stick on file folders tabs. I have tried it as masking tape for my artwork, but it's OK for that; yet, perfect to have it around in an 'emergency'. I sometimes use it to glue notes on my metal mesh door, for example, to leave notes for delivery guys or my neighbors to see, but it tends to get unstuck and it doesn't work as well as normal tape. For the rest, I love the versatility of this product.

Comiart Clay Silicon Color Shapers Brushes Size 6

I'm most disappointed with these paint shappers. I wasn't expecting these to be top notch quality for the price, for sure. Truth to be told, the silicon nibs and metal ferrule parts are OK.
They allow me to experiment with different brush strokes and techniques and are helping me make my mind about those that I 'd d like purchased good quality. I also like that each brush has a different coloured handle.

However, the handles come off easily even before using them, all of them, as they are screw-like but not really screwed as per my photo. They can be put in easily, but I have to take care that they don't come off when I'm painting. So I'll have to glue them or cover the joints with insulating tape.

UPDATE 14/10/22
What I said above still stands. However, I put insulating tape around the ferrule, in the part that connects to the handle, and this has made the trick. I keep the brushes in water for quite a while and no issue. For the rest, I use these brushes all the time, almost on a daily basis, with acrylics, adhesives and different mediums and they're great. I hope they fix the handles-tip connection because they are great for the rest. I've added an extra star to my rating.

I was looking forward this soldering iron to use it to create perforated papers for my artwork. The device is very light as it's made of toy-like plastic. The nib seems to be good quality and was perfect for my purpose. I bought it because it works with batteries and I thought that it would make portable. However, the battery barrel cover is badly designed and a total pain to be lifted and replaced. I had difficulty lifting it out. Then, when I did, I placed the batteries in, but the cover would not close properly. As the plastic is really weak, I didn't want to push it stronger for fear of breaking it. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on how the device solders. due to this issue and I've returned it. Needless to say, batteries aren't included.

This is a great large grog marker with a very clean wide nib. The marker is intended to be refilled with the brand ink or with any other ink/high flow/pouring acrylic paint. I wanted this for my artwork, to make bold big marks and thick lines. It works beautifully for that. Also, the nib glides beautifully on all papers I have tried it on. The marker is cleverly designed. The opening instructions are on the barrel. The screw system is as simple as it gets; I had a bit of trouble opening it, though, due to the plastic being slightly glued on one of the sides, but this was easily fixable. There is an inner cap, with a pump system (a la Posca) to pump the ink/paint out, which also prevents any spilling. It has a small ball inside the barrel to keep the paint/ink liquid and prevent sedimentation. The cap is really safe too. On the downside, the price is high for an empty small marker.

Touchfive A4 Letter-Size Portable Accordion Expanding File Folder

This is a very handy good-looking folder that I use to archive some of my A4 and A4+ mixed media works.

The materials are good overall. It has a sturdy exterior with a small pen pouch, a good quality zipper, and a very flexible accordion file structure. It comes with a sheet of coloured label stickers, enough to use twice. What shows on the promo photo as labels, is actually a demo cardboard written in Spanish, which you remove upon opening. The folder is quite light and can be easily filed vertically on any shelf. The stickers are easily stuck to the transparent labels in the inside and have very lovely colours.

The main downsides are, first, that the pouches are a bit tight, so I have to be careful when putting my watercolour paper sheets inside. This is less of a problem when I use standard A4 printing paper in. Besides, the sticker sheet, as per my photo, has an overgrowth of purples while I missed a more balance selection of hues.

Vicks VapoRub 50 g

I got a viral infection recently and I was having problems sleeping due to my nose breathing being difficult and having a dry cough. This jar brings back so many memories from childhood that I thought I'd give it a try now, decades later. The smell is strong and pervasive, therefore, it stinks any clothes; that being the case, I used old worn out pajamas while applying the product. The rub really helped to keep my breath flow and to sleep better. It didn't help with my coughing, so I supplemented this with lozenges from the same brand. I noticed that rubbing the product on my chest wasn't enough, so I also rubbed it on my throat so the vapors would reach my mouth and nose, and there was a noticeable improvement. A little dollop goes a long way. Good value for money.

I've used this paper for many months in my mixed media projects and is a great replacement for art tissue paper, which is way more expensive. This paper is great quality. It has a rugged face and a glazed one. The size is a bit over A4, so I trim it to use it in my ink-jet printer to print elements that I then integrate in my artwork. I use one sheet at a time, though, otherwise the paper gets jammed or just doesn't separate well. The paper prints beautifully even when using a normal printer and average settings. When I use it with matt medium, I have to be careful because, if I use the rugged side up it can rip apart, something that doesn't happen when I use the glazed side. This paper is a a bit thicker than tissue paper, too, so trimming the edges of any motif is important as, otherwise, there will be a 'halo'. I don't use this paper for calligraphy or with liquid ink, so I cannot comment on that. I buy this paper over and over again. Great value for money, too as this set cots just a little more than the single package.

10pcs Empty Plastic Squeezable Liquid Dropper Filling Bottles Needle Tip Applicator

I love needle tip bottles as they're great for systemic writing and mark making in my artwork. I wasn't expecting these 30 ml bottles to fit heavy body acrylic paint in, for sure, but I have semi-fluid acrylics, quite runny. To my dismal, the bottle mouth is so narrow that it's extremely difficult to pour some of my acrylics in, so much so that I wasted lots of paint in the process. I first tried with a fitting mini funnel but it didn't work. Then, I tried by pulse, and no luck either. It might work well with inks or flow acrylics, but I don't own any of those. It is a pity because the bottles are good quality plastic and the tip is also good quality. Yet, they're worthless to fit in the many types of acrylic paints I own.

This cartridge provides great quality printing and my printer uses it to the last drop. Even when I use the draft printing settings and average printing paper, the results are excellent. The only downside is that it doesn't last me much and, if I want a decent printing yield, I have to buy the XL cartridge.

I wanted a thinner to use with those bottles of paint that are getting too thick and dry, so adding a bit of this medium and shaking the bottle well works perfectly. I also use it to thin average acrylics so that they become liquid-ish still maintaining their pigmentation. I've never used this medium for flow acrylic painting, so I can't comment on that. It works well for me. It is a good size mini bottle, a little amount goes a long way, and it is great value for money.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm Chai Tea Tube 4.25g

This is a simple, no-fuss lip balm that makes wonders for my cracked lips. It is very emollient and pleasurable to have on. I always check the list of ingredients in the cosmetics I use as this really matters to me. This lip balm has a huge array of natural wax, oils and plants extracts, something that, to me, explains, why it took me two days to get the cracks disappear from my lips after using this balm. I own other lip balms and lip treatments and this is my fav so far.

I love chai tea, so I chose this variety thinking that it might have a slight similarity with the flavour, but, to my delight, it really tastes of chai tea.

Good value for money.

This a good quality oven tray. I don't use it for bread just to roast veggies. It is quite large, like a fifth larger than most average bread pans out there. See my photo to see the difference. Very easy to use, and it doesn't stick. It cleans super-easy, just with a bit of soapy water even when I put lots of oil in it. Great value for money.

I've used these lozenges to recover from a viral infection with bouts of dry cough. It has really helped me to settle the coughing, especially in early mornings and late evenings. I have another packet of similar lozenges, and these ones are the ones that helped me. I like the mix of menthol and orange flavour as the orange masks the strong menthol and makes it more palatable to me. These lozenges have sugar and are sweet but not overly so. Great value for money. I will buy again.

I have sensitive very dry skin and this ointment works beautifully for me. No fancy packaging or scent, but the cream really soothes my skin contact rashes as well as my very dry hands. I use acrylic paint and mediums for my artwork, working sometimes with my bare hands, so this cream has helped me to counteract the dryness I get as a result. Once the ointment penetrates the skin there is no residue. However, until it does, it is a bit 'oily' if that can be said, and it takes a few minutes for the product to be fully absorbed; something that, on the other side, I expect from any ointment.

The only think I dislike is that the package does not have a list of ingredients on the jar. Coloidal oat is mentioned but, is this the only ingredient? The main ingredient? One of the ingredients? Why not having this fully displayed? I own other Dermaveen skin products and they have the list of ingredients on the back of the package, so I don't know why this cream does not.

It is not tested on animals, something that really matters to me.

Good value for money.

I will buy again.

Lindt Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Squares

Lindt chocolates are my fav chocolates and I have tried other varieties of dark chocolate and salted caramel so I was expecting this to be as good. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have the balance of textures and flavors that I love from the brand. Chocolate is definitely good quality but there is too much caramel and it's too gooey. This being the case, it overwhelms the dark chocolate flavor. I'd rather have the caramel crystallized and less of it because, as it is, it's too sweet for me and I won't buy it again. On the other hand, the pieces are individually wrapped and have the perfect size for a coffee/tea snack and to carry them in my launch bag.

I have used many gel mediums brands and textures and this one is probably the best. It has a light Greek yogurt creamy texture, but, once I spread it, it's light and dissolves and spreads beautifully. A bit of product goes a long way, too.

I use it mostly as adhesive and it works greatly with both light papers (rice, tissue, vellum) and with harder papers like printing or average visual diary paper, so it's perfect for my mixed media collage pieces. Unlike other adhesives, it doesn't ruing the paper and it works especially well with tissue paper.

I like the fact that it is in a jar and not a tube, as I can use it to the last drop. On the other hand, I think a wider shorter jar would be better, as use a short brush with my mediums and, now that the jar is getting low in product it's a bit difficult to to put in and out. I will buy again.

This is an affordable equivalent of the pitt markers. Most of them have a bullet nib, but the three larger markers have brush, square and chisel nibs. I use them for everything, for writing on paper, in my collages and paintings; also, to highlight, mark, shadow or draw. They are as good as other waterproof markers that I own. The square nib is good for calligraphy and headings, but it took me a while to get used to it.

The cap is labelled with the nib size, which is really convenient as I have tons of markers in my pen holder and it helps me to identify the markers easily.

I have had these for months, and they haven't dried off.

They are good quality regarding the ink, but the cheap side shows mostly on the three largest nibs, which deform rapidly. This is especially the case with the brush nib. The other downside is in the fact that there are too many extra fine nibs and not as much medium or larger ones.

Overall, a terrific set and great value for money.

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