4/25/2024

Quill A4 Visual Art Diary, 110gsm

I use this notebook all the time not to draw or paint but to clean my brushes when painting on good paper. This allows me to save paint and create unintended pretty interesting collage papers that I then use in my artwork.
 
I also use the pages with my Gelli print to create collage papers The results are great and better than using printing paper.
 
If you want to use it with acrylics, you need to use dry brushes and heavy body paint because the paper is not made to hold liquid or semi-liquid acrylic paint or inks. and the pages stick to each other if the paint is semi-wet and break off parts of the page. Needless to say if the paint is too liquid, it will bleed.
 
Probably designed for drawing with pencil, pen or charcoal not for paint/. However, the pad is cheap and good enough for my side painting needs.
 

4/21/2024

Mont Marte Tracing Paper Pad A4 60gsm 40 Sheet

I purchased this pad not for drawing  or tracing, but to use it as part of a wet palette system. I had used thinner tracing paper before this and it was not working. This pad is affordable and the tracing paper is good quality, thick enough to resist moving paint with different kind of brushes on it without tearing apart. It lasts several days on the palette, so it is value for money. 

4/07/2024

MEEDEN Ceramic Rectangle Artist Palette, 9 Wells

This is a great space saver due to its rectangular shape. It's on the small side, so it's easy to position on the table, move around, and carry in my hand, if I need to move between painting areas. Easy to wash under running water with or without dishwashing liquid. I use an old discarded toothbrush to clean the corners and edges. I prefer this palette to the small circular one by the same brand. 

3/25/2024

Wotnot All Natural Baby Wipes, 70 Count

I use these wipes constantly in my art practice. I'm environmentally conscious, so having wipes that are biodegradable, compostable and made of natural ingredients is important to me, and that's why I bought these wipes in the first place. 
 
I use them to clean my hands from paint. Unlike normal household cleaning wipes, these don't irritate my hands or fingers and remove the paint well. I also use them to wipe excess medium or gesso from my silicone brushes and paint from my nylon brushes I directly use them on my artwork (thick watercolour paper previously gessoed), to blend and smudge colours to create depth. They're also great to wipe out painting mistakes, from tiny unwanted blots to whole painted sections. Also excellent for stencilling off colour as they are not as wet as the usual household wipes and work better. The best part is that these wipes can be washed by hand and reused, plus the fibre they're made of doesn't  break or sheds fibers; that's a money saver and so good for the environment.

3/24/2024

Fanta Raspberry Zero Sugar Mini Can Multipack 6 x 250 ml

Great pack and sizing for my lunch box and the occasional snack time at home. This small can fills in 3/4 or 4/5 of a tall glass, depending on the sizing of the glass I use. I love the flavour and it tastes great despite being sugar free.

Eylure Dybrow permanent brow tint kit (dark brown)

This is the first time I use this brand and kit and I will definitely buy it again. I can't but compare it with another brand very similar product (1000Hour) that I have been using for years, and Eylure wins by far. It follows the same procedure for eyebrow tinting: mix 1 cm of colouring cream with 3 drops of developer, mix well, apply with the provided wand, wait 15 minutes and voila. While the 1000Hour kit requires me to have the product 30 minutes on to cover the greys on my eyebrows and it does not cover them well, this one does this perfectly in 15 minutes and greys are gone. Dark brown colour is true to the colour.
 
I had no reaction to the product at all, and it didn't itch or burn when applied. I have used this dye with some greys showing on my temples and small patches on my hair line, and works beautifully as well.
 
Instructions of use come in leaflet written in different languages.
 
The photos on the product page don't reflect the reality of the product I got. The external packaging is identical but not the internal. The developer is a small bottle with a liquid, not a cream tube and the plastic container is also different, as the one I got has not rest for the application wand. 

Ranger Inkssentials Surfaces Industries Craft Tag No. 8, Pack of 20

I usually love anything Ranger's but these tags are a bit of a disappointment if compared to other tags produced by Ranger (Wakly's or Holtz's for example). They are not good for mixed media; they aren't heavy-weight paper despite the description, curl up badly when I apply gesso to them and cannot hold much weight. I cannot add bulk to the tags (fabric, burlap, embellishments) either. They're OK for flat painting. I haven't tried them with any kind of ink, so I cannot comment on how the paper reacts to them. The craft colour is perfect for application of metallic gold, bronze and brass colours, as the natural paper colour enhances the metallics. 
 
 

Jacquard Lumiere Bright Gold Acrylic Paint 70Ml

I love this line of metallics as it is not transparent or too opaque and, this gold, stands out from any other I have used before. It is a bit on the yellowish side, more than the true gold version from the same brand, and it could be used as brass colour, too. Good quality. A bit pricey but a small amount goes a long way.

3/23/2024

LEMESO 10 Pack 0.3 mm Jewelry Beading Wire Assorted Colors

I got this pack for my art supply stash, as I like working on textured projects. The colours I got are gorgeous; identical to those in the photo. The wire is good quality, easy to bend and cut. This wire can be used for many projects, from craft making, tag art making, mixed media or jewellery making.  However, the wire is as thin as  thread, which is not what I was expecting. The description page clearly mentions the girt, but I didn't know how thick this might be. See my photos to see the sizing of the rolls compared with a sticky tape roll. 

Sprite Zero Sugar Lemonade Mini Can Multipack 6 x 250 ml

I hadn't tried Sprite zero ever and Sprite for years. These cans are perfect for lunch boxes, to carry in my bag on hot days, or use them with snacks at home. They fill in 3/4 or 4/5 of a tall glass, depending on the glass. However, the flavour is kinda meh, it tastes of water with sugar, no lemony or lemonade flavour anywhere. So, I won't buy them again.

Toni & Guy Strengthplex Bond Repair Hair Mask 285 ml

Tony & Guy have made it again. I have used another mask by the same brand for years now. I had never tried this bond repair mask before, but it has become an instant favourite due to it's creaminess, the fact that a small quantity works wonders on my long wavy dry hair, it untangles my hair beautifully, nourishes it, and my hair looks amazing afterwards. Amazing value for money as well, at least when I purchased it. I will buy it again for sure.

Solo Zero Sugar Mini Cans, 6 X 275ml

I love this pack of small Solo cans. The sizing is ideal for my lunch box or when I have a snack at home. No sugar but full flavour, which is strong lemon flavour but not acidic or sweet. I can fill 3/4 pr 4/5 of a tall glass (depending on the glass) with one of these cans. Great pricing, too.

Generic 100-piece Embroidery Thread Cards

These bobbins are a great tool to keep my fairy floss thread, small ribbons and lace pieces all organised and easily stored. They save space in the containers I keep my ribbons and threads, and these don't get entangled with others. The plastic is decent quality. I wish the cards were a bit larger, like taller and wider, but they are great for my organisation and storage needs.

2/24/2024

Akulife 2-Piece Silicone Air Fryer Liners

These liners are well priced and good quality. I have a 3-litre fryer and these are a little bit larger for that size (see my photos), but they fit well as they're flexible. They heat up considerably, so be careful when getting them out of the fryer basket if still hot. They retain a lot of oil that doesn't go into the fryer, preventing bad odours and the metal becoming sticky as well. They wash well by hand with dishwashing liquid; however, even if I wash them well, once dry, there is a sort of white residue on the reticulated maze base that I have to remove manually with a towel. I have used my fryer without the liners, and now with them, and I think they improve the cleanliness, odour and life of my fryer. 

Aokbean Mixed L 30 Skeleton Antique Bronze Keys

This is a set of decorative keys that can be used in different craft projects and gift packaging. Unlike other craft keys I've bought in the past, these are really good quality, look like real keys, are heavy and they their size is real-size, so not tiny or adaptations for crafts. I wish they came with the locks as I would use them at home if that was the case. Beautiful and good quality. Great value for money.

2/23/2024

MH MOIHSING 6 Pack Adjustable Elastic Waist Extenders

These extenders are made of elastic materials so they extend beyond their visual length. This pack is excellent, as it has a variety of colours to suit most of skirts and pants colours I own. They attach well and don't fall off. They disguise well. If it wasn't because of these, I would have to have my clothing waist adjusted, so these save me time and money. Great value for money. The only downside is that I'd like the width be larger and the elastic material to be a bit less flexible as, otherwise, they tend to deform with use.

2/22/2024

Jacquard Lumiere Halo Blue Gold Acrylic Paint 70Ml

Jacquard Lumiere is an awesome line of metallic paints and this colour is beautiful and interesting to work with. I love the fact that, unlike other metallic acrylic paints, this line offers a good coverage and the quality of the pigment is amazing. This colour is beautiful, but the colour you see from the bottle and what you get when you paint with the product are slightly different. I purchased this colour for the blueish golden green nature of it, which is what the bottle looks like from outside in real life. However, the paint is a multi-chrome with all the pros and cons you get from those colours. On the up side, it can be layered on many colours and looks different depending on the light angle, so it's versatile and interesting. However, this is more a green than a blue, and the yellow gold sometimes overwhelms the other pigments. For me, it's great when I want to jazz up some painting area, but not that good if I want a set colour to use. Good quality product overall.

Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic 6-Pack - Vibrant Set

Liquitex acrylic are amongst my fav acrylic paints in the market. I love the buttery nature of them as allow me to create oil-like strokes, marks and looks. They spread well and a tiny amount covers a lot of space. Pigments are great and lightfast. They last a long time, can be used undiluted to create oil-like paintings, or diluted with water or glaze to use for washes and glazes. They mix well among themselves. The colours in this set are very bright, almost fluoro, and a pleasure to work with them. I think this sizing is perfect as some of the colours might not be everyone's cup of tea. Great start taster, perfect to try before purchasing the full size product.  I bought this packet during the Boxing Day sale and they were very affordable, but they are on the expensive side.

Dell Wired Multimedia Keyboard, Black, 580-AHHG

I bought this in an emergency as part of my laptop keyboard stopped working. This is a great keyboard, lightweight, spacious and very pleasant to type on. I love it's wired as saves me from using batteries and the long cable allows me to position the board as far from my laptop as I want. Plug and use, no need to install anything. Drivers will self-install in a minute.  The board has a spacious layout and very pleasant soft keys, with all the functions that you expect from a complete work keyboard. Amazing value for money.

1/11/2024

Misgirlot Canvas Pencil Wrap (Ocean, 72 slots)

This is a great storage option for my pencils, just to have them away when not needed, but well protected. The roll sewing template is quite simple (a long piece of fabric, with some elastic pencil slots inside, a protecting flap sort of pocket to protect the pencil points, and a tying cord) but very effective. The wrap feels like is handmade, and I love the feeling and look of it. The cover printing is very lovely, gender neutral, and a reproduction or imitation of the famous Japanese wave painting. The wrap is also very light even when full.
 
Needless to say, once the roll is filled in, it doesn't look as small as in the photos on the product page, and it can be still bulky.
 
I got this a very discounted price, so that's an added bonus. 

NOTE 
Ikea has a similar holder, in plain linen, ivory colour for just half the price :)

LongBay Rubber Slippers

Although these are sold as beach, pool or outdoor slippers, they are perfect both for indoor and outdoor use as I can wear them with socks when it's a bit cold. I use them mostly at home or around my house, so I cannot comment on how the sole reacts to slippery wet surfaces on a pool or at the beach. 
 
As sizing is hybrid, meaning for two sizes (6-7 for ex.), depending on your size, they might be a bit roomier than needed (that's my case) or a bit tight. In my case, they're on the larger size, but not really that noticeable. Despite the chunky design and having a solid rubber platform, they're quite light.
 
They have a thick rubber platform so they're perfect for people with who have a bit of weight on, like me, as it releases pressure from ankles and knees. For the rest, they are extremely comfortable and pleasurable to wear and walk with them and they feel like a cushion to my feet.
 
They look a bit chunky and unrefined but, once on, they look alright.

1/02/2024

WARFEL 102 Pieces Octagon Wax Seal Beads (Black)

This is a very small pocket of black wax-like beads. This isn't premium wax at all. As the small letter product description clearly says, it's a mix of resin and wax, so this is not wax or natural-looking sealing wax, which is what I was looking for, or what i would call premium either. My bad that I didn't notice this before ordering. The beads melt OK, but the 'wax' never becomes liquid enough on my burner, which is a standard one. It works well overall, but I have to use many beads for just one stamp. So the 102 beads are actually very little product. The resulting seal is a plastic-looking seal. Due to the average product quality and the small quantity, I won't buy this again as I don't consider it to be value for money or premium quality. 

Scotch 3-pack Magic Tape 19mm x 7.62m

I love this tape as it has myriad uses. This version is the normal width of the normal Magic Tape. I use to stick pieces of small artwork in an album (but used on the back of the image, as otherwise lifts paint or collage areas),  as page marker,  bookmark and any other use that I would give to a normal sticky tape. However, it is low-tack and I can lift it and reposition it easily, so it has a longer use life. The dispenser is light and the guillotine cuts easily and cleanly. The only thing I dislike is the length of each roll, but this three-piece package makes do for it.

Stone Chef Non-Stick Alluminium-Alloy Frying Pan 28cm

This is a very light non-stick frying pan, something that I love, as it's easy to maneuver, lift and clean. I love the fact that it has no harmful Teflon but food doesn't stick. The handle barely heats while cooking; besides, it doesn't have that chemical smell that other Bakelite handles have.  This 28-cm pan is perfect for cooking for 1 or 2 people. I wash it by hand and it cleans very easily, but it's dishwasher friendly. I use it on an electric stove, and no issues. Well-priced too. 

Primula Stovetop Coffee Maker

This is a classic stove coffee percolator with capacity to make 12 espresso cups, which is always double for normal milky coffee (six mugs) as I put two shots in one mug. I have smaller moka pots, but I wanted one that would allow me to fill in my work Thermos in one go without having to prepare two pots, and this is perfect for that.
 
The pot is as simple as it gets, no design fuss. Yet it does the job and cost me half of what I would have paid for any other brand. If you have never used one of this, you'll find step-by-step guidance on the packaging box and in the instruction leaflet (see my photos).
 
I thought that the handle is too small or weak to carry the weight of such a heavy pot, but I found it to be quite OK despite its appearance.
 
I use the pot on a small electric camping stove as my kitchen range has very large burners and I don't think the handle would withstand so much heat. Too many reviewers have mentioned that. However, on this camping stove, as per my photo, it is perfect. It takes a while to heat up, but it does the job.
 
Pouring is clean and easy, something I love as this is one of the most common flaws in other coffee pots I own. This pot allows perfect clean pouring with natural hand tilting.

It washes well with little effort.

DOWNSIDES
-- The inner steam spout spits coffee out if I lift the lid, and it spills out. So the outing is not really smooth and continuous.
-- Although made of traditional aluminum, it is quite light and the metal feels weak and cheap. The filter perforated base clunks a bit, as that's because the filter is not made in one piece, and, to me, that's a recipe for further disaster.
-- I haven't used this on a large cook-top burner because it would melt the handle. Too many reviews on that for me to ignore. It is also the first impression I got when I opened the box. Like, I checked the reviews afterwards and found that to be the case.  

IN SHORT
A family-sized moka pot, basic in design but does the job if you have a small cook-top burner (gas or electric) at a great price. I will update this review in the future, if necessary.