Showing posts with label My Amazon reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Amazon reviews. Show all posts

12/07/2024

Maxwell & Williams Teas & C's (Silk Road Aqua) Side Plate 19.5cm

Designed by New-Zealander ceramist Gabby Malpas, this is a gorgeous side plate that I find perfect for breakfast or cake. The design is a mix of modern romantic dinnerware with a hint of those nonna's plates that we all love. I prefer the white background version, but this blue one is still very pretty.  Great quality porcelain, that I usually wash by hand; however, it is dishwasher safe. It is also microwave safe, but I haven't used it in the latter.  This is part of a tea set with an equally stunning teacup and saucer, but I bought this separately at reduced price. Perfect of gifting as it comes in a pretty and sturdy box. Good value for money, at least when I bought it. 

Stamperia "Forest" Double-sided 10-page Paper Pad (30.5x30.5cm,12x12in)

Stamperia paper pads and collections are always a favourite among world-wide crafters and collagers due to their beautiful design elements, the fantastic paper, and the excellent printing quality. This Forest collection (designed by Cristina Radovan) is utterly gorgeous. It has a fairy-tale or fable flair  with gorgeous colours.The many elements included are perfect for so many different kinds of craft or collage projects, for art spreads or just to make your own greeting cards. Therefore, the pad is really versatile. 
 
The sentiments in this pad are multi-lingual, something I love, but that might disappoint people if you are just speak English.
 
The advantage of the double-sided pads, besides being cheaper, is that you have more elements to use, as each side of the sheet has different printing elements. The downside is that you might love both sides but will have to sacrifice one or the other when you use one.
 
 I bought this pad very discounted during Prime Day week, but all Stamperia pads are always pricey. 
 

Stamperia 'Klimt" Double-Sided Paper Pad (8X8in)

Stamperia International paper pads, this included, are gorgeous. The imagery, the paper thickness and the printing quality are always paramount. The Klimt collection (designed by Sara Alcobendas) is beautiful and really evokes Klimt's work and spirit. 
 
This pad contains abstracts patterns, figures, and written decorative sentiments all of which are versatile pieces  that can be easily incorporated into many different craft and collage projects; they're also perfect for art journal spreads. Each sheet has different printing elements on each side.
 
This is the second item I buy from this collection and I've noticed that the printing tonality is different from the previous pad I bought. This one is way darker and more brownish, not the golden vibe that the other had, which is what is shown in the product page. For a second I thought it might not be legit, but the quality of the paper and detailed printing is Stamperia's.  
 
The advantage of the double-sided pads (beyond being cheaper than then single sided) is that you have more elements to use. The downside is that you might love both sides of a sheet but when you use one of htem you lose something at the back or front that you might love. 
 
 I bought this pad very discounted during one of the Prime Day promotions, but Stamperia pads are always pricey. 

Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate Shea Butter Hair Mask 340g

This is the first time I use this product. I really like the creaminess of this mask and how well detangles my hair with a small amount of product.

I haven't used as a leave-in conditioner so I cannot comment on that.  I've used it both as a conditioning mask (shampoo, rinse, applied mask,  left on for 3 minutes, detangled, washed out) and as a deep treatment mask (dried my hair after rinsing shampoo, applied a thick layer, left it on for 10 minutes and then washed out) and the results have been great on my hair, which looked nourished and shiny afterwards. I was fearing that I might need to use a lot of product as I have long wavy hair, but it was not the case.  I like the  creamy neutral scent, which I think is perfect for any gender.

If I compare this mask with my preferred usual hair mask from another brand, this matches the results I get from the latter. Although I bought this Maui's heavily discounted during a flash sale, I don't think I would want to pay its standard price when my other mask does the same job at a cheaper price. Having said that, I will definitely buy it again if I get it discounted.

12/02/2024

USTIYA Clear TPU Four Corners Protective Case for Oppo A38 & A18

Nothing fancy about this case, just a silicone clear 'glove' that fits perfectly my Oppo A18. I love this clear case as it not only economic but it really protects the phone without masking its original features. The protruding corners are really great and improve handling and secure grip, preventing the phone from slipping off. So far, so good.

Red Rock Deli Sea Salt Potato Chips Share Pack 165g

I've bought almost every variety of Red Rod Deli chips, seasonal, famous chef, usual varieties and anything they product. I love the brand and everything they do, but this plain variety is the one I always return to because it's the one with less preservatives, less additives and the 'healthy' variety if you want. They taste of what they're supposed to taste, have the right amount of crunch and of salt, and they are plain delicious. Just potatoes, salt, oil and some preservatives (which seem to be unavoidable these days).This pack is great for two people to munch on, to fill in a bowl if you have visitors or just for yourself to snack two or three times. I bought this heavily discounted and that made my day.

11/24/2024

McAfee Total Protection 3 Devices

I've tried most antivirus protection software out there, and McAfee Total Protection is my favourite due to the seamless unnoticeable working in the background and the many features it comes packed with, VPN included.  I don't always buy it because it can be pricey, but I bought this kit in one of the Prime glorious days at nearly half price. 

The product was sent from UK, so when I tried to activate the card I found the following, "This product is available for several regions", and then a drop-down menu with UK and Ireland as the only two options. I panicked for a sec thinking that it might be valid just in those countries, but it is not. I clicked "continue" and the process of activation was super easy and superfast. Installation on my household phones was also easy breezy. 

McAFee has been in the antivirus market for a long time, but, unlike Norton, has learned how to evolve, improve and make things easier, including an excellent VPN service at no extra cost, offering value for money with the VPN being really good.
 
The main downside is the fact that soon after you are happy that you aren't getting any self-promos within the program, they;ll start popping up prompting you to upgrade and pay extra for device tuning services or extra features that are not really cheap. However, I paid little for this software and it does a great job. 

11/03/2024

Oshhni Enamel Austronaut Pin

This is a very cute and funny pin perfect to put on a school/travel backpack or just to wear on a casual tshirt or jacket. I see this more for children than for adults, and it's fit for both girls and boys as long as the child likes astronomy and the outer space. I bought this pin for my nephew and he loved it. The closure is not the safest, so I fear that might easily get loose and lost. Mind -- The product size showing on the product pages photos is incorrect, as the pin is way smaller.

Magic Ants Airplane 3D Pop-Up Card

This is a large (or larger than average) pop-up card made of good quality cardboard and printed in really beautiful bright colours. It looks as good as in the photo. It has a stand-alone note to write the greeting message if you don't want to ruin the card. I used the white spaces to write my message, but you might not want to do the same. I consider this perfect for male and female as long as they've shown interest in aviation, rockets, flying etc.

10/30/2024

Dilmah Infusions Green Rooibos with Coconut and Mango, 40 Grams

This is a healthy tisane made of green rooibos (not the usual red variety) and not suitable for milk tea. The ingredients are mostly tea, 5% mango and 5% coconut nothing else. This tea smells delicious and has a sweet-ish taste but not sugar in it. The flavour is equally yummy and satisfying. I cannot distinguish the coconut flavour at all. The aroma and flavour are more peach than mango to me. Nevertheless, a delicious flavoursome tisane with no caffeine.  Teabag material is really great quality.

WHJY Blue & White ceramic Bowl Gift Set (Sakura, 10 oz)

I use this set of bowls all the time mostly as side dishes, to store small quantities of leftovers, and also to serve fruit, ice-cream and deserts. Beautiful porcelain and motifs perfect for everyday use but still fun and beautiful. The set comes beautifully packed, so it's perfect for gifting.These ceramic bowls are microwave and dishwasher safe.
 
My only complaint is that the blue colour in the photos and the colour of my set is completely different. The one in the photos is a light Mediterranean kinda blue. The one I got is more like an Indigo blue; still beautiful but not as much as the one in the photos. 

10/29/2024

Canson Montval 300gsm/140lb Cold-Pressed Watercolour-Paper Wired Pad (20 sheets, 5.5x8.5in)

I love Canson watercolour paper pads as they're always very decent quality, affordable and perfect to use as sketchbooks. I've been using this pad often, and the paper quality is good  for mixed media, which is what I bought it for. I haven't used it with watercolours yet; mostly with acrylics paint, acrylic inks, crayons, pens, Posca ad Pitt Pen markers and it stands most things beautifully even without previous gesso priming. I love the pages micro-perforation as it allows me to use them as stand-alone sheets, or keep them  as a pad.
 
On the flip side, this Montval series is more like a student pad, so worse paper quality than other Canson pads I own and also re the quality of the front and back covers, which is quite bad. Besides, the paper doesn't handle rubbing well, and sometimes the paper sands off if not primed. That being the case, now I gesso the pages that I intend to rub or scratch. I would not use this pad paper for professional purposes.

For the rest a good affordable study or student watercolour pad with decent quality paper.

Maydahui Canvas Pencil Roll Wrap (Vintage Plate Number,48Slots)

I bought the medium-size pencil wrap just to store some stand-alone pencils and markers. The canvas quality is stupendous, sturdy, and better than another one I own. The printed design is cool and vibrant and very good quality printing; I would say that the motif is genderless. The wrap rolls well despite the canvas thickness and it can be stored vertically. I love this sort of wraps as they really protect the pencils tips, can be stored vertically, something I usually do to maximize storage space, and it it's perfect for travelling as the wrap adds minimum weight to the pencils. Good value for money.

10/26/2024

Uni- Ball Signo 1mm Gel Pen -- Silver (UM153.26)

This is my preferred silver marker among the ones I own. I don't lime most of my acrylic silver markers. However, this one won me over for many reasons. The metallic silver colour is really noticeable and the colour it should be, not too dark not too clear, just a beautiful silver tone. Also, the ink flows effortlessly and cleanly. The marker draws crisp neat lines,  which makes it perfect for highlights or accents on any acrylic paint if the pieces are dry; Otherwise, it would smudge and the nib would get ruined. The marker is made of good quality material and the to cap fastens well.Well priced, too.

Ain't sure about the pigment lightfastness  but the information I've  found online seems to indicate that is more so than other types of markers. It is not a waterproof marker I would say but it gets fixed using a fixative once it has completely dried.

Natural Chip Co Sea Salt Potato Chips 175 g

Very nice brand of chips. Just chips and salt, nothing else added. They are crunchy but not as crunchy as other brands. I don't like chips that are too salty, but, to me, these reduced-salt is a bit too reduced. For me, they would have needed of a tiny bit of more salt to be tastier. For the rest, lovely chips.   

Maxwell & Williams Teas & C's Dahlia Daze Sky-Blue Creamer (230 ml)

This jug is part of the Dahlia Daze blue background porcelain tea set. The whole collection is gorgeous and very arty, like a materialised watercolour in your hands. The set pieces are sold individually.
 
This jug is one of my fav pieces. It's not just the beauty of it as it looks like a hand-painted watercolour. It is also that it is very practical for me, something I use almost every day. I love having small milk jugs or creamers beside my tea pot or coffee pot. The piece comes is a gorgeously designed beautiful good-quality box, perfect for gifting. 
 
The main downside is that, unlike most of Maxwell & Williams porcelain products, this one is not dishwasher or microwave safe, the latter I guess because of the gilded motifs. I love hand-washing, and that's not a problem, but not being microwave safe it's just annoying because it forces me to warm the milk in another container and then pour it into this. Just senseless.

Maxwell & Williams Teas & C's Dahlia Daze Sky-blue Sugar Bowl

This sugar bowl is part of the Dahlia Daze blue background collection. Although very artistic. it has no designer or artist name attached to it.  It's part of a tea set, but each piece is sold individually.
 
This is a beautiful piece regarding colours, design and shape. The golden accents enhance the watercolour-like floral design. The shape and size of the bowl makes it perfect for either its original purpose as a sugar container or, as I do, as storage bowl to keep small chocolate pieces, cookies and other sweet treats. I see this also as a perfect trinket box. It comes in a gorgeously designed beautiful box, perfect for gifting. 
 
The main downside of the this piece is that, unlike most of Maxwell & Williams porcelain, this one is not dishwasher safe, the latter I guess because of the gilded motifs. On the other hand, the need to use the dishwasher is nothing needed to do often with this sort of container. 

10/06/2024

Shary Freeze Dried Strawberry Crisps 20 g, Small

This mini bag of strawberry crisps is just a great snack with no artificial ingredients added at all. Just dried frozen crunchy flavoursome whole strawberry pieces with a bit of sugar added. Just a bit, not overly sweet and it's also low calories. I would have loved the product au natural without sugar added to be honest. The description page fails to mention that the product has 3% sugar cane, as per my photo, which is important to know for diabetics or people with high sugar levels in blood. For the rest a natural healthy (or healthier than most) snack. A bit pricey for what it is. 

9/29/2024

Amscan Plastic Rectangular Tablecover, Frosty White

I wanted something simple and inexpensive to protect my work table from paint splashes and stains, so this seemed befitting.The tablecloth is XL size, so I decided to use it double to add an extra layer of protection.
 
I was re-arranging my stuff on the table after placing the cover, and it got damaged by bare friction. I am very conscious about my plastic footprint. I don't have a problem with plastic as long as it's durable and good quality, but this is is neither. The material is paper thin and terrible quality. More like one-use cloth for parties and functions and something temporary on my table until I buy a good quality cover. It got torn and broken on the first day of use. 
 
I guess you get what you pay for.

9/21/2024

EYmann Jar, Bottle and Can Opener

The product I got doesn't look like stainless steel but more like a chrome-like metal product. Definitely not the refined product you see in the product page pictures. It opens beer bottles well.  It also opens jars, but you have to be careful not to put your finger under the black slider. I have tried it with cans, and I find it unnecessary unless you have some problem with your fingers or not enough strength. In all honesty, it takes me less effort open a jar or a can with my own hands. I needed it mostly for beer can opener than anything but the price is low so the other features might come handy in the future.