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

1/11/2024

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. 

12/13/2023

L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Hair Mask, 300 ml

I've used this mask for the first time recently lured by the sale price, by the fact that I usually love L'Oreal hair products, and because I had never tried this before. 
 
This mask smells really nice. It 's a feminine scent, so not as gender neutral as other L'Oreal hair masks scents I've experienced. 
 
Dream Lengths doesn't de-tangle my hair as well as other L'Oreal masks, isn't as nourishing and, most disappointingly, it leaves me with a freezy head if I let my hair dry au naturel. Definitely, not suitable to my wavy tinted thick long hair, which is what the mask is supposed to be designed for. I'll stick to the other masks in the same price range because they do a better job on my hair and cost me the same.

12/05/2023

Sof Sole shoe goo - Clear

I've used this glue three times and I've had mixed results. The flat soles of my ugg boots totally unglued themselves, each one on separate dates; I used this glue and they were restored to its original goodness with little effort. I've also used this glue with a pair of flat leather boots whose point was unglued and the results weren't that good because, although the point got glued, there is still a gap with the dry glue visible, which looks horrible.  

This isn't an instant glue that seals surfaces on contact. This glue needs of some pressure on the shoes to make the parts being sealed make contact. I can put a rubber band and some pressure on my ugly homey boots or cheap shoes, but doing so with my good shoes isn't an option because it will deform or damage them.  The results are great for shoe flat parts not as much for small edges or points.

I love the smell of this glue; it reminds me of bygone cobbler shops.

12/04/2023

Zhu Ting 12-piece Flat Art Paint Brush Set

This is a great set of expensive-looking flat nylon hair brushes perfect for acrylic paint. The variety of sizes is great, but I miss one or two larger brushes. They are great quality. The bristles don't deform despite me leaving the brushes in water for days or using them with acrylic paint, gesso or matte medium.  The handle seems not to stain as quickly or badly as other brushes I own. They clean easily with hand soap under running water even when the paint is a bit dry on the bristles. They are great value for money as well. The only downside is that these brushes are on the small side, and a bit smaller than other brushes with the same sizing (see my photos).

MEZON Crystal-Clear Tempered-Glass Screensaver for OPPO A98 5G - 2 Pack

THE SAD END, update 13 Dec
After what I said below, my second item in the package lasted me a week. Why it started to crack, no idea, but most likely because of bad materials bad manufacturing and bad quality control. I wasted my money, like literally, and I'm upset.  One star is quite generous. I would give it 0 if possible, because the items don't do what they are supposed to, the items are pricey and don't last.
 
 
THE REAL IMPRESSION
I had written the text below after buying this pack. I received this on Sunday arvo. Today, Tuesday arvo, was all cracked for no reason. How that happened? To me, it is just about my phone being in my bag for little time and the screensaver being rigid, and probably with some manufacturing flaw, got scratched. But, what's the point? The screensaver I had with my previous phone has lasted me over 2 years and is still as new. I thought it was something behind the screensaver and I lift it carefully and the crack expanded, so that's really annoying and shows how bad the quality is. The advertising says that it is hit and scratch proof. Really? I hate wasting time and money on things that do not do what they're supposed to. Gladly the pack has 2 items, so I'll try the other one and update the review if necessary.
 
FIRST IMPRESSION
This a good value for money containing two screen protectors for OPPO A98. The film is rigid and quite thick, but adheres easily and beautifully to the screen with minimal bubbling. The non-perfectly adhered spots can be easily flattened out with my finger. The protector has a black marquee around the edges, which helps with the protector placement and removal as it allows me to distinguish its edges from the the screen. The set is  beautifully packaged and the package also contains a wet+dry couple of tiny towelettes to clean the phone screen before placing the protectors.

MEZON Ultra Slim Transparent TPU Gel Case for Oppo A98

Once upon a time, Oppo would include a transparent gel case in all phone packages. Those times have gone and now I need to buy it myself. This Mezon case is the sort of case it used to come together with the phone, and the sort of phone case I love, because it allows the phone colour and design to shine through, but still being protective and long-lasting. It's easy to clean, too. The case adjusts perfectly to the phone still allowing the input/output points to be easily accessible (like the plugging, audio jack sockets  for ex.). I wouldn't call this case ultra slim, to be honest; I would say it's average thickness. I find the price a bit high for the type of product and material. Packaging is minimal and not fancy, but I don't need more. TPU Gel cases tend to get yellow with use and the pass of time, but I haven't had this that long to tell. I will update my review in the future if needed.


11/25/2023

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water in Oil 400ml

I'm not a fan of the simple version Micellar water, but I'm a fan of this one due to the mix of water and oil. I use it all over my face, on my eyes and lips included. I have a slightly sensitive skin and I've had no signs of irritation in the long time I've been using it. This product removes my makeup wonderfully, water-proof mascara and lipstick included. It is not as good on waterproof mascara as other purpose-made cleaners, but it's still excellent. I have an age, and it works wonderfully on my skin.
 
I don't use the product straight out of the bottle. I shake the bottle and immediately, when the water and the oil are still mixed together, I squeeze a good amount of liquid into a recycled refillable spray bottle that I have from a lenses cleaner product. When I want to use it, I shake the small spray water and, when both liquids are mixed, I spray the product twice onto a makeup cotton pad, and then clean my face with the pad. In this way, the quantity of product I use is minimal, no waste, but it's enough to remove my makeup. As I use it this way, a bottle lasts me ages and it's great value for money.

WTF Shopping Moment: Rude AI

 
We are all excited but scared about how AI is taking the world by storm. I like AI capabilities to offer us a first-point summary of topics that I'm looking up. Well, that was till today. I was browsing Amazon and came across a toilet paper page. Amazon is now including, before the reviews, an AI-generated summary of what reviewers say about this toilet paper. Now, this is the first page I saw this morning while having my breakfast. Wonderfully summarized, totally understanding the nuances of the English language, really elegant too. Right? The giggle of the week.  

11/19/2023

Smith’s Fun Mix Variety Multipack Potato Chips 20 Pack

I love this mix of mini snack bags. I love all the flavours in the pack. These are great for school/work lunches, or to have at home when I fancy trying different snacks without having to purchase a large bag of each variety. I also love that there is an equal amount of bags for each variety, unlike other multi-packs out there. The only thing I really dislike is the amount of chemicals some of the varieties have.
 
Once I have finished the snacks I reuse the cardboard, which is good quality and flexible, for painting on it.  I add a bit of gesso fist, though. It makes a great painting substrate for my artistic experimentation. 

HAOZHUZI Circular Paper Cutter

I've been looking for a circular affordable cutter that goes through different types of paper. Unfortunately, this is not the one. I returned this product upon arrival because, although the design is good overall, and the price good, the production of the design is poor.  

THE GOOD
Very light and easy to use. Put the round body on the center from where you want to cut. Adjust the small button tip on the ruler to the diameter of the circle you want (it loses and tightness by rotating it), and then rotate the long ruler around. Perfect circle cut. It works like a flat compass.

It works especially good with normal paper, like printing paper, but it's also good with thicker papers like 200 gsm and 300 gsm watercolor paper, which is what I wanted it for. Needless to say, I had to press quite a bit for the thicker paper to be cleanly cut; when I did not, it left paper traces and unclean edges behind.

The round body has a container in the belly, protected by a lockable lid, where two complimentary blades are located.
 
THE NOT SO GOOD

The circular part is toy-like, so no weight at all. That being the case, the platform slides off center often creating unnecessary cuts and ruining the circle I was cutting. This happens also when pressing it down with my hand. I would not press it too hard because it's average plastic.  There is nothing attaching the round body center to the surface, that's the reason it slides.

This is great  for large circles, from 8 cm up, but not to cut smaller circles as the small adjustable knob stops against the circular body at that distance.
 
No instructions on the box or inside. The cutting blade is protected by a cap that can only be removed if slid on the side, not up. It took me a while to figure it out. You might break it if pressed up too hard.
 
You need a large surface, with no clutter on it, to rotate the cutter easily.
 
Very weak plastic. 

11/18/2023

Mont Marte Metallic Acrylic Paint 8 Piece

I'm happy I purchased this taster set because, after trying it, I won't be buying the product again. For the same reason, I'm glad that I didn't purchase the larger set.
 
The colours are very pretty, and can be mixed or layered among themselves. I especially like the bronze and the copper colours on their own. I also like how the green and blue, the pink and purple, and the copper and bronze mix together. The golden paint is very light, so it looks very pretty over some of the other colours. 
 
In all honesty, the picture of the packaging back on the info product page is clear and you can see that the colours are semi-transparent (marked by the small circle filled half way). I didn't notice the photo, unfortunately, but I was looking for a matte opaque set and this is not. 
 
I don't mind the colours transparency, as they are perfect for layering and to add final touches. However, I find that the colours are very pretty but don't have enough pigment and the texture is medium-body not heavy-body. Besides, the mica content is on the low level, so sometimes the metallic shine doesn't show much.
 
These acrylics are light-fast and can be easily stored vertically in a low pen holder.

A good intro set of acrylics for craft painting. 

UPDATE 30/1/24
I have been using the golden, bronze and copper colours a lot lately. They can be layered easily to create depth and vibrant results. They work especially good on cardboard colour paper way better than on water surfaces. I have come to use several coats to get a bit of more opacity. These are the colours I use the most and they are really pretty. I add a bit of black to the bronze and gold to create a vintage worn-out sort of effect. I have to come to love these despite their shortcomings. A bit of paint goes a long way.

Genixart Flat Paint Brushes Set, 6 Pcs

I have just received this product and returned it. I bought this set as size 12 shows as an xl size in the hands of large hands in the product info photos. This large one must be a triple XL, a 30+ size, not a size 12, because the set contains very small brushes and none of them is the size in the photo. Real size 12 is very small. I have reported the photo several times and they haven't removed it as yet. Why would you want to keep misleading photos on any product page? 
 
REVIEW WAS  NOT PUBLISHED AND THE PHOTO HASN'T BEEN CHANGED AFTER SEVERAL MONTH OF BEING REPORTED AS MISLEADING.

11/17/2023

Derwent XL Tinted Graphite Drawing Blocks, Multi-Colour

I waited for months for this coloured graphite tin to be heavily discounted for me to purchase it. When I did, I thought that it was a great shopping day because this is usually an expensive product that you understand why is so.
 
This is a set of chunky but very soft coloured graphite blocks. They can be used as charcoals, soft pastels, or watercolours as they are water-soluble and blend beautifully between themselves. I love the way they mix and the fact that I can easily create super-cool effects with my fingertips. Of course, if you want to use these blocks in mixed media, make sure that you use matte medium to fix them on paper so they don't wash out. I like to blend them together or with other water-soluble materials and then add liquid-ish gesso primer to create beautifully-soft pastel backgrounds. I have mixed them with Derwent Inktense blocks and Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons and they are like water for chocolate. In short, super-mega-uber versatile and a great purchase

The tin is really good quality, and I love anything tin because it lasts for life and can be reused for multiple purposes. The inner holder keeps the blocks in place preventing deterioration or crumbling.

The only downside is that there are two grey graphite blocks, a normal one and a super-soft one. I would have preferred just the super soft graphite to be included in the tin, and the other one being replaced with a coloured variety. More modern versions of this product have, indeed, no normal graphite. It makes sense because I can find normal graphite everywhere, but coloured graphite blocks not so much so. 

1000 HOUR Hair Mascara, Dark Brown, 26 g

I've been using this product for years. It is meant to be used to mask showy greys on the part line or temples area, but I mostly use it as eyebrow groomer and tint. As such is one of my fav beauty staples. The colour I use is dark brown, however, the last dark brown container I got before this one differs both in container colour and tint colour. This container looks more black than brown, but 'dark brown' is clearly written on it. I thought it would be just the container. However, the tint inside is as dark, and looks more  black than brown. You can see  my photos showing the difference in tint and colour between the last one I bought and this one, both supposedly the same tint from the same brand. As my hair is really very dark, this tint does blend well, but my eyebrows aren't as dark and this tint makes them look too dark so I have to apply it and wipe it off a bit. Overall a good product, but I think this is not really dark brown and it really annoys me that the colour is so different from my previous dark brown bottles.

10/30/2023

Derwent Tinted Charcoal Pencil, Green Moss TC15


I love this colored charcoal pencil range. They're certainly charcoal, but made of a very soft one that spreads easily (with your fingertips or with water) and mixes perfectly with soft pastels and any water-soluble supply. They're wonderful to do charcoal sketches with a hint of color.
 
This color is one of the very noticeable hues in the range, with a beautiful soft olive tone that blends well with any of the other green and blue hues.

An average sharpener works well with these pencil as long as you don't over sharp.
 
I bought this item in a promotion, so the price was fantastic, but they're usually a bit pricey.

Derwent Tinted Charcoal Pencil, Mountain Blue TC11

This color is one of the very noticeable hues in the range, with a beautiful soft deep greenish grayish blue that blends beautifully with other blues and greens. The color of the pencil is shown on the top, which comes handy to choose.

These pencils are certainly charcoal, but made of a very soft one that spreads easily by using my fingertips or a wet brush. They are perfect to combine with soft pastels, water-soluble crayons, watercolors or just to use with normal charcoal to do sketches that are still neutral in nature, but have a hint of color.
 
An average sharpener works well with this pencil as long as you don't over sharp.
 
I bought this item in a promotion, so the price was fantastic, but they're usually a bit pricey.