8/21/2023

Hxyrxib 2Pcs Flat Silicone Paint Brushes

I've had this pair for a few months now, and I love them. The two-piece is perfect for my needs as I paint on small surfaces and I don't need anything bigger. The bigger brush is 2" wide, and the smaller 1". I find the larger one great to spread gesso, different mediums on larger surfaces, a whole sheet of paper for example, while I use the other one for smaller surfaces, to  glue collage pieces and to properly paint. Both are perfect for mediums because I can easily wipe them out clean with household/baby wipes. However, they're called 'color shaper' for a reason; that's because I can move the paint in ways that normal brushes don't allow me to and  I can create cool effects with the sides, the edges or part of the brush surface.
 
The handle is made of good quality material. Despite me leaving the brushes in water for long periods of time, they haven't deteriorated or pealed off. The product description page says that the handle is made of wood, but it feels more like sturdy plastic to me. If it's wood, the plastic coating is really good. 

The ferrule is made of good-quality metal and hasn't loosen up so far, something important because if the silicone brush gets loose, it loses precision and functionality.  
 
The brush part is made of good quality flexible silicone, and works well on watercolour paper. The main issue with these brushes, like most other shaper brands I own, is that they have a slightly convex shape on both sides, which tends to create 'pools' of product on the upper part. I've learned not to use the whole brush surface just the flat part, the sides or the tip. Yet, I've also found that some brands have one part convex and the other flat (see my photos), and that works better for me. Also, the brush part is not as flexible as other brands shapers.
 
Overall, I'm very happy with the product. Color shapers are never super-cheap, but this combo is affordable and good value for money.

8/20/2023

Sabco Microfingers Mini Duster (Green)

This is a good duster. It's structure and handle are made of sturdy plastic, while the head is velvety soft and dusts beautifully, especially at-reach wide surfaces (tables, beside tables, consoles, shelves). Ain't sure why is called 'mini' because I'd say the head is quite large, and certainly larger than my old one.  What is mini (meaning short) is the handle, so ain't able to reach lamps, the top of my blinds or high surfaces unless I use a chair or a stool.  It gets the dust out easily and I wash it under running water with average household soap and, when dry, it looks like new. I can wash it because the head is a sort of glove that I can get on/off. I wish  it had a Velcro closure to make the removal a bit easier, but it's not difficult at all. I love the brand and having all my cleaning products in this bright green. Good value for money, too. 

Lindt Lindor Dark Assorted Cornet 327g

This is the only chocolate package that it's a regular in my grocery shopping. I don't fancy the fancy-flavored or filled-in chocolates or bonbons. I don't like average milk chocolate at all. I enjoy chocolates that taste of chocolate, and dark chocolates are those that do it for me. T The three varieties in this cornet do taste of chocolate and I love them all for this very reason. They are the perfect size and very good quality, with the right amount of sugar for me, which is not the usual you find in average chocolates. The blue-foiled variety is the one with more milk, but still tastes of chocolate; it's very creamy and smooth. The silver-foiled is 60% cocoa and tastes a bit stronger, while the golden-foiled (and my favourite) is the 70% cocoa, which has a bit of bitter after-taste, something that I love. I wish this cornet had more dark varieties in it. The main downside is that the core of the balls gets very soft and even runny when the weather is warm or hot, so, I keep them always in the fridge and, if carrying them to work in Summer, I put them in my insulated lunch bag. Not the chocolates that I gift more often just because not everyone likes dark chocolate; otherwise, it is my preferred selection of chocolates. 

8/18/2023

Kiolabo Furniture Repair Kit Wood Markers & Wax Sticks

I bought this kit to deal with some heavy scratching on my floorboards due to the removalists' carelessness. Also, with time, some of the boards get slightly scratched with normal use, and I wanted to cover this up so that the floor looks nicer.
 
This is a nice starter set as has a mix of wood colours to match most timber furniture. I found my ones in here. The package has a set of coloured wax crayons and the matching-colour markers (which are the ones that use the most). It also has the crayons sharpener, which is really mindful.
 
I've used this product many times on my floorboards and once on a piece of furniture. I found it worked best on the latter as it's laminated very-dark timber, which is very forgiving, and the mix of wax stick and marker gave me great results. See my photo.
 
My experience with the floorboards is a bit different as they're honey coloured and the markers, even the lightest one, can still stain the timber. I found that the product works best when 1/ the scratch is light and there is not much decoloration, as the marker helps covering it up. 2/ When there is some sort of deep scratch that can be filled in with the wax as then the marker works great to mask the thing. 3/ When professionally-repaired wood pieces on my boards have a different colour from the original, as  the markers help unify tones. See my photos.  My experience is also that noticeable scratches are difficult to cover up with this product. At best, a bit of colour (especially if several coats are applied). The application seems to be permanent and the product quantity is long lasting. I've used it many times and I've had it for over a year. I follow the instructions on the package as I've found that they're important to prevent damages to the wood being treated.

I wish the product came with some filler compound to fix deep scratches and that the marker nib was smaller, as this would make them more precise and would prevent staining, which forces me to constantly wipe the area and being extra careful not to get out of the scratched line. However, this is a great kit for a great price, which I use all the time.  
 

8/14/2023

Sluxa Cat Pencil Pouch

I'm in love with this. I bought this pouch as a gift for an impending birthday, but I will be purchasing one for myself. It's just like in the photos. The cat illustration is very realistic and more so when the pouch is full. The holder is made of some sort of silicone material outside and fabric lined inside. The zip runs smoothly and has a chain puller. The zip chain and zip head are the only things that could be improved. The pouch is generous in size (see my photo against an A4 wallet).  I couldn't resist checking how much stuff I could fit in.  I was able to comfortably fit in 17 items (a mix of markers, new pens, pencil erasers, and even my Townbows) and there was still room for small items like erasers a small USB etc. Very roomy! I bought this very discounted, so that's an added bonus.   

Generic Self-Threading Needle Set Wood Storage Box

I was very much looking forward to receiving this kit, as I have poor sight and threading any normal needle is very difficult to me. The wooden container is just wonderful; good looking and very roomy, so I can store other needles inside with the ones in the set. It has a screw top that keeps everything locked. So, that's wonderful. The issue is the needles themselves are described as having large eye, and that's not the case at all. They're self-treading, for sure, but they are so small (both the body and the eye) that getting them to self-thread is as difficult to me like normal ones, like it defeats the purpose I bought it for. If the needles were a bit larger in size, this would be the perfect set for me, but that's not the case.

8/12/2023

Long Life Self-Shine Floor Polish 1 Litre

I always make sure I have this floorboard polish at home when a house inspection is due. I've used this product since I moved into my this house and I love it because I can clearly see the "before & after" effect. I tend to use the same brand of cleaning product to maximize the effect, but I've also used other brands and it doesn't really matter. After cleaning the floor and, when it's totally dry, I sprinkle the product directly on to the floor. Then I mop it rapidly so the droplets don't dry and don't leave a mark. Ideally, it should be mopped following the layout of the floorboards, but that's not always possible, so I mop always in one direction in the room. I let it dry on its own for at least an hour. Needless to say, it dries quicker in Summer. I don't usually buff it, but the floor still looks amazing. If I buff it with a towel the shine effect is more noticeable. Due to this being a wood polish, the quantity of product in the bottle and the price, I consider this very good value for money.