8/17/2024

Derwent XL Charcoal Drawing Water-Soluble Blocks, Set Of 6

I bought this sought-after set during one of the Prime Days offers last year, quite discounted to my delight. As the box was sent from Amazon UK, it reached my place with one of the blocks halved and partially shattered, which resulted in the staining of the white block. The box was sealed, but not properly protected either with bubble wrap or protective textured paper.  

The blocks are really yummy to use. They are almost creamy and the pigmented ones have rich yummy earthy colours. These are water soluble, so they can be used as watercolours. They are not permanent, so I use matt/gloss medium or fixative when I don't want the marks to smudge. Sometimes, the fun is in the smudging as the mixing of the pigment with other media creates wonderful textures, effects and depth. They're fun to play with but have a professional quality. 

8/14/2024

Paul Rubens Hot-Pressed 50%-Cotton 300gsm Watercolor Journal (Pink, 5.2’’ x 3.8’’)

This is the second small journal I buy from this brand. I reviewed a slightly different journal in the past. This version has some of the design deficiencies I criticised in the other version sorted out.

The most important thing is that this journal has a wonderful thick smooth watercolour paper that is great for both watercolour and mixed media. I always gesso my pages with either white or transparent gesso, which protects the paper, gives it some tooth and allows me to apply wet media or scratch the paper a bit without any worry.
 
The satin pink cover is really pretty and girly; not the best quality but befitting the price.  I'm happy that this journal does not have the awkward inner pocket the other has because the journal opens/closes more naturally. The journal comes with the promised elastic band, which is necessary to keep all the sheets together once they've all been torn apart.
 
The main downside is that the dotted tearing indentation is not consistent throughout the journal pages, and some of them are badly punctured. That being the case, the tearing is not always clean and neat.
 
For the rest, a great mini journal for experimenting, doing small paintings or just as a travel sketchbook. The separated pages make great postcards too.

8/13/2024

MYARTOOL Portable Leak-Proof Brush Cleaner with Lid and Filter Screen ( 4-3/4" Tall x 3-1/2" Dia.)

This is a great tool to have either in the studio or for plain-air painting. The tight leak-proof lid is perfect for the later or just to keep things tidy after an art session without the fear or spilling the water on my working table.
 
This is a stainless steel set with enough weight to hold the brushes even when most of the handles are out. Said differently, it helps keep the brush hairs under water without deteriorating the handle. The inner crevasse helps to remove excess paint from the brush and cleans it better; the perforated base has the same effect. 
 
The main downside is that this medium-sized container is actually quite small. See my photos against one of the average metallic glasses I use for painting. I would be happy to purchase a larger version for my long bulky brushes. For the rest, this one is perfect for those brushes that I use during art journaling or sketching, or for short-handle wide mottlers. 
 
It cleans well and easily under running water. 

WD&CD Birthday 3D Pop-Up Card

The photo really does justice to the real product. This is a large-ish good quality card, well printed, in vibrant colours and nicely textured. It pops up beautifully and without difficulty. It comes with a separate note to write my message, which prevents me from ruining the card. I consider this to be a genderless card.

8/12/2024

Drain Clean Liquid Enzyme Cleaner 1 Litre

II bought it to try it with my slow drainage kitchen sink, which is especially slow in winter.

After reading the instructions on the back, it's clear to me that this product mostly cleans odours and prevent clogs.  It takes a minimum of 24 hours to work, which is not always reasonable if you, like me, use the sink every day. Besides, it says it needs to be used for several weeks to see a difference. Dismal. I'm a bit disappointed as my home piping is really old and needs something that works fast.

I followed the instructions, which say which quantity of product to use for slow drainage and for clogs. The quantity I used for slow drainage made no difference. Then, I used 3/4 of the bottle and there was a slight difference; yet, the water is still running down slow and pools in the sink if I keep the tap open. I let it work for 24 hours, but no dramatic effect.

This is, supposedly, an eco-friendly enzyme drain cleaner. Yet, when I read the ingredients list, it says it has Sodium Hydroxide, non-Ionic Surfactant and water. Well, better than other similar cleaners, yet it is a chemical product, just less harmful than others.

Personally, I would use this is my pipping was working normally, just once a fortnight to deodorize and prevent problems in the drainage,  but not with a slink like mine, where the product barely worked and was a waste of money. 

8/10/2024

VGSEBA Gold Leaf Gilding Foil Sheets,100 Sheets 3.15" x3 .35" (8x8.5 cm)

These leaves are a good alternative to real gold leaf and at a fraction of the price. They look like a sunset gold or Aztec gold leaf, something I love. Each foil leaf is protected by a tissue-paper leaf.  The sheets are very delicate and break easily, so they're especially good to cover something, little by little,  by applying foil coats; not so good or easy to cover a specific shape (or at least I don't know how to do that). It glues easily with gloss medium and matt medium, but the first one is more befitting with a metallic product like this.
 
Good value for money as there are 100 sheets in the package and one sheet can be used as accent in a small painting. I wouldn't use this in art pieces for sale, but I  use it in my art journaling or small art pieces I want to keep for myself or for gifting.

8/04/2024

Stardrops The Pink Stuff Cleaning Paste 850 g

This is the new kid on the block on the household cleaning world. I've never heard of this brand before, but it seems to be all around the Internet, with raving reviews and impacting videos. 
 
A cleaning paste sounded something new to me, and this is why I got this tube and not other cleaning products on the same range. They describe it as a miraculous paste that cleans myriad surfaces grime and grease, so I have tried it on different surfaces to check it out myself.
 
As per my photos, I've tried it on a pot and a frying pan base, which  I scrubbed with a metallic scoured in the past without being able to remove the dry stained grease. I applied a thin coat using a soft scrubber, let it stay for 30 minutes, then scrubbed it off with the same metallic scourer, applied a new coat, left it stay for about 10-15 minutes more and scrubbed again. As you can see, there is a noticeable difference and I was able to remove most, but not all, the grease. So, it is not like in the videos you see on social media where everything comes off easily. It does not work like that. 
 
I've also used the product as a normal surface cleaner in my kitchen, on the stove ceramic top, and the washing metallic sinks and bathroom tiles. It works well and quicker that way with barely any rubbing or scrubbing, leaving the surfaces clean and polished.
 
I love the creaminess and lovely scent of the product, how easily cleans and polishes, and the many uses it has. Yet, the company statements about rubbing gently before rising off are only true is you aren't removing any tough stains or grime or grease.
 
The company claims that the product is non-toxic,  vegan and non tested in animals, things that are all important to me. Yet, what is this miracle product made of? The ingredient list on the tube says "among others" soap, perfume and preservatives, and asks you to go to their website for the full list. That is unacceptable. Say, for example, that a pet or child consumes this by accident, you would want to know which ingredients are in the tub before heading to emergency services. I've gone to their website and the product has quartz, aqua, soap, sodium carbonate, sodium silicate, sodium bicarbonate, glycerin, perfume, ensizothiazolinone, Methylisothiatzolione, Layralamine Dipropylenediamine, and CI  45170 (I guess this is the pink colour). The website also says it's mildly abrasive and to use with care; so, after all, it sounds like slightly toxic and pretty chemical to me.