1/06/2025

Sally Hansen Advanced Hard As Nails Natural

This is a nail strengthener designed to treat flaky and pealing nails. It can be used on its own, but applying 2-3 coats on your nails, which is what the brand recommends. However, I mostly use it base coat for my manicures and on its own on my toe nails. It has a beautiful shine to it, with a slight tint, if that can be said. When I applied on its own it my nails are harder to touch than when I use a normal base. Not sure if this will result on my nails being actually stronger, but they are better covered and protected and they don't flake as much.  

Evanda 2-pc Gold Serving Cake Set

I decided to buy this set after reading many great reviews on Amazon. This is a gorgeous cake serving set with spatula and knife. It's made of stainless steel but coated in a luscious vintage-like gold engraved with a swirly beautiful pattern.
 
Both pieces are very long, which comes handy for large cakes. I expected the spatula to have a large surface and the knife to be wider, honestly. I found the knife not good to cut fluffy sponge cakes, and it destroyed the serving experience and the cake top bent downwards. Not sure if it would be the same with a more solid cake. The spatula is good overall. 
 
Both pieces are sturdy. I tried to bend the handle by forcing the handles a bit, but they didn't bend. They're dishwasher safe, but I washed them by hand, just in case, and they were as new afterwards. 

Price is great for such a beautiful good quality set. 

Maxwell & Williams White Basics Diamonds 3-Tier Cake Stand (Gift Boxed)

I wanted a simple but elegant stand for a gathering at home without having to spend a lot. This seemed perfect, as it looked great on the photo, is from a brand I usually trust, and was heavily discounted.
 
After delivery, I have mixed feelings about this stand. On the one hand, the porcelain is good quality and the relief diamond pattern is elegant and classy. Once mounted, the stand looks fabulous.
 
My main issue with the stand is the mounting system. Actually, the mounting system is OK; it's the screwing system. Despite the assembly instructions being quite good, it took me several attempts to get the stand to stand firmly on the table. By the way, I recommend starting from the bottom dish up and not the other way around.
 
Secondly, the white plastic protective washers aren't the best quality and can be easily damaged. Besides, the box doesn't come with any spare part. This being the case, if you lose any of the washers or they get broken, the stand cannot be used anymore because, if we apply the metal washers directly onto the porcelain, they scratch it and stain it. What's more, the plates would not stand firm and straight at all.
 
Thirdly, the metallic bar handle isn't stainless steel. Why not?!!! The packing box doesn't say which material they're made off, something that really annoys me. Also, this metal leaves some sort of "soot" (to call it something) on contact with the porcelain if not using the washers and when unscrewing the metallic parts.  

Only hand wash, and you must dismount the stand first and be careful that you don't lose any washer.
 
In short, the finesse of the porcelain is wasted by the poor quality of the metallic parts and screwing system.  I only paid $18. However, the product is back to its usual $28 and I think that I wouldn't want to pay that for this stand. 

L'Oréal Excellence (Brown 5.0)

I've never used L'Oréal  Excellence to tint my hair mostly because it's more expensive than my usual brands. Having used another brands of DIY hair colour, I can easily compare what this package has in it, the tinting experience, and the results.
 
THE PACKAGE
The package contains a cream colour tub, a bottle of developer, hyaluronic acid shampoo and conditioning mask,  a pair of average of plastic gloves (which I hate) and a very useful instructions leaflet (great presentation and organisation of the information and illustrations, font size, etc.). Unlike other DIY hair colour packages I've used, this also includes a tube of shampoo and a comb applicator, which can be attached to the developer bottle to apply the colour directly on the hair.
 
THE TINTING EXPERIENCE
I used the comb applicator and I didn't find it useful  for me, but I'll keep it as a mark-making tool for my art practice.
 
I emptied the bottle into a professional tinting bowl and used a professional tinting brush to get the best results. I think it might be good if you have a Pixie haircut or just straight hair.

Due to this colour shade being a bit lighter than my previous colour, I left the colour on the roots nearly an hour and about 20 minutes on the rest of the hair. I did NOT get any itchy or burning sensation during the long application.  
 
The colour combo is creamy so it does not drip and spreads beautifully. Despite my long thick hair, I had enough product to cover all of it and even have some leftovers. That’s great because there is nothing worse that being short of colour when tinting at home.
 
I removed the excess colour once the time was up and it washed easily. To be honest,  I initially thought that the shampoo tube was too small for my long thick hair. But, surprise!, the quantity was perfect; it's a fabulous creamy shampoo that leathers beautifully. The conditioner is also fab, with just a bit of product being necessary to detangle and soften my hair. I had more than half bottle left for another week at least.  The results were a shiny healthy-looking hair. 
 
THE RESULTS
Did the product cover my greys in full? Yes and it also lightened up a bit my hair. The colour looks beautiful and is true to the box photo.
 
Do I prefer this colour or the other ones I've used in the past? I'd say the results are very good with all the brands I've used before, but L'Oréal Excellence left my hair way less dry and more hydrated than the others. Also, I thought the colouring mix was also creamier, more nourishing, spread better and was not irritant at all.  

Would I buy this again? Totally. I'll be looking up for discounts and flash sales to get the best possible price. Yet, I understand why this is always more expensive than other brands I use.
 
MIND
This product has both ammonia and hydrogen peroxide.

1/04/2025

Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover Satin Spray, Granite, 340 g

I used this can to (kinda) restore one of those old garden metal tables that had the paint coat peeled after being outdoors for too long. I removed the coat of paint left, which was already flaky, and then hand-sanded the surface. After which I applied two coats of this spray paint. It looks pretty good, although I need a third coat for the inner lattice creases to be properly covered. Sure, the results would have been better if I had used proper outdoor paint or an epoxy paint, or if the table surface was completely smooth and not grainy as it was. But, honestly, this spray is just brilliant to have things done quickly and effectively even if you, like me, aren't patient with DIY. Most importantly, my garden table looks great again.
 
The paint dried quickly outdoors, but I used it in two sunny warm days. Application is super-easy due to the nozzle having a good steady spray flow without having to press too strongly. I still have plenty of paint left in the can after the two first coats, which is great. The paint colour is true to the can's cap colour.
 
I like the satin finish but I think I prefer matte finish for outdoor furniture and garden stuff.
 
Overall, I had a great experience with this brand and spray paint, and I'll definitely buy this product again.

Important -- Shake the can vigorously before use. Also, you should use a respirator mask because, otherwise, you'll be inhaling the paint toxic fumes.

Avanti Mezzaluna Chopping Set with Board, Silver/Wooden

II struggle using normal knives to finally chop small quantities of herbs (basil or cilantro for example), garlic, spring onions, chives  and that sort of greens so I bought this set to have this sorted. This works well, but I find the double blade an hindrance, because, although the two blades do a great job, a bit amount of product gets in between them and you have to lift the cutter to chop those. The cutter comes with a complimentary cutting board, which is slightly convex in the centre. Personally I find it unnecessary as I chop my herbs and greens on a large timber board, but it's a nice touch! Both the cutter and board are good quality, just too small for my linking.

1/01/2025

Aimeili Natural Nail & Cuticle Oil (15ml)

I bought this to treat my cuticles and nails, which suffer from my constant use of acrylic paint. I also wanted it to treat my toes cuticles that are really dry in Summer and/or between pedicures. 
 
This is a small bottle of 100% wheat germ oil, no other preservative or additive added.  No scent, either, at least to my nose.    
 
I first tried this oil on one of my big toe cuticle and the lower part or the toe skin as it looked really dry, ugly, and hard. I've been brushing a bit of this oil for several days and I can see a noticeable difference. On my finger nails is even better; I rarely have manicures done, as I do those my own, so cuticle oil really helps any dry skin to look naturally good.    

Not a fan of the brush, though, which is a bit stiff and plasticky.
 
I've never heard of this brand before, but the fact that the product has provided good results, is reasonably priced and it does what's meant to do without any chemicals added, has put Aimeili on my radar. Not a fancy product recommended by influencers or pop-stars, but it works.