4/18/2025

Paul Rubens (Haiya) 8-pc Oil Pastels (Black)

This is a selection of black soft-oil pastel sticks to complement any Haiya set. This is one of the colours that I use the most; so, having an extra supply of them at an affordable price is paramount. Otherwise, I would have to replace them with other brands' sticks, which might or might not have the same properties or qualities. 
 
These oil pastels are buttery soft, like a lipstick, and very good quality. They spread, mix and blend well, but aren't as loaded with pigment as professional brands like Sennelier. Yet, one can't expect this to be the case due to the price tag. They can be blended with tissue paper, stumps, or my fingers, and can be used for layering and sgraffito. They're also great for finished touches in mixed media projects. I use fixatives on anything I put them on to prevent smudging and favour durability. 
 
The wrapping is around each stick should be re-designed. It looks good, but the information on them is barely visible or readable, like the opacity and pigments used on them.  I have learnt from artists' tests on YouTube that most of the Paul Rubens soft oil have great lighfastness, but I cannot see this reflected on the packaging leaflet or on the sticks wrapping paper info.
 
They come in a beautiful box, which makes them great for gifting.

FRESHIN 7W GU10 LED Light Bulb (Cool White)

This is a cool white LED light, equivalent to 60 Watts of a traditional bulb. The light projects well across the room and it really helps in the evening and early morning when using my computer. I prefer cool white lighting for studio and office settings as it doesn't make me sleepy.  I've had had this only for a couple of months, but so far so good. I wish they made it stronger so that the whole room could be lighted with just one bulb.
 
My bulb top arrived with some sort of gooey thing on it. It might be a return or a fabric fault, but it doesn't gave me a good impression.  

A bit pricey for just one piece, but I bought it just to try it out and see how it works in my place. Next time, I will buy the most affordable Freshin muti-packs.
 
MIND
This is not a dimmable bulb.

Lofee Coffee machine and counter mat (Dark grey, 40x60cm)

I have one of these on my kitchen counter top underneath my air-fryer and toaster. It's quite large and made of thick cushiony material that doesn't slide or move on its own like other mats I own do. It repels small crumbs or salt or pieces of food while other mats seem to attract them. It absorbs water well, liquids dry quickly and it's easy to clean. It also look great on the counter. I wish they made them twice the size. A bit pricey, but well worth it.

Paul Rubens (Haiya) 60-pack Soft Oil Pastels Set

Paul Rubens (HAIYA) Oil Pastels have been a discovery for me an have reignited my passion for this medium. I cannot afford Sennelier oil pastels, which are my favourite in the whole world, but also uber-expensive.  However, this Haiya set has many of the qualities I love in Sennelier minus the price tag. These pastels are really creamy and the colours are vibrant and beautiful. There is a large selection of browns, greens, blues, aquas, purples, reds, oranges and yellows, with a black and white added. On the contrary, there is a lack of pastel colours (another Haiya's set has those), grey and beige tones, and warm whites. They can be blended with tissue paper or my fingers, and used for layering, sgraffito and layering purposes. 

The opacity of the colours is shown on the stick wrapping. However, it is in diminutive size and I had to use a magnifying lens to see it properly. Some of the sticks and colours are opaque, others translucent, and others semi. The pigments used for each stick are also displayed on the wrapping. As my set most of it written in Chinese ain't sure if the lighfastness is mentioned in Mandarin. There is no indication of it on the accompanying leaflet. However, I've browsed the web and there seems to be an agreement among artists that these pastels have a good level of lightfastness. 
 
THE TEST
I tried them in two rough sketches I did on two pre-gessoed craft tags (not on pastel-purpose paper) just to check their pigmentation and blendability. These pastels are a pleasure to work with. The creaminess is not only yummy and satisfying, but it also favours colour  spread and mixing. I used simple average tissue serviettes as blenders and they did the job really well. The colours are gorgeous, but they lack a bit of more pigment in them, something that's understandable due to the price tag.  The pointy tips really help drawing an outlining. The colours mix well with each other. I used them to make a clean image and a impressionist textured one and worked well in both cases. I will try them on pastel paper and will edit this review in the future if necessary.
 
I used a permanent fixative when I finished the sketches and, before that, a workable fixative to allow me to keep working on them without the fear of smudging what I had already done.
 
Overall, a wonderful set of good quality pastel oils that are good replacement to Sennelier if you cannot afford the latter.  

KOMPLEMENT Drawer mat, light grey patterned, 90x53 cm

This is a drawer mat made of stiff warm grey felt with a cute white pattern. It's very pretty. The mat back has tiny silicone dots so that it holds onto the surface you place it on. This size perfectly fits the Ikea Komplement drawers, but it can be easily cut to size to fit it in other drawers. 
 
I bought several of these to use them as drawer mats, floor mat (under a small storage unit) and to cover the inside of some large woven Ikea boxes.  and floor mats. Yes, I know, this was never designed as floor mat, but I have two of these underneath the translucent floor protector on which I have my swivel chair, and they look great as well and protect the floor without adding any bulk.   
 
DESIGNER IKEA of Sweden

HMIEPRS 4-pack Boho Straw Woven Elastic Belt

This is a beautiful set of elastic belts. They look like made of natural woven straw, but it's actually elastic plastic. It's a good imitation because you won't notice this unless you are really close to the belt. The different styles are great for casual and work settings, and they fit people from small to large sizes (I would say size 16 max). They keep their shape no matter I use them all day long, and they aren't hard on my skin after wearing them for a full day sitting at work. Mind, these don't have holes to fit the buckle prong, but you can fit them no issue. I was expecting this to damage the strap, but so far so good. 

Shini S300 Self-Inking Mini Date Stamp (Black)

I was looking for an affordable date stamp and this one fits the bill. I use it to stamp to date some of my paper artworks. The printing is clear and neat. The stamp is small and light, therefore, very easy to store.

There is no specific indication of the real date range covered. Amazon product page has wrong dates, and the one printed on the package is also wrong. As far as I can see, it covers at least till 2036. 

The main downsides are, first, that this being a self-inking pad, the number pads are always inked; so it's easy to stain my fingers. Also, once the ink pad is finished you'll need to buy a re-inker because, at least in Australia, the replacement pads are not ready available and when they are, they're very expensive.  
 
The instructions are tiny and minimal, but you can easily figure out how to operate the stamp. Otherwise, read below: 

HOW TO OPERATE 
> Remove the lid from inking pad.
> Insert the pad on the slot in the upper part of the stamp.
> Invert the pad.
> Press the white frame inwards.
> The numbers pad will rotate on its own. 
> Adjust the date using the tiny wheels beside each group of numbers.
> Put the stamp in vertical position. 
> Press it down.
> Tadda!