8/15/2025

VRAIKO Fsherney Tallow and Honey Balm Stick (40g, Unscented)

Beef tallow is being promoted and sold as a beauty miracle everywhere on the web. I saw this and I thought that I would give it a try to experience the miracle myself. I decided on this roll-on stick over other formats because it's mess-free and portable; also, I wanted to experience whether beef tallow is something for me and my skin.
 
The brand says in the product page "Premium Grass-Fed Ingredients: Crafted with the finest Adeps Bovis (grass-fed beef tallow), nutrient-rich olive oil, and raw honey for deep nourishment."  This is not true.   
 

REAL INGREDIENTS AS MENTIONED ON THE PACKAGING  
Shea butter, Jojoba seed oil, tocopherol, beeswax, Japanese Camellia seed oil, Isonony, Isononanoate (that's a type of alcohol and nothing I would call natural), Mentha Haplocalyx oil (peppermint oil), Capric Trigyceride (this can be obtained from coconut, palm kernel, dairy products or cow's milk) and Bisabolol (a camomile-based product). Not vegan, but mostly plant-based with some possible dairy-derived product. Dairy like in milky, not like in tallow, which is a fat from the cow's body.   
 
I don't know if there is a mistake in the packaging, in the sense that the wrong package was used for the wrong product, or the brand wants to hop on the beef tallow miracle wagon and sell us something that isn't bad, but isn't what customers pay for. 
 
Therefore, this product is mostly made of a bunch of natural products, dairy derived products and beeswax, which is great; however, there is no beef tallow, olive oil or honey in it.  Okay, at least is all natural, right? 
 
WHAT THIS PRODUCT IS
This is more a salve than a balm due to its thick hard consistency. Due to beeswax being one of the main ingredients, it might happen that the product softens during the summer months and then I can use it on my face, but, as it's now, I can only use it on my hands, elbows or heels. It's difficult to spread, too.  

The product is unscented, but it still has a strong beeswax odour, which might not be everyone's cup of tea. Nothing that bothers me, but nothing pleasant either.  
 
MIND
This is a salve, not a cream or a balm.
This has no beef tallow, olive oil or honey in the product.  

8/10/2025

HIGHROCK Premium Tailor Scissors Titanium Soft Grip (Purple)

This is my preferred set of scissors among the several I own. I don't particularly like the coating colours but the coating 
is not only decorative, but it's meant to protect the blades from corrosion, glues and other sticky substances.  
 
The blades are made of sharp stainless steel and I can easily and cleanly cut cardboard, paper and fabric.
 
I love the three sizes and their ergonomic design, which makes cutting effortless. The largest one (23.6cm = 9.3 inch ) are perfect for tailoring, the second one  (21.3 cm = 8.4 inch), are for all craft purposes and the smallest one is for embroidery and snipping (143mm = 5.5 inch)
 
They are good for both right and left-handers.  
 
They were an amazing value for money, too. 

8/08/2025

Kmart Toilet Roll Holder (Black 39cm x 9.5cm)

This is a good sleek solution to store 3 rolls of toilet paper without displaying the rolls and protecting them from dust, dirt and water splashes. The design is as simple as it gets, but the upper knob is perfect to open the container either when standing or seating.  I combine this with other black bathroom tools to create a modern sleek gender-neutral bathroom that looks good for both women and men. I've had this one for several years now, and it has not peeled or deteriorated at all. 

SUNNERSTA Container (white, 12x11 cm)

The Sunnersta containers, available in different colours, are multifunctional sleek containers, made of premium plastic. The outer layer is matte and the inner is somewhat glossy, which works great for purposes like putting pens, pencils, markers and crayons, where the items might leak or left traces of colour. They wash easily and don't get stained easily. 
 
These containers are part of the Sunnersta hanging system, which provides cheap but good looking storage solutions for office, kitchen, laundry and bathroom. I use them mostly in my home office to store different small items, paint tubes and tools inside larger baskets. They also make perfect desktop bins. 
 
Price is absolutely ridiculous for such a good quality durable product.  

Kmart Diamond Door Mat (100 x 45cm)

I have a long entry aisle at my ground-level unit, so my floor gets quite dirty on rainy days. This mat has been a floor saver. It looks fab in its timeless elegant vintage style. It's also sturdy as the top is made of coconut coir and the back/down made of PVC (so doesn't scratch the wood flooring). As it has a rough surface, I can energetically rub my feet on it and remove all dirt and humidity from my shoes. As the background colour is a clear beige, the mat clearer areas get more noticeably dirty than the brown ones. Yet, this is not a decorative piece; its function is getting dirt out of my shoes and out of my floor. This mat is also rigid. I has to be washed by hand. My preferred way is doing that on a sunny hot day. I throw a bucket of clean water, add delicates laundry liquid and mop it energetically; then, I let it dry under the sun. If you live in an apartment, you can wash it the same way in your shower and then let it dry in your balcony.   

8/03/2025

Kmart Large Wire and Wood Shelf

I bought this to add storage space on my kitchen bench, but it turned out to be more of a nuisance. It's a good idea, but my shelf was wobbly and one of the screws would not go in properly. I thought of using it inside my pantry, but, again, it was a bit of a nuisance. I've used it also as floor stand to put my home office cable box . It helped with that. It doesn't stand much weight and, especially in the pantry, reduced the space instead of creating more. 
 
Perhaps it was a faulty item, and other pieces work perfectly, but I found that using a bed tray on my kitchen bench is way better, more stable, and more stylish. 
 
I would not recommend this.
  
USEFUL INFO  
Measurements: 23.5cm (H) x 50cm (W) x 19.5cm (D)
Box dimensions: 3.2cm (L) x 20.5cm (H) x 50.2cm (D)
Maximum weight capacity: 4kg
Materials: Powder-coated iron with rubber wood handles

Kmart 2-Slice Stainless Steel Toaster

This is a basic toaster at a terrific price, still stainless still, instead of plastic, which is, unfortunately, what most cheap toasters are made of these days. It's as simple as it gets and it toasts two pieces of average bread perfectly. Not good for pre-cut artisanal load of bread as the slices are usually thicker than average bread.  It has a removable tray to get rid of crumbs. 

I was very happy with this toaster for months. In all honesty, I don't use it much, but I would get really lovely golden toasted bread. However, all of the sudden, the toaster started not toasting properly and sometimes over-toast or under-toast the bread, so I have to make sure that the setting toasting number is the right one for the bread I am using. This is always the case, of course, but there is nothing complicated about this  toaster so it was all easy. Now, after over a year of use, it is still working, but not as finely as it used to.