11/25/2023

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water in Oil 400ml

I'm not a fan of the simple version Micellar water, but I'm a fan of this one due to the mix of water and oil. I use it all over my face, on my eyes and lips included. I have a slightly sensitive skin and I've had no signs of irritation in the long time I've been using it. This product removes my makeup wonderfully, water-proof mascara and lipstick included. It is not as good on waterproof mascara as other purpose-made cleaners, but it's still excellent. I have an age, and it works wonderfully on my skin.
 
I don't use the product straight out of the bottle. I shake the bottle and immediately, when the water and the oil are still mixed together, I squeeze a good amount of liquid into a recycled refillable spray bottle that I have from a lenses cleaner product. When I want to use it, I shake the small spray water and, when both liquids are mixed, I spray the product twice onto a makeup cotton pad, and then clean my face with the pad. In this way, the quantity of product I use is minimal, no waste, but it's enough to remove my makeup. As I use it this way, a bottle lasts me ages and it's great value for money.

WTF Shopping Moment: Rude AI

 
We are all excited but scared about how AI is taking the world by storm. I like AI capabilities to offer us a first-point summary of topics that I'm looking up. Well, that was till today. I was browsing Amazon and came across a toilet paper page. Amazon is now including, before the reviews, an AI-generated summary of what reviewers say about this toilet paper. Now, this is the first page I saw this morning while having my breakfast. Wonderfully summarized in  a way. AI totally understands the nuances of the English language, right? The giggle of the week.  

11/19/2023

Mont Marte Watercolour Pad A5 300gsm 12 Sheet

This is an A5 paper pad of good quality 300 gsm paper. You know, there are good and not so good 300 gsm watercolour paper, and this is good paper, and great value for money as well. 

I've tested the paper without pre-gessoing the surface, which leaves the paper more exposed to the media I used. I've used both acrylic paint and acrylic inks, adding quite a bit of dripping and the paper stood everything wonderfully and I was totally surprised at how well it took acrylic paint and acrylic inks, without buckling or deteriorating. I like the paper texture and the fact that the pad is glued just in one of the sides, but I'm not a fan of the paper colour. Yet, it doesn't really matter, because I will be painting over it and I can change that easily.

GAIA Skin Naturals Bamboo Baby Wipes, 80 Piece

I love Gaia products. They never disappoint me. This is also the case with these sensitive bamboo-based wipes. I don't have children, so I bought these wipes to use in my art practice. I have been using cleaning household wipes, critic acid based, and they are great, but they're not environmentally friendly and are sometimes too harsh on painting surfaces, so I thought I would give these Gaia a try.
 
These bamboo wipes have a lovely soft texture and a sweet creamy scent that I love. They are not too dry or drippy, still wet, so they're perfect for smudging and blending different kinds of media on paper without wiping off the whole thing or destroying the surface. They are also great to use with stencils as they wipe off paint and leave clear marks without leaving watery residue or blotting the paint. They are lovely to clean off residual paint from my painting brushes (both silicone and synthetic bristles) after I have had them submerged in water for a while, or to remove medium or gesso from my silicone brushes easily.

They don't work as well to wipe off almost dry paint completely or remove stubborn dry paint on my hands, table or brushes, though.
 
I love that these wipes are plant-based and environmentally friendly. I bought the small package just to given them a try, but I will definitely buy them again in a large package.

Smith’s Fun Mix Variety Multipack Potato Chips 20 Pack

I love this mix of mini snack bags. I love all the flavours in the pack. These are great for school/work lunches, or to have at home when I fancy trying different snacks without having to purchase a large bag of each variety. I also love that there is an equal amount of bags for each variety, unlike other multi-packs out there. The only thing I really dislike is the amount of chemicals some of the varieties have.
 
Once I have finished the snacks I reuse the cardboard, which is good quality and flexible, for painting on it.  I add a bit of gesso fist, though. It makes a great painting substrate for my artistic experimentation. 

HAOZHUZI Circular Paper Cutter

I've been looking for a circular affordable cutter that goes through different types of paper. Unfortunately, this is not the one. I returned this product upon arrival because, although the design is good overall, and the price good, the production of the design is poor.  

THE GOOD
Very light and easy to use. Put the round body on the center from where you want to cut. Adjust the small button tip on the ruler to the diameter of the circle you want (it loses and tightness by rotating it), and then rotate the long ruler around. Perfect circle cut. It works like a flat compass.

It works especially good with normal paper, like printing paper, but it's also good with thicker papers like 200 gsm and 300 gsm watercolor paper, which is what I wanted it for. Needless to say, I had to press quite a bit for the thicker paper to be cleanly cut; when I did not, it left paper traces and unclean edges behind.

The round body has a container in the belly, protected by a lockable lid, where two complimentary blades are located.
 
THE NOT SO GOOD

The circular part is toy-like, so no weight at all. That being the case, the platform slides off center often creating unnecessary cuts and ruining the circle I was cutting. This happens also when pressing it down with my hand. I would not press it too hard because it's average plastic.  There is nothing attaching the round body center to the surface, that's the reason it slides.

This is great  for large circles, from 8 cm up, but not to cut smaller circles as the small adjustable knob stops against the circular body at that distance.
 
No instructions on the box or inside. The cutting blade is protected by a cap that can only be removed if slid on the side, not up. It took me a while to figure it out. You might break it if pressed up too hard.
 
You need a large surface, with no clutter on it, to rotate the cutter easily.
 
Very weak plastic. 

11/18/2023

Mont Marte Metallic Acrylic Paint 8 Piece

I'm happy I purchased this taster set because, after trying it, I won't be buying the product again. For the same reason, I'm glad that I didn't purchase the larger set.
 
The colours are very pretty, and can be mixed or layered among themselves. I especially like the bronze and the copper colours on their own. I also like how the green and blue, the pink and purple, and the copper and bronze mix together. The golden paint is very light, so it looks very pretty over some of the other colours. 
 
In all honesty, the picture of the packaging back on the info product page is clear and you can see that the colours are semi-transparent (marked by the small circle filled half way). I didn't notice the photo, unfortunately, but I was looking for a matte opaque set and this is not. 
 
I don't mind the colours transparency, as they are perfect for layering and to add final touches. However, I find that the colours are very pretty but don't have enough pigment and the texture is medium-body not heavy-body. Besides, the mica content is on the low level, so sometimes the metallic shine doesn't show much.
 
These acrylics are light-fast and can be easily stored vertically in a low pen holder.

A good intro set of acrylics for craft painting. 

UPDATE 30/1/24
I have been using the golden, bronze and copper colours a lot lately. They can be layered easily to create depth and vibrant results. They work especially good on cardboard colour paper way better than on water surfaces. I have come to use several coats to get a bit of more opacity. These are the colours I use the most and they are really pretty. I add a bit of black to the bronze and gold to create a vintage worn-out sort of effect. I have to come to love these despite their shortcomings. A bit of paint goes a long way.