Sunday, 15 May 2011

Art And Design - bargain, oil pastel


We were going to go on vacation a couple weekends back. This item caught my eye and I bought it for my little sister. She absolutely loves it and has made some spectacular pictures with it. For the price you can't complain if you know somebody that would appreciate these, or if you have the desire yourself. Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 36 Color Set (PHN-36)

I love this set. I am new to using oil pastels, and I am delighted with the simplicity of this substance. It does get tricky when learning to blend colors or how to layer a little, but it wouldn't be fun or worth the paper it's on if its not a tiny bit challenging. This is a great beginners kit for learning to have fun creating art without all the discouraging complications or difficult challenges other mediums present. This is just one step up from sidewalk chalk to me. I would like even more colors. However, this has a wide range of variety and great quality for a bargain.

My daughter likes these but I gotta say I was slightly disappointed. They advertise blending smoothly into each other as the "rainbow picture" on the box , where the artist should be able to overlap the colors and make a new color. They just do not work in such a way. It is very hard to get a smooth design out of these, the art comes out streaky and smudgy. They do not blend at all. The box states "Pastels apply smoothly and blend easily for subtle shades, tints and color mixtures." -- There is nothing subtle about the way the picture looks after trying to blend with these pastels. In all honesty, they just feel like glorified crayons. - Bargain - Oil Pastel - Oil Paints - Art Supplies'


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Good Value - sd card


This is a very nice stereo. with all the features you could really want plus some new features out that I really love. the stereo tuner works great as does the cd player. i have not used the aux jack yet but i have used the usb port. which was the main selling point for me and it is so awesome and convient. it even displays all the information for each song file. you can skip ahead or back ten songs at a time. the remote control makes things easier when your driver just be sure to keep it someplace where it wont fall between the seats.

The only negative that I have experienced with this car stereo is when I put the usb drive in and remove it. for some reason it wipes out the tuner station presets i have programed in. other then that this is a solid stereo system. Naxa NCA-683 Fold Down Full Detachable PLL Electronic Tuning Stereo AM/FM.MPX Radio MP3/CD Player

Purchased this item cheap and that's exactly what I got. As stated in many naxa car stereo reviews it keeps resetting randomly the memory. The yellow cord is connected and confirmed 12v going through it. Do not buy this or any naxa car stereo products. - Sd Card'


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Cordless Drills - cordless drills, makita drill


I had purchased the Mikita Impact Driver with the same batteries that this drill uses. The batteries last and charge quickly. Since I use these two tools around the house, having two batteries between the impact and the drill works out fine.



The one thing I have encountered (not sure it is severe enough to call it a complaint) is the grip on the chuck. The chuck is ribbed with small ridges. When tightening the chuck the drill is powerfull enough to spin the chuck in your hand and a couple times I have burned my hand from the friction.



Other than this very small "nit" the drill is great. Bare-Tool Makita BDF452Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Driver/Drill (Tool Only, No Battery) - Makita Drill - Cordless Drills'


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Digital Camera - canon, digital slr


I have had this bag now for over 9 months and can honestly say it has more then surpassed my expectations. It stores everything I need when out with family or friends to catch all the action in one convenient place.



In the center of the bag I have the following:

1. Rebel XT body

2. Canon 430EX Flash

3. 17mm-85mm Lens

4. 75mm-300mm Lens

5. Sony Handycam Video Recorder

6. Power plug for charging Video Recorder



On the sides I store the Battery Chargers and Batteries for Flash, Camera and Video Camera, plus Tapes for the Video Camera. The front holds all the manuals for everything and a few extra Memory Cards and lens covers. Even after this, there is still space in the bag for other things. The bag has held up very well and can see no signs of wear or tear after dragging this bag all over the place for the last 9 months. Canon 2400 SLR Gadget Bag for EOS SLR Cameras

I purchased this bag for my Canon digital rebel XT. It's durable and well built. Some what smaller than advertised but I'm sure it's ideal under most circumstances. Perfect if you have a camera body and single lens. However, I returned it in exchange for the Canon 200DG bag which is larger and could accommodate up to 3 lens, camera body and accessories easily. The 2400SLR bag has plastic latches, rings and zippers. The Canon 200DG has heavy metal latches and is constructed with thicker padding and heavy duty zipper and pouches. The price of the 2400SLR is very reasonable and a great value for the money. But, if you are planning to carry a camera body and 2 or more lens, I would not recommend this bag.

I am very pleased with this bag. It is a perfect fit for my Canon EOS 20D camera body and two lenses plus flash unit. Plus, there is room for another lens (a soon to be added zoom lens). Plenty of compartments and zippered pockets around the perimeter for carrying accessories. It even has a strap on the bottom for carrying a tripod. The bag is lightweight, water repellant, and has the interchangeable dividers so you can arrange the interior contents into any configuration you like. Well worth the price and works fine unless you plan on carrying more than 3 lenses.

If you're reading this review now, then you must be debating on whether to purchase this bag or not. My answer would be to buy it!! Initially I bought a samsonite bag, but I quickly out grew that one. This canon bag (after repositioning the velcro dividers) can fit all of the following:



1. rebel xt body w/ the kit lens attached

2. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

3. Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

4. Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash

5. Duracell 15 min charger

6. misc (cards, cords, chargers)



*** and i still have room ***



You might be thinking that the bag is heavy, but it's not because everything is so easily distributed in the bag.

I already had an older camera bag and thought it was time for a new one to go with my new Rebel XT and lenses. I have a lot of smaller accessories that easily fit into any of the various pockets and have room for more. The only annoyance (minor) is that the strap connection to the bag is not the swivel type and I find myself having to re-twist the strap to the correct position before putting it over my shoulder.

This is a good looking convenient bag. Has lots of compartments and tons of stuff can fit in. In general works pretty well. Here are a few drawbacks:



1. The divider is set up in a way the body and lens need to be separated to be stored. I used to have a lens attached to the body all the time in my old Tamco bag and this is new to me.



2. My 70-200 F4/L is too long to be stored in there. Which is not a gignatic lens.



3. The partition desgin is not that flexible.



Then I have only had this for a week and not sure if i know all the tricks yet.

I got tired of carrying two separate bags for my Digital Rebel (with two lenses) and Sony D8 camcorder (larger than DV camcorder). I wanted a bag that's big enough to carry all my digital gears. After looking around at Wolf Camera and other retailers, I decided to give this bag a try. It turned out to be a GREAT decision! With re-arranging the dividers included, I was able to fit the above gears plus a couple of D8 tapes, SONY camcorder power cords, Canon battery charger, Canon user's manual, additional film memory into this medium show-box sized bag. It is the least expensive and great quality bag around. Highly recommended to anyone with similar needs.

When I was looking for a camera/gear bag, I first checked the usual suspects: Lowepro, Tamrac, etc. They had the product I was looking for; however, at a price that was out of my budget. I then decided to check our Canon's. To my surprise and delight they had exactly what I was looking for: something semi-hard, protective, weather-proof and within my tight budget. I ended up deciding for getting couple of these guys and am nothing but satisfied. This bag is spacious and exactly as advertised.

If has configurable inner dividers so you can customize how it fits your precious equipment. Very easy te get things in and out of, and it can pack a lot! I usually carry my camera with a 28-135 lens attached, two other lenses, batteries, a few filters, couple of lense's hoods and a few memory cards. It all fits and everyting stays in place. In short, a superb value. If you're looking for an inexpensive camera/gear bag, this is the one to get! - Photography - Digital Slr - Digital Rebel - Canon'


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Memory Cards - micro sd, sandisk


I bought 8 units of those and although the product works perfectly, I have two concerns.

The first one is that the picture shows an 8GB CLASS 4 chip, while the product I received was a CLASS 2. The trick here is that the description text or the part number does not show that difference at all. Is that on purpose or just just a coincidence?

Second and not least important is that the shipping charges/policies needs to be reviewed. It is not right to charge about US$7 to ship one unit, while if you need 5 units you have to pay 35$ for shipping. SanDisk 8GB MicroSD Card ( SDSDQ 008G A11M)

Due to my satisfaction with the 4GB Micro SDHC from Sandisk, I decided to upgrade to an 8GB version. The 4GB I bought at my local BestBuy, but this time I wanted to save a few dollars, so I ordered from Amazon, in particular the seller "Digital Media Source."



Once I received the product, I noticed that it was in what is called "Bulk Packaging," (just the card inside a plastic case with no sealed manufacturer packaging)not RETAIL packaging as the item description suggested.



Either way, I figured I'd use it. I copied roughly 7GB's worth of music and video over to it. I then inserted the card into my HTC phone. After two days, the card was corrupted. Corrupted in the sense that I had to reformat it. The VERY NEXT day, the same thing happened! Two days after the second corruption, it happened again. I had not experienced this with my 4GB that I bought retail at BestBuy, EVER - It has not corrupted on me to this day.



So I decided to contact Sandisk for support, and they asked me to email them macro photo shots of the card, so I did. Two days later, I received an email from Sandisk support telling me that the card was in fact counterfeit. He stated that the simple fact that the card came in "Bulk packaging," is almost enough to tell whether it's counterfeit or not, but that what led him to his conclusion was the imprint of the Sandisk logo and the other text on it. He suggested I get my money back from Digital Media Source, here on Amazon, but I have not. I've decided to just copy my contents over to it whenever it corrupts as an 8GB Micro SDHC card costs much more at a retail store.



So my overall suggestion to you as a buyer, is that if you are looking for a legitimate card, to make sure that what you're receiving is in retail packaging. If you pay as little as I did, under 15 bucks, you might be getting a counterfeit card. You ultimately get what you pay for.

Have used this card in the Curve 8830 from Verizon, the Pearl 8130 from Verizon, and the Pearl 8100C from AT&T. The Verizon phones were running stock firmware version 4.3. The AT&T 8100C was upgraded to the new 4.5 release and I cannot confirm that 8GB would be supported in the older 4.2 release.



In all cases, it worked perfectly and is great to have so much storage available. Amazing how much prices have come down on these cards.

I just got my memory yesterday, installed it in my phone and it's great. This memory is even faster then my 2GB microSD memory, I guess this is a 4 HC card. :)



Highly recommended for mobile users seeking to get more memory.

I bought this for my Sansa Fuze. Works great and as another review says it does come with an adapter for use in normal SD card slots even though the description doesn't say anything about it. I ended up buying one in the same order because I didn't think it came with one :(

I have a Nokia 5310 which is supposed to support upto 4gb. However when I heard some rumors about it supporting 8gb microSDHC cards, I decided to try this sandisk card.



The PROs:

1. It works fine for music, the phone recognised 8gb, so I am happy.

The CONs:

1. It did not come along with a card reader as I read in an earlier review.

2. The picture shows it to be class 4, but the shipped card is class 2, so

I cant play videos from it which my phone supports. The phone could play

videos smoothly from the card that came in the phone package.



Overall I am satisfied with the card at this price though.

I purchased 2 of these for use with my and my wife's LG Dare cell phones. This product was easily recognized by the phones. The phone recognized 7.4 gb of space usable for storage on this card. The card is a class 2 card and came with an adaptor for use as a regular sized SD card. I had no problems with data transfer. In all, I gave this 5 stars for accuracy of description as well as the card functioning exactly as it should.

Their shipping charges are outrageous. They charged me $9.44 shipping for a *1 oz.* order that arrived in a padded mailer and cost $1.22 to ship via the US Postal Service (first class mail). $9.44 for one ounce!

DONT BUY from Digital Media Source!!!!

I specifically ordered the retail packaging..and it was sent in bulk.

Should have known this was a bad vendor, when they charge $4.95 S&H..and it cost 64 cents to ship.

This is where they make their money..as you can never get that back..nice gig for them.

The white text on the card is poorly done and doesnt match the standard image.

Reported to seller and awaiting feedback. - Sandisk - Micro Sdhc - Micro Sd - Memory Card'


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Digital Audio Cable - audio cables, digital audio cable


The price on this item was great, however when I tested it in my car with my iphone I found that it only works correctly if you do not move the cable/plugs while in use. After plugging it in, as soon as I moved my iphone to set it down the sound started to cut out. I then tried to test it by wiggling the plugs on both ends, and it appears that the plugs aren't sturdy enough to make a good connection with either device. I currently have a Dynex brand cable for my car for this purpose and it works great with no issues....when it is plugged in, no matter how much you move the cord or plugs the sound stays strong and doesn't cut out...it is much thicker and the plugs much sturdier than this cable which I believe to be the reason it works so much better. This cable was going to be for our boat stereo, however I went ahead and ordered the Dynex cable for just a couple dollars more and will trash this one....not worth sending back for the cost. Hope this information helps anyone who is considering buying this item. Professional Cable ST35MM-06 Stereo 3.5mm 6-ft M/M Cable - Black

Upon measuring the cord, I found that it was truly on 5 feet long, which isn't a big deal for my purposes, but may be an issue for others looking to purchase. Other than that, it is a good product at a good price.

I have had this now for a few weeks. The moment I took it out of the package and hooked it to my stereo i knew there was a problem. My reason for buying this was to use to connect my ipod to my stereo. At first I thought maybe a speaker was out. But no, i started to move the cord around when moving my ipod and the music was cutting in and out. Now I have to sit there and move it around until it finally works. I wouldn't recommend this unless you have extra time on your hands....

You know what they say, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". The cable is thick and the connections look substantial, but looks can be deceiving. The connections are poor, resulting in that awful crackling sound that is made while you twist the connection trying to get the sound to come through clearly. I tried it with two different IPods and the problem remained. For the price, less than $3.00, it was not an expensive mistake, but it was still a mistake.

These cables do not work well. When I took it out of the package I was not impressed with the thickness of the wire. They seem very cheaply made. Considering the price, I guess it's not surprising. It wouldn't be a big deal if the cable actually worked. The sound is intermittent when connecting my mp3 player to my car stereo. The wire needs to be bent a certain way for the sound to work. I will be throwing it away and purchasing a different cable.

Works just as i wanted to. I have a cable like this before but it wasnt long enough so i got this in a longer length. I connect my computer to the back of my Sony Bravia 40" HDTV and I have an optic cable from my tv to my Sony 7.1 AV receiver so i get the surround sound from my receiver for all the programs i run on my computer. Lots of different uses for this cable, not just for headphones, ipods or mp3s. Enough said.

I bought this so I could connect my MP3 play to my vehicle's sound system. The cord feels durable even though it seems "thin". The rubber feels very strong, but it is flexible unlike thicker, traditional audio cords, which allows for easier folding to get it out of the way. The sound quality is superb through it. - Digital Audio Cable - Ipod Cable - Audio Cables - Cable Connectors'


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Skin Laboratory - peels, peel


I want to add to the reviews that I studied esthetics and carried a license as an esthetician for a period of time and I used peels and various glycolic and lactic acids on clients and for personal use. I can attest to the quality of these. I was weary at first because I have ordered on line in the past and ended up with something that just burnt the skin and did more damage than good. There is a wide range of quality associated with these peels, and this product is one of the best. There was a slight burn/tingling when I applied it, but it left the skin just "sunkissed" looking. No peeling or down time involved...and it really did the job to remove the superficial layer of skin and create a healthy glow. I would highly recommend this. One last note...it is not recommended to apply peels in the summer months because removing layers of dead skin cells makes you much more vulnerable to damage from the sun. Although I know better than to use it in mid-July as I have been...I am super careful to be sure to apply a minimum of 20 spf for every day and 40 spf and a hat on sunny days spent outdoors. Glyco-Lac/60, Level 2 Gel Peel -30 ml/1 fl oz

This product arrived the next day , I was shocked how quick to came. I have mild sun damage, enlarged pores and have always had acne issues-blackheads on the nose, mild sebaceous cyst like, congested skin so my skin has mild scarring-texture and acne marks and oily skin, mostly t-zone area.

I have only used it twice, every 5 days, but have noticed an improvement in skin condition, texture is improving, my skin feels better, acne is alot better, minor wrinkles seem to be improving, acne scars look to be less, moisturizer seems to soak into my skin better not just "sit " on top anymore -skin seems more "plump", haven't noticed much with the age spots/sun damage yet, but will see after a few more applications. I feel comfortable now going out without having putting on alot of makeup to cover those issues, just a little concealer & power and I'm good, no more heavy makeup base.

I was able to leave this on my skin starting at 3 minutes I am now up to 5, it does have a mild sting to it, didn't have much redness and what was there was better by morning. I did used a mix of about a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water for a neutralizer which did help, I splashed it on my skin after rinsing product off, left it sit for a minute or two then rinsed that off. My skin is sensitive to alot of products, but wasn't overly irritated by this, what I would say would be acceptable. My skin didn't flake, appear overly dry or "peel" and I used the Dandelion moisturizer from Better Botanicals afterwards.

My skin is improving and hope the age spots start to fade a bit more. I would recommend this product, but everyone's skin is different, and do a test patch to figure out the tolerance for your skin.

Also I am a VERY picky on products I use for my skin, this so far is making a difference in the right direction and I will continue to use it!

This product came with a small bottle of the salicylic acid peel, which i used beforehand. It was much stronger than this to me, but i dealt with it, plus it was nice that they included it in the package. I had yet to find something that would lighten the noticable dark places on my face but this has done it. i am in my early 40s and although my skin was not really bad, it has made a noticable difference, especially in the tone. it does tingle upon application but doesn't burn, and I had no peeling effect, but i am overall happy with it and will be ordering more.

I ordered this after reading about the benefits of glycolic and lactic acid peels. Ever since I turned 24 (I'm 25 now) my face just EXPLODED! I haven't had a clear, unzitty day so far! (And recently it's been getting worse)....



I read about how these acids help to "Unglue" the dead skin cells from your face so that the fresh skin cells can regenerate better and also the dead cells won't be able to clog up into pores (Which is one reason for acne)..... The minute I read this I had to try a peel and see if it would help me skin!



I put it on last night, only kept it on for 2 minutes and then rinsed it off thoroughly. I also bought the pH balancer to use as an after treatment. SO far my skin FEELS so soft and LOOKS a LOT smoother. I'm waiting for the remaining spots I have on my face to heal up and then in the next week or so I will let you know if this helps keep new breakouts at bay by keeping my face regenerating........ I HOPE THIS WORKS!



EDIT: It is now 01/14/09 and WOW! What a difference! At first I used this peel once a week for about a month and MAN! It makes your skin so smooth and soft. After about two weeks I noticed I had not had ONE cystic zit! NONE! (I was still getting littler ones here and there but they were NOTHING compared to the big painful cystic zits I would normally get!) And now, two months later and my face is almost completely clear. I get about one zit a week, and it goes away FAST! I am so happy I found something that helped my acne prone skin! - Peels - Peel - Facial - Skin Laboratory'


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