September Favourites ’22

I can’t quite believe how quickly September flew by. Literally it felt like yesterday it was the first full week of September, so the fact it’s now the second day of October… It’s just mad!

I’m rather excited for October due to Halloween, as well as Bonfire Night looming. It’s also at the end of the month when me and Dane have some time off together to celebrate the colder celebrations of the year and more. Not to mention the excitement of Pokemon Scarlett and Violet coming out next month too! November is an exciting month, but I’ll save chatter about that for next months favourites post. 😉 So yeah, October is a bit of a calm before the storm kind of month for us.

A lot happened in September with (what felt like) events left, right, and centre! I do just want the world to slow down a little to be honest… I’m wary we’re less than 100 days until Christmas and God knows how many until my 33rd birthday… I looked… 96 days…

One thing I’m especially excited for for the rest of the year is how many people I’m meeting who I’ve befriended thanks to the internet and similar interests. This time next week I’ll be meeting up with someone I befriended through a Discord, which I know we’re both excited for! 😀

I’m going to jump straight into the September favourites, as I’m wary I’m going to waffle on! 😛

Beauty – Dove Body Scrub Pomegranate Seeds & Shea Butter and Dove Body Scrub Crushed Macadamia & Rice Milk.

This was a more recent purchase that I got towards the end of September, and in a short space of time it has fast become a favourite! I love a good body scrub, especially foaming ones as I feel like they’re sort of cleaning as they scrub. Anyone else feel like that? Anyway, to be honest I mostly use body scrubs on my underarms and legs before shaving. However, I will use all over too if I feel it’s needed. I picked up two types of the Dove body scrub, Pomegranate Seeds & Shea Butter and Crushed Macadamia & Rice Milk, as at the time of purchasing (and publishing this post) they were buy one get one free from Superdrug. I have wanted to try the Dove body scrubs for a while now, so didn’t see the harm in taking up the offer! These have fast become a staple for sure as they smell really good and leave my skin feeling soft and moisturised after use. They’re not rough in terms of scrubbiness, which is ideal if you have sensitive skin. I had a horrible allergic reaction on my legs to a body scrub recently (name here) so my legs are grateful for the Dove body scrubs, that’s for sure. My only problem with the Dove body scrubs is that we don’t have as much choice as America do. For example, they have the Brown Sugar & Coconut Butter, which I would LOVE to get one day!

Movie – Kalifornia.

I’ll pre-warn you now, the trailer for this film is so cringe and typical of the early 90’s. I remember watching this film with my parents when I was a teenager, and although it’s classed as a horror/thriller, we found so many parts hilarious due to some of the stuff Early would come out with. Kalifornia is about a writer and his photographer girlfriend, who are planning to drive from Kentucky to California, writing and taking photos for his book as they go. Due to the costs of such a trip, they advertise for people to travel with them, with the advertisement being filled by Early and his girlfriend. Prior to leaving and during their trip, things go from weird, to bad. On my dad’s birthday we spoke about the film again, one Dane had never heard of before, so I decided to buy it for us to watch one evening. I think due to the trailer (and the way we sold it to him) Dane didn’t expect much from it, but by the end of the film, he commented how much he enjoyed! I highly recommend if you fancy giving it a watch! It has a big cast with Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes.

TV Show – Bee & PuppyCat.

I’ve been so excited to talk about Bee & PuppyCat this month! As regular readers may have seen, I did talk about the show prior to it’s launch on Netflix at the start of September (which you can read here). I really loved the updated version of season one, however there were some hilarious and memorable moments from the original that I was sad not to see. I can only imagine they were so good previously that recreating them again wasn’t doable… But I don’t know. I won’t spoiler by mentioning what they are, but in the future I might write a blog post of what I thought of the Netflix version. To conclude here, I’m so excited for another season (there better be one!) as well the hype that is now around the show. I’ve always followed the hashtag on Instagram for the show so I always saw people’s posts about it. Since the show came out last month, I’m always seeing and discovering new people through Bee & PuppyCat, which in turn just makes me so happy!

Music – Electric Callboy Tekkno.

Electric Callboy’s new album Tekkno released towards the end of September, which both me and Dane were excited for! We were also meant to go and see the guys play last week but due to one of the singers falling ill, the gig has been postponed, which is a shame, but at the same time it’ll still be an amazing show! 😀 Tekkno is such a fun album and one I’ve been finding myself listening to lots since it came out, with putting it on in the morning on my way to work, whilst I’m working, as well as on my drive home! Electric Callboy are a band everyone should check out at some point, with their sound being a mixture of metal and electronic. We discovered them in 2020 when “Hypa Hypa” came out. Our friend told us about it and since then we’ve both been hooked!

Game – Bear & Breakfast.

I’ll be honest, as the days loomed for this game coming out, I did contemplate whether or not to buy. A review I watched mentioned how repetitive the game is, which wasn’t such an issue for me, but it did kind of put me off. Alongside that, I already have plenty of games to play so I was a bit torn. In the end, I bought it and have played it on and off the past couple of weeks! Bear & Breakfast is a game where you’re a bear and start a chain of bed and breakfasts in your woodland to try and encourage humans back to the forest. It’s a very basic game, but fun nonetheless if you want a game you don’t want to have to think too much about! Sadly the past week I haven’t touched it, as I’ve been working on some last minute cross stitch projects… More about that under other. 😛

Just a few of my favourite things…

Nature Centre, Birmingham.

I went out yesterday with my bestie and our best boys to see some cute animals at the Nature Centre in Birmingham, then lunch at our favourite independent coffee place. It was so lovely and I’m so glad the weather held up for us, as prior to that it has been fucking miserable! I started to really get into the autumnal feels and I honestly can’t wait for more of that. My bestie loves red pandas, so I told her it was time for us to go and see some in Birmingham! We picked the perfect day and time to go as there were hardly any people there, and with some coffees in hand, we walked around the park, in awe of the cute animals in front of us. I think the red panda knew it was the main reason for us going, as it really did do some poses for us. 😛

THIS IS HALLOWEEN, THIS IS HALLOWEEN!

Back in the summer my dad asked me if I could get him some vegetable seed packets. They didn’t have one he was after, so as I joke I decided to pick up some pumpkin seeds for him to try growing. They weren’t cheap, so I paid for them and we had a laugh about it. The above photo is from yesterday. I cannot believe just how well his pumpkins have grown! They look incredible and I’m so proud of him for giving it a go! He did give one to me to grow too, but we didn’t have the luck he did. This photo just gives me so many autumn and Halloween vibes, both of which I’m excited and beyond ready for now!

“Kiki, look it’s me!”

FYI I will be posting a blog post up all about this glass, and shirayukinikki, the store/artist behind it so keep eyes peeled for that this month! Back a couple of months ago me and one of my newer friends decided to go halves on shipping some glasses by shirayukinikki to us. Since this arrived last month, I’ve been using it for iced drinks, alcohol and even just glasses of squash. I really love the Jiji and Lily bakery design behind it and couldn’t resist. Of course if you aren’t aware, the design is inspired by Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service, which you should go and watch if you haven’t before!

Kawaii goods.

Finally, I want to show off some cute items that arrive the past few weeks, because why not!

The first image is of my honey bear gacha by shigematsu_kun that my friend Emily was kind enough to add to her From Japan order for me! I’d seen someone buy the four honey bear gacha and showcase them on an Instagram reel, I knew I needed them! Once Emily sent them to me, I decided to stick them on my desk monitor as I thought it was the perfect home for them! I love when I’m working from home, or sitting at my desk that I can look up and see the four little cuties sat there! My desk is growing more adorable and I love it!

The second image is of my Toast the raccoon plushie by Yencat! I backed it on Kickstarter earlier this year in February, alongside with a plush pouch too. This guy is a CHONK and I love it! It’s a lovely plush for cuddling due to this, but as I already have one mochi plush I use for cuddling, I’m going to purely keep Toast for display purposes. As I may have mentioned before on my blog, raccoons feel like my spirit animal and due to that I do adore them, but this is actually my first raccoon plush! I don’t think I could have chosen a better one, do you? 😛

So, there we have it guys, my favourites from September! It flew by, didn’t it? 😛 I am excited for October though due to more autumnal vibes and Halloween. 😛

What were your favourite things about September? Are you excited for October too? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time, take care all and enjoy the rest of your weekends. 🙂

Quirkory – Mostari Mystery Pack Review AND An Exciting Announcement!

Guys I’m back to talk to you about Quirkory, what an amazing independent artist/store they are… As well as some exciting news, which I’ll be sharing first because I just can’t contain my excitement!

Image taken from GIPHY

Drumroll please… I have become Quirkory’s brand ambassador!

Not only has this made me really happy (because we all know how much I love Quirkory as a brand, he couple behind it and of course their kawaii designs!) but I feel honoured too. I’m honoured to be able to become an ambassador for a brand I really do love and especially love talking about on my blog, to people on messages/social media and more!

Quirkory were lovely enough to recognised how much I loved them and offered me to become an ambassador towards the end of 2020, with it all starting to become official on my birthday! If you didn’t know, Inari and Mosted are based off of the couple behind Quirkory and are their kawaii mascots for the brand. So, when they suggested me becoming an ambassador a while ago, we also discussed them creating a mascot all of my own to represent me! I gave them an idea and on my birthday they sent over the finished design, which I’m happy to finally show you all!

I went for a raccoon, as they are for sure my spirit animal (as well as one of my favourites alongside foxes, dogs and red pandas), so it seemed right for me. As well as that, I went for a purple bow around their neck, as that’s my favourite colour. I loved the idea of having my mascot with food/drink of some sort, especially considering the name of my blog is to do with coffee! We didn’t go with coffee however and instead opted for a matcha bubble tea, as this is one of my favourite beverages! The end design is so adorable and I couldn’t be happier with it! I’m planning to buy a print of it from Quirkory so I can pop it in a frame and hang it in the house. I’m honestly a mixture of happy and proud to now be more than just a fan/buyer of Quirkory, but now working with them too.

Of course, with being a brand ambassador I do get a special discount code for you guys to use to snag yourself a bargain or two! This code will be “TMBQUIRKORY” and gives you 10% off of Quirkory’s Etsy store. Don’t worry if you need to quickly grab the code in the future and can’t find this post, there’s a few ways this discount code will be accessible.

I’ll be adding the discount code and image, as well as this post under the “Quirkory” section of my blog, as shown in the image above. As well as that, I will of course have the discount code image on the right hand side of my blog, which will be added after this post is live!

Anyhoo, exciting announcement over, it’s time to talk about Quirkory’s Mostari Mystery Pack! This is an item Quirkory revealed and launched towards the end of 2020 and it’s something I KNEW I had to pick up for myself. It’s always nice to pick up a surprise box/bag to see what goodies you get. I know I often talk about Quirkory on my blog and for people who may have never bought anything from Quirkory before and interested, the Mostari pack may be a great way to introduce you to Quirkory!

I’m going to explain what the Mostari pack is all about, as well as prices, what you’ll expect as well as what I received in my pack! I have also done an IGTV video about this over on my Instagram account, which I will post here if you’re interested in watching that alongside reading this post.

The Mostari box comes in three different sizes, bag, mini box and large box.

Bag (£20.25) – You will receive three different pins or two different random pins and one surprise item.

Mini Box (£27.98) – You will receive three different pins or two different random pins and one surprise item. You will also received one art print and either two jumbo vinyl stickers or one stick pack/sheet.

Large Box (£41.59) – You will receive five different pins or four different random pins and one surprise item. You will also received one art print and either two jumbo vinyl stickers or one stick pack/sheet.

I went for the large box, because why not? 😛 It arrived before Christmas and I was SO HAPPY with all of the goodies I received. Quirkory made sure that I didn’t receive any duplicate items and I couldn’t thank them enough for this! To be honest, if I had of received some duplicate enamel pins, I would have gifted them to my friends. 🙂

Image taken from Quirkory’s Etsy store.

First of all the image that Quirkory designed purely for the Mostari pack is absolutely adorable! It’s Inari and Mosted looking inside the Mostari box in front of them, which is full of sparkle! The name Mostari is also a mash up of Inari and Mosted to sound like mystery!

Inside the box it is full of shredded pink and blue tissue paper, as well as the goodies all in their packages and such. I’m going to talk about all the goodies I received, honestly I couldn’t be happier with them! There is also a thank you card in there with some cute animal designs on! I’d like to think these are Quirkory’s pets…

Every box may contain common, discontinued or new/unreleased items. Due to this each box will have a random different rarity grade:

Common- if containing items with a stock of more than 30 pieces.

Rare – if containing items with a low stock.

Vaulted – if containing items no longer on sale or out of stock.

Surprize – if containing a new item not yet listed for sale/not yet shown to the public.

• Sticker Pack – Chillin’ Pals Sticker Set (link)

When I saw this in the box, I was so surprised! I’ve been meaning to buy this sticker pack for the longest time, but just keep leaving it for a rainy day when I fancy a treat. I finally have them and they’re so cute! The stickers themselves are matte and not shin. There are four stickers in the pack, all to do with dogs and cats and are original Quirkory designs and even have their own names.

Luci is a black cat and white cat with a blue beanie on and a book in front of them. The book has sparkles and swirls, which I assume are to show Luci getting into the magic of the book.

Doteki is actually my favourite from the bunch and looks to be a shiba who is chilling on Petflix with some film/TV show snacks and even a hot water bottle! Plus, he’s got cute little feet pads and a little cross to show his bum… So cute!

Snoozin is a ginger and white cat who is asleep under the blue fluffy blanket. They’re dreaming about sleeping in a box in the sunshine. Snoozin also has a cute little red bow around their neck.

Yuki is the final design and is a cute little shiba wrapped up for winter months. I don’t know why but this design reminds me of Japan in winter. Yuki is a brown and white suba, with pink earmuffs on, a massive chunky blue tartan scarf and some cute little pink mittens.

• Art Print – Happy Togedeer Art Print (link)

I’ve seen this print before receiving it in my Mostari pack due to being a Patreon and it was actually a design they released as wallpapers for computers, phones and tablets so it was so cute to receive in my pack! It’s two deer snuggling together, one is white and one is brown, with a little heart above them both. The pale blue background works really well and it says, “Happy Togedeer” at the top. It’s printing on photo paper and feels really lovely. I’m planning to keep either stick this on my plushie cabinet, or keep it somewhere safe for when I eventually get my own desk. 🙂

• Rare – Mew enamel pin from the Mythical Rising Star collection (link)

This Mew enamel pin is from Quirkory’s first Kickstarter which launched back in March 2019. It’s crazy to think that was almost two years ago! I hadn’t discovered Quirkory at this point but if I had I know for a fact I would have backed for this enamel pin design. Mew is one of my favourite Pokemon and they really captured how playful and cute the psychic Pokemon is with this design! Mew is sat against a blue stained glass design, with a purple bow design on its tail and some star designs hanging from its tail too. This is a chain design enamel pin so it does have something dangling off of it. With Mew the design is a pink and purple swirl, which I assume is based off of it being psychic Pokemon. It’s on a rose gold enamel, is a two back pin for the main body of the design and then another back for the pin for the dangle/chain swirl design too. As well as that on the back of the main design of the piece is Quirkory’s logo. There are loads of designs similar to this one including Diancie, Victini, Celebi, Shaymin, Jirachi, Marshadow, Manaphy, Zeraora and Meloetta.

• Rare – Flower Eevee enamel pin from the Cute Eeveelutions collection (link)

This series of flower Eeeveelution is from the Kickstarter that helped me to discover Quirkory after buying some of the Greek Eeveelutions designs through it, as well as after (you can read all about the Greek Eeveelution designs here). The first enamel pin I opened from my Mostari box was this design and it made me smile so much! This cute little Eevee is laid back on a white flower, with it’s fluffy tail dangling below it, I think it’s having a snooze! I love the big green leaves for this flower too, as it compliments the overall colours of Eevee and the flower. This is a gold enamel pin, with two backs and Quirkory etched into the back.

• Rare – Flower Flareon enamel pin from the Cute Eeveelutions collection (link)

Again, we have another Eeveelution design from the Kickstarter I backed back in 2019. As you can see I also received the Flareon design which really did make me smile. Back when I discovered Quirkory they thanked me for all their support by sending me the Flareon Greek God design, so it’s really nice to get Flareon again! The Flareon, like Eevee is lying on it’s back, but Flareon has its paws up to its face, almost like its giggling at something. It is lying on a purple flower, which like the Eevee design compliments the colours of Flareon’s orange and yellow so well! Alongside the Eevee and Flareon designs, you can also pick up the other Eeveelutions too – Leafeon, Vaporeon, Sylveon, Espeon, Jolteon, Umbreon and Glaceon.

• Rare – Yamper Corgi enamel pin (link)

The Yamper design is adorable and one I’ve toyed with buying for a while. I actually think the Quirkory design for Yamper is better than the original by Pokemon… 😛 It’s not an overly complicated design and the Yamper definitely shouts corgi when you look at it. It also has a little blep going on, which makes it even more adorable, alongside with the way it’s sat. This is a gold enamel pin, with two pin backs and Quirkory etched into the back of it.

• Vaulted – Bulbakura Enamel Pin (link)

Alongside the Mew enamel pin, this Bulbasaur enamel pin is also from Quirkory’s first Kickstarter from March 2019. To me this Bulbasaur design is different to anything Quirkory has done since and because of this I’m glad to finally own it! It’s a gold Bulbasaur with a pink cherry blossom on it’s back instead of the bulb we all know and recognise the Pokemon for. Due to the Bulbasaur being gold, of course the enamel is gold too and like pretty much all of the pins I received, it has two backs as well as Quirkory etched into the back of the enamel pin. It’s quite a thick enamel pin to be honest, which is really nice to hold. I can’t wait to display this in the future, the gold makes it lovely and shiny so it’ll definitely be a conversation starter in the future.

• Surprize – Totodile Patch

This was actually such a surprise and was the first thing I opened when in my Mostari box! I’ve never seen Quirkory sell patches before so if this is an upcoming project I’m excited for it! This is a patch with Totodile on and he’s holding a hose pipe which he’s shooting water out of. It took me a while to realise what it was, but coming out of his head is a needle and thread, which looks really cool and unique. I’m not sure what I’m going to put my patch on yet but I’m sure I’ll find something soon. 🙂

I also received some other goodies in my pack, but this was more of a thank you from Quirkory for supporting them, plus as I’m a Patreon, it was also a thank you for that too! As always, Quirkory also sent a really lovely thank you note. I’m not going to share it as it feels more personal, and I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned before on my blog, but all the thank you notes Quirkory have sent me, I’ve kept. 🙂 They also sent me a special discount code for their store as a thanks for being a Patreon.

• Detective Pikachu Sticker (link for sticker pack)

This Detective Pikachu design looks to be from a sticker pack, but I honestly love the design I was sent. Detective Pikachu is holding his little takeaway coffee cup and looks adorable as anything! Why do I feel Quirkory sent me this because it’s to do with coffee? 😛 It’s a matte sticker by the way. I don’t have a clue where I’m going to stick him yet, but I’m sure I’ll find something.

• Whipped Ghost Sticker (link)

This is another design I’ve seen floating around Patreon and one that reminds me of autumn/fall in America. It’s a pumpkin pie with little candy corns on it, as well as a happy dollop of cream! It’s so bloody cute. This is a vinyl sticker. I think Quirkory should definitely do more food themed designs. 😛

• Inari & Mosted Christmas and Autumn Stickers (Sorry no link…)
  

Quirkory sent me some of their mascot stickers and I always smile when they send me some! They’re so cute and I actually have quite a lot of the mascot stickers on my iPad case, including the Christmas Inari and Mosted they sent me from last Christmas (2019). Inari has reindeer antlers on, whilst Mosted wears a Christmas hat. These are small stickers and matte. The other two designs they sent me look like they’re from autumn. Inari is dressed up a cream squirrel and holding onto an acorn whilst Mosted is dressed as a squirrel too but is a dark brown and is holding onto a toadstool/wild mushroom. These two designs are adorable!

Sadly neither of these designs are available to buy on the store, however here are some Inari and Mosted designs you can check out instead – Halloween Stickers and summer stickers.

So that is the Mostari box! I’m so glad I picked one up before Christmas as it was so exciting to open it up! I don’t know if any young Brits from the 90’s remember, but there used to be such a thing as a “surprise” bag you could buy from the shop where it was a sealed bag full of exciting goodies to keep you busy! It would have an activity book, some crayons, as well as a toy and sweeties. My mom would buy me one every now and then and I really did love it. I just googled it ad FOUND IT! It was called Dick Turtle Surprise Bag. This is exactly what the Mostari box reminded me of and it definitely brought back some nostalgic memories, which have been lovely.

I’m going to add all of Quirkory’s social media pages and especially their store below:

Store (Etsy)

Instagram

Patreon

Facebook

Twitter

So, do you think you’ll pick up your own Mostari box? If so, what size would you opt for and what goodies would you hope to get inside your box? Of course if you are interested in getting a box of your own, you can use my discount code to save yourself some monies as well, which is always good! 😀

Let me know what you think in the comments below and make sure to say hello to Quirkory from me if you find yourself making a purchase, posting on their social media and more. 🙂

Until next time guys, I hope you’re all doing well and keeping safe during lockdown with everything going on. Take care all! 🙂

Shop Small – Claire Likes To Doodle*

Can you believe Christmas is now less than a month away? With Christmas comes Christmas present shopping, have you started yours yet? I have and I’m almost finished! I know some people who wait until the last minute to buy their presents and some who buy them throughout the year.

I like to get my shopping done early and always have done so that I have more money for Christmas parties and trips to the German Market throughout December… None of those are happening this year due to COVID… 😛

However this year I have decided to shop small and mostly buy Christmas presents through small and independent artists. Some own their own stores online and host on websites like Etsy. I’ll be writing and sharing more stores with you in the coming weeks.

Today I want to talk about my good friend Claire, who owns Claire Likes To Doodle. I spoke about Claire and her commission work last summer (which you can read here) and we have decided to work together again, but this time to talk about her online store!

Claire opened her store again around July this year and since then she has filled it with loads of amazing goodies – especially her original character Bernard.

Since working together last year Claire wanted to share an update in regards to how her work has changed since then, as well as how Claire Likes To Doodle will be in 2021!

The last time I was featured on Nat’s blog, it was primarily for my chibi work. That was my main focus for commissions and merch too. I’m still a commission artist, I do watercolour pieces and portraits, MTG alters and tokens. My personal work has changed up a fair bit though!

The great (and sometimes frustrating) thing about being an artist is that you’re constantly evolving and changing up your work and style until you settle into what you love creating best. I found that when I was doing Inktober 2019 and I introduced a little monster called a Bernard. Since then I’ve been creating more and more work around Bernards and their world, and people have fell in love with them! I now have an active shop with Bernard goodies, original art and other oddities.

I’ve got big Bernard plans for 2021, watch this space… Once again, thank you Natalee for featuring me and letting me introduce Bernard to your lovely readers!

I really love when independent stores/artists I work with have an input in my posts to tell me all about them and how they got started, their store and plans for the future.

I have been friends with Claire since 2006 and our friendship has grown more and more as the years have gone by. I’m so proud of Claire for how far she has come and I have a feeling 2021 will be her year!

Inside this package there was a lovely note from Claire that really made me smile. As someone who has anxiety and depression this note is very much appreciated. Whenever people write down words like this, whether it be on a letter or a text I keep them and read them back when I feel down. I’ll be doing the same with this note too. 🙂

Claire kindly gifted me all the items in this post (apart from one item which I bought with my own money) for reviewing purposes. Apart from the quote above from Claire, all words are my own and items that are gifted will be marked with an *.

Claire has a variety of goodies on her store to buy from stickers, badges, original work, paintings, stationary and more. I was sent a little bit of everything to show to you today!

First things first – if you are UK based like Claire is – she offers Free UK shipping on certain items. If she does offer this, it will state it on the item in question e.g. stickers and badges. I felt this was an important note to add as I know a lot of people in the UK may be looking for small gift and stocking ideas for Christmas and throughout the year.

The cut off point for ordering in time for Christmas is Monday 14th December 2020. Commissions are now closed until January 2021.

Finally before I start to share the goodies share sent me – Claire Likes To Doodle is having a Black Friday sale! When you use the code “YOULLBEBACK” at checkout you will snag a cheeky 20% discount on everything in her shop. This is valid between Friday 27th November 12am GMT – Sunday 29th November 12am GMT. So, if you like the look of anything here, make sure to go and grab a bargain.

Oh… I also have an exclusive 10% discount code for Claire Likes To Doodle’s store, which will be on the right hand side of my blog moving forward. I have added it here though too for readers who my see some good below and want to make an order. 🙂

Finally… I’ll share with you the amazing goodies that Claire sent me! 😀

• Autumn Bernard – Square Sticker (link)*
• Autumn Bernard – 38mm Square Badge (link)*

A square sticker/badge with a cozy autumnal Bernard, enjoying her favourite pumpkin spice beverage and wrapped up warm. Take a bit of autumn with you wherever you go with this unique sticker.

As regular readers will know, I love enamel pins, badges and stickers! Badges remind me of my emo kid self back in the day, I would stick badges all over my bags and jackets to try and show off who I was as much as possible. This autumn Bernard is so perfect to me purely because I love autumn. It’s my favourite time of the year and Claire has captured that perfectly with her autumn Bernard design. My favourite colour is purple so I love that Bernard is wrapped up in purple accessories and is holding a warm drink. I also love the little pink flushed cheeks, just showing how cold it is where Bernard is. You can show really off your love of autumn all year around with both the badge and the sticker, as well as show off and support Claire’s original character.

• Chill AF Bernard – 32mm Badge (link)*

Need a little calm in your life? I get it. So does Bernard. May this 32mm button badge be a reminder to take a step back every now and again.

This chill AF Bernard is a reminder for everyone right now to take a deep breath and relax whenever you can. With the way the world is at the moment I think everyone could do with this badge as a reminder to step back and take a few minutes for yourself. It can also help with anxiety too to remind people to take care of themselves. I really love this badge and I think I’ll be sticking him on my work laptop bag to remind me to relax for five during the busy work day and grab a drink and maybe a casual chat with colleagues. 🙂 To add as well by the way that both of the badges I received from Claire are amazing quality. They feel really well made and sturdy!

• Flower Crown Bernard – Sticker (link)*

Original design – take this summer-themed Bernard wherever you want to go!

This Bernard reminds me of the summer, drinking with friends in beer gardens, going to festivals and basically summer vibes and activities with friends and loved ones before COVID. This is a sticker that reminds me that we need to be patient, because when COVID is gone – we can all have fun with our loved ones again and make some amazing new memories. The flower crown Bernard is so precious and I love how colourful the crown is! I wish my garden could look more like this. 😛

• Halloween Holographic Stickers (Halloween exclusive piece – not available to buy)*

Sadly these stickers aren’t available anymore, but Claire sent them me so I wanted to show them off to you guys! These were exclusive for Halloween and only stuck around the shop for a short period of time. There were two designs released with a baby Bernard inside of a pumpkin and a Bernard flying on a broom. They’re both so adorable and the fact they’re holographic too makes them feel even more spooky and seasonal for Halloween. The quality of these stickers is thicker than the other two stickers Claire sent me which is really cool! I might not stick these anywhere and actually use them as decorations for the Halloween season and stick them on my kitchen window! 😀 In the future keep your eyes peeled on Claire’s store for more store exclusives!

• Round Cat Painting (Twitch stream piece – not available to buy)

This is a painting I purchased on one of Claire’s streams in the summer during lockdown and sold pieces she painted on stream. Due to to COVID I’ve only recently received it due to not being able to meet up and such. I paid £10 of my own money for this print and have been so excited to add it to my little growing collection by Claire. It’s a little round cat that looks like a Siamese breed. It’s so derpy and cute that I just had to buy it! I’m not a cat person to be perfectly honest with you but the derpy look in this cats eyes just had me! It feels so… Expensive(?) if you will due to the special art paper Claire has used. It was so relaxing watching Claire paint this piece, it’s cool to now have it in person. 🙂

• Artgust – Original A6 Watercolour Paintings – Electric (link)*

Through the month of August 2020, I did a painting every day based on a prompt list put together by myself and my wonderful Discord community. A mix of funny pieces, sad pieces, portraits and Bernards done over 31 days! Each piece is A6 size, painted in watercolour.

The final piece I want to talk about that Claire sent me I was taken back by. I didn’t quite expect her to send me one of her watercolour paintings but I’m not going to complain, especially considering she sent me a Pokemon themed print! Back in August Claire took part in Artgust where you draw/paint something everyday of the month. This was day 28 of August and it’s titled “Pikachu”. As you can see it’s Claire’s original character Bernard who is surrounded by hearts and has a Pikachu on his head. It’s so bloody cute and I love it! This is going to go on my plushie cabinet alongside my other prints. I’ll be keeping it in the cellophane packet it came in to keep it safe. For an A6 print size it packs a punch and not only looks amazing, the quality of the piece itself feels high quality too and expensive.

Claire still has quite a few prints left from the Artgust challenge, as well as one she took part in in October called Annarack October that are all looking for homes! The prints created during October are all Bernard themed too, so if you like the look of Claire’s original character and would like to pick up something with them on, definitely go and check those prints out!

They’re all A6 size and cost £15 each. They’re also unique one of a kind pieces, no reprints here. Once they’re sold, they’re gone. For example if you go onto the website the Electric print is sold out, because of course I own it now.

I’ve had my eye on one for a while now and definitely contemplating buying it soon! It’s the Black design from Artgust. I’ve always loved the look of it and if there’s one style of art Claire does really well it’s the blackout style. She did it for a time on her Instagram page and it’s one I always find myself gravitating towards. Who knows, I may end up buying it after this post is live… 😉

Something else I may pick up soon for when I return to the office for work is the ‘Distanced’ A4 Year Planner 2021. Not only is it handy but also really nice to stick on the sides of my desk for a bit of artwork… Nothing wrong with livening your desk up, eh? 😀

So there you go guys, the first of many independent artists I’ll be talking about during shop small in December! I’m so happy that Claire Likes To Doodle could be the first one I talk about.

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What do you guys think of Claire’s designs and store? Will you be adopting a Bernard of your own in the form of a sticker, badge or print? 🙂 Make sure to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, take care guys and stay safe. 🙂

Quirkory Lunar Plushie Spookies Enamel Pins – Review

I can’t believe Halloween has now come and gone already… Was it really two weeks ago? It feels like a lot longer to be honest with you! I was so hyped up for Halloween this year but when it came down to the actual day it wasn’t as spooky as I’d hoped.

We visited a pumpkin patch and grabbed ourselves a huge pumpkin each to carve. Dane carved Calcifer (Howl’s Moving Castle) and I carved a spooky Pikachu. It was so much fun to do and they looked really cool in our kitchen window… They only lasted a few days though and I was a tad gutted. 😛

Back in August Quirkory released their Halloween collection Lunar Plushie Spookies enamel pins on their Etsy store for pre-order. I was on it as soon as they released and purchased two of the designs as well as some stickers.

I know Halloween has come and gone now, by spooky season is here all year for me, especially after this year and the designs Quirkory brought out aren’t just Halloween exclusives either.

I want to pop this here that this past year I have fallen in love with Quirkory’s designs and I get along really well now with the owners of the brand. We talk often and they’re so lovely to talk to! In September they opened their Patreon and I LOVE being able to see their updates weekly now about upcoming designs and projects, as well as some Patreon exclusive goodies.

For now let’s get down to the review of the spooky pins I picked up! I also want to mention here that due to being a Patreon and as a thank you from Quirkory they sent me some free goodies too. I was over the moon to see some extra goodies in my package. I won’t be marking these down as gifted but I will state which goods I bought and which were gifted.

The Lunar Spookies originally came out last year alongside the Eeveelution Greek Gods Kickstarter campaign and around a year later Quirkory decided to revamp those original characters to bring them into a plushie form! They even brought out a couple new characters too! Personally I much prefer the plushie revamp versions to the originals. Don’t get me wrong, the originals are adorable, but I feel with the plushie versions Quirkory’s unique style and eye for detail has really come through now.

Originally there were only five designs which consisted of Moodey the Spider, Tab the Bat, A-Ghostine the Ghost, Meowny the Cat and Moose the Mouse.

These have all been revamped, alongside with some new characters added to the mix too including – Poomkin (a mini enamel pin), Froogie Boogie and Meowny the Cat (lilac version).

I will pop a link here so you can check out all of the Lunar Plushie Spookies.

To start this post fully I’m going to be talking about the two enamel pins I bought, as well as one that Quirkory kindly gifted to me. 🙂

First of all, all designs are on a gold enamel with two pin backs, which is always good at making sure your pins are extra secure! They also all come with the etching “Lunar Spookies by Quirkory” on the back of them, even the mini pin! I always love when enamel pin artists have their brand names etched on the back of the enamel pins. It’s great when looking/showing pins off to people so you can tell them there and then who designed it. I have so many enamel pins, sometimes I forget who they’re by. 😛

Another thing to mention here is how cute the backing cards are! They so spooky with the full moon in the background. Did you know, on Halloween this year we had a blue moon? I ended up forgetting about it due to eating McDonalds and watching horror movies. 😛

One final thing to add that I love about this collection is the cute little tags that they all have on them to symbolise they’re plushies! This is what I mean when I say how I love Quirkory’s unique eye for detail. They put so much intricate detailing into their designs, whether they be enamel pins, prints or even stickers!

Flapping here and there, faster than wind, he’ll come on Halloween night to… suck… all your lollipops, and candies he can find!!!
Little Tab here has no qualms… He’s too much evil muhahahah.

Tab Enamel Pin (link) (original design)

I love bats and always have when it comes down to Halloween, which was down to a bat blow up decoration my mom bought me as a child. So when I saw the revamp of Tab I fell in love with him. He’s a mixture of light purple  with darker purple wings and patches on his body. Tab has clearly been loved and cuddled very much OR been through some battles as he has two patches, one on his ear and one on his body. I love the detailing of the patches with the little stitch marks and where it’s obvious a different material was used to fix him up. He also has a cute little smile, which makes it look devious due to his fangs. I think deep down he’s a little cutie, especially with his blushing cheeks and stars dotted around his body. I love this design so much! It reminds me of when I was a little kid with that bat toy my mom bought me. If Tab were to be a real plush, he’d definitely become a part of my collection!

Woooohhhhh… woooooohhh… scritch scratch… Strange creaks come from the room next door. Chills down my spine… the air is suddenly turning cold. S…s…some…something touched me?!?! A high-pitched squeal breaks the silence! But it’s not mine…
*DUMP!* Heyyyy is that you, A-ghostin?? What are you doing here in the dark?! And you… turned the air conditioning on?!
You scared me with all this noise and fuss!
You weren’t that cheeky last year! Since when you’ve become famous, met lots of people and went around their homes… you’ve also become all puffed up! And now you even do everything all on your own, tinkering here and there. You used to hide yourself always underneath that lil’ pumpkin… didn’t you?
How much has changed in a year! From a shy and curious lil’ thing to an effusive cuddly “soul” of the party! He now DEMANDS for YOUR cuddles.

A-Ghostin Enamel Pin (link) (original design)

I think A-Ghostin has stolen my heart. I forgot what his original design looked like and honestly it’s so adorable! It’s safe to say that out of all the Lunar Spookies, A-Ghostin is my favourite. I love ghost designs, there’s just something so adorable and mysterious behind them and throughout Halloween this year I have bought SO MANY ghost themed things. Out of them all though, A-Ghostin is up there as the best and my favourite. Like Tab, A-Ghostin’s design received the same attention to it’s design and it works so well! Of course A-Ghostin is white, he’s a ghost but he too has been through some wars of his own and has needed patching up. I love the Halloween themed colours of orange and purple that were used on him. The design of the patches are the same as Tab too, which is good. I especially love the cute little :3 smile that A-Ghostin has. He’s a shy little boy and his smile shows this, alongside his little arms and blushing cheeks. I love this design and if Quirkory don’t bring out a plushie of him… 😛

Ohhhhh but… yeah, it’s just Poomkin!!! He’s still too young to join the team, but he tries whenever he can to take part in their forays against crime! Such a little naughty rascal! After all, his dream is to become a real member of the team one day… and even the leader, no less! 😯 Well, it will certainly not be an easy task… but he’s already trying his very best aaaaand who knows, maybe thanks to his determination he might succeed at some point!

Poomkin Mini Enamel Pin (link)

This is the enamel pin that Quirkory sent me as a thank you for not only being a Patreon, but for also supporting them throughout the past year. So I just want to say a HUGE thank you to them for sending me this little cutie!

Poomkin is new to the Lunar Spookies and he’s so small and precious! I’ve never been a massive pumpkin fan in anyway shape or form, but I really do love this design. For a mini pin he packs a punch and as always there are those unique details from Quirkory in there. I love that his stem is purple, keeping with the Halloween themed colours. His smile is so precious and baby like, but all with the Jack ‘O Lantern theme too!

As I mentioned alongside the enamel pins I also ordered some stickers as well! I decided to order a pack of the Lunar Plushie Spookies vinyl stickers, but Quirkory sent me LOADS for free as well as a thank you. 🙂

Lunar Plushie Spookies Vinyl Sticker Pack (link)

I knew I wanted to get some of the stickers of the characters from the Lunar Plushie Spookies as whilst I loved all of the designs my heart truly fell in love with just the two (three if you count Poomkin after he arrived!). The stickers are so cute and I’m glad to not only have Tab and A-Ghostin, but the whole gang! They’re a great size and the quality feels lovely. Each character also has a colour background around them which I thought was a nice touch. Most of the stickers I own by Quirkory are paper so it makes a nice change to have vinyl. I think I also received a sticker of everyone in one big signed due to pre-ordering my enamel pins. This one is especially cute! 😀

Inari & Mosted Halloween Sticker Pack (link)

This is another extra thing that Quirkory sent me as a thank you! It’s almost like they read my mind as I’ve been meaning to order the Halloween sticker pack ever since I discovered them! Now I don’t really need to and I’m so grateful for that. :’) As always, thank you so much to Quirkory for being an amazing independent store to make my geeky and kawaii purchases from.

I didn’t get a full sticker pack but I got a lot of stickers from the pack and more! I was set a small and large size of both Inari and Mosted dressed up for Halloween! Inari is dressed as a witch and Mosted as a vampire, he even has tiny little fangs. SO CUTE! I also have a large sticker of three pumpkins and some little ones of bats, a sweet/candy and candy corns. 😀 These are so damn cute!

Inari & Mosted Little Summer Sailor Popsicle Stickers (link)

I know these aren’t Halloween related BUT I had had my eye on the Inari & Mosted summer stickers for ages and forgot to order them when I placed my Lunar Plushie Spookies order. I mentioned this in passing to Quirkory and they sent me them anyway. Honesty Quirkory make me feel so loved. 😥

The Inari & Mosted designs are so cute and I really do love them! I love how they’re both dressed as sailors and clutching onto their ice lollies (which is what we call them in the UK). Inari is holding a watermelon ice lollie and Mosted is holding a lemon one. Not going to lie, I think I’m with Mosted with lemon! 😀

Finally one thing I received was a print, which I think may have been an exclusive item for Patreon subscribers. This print is gorgeous in so many ways, for a start it’s super spooky and PERFECT for Halloween! It was a design that Quirkory put on their Patreon for Halloween and it was downloadable to have as a wallpaper on you phone, laptop or tablet device.

The print itself has a matte/velvet sort of feel to it and it feels really plush in a way and expensive… I hope it wasn’t expensive for them to make! I’ve kept this away somewhere safe as I worry if I pop it up somewhere on my plushie cabinet it may get damaged. I’m going to try and find something to put it inside so it doesn’t get damaged when I do put it up. 🙂 As this is an exclusive print I can’t link it back, sadly.

So that is everything I picked up (and some bits I was kindly sent by Quirkory!) from the Lunar Plushie Spookies collection! 😀

As always I am so impressed with everything I ordered as well as how well packaged everything was. I haven’t shown it, but I also received a lovely hand written note from Quirkory that really made me smile. Since buying from them last year I’ve kept all the notes that they’ve sent me, personal or not. 🙂

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Also if you enjoyed this review, make sure to go and check out my other Quirkory reviews below:

Eeveelution Greek Gods Enamel Pin Review

Animal Crossing Gimme My Joy-Con Review

What do you guys think of the goodies that I picked up? I know Halloween is over now until next year, but would you pick these up? Oh and do you think spooky season isn’t just once a year? 😛 Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time guys I hope you’re staying safe during lockdown two and are having a great weekend. 🙂

September Favourites ’20

Wow, did September fly by or what?! I can’t quite believe it’s October and I’m still saying and writing September down when referring to this month.

As I mentioned this time last month, September is my favourite month of the year, for autumn and it’s always the month I have associated with as a “fresh start”. This is down to starting education in September and preparing myself for that. I was one of those teenagers who started a new year of school with a “new year, new me!” approach… But never really changed much. xD

However, September 2020 for me has been… Shit. Due to lockdown I haven’t been able to do stuff I usually would in the run up to autumn, which sucks, but without saying too much, I’ve been grieving during September and I can only see October being the same. This is also why there wasn’t a blog post last week.

Aside from that September was just bland really. I had to “take a stand” and look after my mental health. I’d found being part of group chats and Discord chats to be too much for me and I’ve ended up muting them for the foreseeable future. That “new year, new me!” stance I’ve always had since the age of 13 appears to have been used this year for sure! xD

This months favourites are strange. I found that a lot of beauty related items I’ve loved have been holy grails for me, especially for my hand, which flared up with my dermatitis. SO, I hope the one product mentioned may help others out there who have dermatitis like myself, or eczema.

Image taken from The Latest Kate

Anyhoo, enough of me waffling and being depressing (ha! xD), on with the monthly favourites for September!

• Happy Place Cosmetics Wild Child Body Scrub.

I got this body scrub towards the end of July/start of August in my Happy Place Cosmetics monthly box. This is my favourite item that was in the box, but I was wary I wasn’t going to like the scent after reading the description on the website. It’s described as being a dupe of Lush’s 29 High Street scent. This is a definite dupe, but back in the day when I was a Lushie, 29 High Street wasn’t a scent I particularly liked. However, it’s really grown on me and actually reminds me of Christmas! It’s a warm foral, but fruity scent! Lush say that 29 High Street is said to be the scent of a Lush shop when you walk in. I think this has changed the past 8 years however…

Honestly though, the Happy Place Cosmetics body scrubs are AMAZING and by far the best I’ve ever used. They’re really scrubby, but they also foam up too depending on how much water you add. I don’t feel like I’ve had a body scrub work as well as these do. I use them once a week and they make my skin lovely and soft. At the time of writing this post (evening of 30/09/2020) there are some body scrubs available on the Happy Place Cosmetics website, so if you’re interested in them, go and check out the website.

• Lyonsleaf Calendula and Marshmallow Balm.

When I say this product has been a lifesaver, I really mean it. I’ve mentioned on and off on my blog how my eczema/dermatitis is really bad on my hand the past year and at one point over the past month it got so bad and uncomfortable. So much so, it was waking me up in the night due to how itchy it was. I decided to research what products I could buy and use on it after washing my hands and in between the ointment my doctor had prescribed me. Lyonsleaf came up and after doing a lot of reading and watching of reviews on YouTube, I decided to order myself a little tub. It’s honestly amazing stuff! It’s greasy in consistency but a little goes a long way. It doesn’t have a scent or taste when applied to the skin, but in the jar it does remind me of a Sunday dinner/gravy sort of smell, which is so odd! I really do recommend this though if you have really dry skin and need something to soothe it, especially if it’s just patches like what I have.

• Doll 10 Doll Skin Perfecting Treatment Powder.

This is something my mom bought me as a gift quite a while ago. I’ve only really started to use it during lockdown whenever I’m popping out for the day, or fancy wearing doing myself up as if I’m going out for the day. Lately I’ve been venturing out a little more, whether it’s going for a shop, getting my nails done or running errands out and about. This is a light translucent powder which goes on pretty straight forward. It’s been my go to really to remove any excess oil on my t-zone. I couldn’t say if it actually keeps the oil at bay all day but it works for me enough at the moment during “lockdown” and whilst I’m working from home. I’m never usually a fan of loose powders as I find they often don’t get picked by the brush (if that makes sense?) which can wind me up a little as I feel like I’m constantly trying to get an even coverage on my face. This being said, this powder is pretty good for that!

• Nivea Blueberry Blush Lip Butter.

I mentioned this a couple of months on my monthly favourites and I’m mentioning it again! This lip butter by Nivea is so lovely to use and as sad as it sounds, it’s a treat for me to use throughout the week during work. It’s buttery, creamy and a little goes a long way. It feels really nice and moisturising on the lips and it smells absolutely gorgeous! I love blueberries and especially love blueberry scented things so this is right up my street. I usually go to Vaseline when it comes to lip balms, but I’m really loving the Nivea lip butter lately, so this is definitely a product I’ll repurchase in the future. I highly recommend it is you want a good lip butter/cream. It’s not greasy or sticky, yet it lasts ages on the lips!

• Bath Bake Love White Cocoa Fluffy Whip Soap.

The final product I want to talk about for the beauty side of my monthly favourites is Bath Bake Love, an independent beauty brand I have fallen in love with during lockdown. I’d like to write a blog post about them in the future, but I don’t know when it’ll be. Anyway, this is the first and only fluffy whip soap I’ve tried by them and it smells of white chocolate/white hot chocolate. It’s divine and it isn’t just me who loves it too, my boyfriend has really taken to this and has been using is everyday to wash with in the mornings. It’s a thick creamy soap, it looks more like a buttercream than soap and it smells like it too. A little goes a long way and when used in a sponge or a shower puff it really foams up and leaves you with loads of lovely smelling lather/bubbles. This can also be used in the bath, which my boyfriend has done. Bath Bake Love has definitely become a must have for our shower and I cannot wait to try and own more of their products in the future. They currently have their Halloween range on their website, so make sure to go and check them out. 🙂

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Gif taken from GIPHY

Favourite TV Show – The Boys.

First of all, sorry for the C word being used on the gif… Butcher is one of my favourite characters for the way he is, so I had to include that gif. 😛 We are already six episodes into season 2 of The Boys and so far I’m really enjoying it! There’s been loads happen since season 1 finished last year, which is always good. One of the episodes so far felt really slow and I know I wasn’t the only person saying this. Monday morning meetings are spent with my team discussion the episode of The Boys from the weekend and what we thought of it. We’ve all had the same feelings about it and so far we are all loving it! I really do look forward to spending Friday night or Saturday morning watching the latest episode with Dane. The Boys reminds me of Preacher, which ended last year, just after The Boys began. They’re both based off of comics of the same dark comedy, so they’re good in my books! I definitely recommend checking out The Boys and Preacher if you have Amazon Prime, as that’s where they’re hosted.

Favourite Movie – I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

Although we watched this film at the end of start of September it’s the only film I’ve really watched lately that I could think of adding to my monthly favourites this month. This is one that Dane had watched the trailer for, heard about online and really wanted to watch. We popped it on and I swear throughout we were constantly questioning what the fuck was going on. It’s a psychological drama about a young woman who is contemplating ending the six week relationship with her boyfriend as they drive to his parents house so she can meet them for the first time. It spirals from there, but I don’t really want to say much in case it reveals any spoilers but it’s based off of a novel and is directed by Charlie Kaufman the guy behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you have Netflix or are able to watch it another way I highly recommend it. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Oops…

Oops indeed. I didn’t read anything this month. I really need to just have an evening off of my phone, Nintendo Switch and laptop and just read! Sometimes though I just don’t feel like I have time. I’m always trying to make way for everything and reading takes a back burner. Earlier today I ordered Aggretsuko Vol. 1 comic book! I love Aggretsuko so I’m rather excited for that to arrive tomorrow or Friday to read over the weekend… If I’m able to! Honestly though, I have so many manga volumes and comics to read. I really need to get on it!

Favourite Music – PVRIS – Use Me.

PVRIS new album Use Me came out at the end of August and it’s one I’ve been listening to on and off throughout September, but I definitely need to listen to it a lot more. I wanted to share one of the songs from the album that I’ve already fallen in love with, starting with “Loveless”. This song is clearly about a breakup but it’s got such a lovely acoustic melody behind it, as well as powerful lyrics that a lot of people who have or are going through a breakup can relate to. I just love it so much and after I heard it for the first time, I replayed it a few times and got the lyrics up to read as it played and sing along to. Who else does this? 😛

Overall I really love Use Me but I think it’s one that will have to grow on me. I love PVRIS’s previous two albums so much, but that isn’t it. I think due to the fact 5/11 songs on the album have come out gradually the past year as singles and EP’s, nearly half of the albums isn’t a “surprise”, if that makes sense? Even so, I still love it! PVRIS has fast become one of my favourite bands the past year and a half and that’s not going to change.

Favourite Game – Not Tonight: Take Back Control Edition (Nintendo Switch).

I only bought this game about a week ago but it’s already earnt it’s place on my monthly favourites for September due to how much I’ve played it already! The week I bought this was when I received some bad news and I looked on the eShop for something simple to play, but not for a lot of money. I picked Not Tonight up for a BARGAIN price of £1.94! I think it was 90% off so the game was roughly £19? Crazy how cheap this was, but totally worth it! It’s set after Brexit and you’re playing a bouncer with European in their blood. You live in a dump, work for shit money and have loads of bills and taxes to pay. You have to check the ID of people coming in pubs, clubs, festivals, events and even on the border of the UK. I love it, it’s such a “relaxing” game to play which has a dark sense of humour about it. Some people I’ve spoken to about the game said it sounds depressing. It’s really not. If it’s still on offer on the eShop I highly recommend it, I’m sure you won’t miss £1.94 eh?

So, there we have it, my favourites from September. I’ve had to write this post the day before it’s due to be out and I honestly can’t believe tomorrow is going to October. This year has flew, even with the circumstances of COVID. I wish September hadn’t gone by so quickly and I wish myself and my family hadn’t received the news we did… I’m kind of glad for a new month due to that, but at the same time, I don’t know what October will bring. Fingers crossed something good, eh?

What have you been loving throughout September? Are you excited for autumn, the nights starting to draw in and Halloween? I’m excited for Halloween! I’m going to try and use October as the month to watch Halloween movies I’ve always meant to. 🙂

Speaking of, what’s your favourite Halloween movie? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, stay safe and take care all. 🙂

Black Milk Clothing x Pokemon

Guys I have been SO excited to write this blog post! I wasn’t planning to until later on this month, but I can’t wait any longer. It needs to go up as soon as possible! 😀

I discovered Black Milk Clothing back in 2011 through a forum I used to be on. It was only in 2014 when I got my first piece, my mermaid leggings from eBay. Since then I’ve always bought my pieces second hand/new via eBay and Depop. I’ve never been caught out by fake Black Milk, thankfully! So, although I own Black Milk Clothing pieces, this is the first time I actually bought direct from them. I’ll share that experience later on in the post. For now, I want to talk about the Pokemon Collection!

Back in June Black Milk Clothing released their Pokemon collection and it was one I was SUPER excited for. I was worried there wouldn’t be any pieces I wanted to get, but it turns out there were at least a handful of pieces I really like the look of, one in particular, the Butterfree Romance Dress.

I knew I wanted this dress and decided if I was going to pick up one item from the collection, it was going to be this piece. The collection launch was slowly looming and I got myself ready to put the dress into my basket and pay. When it came to pressing “confirm payment” I kind of… Freaked out. It was coming to a lot of money, I was preparing for my bathroom to be worked on and… I hesitated. By the time I had some mini regrets, the dress had sold out… Followed shortly by the rest of the collection. I was gutted but at the same time I felt better for not picking the dress up, due to money.

Weeks flew by and I kept thinking about the dress. Every time I ventured to Instagram, Black Milk Clothing was showing off people wearing THAT dress and even one of my Instagram friends had bought the dress. I WAS GUTTED! I tweeted Black Milk Clothing pleading with them (not seriously… but seriously! :P) to bring the dress back.

Black Milk Clothing heard mine and many others pleads and prayers for the Pokemon collection to return and guess what? They announced a restock in July, over a month after the original release of the collection. I knew I was going to get that Butterfree dress this time and more! I wasn’t exactly rich in July after the bathroom being worked on, but I was so gutted about not getting the Butterfree dress, that I knew I wanted it.

I settled on three pieces I wanted to pick up, including the Butterfree dress and I managed to snag them all! 😀 Before I show them all off though I just want to share how I went about buying from a popular collection, as well as from Black Milk Clothing for the first time.

As I mentioned before, due to hesitation alone I missed out on buying the Butterfree dress from the original launch. Items do not get saved or kept in your basket, so you need to act fast, which I made sure to do when buying from he restock.

Something Black Milk Clothing do is to pop all collection items up in the store for you to view and add to your wish list ready for when they release. You select your size, and click on the “add to wish list” heart, simple!

The Pokemon collection launched on Tuesday at 7am Australian time (as that’s where the company is based), which is Monday 10pm here in the UK. I wanted to pick up three items from the collection, so I had three tabs open of my wish list ready. I kept it open for about an hour, but at 9.45pm I kept refreshing all three tabs. The collection for me launched at 9.58pm, so as soon as items started to become available to buy, I clicked buy on each tab until all three items, in my chosen size were in my basket.

I proceeded through the payment sections and confirmed my order, which went through without any issues! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shaking before, during and after ordering my pieces… Which sounds pathetic but I was so anxious that I wouldn’t get ANY of the pieces, let alone all three.

I was so anxious to be honest that the order wouldn’t go through, or it would be cancelled, so I waited for my email to say it was confirmed, which came through pretty quickly. I also waited to hear about my goods being sent… Which was a couple of weeks later after ordering.

I’d already ordered some goodies from Australia, which had taken a month to arrive from me, but I also knew of friends who had bought from the first release of the collection and had waited a month for their goods to arrive. I was happy to wait and just under a month after ordering, my goodies arrived!

The tracking was really good! I was able to keep up with where my parcel was and more. It did give an estimated arrival, but my goods arrived almost a week later than what was suggested. Again I didn’t mind, as long as my goods arrived to me. 🙂

I know a lot of people who were stung by customs and I also know a lot of people who weren’t. I was the latter, thankfully! I know someone who bought three pieces like me and wasn’t charged customs. I also know someone who bought one piece and was charged customs. Finally I heard of someone online who bought four or five pieces and was charged £40 in customs! FUCK!

I don’t know why I wasn’t charged customs. I don’t know if it’s due to Royal Mail delivering my parcel or what. I was very lucky and I’m grateful I wasn’t stung. I can only hope for the same in the future whenever I want to order pieces from Black Milk Clothing.

I didn’t take any photos, but the pieces I ordered arrived in perfect condition! Two of the pieces were made in China and came in clear plastic bags, whilst one of the pieces that was made in Australia arrived in a special bag you can throw away in your compost bin and it’ll decompose. I love this idea! More brands need to do this. It’s a shame that only the pieces made in Australia get these bags.

Finally the time has come to share with you the pieces I picked up… But if you were aware of the collection and all the pieces that released with it, you may have realised by now just which pieces I picked up… Seeing as I posted a photo of them all together at the start of this post! xD

I just want to add here by the way that all the pieces I bought are sold out and as far as I’m aware, they aren’t making a return. There are some pieces under the Pokemon collection that WILL return (which you can see here), so make sure to sign up for restock alerts if you’re interested. 🙂

• Butterfree Romance Dress (link)

As mentioned time and time again this is the dress I fell in love with from the Pokemon collection and I KNEW I had to have it! It’s a gorgeous light pink colour with Butterfree’s all over it. I went for a size L and I have no regrets! I could have probably gotten away with an M but I like the extra give. It’s really comfortable and roomy and I love clothing like that. Tighter/snug fit clothing often make me anxious and self conscious of my figure and always have, even when I was really skinny.

The romance dress style is one I’m new to but one I really love as it’s really flattering to my shape with it’s skater style skirt and the v-neck front. V-necks are usually something I pick up as I’ve always worried it doesn’t suit… Especially considering I’ve always had a big chest, but if anything this v-neck really suits that and I’m so pleased! I was wary that the v-neck may be too low and actually show off a bit more than I wanted to. This isn’t exactly the case, however due to the dress size giving a little, I think I may need to invest in a new bra to wear with this, or wear one of my other bras as you can see my current go to a little… This is something that is easily sort able!

The fabric itself is sheer, especially on the sleeves, but it’s not too sheer that you can see completely through the pink material and Butterfree design. The sleeves are also puffed, but the wrists are cuffed which I really like!

The style of the dress really does remind me of something from the 60’s/70’s and although it seems more like a spring/summer dress, I already know I’ll be wearing this all year through! I plan to wear it for evenings out with Dane and friends, as well as at work for any special events that are going on.

I’d wear this dress with black tights, a fake leather jacket and either some flats or boots.

• Gastly Evolution Handkerchief Dress (link)

This dress is one I really loved from the start but wasn’t sure if I was going to pick it up or not when making my order. Purely because it sold out so quick in the first release, that I didn’t think I’d even get hold of it when making my order. Alas, I did and it’s a dress I’m glad I ordered. It’s a dress that is out of my comfort zone, purely for the fact it’ll be hard to cover my arms unless I wear a t-shirt underneath, or a constantly cardigan over the top. It’s a gorgeous grape purple colour with Gastly, Haunter and Gengar printed all over it in a flocked fabric. It’s a mid thigh length, which is perfect for me but it’s just something different with the handkerchief style.

I’ve seen some girls over on Instagram style this piece up and they look AMAZING! I’ve seen some wearing a black mesh t-shirt under and some with a thick chain belt around the waist. I’m loving the latter, but I haven’t yet found a belt I want to get for it. Shoes wise, I don’t have a bloody clue what I’m going to wear with it yet! Probably end up being my Dr Martens boots to give it a rock/punk look.

Someone over on Instagram said how perfect this dress is for Halloween and she couldn’t be anymore accurate! Although I’m glad I ordered this dress, at the same time I need to get the right bra to wear with it, as well as how and when I want to. I think this is a dress I’ll wear for evenings out with friends, meals for work events and more. I have worn it around the house without one and whilst I can manage to get away with it in my own company, I’d never 100% feel comfortable doing that outside of the house.

If there is one issue I have had with this dress it’s the fact you have to hand wash it in cold water… But this isn’t the problem. The problem was the amount of purple dye that came out of the dress when I washed it. The bath looked like I was draining away a purple bath bomb! Plus it was just a pain in the bloody arse to try and wring out the dress. I thought I’d done it enough and hung it on my clothes horse. An hour later I went down to check on it, only to discover a MASSIVE pool of water underneath it! Thankfully the floor was fine, I mopped up the water and put the dress outside to dry on the line. It didn’t take long to dry, but due to all the faff it’s put me off wearing it and washing it a little… I’ll wear it and wash it, but it’ll be a dress I need to wash when it’s a good day outside so I can dry it!

I already know how I want to dress this up! I’ve bought a chain belt to wear around the wait, black tights, my Dr Martens boots and a fake leather jacket.

• Eevee Evolution Black Scoop Skater Dress (link)

The last dress I picked up from the collection is one that I’ve worn the most out of all three and it’s because it’s a Black Milk Clothing dress style I own a lot of. I love Eeveelutions and they’re some of my favourite Pokemon, but what encouraged me to pick up this dress was Attack On Mew purchased it and it looked adorable on her! PLUS this dress has pockets! I’ve never owned one of the skater dresses with pockets and it has literally changed my life! 😀

I ordered it in a size L and with Black Milk Clothing I fit either an M or L. Their sizing has definitely changed over the years and if anything their pieces feel like there is more room to them now than before… At least with the skater dresses anyway, which makes me really happy!

I’ve worn this dress with a long sleeved black mesh t-shirt underneath, black tights and my lilac Vans for a relaxed look. This dress is so comfortable and makes me feel confident, I honestly can’t wait to wear it more! I wish I could wear it at work as I think I’d feel super confident wearing it. Instead it’s going to be a casual dress to wear over the weekend, as well as for events and such. I’m already excited to wear it for Hyper Japan and Comic Con in the future.

So, those are all the pieces I picked up from the Pokemon collection! I could have easily picked up more looking back and there are a few limited pieces that I kinda regret not picking up, including – Mew Sheer Midaxi Dress and Ghost-Type HW Toasties. I definitely regret not grabbing the toasties leggings as I think they would have come in handy over the colder winter months. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled on eBay and Depop for either of these in the future.

There are also some permanent pieces that I’m definitely looking to pick up in the future, including – Bulbasaur Apron Dress, Eevee Evolution Floral V Dress and Eevee Evolution Floral Cuffed Pants. I could say I regret not picking up any of these pieces, but as they’re permanent items they’ll be back in stock in the future. I’m already planning on picking up the apron dress as well as the cuffed pants in the future!

I have always been a Black Milk Clothing fan, but for the past year and a half I’ve really forgotten just how much I LOVE the brand! I haven’t worn my pieces as much since joining the company I currently work at, but COVID and the Pokemon collection has reminded me how much I love Black Milk Clothing and why. 🙂

Since picking up these goodies from the Pokemon collection I’ve already purchased another piece from the Welcome to Halloweenia collection. I can’t wait to show it you in the future… 😛

Overall I am really happy with the pieces I picked up from the Pokemon collection and although I may have wished to pick up another item or two, I got the main three pieces I wanted and that is kinda enough for me… For now. 😛

What do you guys think of Black Milk Clothing? Do you own any pieces by them? Are there any pieces you like the look of? Would you guys like me to eventually show off all the pieces I own? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, stay safe, take care and have a lovely weekend!

September Wish List ’20

We’ve been into September almost a week now and I am feeling autumnal and excited for Halloween, Bonfire Night and especially everything else this season brings.

September so far hasn’t been too bad and I’m really loving how each day you can see summer begin to fade and autumn start to show it’s true colours… Aka orange, brown and yellow. 😛

In regards to my September wish list, I toyed with having this up either this weekend or next. I felt it would be too long for a post if I didn’t have it up until next weekend, so here we are… Two posts in one week! 😀 Don’t think it’s going to become a habit though… It’s not. 😛

I don’t really have much to talk about sadly as it feels like it hasn’t been too long yet between my two monthly posts… I’m just super excited for autumn and Halloween at the moment, so please excuse how spooky this months favourites are. 😛 I even made the background orange for autumn… 😛 I hope it isn’t too bright for you guys. xD

• LittlestSpookShop Halloween Hijinkery Print (link)

Recently I discovered Littlest Spook Shop through YouTuber SimplySpooky and I have fallen in love with their ghost designs. I honestly want them all, but sadly I don’t have a clue where I would keep them in my house. I also have to add the fact Dane isn’t a massive fan of them… Purely because they’re ghost and gothic/Halloween looking. There is one design I may pick up in the future to keep by my side of the bed which is the Always Cosy Club design. It’s definitely me and it’s a print Dane likes too. However, the print I like the most from their Etsy store at the moment is the Halloween Hijinkery print. It shouts Halloween and the little ghosts are absolutely adorable! I think if I was to pick up this print I’d want to stick it up on my plushie cabinet. 🙂

• BeaconCandlesUK Pokémon Lavender Town inspired Scented Candle (link)

Everyone knows I’m a massive fan of candles and Pokemon, so when I heard of a UK seller merging the two together, I had to check it out. Lavender Town is one of my favourite places in the original Gen 1 Pokemon games and I think it’s obvious why. The scent of this candle is kind of obvious with lavender, vanilla and cedarwood. It sounds so lovely, especially for cold evenings. Cubone is also one of my favourite Pokemon, so for there to be a Cubone skull and crossbones on the top of this candle, is morbid but cool at the same time. This isn’t something I’ll pick up anytime soon as I have LOADS of amazing wax tarts from CushtyCo to burn, as well as some leftover Yankee Candle jars. This is definitely the kind of thing I will ask for when Christmas and my birthday is around.

• UNIQLO Lady and The Tramp T-Shirt (link)

Regular readers (and friends) of my blog will know I’m a MASSIVE Lady and the Tramp fan and have been since I was old enough to watch Disney and understand it. I knew UNIQLO were releasing a Disney collection soon, so I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for the collection to launch. I don’t 100% know when this came out, but I rather like it. It’s simple, not in your face with the design and it’s pink… A colour I don’t own much of in my wardrobe. I love the design across the chest as the black and white design fits perfect against the pink. It’s the classic scenes from Lady and the Tramp when the two are having the spaghetti meatballs. I’ve never bought a UNIQLO item before and have always wanted to. Maybe this will be the first of many pieces? I’d rock this tucked into a skirt or mom jeans. 🙂

• Quirkory Lunar Plushie Spookies Enamel Pins – Tab and A-ghostin (link)

Heads up, this is a pre-order item at the moment and I made sure to pre-order my goodies as soon as this went live on Quirkory’s Etsy store! As regular readers will know, I LOVE Quirkory and they’re by far my favourite independent store out there (make sure to check out my two posts about their enamel pins here – Eeveelutions and Animal Crossing) and I’ll always support them the best I can. So, when they redesigned their Lunar Spookies enamel pins in a cuter plushie form, I knew I had to pick up a couple. I went for Tab the bat and A-ghostin the ghost. They’re so plushie, kawaii and right up my street! I honestly cannot wait for these to arrive for Halloween and autumn. I already know I’m going to display all my Halloween pins throughout October.

• Black Milk Clothing Ghosties Longline Evil Tee Dress (link)

I have been a fan of Black Milk Clothing since 2014 and I’ve never looked back. I recently made a MASSIVE order from their Pokemon collaboration in July and I have zero regrets… Hint hint I’ll be talking about the pieces I bought this month. 😛 However, Black Milk have now announced and shown sneak peaks of their Halloween collection and I’ve seen one piece that I really do want in my collection. The Ghosties dress is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! The little ghosties all over it are so cute but I feel like this dress isn’t too in your face in regards to the spooky, Halloween design. I really don’t need to be buying Black Milk pieces again so close to the Pokemon ones, but come Monday night when this goes up in the store… I may just get it. 😛

So there we have it guys, this months wish list! I’m actually trying to watch my spending again, as I have some stuff to do on the house, as well as Christmas being here before we know it!

I don’t know why I’m soooo excited for Halloween this year, but I’ve been itching to go to Homesense and/or TK Maxx to look at all the Halloween goodies and how me and Dane can decorate the house this year. I actually think it’s due to being in the house so much that is giving me that “decorating” itch. 😛

What items do you guys have on your wish lists? Do you like what I added to mine? Make sure to let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, take care, stay safe and I hope you all have a great weekend!

August Favourites ’20

It is finally my favourite month of the year and I can already feel autumn slowly making its way to us… I AM SO EXCITED!

August was such a strange month for me, but not in a bad way. I decided to go on a spending ban, venture out a little more since lock down in March and wait patiently for exciting purchases. August went by in the blink of an eye for sure and I’m glad we are finally into September now.

September is the month where I like to venture out into the countryside with Dane for walks, lunch in cafes and more. However, that will be very different this year and instead of going into cafes for lunch, we’ll pack a picnic and eat as and when. We did it yesterday for bank holiday Monday and it was amazing. We’ve already researched where we can venture to in the future and explore. I’m already really excited for our autumn adventures. Would you guys like to see where we venture to? Would you want to see here, or over on Instagram? Make sure to let me know in the comments.

Image taken from The Latest Kate Twitter

For now though, it’s monthly favourites time!

• Childs Farm Hand Wash Grapefruit & Organic Tea Tree Oil.

I’ve mentioned this brand on my blog time and time again and it’s all because they deserve it. Their baby body lotion really helps my eczema on my hands so I thought I would give their hand wash a go as well, to see if that could help my hands even more. I definitely feel like I’ve noticed my skin not flaring up as much and cracking! This hand wash has such a light, uplifting scent to it, which I really love. It lathers up easily and doesn’t leave my hands feeling dry and sore afterwards. I’ve since bought another three of these, with the bottle used for the above image being my second bottle. The only issue I have with Child’s Farm is that it isn’t cheap, so I have to stockpile it up when it’s on offer to feel like I’m getting my “moneys worth”.

• Collection Velvet Kiss Lip in shade Cream Cotton.

This is a lip product I have had in my makeup bag for years, at least 8 years now. This is a new tube however, don’t panic! It’s just one of those that I think I’ll always repurchase until it’s discontinued and I can’t buy anymore. I ventured out a few times throughout August and wanted to wear a pretty colour, but didn’t fancy wearing a lip tint, or a lipstick, so I went for this. It’s a pretty candy pink colour which is really comfortable to wear and lasts for ages! It’s definitely been one I’ve reached for loads in August and I can see me reaching for it throughout September too.

• Sanctuary Spa Cloudberry & Lychee Blossom Body Mist.

This was an item I received in a gift set for Christmas last year and I’m surprised I still have any of this body mist left! When we had the hotter weather in August I was using this daily to try and refresh my skin a little, as I was very sweaty and wanted to make sure I was fresh throughout the working day… Even if I was just at home. Alongside that, I’ve used it on my skin before getting dressed and popping out for the day, as well as spritzing all over to add some more scent. It’s definitely a body mist I enjoy using and I’ll be a little sad when it’s finished, as this isn’t something you can find very easily. The scent lasts on the skin for ages and if you CAN find this, definitely pick one up!

• Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.

I have mentioned this cuticle cream time and time again on my blog this year and I’m here mentioning it again, because like Child’s Farm, it’s an amazing brand. Not only have I been using this loads on my cuticles but the reason I’m mentioning this product again this month is due to my eczema. My hand has been so dry and sore due to some potential dermatitis issues I have on my hand, which the cuticle cream has been helping with on and off throughout August. As the cuticle cream is so thick and buttery, a little goes a long way. I apply some to the sore part of my hand after washing my hands and it really does help to soften and help. I’m getting close to the end of the tin and I’ll be glad to get a new one… I swear though, when I bought this tin originally it was between £7-£9, but not this costs less than £5!

• Happy Place Cosmetics Buffday Cake Bath & Shower Whip.

This is one of the first Happy Place Cosmetics items I picked up and this is actually one I bought through someone on Depop. It was brand new and not used at all, which is awesome. I’ve been using this loads in August to as bubble bath, to wash with in the shower and as a shaving foam/cream too! It smells just like Lush’s Rock Star scent and is so damn yummy smelling. It smells of creamy vanilla and reminds me of back in the day when I first discovered Lush. I personally prefer to use Buffday Cake as a shave foam/cream and bubble bath, rather than to wash with. The bath and shower whips from Happy Place Cosmetics are AMAZING for shaving with and they’re by far some of my favourite products to use when in the bath and shower now. If you love Rock Star soap from Lush and want something multi purpose with the same scent, definitely check out Happy Place Cosmetics. Check them out anyway as they’re an amazing indie shower and bath brand!

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Favourite TV Show – Pose.

I’ve had Pose saved on my Netflix watch list for ages now and finally decided to watch it. I fell in LOVE and was fast trying to find the second season on the internet, only to discover it was on BBC iPlayer the whole time. So, I binged both seasons and loved them both the same. Pose is set in New York in the late 80’s, early 90’s and is about African-American and Latino LGBTQ Houses that compete in competitions in an underground club. Alongside this you watch as characters grow in things they hope to do in the future and see how the aids virus affects various characters too. It’s a powerful TV show and one I cannot recommend highly enough for people to watch!

Favourite Movie – Angela’s Ashes.

I didn’t watch many films throughout August and to be honest, I feel like I hardly watch any newer ones lately… Maybe it’s due to binge watching TV shows? For years I’ve always been interested in watching Angela’s Ashes but never got around to watching it, until a few weeks ago. The film is based off of a memoir, which is set during the 1930’s and 1940’s and is about an Irish family who moved to America for a better life, only to be forced to move back to Ireland due to money issues. It tells the story of Frank McCourt and his family. It’s definitely worth a watch if you’ve never seen and fancy something different.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Erm…

I’ve fallen off of the book reading bandwagon again… Oh dear… I’ve just felt like I’ve been so busy this month and every time I’ve wanted to continue reading my manga series, I’ve just… Not. I am going to try to read more, but at the same time I feel like if I work through all the remaining/current volumes I have for series, I’ll NEED to buy more and I’m trying to not buy manga for a while. Urgh, vicious cycle is vicious. 😛

Favourite Music – Ellie Goulding – “Lights” and I Prevail “Every Time You Leave”.

I feel like recently I discovered some golden oldies that I adore, as well as some newer songs. “Lights” by Ellie Goulding is one of my favourite songs and I cannot for the life of me tell you why… I just adore the lyrics, the tune itself and I especially love the bass line on the song. Fun fact, this is the first song I learnt on my bass and it was semi self taught too! I’ve listened to it almost daily since mid August and I have zero regrets.

I’ve also added I Prevail on here as whilst I discovered them last year and bought their album Trauma, I’ve not listened to it as much as I wish I could say… However, I recently rediscovered it and forgot how much I love “Every Time You Leave”, so much so after listening to it a few times during and after work, I had a dream about me and Dane singing it to one another!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Game – Aggretsuko: The Short Timer Strikes Back.

Yes this has returned to my favourites for another month and it’s because it’s an amazing bloody game and I have quickly fallen in love with it! I feel bad that lately I’ve played this more than Animal Crossing: New Horizons but… I kinda have because it’s just easy to pick up and play, I suppose? You basically have to match up certain icons to remove blocks, etc etc. I’m currently borderline level 200 and I’ve loving it! This has become an app I play throughout the day as my hearts come back and I just love it. I also love how the more you play, you begin to unlock the original Aggretsuko mini episodes, which I love watching.

So there you have it guys, my monthly favourites for August!

I feel like August flew by, but in all honesty I also felt like I hardly posted in August and same for July too… I know I said at the start of 2020 though that I wouldn’t be writing on my blog as much as I once did, as my blog was becoming less fun and it’s so true.

I’m so much happier just writing once a week and I feel like I look forward to writing and getting that post out, you know? I’m also wary that I only get 3-4 posts out a month, when last year I was doing that in a week! It’s just strange, but I am so much happier.

Are you guys happier seeing one post a week? Make sure to let me know in the comments.

Of course, also let me know what your favourites are from August, as well as what you think of mine, add comments!

Until next time all, take care, stay safe and see you soon!

Kawaii Face Mask Wish List

Guys we are less than two weeks away from September. Can you believe it? It has also nearly been a month since the UK were told to wear face masks in shops. That month has flew by and it only feels like yesterday I was panicking about buying some more face masks.

Well, that mini panic is what inspired today’s post, which is all about face masks and which ones I have on my wish list (as well as one I bought). I know a lot of people went into panic over getting face masks before the 24th July, which thankfully wasn’t me. I was just panicking about which one to buy! I didn’t buy any funky ones, just a couple of black ones for both me and Dane. However, I would still love some funky and fun face masks, hence the wish list. These are also all going to be reusable!

I really hope this list helps people who may want to get some fun masks to wear during (and after) these times we are facing at the moment. Whether you believe in it or not, wear a face mask if you can and keep yourself and others safe.

• Firebox Smoko Pearl Boba Tea Reusable Face Mask (link)

This is the first cute face mask I found and typical it was after I bought my face masks in July, boooo! This one is sold by Firebox but is by American brand Smoko (who also made my Elodie ramen bowl – which you can read about here) who I love! They have three different designs on the website – Little Bao Dumpling, Tayto Potato and the one I’m mentioning here, Pearl Boba Tea. The little bubble teas are adorable and some have cute smiling faces on them too. They sound and look really good quality and I would love to pick one of these up in the future, especially as I love (and miss) bubble tea. 😛

• Society 6 Igor Canova Shadow Sneak Face Mask (link)

This is a face mask designer my good blogger friend Sarah (Raiin Monkey) has bought herself and told me about. There are so many face masks to choose from, all with adorable Pokemon themed designs, 21 to be exact! Out of all of them, the ghost Pokemon design jumped out at me and I really would love to pick it up in the future. The design itself has various ghost Pokemon – including Gengar, Misdreavus, Shuppet, Litwick and Phantump. Alongside the Pokemon there are some ghost type moves dotted around, which make for a good print overall!

• PaperandPotionsArt Soot Sprite Face Mask (link)

It wouldn’t be a wish list on my post if it didn’t contain something Studio Ghibli related! I discovered PaperandPotionsArt years ago at Comic Con and straightaway followed them on Instagram. When I saw they’d created this Soot Sprite mask I knew I had to add it to this list. It’s nothing too elaborate and is a rather “simple” design, which I like! It works with it being white too, due to the Soot Sprite’s being black. I have some black face masks similar to this style and to be honest, they’re not the best due to how thick they are and with how warm you can get whilst wearing one of these, this may get a bit stuffy.

• Sunflower310 Japanese Shiba Face Mask (link)

My Instagram friend Emily (Meimi132) shared some face masks stores and designs with me and this is one of them. It’s a gorgeous Japanese inspired design that has various Shiba in different poses, Mount Fuji, sakura, geta footwear and dango. The design just screams Japan to me and reminds me of my trip there, as well as my love for the country. This is a face mask I would really love to pick up in the future, especially for any future trips to Japan.

• ClumsyCritters Animal Crossing Celeste Face Mask (link)

This is another face mask that Emily shared with me and it is so adorable! Celeste is so precious and I’ve always adored her since Wild World but I feel in New Horizons she’s so precious and adorable. Walking around, give you recipes and more to do with the stars. It makes me smile. Aside from the design, one of the things I like about this face mask is how the ear sections have adjustable beads on them, which I think is such a good idea.

• LenacchiStore Pikachu in Space Reusable Face Mask (link)

Finally we have another Pokemon themed face mask that I would really like to pick up  in the future! It’s a gorgeous space themed mask, but with Pokemon! Pikachu and Pichu are in space alongside various Pokemon including Mew, Jirachi, Clefairy, Clefable and various more! Both the Pikachu and Pichu are dressed in little astronaut outfits, which look so adorable! It’s just gorgeous, I love it so much.

I thought I would mention below the face mask that Dane bought for both of us as it’s amazing and deserves a recommendation!

• AALTRADE Resuseable Face Mask (link)

I didn’t want to add it onto the wish list but these masks come in various different colours, but we picked up the black one above. We got 2 each to ensure we had enough and we certainly do. You can pop filters inside, but when we’ve gone to do that it’s really awkward, so sadly we haven’t bothered. We both wear glasses and personally I haven’t had any issues with fogging, but I think Dane has from memory. If you don’t want to go for a kawaii design, you can always go for one of these plain black ones. 🙂

So there we have it! My kawaii face mask wish list! I know this weeks blog post isn’t anything special, but I thought it was both cute and important considering the planets current situation with COVID.

What do you guys think of the face masks I mentioned? Any you like, or already own? Do you have any face masks you recommend? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all and keep safe. 🙂

Jenni Illustrations – Haul

August is the month of a very much needed spending ban… Which may go into September as well to be honest with you so I can try and save up some more monies ready for when Christmas is upon us.

I’ve mentioned before on my blog how during lock down I have saved and spent a lot of money on things I’d had my eye on for ages but never had the spare monies or urge to buy. I decided to on some things and have had zero regrets, even if my bank account doesn’t agree. One of the independent artists I finally took the plunge and bought from is Jenni Illustrations.

Jenni Illustrations is a Australian kawaii illustrator/designer who draws all sorts of designs from cute animals, some Ghibli inspired characters and even some of her own original characters, which I adore.

Jenni had recently closed her store and reopened it, just in time for me to make some purchases. I bought three things in total and I am here to show them off to you today in a little haul post. I really hope you enjoy it, as I’m so excited to share the goodies with you! 😀

As I mentioned before I picked up three items, a print, a sticker and of course an enamel pin.

• Soda Dog Sticker (link)

One of Jenni’s original characters that I have fallen in love with is her Soda Dog design. Not only do I love dogs but the colour of the soda being blue reminds me of Japanese ramune, which is what I think it’s actually meant to be. The sticker is a decent size and bigger than I thought it was going to be, as well as amazing quality. On the store it does tell you the size and about the quality, but I didn’t check to see how big or small it would be as I didn’t mind either way. 🙂

As you can see the design is of a soda bottle with some blue soda inside, a red lid and Soda Dog as the mascot on the label. There is some Japanese on either sides of the bottle too, which in all honesty I cannot read. I tried to see if the Google Translate app on my phone could help, but the only bit it could translate was the part on the left hand side which read “Soda Dog”. It struggled with the part on the right, but kept trying to say inu which I knew was wrong. After a lot of playing around with Google Translate I worked out that it says, “ramune”. Which makes sense! The Soda Dog design is so adorable, but I want to go into more detail about him when I talk about the enamel pin I picked up next.

So far I’ve not stuck my sticker to anything, as you can see. Instead I’ve stuck him on the side of my plushie bookcase.

This sticker cost $5.00 AUS, or £2.69 which I think is really decent for a sticker of this size and quality.

• Soda Dog Enamel Pin (link)

This is where I’m going to talk more about the Soda Dog design itself as I can’t not talk about it! I mean, look at it. 😀 Soda Dog is a little white puppy, but the bottom half of his body is blue ramune soda! He has a little red bottle top on his head, a floppy ear in the shape of a heart and massive pink cheeks. Oh and a red collar to match his hat red bottle top! This Soda Dog is of course supposed to be a bottle of ramune which has almost been finished and I think it’s such an amazing idea. When I saw that Jenni had an enamel pin design of this cute boy, I KNEW I had to buy it!

The enamel pin itself is really good quality! It’s on a gold enamel and has one back. The enamel pin itself cost $14.00 AUS, which is £7.54. I think this is an incredibly reasonable price for an enamel pin and I plan to buy more in the future from Jenni, which I’ll be showing at the end of this post.

• Kiki A6 Print (link)

First things first, at the time of me writing this post this print is currently sold out… I hope it comes back into stock because the Ghibli designs Jenni does are gorgeous! I’ve always liked Kiki’s Delivery Service, but I especially feel since my Japan trip in January that I really do love it. Japan especially love it, so whenever you go into a Ghibli store (or at least one that sells Ghibli goods) there will always be plenty of Kiki’s Delivery Service items to choose from. I actually regret not buying more. Before my trip to Japan I had my eye on this print, I love so much about it. The one thing I always love about Jenni’s designs is the eyes. They’re so three dimensional and gorgeous, I could stare at them for ages.

As you can see from the photo, it’s a design of Kiki holding Jiji, the overall design is adorable and it really brings joy to my day whenever I walk past it in the bedroom. Like the sticker, I have stuck it onto the side of my plushie bookcase. I would love to see more character from Ghibli movies drawn similar. I feel like Jenni did one of Chihiro from Spirited Away ages ago, but I can’t remember…

This print cost $8.00 AUS, which works out to £4.31, which is reasonable! If anything, I would have loved the option of having a bigger print. I would have definitely gone for an A5, maybe at a push an A4 as I honestly love this design.

So, those are all the goodies I picked up on my first order from Jenni Illustrations.

Due to COVID the items took just under a month to arrive to me. I have to be honest here and say I didn’t think shipping was cheap at £9.69, almost £10 for shipping from AUS to the UK. I didn’t care about paying the costs at the time as I really wanted the items but next time I make an order I’ll feel like I need to order plenty to make the shipping worth it.

This was a MASSIVE treat for me as I’d wanted these items for a while, but if you think the shipping is a little on the high side for you, it might be worth making an order with a friend whose also after these items and you can split the shipping fee.

Overall I am in love with my Jenni Illustration goodies and I’ll definitely buy from her store again and plan to in the future! I already have loads of items on my wish list that I plan to buy in the future and wanted to share them with you below.

Blue Clues Sticker Sheet – I loved Blue’s Clues growing up so these would be a nostalgic trip for me!

Animal Crossing Sticker Sheets – I don’t need to explain why I want these, but I do want them all!

Froggy Chair Sticker – I explained on my July Wish List ’20 post why I want this sticker.

JiJi and Lily 6×6″ Print – I would love this print to go with my Kiki print.

Dragon 6×6′ Print – This print shouts Haku from Spirited Away, who in turn is my favourite Ghibli character. I need this print in my life!

Lucky Kat Washi Tape – Whilst in Japan I discovered a love for washi tape. I would love to add this lucky cat washi tape my collection.

Chester Pin and Fern the Fox Pin – These are two more of the original characters that Jenni has drawn. Chester is a cute little red panda and Fern is an adorable fox. These are two of my favourite animals… What’s not to love, eh?

Soda Dog Keychain – I actually regret not ordering this at the time of my order, as I would have loved to add this onto one of my bags, or a set of keys. I definitely plan on adding him to my basket next time I make an order with Jenni Illustrations.

So there you have it guys! What do you think of Jenni Illustrations? Which item(s) are your favourite that I picked up. Plus, have you bought anything from Jenni Illustrations yourself? If you haven’t yet and plan to, let me know what you’re going to buy!

OH and don’t forget to check out Jenni Illustration over on Instagram too, where she shares new designs all the time. 🙂

Until next time all, take care stay safe and see you next time! 😀