Christmas 2020 Wish List

Can you believe it’s Christmas Eve already? We all say it don’t we? “This time next year we’ll be doing it all over again!” and here we are. 😛

Christmas this year is a strange one for all of us. Last year I wasn’t really in the right frame of mind for Christmas, but that was due to the mixture of excitement and nerves about going to Japan in January. My head was just in a space of preparing for the trip. This year at the time of writing this post (a few days prior to Christmas Eve) I’m not feeling festive… Not even with everyone’s (and my own) Christmas presents wrapped up in front of me, ready to be delivered to their homes. It’s obviously due to COVID but I’m hoping come Christmas Day both me and Dane will be feeling festive and merry as we cook our dinner together, drink as much as we feel in the mood for and just enjoy the day together… Which will be a first.

Christmas to me is about showing your loved ones how much they mean to you, and I don’t just mean with gifts. Christmas is a time of celebration and being together as a family, no matter how big or small. This year is different as some people may be on their own at home or with their small family and cannot be with bigger families this year. I’m sad not to see my parents this year, especially my mom after what a rubbish few months we have had. However, we have a plan and we know it’ll work. We’re just going to Facetime each other when we’re due to open each others gifts and have a drink, etc etc. It’ll be good. I’ve already spoken to my mom this evening (I’m not writing this on Christmas Eve!) and we’re happy enough with what we plan to do.

I have to say, my mom has sent two MASSIVE boxes… I wonder what she’s bought me… 😛

I want to add my yearly reminder here about taking care of yourself over Christmas. It’s really hard for people this year with COVID, but I’ve been there at Christmas where my mind is in a dark place and I’ve needed someone to talk to. You are not alone. I’m going to pop some contacts below for the UK of who you can reach out to this time of year. Please use them if you need to, they’re there to help. Plus, my DM’s are always open on Twitter (maybeecoffee) and Instagram (theremightbecoffeeblog) if you need someone to talk to.

Samaritans – 116 123 / samaritans.org

NHS Non-Emergency – 111 / 111.nhs.uk

Papyrus – 0800 068 41 41 / papyrus-uk.org

National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 / nationaldahelpline.org.uk

Mind – 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 / mind.org.uk

The Mix – www.themix.org.uk/get-support

Anyhoo – onto the wish list for this year! I want to add here, whether I received the items mentioned or not, I am always grateful for whatever I do receive. 🙂

• Yotsubato! Danbo Nendoroid (link)

Since our second Christmas together me and Dane have always bought each other Nendoroid’s for Christmas, which has ranged from just one, to four as the years have gone by. This year isn’t any exception BUT we know what character we’ve bought one another. However, I don’t know if Dane has bought me a surprise one… Which could be Danbo! This is a Nendoroid I was going to buy this when we were in Japan in January but I ended up leaving it. It’s from a manga that I haven’t read but have always meant to. Danbo is a cute cardboard box, but his eyes light up! Very cute and one I would love in my collection. 🙂

• Firebox/Smoko Tayto the Couch Potato Rechargeable Night Light (link)

Last Christmas and birthday Dane bought me some of the night lights from Smoko/Firebox, a dumpling and a bubble tea. They’re amazing pieces for our bedroom and are really bright. I often pop them on in the evenings when I want to relax and chill out. Plus they’re hella cute! So, when I saw that Firebox had the couch potato variant in stock, I knew I had to ask for it for Christmas this year! This is rechargeable too, whilst the ones he bought me last year need batteries, which is even better! 😀 I’m hoping he’s bought it me so I can add to my growing collection of kawaii night lights. 😛

• Pandora Japanese Akita Inu Dog Charm (link)

I usually ask for Pandora around Christmas and if I don’t ask, I usually get anyway… Usually from my parents. 🙂 I was asked if I wanted any jewellery this year and this is one of the first things that came to mind as it reminded of our mine and Dane’s trip to Japan this year in January. It’s hard to be gifted jewellery this year because, let’s face it… I’ve become a hermit in 2020 due to COVID and jewellery just isn’t something I’ve really worn for most of this year. 😦 This charm is really cute though!

• Pikachu Resin Mold (link)

As I’ve mentioned briefly on my blog this year, both me and Dane got into working and making resin pieces this year. Something Dane asked me if I wanted as gifts were resin molds, as at the moment I don’t really have many and would love more to experiment and play with! I’ve been after the Pikachu resin mold for a while and it’s one that I definitely added to my Christmas list! I have so many ideas of keyrings I could make and that does include the standard yellow Pikachu we all know and love. 😛

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid The Complete Series Blu-ray (link)

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is one of my favourite manga and anime series and it’s thanks to Dane that I actually discovered it when I did. I was having a nose around Amazon and noticed that you can buy the series on Blu-Ray now! :O I know season 2 of the show has been delayed due to what happened to Kyoto Animation in 2019. I would love to receive this for Christmas to binge watch over the festive period, as well as for my birthday less than a week after New Year. I do love receiving anime Blu-Ray for Christmas. 😛

• PunfunStudio Eeveelution Heart Shaker Resin Mold Set (link)

The final item I want to mention on my wish list for Christmas time and it’s another resin mold, however this is a set and it’s actually something that arrived today and Dane has given to me early. I sent him the link for this resin mold set that contains all nine of the Eeveelutions (Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon) holding a heart. These are shaker resin molds though! So when you work on them you can pop some glitter, beads etc inside and then pop oil in, cover with a plastic film to seal everything in place and hey presto! You have a shaker keyring/charm. However, I think I’ll be making dry shaker charms to start off with, just to get used to how they work and such. 🙂

So, that is everything that I added to my Christmas wish list this year! That list would have just been something I gave to Dane to give him ideas for Christmas. I don’t tend to do this for my family, his parents etc. They tend to get me surprises, or ideas Dane has given them.

Whilst I may always show you guys my wish lists for Christmas every year, I always get excited to give my gifts to Dane, my parents and loved ones/friends. I’m excited to see their faces when the get their gifts and tomorrow will be no exception, especially with Dane… Who has been bloody spoilt this year. 😛

What do you guys have on your wish lists this year for Christmas? Realistic and non realistic. Unicorns can be included. 😉

I just want to finish off this blog post by saying – MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all have a lovely day, even with the circumstances and get to see your loved ones online if not in person. 🙂

Until next time all, again Merry Christmas! 🙂

Christmas 2019 Wish List

Last Christmas I decided to do a wish list post about what I wanted as a teenager for Christmas in comparison to what I wanted now. I would love to do something like this now, but I honestly don’t think I can top what I did last year. That post was perfect and I loved it so much!

This year when I’ve been asked what I’d like for Christmas, it’s been kinda hard to decide… With our trip coming up soon I’m trying to save a lot of money for that and when it comes down to having anything for myself, I honestly can’t think of anything I want… So this year has been tough.

Not just for myself, but I’ve struggled to buy Dane’s Christmas presents this year! I wanted to make sure he had loads of exciting things to open, that he wouldn’t even think of buying himself, so I hope he loves what he’s been gifted with! 😀

Anyhoo, my list is very geeky and Japan heavy! 😛

• Nintendo Switch Taiko no Tatsujin.

This is a game I have wanted for quite a while now and I’m pretty sure it’s one I have mentioned on my blog from time to time on wish list posts. I am putting it on here for Christmas as I STILL want it! This is a game I have tried the demo of and loved, it was fun and I could see myself playing it both on my Switch Lite as well as on Dane’s Switch console with the drum attachment. I’m not crazily after it, but it would be nice to have. Sadly, it isn’t cheap and whenever I found it cheap I just couldn’t justify it. 😦

• Nintendo Switch Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy.

This is a game I discovered not long after I bought my Switch Lite back at the start of November and it’s one I am intrigued by. I do enjoy puzzles games and the Layton games are always a series that has intrigued me, but one I just never invested in… I have a feeling this is a gift I will be receiving for Christmas, which will be really nice! I always love getting games for Christmas as it’s sort of a tradition. My parents or brother(s) would always buy me a game for my console of choice at the time, so I always loved spending Christmas and Boxing Day playing them.

• Juniper: The Happiest Fox 2020 Wall Calendar.

Dane always buys me a calendar for the year ahead, no ifs or buts. It’s definitely a tradition we have now and it’s one I love! For a while he always bought me a Simon’s Cat calendar, then for a time it was Pusheen and now we have settled onto Juniper! I love foxes and Juniper is a fox I especially love, alongside her brother Fig, who is in this calendar! I can’t wait to write loads of stuff on it already of everything we have coming up during 2020.

• PlayStation 4 Persona 3 and 5 Endless Night Collection.

This isn’t a gift I’m SUPER psyched about having, but due to my love of the Persona series, it is a game I would enjoy having to play at home! It includes both the Persona 3 and Persona 5 dance games on the PS4, as well as a download code for the Persona 4 dance game for PS4 too! I actually already own this on the PS Vita, but having it on the PS4 would be so much better.

• Nichijou Manga Volume 9 and 10.

This is a manga series that now seems to have finished on volume 10. I only need 9 and 10 to finish my series for Nichijou, which is a manga (and anime series) that I love! This is a manga series that Dane has bought me since we got together and I do love receiving these from him each Christmas. I doubt very much I will get them this year, but even so in 2020 I will definitely pick these up for myself.

• Nendoroid Figures:
• Star Wars Han Solo
  
• Star Wars Luke Skywalker
• Star Wars Rey
• Star Wars BB-8
• Star Wars Princess Leia

I always ask for a Nendoroid figure (or two) during Christmas and my birthday, but this year I REALLY struggled! I’ve either pre-ordered or own the Persona 5 series and some I want are hard to find now. I do hope I get one, maybe even two of the Star Wars Nendoroid figures. Apparently I do have a Nendoroid figure for Christmas… But I can’t for the life of me think which one it could be!

I think that’s about it for my Christmas wish list this year! I feel like I’ve been rather boring, but to be honest I have been a bit stumped on what I would like for Christmas with my trip to Japan looming.

I’ve also struggled to buy for people this year for so many reasons! It’s really sucked to be honest. xD

What do you have on your Christmas lists this year? Jesty ideas are welcome too (aka new car, a pet etc).

Until next time, Merry Christmas all and I hope you have a lovely day whatever you do. 🙂

Christmas Gift Guide 2019 – Animal Crossing

Image taken from GIPHY

Do you (or someone you know) love Animal Crossing?

Would you (or someone you know) love to receive an Animal Crossing themed gift for Christmas?

Last question – are you (or someone you know) excited for Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March 2020?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this is the perfect Christmas gift guide for you, whether it’s for a friend or even yourself!

I am a massive Animal Crossing fan and it’s by far one of my favourite franchises to date (alongside Pokemon and Persona 5) so I am always on the hunt for merchandise, whether it be to treat myself or even ask as gifts over the festive period.

With Animal Crossing: New Horizons almost 3 months away, I thought I would do a gift guide on what to buy your Animal Crossing obsessed friend… Or maybe you could get some ideas for yourself to hint to your loved ones.

Items mentioned here may be owned by myself already, or items that I’m even lusting after myself. I hope you enjoy this gift guide! 😀

• SarahDandh The Roost Mug – (link) – (link to review on my blog)

This mug is by far one of my favourites that I own. I’ve only owned it for a couple of months and I use it quite a lot in comparison to some of my older mugs. It’s a gorgeous design with so much detail and since I’ve discovered it and shared it with friends, it has generated a lot of attention, which is always lovely. Due to the locaton of SarahDandh being in Spain, delivery may take a little longer… But in all fairness it didn’t take too long for mine to arrive and you can always email the seller and ask. She’s so lovely to talk to and I’m sure she would be more than happy to help! 😀

• Various stationary from washi tape, stickers and notebooks.

If there is something I am obsessed with, it’s stationary! I really do love it and personally I also find it to be the perfect gift if you want to give little gifts to blogger/online friends, or even stocking fillers for friends and teenagers. I thought I would share loads of stationary that I love the look of from sellers on both Etsy and Redbubble.

• PolymerNai washi tape (link)
• ShatteredStore washi tape (link)
• Tinkalila washi tape (link)

I don’t actually own any washi tape myself, but it’s something I have always wanted and still do! The Animal Crossing ones above that I found on Etsy are gorgeous, especially the one by ShatteredStore!

• minkandmango stickers (link)
• ncdoggGraphics K.K. Slider sticker (link)
• CobaltCity16 Goldie and Lucky sticker (link)

I can’t get enough of stickers! I want all of the ones mentioned above, especially he Goldie and Lucky sticker, seeing as they’re my two favourite characters from Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

• KnightNick Celeste spiral notebook (link)
• CactusCatArt yellow hardcover journal (link)
• GSunrise Isabelle spiral notebook (link)

If there is one gift I always love to receive for Christmas it’s a notebook or journal, especially one with a print on that I love! These notebooks and journal are gorgeous, with my favourite being the Celeste galaxy one. 😀

Image take from diyCrossing

• diyCrossing Music Box Set – (link)

Not only does diyCrossing sell cross stitch patterns, but they also sell cute little music boxes and music strips with music from Animal Crossing. This is something I have asked for for Christmas myself, as it would make for a cool little thing to have on my collection. You can pick from 7 designs which are all based on the game, as well as various music strips to choose from. You can even choose a design you would like for your music strip too! I love how personal and unique you can create your music box. This would make a lovely gift for any Animal Crossing fan, especially if the music relaxes them as much as it does for me. Like the cross stitch designs diyCrossing is constantly coming out with new music strips each month, which I think is great! He also recently announced some new music box designs too, which are cute! Be warned however, this item is in stock but won’t be shipped out for 3-5 weeks.

• Various charms/keychains/rings.

If there is one thing I love it’s charms, keychains and keyrings! So of course I had to share three I’ve found over on Etsy from some independent artists. As a user of an ita bag, as well as backpacks that are COVERED in charms, I like to think the designs/items I show are gorgeous and unique!

• ToasterKiwi Isabelle charm (link)
• MochironStore Goldie charm (link)
• JupyPoopy shaker keychain (link)

These charms/keychain are so pretty and I love them all! Especially the shaker keyring and the Goldie charm. I would love the shaker keyring to keep on my car keys. I can only imagine this keychain to be so relaxing to shake when feeling anxious/nervous about anything.

• Amazon Gym/Travel Bag – (link)

This isn’t anything fancy but I keep seeing this pattern pop up on my Amazon page when searching for Animal Crossing bits and pieces and I thin the print is gorgeous! There are loads of bag designs to choose from, but I like this one the most! In the New Year people like to go to the gym more and be healthier, so this bag would be perfect for any Animal Crossing nerd who also ventures to the gym, dance classes and more. Plus its not stupidly expensive either, which is fab!

• Various enamel pins.

As many readers of my blog will know, I love enamel pins and have been collecting them since 2018. I don’t even have a handful of Animal Crossing pins and I would seriously love more! Enamel pins make for great gifts and I know for a fact any Animal Crossing fan would love an enamel pin in their Christmas stocking. 🙂

• Stami Studios Villager Girl Pin (link)
• Illustrator Jake Isabelle Bumper Kart Enamel Pin (link)
• Stami Studios Becoming Smash Rainbow Pin (link)

I wanted to share some sellers that I really love pin designs from! I especially love the Villager Girl pin as it’s something different, considering it’s from New Horizons of the girl in the trailer.

Image taken from Miss Octopie

• Miss Octopie “Be My Valentine” Short Sleeve Cut Out Dress – (link)

I’ve had my eye on this dress for ages, it’s not cheap though in all fairness but the quality looks amazing! This would be cute for a kawaii/otaku to wear every now and then! I would love something like this to wear for Japan, but I doubt I’d wear it any other time aside from comic cons in the UK and geeky events…

Image taken from diyCrossing

• diyCrossing Cross Stitch Kit – (link)

If there is one store I have discovered this year and fell in love with, it’s diyCrossing. I can’t even remember how I found it now (although I am feeling like it was through an Instagram recommendation!) but I’m so glad I did. DIY Crossing specifies in selling Animal Crossing made items including cross stitch kits. They have 39 villagers to choose from and even offer seasonal designs for free for you to download at home! I made sure to bag myself a free Jingle one (no purchase necessary), as I may give it a go throughout the festive season this year or even throughout the year ready for Christmas 2020. In the set you get everything you need to get cracking with the design you choose as soon as possible!. I’ve actually asked for the Goldie one for Christmas, as she’s my favourite Animal Crossing character. The great thing about diyCrossing is that he is constantly coming out with new designs each month (3 max), which I think is great! It means we will get more and more of our favourite villager designs to choose from.

So there you go guys! That is my first out of two Christmas gift guides! 😀 I’m going to try and get the second one out next Wednesday too, considering Christmas Day is 2 weeks today I thought it would give you all plenty of time to view both of the guides before the big day.

UPDATE – Also make sure to use my discount code below on Illustrator Jake’s store to snag yourself a nice 10% discount! 😀

THEREMIGHTBECOFFEE10

I really wanted to work on an Animal Crossing gift guide, as I know I’m stoked for the game in March 2020 and I know damn well that others are too!

Do you like any of the items mentioned on this gift guide? Whether that be for yourself, or a friend. Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, I hope you’re having a good week so far! 😀

Christmas Presents I Wanted As A Teenager VS Presents I Want Now

It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is pretty much ready for Christmas now… Right? RIGHT?! I bloody hope so anyway, otherwise you’re pushing it a little bit… 😛

Last year I wrote about what gifts I would have wanted as a kid, as well as gifts I was wishing after for Christmas. You can read that post here.

This year I decided to do the same sort of thing on Christmas Eve, but I wanted to do a list of items I lusted and asked for as a teenager. When it came to thinking about items for this post, I really forgot about how much stuff I wanted as a teenager and how much of the stuff on the list I still own. It’s just made me think a lot… About how old I am! 😛

Of course as well as talking about items I asked for as a teenager, I’ll also be talking about items I’m hoping I’ve received for Christmas tomorrow.

I really hope you enjoy this post as I know I enjoyed writing the one last year about when I was little. Gosh I honestly can’t believe it’s Christmas Day tomorrow. This month has really flown!

• Apple iPod Mini 1st Generation in Green.

I remember when the iPod first came out and my brother had one. I loved it and the thought of having all my music in one place was such a mind blowing and life changing idea! I used to use my CD Walkman all the time but I hated changing CD’s in it constantly or having just the one and it boring the hell out of me after the third play. I remember asking my mom for this for Christmas, but it didn’t come out until my birthday so I actually got it then. However, I never got to keep this iPod. Reasons for this were because the iPod broke and my mom was reluctant to replace it. I don’t know if you remember, but back in the day there were rumours that Apple were notorious for not testing their products and the first batches that people would buy would always be rubbish. This seemed to be the case with my green iPod as only a month or two into owning it it started to play up. It wouldn’t charge and when it did the charge lasted for seconds. It was confusing and upsetting, so my mom took me back to the shop (Dixons to be exact! Remember them?) to get a refund. I was upset already at this point that she wouldn’t replace it, instead she just wanted her money back. I understood why, she was angry that she’d spent a lot of money on the iPod for it to break so soon. So we explained in the shop what was wrong and how she wanted her money back. “The back light is constantly on. Is this how it’s been since you bought it?” It was, I always left the back light on. “Well we aren’t giving you a refund then. You’ve broken it yourself by leaving that back light on.” This was such a shitty attitude and my mom already being annoyed, was even more annoyed now! I was gutted. My dad took me to another Dixons store to try and get a refund for the iPod, we explained what we had to the first store and they gave us a full refund without any questions or judgement. PHEW! I never did get another iPod Mini to replace that one but when I started university I bought my iPod Nano, which I still own and use to this day. 🙂

• Converse All Star Hi Tops in Red.

The Christmas I received these was the year of my teenage years where I started to become who I am now… If that makes sense? I’d discovered so many of my favourite things including music, films, books, TV shows and especially what style of clothing I loved. I’d been eyeing up Converse hi tops for a while and especially wanted the red pair as they were different. I remember my brother taking me to the Bullring in Birmingham and buying me some new clothes for Christmas and my birthday. It was such a bizarre day to be honest with you… He bought me loads of clothes including jeans, tops and hoodies and he also bought me my hi tops, which I loved and wore them for about 2 years until I couldn’t anymore. They just wore down so much they were too uncomfortable to wear anymore. I still have them though… I don’t think I could ever part with them now in all honesty! I don’t know if I’d ever buy another pair of Converse now… I’m too much of a Vans and Docs girl now.

• Angel Eau de Parfum by Thierry Mugler.

This was my first “proper” perfume that I owned and to this day I still own it! Not the same bottle as I would have had back in the day, but I always need a bottle of Angel in my life now. It reminds me of my mom to be honest with you, as I remember her buying this and falling in love with the smell! Angel is just such a unique perfume and anyone who loves their fragrance will instantly know what this is after you get a whiff of it. I remember as a teenager always asking for a bottle of this as I wanted my own, I didn’t want to keep sneaking my mom’s. 😛 I can’t remember if my mom bought me a bottle for Christmas, or if I was bought it after someone went on holiday. I know I had a bottle as a teenager though and I felt glam as fuck! 😛

• Kodak Easyshare Camera with Printer.

I remember my mom taking me to Dixons to buy this for me for Christmas. It wasn’t a surprise come Christmas Day but I loved it so much! I had wanted a digital camera for the longest time so my mom took me to have a look at what kind of camera I could pick up. We saw the Kodak ones with printers and were sold! I used this camera and printer to death to be honest with you and I’m pretty sure they still work! Yes, over 10 years later and I still own both the camera and the printer. I remember staying in my room taking selfie photos all the time and of my dog. I remember filmed a video of my dog Madge on this camera and it’s still the cutest thing. I wish I had that footage somewhere online so I could watch it now and link it here. But the best thing about this camera was as soon as you’ve taken your photos you could print them off AND you could plug the printer into your computer and print photos from off of there. It was a fab little device and I loved it so much. 🙂

• The Sims 2 PC Game.

This was something I wanted so badly, so when I opened it on Christmas Day from my brother I was so ecstatic! I remember him installing it for me and I couldn’t keep still at the anticipation of playing it. I spent so many days and nights playing this game and even played it whenever I went to see my cousins after school and over the weekends. I just fell in love with it. I actually really miss playing Sims 2 as I found it was the easiest to play, as well as the funniest! Every Christmas and birthday I’d always get the expansion packs too, which was awesome. Honestly though, many wasted years of my youth went into this game. 😛

• Sony Ericsson W800.

After the whole iPod fiasco I was without an MP3 player for quite sometime. I also had a bit of a shit mobile as well. It was okay and it did the job, but as a teenager everyone wanted a good camera on their phone, as well as other things. I asked for this for Christmas but I didn’t get it until towards the end of secondary school. From memory it was marketed as one of the first phones to also double up as an MP3 player and this really did call to me! Plus it was white and orange, what more would you want from a phone as a teenager?! I always loved getting new phones over Christmas, it was just awesome back in the day. It’s different though these days for kids. They want them to go online and take selfies, where back when I was a teenager you just wanted something that could take photos and best games on there. 😛 I remember this phone also had a selfie mirror on the back, which was always amazing.

• Nintendo DS in Pink.

The final item on this list and one I wanted for years, and years, and years but I never got, which in turn I was gutted about. I asked for this for many years but the one year it was in a package with the Nintendogs game and I KNEW I really wanted it that Christmas. My dad even took me to GAME to buy it for me, but my brother talked him out of it saying, “Don’t get her that, Nintendo DS is shit! Get her a PSP instead!” So my dad made me look into the PSP and the games and I didn’t want any of them. So alas, due to the Nintendo DS being “shit” I never got one. Years later my dad bought me a red Nintendo DS Lite, which was amazing. 😛 I am still gutted though that it took so long for me to get a Nintendo DS because of my brothers inaccuracies. 😛

OKAY so that’s all the items that I remember fondly asking for as a teenager for Christmas, as well as a bit of a back story into what happened when I got them/if I got them. ^_^

NOW onto the gifts I’ve wished for this Christmas! Some of these items I know I’ve been gifted, or asked for from Dane, his family and my own family. I know this list is probably boring, but meh. 😛

• Persona 5 Morgana Plush.

I can’t tell you how long I have wanted this Morgana plush for! It’s not cheap to get a hold of though, which in itself sucks! I really hope deep down that Dane has bought me it for Christmas though, as I really want him. 🙂 I think I might have to treat myself to him sooner rather than later as I’d hate to see a SOLD OUT on him on the two websites I’ve found him on… It would definitely suck! Maybe if I don’t get him for Christmas or birthday, he can be a birthday treat to myself… 😛

• Disney Wall-E Earth Day Pop Vinyl.

I literally just went to Amazon to see how much this guy is going for. Bloody hell, nearly £50! DAYUM. I’m really hoping Dane has picked him up for me for Christmas as it’s so damn cute and to be perfectly honest with you, how the first Wall-E pop vinyl should have looked really. If I do get him, he’ll stay in the box. 😛

• South Park Princess Kenny Mug.

This is such a random thing on this list, but something I’d love either way! I think I’d love this mug more for work to be fair. I recently bought the t-shirt with Princess Kenny on and I’m in love. Princess Kenny is for sure one of my favourite things to come out of South Park and she’s definitely my boo. 😉 I doubt very much I’ll get this mug for Christmas or birthday, but if I go to Fobidden Planet anytime soon, I may pick it up to use at work. 🙂

• Fox Wall Tapestry by ARiAillustr.

I have a feeling Dane has bought me this for Christmas… It’s something I expressed that I really wanted for our bedroom. He’s always commented how he wanted a feature wall behind our bed, but I just can’t commit to something like that, especially as we have built in wardrobes in front of the bed with mirrors on. Imagine waking up every morning and just seeing a red wall? FYI that’s what he wanted. 😛 However when I found this fox wall tapestry I fell in love with it! It’s such a pretty design on it and with a simple stick on wall hooks it’ll be up and down in no time! I’m also hoping I have some fairy lights to hang around it too. 😛

• Olivia Burton Snow Globe Blush & Silver Watch.

I already know I have this for Christmas, as my mom has bought it for me, which in turn is so lovely of her. 🙂 She asked me what I wanted as a gift as she hadn’t got a clue and when I suggested this watch (and of course the hefty price tag!) she was over the moon to pick it up! That’s the good thing with both mine and her birthday’s right after Christmas and just days apart from each other (mine is the 6th and hers is the 7th!) so we can buy each other expensive gifts and have them for both occasions. 🙂 I LOVE this watch so much though! For a year now I’ve wanted a really nice designer watch, but as of yet I didn’t quite find anything I liked the look of, or showed who I am… If that makes sense? I love foxes, as everyone knows so when I saw that Olivia Burton were bringing a watch out with a fox on the face, I knew I had to get it. Bless my mom she’s also got my name etched onto the band too, which is gorgeous. She told me I could have it before Christmas, but I’m waiting until tomorrow. 🙂

• Elodie the Unicorn Humidifier.

I can’t remember how long I’ve wanted this for… I think it must be almost 2 years now! It was on Kickstarter and I wanted to back it so much, but I never bothered. It worked out quite expensive at the time. Elodie The Unicorn is an American branded item too so shipping was a bomb! I waited and waited and eventually Firebox started stocking Elodie The Unicorn items, one of which I spoke about recently on this post. However, I would love this humidifier for more than just the way it looks. I really want it to put essential oils in of an evening and during the weekends when me and Dane aren’t at work. Lavender for evenings and eucalyptus for when me and Dane have colds. I have a funny feeling that I’ve been bought this for Christmas… 😛

• Loungefly Pokemon Eevee Embosed Tri-Fold Wallet.

I am gutted at the time of writing this post because I was actually going to order this for myself. It’s now out of stock and due to that a part of me has kind of died… I don’t need a new wallet, but I’d like to have one if I could. Mines definitely showing it’s age now. I doubt very much that I have this for Christmas, but a small part of me hopes I do. :’)

• Pandora Bobby Bot Dog Charm.

I’ve had my eye on this Pandora charm for a while now. I’ve not really asked for any Pandora charms for some time and I don’t really know why… I guess I just haven’t liked the look of any, you know? However I do really LOVE this Bobby Bot dog! It’s so adorable and definitely something different. I tell you what though, for what it is it’s fucking expensive! It’s £50, which isn’t cheap for a Pandora charm in my opinion. I doubt very much that I have this for Christmas as I didn’t think of giving it as a gift idea…

So there’s my wish lists from back when I was a teenager to now I’m an adult! 😀 As you’ll probably see from both lists, thing never change with me. 😛

I do miss being younger and having a carefree life, but at the same time I actually don’t miss those years of dealing with puberty, the heartbreak I felt when lusting after boys who thought I was grotesque and not having any freedom. 😛

I want to know what some of your memorable Christmas gifts were from when you were a teenager? As well as what gifts you’d like to receive come Christmas day? 🙂

I have to add whilst it’s all well and good me talking about receiving gifts tomorrow and enjoying time with loved ones, we always have to remember there are people out there not as fortunate as some to have a lovely warm home and family members to be around at Christmas.

I always think of people who are both homeless and dealing with mental health issues around Christmas and it truly breaks my heart.

With that in mind, if you’re struggling today, tomorrow and for the rest of 2018 please make sure to drop me a message on any of my social media pages. I will always be happy and welcoming to you if you need someone to rant to. ❤

On that note, I hope you have an amazing Christmas and a happy New Year! 🙂

How To Make Your Dinner Table Geeky This Christmas

It’s only a couple more days until Christmas now and I still don’t know if I’m even in the Christmas spirit yet… You know? I don’t know what it’s been this year, I think I’ve just been far too busy with work and in general to get festive. That or I’m just getting to be an old Grinch… 😛

I’m trying to get into the Christmas spirit though so today I’m bringing a collab post to you all! Me and Sarah over at Raiin Monkey decided to do another collab post for Christmas again! We did last year and I loved it so much, so much so I knew we had to work together again to bring you our posts today.

Sarah’s going to write about how to make your home geeky this Christmas and I’m going to write how to make your dinner table geeky for Christmas Day!

I’m having Christmas dinner at home for the first time this year, so I’m rather excited to cook for me and Dane! This geeky dinner table guide from myself will be handy if like me this is also your first Christmas at home where you’re having dinner. 🙂

I really hope you enjoy this geek related Christmas post! 😀

• Original Stormtrooper Espresso Mug Set – (link)

Personally I love coffee, but I has espresso. It just isn’t for me. I do understand some people do really like it though and especially love to have it after a meal. I don’t know anyone who has had an espresso after a Christmas meal to be honest with you, but I know there’s someone out there who does it… There has to be! Maybe you’re one of those people? If so these espresso mugs will be right up your street! Hey! If you don’t use them for espresso, they’ll make great glasses for some strong liquor to go into, such as Bailey’s or maybe some Jack Daniels or Disaronno. I’d certainly go for the latter. 😉

• Geeki Tikis Mugs Marvel Deadpool and Star Wars R2-D2 – (link) and (link)

I LOVE these Geeki Tiki mugs so much and they’d make a great addition to your home all year around, as well as Christmas. If you love making cocktails like I do, these will be perfect throughout Christmas Day! When I lived at home I’d always make me and mom a pina colada each to drink throughout the day. These geeky tiki mugs would be perfect for that, as well as other cocktails and beverages! There’s loads of mugs to choose from but the two I love the most are Deadpool and R2-D2.

• Star Wars Shadow Trooper Bluetooth Speaker – (link)

As much as I’ve had enough of Christmas music now (after hearing every single possible Christmas song thanks to Magic FM…) I’m pretty much done for a couple of years now. 😛 However, I know a lot of people like to have Christmas music on throughout Christmas Day. Me and Dane have an Amazon Echo now so if we want some music on throughout the day we can just ask Alexa, however now everyone has that luxury. This Shadow Trooper speaker is pretty damn cool and even if you don’t have this for yourself in the house, it would also make an amazing gift for any music lover! You can have this on near the dinner table and listen to as much cheesy Christmas music as you want. 😛

• Shaun Of The Dead Winchester Tavern Pint Bottle Opener – (link)

I am a MASSIVE fan of Shaun Of The Dead! It reminds me of when I was a teenager and studying my GCSE’s! When I lived at home we were always losing or misplacing our bottle opener and like most people on Christmas, we all drink a LOT of alcohol! This is just a cool and quirky bottle opener, not even so much geeky to be fair but I really like it.

• Star Wars Stormtrooper Cheeseboard and Knife Set – (link)

Who doesn’t love some cheese on Christmas? Or anytime of year in fact! 😛 I remember last Christmas Dane’s family having a bit of a cheese selection after dinner, where I remember me eating all of the Applewood, because Applewood chedder is the God of chedder. 😛 This cheeseboard is pretty amazing as it looks gorgeous and inside it has loads of different edible tools for cheese. It’s just perfect for any geeky Christmas table!

• Marvel Deadpool Salt & Pepper Shakers – (link)

I was so close to buying these a week ago when I popped into Nostalgia Comics in Birmingham town centre! I love Deadpool and having Deadpool themed things in my house is always something good to have. 😛 These aren’t over the top but will stand out on the table for Christmas dinner and the good thing is these can be used all year around too. I know some people who have Christmas themed salt and pepper shakers and it’s just pointless for one day really.

• Pokemon Pikachu Cake Pan – (link)

Finally we have a Pokemon item on this list! I thought I would have had loads of Pokemon items on here for Christmas but could I find much? Could I bugger! The reason this cake pan is included in here is because I know not everyone likes Christmas pudding, myself included in there. I’m thinking of making some chocolate brownies Christmas Eve ready for Christmas Day. If I had it my way I’d make a chocolate cake using this Pikachu cake pan. 😛 It’s just so adorable and you could do so much with it come Christmas Day.

So there you have it, all my ideas of how you can geek up your table on Christmas Day! I know they’re not the best suggestions in the world, but they’re my suggestions and the best I could find so close to Christmas to be fair. 😛

Do you think you’ll geek up your table for Christmas Day? I don’t know if me and Dane will. We have a funky table cloth and some napkins, but that’s about it so far.

Again I want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Sarah for collaborating with me again! She’s one of my best friends of the blogging world and I do love her so much. 🙂

Are you ready for Christmas? Let me know in the comments what your plans are for Christmas and how you intend to spend the day!

Until next time all, take care and I hope you’re ready for the weekend, I know I am after a long and busy week of work. 😛

Lush Rudolph Jelly Mask – Review

It’s almost been nearly a year since I last wrote a Lush review on my blog and I’m not in the slightest bit surprised (FYI it was this post). After Lush declared they would no longer hold their Boxing Day sales online I was a bit (very) pissed off. Not just for myself, but for people out there who can’t make it to the stores to grab themselves some bargains. It sucked and it was more than just that that annoyed me. Their scents are all the same lately (Le sigh – citrus) and the way their company has been lately it just put me off supporting them anymore.

On top of all that I just haven’t really been bathing as much as I used to. I think in my old job when I finished work at 1.30pm I’d come home and had a hot bath to relax myself after a shit morning at work. Now I get home around 5.30pm and cook dinner, chilling out and then sleep. 😛 Baths just aren’t fitted into my chilling out time lately due to a mixture of that time being taken up with playing games or blog writing.

However, since going to London in November that’s kind of changed. I went into the Oxford Street Lush and picked up some of the Christmas range for 2018. I LOVE some of the bits I picked up, but as of yet I haven’t actually used them… Oh dear.

I forgot to check out and pick one item up though that I was interested in, which I was gutted about. I don’t really go into Lush anymore as Dane doesn’t particularly like it and none of my friends are really arsed by it either. When me and Dane went Christmas shopping at the start of December he wanted to pop into Lush to look for some present ideas for people and I decided to pick up that one item I wanted to try!

I didn’t get chance to have a smell of it as the store was HEAVING! It wasn’t good really. The Birmingham store has now moved to a much bigger store (which is apparently bigger than Oxford Street!) so when we went shopping it was their tiny store. I just feel like the staff should have had a queuing system for the store as it was crazy packed. There were also members of staff standing around talking and to be honest, getting in the way of customers trying to look at items. I ended up barging past them all after saying excuse me so many times. We wanted to grab our items and get out of there.

RIGHT enough ranting!

The item I picked up, as you’ll see from the title is the Rudolph Jelly Face Mask, which I was inspired by Steffie over at My Lush and Stuff to pick up this jelly face mask as she made it sound so amazing! I may have gone off of Lush, but I’m all for a face mask that will do my skin wonders, whilst smelling amazing! 😛

Rudolph is a limited edition jelly face mask for Christmas and I already want it to stay around forever, I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. 😛

Although I’ve only owned it for a couple of weeks I’ve found that this face mask really has helped me after use and I KNEW I just had to write a review for it on my blog, especially with Christmas right around the corner.

As you can see from the image above it’s described as, “Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you cleanse my face with cocoa powder, orange oil and kaolin tonight?”

Oh the cringe, gold stars to whoever wrote it.

The jelly face masks come in smaller tubs than the fresh face masks do. They come in 65g tubs and costs £7.95, which to me isn’t cheap to be perfectly honest with you. This being said they’re not like the fresh face masks where you need to use them sooner rather than later and also need to keep them in the fridge. The jelly face masks don’t need to be kept in the fridge and have a long shelf life. The one I picked up has a 4 month shelf life on it, which is amazing!

The product itself reminds me of a chocolate mousse in both sight and scent! It smells so chocolately that I’m surprised I haven’t read of someone trying to eat it yet! It smells more rich chocolate scent, but due to the fact it contains orange oil you can get a hint of that. Either way it smells amazing! Of course the colour of this product is brown.

The look of the mask is clearly a jelly and when you push down on it it springs back. It reminds me of blancmange. In the middle is a cute little red shimmer piece of jelly, which is suppose to be Rudolph’s nose! I know you’re meant to pop it onto your nose to look like Rudolph yourself, but honestly I do not have a clue what else to do with it! 😛

This mask is said to be good for people with oily skin and also dry skin, so this sounds like it’d be perfect for combination skin to be honest. I haven’t been able to really find anywhere so I can go only go by the ingredients what this jelly face mask will do to your skin!

Kaolin clay is great for absorbing excess oils on the skin and also cleans out the pores and cocoa powder helps to soothe and moisturise the skin. This to me states how it is perfect for combination skin, which is my skin type. This would make a great gift for a teenager as obviously it smells amazing and will help them with their troubled teenage skin.

This is my first time trying a jelly face mask and it was definitely a bizarre and odd experience the first time I tried it. I wasn’t quite sure HOW to use it, well I did as I’d seen YouTube videos in the past, but I mean in the sense of how much I needed to use. I popped into a Lush store recently and noticed for their samples and DIY jelly face masks they’d cut the mask up into chunks inside the tub, which I think is a great idea! I wish I’d thought to do that before I’d started using it.

The one thing I really hate about the packaging for this face mask is the stickers around the packaging. You can read any of the writing! Why would you put black text against dark brown? Surely you would change to white writing so we can read the instructions and such properly? Alas this isn’t the case and whenever I want to read the side of the pot I have to get the torch on my phone.

How the jelly face masks work is you grab some of the mask out of the tub and with dry hands rub the jelly between your hands to create a paste. Apply to your face and leave for 5 to 10 minutes and rinse off with warm water or a cloth.

I don’t know if the first few times I used this I just didn’t use enough or what, but it’s such an odd product to work with, but not in a negative way. I grabbed (what I thought) was a big enough chunk to cover my whole face, rubbed it between my hands to make a paste and applied it to my face. The more I applied it onto my face and massaged it into the skin the more it seemed to move around and build up into jelly chunks, instead of smoothing my face evenly. It’s rather odd and I don’t know if I like it.

I gave up moving it around my face after a while and just settled with it on my skin. I love to use face masks in the bath 9 times out of 10 as it’s so much easier to rinse them off than it is in the sink. The shower is great too, but having a soak in the bath with a face mask on is definitely relaxing.

I usually leave this on for 10 minutes after it dries back to a jelly type form, which I find really odd. When dry if you rub at it with dry hands it starts to rub away and go back to a jelly type form, which I find really odd but somewhat satisfying.

I thought it would be hard to wash off due to the jelly but it’s actually pretty straight forward and after going over with a flannel, the mask is off and my skin feels baby soft to the touch!

I apply some moisturiser after I get out of the bath just to make sure my face is as soft as it can be!

Would I pick this up again? I would but at the same time I don’t know. It has improved my combination skin, but not for all that long. I feel like using this twice as a week is a good idea, but at the same time for how much you pay, twice as a week is such a waste of money! I’m going to use it once a week or once a fortnight and use it every now and then.

I do rather like this jelly face mask and would like to try the other ones in the future, but at the same time the others don’t really appeal to me all that much. This one is amazing and I wish Lush would make it permanent as it reminds me of the Cupcake face mask and I CANT STAND IT! The one time I used it it caused me to break out really badly. 😦

Don’t forget this is a Christmas limited edition product so it’ll only be available until (probably) Christmas Eve and then it will be gone!

SO! What do you think of Rudolph jelly face mask? Would you give it a go or give it a miss? Have you already tried it? What do you think? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend!

The Christmas Tag 2018

Image taken from GIPHY

Christmas is just 16 days away now and I’m pretty much ready for the day now. All I need to buy is FOOD and I honestly cannot wait for Christmas food. 😛

I was recently tagged by Jess over at Little Pink Duck to take part in this tag, which I was really happy about! I love doing a tag every season and every awesome holiday that comes our way, especially Christmas! I don’t know if I’ve done this one, I actually don’t think I have which is amazing. If you want to check out Jess’ post and her answers, I’ll pop the link here for you. 🙂

I hope you enjoy the tag anyhoo, especially my answers. It’s Saturday evening and I’m watching Peep Show’s Christmas special.

What is your favourite Christmas film?

It has to be the Home Alone films! The first Christmas film I stuck on this year was Home Alone 2. They definitely remind me of when I was little at Christmas. There’s other films I love too, but this is always the first film that pops into my head whenever I think about Christmas films. 🙂

Have you ever had a White Christmas?

I feel like I have a few times to be fair. I remember it snowing when I was about 6 but it may have snowed before or after Christmas. The one year before I met Dane (probably 6-7 years ago!) I remember it snowed a little on Christmas Day, which was really nice to watch in the dining room whilst eating dinner and opening gifts.

Where do you usually spend your holiday?

I usually go to mine or Dane’s parents, but this year we’re actually going to be at home, which will be really nice. 🙂 I’m rather excited to be honest with you as I love cooking, so the thought of me and Dane getting up in the morning to get Christmas lunch/dinner started together, whilst we watch a Christmas movie or listen to Christmas songs. I am really looking forward to it.

What is your favourite Christmas song?

I would usually say Wham – Last Christmas but I’ve heard it so fucking much this year that it’s definitely not anymore. I completely forgot that Queen has a Christmas song, so when Dane showed me this recently I fell in love. It hasn’t come on the radio much at work but when it has, it’s really put me in the Christmas mood.

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Never! I remember I did for a time growing up, I’d always open a certain gift from a certain relative but as I got older I never received that gift anymore, so I stopped doing it. I mean, what’s the point in opening something early?! 😛

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Comic, Blitzen, Dasher, Pranser, erm… Does Rudolf technically count?

*Google searches*

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolf.

I didn’t do too badly, did I? 😛

Image taken from GIPHY

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

I’m looking forward to creating the traditions me and Dane will have for having Christmas at home! I’m really excited for what we’re going to do on the day and how we’re going to do it.

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake! I remember as a kid my mom decided to buy a real one and it was gorgeous, but it was a pain for the month she had it. The needles kept falling off etc. I don’t think I’d ever have a real one myself.

What is your all-time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?

Mmm I always love the Christmas dinner. The way my parents do gravy, to huge fluffy Yorkshire puddings. I love everything! If there is one thing I’m not arsed about over Christmas it’s all the chocolates that go around throughout the day. We never did this as a family growing up, so whenever anyone does it elsewhere I just don’t get it to be fair. 😛

Image taken from GIPHY

Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

I actually really love giving gifts. I like to think I’m quite thoughtful in the gifts I buy so when I get to see peoples reactions to what I’ve bought them, it really does make me happy. I feel rather guilty this year with Dane’s presents as I personally feel like I haven’t bought him a whole lot, even though deep down I know I have. :’)

I’m doing Secret Santa at work in a few weeks time and I really hope the person I have loves what I bought them. I can’t wait to see their face.

What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

I could never pick one gift to be honest with you. I have a little collection to be fair including, my Kitchen Aid mixer, my Dyson hairdryer, my huge Totoro plushie, my Thomas Sabo bracelet, a little fox that Dane bought me when we first went to the Birmingham German Market together.

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

I don’t know to be perfectly honest… The only place I can think of is Japan, but I’d love to visit there all year around to be perfectly honest with you. 😛 Me and Dane could have KFC for Christmas dinner hahaha!

Image taken from GIPHY

Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I’m not a pro, but I’m not a fail anymore! I’m definitely getting better, which makes me happy as I feel so good in myself when I’ve wrapped a present really nicely. 🙂 I’m rather proud of how I wrapped most of my presents this year!

Most memorable Holiday moment?

Probably the first year I spent Christmas with Dane. It was probably the first one in years where I was genuinely excited for it for all sorts of reasons.

When did you realise the truth about Santa?

I must have been 10 or 11 and someone told me, “You really think Father Christmas buys all those presents for you? It’s your mom, Nat.”

I was of course gutted, but meh I soon got over it. xD

Image taken from GIPHY

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I usually make at least one New Year’s resolution, this year was to save money which I’ve done really well and was quite pleased with. I’m trying to think what I can do this year and again it’ll probably be to save up money, but this time for a 30th holiday in Japan. 🙂

What makes the holidays special for you?

Being with the ones I love, especially Dane and just being able to use the time of Christmas and New Year to think about the year coming to an end and what I’d like for the year ahead. Oh and having a bit of a break too, you know? 😛

So that was the Christmas tag 2018! It’s taken me most of the evening to write this post and it’s because I kept getting side tracked with watching Christmas movies. 😛

So with tagging people to take part in this post… I WANT EVERYONE WHO READS IT TO TAKE PART! 😀 It’s Christmas so the more the merrier. 😛

Are you excited for Christmas? What are you most excited about? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend.

Two Unique Firebox Gifts You Should Buy For Her This Christmas*

I can’t believe we are a day away from being into the first week of December! I can’t believe how quick the month is already going and before we know it, it’ll be Christmas Day.

BUT have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? You might have some relatives to buy for, a best friend, someone you work with or maybe even a Secret Santa you need to find a gift for. I’m actually off shopping with one of my best friends this evening as we both have some last minute gifts to pick up.

I recently spoke to Firebox about wanting to work with them on a Christmas post and after some email exchanges I picked two items which I thought you guys may like the look of, for so many reasons.

So I thought today I would talk about the two items I was sent from Firebox, as well as why I think they’re both great Christmas present gifts for teenagers, younger and older women.

If there is one store I always go to for quirky and different gift ideas for anyone I always head to Firebox. Hey, I even buy myself stuff from there from time to time too. 😛

They have an amazing gifts for her section, as well as some unusual Christmas gifts too! The two items I chose are from the gifts for her section.

As you’re already aware, today’s post is about great gifts you can get for the girl/woman in your life and I’m going to be talking about two items today that are both different, in their own ways!

The first item I’m going to talk about is the Heart Waffle Maker*, which costs £24.99.

We love this brilliant machine a waffle lot. It’s a fact: you can’t make waffles without a waffle maker. Well, you could try, but good luck replicating their unique grid pattern and maintaining a uniform shape. With this hot pink delight, you can make up to five waffles in mere minutes from the comfort of your own kitchen. Why settle for the inferior dry ones from the shops when you could be feasting on delicious creations made your way? That’s right, get ready for Instagram worthy matcha, activated-charcoal, or rainbow waffles. Eat your heart out, Creams. Description taken from Firebox.com

You may think, “Nat what made you think a heart waffle maker was a good gift idea?” Well… Why not?! I know for a fact I don’t speak for myself when I say how much I love waffles! If there is one thing I love receiving for Christmas it’s items I can make use out of throughout the year and a waffle maker can not only be a great present for a food lover, but especially a food lover at Christmas!

As this heart waffle maker is a gorgeous pastel pink colour, this will make the ideal gift for a teenager who always holds sleepovers and wants to make yummy waffles. This is also a great gift for a couple who love food and women who love to cook. Of course anyone who has a pink theme for their kitchen will adore this pink heart waffle maker. PLUS who doesn’t want a heart shaped waffle, eh? 😛

I’ve already made loads of waffles for me and Dane with this and whilst it takes some getting used to at first, it is SO EASY to use and super easy to clean too. I plan to show how I make chicken and waffles and maybe even some chocolate waffles, so keep eyes peeled for that. 😛

I love how on the Firebox website it recommends how you can make all sorts of different waffles, including matcha, charcoal and even rainbow ones! I love the thought of making a rainbow waffle.

For just under £25 I think this would make a great gift for a teenager or someone who loves food. It’s just the perfect gift to get for a girl or woman that is hard to buy for, but who loves food.

The second item I chose and the one I was super excited to receive is the Elodie the Unicorn Light Up Umbrella*, which costs £29.99. This is also an exclusive product to Firebox!

It’s a big fat cliche but we Brits are no strangers to rain, so you can rest assured we know how to make a damn good umbrella. Sprinkle a little bit of fairy dust into the brolly machine and you get this! Elodie, our favourite unicorn, is back in the form of this perfect parasol that lights up and changes colour when in contact with water! Simply flick the little switch on the handle to illuminate the multicolour LEDs – there’s even a dimmer switch if you want romantic mood lighting for your rainy stroll. As for the liquid reactive bits, the cute little clusters of hearts and stars on take on ombre rainbow hues when in contact with water. And there’s a lot of them to go round with that 34” diameter so prepare your eyes for a full spectrum magical unicorn lightshow. Description taken from Firebox.com

I’m a massive fan of Elodie the Unicorn and I knew I had to share this wonderful thing with you guys on my blog! I’m really funny when it comes to umbrellas, as in I always like to have a unique one for whenever I need to use one. I also love this style of umbrella too as I find they’re just adorable and different. I remember when I was at college and this style of umbrella first came out in shops and markets. I fell in love and had a couple of them that I used on and off. They fast blew inside out and broke, long gone. 😛

This light up umbrella is so different though and as of yet I have never seen anything like it to date. As the description for this umbrella states, we in the UK are definitely not surprised when it rains, so why not have a glam brolly to use whenever we get any?! It chucked it down with rain earlier this week and thankfully I didn’t get soaked, thanks to my car and running from it to my workplace. 😛

Not only does this umbrella light up though with the simple push of a button by the handle, but it also has a cute unicorn face, and the gold part at the top of the umbrella resembles the unicorn horn! It also has liquid-reactive patterns all on the umbrella itself which change colour when rain water gets into contact with it. Could you honestly ask for anything cuter?!

So with all the crappy rain we get in the UK I think this light up umbrella would make a perfect gift for a girl, teenager or woman of any age group!

This would make a great gift for someone in education, especially secondary school for when it’s getting dark earlier and they have to walk home from school. Not only would the umbrella stop them getting soaked, but it would also have the lights on, which would help when crossing the road, getting around and maybe even if their friends or family are meeting them somewhere.

This umbrella also seems like such an awesome novelty for an adult too, especially if they’re like me and love anything cute and adorable like this and I know for a fact others would feel the same about it too.

Let’s not forget, mermaids and unicorns have blown up these past few years, so any unicorn lover out there would definitely love to receive this umbrella.

The one thing I will say about this umbrella is that the images on Firebox’s website don’t do it justice not just for how big it actually is, but also for how amazing the lights are on it! They’re incredibly bright and colourful, very kawaii!

I was going to talk about more items that I feel you should buy, but I’m actually going to save that for another post where I recommend gifts you should buy for the geeky girls and guys in your lives! 😛

What do you think of the items that Firebox sent me? Do you think they’re unique gifts that you could see yourself buying for someone? If so who would you buy them for and why? I want to know so make sure to let me know in the comments!

I just want a say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Firebox for working with me. I have loved this brand for years and it has taken some massive confidence growth this year for me to built up the encouragement to email them, expressing how much I would love to work with them and why.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re ready for the weekend!

December Wish List ’18

I cannot believe we are in December now. The last month of 2018 with Christmas and New Years looming and my bloody 29th birthday to follow. Yuck getting old sucks.

I am definitely not ready for Christmas and I usually am by now! I had a very busy and expensive November and a part of me regrets spending so much monies, but at the same time we only live. YOLO! 😛

Last year in December I actually wrote two wish list posts, one in general at the start of the month and one on Christmas Eve that I would have asked Father Christmas for as a kid, as well as what I was hoping to be gifted Christmas Day. I want to know if you guys want to see this again, but this time from my teenage self? Please let me know in the comments down below! I’ve been toying with the idea and I would like to do it.

Anyway, I’ve put a list together and not going to lie, I STRUGGLED! I’ve bought so much shit lately that I really didn’t need anything else. Some stuff on here I’ve pre ordered already. xD

• A Polar Bear In Love Vol. 4 – (link)

This is a manga I got into at the start of the year as Dane bought it for me for my birthday. We’re approaching the fourth volume now and I still love this manga so much, I could even go so far as to say it’s one of my favourites. It’s so bizarre and different, which being totally hilarious! I just love some of the quirky moments in there.

• Pokemon Eevee Hooded Sweater – (link)

I really don’t need a new hoodie, especially as Dane has just given me one of his hoodies! This one looks really snug though and comfortable. When I showed it to Dane he commented how it reminded him of a snowboarding hoodie. This definitely shows a sign of a good hoodie for sure! 😛 This is something I’ll be keeping my eye out for in the sales. I’d probably just have it to wear to pole and hoop fitness, as well as around the house when chilling out and with my pyjamas. 😛

• Sword Art Online Progressive Vol. 7 (link)

This is another manga I really love at the moment and it’s also a manga that doesn’t come out THAT much throughout the year, so I was quite surprised that they decided to bring out two volumes in one year! This is a manga I really enjoy and reminds me of when I first started buying manga to read

• Lime Crime Best Of Lip Holiday Collection in Reds – (link)

I’ve always been unsure of Lime Crime products, until I picked up the Plushies (which you can read my review about here) and since then I do really want to try more of their lipsticks. These gift sets for Christmas look amazing and I’d really love to pick one up, or have one for Christmas. They have a couple of different colours from darks, reds, mauves and nudes. I love me a bit of red when it comes to lip colours, but I do also love the darks and mauves too. I think I’ll keep my eye on these for when the Boxing Day sales roll around. 😛

• Pokemon Eevee Tamagotchi – (link)

I’ve actually pre-ordered this already! I had to, I couldn’t pass it up to be honest. 😛 Pokemon and Tamagotchi have teamed up to bring out an Eevee Tamagotchi, where you get an Eevee and can evolve it into one of it’s Eeveelutions, as well as (apparently!) a new Eeveelution, which is pretty exciting! I went for the brown Tamagotchi out of the two. This was such a good price and I’m so excited for it to come out at the start of 2019. I’m undecided whether to open it or not, we shall see. 😛

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Manga Vol. 7 – (link)

This is something else I’ve pre-ordered as I LOVE this series of manga and I always try and get the latest volume without delay so I can keep up with the series. I’ve not had much manga to read in November as I read all my manga on my way to London. I’ve got manga to read on an app on my phone but it’s never the same as having a physical copy. 😛 I can’t wait for this to arrive now to read it.

• Stuffed Water Bear – (link)

The final item on this wish list IS ADORABLE! I really want this water bear, even though I don’t know what I’d do with it. 😛 I was so tempted to pick this up when the sales were on for Black Friday, but I left it as to be honest with you I HAVE BEEN SKINT! 😛 I may look into getting this another time but at the moment it’s not a priority. BUT DAMN it’s cute isn’t it?! 😛

So that is my December favourites! Of course this doesn’t include my whole, “wish list to Father Christmas aka family” stuff. That will come Christmas Eve like last year. 😛

I was going to try and do Blogmas this year but I have decided against it. I just simply don’t have time to do it. If I’m not busy with work, I’m busy with keeping up with my usually 2-3 posts a week or I’m busy having a life.

I’m definitely going to try and do it next year. BUT throughout December please keep eyes peeled for exciting posts on my blog, including Christmas themed posts as well as some collaboration posts! 😀

What do you have on your wish lists this month? AND what posts are you excited to see on my blog? Make sure to let me know in the comments.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend.

The Body Shop Peppermint Candy Cane Bath Bomb – Review

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! Move over Scrooges because it’s officially less than a month until Christmas now. I don’t care how “early” it is to be talking about Christmas related stuff, I’m doing it. 😛

If there is one brand I am loving this Christmas it’s definitely The Body Shop. They’ve introduced three new scents to their Christmas range and I am LOVING THEM! There are three new scents, Berry Bon Bon, Vanilla Marshmallow and my favourite Peppermint Candy Cane.

I really want to pick up more of the range but at this moment in time I’m really skint and I’m not even halfway through my Christmas shopping yet. Meh.

When I went to London at the start of the month I popped into The Body Shop with my friend Sophi and we picked up some bits and pieces. They had some bath bombs in there and as I have fallen head over heels in love with The Body Shop’s bath bombs and bubble bars lately, I decided to buy a couple of each scent.

I recently and finally tried Peppermint Candy Cane’s bath bomb and I just knew I had to review it for your guys. As always on my blog, my reviews are honest there’s no BS here. 😛

So without further ado, let the review begin!

The one thing that bugs me the most about the bath bombs The Body Shop have brought out with the Christmas scents is that they don’t stock them online. I’ve only seen them in store and even then they fly off the shelves so quickly! When we were in the London store we had to ask if they had anymore of the Peppermint Candy Cane scent left as the shelf was empty. Then me and Sophi practically wiped the shelf clean of the other two scents.

I couldn’t wait to get home to give them all a go and the first one I decided to use is my favourite scent out of the three!

All of the bath bombs have colour schemes to match their scents as well as animals that are on the front of advent calendars. Berry Bon Bon is red with a fox, Vanilla Marshmallow is yellow with an owl and Peppermint Candy Cane is green with a deer. A lot of people are confused about whether the Berry Bon Bon bath bomb is a fox, a wolf or a raccoon. I can only assume it’s a fox as that’s the animal on the most expensive advent calendar box.

Each bath bomb costs £2.50 and you get 50g of product. The normal range of bath bombs cost £1.50 and you only get 10g. Such a bargain really when you think about it!

The character designs are all so cute, which makes these perfect for children and teenagers.

When it comes to bath bombs I usually break them in half so I get more for my money, aka Lush bath bombs. These are perfect though for just using in one go, which I really like.

In the packaging and as a whole the scent of this bath bomb isn’t in your face and strong, but it isn’t light enough that you cannot smell it.

The only way I can describe Peppermint Candy Cane is a fresh and minty scent with a warm sort of comforting smell too. Not like a fresh peppermint scent, but comforting and soft. That’s the main thing I love about this scent, it really does remind me of Christmas and I don’t feel like many places actually have peppermint scented things at this time of year. SO a massive thank you to The Body Shop for FINALLY doing it. 😛

Sadly when the bath bomb had finished fizzing and I got into the bath, I smelt NOTHING. Not a single thing and I was so disappointed. I sniffed the water, my skin, even when I finished bathing and went in and out of the bathroom I couldn’t smell anything. I don’t know what happened considering in the plastic wrap it smelt rather strong of the Peppermint Candy Cane scent. It’s to be honest, a bit shit.

I don’t even feel like this nourished my skin either, which was even more disappointing! It left a lovely pale green colour in the water, which was pretty but that’s pretty much all it was which for £2.50 is such a shame to me.

I bought two of these bath bombs and although I did wonder whether to give the second bath bomb a go to see if it was just a case of a had a dud bath bomb, I shouldn’t have to. What if I had just bought one? I’d be disappointed regardless, you know?

Sadly the only thing I really liked about this bath bomb was the way it looked and smelt BEFORE I decided to use it, which sucks.

Now if this had cost more than £2.50 I think I would complain more, but considering it didn’t break the bank I’m not surprised really. I’m just disappointed.

I feel like you would need to use this with either/or the bath foam, shower gel, body scrub, body lotion or even the body butter to feel the full effect of the peppermint scent. This in itself is annoying because as we all now, The Body Shop isn’t cheap.

I’m a bit miffed about the fact you can’t pick this up online considering the staff member in the London store told me it’s online. It’s really not.

Overall whilst this was a lovely idea I was left feeling meh about it and I just hope the other Peppermint Candy Cane bath bomb, as well as the other scents I own have a better pay off! If they do I’ll definitely update at the end of this post.

This bath bomb would be great for people with sensitive skin, children and teenagers. If you’re used to strong scented bath products like Lush and maybe even Bomb Cosmetics, then this is a no go for you.

Have you tried the Christmas bath bombs from The Body Shop? If you have, how did you get on? If not, will you give them a go? Let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a great week so far!