Dr Martens x Lazy Oaf Buckle Boot

First things first, Happy belated Easter everyone! Last weekend with the bank holiday was so busy for me that I unfortunately didn’t have time to do much with my blog. Regardless of how busy Easter was, I had a lovely one that was filled with yummy food, shopping, birthday celebrations and more.

Anyhoo… I know you probably didn’t sign up for fashion based posts, but bear with me… Ten years ago when my journey with There Might Be Coffee began it was pretty much all about beauty and fashion. I was obsessed with both and I wanted to shout out about it to the world! Granted, I still love my beauty stuff, but fashion has been hit and miss the past ten years. Before I got with Dane I was all over it, but after me and Dane got together I definitely relaxed with it a little and the past two years with Covid, the way I dressed really changed, and not in a good way. Due to being stuck at home due to lockdown I lived in joggers, leggings, t-shirts, sweaters and hoodies, and some days my pyjamas. 2022 is the year of me really identifying how I’d like to dress, both for my age as well as my aesthetic. I know for a fact I’m not the only one who got a kick up the arse from lockdown fashion “to sort myself out”…

I think I mentioned all of this on my blog post about Tallulah’s Threads, but before Covid I practically lived in mom jeans and sweaters/t-shirts. I can’t remember the last time I reached for my mom jeans as these days I just prefer dresses, both for comfort and for how bloody cute they are, especially smock dresses.

Alongside buying loads of staple pieces for work and personal (mostly dresses to be fair), I recently decided to buy myself a pair of Dr Martens boots I’d been eyeing up for quite some time. I wanted to share them with you today as not only do I feel like I snagged a bargain, but I also want to share my Dr Martens tips with you all… Aka a guide of not coming away with broken feet. 😛

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about my Dr Martens purchases on my blog and I’m sure it won’t be the last! You can read about my first pair of Dr Martens boots here and my Adventure Time Dr Martens here too.

So, just a little about these boots. They were a 2019 collaboration between Dr Martens and Lazy Oaf, which is kind of obvious from the name of the post. There were a few different styles brought out in this collection, including sandals, creepers and especially the buckle boots I’ll be sharing today.

From memory I do recall seeing these released/discussed at the time but didn’t really think much about them. I had booked my trip to Japan and was trying to save as much money as possible for that. However, I did see quite a few people I follow on Instagram get them and the more they posted about them, the more I wanted a pair myself. Again, due to the Japan trip I didn’t look or buy myself a pair.

Just before we booked our Japan trip I did buy a pair of Dr Martens boots I’d had my eye on for a while… Which I’m now selling after only wearing once! They’re heavy to wear due to a steel toe and yeah, I regret buying them. I hope they go to a good home soon.

During lockdowns between 2020 and 2021 I did look at the buckle boots again, but never really thought much about them. The sole is thicker than what I’m used to with Dr Martens and the idea of it put me off. This being said, I stupidly bought some platform trainers… Which have since been sold as I never wore them…

To add here by the way, I’ve always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Lazy Oaf. I’ve always loved their quirky pieces, especially the Boring rainbow cardigan (which I own), as well as the pastel version of it (which I want), but I’ve always really hated some of the pieces they bring out, and don’t even get me started on the prices! I feel like Lazy Oaf is a great brand, but it often feels like influencers on Instagram or YouTubers purchase or are sent the goods, do reviews of them and haul videos (which is great!), but as soon as us “norms” go onto the website to buy stuff it’s often sold out or stupidly priced.

Aside from that, I do have some Lazy Oaf pieces I’ve obtained second hand through Depop, Vinted and eBay. Only one of my Lazy Oaf pieces was brand new, but even then I bought it through Depop. I don’t think I can afford Lazy Oaf new to be honest with you… 😛

Some second hand buying advise (that your probably didn’t ask for), for anyone who is after Lazy Oaf pieces on a budget, or just wants to do their bit buying second hand, I definitely recommend Depop, Vinted and eBay for sure! Look daily and don’t pay more than you would brand new. I recently found a Lazy Oaf grail and paid an amazing price for it second hand. I’ll share it in my April favourites next week!

Aside from that, let’s talk about the boots. I could be here all day talking about my Lazy Oaf finds and purchases over the years. If this is a blog post you would be interested in in the future, please let me know in the comments.

As I’ve already mentioned, these boots have a double sole, something I’m not used to, but that being said it’s not really noticeable when wearing the boots. I was expecting them to be really heavy, but alas they aren’t, which I’m grateful for.

The boots themselves are black, with pink heart motifs on the tongue, as well as on the back of the boot.

As you can tell by the name of these boots, they are a buckle boot, with the buckle shape being a silver heart, alongside with a silver zip in front of the tongue and behind the buckle.

Although these have the traditional Dr Martens boot staples of the yellow stitching and yellow and black tag at the back, without them, these boots could easily be mistaken for another brand. They don’t shout Dr Martens boots to me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I love the Dr Martens and combat boot look, it’s always something I wanted as a teenager and the day I got my first pair of combat boots (some cheap ones from a market), I was thrilled! I lived in them until they were too painful to wear. That’s when I bought my first pair of Dr Martens and I’ve never looked back.

If there is one thing I have always somewhat disliked about Dr Martens is the laces. Sometimes it feels like the laces can take an age to do up and then I also worry I haven’t tightened them enough. I think this is due to years of living in slip on Vans.

With the buckle boots, it’s one thing I really I love about them as there’s no laces in sight to worry about! Just a zip and a buckle! I really love the look of the Devon boots for that reason alone… Alongside the fact they’re pretty AND have plenty of colours to choose from. I really want the dark purple pair Dr Martens recently announced.

Comfort wise I wanted to share my experience of wearing these so far. It’s not been too bad, thankfully. They were practically new when I bought them so I was wary my feet may end up being ripped to shreds. I’ve always had my tips and tricks to avoid sore feet when wearing new Dr Martens boots but I wanted to look for some more, just in case there had been some newer ones spoken of and shared. Alas, ankle protectors from Amazon was making the rounds, so I decided to buy some.

I’ve tried them once so far and my experience isn’t great. I wore them out to run some errands with Dane and decided to pop them on over tights. First of all, when I was attempting to put my boots on with the ankle protectors, they kept moving as I was putting my foot into the boot. This meant I had to dig my finger in after my foot was in the boot to move them around how I needed them. It was a painful exercise, but doable. It’s a good job we weren’t in a hurry, let me put it that way.

Then when we went out and we were walking around, the ankle protectors quickly slipped from around my ankles down to the bottom of my foot, which wasn’t great. We went for coffee and I attempted to move the ankle protectors back to where they should have been, but it proved to be too much effort. We’d almost finished what we needed to do anyway, so I risked the potential of cut up ankles. Thankfully however, this didn’t happen and my feet were safe!

I’ll definitely given the ankle protectors another go, but this time I’ll pop socks over tights and see how it works. Or maybe even wear the ankle protectors underneath my tights/socks and see how I get on.

My tried and tested method for the past ten years however has been simple. Thick socks, wide plasters/bandage tape on the ankle (and any other part of you foot you may experience rubbing) and a day out to really break them in! My first pair of Dr Martens I wore to Stratford-upon-Avon for the day. I wore plasters and took some with me just to be safe. I don’t remember experience too much discomfort, but I remember the soles of my feet being sore from new boots and lots of walking.

This hasn’t always been the same story with my Adventure Time Dr Martens however, which do really hurt my feet at the best of times. These are boots I really need to break in though, hence the slight discomfort each time I wear them. I’ve also worn these to Stratford-upon-Avon for a day and did come away with sore feet. Ouch.

I wanted to mention my experiences with my other pairs of Dr Martens boots, as last time I wore my buckle boots I did just this and I was in a bit of trouble. I wore tights, my thick Dr Martens socks over the top and risked not wearing the ankle protectors, or plasters. Due to how thick my socks were, the boots felt tight and unfortunately my ankles did start to rub. I only walked to the shops and back, but I was in a bit of trouble! Me and Dane were going into town for the day and I had planned to wear my boots into town to break them in, alas, this didn’t happen and I took them off and wore my Vans instead.

I think a couple of brisk walks to the shops (ten minute walk) and back may help to break these in.

I don’t think I’ve spoken about it yet, but you’re probably wondering how I came to find these boots from almost three years ago? Let me share!

So, my Instagram friend Daysei is a terrible influence when it comes to clothing (sorry Daysei, but you know it’s true :P) and as I know she loves Dr Martens, I mentioned to her in passing how I’d love the Lazy Oaf buckle boots. I wasn’t aware, but more so recently, Dr Martens shoe sizes have been really off and the size you expect to fit could be too big, or too small. This has happened in specific styles and then at random. I’m always a size seven in my Dr Martens, so I started to look at websites such as Depop, eBay, Vinted, and even Dr Martens Facebook groups to try and find the Lazy Oaf boots I wanted. I had no luck for ages, and when I did sizes were too big or too small, shit quality, but mainly people asking stupid prices.

Eventually I came across a listing on eBay where the seller was selling them as worn once for £150, so I went for it and I’ve not looked back! At one point I almost bought a size eight which I would have regretted so bloody much, especially as they were more expensive too.

My only complaint with the boots I bought is the one buckle is very damaged… This damage wasn’t shown on the photos and I only realised it after a few days of owning them. That being said, I’m not too fussed as they’ll get worn and enjoyed so eventually they’ll show wear and tear regardless.

If there’s one thing I really want to do with these boots it’s give them a good polish and some much needed TLC! They did come in amazing condition, but all my Dr Martens boots need some care to the leather. I should have really picked up some goodies in the Dr Martens store last week, but I just didn’t. I think I’ll do a bulk order of goodies next week.

I’m honestly so excited to have a pair of Dr Martens I can just throw and zip on for days out with Dane and friends, I’ve just been so anxious about wearing them due to a mixture of the soles height and the fear of coming home to sore feet. I’m hopeful I’ll be okay though after a couple more wears out and about.

What do you guys think about the boots I picked up? Are you a Dr Martens and/or Lazy Oaf fan? Make sure to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time guys, have a lovely weekend!

My Dress-Up Darling

Image taken from My Anime List

I don’t know if I’ve ever written a blog post purely dedicated to a manga/anime series before, but no time like the present, eh?

I really wanted to write about My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru, which translates to The Bisque Doll That Fell in Love) today as it’s a manga/anime series I’ve really fallen in love with and it’s definitely fast become one of my favourites, which is crazy to think about. I know a lot of people have fallen head over heels for My Dress-Up Darling too and especially Marin the main female protagonist, some falling for her a little harder than others.

I know today’s post is a little different but I wanted to share my thoughts about this series as I know so many people love it and season one is now completed, so I’d like to share what I thought of it in that aspect too.

Don’t worry, there won’t be any spoilers shared here, I’m not about that life. I will however share the basic information about what the anime is all about and more.

I’m just going to get straight into it, I honestly hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I think the last time I was into an anime so much I had to pick up the manga to read was A Silent Voice (2017). Me and Dane had been to watch it at The Electric Cinema in Birmingham, as I’d been recommended to watch it by adverts and they were damn right to tell me about it! Forbidden Planet/Worlds Apart is literally a stone throw away from the cinema so we ventured there prior to have a nose at geeky goodness, including manga. Dane walked out with Berserk (which was standard back in the day) and I left with the first three volumes of A Silent Voice. I binge read all the volumes in a week!

The same has happened with My Dress-Up Darling where I’ve binge read volumes one to three (still not started four) of the manga after watching the anime, although I’m holding off reading volumes five to eight online until they actually come out for us in the UK. I don’t know about you guys, but I much prefer holding a manga to read instead of just scrolling pages on my phone or laptop.

The anime is based off of the manga also known as Sono Bisque Doll, which released in Japan with its first volume in January 2018, with there currently being eight volumes of the manga, with volume nine on the way! In the UK there are currently six volumes, with five and six being pre-orders. The manga released to us in the UK in April 2020. With the release of the anime and its quick popularity with anime fans alike, the manga has sold out like hot cakes, with many manga stockists apologising and popping people on wish lists. There has also been a lot of scalpers on selling websites trying to sell volumes one and three (which are the hardest to get right now) for stupid prices!

At the time of writing this post volumes two and four are the main ones you’ll find available to purchase at the moment, with five and six being pre orders for the near future. I’ve found Amazon, Forbidden Planet and Wordery have been some of the best places to find volumes for sale.

I was able to snag volumes one and two from Forbidden Planet, as well as four on Amazon. Last week I was able to finally snag volume three through a lovely seller on Depop! She didn’t scalp or put the price up at all, especially with the volume being brand new.

With that out of the way, I’m going to talk about the anime first, just because that’s what I watched prior to reading the manga. It would be weird to talk about it the other way around when that isn’t how it happened for me. There are twelve episodes in season one with the season beginning on 9th January and concluding on 27th March 2022.

My Dress-Up Darling is about Gojo, a trainee Hinamatsuri (Hina for short) doll creator who has just started his first year of high school. One day during school Gojo is in the craft room at school making some costumes for his Hina dolls when Marin sees him. Marin wants to cosplay, but isn’t very good at making costumes, so once seeing Gojo’s talent, approaches him about whether or not he can help her create her cosplay costume for a character she adores. Whilst Gojo has no experience of this, he helps Marin regardless but one cosplay turns from one to more as the story progresses.

It’s a romantic comedy, slice of life manga/anime and my perfect style of anime/manga! In all honesty I’m a sucker for slice of life, no matter what, even drama you’d find on Channel 4!

Each week I’m a sucker for how Gojo and Marin’s friendship progresses, as well as finding out more about each of the characters and what cosplay Marin will work on next.

I don’t feel like this will be a spoiler at this point, but the opening credits for the anime shows what cosplay outfits Gojo and Marin are working on together, even in the order they do them as well. The covers for the manga volumes have the same images of Marin in her cosplay too. I’m so excited to see more in the future! My favourite so far as definitely been her first.

Dane is the one who introduced me to My Dress-Up Darling. I can’t remember how it came about exactly, as we were sick for the first few weeks of January, which is of course when the anime came out. I remember he was watching it and mentioned, “Everyone is going mad for this anime online and how good the animation is. Especially compared to Berserk!” For anyone that isn’t aware (I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it before or not…), Dane is a massive Berserk fan and like many, was disappointed with the animation style for Berserk 2016.

What got Dane into My Dress-Up Darling was, “I had seen a gif on Reddit of Marin dancing in her bikini (taken from episode two) and without sounding perverted, I really liked the animation style and character’s design. I was immediately enamoured with Marin and wanted to know more about her… Besides her bikini choices.”

The GIF in question, more frames than Berserk 2016. Image taken from Tenor

I think Dane had watched a couple of episodes before I decided to give it a go, which he was more than happy about. I watched the first episode and craved more! We’ve been happily watching each new episode every Saturday morning ever since. It’s always been something to look forward to throughout the past couple of months, especially coming up to the weekends. Since the start of the year we’ve been having regular anime weekends where we sit and binge watch any that have new episodes or ones we’ve discovered and have started to watch together.

There is a huge elephant in the room when it comes to My Dress-Up Darling and it’s the amount of fan service, or arguably… Perverse shots that are in the show. It’s a topic that has blown up all over the internet, which I can understand. I don’t get some of the scenes in question that they chose to animate, and whilst I never feel uncomfortable, I do question it. I know a lot of people have also stated after seeing the “lewd” animated scenes, they stopped watching it, as they no longer wished to support the anime. I personally think its a shame that this happens as it affects everyone who has worked on the anime in question (not just speaking about My Dress-Up Darling here!). As I said, it doesn’t personally bother me, but I do question some stuff. The animators of the show (who may have also worked on the manga too) were probably given a clear vision to be like the manga, so, they have.

As I always do, when I really fall in love with something I always like to try and get some merchandise of it, official or fan made merch at that. I’ve seen one piece of official merchandise I’d love to pick up (key chain) but I’d also love a t-shirt with Marin on, especially pulling one of her many happy faces that she’s pulling during the opening credits of the anime.

Marin is very much loved in the community right now for both her personality, as well as for how pretty and “perfect” she is. I guess it’s because we can all relate to her one way or another as anime, manga and game lovers who just want to show off how much we love characters we watch, read and play as. I’ve personally only cosplayed twice, my first time as Lucy from Elfen Lied and my second time as Cartman’s The Coon from South Park. Both times were so much fun, especially the latter as so many people were telling me and Dane (he dressed up as Kenny’s Mysterion persona) how amazing we looked.

I’d love to cosplay as so many characters and people but I just don’t think I have it in me. I’d be so self conscious the whole day in case anyone judged, if I did the character wrong and more.

So, watching My Dress-Up Darling is a nice way of seeing how people DO get their cosplays together, how happy it makes them feel, the learning processes behind it all and more. Plus the friendships Gojo and Marin make together and with others is really lovely to see. OH and to add, it’s so cool to see how they drew parts of Tokyo. Me and Dane are especially missing Japan so far this year and are craving going back, especially when watching anime where it’s set in areas we stayed/ventured to.

Now I’ve spoken a little about My Dress-Up Darling’s anime, I want to touch upon the manga a little, which I’ve been speed reading the past week since I got volume three! I won’t talk too much about it, as I’ve already spoken a lot about the anime as it is.

The manga (from what I’ve read so far) is pretty much identical to the anime. I can’t say as I’ve noticed any massive differences so far, which I like. The manga style is gorgeous to boot by the way and is very similar again to the anime. I know some manga styles differ to the style when you watch the anime (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid being a good example of this…) but thankfully this didn’t do that.

At the time of writing this, season one of My Dress-Up Darling has come to a close and what a close it was to a show so many of us adored! I won’t say too much of what happens in the episode itself due to spoilers, etc, but for anyone who is watching (from January, or if you decide to watch it after reading this post), please make sure to continue watching episode twelve after the credits begin… There’s a bit at the end that really rounds up the season perfectly.

Overall I’ve fallen head over heels for My Dress-Up Darling, which is also bad news because now not only do I want as much merchandise from it as I can get my mitts on, but I’m also sad that the anime’s first season is coming to a close this weekend.

Image taken from Good Smile Company US Twitter

I’m already planning on watching the dub version, just so I can enjoy it all over again, as well as ordering the Marin Nendoroid when it releases too! Me and Dane have been talking about whether a DX version will release too, where Marin will have all her cosplay outfits to dress up in too! Otherwise, an additional set of outfits for this would be great. Good Smile Company would miss a trick not doing that!

If you’d like to watch My Dress-Up Darling yourself, you can find it on both Funimation and Crunchyroll!

So, have you been watching My Dress-Up Darling? If so, what do you think of it? Have you been watching the dub, or the sub? Of course, have you also read the manga? Maybe you hadn’t heard of it until now, has my post inspired you to watch? Make sure to let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Until next time guys, have an amazing weekend and I’ll see you in April! 🙂

Tallulah’s Threads – Love Bug Lilac Dress

I want to give a bit of context to today’s blog post before I start getting into it. Originally I was going to write about lots of various fashion pieces I’d bought in January/February, but after my Tallulah’s Threads dress arriving, I really want to focus on talking about this piece and the brand behind it. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do a fun photoshoot with Dane for this one. We’ve both been too tired/busy to take any photos together, so sadly photos of me in front of my bedroom mirror will have to suffice. 😦

Due to some of the ways I’ve decided to style this dress, I’ll be sharing some of the newer items I’ve picked up recently too.

All this being said, I don’t know if today’s blog post is going to be one that my regular readers will enjoy or not (although deep down I hope you do…), but it’s one I really wanted to write and share with you all today. This post is going to be my usual review style when talking about independent businesses but clothes, and cute ones at that!

For any newer readers of There Might Be Coffee, back in the day (10 years ago now!) when I first started my blog, I used to write this sort of content often. I was really into fashion in my late teens and early twenties and would try and dress as cute and fashionable as possible. I don’t know what happened but suddenly I just decided to start following all the trends at the time, which I put it down to watching Sex and the City and Ugly Betty, which of course circulate around fashion. I had also started to read Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic (The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic) series, which focussed a lot on fashion too. On top of that, I used to buy as many fashion magazines as I could just to take in all the latest trends and more! This was times before blogs really blew up, alongside Instagram and Pinterest. Who else remembers being like this about fashion?

Just to add here, I had a massive sort out of my wardrobe in autumn 2021 and have either donated or sold most of the items I sorted, which is amazing! However, I still have lots of stuff left at my mom’s to grab, which I’ve been doing gradually. How fashion conscious I used to be is something Dane has only recently discovered after I brought home loads of older pairs of shoes I used to own, including heels, wedges and more! These days I’m happy to live in Vans and occasionally Dr Martens. All about that comfort now. 😛

Covid has done a lot of things for me and unfortunately my mental health declining is one of them, which I know a lot of others have experienced too. Another thing it has done for a lot of people is cause us to dress more casual and comfortable in clothes such as joggers, hoodies, sweaters and even pyjamas! I was definitely guilty of this too, especially days when my mental health was really bad.

Due to this, Covid has actually made me think more about my style and how I’d like to change it up in the future! Before Covid I would mostly wear mom jeans with baggy t-shirts and hoodies and days of binge wearing my mom jeans aren’t as often as they once were, I do still like to throw them on every now and then. Now I want to wear more dresses, in colours that suit my skin tone (purple, red and blue) and with as many cute characters and animals as my heart desires! I also really want to show off the alternative style that I’ve always adored and I think 2022 is finally the year to do that.

We’re three months into 2022 already (how?!) and my wardrobe has definitely changed in a short period of time, which is always good! I have a couple of new dresses (Black Milk Clothing, Simple Be, and of course Tallulah’s Threads) as well as accessories. I do have my eye on getting more bits and pieces in the future, but for now I think I have a good starting place. All the items I’ve bought, including accessories, will be worn for both work and personal. I don’t want to keep reaching into my wardrobe the mornings I’m in the office to pick up the same stuff, which is usually black and consists of baggy trousers and jumpers. I want colourful pieces I can wear in the office and feel really nice in.

Not only will I be showing off the Tallulah’s Threads dress I’ve picked up, but also how I’m planning to style it, which includes newer accessories I’ve bought lately, as well as some older pieces I love!

Tallulah’s Threads Lilac Heart Dress – (link).

This dress has fast become one of my favourites that I own! It’s colourful, comfortable and really does show off my kawaii side, before and after accessories are added to it. Best of all though, it’s by an independent brand that handmake and customise all their pieces and all in the UK too. What more could you ask for?

I discovered Tallulah’s Threads in 2018 through someone on Instagram and fell in love with their pieces. However, at the time I wasn’t 100% into smock dresses, so whilst I admired from afar, I never placed an order. However, since around Halloween last year I have fallen in love with smock dresses thanks to one I own by Disturbia (it’s actually an oversized skater dress…) and since then I’ve bought quite a few to add to my growing collection, of course including this one from Tallulah’s Threads.

I don’t know why but in February I really fell in love with heart prints… Maybe because of Valentines Day and them being everywhere throughout that month? This being said I mostly fell in love with the lilac colour of the dress, which definitely gives me those pastel vibes I’ve been after for years. Plus, purple is my favourite colour. I’m really looking forward to Spring at the moment for lighter nights, adventure days out with Dane and of course, Easter. So, with spring coming up this dress is more than likely going to be worn to death, both for work and outside of work.

One thing I found when looking to buy this dress is, there’s no decent reviews out there of it. There’s a couple of Instagram posts and YouTube videos here and there, but that’s about it. I actually ended up seeking advise from someone on Depop, of all places! She was so helpful though and I’ll link her Instagram account here, as her content is so colourful, it would be a shame not to.

I ended up sizing down for the smock dress, as usually they are designed to be an oversized fit and whilst I love my oversized pieces, I don’t want them to swamp me so much that people query if I’ve lost weight. Due to the fact I like my clothes oversized I usually go for an L (maybe even an XL, depending) in dresses, but due to the advise I was given, I went for an M for my dress. This was definitely a good choice, but I could have probably gotten away with an S due to how oversized it still is. This being said, I’m still happy I went with the M.

The material of the dress itself is soft, stretchy and isn’t too thin, nor too thick, which in turn makes it perfect for all seasons. It’s short sleeved and has pockets! The length of the dress is really nice too as it sits just above the knee on me (for reference I’m 5’7).

My only gripe with this dress is depending what bra you wear underneath, depends if it’s visible or not. The bra I tend to wear with this dress has lace, which when worn shows the outline of on the chest. This isn’t something I want showing when I wear this dress, especially at work. So, I opted to wear a vest underneath to smooth it out a little. Due to the dress being oversized it’s still comfortable to wear with layering and it’s something I plan to try again soon with a long sleeved black t-shirt underneath! This will probably be great during the colder months. Of course to get through this you could also wear a t-shirt bra that’s smooth with no visible outlines, but as I don’t own one, I can’t test this out.

Another thing I want to mention here that may be a gripe for some/most is the price. Tallulah’s Threads dresses aren’t the cheapest, but it’s for a variety of reasons, mostly due to them being handmade. Primark and other big stores are so cheap due to the quality of their pieces and how they’re made. I’d rather pay more money and not only have a longer lasting item, but also helping a small businesses to boot too. This dress is £65, but I snagged mine for £52 with a discount code. I don’t think I’d have bought the dress without some sort of discount due to the cost of it.

I’ve decided to style my dress with my heart belt that I bought second hand, plain black tights/black fishnet tights, my pastel rainbow cardigan and either black flat shoes, or my Lazy Oaf x Vans. I recently also bought a pair of Lazy Oaf x Dr Martens boots from eBay (worn to try on) so I’d love to style and wear with those too! I wore this whole outfit to a friends a couple of weeks ago and felt cute AF!

Heart Belt.

If there is one thing I really want to do in 2022 it’s try and buy second-hand a lot more. As someone who started to recently sell second-hand items online I just feel like it’s something we should all do to help the planet a little, whether we’re selling or buying. Personally it’s a mixture of doing my bit for the planet, as well as saving some money. I recently picked up a Disturbia skirt I’ve been after for as long as I can remember. It was stated to have only been worn once and was half the price of the skirt brand new. I’ve since worn it a handful of times and it’s in amazing condition. Just an example of why shopping second-hand can be great for various reasons. Anyhoo, back to the belt! I paid less than £2 for this and it’s in a style I’ve been after for as long as I can remember too, so glad I managed to snag it for a bargain! I think this belt is mainly created to be worn on the waist, which is exactly how I’ll be styling it. It works so well with the Tallulah’s Threads dress due to the heart pattern, as well as the black accents too which work with the dress as a whole! I’ve worn these two pieces together at work and received so many compliments.

Primark Fishnet Tights.

Not going to lie, there’s probably not a lot I can really talk about when it comes down to fishnet tights. I was debating buying a pair for a while to go with some of my outfits but left it. Finally, after picking up the Tallulah’s Threads dress and getting some major outfit inspiration off of Instagram here, I decided to get some. Again I turned to second hand sellers to try and snag some new in packaging for a bargain, which I did a lot easier than I thought I was going to! I picked these up from eBay, two pairs brand new in packaging for just £6! They’re from Primark originally and so far they’re been really comfortable, easy to wash and best of all long lasting. I watched a YouTube video on how there’s a knack for how to put on fishnet tights, but I didn’t face any issues.

Overall I really love my Love Bug Lilac Dress and I’m so pleased to have ordered one when I did, especially considering it sounds like this dress is on its way out. They appear to be limited edition, so when the fabric runs out that’s used to create them, that’s it. So, if you like the look of a piece from Tallulah’s Threads, get it as soon as you can!

I have my eye on the Frill Collar Space Dress, but not 100% sure when I’ll pick one up. I feel like I have enough dresses to keep me going, but this being said… Maybe I’ll get it on a rainy day?

What do you think of Tallulah’s Threads? Any pieces you love and would like to get your hands on? If you’re like me and would like to save money, you could always check out websites such as eBay, Depop and Vinted to see if you can snag a Tallulah’s Threads bargain. 🙂

Until next time guys, have an amazing weekend and see you next time!

August Wish List ‘21

We are into the first week of August and already it’s been really busy and exciting for me!

During the end of July I seemed to get a bit spend happy which I really didn’t mean to do. You know when you just see a lot of items come up for sale or on offer and you just need to snag them? Yep, that’s been me. 😛

Due to this a lot of items on my wish list are probably more realistic to September, rather than August.

That aside, I really hope you guys enjoy this months wish list post! 😀

• Nintendo Animal Crossing Summer Isabelle, Kicks and Timmy & Tommy Amiibo – (link), (link) and (link)

For a couple of years now I’ve really wanted to start collecting the Animal Crossing amiibo figures, but it’s only been towards the end of July that I’d found some at decent prices and ordered. I only have three (four if you include Smash Isabelle) left to get and it’s crazy how many I own already! I also have some dupes that I’m selling to a friend, so the monies I make from that can be saved to potentially go towards the three I’m missing! I have an Animal Crossing shelf near my bed, which has gone from empty to really full in a short amount of time! I’ll have to show it off in next months favourites. 🙂 I’m hoping to snag these amiibo from eBay/Depop or Cex in the future.

• Pokemon Me Stained Glass Collection Re-Ment – (link)

I’m not a massive re-ment fan… It just isn’t for me. I do own a few that I was gifted a while ago now and I do like them, but there are some really cute Mew ones coming out lately! This stained glass Mew re-ment is adorable and it’s something I would love to get to keep on my desk. The little Mew’s face is just adorable! I’m definitely contemplating picking it up in the future. Probably through From Japan. 😀

• Studio Ghibli Spirited Away Haku Ramen Bowl & Chopsticks – (link)

I have been lusting after this ramen bowl for what feels like forever now! As regular readers will know, I love Studio Ghibli, but I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned before just how much I love Haku. He’s my favourite Ghibli character so whenever I see him on merch, I usually love it with this ramen bowl being one of them. I love eating ramen and currently only have one ramen bowl (which you can read about here) I go to but would love another one. I was showing this design and more to Dane recently and he rather liked the designs. Maybe in the future I’ll pick up a couple. 🙂

• Cakeworthy Animal Crossing Timmy & Tommy Pocket Long Sleeve T-Shirt – (link)

I love Animal Crossing (as you all know… :P) and I love long sleeved t-shirts… So put them together and there’s something I can get behind and love! I really want this Cakeworthy t-shirt. I wanted it ages ago when it was being stocked in the UK by the price the store in question wanted was a fucking joke, so I left it. I’d be using a personal shopper I buy with in America to pick this up for me… Maybe the Haku bowl too. 😛

• Vans Comfycush Checkered Slip-On Shoes – (link)

I am in desperate need of some new Vans slip on shoes! My Darth Vader ones from back in 2015/2016 are starting to rub now due to the age of them and I do need to get something fresh. For some time now I’ve had my eye on getting a pair of the checkered slip on shoes. One of my first pairs of Vans were the red and black checkered, which I adored! I still on them but they’re not comfy to wear anymore due to the age. Plus these are the comfycush shoe, which is said to feel like you’re walking on air! This being said, reviews say different. I’d look to try these on in store and see for myself.

• Calvin Klein Pride 2 Pack Triangle Bras – (link)

I’ve fallen in love with Calvin Klein lingerie, especially their bralettes which I’ve found have been great for wearing whilst working from home, as well as for bed when it’s a warm evening. The Pride triangle bras look so pretty and I’d love to have them to wear whilst working from home too! They come in a two pack, which makes the cost of them overall really good.

• Melissa X Lazy Oaf Kick Off Heart Sandals – (link)

Finally, another pair of shoes! I keep going on and off these sandals and I’m unsure if I’ll ever buy them due to that. I bought my first pair of Melissa shoes a couple of months back now (Vivienne Westwood flats) and I love them! However, I don’t own any sandals and every summer and holiday I go on I often just wear my vans everywhere due to that. I don’t really like sandals and showing off my feet, not so much abroad but definitely in the UK. Hence why I’m constantly swaying towards not buying these. They’re not cheap and I’ve heard mixed reviews about them rubbing, which isn’t something you want during the warmer weather. I think these will be shoes I’ll keep my eye on and if they go into the sale for a good price, I may snap them up!

There we have it guys, there’s my wish list for August! I know it’s nothing special, but I’m trying to be good with my money throughout the rest of the month.

What did you guys like the look of on my wish list, and what’s on yours? Make sure to let me know in the comments.

Until next time guys, take care and I’ll see you soon!

Life Lately – Past, Present and Future

I really love this photo! Shall I add it to my “about me” section? P.S. I love Instagram filters! 😛

For my post this week I thought I would do a life lately post and have a catch up about stuff that’s been happening since my last life lately in July (which you can read here). So, go and grab yourself a hot drink because this post is going to be lonnnnng!

I’m going to get this out there straight away and say that since September life has been a bit shit… But thankfully it hasn’t affected me too badly…

September is my favourite month of the year as many know, but this year it was one of the worst. My aunt unexpectedly passed away and I’m still torn about it. October was her funeral and as I’ve been so busy with work throughout October and this month I’ve not really had time to think about it all… Which isn’t a bad thing but I’ve just been so busy.

Due to everything happening one after the other, I am mentally drained. I had a day off work yesterday and it was much needed. I spent the morning doing nothing and catching up on Twitch streams, cleaned my bathroom in the afternoon and ordered a takeaway in the evening. It was a very good day and I loved it so much.

I was bloody knackered this day… Busy work day!

Anyhoo, I don’t want to talk about how shit the past three months has been too much here, but I did want to be honest. I just want to continue to be there for my mom and try and look forward to Christmas as it’ll definitely be a hard year for me, but especially for my mom. I want to try and spoil her as much as possible, especially when her birthday comes around after mine in January too.

Alongside that we’ve also had a second lockdown in the UK, which is set to finish in less than two weeks. To be honest the second lockdown hasn’t affected me. I’m still working from home so I’ve been fine workwise and as miserable as it sounds, second lockdown has been an excuse for me to stay at home and not have to worry about having energy after a busy day to socialise.

COVID and lockdowns has fucked with my head however. I’m happy to stay at home and not hang out with people and be social. I like staying in my house and when both me and Dane have a week off work in December, we intend to do that for pretty much all of it. We’re going to be working on the house and doing things we’ve meant to do the past four years of owning our home.

COVID and lockdown may have fucked with my head, but it has made me realise how much I love my home, but also how much work we still need to do. We’ve neglected it because of being social bunnies since 2016 and I’m done with it. I have certain friends I really fucking miss and can’t wait to see when things go back to “normal” but that’s about it.

I don’t give a fuck if I’m miserable. 😛 Has anyone else had the same happen to them that has happened to me? Aka turning into a hermit. 😛

One of the many pretty baths I’ve taken lately. This one was so damn pretty due to the purple and blue swirling into one another.

I’m getting into the festive spirit a little now in the run up to December. I’m halfway through my Christmas shopping and I’ve already pre-ordered my Christmas food ready for the big day. I won’t be putting my tree up until the 1st December, I can’t stand putting it up early as I find it takes the magic of Christmas away. It comes down just before New Years Eve so we don’t have to worry about putting it down and away before we return to work for a New Year. A lot of people think this is miserable… I think due to being in a home that didn’t really put a tree up this is just something that has passed onto me somewhat.

Speaking of Christmas and the New Year I have so many exciting things I want to talk and share in regards to my blog! 😀

I decided almost a month ago that I would do a MASSIVE post at the start of December about shopping small in the UK. I’ve never done this before in the sense of all stores to be mentioned will be small so I’m REALLY excited for it! With 2020 and lockdown due to COVID, I feel I have shopped smaller more than ever and I love being able to share them with others on my Instagram (theremightbecoffeeblog) so I want to do the same here on my blog too.

I asked you on Twitter what you wanted to see, UK, USA, Europe or everywhere. You mostly voted for me to focus on shopping small in the UK, so that’s what I’ll be doing. I’ll have categories such as beauty, home, kawaii/geek, enamel pins, etc. Are there any categories you would like to see in particular that I haven’t mentioned?

I’ll be looking to research for this MASSIVE post very soon (maybe even after this post is live!) so I can get it out for (drumroll?) 5th December, which is in a couple of weeks! If you also know of any UK stores I should mention, please let me know!

I quickly want to interrupt what I’m talking about to show you these AMAZING Black Milk Clothing x Pokemon leggings I found for a total bargain on Depop! Someone sold them brand new with tags for £40. I snapped them up and I have zero regrets. I’m going to wear these religiously during my week off work. 😛

Alongside that blog post idea for Christmas, I have also decided in 2021 to make a slight change to my blog… and when I say change I mean my monthly posts in particular. I have toyed with this thought the past few months and after reaching out to you guys again on Twitter you all had the same thought as me.

With my monthly favourites posts I am going to move away from mentioning my five favourite beauty items and just mention one or two. I’m planning to share TV shows, movies, music and games I have loved that month, but I’ll only talk about books if I’ve actually read any. I love reading manga, but I’ve not ready any for a while. I’m going to change that in 2021 but I don’t see the point in having books on my monthly favourites if I’m not reading any each month… It’s just pointless.

I’ll be adding some new categories such as – favourite piece of clothing, favourite candle/scent and anything else that comes to mind to be honest with you! It will be random each month me thinks depending on how that month has been like etc.

I didn’t know whether to lump  my monthly favourites and my wish list together so I have more room for content each month but I don’t know… I worry a post will be far too long then, so I am swaying towards keeping them separated. What do you guys think? I do love my monthly wish list posts! 😀

Please take another amazing bath photo! If there is a brand I have fallen in love with this year it’s Bake Bath Love. They’ll be getting a mention in my Christmas Shop Small UK post.

In 2020 I haven’t work with as many people as I usually do with gifted posts, but at the same time we obviously know why this is the case! However, I am hoping in 2021 to work with more people, but we shall see! I’m not fussed if I don’t of course. 🙂

One more thing I want to share with you today is something that I ordered at the start of November as a payday treat for myself. As many know, I love Bee & Puppycat and have done since I discovered it back in 2013 but 2020 has been the year I’m finally buying some merchandise (fan made mostly) from the show.

I finally decided to treat myself to an amigurumi (Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures) of Puppycat, as well as some stickers. He’s by Lunaticgumis and I love him so much! He arrived today and he’s been very much loved already. He’s now on my plushie shelf next to the Puppycat polymer clay keyring that I commissioned from MelonDesignsByEllen. However, I think I will be doing a massive talk about these on a separate post in December. 🙂

That’s basically everything I wanted to catch up with here though… I have some exciting posts coming up in December, which may even end up going through to January too including:

Black Milk Clothing x Animal Crossing – I am beyond excited for all this stuff to arrive… I say all, it’s just three items. It’ll be similar to the one I wrote about the Pokemon goodies, which you can read here for the time being.

Pikarar – This is going to be a huge haul and one I need to share with you all! It’ll include Pokemon and shiba inu clothing! 😀

I’m sure there will be more but those two stand out for me at the moment so I wanted to get them mentioned here. 🙂

Told you I loved them Instagram filters… 😉

I’m not going to ramble anymore guys! What do you think of the small adjustments I’m thinking of doing to my blog in 2021? Make sure to let me know what you think in the comments.

Is there anything else you would like to see more or less of on here? I’d like to hear what you think. In 2021 I want to mostly continue what I’ve done this year, aka one post a week and write about what the hell I want to! 😀

Aside from letting me know what you think, how have you all been doing? How are you dealing with COVID? Are you loving lockdown hating lockdown? Let me know everything. 🙂

Until next time though guys, stay safe, take care and I’ll see you soon!

Boxing Day Sale Haul 2018

I wasn’t actually going to do this post yet as I thought I might buy more in the sales, but alas I think I might be careful with money and actually stop spending. 😛

We are now in that confusing and dull lull between Christmas New Year and quite honestly, as much as I love the break from work, I want to be out of holiday mode now and be back to normal! I just want time for myself again, as since breaking up for Christmas I’ve only had Boxing Day for myself.

Just before Christmas, as well as after I ordered some goodies in the Boxing Day sales, because it would have been rude not to!

I didn’t buy loads in all fairness, but what I’ve picked up I’m chuffed with, especially the first items I plan on talking about. 😛

The first items I picked up in the sale were from Killstar and I was so excited for their sale to start as I’ve been eyeing up some of the items on my wish list for quite some time. I really love Killstar but they aren’t the cheapest in the world, but I get that. So whenever there’s a sale I’ll always try and pick something up for myself! At first they had 20% off of everything, but then after Christmas they had their well known buy one get one half price. So I decided to take up the 20% offer and bought myself a couple of dresses. FYI I am aware the pictures of the dresses aren’t the best… 😦

The first one I added to my basket is the Coven Cutie Skater Dress, which I’ve wanted since it came out around September time. There’s an Instagram account I follow and she wears this dress for work often and it looks lovely! I’ve never been 100% sure what my size is with Killstar so I ordered an L to be on the safe side and it’s perfect! It’s not too big, or too small, it’s just perfect and super comfortable. This dress is a black skater dress with a zip on the chest that has a crescent moon on it, as well as a pleather collar, which I really like. It really does add something more to a plain and boring black skater dress. This will be perfect for both work and in general! I plan to wear this for my birthday on Sunday. 😛 I plan to wear this with tights, flats, my Docs, rainbow cardigans and eventually I’ll be getting some new brothel creepers to wear this with too. 😛

The second dress I picked up is the Widows Skater Dress which is another skater dress I’ve had my eye on for a while now. This isn’t anything special BUT I love how this dress still has a smidgen of alternative in there, without it being in your face. So it’s a black skater dress, but on the back it’s open with a spiderweb pattern, which I really like! It’s in the perfect position on the back too so it won’t show off your bra straps or band of your bra. PERFECT! This again will be great for both work and in general and like the Coven Cutie dress I’ll wear this with all sorts of shoes and bright rainbow cardigans! It’ll also be perfect for the summer too as it’s not too thick.

Although I love everything I picked up, my Killstar buys are definitely my favourites as I’ve been craving some lovely new dresses for some time now. I already want to pick up some more, but I’m going to wait until the next sale me thinks.

Next item I picked up is this AMAZING AND SUPER CUTE plushie from Firebox.

This is a Stuffed Water Bear and it’s meant to be a cuddly and cute version of a tardigrade, which is a water dwelling micro animal. Wow, what a mouthful! 😛 This is just adorable and I have wanted it for some time now. I know it’s nothing special and a little silly thing, but it’s so damn adorable and considering it was in the sale, I knew I had to get it. 😛 I also had a £5.00 voucher to use on Firebox, so I put it towards the Stuffed Water Bear. It’s so damn snuggly and cute and actually reminds me of like a puppy or a guinea pig. 😛

If you like anything in the Firebox sale, or even in their normal range you can get a fiver to spend on the store FOR FREE if you use my code! 😀 https://www.firebox.com/r/natalee-e9e09e

The final items I picked up in the sales was from The Body Shop. I actually had more items in my basket originally but I removed loads as it came to a really silly amount of money, which in reality I didn’t need to spend. I opted for grabbed a couple of items I wanted to try and restock in my bathroom.

First of all I ordered the HUGE 750ml bottle of Strawberry Shower Gel. Dane loves this shower gel, as do I. It reminds me of when I was little as my mom would always buy me a bottle of this as a kid, so whenever I use this it just makes me think of weekday mornings getting ready for school. 🙂 Dane uses this shower gel more than I do, but I still love using it in the shower. 🙂

The next items I ordered are from the Christmas collection! I fell in love with the peppermint candy cane scent and knew I had to have it in my life. Apart from the bath bomb (which I reviewed and you can check out here) I didn’t pick up any of this collection, until the sales. I just didn’t want to I guess, I wanted to wait and see what I was gifted at Christmas and alas I was gifted some of this for Christmas (you can read what I got for Christmas here)!

The two items I picked up were the Peppermint Candy Cane Shower Gel and the Peppermint Candy Cane Body Butter. I’d received these in the sack I was gifted for Christmas, which was lovely as it meant I got to give them a go before the sales started. The shower gel is AMAZING! I love minty shower gels but I always find they leave you feeling tingly and cold, OH and don’t even get me started on what they do to your bits! 😛 This shower gel is nothing like the others out there however. It does give you a slight tingle, but nothing major.

I’m really odd with the body butters and prefer to use them as hand butters. They really help my eczema and as I always carry a little pot in my handbag, if my body DOES feel dry at any point I can quickly use some of this. I love the scent of this body butter and as it isn’t too thick, it’d probably be rather nice to use on my body. That’s my only issue with the body butters from The Body Shop, they can be quite heavy and greasy which is something I really dislike.

I was hoping to have a few more items to add onto this list, but I’m trying so badly to be good with money! I was going to go and pick up some new Vans as I have some vouchers I need to use. I’ll probably end up getting this over the weekend around my birthday. I’m FINALLY going to replace my old black and red checker board Vans. I want the original black and white pair now. I do love wearing my Darth Vader and 101 Dalmatians Vans but I just fancy something new and that I can try and make work with everything.

Image taken from Depop

Although it isn’t a sale item, I did pick up something I’ve wanted for the longest time at a STEAL of a price, which I’m rather chuffed with. After months, YEARS of waiting I’ve FINALLY got my hands on a decent and brand new Lazy Oaf Rainbow Cardigan. It’s not 100% brand new, but it’s only been tried on by the previous owner and still has the tags on it. I’ve paid £55 for it including P&P which I think is pretty decent considering it sells for £75.00 on the Lazy Oaf website!

I don’t have it yet (it’s being posted the start of this week) I cannot wait to show it to you guys! I’ll be teaming this up with my new Killstar dresses for work, as well as in general.

So, what items did you pick up in the Boxing Day sales? 😀 I want to know!

Of course as we all know, it’s New Year’s Eve and I cannot believe how quickly the past week and a bit have flown by since I broke up from work. Not just that, but also with how fast the year has flown too! It’s bloody crazy. 😛

What plans do you have for New Year’s Eve too? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

So have a Happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2019! 😀

May 2018 Collective Haul!

I don’t know how managed to collect so much stuff over the course of a month but I have! I haven’t written a haul post in forever so I thought it would be nice to do one today. I just feel like I’m accumulated loads of goodies, some of them are gifts as well which I’ll mention when I get to them. I thought it might be a good idea to write about all the shit (hahaha :P) I’ve purchased recently. I love reading haul posts, especially collectives ones so I thought you guys might have liked to read this too! 😀

• Barbie x Missguided American Flag Joggers.

Back in May Dane dug out all the McDonald’s Monopoly vouchers he’d gained and he had LOADS of Missguided ones at 30% off. I decided to take the plunge and have a look on the website for what I could treat myself to. Now, Missguided really isn’t my sort of style. I looked for ages for a dress (or two) that I could pick up for work but they’re all going out bodycon style and urgh… I’m too fat and old for that shit now. 😛 I went for a look at the Barbie pieces to see what they might have cute over there and I found these joggers. On my weekends I’m really becoming a joggers/leggings and a geeky top sort of gal when it comes to popping out for errands. I picked these up in a size bigger than I am as I wanted them baggy… I should have ordered my size in all honesty. These are HUGE but at the same time it means they’re really comfortable.

• Primark Spider-Man T-Shirt.

This t-shirt was bought on a whim after venturing into my nearest Primark store. I’m sucker for a new t-shirt and I especially am when it comes down to anything geek and nerd related! I picked up this t-shirt because of how simplistic and yet adorable it is! I don’t like that the patch is on the side that I wear my braid on, as it means my hair gets caught on it sometimes. I’ll live though! This was only £8.00, which I find a bargain, even for Primark!

• Black Milk Clothing Midnight Owl Skater Dress.

This was a purchase that I am so happy I made! I love Black Milk Clothing and I especially love their skater dresses. They always make me feel so pretty no matter what and I always get complimented on them. I picked this one up on a whim from eBay, in a size bigger than I usually get, which actually fits really nicely! It’s safe to say, it’s going to now be my go to dress for work, in general and even for special occasions. This only cost me £25, which included P&P. To buy from Black Milk Clothing it would have cost me $85.00 AUS, which converts to £48.42, that wouldn’t even include how much I’d have to pay to ship it to the country and possible charges on top of that as well. URGH, buying through eBay really is the best way! I plan to wear this to a friends wedding in July and I wore it for mine and Dane’s anniversary too. I’m after some more Black Milk Clothing skater dresses now, I honestly can’t get enough of them. I’m scouring eBay daily now for whenever new items are added. I have my eye on a few, but we’ll see what happens.

• ASOS Lady & The Tramp Sweater.

This was a random purchase on Depop that I made recently, which was also my first Depop purchase! I remember when the matching sweater and joggers of this came out on ASOS 4 years ago and being a Lady & The Tramp fan, I picked up the joggers (which I still own and wear!). I went to order the sweater a week later, but it was sold out. Zoella had worn this set and everyone went mad for it, yuck (I’m not a Zoella fan…). ANYWAY after years of finding this sweater online and it selling out, I finally took the plunge and bought it! It only cost me £13 with P&P which I was so chuffed about! The original cost of this was £30 so I was right to wait 4 years for it… I guess. 😛 It’s weird that I found my wish list post back from July 2014 where I was talking about how I wanted this sweater! I feel so fucking old right now.

• Snot Girl Volume 2.

I mentioned this comic book series recently on both my May favourites as well as on my June wish list. I remember picking up this comic book a year ago after a YouTuber raving about it. I didn’t realise the story line was going to go the way it has and due to that I love it so much and if I felt that way after reading volume 1 then oh my fucking God this volume is crazy! I won’t say anything in case I give anything away, but this comic book has gone from what I thought was going to just be about a blogger and her drama, but it’s fast turned into some sort of horror/thriller style story based around a blogger. It is so damn good and I would love to see this go into a TV series of a film in the future like how Scott Pilgrim did.

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Volume 6.

I feel like I’ve spoken WAY TOO MUCH about this series lately and it’s kind of making me sick now to keep talking about it. 😛 This is a manga series I love and adore and have bought as soon as it’s come out so far for all 6 volumes. I pre ordered this just before it came out and read it as soon as I got it. This is a series I really love and I especially love how now I’m further than the anime series is. I’ve not quite finished reading it yet, but I will do VERY soon. 😛

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life Volume 2.

Another manga I have spoken WAY TOO MUCH ABOUT recently, but can you blame me? It’s amazing and adorable! Also at the same time it’s very strange how the story of Kanna and her friend Saikawa is and this shows more throughout this series. If you love Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid the anime version then you NEED to read this manga series at least! I know so many people who love Kanna, and I can’t blame them really. She’s so adorable and innocent.

These items below are now all gift related!

I recently had some issues with Lush Santa’s Christmas shower cream. It’s a bright red colour and obviously due to what they’ve added to the product to make it this colour, it’s stained various parts of my bath, as well as my shower puff and even my armpits (only for the day though). So I wrote to them on Twitter to complain. They were really helpful and offered to give me my money back, but that meant sending the product back and 1. I couldn’t be arsed to do that and 2. Why the fuck should I have to send it back?! What are they going to do with it that I can’t do myself? AKA throw it away.

They were lovely enough to also offer to sent me some goodies as a sorry, which I opted for. They asked me to list them some products I either love or would like to try. They were nice enough to send me one of my favourite products, as well as new one I’ve been wanting to try!

I just want to quickly add here that I know a lot of shit has been going on and happening around Lush lately due to their recent and disgraceful campaign. I don’t agree with it whatsoever. I also want to add I haven’t bought from Lush since I picked up the Santa’s Christmas shower creams just after Boxing Day. I need to really address my thoughts and feelings on Lush lately, but we will save that for another post!

•  Lush Supertramp Bubble Bar.

This is the product I mentioned being one of my favourites. I remember back in 2015 when me and Dane went to London and it was the first time I’d been to the Oxford Street Lush! This was an exclusive to the store at the time and as I loved Tramp shower gel back in the day, I knew I had to give the bubble bar a go too! The bubble bar to me is better as it isn’t as strong and it’s one I love to use when I’m feeling under the weather with hayfever or a cold. It really clears my head. I’m so happy Lush sent me this and even happier that if and when I need to buy another bar of it, I now can on their website.

• Lush Oaty Creamy Dreamy Oat Milk Shower Cream.

This was the product I wanted to try as I haven’t really heard much about it, but when seeing how it’s made in the past it looks really moisturising! It smells amazing to be honest and really surprised me. I was expecting creamy oat and vanilla scents, but this smells heavily of lavender, which is in fact one of the ingredients. If you love lavender, you’ll love this! It’s not a thick shower cream like Santa’s Christmas and you only need a little of this for it to go a long way. This is definitely a shower cream you’d ideally want to use before bed, but I love using it in the morning on my days off as the scent does perk me up. I’ll probably buy a big bottle of this for my mom at Christmas as she loves her lavender scents.

This wasn’t a gift from Lush but actually from my manager at work! It’s belated birthday present and I am oh so grateful for it! She gave it me just before I broke up for my week off work and I used it the next morning before going to work.

• Lush Plum Rain Shower Gel.

This is a shower gel from Lush I’ve wanted to try since it came out, but I just never have. When my manager gave it to me I was so happy and excited! So much so I opened it up for a sniff at my desk. 😛 She had heard of me saying how much I love Snow Fairy and popped into the store to try and get one, but alas being a Christmas product they didn’t have it in stock. I can only assume that the staff recommended Plum Rain to her and if so, they did a good job! Then again, what else could they really recommend?! Their shower gel selection is so shit these days! I mean come on Lush, why did you discontinue The Comforter?! Surely it wasn’t doing poor in sales… I find it hard to believe myself… ANYWAY this has a gorgeous fresh scent and it actually reminds me of Christmas due to The Body Shop’s old sugar plum shower gel! This doesn’t smell as sweet as theirs though. Either way I love using this in the mornings as the scent really does wake you up!

So that was my collective haul! I know it doesn’t seem/look like a lot but bloody hell I’ve been spend happy lately! I was also going to mention mine and Dane’s anniversary presents but I’ll save that for a separate post.

I was also going to mention some of the pin badges I’ve bought from Ohayou! Clothing through their Kickstarter and Patreon but I’m going to save those for a separate post as well as I think they deserve some love all on their own! 😀 Not only will I be talking about pin badges but I intend to talk about all of their items I own so far, as well as items I’d like to own! Stay tuned for that, it’s been a post I’ve been meaning to write for the longest time!

What have you guys been buying the past month or so? Make sure to let me know down in the comments!

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