June Wish List ’22

Happy bank holiday weekend! I’m not going to say too much about it, but I just hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I’m going into a week off with Dane, which I am SO ready for now!

As I said on my monthly favourites, May really did fly by for me and I can’t believe we’re already four days into June! At the time of this post going live, I’ll have been to UK Games Expo yesterday and chilling with my best friend and her boyfriend today. Back in 2019 I did a blog post all about the UK Games Expo, those three years have flown by, honestly!

May was a strange month for me, with the latter of it being absolutely amazing due to My Chemical Romance and finally meeting Emily (Totally Emily) after knowing each other for six/seven years! The start of June is going to be equally as good and I’ve been really looking forward to it for as long as I can remember. Me and Dane haven’t had any time off together like this for a while now, since Christmas in fact so it’s long overdue. We have some stuff planned during it, including a trip to Manchester, as well as spending some much needed chill time together. It’s our nine year anniversary and as we weren’t able to do anything for it last year (we went to Wales in September), we wanted to make sure we did this year. Can you believe we’ll have been together ten years next year? Those years have flown by, it only feels like yesterday that I was meeting Dane for our first date in Birmingham. 🙂

Alongside June being an exciting month of doing lots of fun things with Dane and friends, it’s also an expensive month for me. My car service is due, as well as the tax renewal so that’ll be a lot of money at the start of June for me, but with us going to Manchester, we might spend a lot of money there too!

Last time we went to Manchester in 2019, we did spent quite a bit of money. I don’t know if that’ll happen again, as we appear to be quite good with money since the start of 2022, but who knows! I’m not planning to spend a lot of money, but my mood is if I see something I like and I can’t get online easily, I’ll probably buy? We shall see! I remember in April we went into Birmingham town centre for Dane’s birthday and we bought nothing… Apart from food. xD

That being said overall, this months wish list was incredibly hard to do! Some of the items mentioned are ones I’ve already ordered as I honestly couldn’t think of anything else to add? I keep a list of stuff I’ve pre-ordered and I’ve not got a lot for a while now, which for me is weird? I think it’s mostly Kickstarter items I’m waiting on now. 🙂

I’m hopeful content this month will be a mixture of our Manchester adventures and something kawaii! That aside, I really hope you enjoy this months wish list! 😀

• Loungefly Disney Lady and the Tramp Hat Box Mini Backpack – (link)

This is an item I recently discovered through Double Boxed Toys and I was over the moon! It’s a Box Lunch exclusive Lady and the Tramp backpack, with Lady in her hat box! As regular readers of my blog and friends will know, Lady and the Tramp is my favourite Disney movie so whenever I see merchandise from Disney that I really like, I do end up buying it. This being said, if there is one Loungefly bag theme I don’t own, it’s Lady and the Tramp and the reason for this is due to Loungefly just not bringing out a design I like… Until now! I really love the look of the Lady hat box style and it’s a design I don’t really have currently? I’m definitely toying with getting it in the future, but as this month is an expensive one, I’m going to hold off until I can justify it and purchase through a US seller.

• Anna Marine My Chemical Romance Inspired Prints – The Foundations of Decay and House of Wolves – (link) and (link)

Anna Marine’s MCR inspired prints have been on my radar for quite some time now, and one of the reasons I was put off ordering was due to the size being A4 or A3. Of course, as regular readers will know, I went to see MCR a couple of weeks ago and since then my younger MCR fan girl self has come out of the woodwork, so I’m accumulating some MCR merchandise, especially fan made pieces so I’m supporting smaller businesses. I’ve always wanted the Like Phantoms Forever print, but when Anna Marine opened up her store again last weekend, I opted for The Foundations of Decay and House of Wolves, as these are two prints I adore and really want! I’m so excited for these to arrive already, and I plan on putting them on my plushie cabinet so I can look at them when I settle down for bed, as well as when I’m getting ready in the morning for the day ahead. If I could have it my way, I’d buy all the prints inspired by The Black Parade and do a scatter wall somewhere in the house. Maybe I can do this in the future if we ever buy a bigger house and I can have an office of my own? 😛

• LilPawie Genshin Impact Yae Miko Sakura Fox Stickers – (link) and (link)

First of all, I’ve never played Genshin Impact and I don’t really plan to anytime soon, as it’s not my type of game. This being said, I keep seeing the Yae Miko sakura fox character everywhere and it’s so adorable! So, when LilPawie brought out two sticker designs for the character, I knew I had to add them to my wish list! I love LilPawie’s designs anyway, so seeing them like this is a bonus. I may have to order some of the stickers sometime soon.

• Chubby Collection Cinnamoroll Figure – (link)

Finally we have a figure on my wish list this month. I’ve been seeing this chubby Cinnamoroll making the rounds online recently and I think it’s so adorable! I don’t know whether or not I’d buy it but it’s definitely something I’d get if it was at a good price. We recently sorted out our office and rearranged/decluttered a lot of stuff away so that we could have everything the way we wanted it, so it would be lovely to bring in a Pompompurin and/or Cinnamoroll figure eventually to add into the mix!

So, there we have it, my monthly wish list! I know it was a little scarce this month but honestly my brain is fried for what items I’ve bought/wanted to buy this month as a whole.

Even with visiting the UK Games Expo yesterday, we didn’t buy a whole lot really.

What items do you guys have on your wish lists for June? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

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

Loungefly Sanrio Cinnamoroll Backpack

GUYS I have been so excited to write and bring this blog post to you today! I told you May’s content is going to be super cute and it’s being kick started with my new Loungefly backpack.

As regular readers will know, I’m a Loungefly fan, not as big as having a massive collection, but enough that I know my stuff about them and more. I’ve been a fan of Loungefly bags since 2007 when I bought myself one of the Loungefly x Skelanimals shoulder bags. Unfortunately after a few uses at college, it broke and I took it back to the shop I bought it from for a full refund. I wish I’d gotten a replacement instead. I adored that bag, I was an emo back in my college/early university days and that bag was me all over!

Fast forward a couple of years to about 2009 and I received my first official Loungefly bag for my Christmas/birthday present. It was the same shoulder bag style but this time with Bambi, Thumper and Flower on it. I still have it somewhere at my mom’s house. I loved that bag and used it for university all the time, as well as for my laptop to carry it to and from places.

Fast forward to over ten years later and I now own fourteen pieces! Now, I don’t want to call myself a collector, but a lot of people will hear how many Loungefly items I own and probably want to call me that. I don’t usually refer myself as a collector with Loungefly as I’ve seen collectors and I’m not like they are, in regards to the amount etc. I often use all of the bags I obtain and don’t have them for display. I use them, because that’s what they’re for! 🙂 Not to have a dig at collectors, I get it as a Pokemon and Nendoroid collector. Just, collecting Loungefly isn’t my bag… Get it… 😛

Anyway, that aside, I’m really excited to show you guys my new addition, the Cinnamoroll backpack!

The Cinnamoroll backpack was announced around the end of summer last year ready for release at the start of autumn in September. I remember pining after the backpack for the longest time but just couldn’t bring myself to buy it due to saving money. Plus, I have a nice collection of Loungefly bags I’m currently happy with and didn’t 100% feel the need to add a new one into the mix. Around December I did find someone selling one second hand (barely used from memory) on Vinted for a steal! For months after it sold, I regretted not picking it up.

Just before Easter I decided I wanted to get the Cinnamoroll backpack. I’d seen so many people picking it up and showing it off, that it just caused some major FOMO in me! This being said, I couldn’t find it at a good price anywhere! If there’s one thing I really don’t like about Loungefly these days it’s the prices for the quality. The quality has gone down significantly since Covid, but the prices have really gone up! I mean, would you pay £80 for a backpack? No.

Just before Easter I found my Cinnamoroll backpack on Pop Figures, where I also had a discount code for 15% off, so I gave it a go and with the discount the bag came to £54.99! I ordered it, not thinking I’d snag it any cheaper.

Good Friday, I found out the website I bought the backpack from had a 20% discount, so instead of the £54.99, it was now down to £45.99! Dane didn’t realise I’d picked up the backpack the day prior, but he decided to order the bag at the cheaper price for me, as he knew how much I wanted it! I was out with my dad shopping at the time for Easter and had been messaged on Instagram by a lot of people to inform me of the cheaper price! I emailed the store to cancel my order and let Dane know that I’d had to cancel my order from the previous day.

Just to add here, this wasn’t a gift from Dane, I gave him the money for it in the end. 🙂

The following days after Easter bank holiday my new backpacks arrived! No, that wasn’t a typo, I wrote backpacks on purpose. Unfortunately the store hadn’t cancelled my order quickly enough and due to that the order was processed regardless and sent out to me. This being said I sent it back with my postman and was left to enjoy my new backpack!

First things first, it’s bloody cute, too cute in fact. The first thing I thought when I took it out of the packaging was, “This looks too nice to wear… Have I done the wrong thing?” About three weeks have passed now since I bought this bag and nope, I did not do the wrong thing.

I’m so happy to finally own this backpack and since it arriving, I’ve used it everyday I’ve been out and about, especially at work and there’s zero sign of wear on it, which is always good.

To comment on a few things with this backpack, as you can see it has Cinnamoroll’s adorable little face, with blue eyes, pink cheeks and black :3 smile! Alongside that we also have Cinnamoroll’s plush and soft ears, paws, and even his curly cinnamon roll tail at the back! When I first saw this bag I did wonder if the tail at the back of the bag would rub on my back and more, but alas I haven’t faced any issues which is good.

Alongside the obvious Cinnamoroll character features on the bag, we also have light blue straps, which is a the colour associated with Cinnamoroll, alongside the white. The metal detailing on the bag is all gold, with the front pocket of the bag sporting both the Loungefly emblem, as well as a zip being a rainbow with a little bird on it. Such a cute little addition to the front of the bag!

There are some little pockets on the side of the bag, a feature on most Loungefly backpacks! I used to use the side pockets often to house lip balm and such, but not so much anymore to be honest. Finally the lining inside the bag is gorgeous! It’s a similar light blue to the straps on the bag, with the Cinnamoroll logo, as well as little pictures of Cinnamoroll himself floating through the sky. It’s so adorable and makes me smile to see when going into my bag for things.

One complaint I have about the bag is that it doesn’t seem to be symmetrical? This is a complaint I’m seeing a lot lately on Loungefly groups, so I’m glad it isn’t just me! I feel like one side of the bag where the ears and paws are doesn’t match the other? This being said it doesn’t bother me too much, but if I’d paid full price for this, it definitely would have! Another thing to note, when I first took it out of the bag when it arrived, I noticed the bag itself isn’t white and is actually a cream or off white colour? I only noticed this due to the ears being white. I’ve gotten used to the colour the longer I’ve owned it, but it made me worry something was wrong with the backpack upon arrival.

Overall the backpack itself is really good, standard Loungefly backpack really to be honest with you! The space inside it is standard, not to small but not too big, which is how I like my backpacks. There’s also a little side pocket within the backpack, which I don’t often use, but handy nonetheless. I’ve found the front pouch is a little tight so I can’t fit too much in there, but that isn’t a bad thing. I never like to overfill my backpacks… Let me put it this way, I’d be Mary Poppins if I could!

Do I think this backpack is worth the RRP of £75? No, but this is for any Loungefly backpack these days. However the £45 I paid I feel it was definitely worth it. I say this as I don’t feel any bag is really worth £75 unless it’s a really special one for sports (e.g. snowboarding) or or a designer handbag maybe?

That being said, I really love my new Loungefly backpack and if anything it’s really cheered me up when wearing it out and about. It’s adorable, a conversation starter and Cinnamoroll!

There is a matching purse/wallet for this backpack, but as I already own a Sanrio wallet I love already, I didn’t feel the need to pick up the Cinnamoroll one. If I ever saw it new or barley used at a steal, I’d probably pick it up… Because why not?

What do you think of my new Loungefly backpack? Do you love Cinnamoroll too? If not, who is your favourite Sanrio character? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time guys, take care and have an amazing weekend!

March Favourites ’22

I don’t want to be a broken record, but honestly 2022 is flying by! I can’t believe it’s April, but I’m definitely excited for this month! Not only is it Dane’s birthday, but it’d also Easter, which is one of my favourite events of the year. Alongside those two factors, me and Dane have some holiday today… Aka a long weekend for his birthday and Easter, so I’m really looking forward to that.

Currently the only thing I don’t like about April is how skint I’m going to be from spoiling Dane for his birthday, but it could be worse. 😛

March was okay for me, I had some rocky moments but nothing to write home about. I did good with money again, which is always good, but with Dane’s birthday coming I might be a little skint this month. 😛

Not going to lie, March felt like my blog was boring and didn’t have much content. I just had brain fog and couldn’t think of anything decent to write, unfortunately. However, April is going to be full of amazing content and I’m so excited for it! I won’t mention anything, let it be a surprise! 😉

Anyhoo, enough of me waffling, down to the favourites!

Favourite Beauty Product – Sol De Janeiro Coco Cabana Gift Set.

If there is something I have really been loving this month it’s been the two Sol De Janeiro gift sets I picked up! I bought both Bum Bum and Coco Cabana, with the latter being the one I started to use first. Both gift sets contain the body cream, body cream-cleanser and hair and body fragrance mist, as well as a reusable pouch. I snagged these gift sets with my mom from Look Fantastic, as they had an amazing deal at the time to snag these gift sets really cheap, so we bought one each! However, I ended up with two Coco Cabana gift sets as my mom wasn’t keen on the scent, which definitely isn’t the case for me. The Coco Cabana scent reminds me of my teenage years where I constantly used The Body Shop’s coconut body milk, as well as coconut scented beauty products in Fuerteventura too. The body cream-cleanser is really thick and moisturising, but one gripe I have is that I don’t feel like a little goes a long way. I put this down to the moisturising factors behind it. The body cream is for dry skin, but that being said it isn’t heavy and thick, but sort of like a thicker gel texture. It definitely leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised after use, even my hands!. Finally the fragrance spray, this is GORGEOUS and I have to remind myself not to go mad on it when using, as my little gift set bottles are only 30ml! I’m already planning on buying all of the products in their full sizes when I’ve used the gift set sizes up! My skin has really thanked me for taking care of it a little more the past month. My arms were starting to become really tight feeling due to how dry and tight they were, and the backs of my knees were suffering with eczema/dermatitis too. Thankfully I’ve fast turned that around and I’m so much happier for it. 🙂

Would you guys like to see a review of both the gift sets/ranges? Let me know in the comments! I’m toying with it, as they are really lovely products that deserve shouting out about!

Favourite Film – Turning Red.

I HAVE BEEN SO EXCITED FOR THIS FILM! Literally the Friday evening it came out (11th March) I cooked me and Dane one of our favourite meals (macaroni cheese) and we sat down to watch the film. I’d tried to guess from the trailers and clips what was going to happen somewhat in the movie and I never guessed it to be fair. For those who are yet to watch it, Turning Red is about Mei Lee, a thirteen year old who loves boy bands (4-Town), doing her bit for the planet, and especially her best friends! Unfortunately for Mei, she’s also trying to be a good daughter, which conflicts with her loves at the best of times. One morning Mei finds herself waking up and she’s turned into a red panda! I said it on last weeks blog post about My Dress-Up Darling (which you can read here) but I LOVE slice of life and coming of age shows, films, etc. They tend to bring me so many nostalgic memories and feels which overall just make me feel so happy. This is exactly what Turning Red did for me. It’s based in 2002, when I was twelve years old and just about to become a teenager! I listened to all sorts of music, but definitely loved Daft Punk and Avril Lavigne. It was also an age I’d really started to discover the things I would love now, including Hello Kitty , Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Mashimaro and more! The one thing I especially love about Turning Red is how it’s the first Pixar film to be led by women, this is big and I cannot wait to see more female led films in the future. I’m just so sad for everyone who worked on this film, who never got the chance to see their film make it to the cinema, especially with how much love and praise it has received.

Favourite TV Show – Euphoria.

I have been wanting to watch this TV show since it came out in 2019, but due to where it was being shown and the fact I don’t have it, I’ve just never been able to… Until now. With season two recently coming to a close, I was desperate to watch and thankfully for me, I knew someone who was able to let me watch it! I’ve so far watched season one and I’m almost at the end of season two. I’ve really fallen in love with it, as I’m a sucker for slice of life (as I’ve seemingly spoken about a lot lately on my blog!), as well as teen drama. I fell in love with it from a very young age (want to say when I was ten?) so it’s something I’ve always enjoyed ever since, even writing my own teen novel(s) and scripts from time to time. Euphoria is about Rue and some of her classmates/friends at her high school. Rue is the narrator of the show and therefore the main character, and tells us as the viewer about herself and the people around her. The topics in the show range from love, drugs, alcohol, sex and general “issues” teenagers tend to deal with at one point or another. Someone once said to me, “If you like Skins, you’ll love this!”. Now, I fucking hate Skins. The show has always felt very trashy to me, so I’ve never enjoyed it. I watched the first episode in college and was immediately put off, however, Euphoria ticks all the boxes for me! If you’re able to watch it and are okay with all the topics mentioned, definitely give it a go as and when you can.

Favourite Song – Architects – Dead Butterflies.

This is a song that started playing in Dane’s car the one day we were on a trip somewhere and I made sure to add to my playlist, as I enjoyed it so much! Since then I haven’t stopped listening to it, nor the album (“For Those That Wish to Exist”) that it’s off of. Architects isn’t really a band I’ve listened to before, although I do know of them. I really do like this song though and just had to share!

Gif taken from Tenor.

Favourite Book – Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Elma’s Office Lady Diary.

I recently picked up volume four of Elma’s Office Lady Diary (as I was missing it), so over lunches and the odd weekend I’ve been catching up on manga. I really miss reading it and have really decided lately to get back on it and catch up on series I need to finish reading, as well as series Dane owns that I want to read as well! Elma’s Office Lady Diary is a spin off of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which is one of my favourite anime series, and quite possibly the longest manga series I own! Elma in turn is my favourite dragon character as I feel like I can really relate to her. She’s sweet, always wanting to do the right thing, but most of all wanting to eat all the yummy food! Plus, as an office lady myself, this manga spin off for Elma just makes me smile from ear to ear. I’m glad I finally started to read this series! I’m so excited for volume five to come out in the next month or so!

Image taken from Eurogamer.

Favourite Game – Pokemon Shining Pearl.

This is a game I’ve been coming back and forth to since its release towards the end of 2021 and it’s one I absolutely love! I think it’s because it’s really simple, yet nostalgic at the same time. Since I completed the story, I’ve been going back on every now and then to try and 100% complete the Pokedex! I’ve been exploring the underground mostly to try and accomplish this by catching lots of new Pokemon, as well as lots of breeding and egg hatching, and even digging the walls in the underground for plenty of rare items! It’s just been really relaxing and nice! I’m yet to complete the story for Pokemon: Legends Arceus, but I’m still not 100% in love with that game… I’ll finish it one day. Me and Dane were only on about it last weekend how we need to pick it back up, but he’s been obsessed with Elden Ring and now we’re both obsessed with Tiny Tina’s Wonderland… Spoiler for next months favourites. 😉

Just a few of my favourite things…

Pokemon Nendoroid figures.

As many of you know, me and Dane collect Nendoroid figures from Good Smile Company and have done since late 2014. I decided during Covid to start collecting series that I needed, with Star Wars being successfully completed. I then moved onto Pokemon, which has been bloody hard and heart breaking to boot. A lot of the figures are harder to find due to them coming out a long time ago and due to this, the prices are really high. I managed to snag quite a few in 2021 for good prices, which I was really happy about, but finding Cynthia, N and Champion Red has proven to be a challenge due to fakes and prices. I did however recently snag Cynthia and N from a UK seller on eBay for a great price! Now all I need is Champion Red… Which unfortunately won’t be as simple, especially as there’s currently one on eBay for over £300! I’m keeping my eyes peeled, but yeah. 😛

Dr. Martens x Lazy Oaf Buckle Boot.

I’d be fibbing if I said I’d been after these Docs for a long time, but I feel like on and off over the past year I’ve definitely liked the look of them! Someone I follow on Instagram has a pair of the Lazy Oaf Heart Buckle Docs and due to her, I decided that I’d really like a pair to wear with my Black Milk Clothing dresses and more! After scouring the internet for a few months, I finally found a pair for sale for £150, which I didn’t think was too bad for an almost new (tried on and maybe worn once from memory) pair of Docs, especially as these are also limited edition. They came out originally in 2019, but I missed out on snagging a pair at the time as I was saving up for my Japan trip. Now I finally have them though and I adore them… But I’m yet to actually wear them out and about. I haven’t yet as I just haven’t had the chance to, even though I’ve owned them a month. I’m anxious of my feet getting destroyed, but at the same time I do want to wear them! I think I’ll go for a walk in them around the local area with my ankle protectors on (Amazon link) to break them in more! I was toying about reviewing these on my blog, as well as some handy Docs tips that I know of, would you guys like to see that in the future?

Turning Red, Mei Lee Red Panda plushie.

I briefly wanted to show off this massive fluffy cutie that arrived at the start of March, my huge Disney Store Mei Lee red panda form plushie! I couldn’t resist ordering this as I’m a massive sucker for red pandas and plus I’ve been super excited for Turning Red to come out, as I mentioned earlier. This plushie has been living on my office chair and has proven to be an amazing cuddle buddy whilst I’m working (both work and personal stuff), as well as whilst I play games. This plushie wasn’t cheap at £40, but totally worth it!

My Dress-Up Darling… Annnnnd future content to look forward to!

Finally I want to give you all a reminder how much I’ve really fallen in love with My Dress-Up Darling! The first season of the anime finished at the end of March and since then I’ve been taking my time to read the manga, so I can make Marin and Gojo last as long as I can! If you really loved this manga/anime, or would like to discover a new series to read/watch, make sure to go and check out last weeks blog post all about My Dress-Up Darling. Since writing it I have since been inspired to write more posts about manga/anime series I love, including Nana, Elfen Lied and Bee & PuppyCat.

So there we have it, my favourites from March! March really did fly by and I don’t feel like I did a fat lot to be honest with you… I think my favourite thing we did in March was visit my best friend and her boyfriend in Nottingham! Nottingham is a city I’ve wanted to visit for a while and with my bestie living near the city centre, it was so much fun to finally visit it with her!

In March I really did reflect on what content I would like to bring to my blog in the future and I’ve come away with so many ideas, that I cannot wait to write and share with you all in the coming months!

What were you favourite things in March? Also, is there any specific you would like to see, or at least see more of on my blog? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

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

Little Ivy Rose & Co – Pokemon Wax Melts*

I am so excited to talk about something a little different on my blog than usual! I don’t think I’ve ever spoken about wax melts on here before, but candles have definitely come up in the past!

I LOVE candles and have especially fallen in love with burning wax melts since I started working from home in 2020 due to Covid. These days I burn wax melts when I’m working from home, or having lazy weekends at home with Dane. I don’t own as many candles right now, but they tend to get burnt when I’m too lazy to burn wax. I just love my home smelling gorgeous no matter what time of year! I tend to burn a wax tart both upstairs and downstairs, usually with the same scent burning, but sometimes I do mix it up to make my own unique scents. I recently tried one of the wax melts I’ll be talking about today alongside with a scent (by another brand) that smells like Lush’s Yog Nog and the house ended up smelling like a lemon meringue! It was so good and I want to do it again!

Today’s blog post is all about Little Ivy Rose & Co and her amazing wax tart store! Tasha’s candles not only smell gorgeous, but they’re definitely aimed at people who love their characters, such as Pokemon, Disney and Harry Potter.

The Pokemon themed wax melts were all kindly gifted to me by Tasha as a thank you for supporting her and her Etsy since it opened towards the end of 2021. This being said, I’m still going to mark this post as gifted, as I did mention to Tasha that I was planning on writing a blog post all about Little Ivy Rose & Co on my blog as soon as the chance came up! Apart from the descriptions of each wax tart scent, all words are my own and items that are gifted will be marked with an *.

Before I really talk about Little Ivy Rose & Co and the gorgeous smelling wax melts I was sent, I want to share a little bit about Tasha and her business first!

Little Ivy Rose & Co began in April 2020 making wreaths, but in December 2021 Tasha began to make candles and wax melts, which is when I discovered her! I discovered Little Ivy Rose & Co around the end of 2021 on Instagram when her sister (PokieMix) was advertising Tasha’s candles on her stories. I saw a Snow Fairy dupe (Winter Fairy) and knew I had to check her out! For anyone that isn’t aware, I LOVE the smell of Snow Fairy, so whenever I hear of good dupes of it, I’m all over that. I want my house to smell of Snow Fairy all year around. 😛

I really wanted to pick up one of the large Winter Fairy candles but due to spending so much over Christmas and a huge collection of candles and wax melts waiting to be burnt, I had to leave it. Unfortunately due to that, I missed out on snagging this candle. If this is still available when I’m paid next, I may need to order one to burn whilst me and Dane have lazy days together, as he loves Snow Fairy too!

Just before the start of 2022, Tasha announced she would be bringing Pokemon wax melts to her store, which I was super excited about! I’ve always wanted to try Pokemon themed wax melts before from sellers on Etsy, but just never gone for it. There has always been a few scents I’ve loved the sound of and a newer one especially, all of them will be spoken about on today’s post!

One of the wax melts I’ll be talking about wasn’t gifted by Tasha originally but was actually bought for me for my birthday in January (thanks Sacha!). I’d always planned to talk about this wax melt in question, but now it’ll be down as gifted seeing as I have a brand new one to burn! 😀

Each pack of wax melts comes with six cubes. I found each cube gave me between 8-12 hours worth of burning time, which is pretty good in my opinion! So, overall for one pack you’re looking at between 48-72 hours of burning, which is really good in my opinion for the cost of them! Each packet costs £4.00, which either way I think is a decent price too for how much burn time you’re getting!

There are a range of scents to choose from and there’s definitely something for everyone. There isn’t just Pokemon either, as mentioned previously in the blog post, there’s also Harry Potter, Disney princesses and none themed wax melts too. I love how there’s something for everyone as everyone’s taste in scents differs. I much prefer food and sweet smells myself, whereas some cannot get enough of floral scents.

Image taken from Little Ivy Rose & Co

As all the wax melts I will be sharing today are Pokemon themed, I wanted to share all the Pokemon scents so far below (ones in bold are what I’m talking about today).

Pikachu (Lemon Sherbet), Bulbasaur (Fresh Cut Grass), Charmander (Woodsmoke & Leather), Jigglypuff (Candy Floss), Snorlax (Lavender), Meowth (Dark Opium), Wobbuffet (Midnight Jasmine), Squirtle (Cypress & Sea Fennell), Psyduck (Seychelles), Ponyta (Amber Orange), Slowpoke (Birthday Cake) and Eevee (Chocolate Orange).

Enough chatter, let me share with you these gorgeous scented, kawaii wax melts!

Pokemon Pikachu Lemon Sherbet Wax Melt* – £4.00 (link)

Juicy lemon and lime and a splash of sweet orange and hints of red fruits, strawberry and raspberry followed by a fizzy tongue twisting sherbet.

This wax tart is so delicious and I’m sad it didn’t last me very long the first time owning it, as I just couldn’t stop burning it! This Pikachu wax tart smells of lemons, but refresher sweeties type lemon which is sharp but still sweet smelling. The throw of this is amazing and can leave a room smelling amazing for hours, it’s definitely one I recommend if you want to try something with lemon in and especially great to gift to someone who loves Pikachu. Due to the wax tart being lemon scented, as well as Pikachu inspired the wax melt is of course yellow.

I’m sure I speak for many when I say one of the reasons I love wax melts and candles is due to some scents giving you nostalgic and happy memories (as well as some cringe worthy ones you’d rather forget!) when you smell them, which is definitely something this wax melt does for me! I remember as a child/early teenager me and my dad would go to arcades to play on the 2p pusher machines and they usually had prizes them in such as keyrings and sweets. We always tried to win both of them but one day I remember we both came home with a small bag of lemon refreshers that lasted us ages! This is exactly what this reminds me of. It’ll be one I’d burn throughout the summer, as this was usually when we visited said arcades.

Pokemon Jigglypuff Candy Floss Wax Melt* – £4.00 (link)

A sweet candy floss accord with sticky sweet sugar notes and hints of strawberry, raspberry, vanilla and sherbet.

I’ll be honest straight away when I say out of the three wax melts here, the candy floss Jigglypuff scent isn’t the strongest of the bunch when smelling it in the packaging. That being said, this isn’t a bad thing as I know a lot of people who dislike strong wax melts and candles as they find they get headaches from them. Plus it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the same once it is burnt in my wax burner, which it honestly wasn’t! The throw of this one was so creamy and sweet and one that Dane really loved! It reminded us both of Bonfire Night in 2017 when we bought candy floss to eat whilst we watched the bonfire. As Dane loves this scent so much, it’s definitely one I’ll burn when we’re both at home together!

Pokemon Snorlax Birthday Cake Wax Melt* – £4.00 (link)

A mouth watering birthday cake depicted here by a blend of fresh fluffy sponge encasing whipped double cream and fruity strawberry jam.

Not going to lie, this is my favourite scent out of them all and one I’ve been really excited to try since Tasha announced it on her Instagram around the end of January/beginning of February. About a month ago me and Dane went to Homesense (because, why not…) and I took to having a nose at the candles, as you do. I bought one for my mom but left without one myself, which I was a tad gutted about as they had the most AMAZING birthday cake scented candles! So, when Tasha announced the Slowpoke birthday cake wax melt, I KNEW I had to get one! This smells like everything I imagined it to and because of that, I am in love!

As it states on the description, it sounds like a strawberry vanilla cheesecake type cake and it definitely reminds me of that! In the packaging the wax melt is very strong scented and even more so when I burnt it in my wax burner! The throw lasted hours and really did perk me up on a miserable, stormy day! It reminds me of the summer and having ice cream and sweet treats whilst exploring a countryside town. I already know I’ll be buying some more of these for myself, as well as other for their birthday’s!

So those are all the wax melts I was sent and have tried from Little Ivy Rose & Co to date! There are so many I want to try though at the moment including Ravenclaw Blueberry & Vanilla and Disney Meeko Biscuits (which I inspired Tasha to create!).

If you really like the sound of what Little Ivy Rose & Co are offering but don’t know where to begin when it comes to burning wax melts, don’t panic, Tasha got your covered!

So, what do you guys think about Little Ivy Rose & Co? I personally love them! If anything it’s really encouraged me to use more of my wax melts now I’ve gone through a big chunk of my stash.

Although I’ve popped the Little Ivy Rose & Co store and Instagram page throughout the post, I’ll pop them below too:

Store

Instagram

I want to say a massive thank you to Tasha for being so lovely to me the past couple of months since we started talking on Instagram. Our love of candles and raccoons has really flourished and I’m so happy I got the chance to write about her on my blog today!

Any scents or themes you like the sound of more so than others? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time guys, have an amazing weekend and stay safe and well. 🙂

April Favourites ‘21

How is it May already? I can’t believe how quick 2021 is going and it’s making me feel old in a way! At the same time, as much as I’ve enjoyed April it’s been bloody cold this week. We are meant to be in spring, I need me some sunshine and warmer weather now.

I think the most I’m excited about for May is some pre-ordered goodies I have arriving, making my new desk look cute as fuck and playing lots of New Pokemon Snap.

April has been such a strange month. It’s the month I really started to get into Twitch and I even bought a brand new Animal Crossing edition Switch, which I LOVE. You can read more about that here. I’m excited for the future of my Twitch channel and by the end of May I hope to have made affiliate.

For the time being however, I’m going to get cracking with my favourites and what I loved in April.

Beauty.

• Bodyform Intimawear Period Underwear – (link).

I know this isn’t a typical beauty product to talk about but I REALLY wanted to share these period underwear this month after trying them in April. Three words – They are amazing and I’ll never look back. I’d been thinking about buying reusable pads for a while now, but was feeling a bit lost of where to look, start, etc. Whilst doing my monthly shop at the end of March I found these in Tesco on offer and decided to pick up a pack. I gave them a go on day two of my period and they were amazing. I could tell I had them on at first, but the longer I wore them the more I got used to and comfortable with wearing them. I felt anxious throughout the day but at the same time I felt confident of no leaks. I wore them to bed and woke up with no issues… If you know what I mean. 😉

From memory they last 50 washes and are as easy to wash as they are to wear. You rinse them with cold water until the water runs clear and then throw into the washing machine. Simple! I clean them with cold water when I jump into the shower in the morning, run under the cold tap and when I’m out of the shower I throw them into the machine.

There are loads of brands you can buy and try, my reason for picking the Bodyform underwear up is the price I snagged them for and more. Again, I highly recommend these, they’re amazing!

So… Now it’s time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month! If there isn’t anything I’ve done I’m not going to mention.

Favourite Movie – Midsommar.

This is a film I’ve seen a few times now and recently I had the urge to watch it again. It’s a horror film by Ari Aster (also directed Hereditary) who has seemingly come out of nowhere. Aster’s horror films are eerie and will leave you with questions and an unfamiliar feeling, which is exactly what Midsommar did to me. Midsommar is a film about a group of friends who travel to Sweden to visit their friends home. A festival is taking place during their stay and they end up finding themselves in part of a cult that they aren’t 100% sure about. Amongst the group of friends there is also a couple whose relationship is being held together by a tragedy that occurred years prior. The film is overall just eerie and the things that happen are strange and odd to say the least. I’ve watched so many videos analysing the film, which is what fuelled me to watch it again. Watching it for a second time has really opened my eyes to the film and if you don’t get upset easily (there are a lot of sensitive subjects such as suicide and gore) I highly recommend watching it!

Favourite TV Show – Invincible.

This is a new TV show I’ve literally finished just before writing my favourites and I LOVED it! It was a recommendation from my colleagues and when I mentioned it to Dane we decided to start watching it that evening. It’s based off of a comic book of the same name and is about Mark, son of superhero Omni-Man, who eventually becomes superhero Invincible. We see Mark juggling being a superhero and trying to finish high school. There’s more to the story, but I don’t want to worry whatever I share may spoil. I highly recommend watching! This is an Amazon Prime Video exclusive show by the way.

Favourite Song – Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”.

This song. I don’t feel like I need to write anything about it because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like this song at the moment. I kept hearing this song on a Logitech advert on Twitch and I started to really like it, so Googled. This song came up on YouTube and it has literally JUST come out. I fell in love with it and I’ve not been able to stop listening to it since. I play it at least once a day in the week whilst working and maybe once or twice throughout the weekend. It’s blowing up the internet though and before hearing this song I’d never heard of Lil Nas X before. Now I’m quite excited for his new album to drop this year. I don’t know if it’ll be my sort of music, but I’ll definitely check it out.

Image taken from Twitter

Favourite Game – Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.

I’ve owned the remake of the original Pokemon mystery dungeon games since it came out at the start of March 2020, but I’d only played it for a short amount of time before Animal Crossing came out. Why? Because I got bloody stuck and gave up on it. At the start of April I decided to start streaming me playing it on Twitch and it’s been really fun. I decided to restart the game as I hadn’t played a lot anyway when I got stuck. So far it’s going okay, but I’m yet to get to the point I was stuck at before… I just forgot how much I like this game and it’s one I can see me playing outside of stream in the future. I highly recommend picking it up to play if you’ve never played the mystery dungeon games before, or if you want the nostalgia from the games back in the day!

Just a few of my favourite things.

Gel Nails.

As the salons were able to open back up in April I was booked in to get my nails done and it was WELL overdue! I decided to go for a duck egg blue colour with glitter. They’re still lasting now and I do love them. If there’s one thing I have really missed during the second and third lockdowns it’s getting my nails done. I feel like every three weeks it’s my time to get pampered, not have to do or think about much for an hour and I can just have a good natter with my nail technician. I’ve been going to her for over a year now, but due to COVID I’ve only had my nails done by her sixteen times, which isn’t as many as it should have been by now. I’m already excited to get a new set of gels done next week, but I do not have a clue what I’m going to get yet! maybe something pastel for spring? 😛

New Desk.

Me and Dane decided in April that it was time for me to get my own desk in our office. I’ve wanted my own space for a while to work at for both work and personal. I’ve had a few of my items dotted on Dane’s desk but I have to always move them at the end of the working day and put them back at the start and the same happened with my work laptop too. I’d put it away at the end of the day and set it up at the start. The desk Dane bought me wasn’t the one I’d thought he was ordering, so I was worried at first that it would be too small. However, this being said we’ve made it work and I’ve had it and been working at it for a week now. It’s amazing! I got my office chair from work so I didn’t need to buy a new one (although I may eventually) and we already had an old monitor that I could use. All that was left to do was decorate the desk and the area really!

As you can see from the above photo I have started to make it my own with my Danbo Nendoroid, Smoko ramen cup lamp, a Tokidoki plush and fox coaster that my friend Sarah (Raiin Monkey) sent to me, my raccoon planter from Tesco and finally my Razer quartz headset and headset stand. I have a lot more work to do to my desk including making use of the white space above the desk and more. I’ll be showing it off more in my monthly favourites I’m sure!

Pokemon and Disney purchases.

I made some cute purchases during April and they’re all featuring towards the end of my monthly favourites. The first group I want to talk about are Pokemon and Disney themed.

I picked up this Loungefly bag second hand from someone via a Loungefly Facebook group (who I’ve since befriended) and I’ve been using it since. After I discovered this bag existed at the start of the year it fast became one of my holy grain and sought after bags. One weekend around February I searched all over for this and could only find it for around $200-$400 which I was NOT willing to pay. I gave up on the search eventually and had the frame of mind, “If it turns up at a decent price… So be it…” so when I saw it for a decent price, I snatched it up! I love it so much. The first shopping trip I wore it out I heard people commenting on it which was awesome. It’s my go to bag at the moment and one I’ll definitely use when I return back to working in the office. I have taken it into a work a few times now, which is good. Would you guys like to see a blog post about my Loungefly bags? I have one coming soon and I’ve bought a couple of new ones in 2021 so yes, let me know!

I picked up some Disney goodies from Fox Leap and alongside the two items I bought, Sophie sent me LOADS of extra goodies too which made me smile! She’s such an amazing seller and lovely person to talk to. I decided to finally pick up the Angel enamel pin and Lady and the Tramp print that I’ve had saved in my favourites on Etsy for the longest time. As regular readers will know, Lady and the Tramp is my favourite Disney film and I have fond memories of the sequel when it came out too. Alongside my purchases I also received a Scar print (which I’d been eyeing up for a while), Fennekin enamel pin, Bambi and Faline enamel pin, an Angel sticker and some Disney horse stickers. I don’t feel like I can thank Sophie enough for sending me so many lovely extras.

I’m giving Sophie a bit of a plug here (because she bloody deserves it!) but if you like watching streamers, make sure to check out her Twitch channel. Sophie’s streams are great to relax to and she’s even come to mine before, which is always lovely and supportive. I’m also part of her Discord which is so friendly. 🙂 I’m looking to join her Patreon in the near future.

Finally I ordered the Nickit plush from the Pokemon Center via YY Kawaii and it arrived in April. Nickit was my favourite Pokemon in Sword and Shield and as soon as I could catch one in the game, it stayed in my party for as long as possible! This plush is bigger than I thought it was going to be, which was great! It now lives on my plushie cabinet alongside my Dragonite, Eevee, Morgana and more. It’s just a nice plush to add to my collection. Don’t forget by the way that if you would like to save 10% off of the YY Kawaii website, make sure to use the code YYCOFFEE10 – which is my brand affiliate code with YY Kawaii!

Animal Crossing Cookie.

April appears to have been a month where I have been slightly obsessed with Cookie from Animal Crossing. Why? I don’t know but I’ve either bought items, received items or found and finished things with her featured.

As you may have seen from my last blog post, my Quirkory pre-order arrived for some Animal Crossing enamel pins, one of the pins was Cookie. It’s such an adorable enamel pin and it’s by far one of my favourites in my collection now! If you want to read a bit more about this enamel pin AND the latest Animal Crossing collection from Quirkory please make sure to check out the latest post all about it. 🙂 If you like the look of the Cookie enamel pin and would like to save 10% off of Quirkory’s store then make sure to use the code TMBQUIRKORY!

Alongside the enamel pin arriving, I decided to finally order myself something from Nooks Needles Co as I’d wanted to for a while. I noticed the store had started to stock Cookie designs, so I decided to reach out to potentially buy a custom order. I wanted Cookie on a light purple sweater, but I wanted the image of Cookie to be larger and in the middle of the chest area of the sweater, instead of smaller and on the left hand side of the chest. Laur the person behind Nooks Needles Co was happy to oblige and ordered a sweater in shade orchid for me. It arrived over a week later and I’ve worn it loads so far, as you’ll see from the image above, as well as my new picture on my blog too. I’m looking to review this store and sweater in the future, so please keep eyes peeled for this in May/June. 😉

Finally I want to share this Cookie cross stitch I FINALLY finished after owning it since March 2020. I don’t know why it took so long as it was practically finished when I picked it up again towards the end of this month. This cross stitch kit is from diyCrossing and although I bought this last year, they still have plenty of cross stitch kits available to buy! They’re really easy to follow, whether you’re new to cross stitch or not. I’ve been cross stitching since I was about ten why my mom first got me into it, so to be able to do this kit of a villager I adore, it’s been lovely. I’ve since ordered two more, Lucky and Bones, two more of my favourite villagers. I plan to buy and work on all the dog cross stitch kits from diyCrossing in the future and display them.

There we have it guys, those are my favourites from April! As I said at the start of the post, I can’t quite believe it’s May already! I don’t know what May brings, but I feel like it’s going to be good. I have some time off work in June so I feel May is going to be a month of planning what me and Dane are going to do.

What were your favourites from April? What do you think of my favourites? Make sure to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time guys, take care and have a lovely bank holiday weekend!

HUGE Shop Small UK Guide – Christmas 2020

Can you believe there is only 18 days until Christmas? Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I’m awful this year and I’m not done. I usually have all my gifts bought by now, but alas I still have my parents to buy for.

This year I wanted to do a gift guide, but not my usual one aimed at the geeks, otaku and kawaii fans, beauty, fashion etc etc. I wanted to instead focus on small companies/independent artists/businesses who need our support more than ever due to COVID and it’s affects from lockdowns here in the UK.

First of all, I’m only speaking about the UK as with a Twitter poll a couple of weeks ago, it’s what you as the readers voted for. However at the end of the post I will mention who you can shop small with all over the world too.

I’m going to add all sorts of categories here, not just geek, kawaii, otaku related. I’ll be talking about beauty, home, geek, Japan related, food and more! I want to try and talk about as much as I can, so when you need ideas for Christmas gifts you have lots of choice. I will also mention the last date to order for Christmas too if you’re in the UK. Please bear in mind with the COVID situation and Christmas on the horizon, Royal Main is struggling a little, so if you want to order, order as soon as possible!

Let’s get started! I really hope you guys enjoy this post. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Geeky/Kawaii

Image taken from Jennifairy Illustration

Jennifairy Illustration – Creating cuties to make you smile. Enamel pins, stickers and keychains, all inspired by cute animals, video game characters and more.

Last date to order for Christmas – 14th December. However, if order after this date it could still get there but that can’t be promised. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Jennifairy Illustration is an independent artist/store I have spoken about on my blog since 2017 and I knew they were one of the first places I wanted to speak about today! Jennifairy has a range of products – enamel pins, stickers and keychains. Her style is incredibly cute and kawaii and the designs make me smile whenever I see them, both on her store and in my home. If you know someone who loves cute animals and certain characters from popular video games, then they will love to open a cute design from Jennifairy. Christmas wise you can pick up some gingerbread friends or even a Christmas Pikachu, with a Santa’s hat and a cup of coffee. There are loads of different designs to choose from, there is something for everyone.

Image taken from Littlest Spook Shop

Littlest Spook Shop – We put the Oo in spooky! Cute spooky ghost prints, mugs and other items to choose from!

Last date to order for Christmas – Currently Littlest Spook Shop is looking to close 9th December.

Halloween isn’t just once a year with Littlest Spook Shop. I discovered them around Halloween this year and I love their spooky ghost designs. They’re so damn cute and spoopy and I’m down for that. I regret not ordering some of their Christmas cards this year to be honest, but there’s always next year. If you know someone who celebrates Halloween all year around then a print (or two!) from Littlest Spook Shop may just be for them! Not only do they sell prints but they also sell mugs, tote bags, enamel pins and patches so that spooky friend or family member can show off their love of ghosts and all things spooky all year around! The Always Cosy Club spooky print shouts out to me so much. During the colder months I’m like that little ghosty.

Image taken from FoxLeap

FoxLeap – Kawaii designs inspired by Disney and Japanese characters from films and video games.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at time of writing post.

FoxLeap is an independent artist/store I love buying enamel pins from. They’re adorable and there is always something in the store I want to pick up, including the Jiji enamel pin which I may need to order myself as a treat for writing this post. 😛 There is something for everyone when it comes down to FoxLeap including designs inspired by Disney (especially The Lion King series!), Pokemon, Studio Ghibli, Wolf’s Rain, Okami and more. Anyone who loves enamel pins will really love to receive a FoxLeap design and honestly they probably already know of FoxLeap’s existence. Not only do they make and sell enamel pins but they also sell prints, t-shirts, stickers, enamel pin flags, tote bags and more so there is plenty to choose from!

Image taken from NaomiLordArt

NaomiLordArt – A freelance artist who creates adorable prints inspired by animals, magical creatures, witches, Goddesses, Critical Role and more!

Last date to order for Christmas – Orders will be shipped until the shop closes for Christmas on 20th December. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Guys you know me I love kawaii animals, especially foxes and that is something NaomiLordArt does so bloody well! I mean, look at them cute seasonal fox designs! I feel anyone of any age will love a little stocking filler that involves one of the many designs that NaomiLordArt has on offer. Plus if you and your friends are fans of Critical Role, she’s drawn all of the gang and put it onto a print, which you can find here. I feel NaomiLordArt would be perfect as items to gift children, teenagers and anyone who loves prints and stickers. I’ve gifted my best friend goodies from there before that were surrounding Star Wars and Harry Potter. There are also RPG class animal stickers and prints too, so if you play in a D&D group and are taking part in a D&D themed Secret Santa, these would make perfect gifts alongside some dice.

Image taken from GIPHY

Japanese Snacks

Image taken from Something Japanese

Something Japanese – UK based online shop that sells the best things from Japan! Chocolate, Candy, Collectables, Otaku Goodies and much much more.

Last date to order for Christmas – December 21st. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Something Japanese is a store I have bought from for about five years now and they are really good! I especially love to pick up the Japanese snack boxes from them as they’re always an amazing price for how many Japanese sweets and treats you get. I ordered the Halloween one and it was amazing and I’ve ordered the Christmas Japanese Candy Box too. This might make for an amazing gift to someone who loves Japanese sweets and treats and who may also miss Japan or want to visit Japan. COVID has prevented travelling to Japan for a lot of people and I know a lot of my friends who missed out on their trips this year. This would make for a nice treat to open Christmas Day. Something Japanese does sell other items too and separate sweet treats so make sure to check that out too.

Image taken from Tofu Cute

Tofu Cute – A UK kawaii shop that sells all sorts of cute and unique Japanese snacks, plushies, accessories, stationery and other goodies.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at time of writing post.

Tofu Cute is a store me and my boyfriend often order our Japanese sweets from as they’re great prices and they always seem to have the goods that Japan get at the same time. Not only do they stock sweets but also drinks as well! We’ve bought many bottles of ramune and Pokemon fizzy drinks from Tofu Cute and they’ve all been enjoyed! Think my favourite thing I’ve ever bought from Tofu Cute are the Melty Kiss chocolates. They’re to die for and would make an amazing gift for someone’s stocking this Christmas. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Home

Image taken from Cushty Co Twitter page

Cushty Co – Handmade home fragrance. Scented soy wax melts beautifully crafted with sprinkles of glitter and careful colouring. Vegan friendly.

Last date to order for Christmas – Monday 14th December – Store will close at 5pm. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Cushty Co are my go to for wax melts and I’ve ended up buying so many this year! Their autumn/Halloween collection being my favourite to date. If you know someone who loves burning candles and wax tarts like me, Cushty Co are a great place to check out. They do LOADS of different scent varieties and three different sizes of wax so the choices are huge. They currently have their Christmas/winter scents in stock and I have all of them! They’re absolutely amazing and if you know someone who loves Christmas and wishes it could be everyday, then some of the Christmas/winter scents will be right up their street. Not only do Cushty Co sell wax tarts, but they also sell room sprays too, which I’m yet to try. If you know someone who loves Lush then they’ll love Unicorn Dreams which smells exactly like Snow Fairy and Nightfall which smells exactly like Twlight.

Image taken from Bubble Baskets UK/Books Baths and Beauty

Bubble Baskets UK/Books Baths and Beauty – Lovingly Custom made 3D printed Bubble Baskets.

Last date to order for Christmas – 17th December if ordering a pink, black or ombré bubble basket. 14th December if ordering a custom colour. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I recently decided to buy myself a bubble basket from Books Baths and Beauty as I’ve wanted one for over a year now and as my bathroom was redone in the summer, I’ve finally been indulging in bath products and having bath cocktails more. It arrived over the weekend I’ve used it a few times since. It’s really good and if you’re like me and use bubble bars, shower gels and more to create bubbles, then this is for you! They’re made with a 3D printer and are sturdy and amazing! 😀 If you know someone who loves taking baths and using the same products as I do, this will be perfect for helping them create lots of bubbles! Teenagers will love this, as well as mermaids.

Image taken from GIPHY

Beauty

Image taken from The Bath Bae

The Bath Bae  –  Handmade bath treats to make you glow inside and out. Vegan and cruelty free!

Last date to order for Christmas – Monday 21 December at 3pm Royal Mail Tracked 48 or Tuesday 22 December at 3pm Royal Mail Tracked 24. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I recently made my first order with The Bath Bae and honestly – I have zero regrets. They focus on bath bomb products in various different varieties and scents so there is plenty to choose from! So far I’ve only tried the bath cubes and they are amazing, perfect for anyone of any age. You can pick up bath sparkle, sparkle rocks, bath cubes and bath soak. These would make great stocking fillers for teenagers and anyone who loves a good soak in the bath. My favourite scent from them so far is Oh So Slushie, which reminds me of Tango Ice Blast slushies from the cinema.

Image taken from Happy Melon

Happy Melon – Handmade beauty products made in small batches and packed with cuteness, colour and yummy fragrance. Cruelty free!

Last date to order for Christmas – Restock this Sunday (13/12/2020) and as items sell out quickly, there isn’t really a last date to order for Christmas.

Happy Melon is a brand I discovered this year and bought from during their last restock. If you know someone who loves their beauty and bath products and for them to be as colourful as possible, Happy Melon is a good indie brand for this! They have a wide variety of products including bubble bath, lip sugar, perfume oil, bath soak (snuggle soak), sugar scrub and more! One of the bubble baths I own is a Lush Snow Fairy dupe (Sabrina bubble bath) and it’s one of my favourite products to use after a long day. Plus a little goes a long way and this stuff lasts AGES! One of the products I am excited to try soon is the Pop Kei Snuggle Soak, which smells just like Tango Ice Blast slushies! It would work so well with the slushie bath cubes from The Bath Bae. Again this is a great brand for teenagers due to how colourful everything is and maybe even children too due to how colourful and sparkly the bubble baths are.

Image taken from Hex Bomb

Hex Bomb – Divine handmade gothic beauty products for dark sweets hearts. Creator of the first black bath bomb! Cruelty free and vegan!

Last date to order for Christmas – 21st December. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Hex Bomb is a brand I have always wanted to try since the Black As Your Soul bath bomb came out. I’m yet to try it still and plan to buy it in the near future! I’ve mentioned some colourful and kawaii beauty indie brands so far, so I wanted to through a gothic, dark brand in there for good measure. I love me a dark bath, it reflects who I am inside and this brand would be perfect for any goth friend or relative out there! Not only do they make bath bombs but Hex Bomb also sell shower gel, soap, scrub, lip balm, perfume oil AND even wax melts for your home. If you aren’t sure what to buy that gothic beauty in your life (because Hex Bomb have a lot of variety!) you could always pick up one of their gift boxes which contains a variety of products. If you want to see a review (or two) of Hex Bomb make sure to go and check out my great blogger friend Raiin Monkey’s blog posts here.

Image taken from GIPHY

Honourable Mentions

Geek/Kawaii – Quirkory – Due to being based in Italy, they didn’t qualify for this shop small post. However, I couldn’t not mention them! They sell enamel pins, stickers and prints inspired by Japanese video games and cute animals.

Geek/Kawaii – Claire Likes To Doodle – The reason I didn’t mention my friend Claire and her store is because she got a post allllll to herself recently! Which I am going to link here. 🙂

Geek/Kawaii – 1 In 100/One In Hundred – A local Brummy like myself, Alex over at 1 In 100 has some amazing designs on her store and you can buy items from clothing, badges, keyrings, stickers, prints, stationary and more. I keep meaning to pick up some of her Japan inspired prints. Check them out here and here.

Geek/Kawaii – Chibi Shibby – May have bought a Christmas present from one of my favourite artists… 😉 Shibby recently reopened her store and has filled it was gorgeous kawaii goodies! There’s also some Christmas related goods in there too.

Geek/Kawaii – Lunaticgumis – Due to being based in Gran Canaria, they didn’t quality for this shop small post. However, I am planning to write about them on my blog very very soon! 😀 They sell stickers as well as amigurumis (Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures). They stock Bee and Puppycat designs WHICH I LOVE!

Geek/Kawaii – Taiyakiblue – This store is joint owned by tattooists senseoftheterrific and tubbybeartattoo. They stock clothing, prints and even some keyrings and pins made out of resin. They’re both inspired by geeky/kawaii themes such as D&D, Studio Ghibli, Dragonball Z, Moomins, Adventure Time and more. I’ve purchased a Christmas present from them and plan to buy prints in the future! I love their style so much.

Bath – Bath Bake Love – No restock until after Christmas where there will be lots of enchanted teasers for the New Year Wonderland and plenty of goodies in January!

AND THERE WE HAVE IT! My HUGE shop small Christmas shopping guide for the UK!

What do you guys think? I wanted to try and cover as much as I could and I like to think I’ve done that quite well. In the future I may pop up with some of these after Christmas, just as good shopping guides throughout the year for birthday’s and more!

Honestly guys, I hope you enjoyed this post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m off work for the week and the first thing I knew I wanted to do was to write this post.

Are there any small shops in the UK that you feel I should know about? Make sure to let me know and I’ll take a look for next time!

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

August Wish List ’20

I can’t quite believe it’s August already and to be honest with you, I’m pretty damn glad. July was good because it meant my bathroom was completed, however it was incredibly stressful and I wasn’t very well for the majority of it.

I’m glad for August to bring a fresh month, something new and also a month for me to save the money I spent on the labour for the bathroom too.

Although I am trying to save my money this month, it doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to still have and share my wish list with you this month! That and I bought three pieces from the Black Milk Clothing x Pokemon collection last week… Oops! 😛

I’m really loving the variety on it and I hope you do too. 🙂

• Insert Coin Persona 5 Morgana Hoodie (link)

If there is one thing I love seeing, it’s when Insert Coin reveals they have a new collection out and it’s clearly Persona 5 related. They recently announced more items that were joining their ever growing collection and I for one love everything! I especially love that not everything is a high cost too. The new pullover hoodie they’ve brought out is so gorgeous! I don’t have a red hoodie, so this red is right up my street and I love that Morgana is on the front of it too. I wont be purchasing this for a while… But the time will come when I do decide to pick it up!

• Goodsmile Company Nendoroid A Clockwork Orange Alex DeLarge (link)

I feel like I haven’t had a Nendoroid pre-order arrive for quite a while, so I’m definitely overdue now. For those who may not know, I’m a big fan of A Clockwork Orange and have been since I was about… 15/16 years old. When I lived at home I used to have a canvas up of Alex DeLarge, I dressed up as him once for Halloween and I own some t-shirts with Alex DeLarge on. SO, when this Nendoroid was announced when I was in Japan in January, I asked YY Kawaii if she could get him for me, which she could and did! I’m so excited for Alex DeLarge to arrive this month! He looks perfect. If you haven’t watched A Clockwork Orange before then definitely give it a go, but it is a dark film, with some strange themes. There was a lot of controversy surrounding it due to a lot of the themes that went on in the film and I think it was banned from the UK for a time. I still recommend it though. 🙂

• Pokemon Four Seasons Collection Re-ment – Vulpix (link)

I was recently gifted an amazing parcel by YY Kawaii which contained some items she was giving away over on Instagram (the giveaway is now closed!) and within that there was some re-ment figures, including one from the four seasons collection. I was really hoping for the Vulpix re-ment but instead I got a Wartortle and Sandygast one which is really summery and cute. As Autumn is one of my favourite months, this Vulpix autumn re-ment is shouting out to me! I’ll buy it eventually, but for now I can wait. 🙂

• Kickstarter Adorablush Pokemon Fruit Salad Enamel Pins KICKSTARTER NOW ENDED (link)

This Kickstarter is adorable and it’s one both me and Sarah (from Raiin Monkey) have backed together to save on postage… Smart, eh? 😛 We both loved the look of this Kickstarter campaign for fruit Pokemon enamel pins. There are eight designs to choose from, I’ve gone for the watermelon Shaymin and strawberry Eevee and Sarah has gone for the strawberry Eevee too! Alongside the enamel pins you also get prints that match, which will be awesome! I’m so excited for us to receive our pins. I’ll be sending Sarah’s off to her when it arrives, with some other goodies too… 😛

• Lunaticgumis Puppycat Sticker (link)

If you guys didn’t know by now, I am a MASSIVE Bee & Puppycat fan! I’ve been after some more merchandise from the TV show/comic book for a while, but it’s lacking AND not easy to get hold of in the UK. This sticker is from Spain and delivers to the UK, which is always good. It’s really cute and would love to add it to my “sticker collection”. During  lock down I’ve gathered quite a lot of stickers but I don’t quite know what to do with them.

• Cushty Co Unicorn Blood Soy Wax Melt (link)

About 10 years ago I discovered a brand called Lily Flame and their gorgeous scented candle called Fairy Dust. I’ve owned a few since then and they’re amazing. However, I can’t justify buying any new candles right now and sadly Lily Flame aren’t exactly cheap. Cushty Co do a dupe of this scent, which I’d love to give a go myself in future! I’m still trying to get through my candles and wax melts at the moment, but sadly they’ve been hurting my throat so I’m trying not to use them too frequently at the moment.

• Disney Store Lady Small Soft Toy in Box (link)

This Lady plush is very much sold out/out of stock at he moment and I’m semi gutted. My favourite Disney film is Lady and the Tramp for so many reasons so when I saw that the Disney Store were selling this lady in a box, just like in the film I knew I had to have it. Of course, I’ve missed that window due to setting myself on a spending ban, but at the same time I was being indecisive. I’m really hoping the Disney Store bring it back as I would love to purchase this cute Lady plus.

• Costa Coffee China Unicorn Mug (link)

Finally we have an item I pre-ordered through YY Kawaii a month or so ago. I saw her mention that Costa Coffee in China were making unicorn mugs and merchandise, which looked and are adorable! There were two takeaway mugs and two mugs. I went for the glass unicorn mug to drink my teas and coffees from. I don’t exactly need anymore mugs in my life, but this was kind of too cute to pass up and as I used to work at Costa Coffee many moons ago, I thought it would be nice to add one of the unicorn designs from China to my kitchen!

So there we have it, my wish list for August! Some of the items are pre-orders or have arrived already, such as my Nendoroid Alex DeLarge, which arrived last week. This being said, as I mentioned at the start of the post I’m going on a spending ban for August. I will only buy items that are essential or occasionally buy items that are limited edition or limited time, but that probably won’t happen much.

What items do you have on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments below, as well as to what items you like from my list!

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

June Favourites ’20

I feel like I say this every month… BUT how is it July already?! June flew by and I’m sad to see it gone in a way. However, I am excited for July and what it brings with it.

The start of July me and Dane are getting a new bathroom fitted and we cannot wait! It’s been something we have planned to do since we bought the house four years ago, so it’s great to get it done, finally! We sadly had some water damage back in May and it upset us both a lot. Thankfully this is getting sorted, alongside the bathroom itself.

I’m nervous but excited for all the work to be done and cannot wait for a fresh start to the bathroom! Hopefully I’ll be able to show you guys some before and after photos of the bathroom.

Majority of June I relaxed and eased off playing certain games to play others. It was a strange month to be honest but one I really liked as I loved just relaxing and not doing all that much. I’m hoping July will be more productive… But a little lazy still too. 😛

Image taken from The Latest Kate

As always I like to share a positive photo here from The Latest Kate as I find her images are really sweet and the message behind them meaningful.

Here’s to new things in July! I’m excited for what the month holds. 🙂

• Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion.

I recently did a MASSIVE spring clean of the belongings in our bedroom as well as the bathroom and I threw so much stuff away! Loads of old nail polishes, body products and more. I also discovered that I owned this Aveeno lotion too and I’ve started using it daily on my hands whilst working. I can’t have too many lotions at the moment for my hands and feet as I was to try and keep the eczema away as much as I can. Thankfully what I’m doing is working, which is good. I have to be honest though, as much as I love the Aveeno lotion I own, I won’t be buying it again. I’ve paid less for better in all honesty. I would however like to try more Aveeno products in the future.

• Barry M All in One Nail Paint.

This is the only all in one top and base coat that I’ll use and have used for years now. Lately I’ve found I haven’t been wearing much nail polish and instead I’ve just been wearing this clear nail paint instead. I like to have something on my nails and as this is also a nail hardener too, I find it really does help my nails strength wise and they grow quicker than they would without this on. I was hoping for my nail technician to be open again at the start of July, but alas beauty and nail bars won’t be opening… Sooooo I’ll be continuing to look after and paint my nails for a while longer. I definitely recommend this all in one nail paint if you’re on a budget but want something that will work!

• Peripera Sugar Glow Tint in shade Cherry Pie Filling.

I bought this lip tint recently from Depop. I’ve never bought a lip product second hand before so I was a little dubious. However, I haven’t encountered any issues which is great and in all honesty I’m glad I bought this lip tint as it’s amazing! I’ve worn it almost daily since around the start of June and I really like it. It’s a gorgeous dark pink shade, which you can put a little or a lot on to build up the colour. However, this doesn’t tint and stain the lips, which is a shame but even so it’s a lovely colour.

• Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm.

With a mixture of hot weather and my hayfever being on an all time high in June, this eye balm was very much needed and really did help to soothe my sore eyes. Whether that was down to the heat, hayfever making them sore and especially lack of sleep due to some nights where I couldn’t sleep well due to the warmth. I’ve used this eye balm on and off for years and it’s something I always go back to.

• L’Oreal Paris Smooth Sugars Clear Scrub (review here)

This is a face scrub if I need to finish using soon so I can buy myself a brand new one! I love this face scrub and it honestly lasts ages as a little bit goes a long way, so much so I’ve owned it for over two years now… A lot of people would have thrown it away by now, but for me it’s done me nothing but good. This is an easy face scrub to use and one that I thoroughly enjoy using due to that. You use it on dry skin and it not only feels gently and effective, but has a lovely warm feeling too. Then you rub a little bit of water into your skin to melt the scrubby sugars away. I always feel really clean and fresh after I use this scrub and still highly recommend it to this day!

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

Image taken from Pinterest

Favourite TV Show – Shameless.

First of all, can we just remember that a young James McAvoy played Steve in Shameless and how gorgeous and amazing he was in it (may I add – still is!)??? ANYWAY! I don’t know why, but I felt the need to binge watch this recently as it’s now on Netflix, which means no annoying adverts to contend with on All 4. I got to about season 8/9 before and turned it off as I got bored and turned to something else. I’m going to ride it through to season 11 and FINALLY finish binge watching it. Shameless has been a show I’ve loved since it came out in 2004 and I’ve watched it when it was on the TV back in the day, on DVD’s and of course streamed on All 4. I refuse to watch the American version by the way, so don’t recommend. 😛 I recommend the UK and ORIGINAL version if you fancy something new to watch!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Movie – The Rescuers/The Rescuers Down Under.

That gif is so accurate for The Rescuers, I swear to God! Amongst the few Disney films that make me cry my eyes out this is one of them, alongside Dumbo! Penny in the first film breaks my fucking heart and I always sob at the scene where people chose a red headed girl over her and she’s praying to get away from the boat, the prison she has been kept in. I decided to binge watch these one evening as I wasn’t feeling great, but wanted something to keep me busy. Both The Rescuers films remind me of my childhood as I adored The Rescuers Down Under when it came out. I have fond memories of it and even photos of me holding the video and book my mom bought me with a massive smile on my face. If you haven’t watched it, GET ON IT! They’re lovely films.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Meh…

I haven’t been reading this month… End of. I did buy the new volume of Snot Girl but in all honesty I just haven’t gotten around to reading it for many reasons. I’m terrible with reading lately and I really need to improve that. 😦

Favourite Music – “Let Me Hear” – Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas and “Tequila” – Jax Jones, Martin Solveig & RAYE.

These are two songs I’ve found myself replaying over and over again lately on Spotify and in turn it makes me laugh how they’re completely different genres. The first song “Let Me Hear” I discovered through an anime called Parasyte which I watched in June (and recommend!) that this song features on the opening credits. I love it and whenever it comes up on my shuffle I sing loudly to it. I’ve also added “Tequila” which is a song I discovered months ago through a Spotify advert. I only really gave it a proper listen recently and instantly fell in love with the beat of it.

Image taken from Nintendo

Favourite Game – Pokemon Cafe Mix.

This is one of the newer game releases from Pokemon, a free to play game on both phones and the Nintendo Switch. I’ve downloaded it on both, but I’ve mostly been playing it on my phone. Animal Crossing has definitely taken a back burner the last week of June and I think it’s just due to be wanting to play other games. Pokemon Cafe Mix is so much fun and it really does remind me of the Pokemon Cafe in Japan (which you can read about here). As this game is free definitely give it a go!

So those are my favourites from June! June was a good but odd month. Again, I’m just so excited to get my new bathroom installed now and have my bathroom back again. I may write about it in the future as to what happened with my bathroom and how we dealt with it all.

What were your favourite things throughout June? How as June for you guys too? Make sure to let me know in the comments.

Until next time, stay safe and take care all!

FoxLeap – More Lady and Tramp Enamel Pins!

It feels like it has been far too long since I wrote a blog post about enamel pins (Quirkory in February) and we are well overdue for another now!

I pre-ordered these two enamel pins from FoxLeap whilst I was in Japan and due to Coronavirus, they arrive a little later than planned. This didn’t bother me and in all fairness it was to be expected.

I still love my Lady and the Tramp pin I backed through Kickstarter (you can read about it here) last year from FoxLeap, so when I saw that she had brought out two more designs to do with the movie, I knew I had to buy.

Sophie, the person behind Foxleap designed a Scamp and Angel pin, as well as the three female pups, Annette, Collette, and Danielle pin. I knew I needed both, no matter what.

They arrived at the start of May and I haven’t been able to stop looking at them since. I know how much I love writing about my enamel pin purchases, as well as sharing amazing artists with you guys too. PLUS I know how many of you loved the first time I spoke about Foxleap on my blog, so I knew I had to share these enamel pins with you all.

Sophie also sent me some goodies for free as an apology for how long I waited for my pins to arrive, as well as some pins as a pick me up during everything that is going on with coronavirus, which was so lovely of her! I’m actually going to gift some of these pins to friends. 🙂 FYI when I say sent goods for free they were not sent for review purposes.

Right, let me share the pins with you all!

These both came in two separate packages, but I wanted to show them off all together.

The first package I received was a thank you package and a “coronavirus” package if you will. The one that Sophie sent me (which she sent to everyone who had/made an order) contained some duplicates of the Lady and the Tramp II pins I ordered, as well as a print, some stickers and a Simba and Nala pin.

Then I received another package from Sophie which was my actual order. Due to how long I was waited for my pins to arrive, Sophie was kind enough to offer me a free pin, as well as some free stickers. I opted for some of the fox stickers, as well as one of her Pokemon pins that I’d actually been toying with ordering around Christmas.

The two prints I was sent in both packages are gorgeous, but I seriously cannot get over the Scamp and Angel one that was included. I adore it so much and have placed it up in our bedroom so I can look at it. It reminds me of when I was in my final year of primary school and how hard it was. My mom bought me Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure on video and even got me a cute plush of Scamp (which is still at my mom’s somewhere!) and it cheered me up so much. I watched the film loads and adored it. So, this print reminds me of that period in my life. Plus, the detailing on it is adorable!

I was also sent the Okami print! I have always wanted to play this game and now it’s out on the Switch too, I may finally take the plunge and buy it. This print is also available on a t-shirt, which I’ll link here.

As always, Sophie pops a lovely message on the back of the prints with “Thank you” as well as “stay safe”. This is such a lovely touch and it always makes me smile.

I was also sent some stickers (as I mentioned previously), which I adore! The sticker sheets from Foxleap are adorable and they make me happy to look at.

I was kindly sent the fox and one of the two dog sticker sheets. I’ve already stuck some of these on my new iPad case and they really do add something adorable to it… Not that it doesn’t already have it. 😛

Finally, let’s talk about the enamel pins!

Scamp and Angel (link)

This pin is adorable and considering how the Lady and the Tramp pin looks, this has really worked well alongside the original! The original design also had a heart, so it’s nice to see that there is a heart between Scamp and Angel too. This scene is meant to be from when they’ve both been for food and are walking through the park. The design is just perfect and I especially love the light blue colour for Angel’s eyes.

The enamel pin is gold plated, and although I’m not the biggest fan of gold, it isn’t obvious with this pin and if anything, it works really well with both of the pups colour schemes.

Lady Pups (link)

The lady pups pin is very much different from both Lady and Tramp and Scamp and Angel, but I put this down to the fact there are three pups to incorporate AND we don’t know a whole lot about them from the film. However, I feel like we do also get the personalities of the three puppies and it works so well due to that. I really love the design, it’s so cute.

The enamel pin is rose gold plated, which I feel compliments the puppies colours so much.

Nickit (link)

I love Pokemon and whilst I’m not the biggest fan of the new Pokemon series Sword and Shield games, I did really fall in love with this new fox type Pokemon. I kept Nickit for as long as I could before evolving and it really is one of my favourite things about the new games. I’m so glad to finally have this pin, the Nickit looks a little grumpy, even though I know it doesn’t mean to. It’s perfect!

Simba and Nala

Finally we have a Lion King pin and it’s Simba and Nala. This was part of the Kickstarter design I backed last year for my Lady and the Tramp design. It’s so cute, with Simba and Nala looking at each other in a loving way and with their tails making a heart shape together. I don’t know if I’ll keep this design or if I’ll gift it to one of my friends… I’ll see how I feel as I am growing rather fond of the design myself.

Since my review back in late 2019, I have purchased from FoxLeap a few more times and each and every time she has been lovely and delivered, especially recently considering the circumstances. Sophie is an amazing designer and seller and it’s why I wanted to show off the latest enamel pins I picked up from her.

I’m going to pop any social media and store links down below for FoxLeap. Although I’ve linked it throughout the post, it’s always good to have stuff together too.

Store

Etsy Store

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

What do you guys think of FoxLeap? They sell some really cute enamel pins, as well as t-shirts, stickers, notebooks and keyrings. They don’t just design Disney either! They also design Pokemon too, so make sure to go and check out their store!

As I said on my previous post, I’ll definitely purchase from Fox Leap again, as well as for friends, which I did around Christmas. Sophie’s designs are amazing! BUT I am still after a Meeko and Flit design from Pocahontas as well as Dumbo. 😛

What pin(s) would you pick up from Fox Leap if you could? 🙂 Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, take care and stay safe!

OH and have an amazing bank holiday. 🙂

5 Films That Make Me Sob

I have a reason why I am writing this post today… So bear with me! 😛

A few nights ago I was watching one of my favourite films from my childhood, A Little Princess. I remember my mom buying me that film on video and I fell in love with it. It was such a heartbreaking story, but with the best ending!

Watching that film and talking about it on Twitter with followers got me thinking about what other films make me cry whilst watching them. I never used to cry at films, but around 2012/2013 something broke in me and I started crying at pretty much anything sad in a movie!

So, I thought it would be interesting to share with you number of films make me cry and which scenes hit me hard!

This post WILL contain spoilers! I’ll try and not write as many spoilers if it can be avoided, but for some it will be hard. I will pop a “SPOILER ALERT” when one is coming up just as an extra! This post will also ramble loads, which is the point of the post in the first place. 😛

Image taken from GIPHY

1. A Little Princess

I’ll start off by talking about the one that inspired me to write this post. I cried so damn hard whilst I watched this film recently, I don’t feel like I’ve cried that much for agggggges! I must have cried on three separate occasions!

When Sara’s father leaves to go to war, I was sobbing at the line, “I already know you by heart”. OH GUYS WHY DO THIS TO ME?! The bit that got me the most is when Sara is sitting in the window, cuddling her Emily doll and watching her father leave. At this point the film hasn’t been on that long and we already have the first out of three crying moments. DAMN!

SPOILER ALERT – When Sara is told her father has died and is made to be a slave for the school, that’s just sad, okay? But she also finds this news out on her birthday and doesn’t get the chance to “enjoy” the rest of the day. The worst past is that she has to spend the rest of her birthday on her own it in a leaking attic with just her Emily doll, a book and her thoughts. OH and let’s not forget her locket with the only photos of both her dead parents is taken away. Urgh my heart. I broke.

SPOILER ALERT – Finally we have the scene where Sara has escaped to the house next door (and nearly died doing so!) to discover her father is alive and well (but at this point he has amnesia), you see how happy Sara is and relived that her life of slavery and torture is over, only for her father not to know what the hell is going on! I FUCKING SOB OKAY. EVEN BEFORE SHE SEE’S IT’S HER DAD!!! But the bit that gets me the most is when Sara is being taken away by the police in the rain and her father runs out and shouts, “SARA?!” after his memory returns and he realises who the little girl is. I am adding the scene above because you need to watch it. If you haven’t watched A Little Princess you need to. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

2. Dumbo

I watched this film recently (back in March to be exact haha) and I sobbed throughout. My face was just damp and I was tiring myself out from crying so much. I put it on as me and Dane had bought a Dumbo puzzle to work on together and I thought it would be nice to watch the film as we did the puzzle. It was definitely a bad idea. The scene where Dumbo’s mother is locked up and he goes to see her breaks me every damn time. Where she rocks him and baby mine plays. The gif I have attached above is the bit where I break, because I know what’s coming. Just the fact he’s so happy to see her, but then immediately sad is really heartbreaking to watch. I don’t care if this is a cartoon, we’ve all been there where we have seen someone but know it won’t last forever, or need to say goodbye to someone after a short time. This is the film where if I need a good cry, this is on straight away!

3. Precious

Like A Little Princess, Precious contains various scenes that really pull on my heart strings for so many reasons. For a start the acting in incredible and so passionate and that passion alone makes me cry.

SPOILER ALERT – This film is set in the 80’s and as many of us know, HIV was a big thing and it wasn’t quietening down as the years went on. Precious discovers her father has died due to the aids virus and goes for a checkup to make sure she doesn’t have it… Sadly she does and she sits in class, pencil to paper and writes, “Why me?” Ms Rain notices this and asks Precious to go for a talk. This is where Precious tells the whole class she’s HIV positive. Ms Rain tries to encourage Precious but it doesn’t work and results in Precious breaking down about her life, including things she’s never had/done and even about the abuse she’s endured. “Love beat me. Raped me. Called me an animal. Made me feel worthless. Make me sick.” With Ms Rain replying, “Your baby loves you. I love you.”

I get shudders at this scene and of course I cry. Ms Rain cries and walks away from the class due to how emotional she is at the point. We begin to realise that Precious hasn’t felt or shown love throughout the whole film and it’s at this point, she is finally told she is loved. Not just by her baby but by Ms Rain, who has helped her more than anyone. It’s such a strong and powerful scene and one that was needed in the film. Precious deserves to be loved after the shit she has been put through.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT – This is the second scene that makes me cry and I just knew I had to add it above, because although it is incredibly sad and powerful I just love it so much. It’s the last scene of the film where Precious’ mother comes in to talk about what happened with Precious and the abuse she endured at the hands of her father. It comes about what happened whilst Precious was a baby, but most of all we FINALLY see some emotion from Precious’ mother and due to that it’s just sad. It’s sad most of all to hear how she felt… Even though she does creep back in with her bitter, angry, bitch self. She treats Precious like shit and she explains why. You do feel sorry for the woman. Her partner wanted and DID have sex with their daughter, so much so that he impregnated her not once, but twice. “My man who was supposed to be loving me, who was supposed to be making love to me, was fucking my baby.” Even though she continues and reverts back to her usual self, this is heartbreaking. No one EVER wants this to happen, so the fact it does and she explains this in such a poetic way is sad to watch and hear. Mo’nique played the part so fucking well and I adore her for that alone.

Image taken from GIPHY

4. Forrest Gump

If you don’t cry at this movie, you’re just an animal and need to think over your life for a while. 😛 AND if you haven’t watched this movie, then what are you doing with your life? Stop reading this and go and bloody watch!

This film makes me cry at various moments throughout. Forrest has my heart in bits, even at happier moments. I’m not even going to put spoiler announcements on, because I know for a fact you will have seen this film.

Quite near the start Forrest makes me cry, when he’s telling the story of him trying to get a seat on the school bus, with everyone denying him. Then, Jenny offers him a seat. I sob at this because I feel so sorry for the little boy, his first day of school and because he has braces on his legs is singled out. It’s nice that someone is nice to him and for that, I cry.

When Forrest is desperately searching for his friends during the war scene, it’s such a powerful scene, but when he finds Bubba and Bubba says, “I wanna go home.” I cry. It’s so heartbreaking, but when Forrest says, “Bubba was gonna be a shrimpin’ boat captain, but instead he died right there by that river in Vietnam.” I fucking bawl! It’s more so the way that Tom Hanks says the line. Forrest isn’t upset, but you can hear from the way he words it that he’s upset. Sometimes the way someone says something can be more upsetting, than what the emotion behind it.

I could go on forever about scenes from this film and how much they make me cry, so I’ll leave you with the worst one for me. Everything about the scene where Forrest is stood at Jenny’s graveside is sad and heartbreaking to me. From the music in the background, to what Forrest is saying. Most of all we finally see Forrest break down and cry and show some emotion. Of course we see this when meets his son, but I find that this is different. This is Jenny, the woman he has always loved and fought for throughout the film and now she’s gone after he finally “gets the girl”. We never see this emotion, even when his mother and Bubba die. We gradually hear him break throughout the scene, espeically at the point where he is talking about their song and how product of him he is. I can only imagine this is due to how proud he is, but also I suppose is because it’s the one thing left that reminds him of Jenny. He breaks even more so when he says, “I miss you, Jenny. If there’s anything you need, I won’t be far away.” Which in itself again, is heartbreaking because although she is no longer there, he will ALWAYS be there for her, like he was when she was alive.

Then we have the scene as he walks away and all the birds leave the tree above her grave. Now think back to when both Jenny and Forrest were younger and she prays to God to become a bird and fly far, far away? There you go.

Fuck Forrest Gump is just so sad. I know if I need a good cry, this is it!

Image taken from GIPHY

5. The Green Mile

I didn’t want to mention this film in my list… Not because it’s bad or anything but because EVERYONE cries at the film, or at least generates some emotion at the last scene where John Coffey is executed. It’s a sad scene. We find out that John is actually innocent of his crime and was actually trying to revive the two little girls who were murdered. Paul is the one to give the green light on John being executed, but at first isn’t able to bring himself to do so. With some encouragement from his colleague and even from Jogn himself, Paul can finally give the order and says, “Roll on two” and the execution begins. Paul has tears in his eyes, as the camera pans to the other wardens, some clearly upset and crying, whilst others composed. It’s after this scene where you can hear the chair doing its job and the music playing that I cry. Then the lights in the execution room post and spray light behind Paul, this is to show that John is in pain. I don’t want to see John killed, he’s a miracle from God and never did anything wrong. It’s a very powerful and moving scene and quite honestly it’s one I couldn’t not mention in this post. The whole film makes me cry, just like Forrest Gump and A Little Princess, but I wanted to mention the main one for me and the one that stands out the most.

So those are 5 films that spring to mind where I sob my eyes out throughout! A lot of films didn’t make the list including these 5 below:

Avengers: Endgame

The Fault in Our Stars

Nil by Mouth

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

A Silent Voice

I do apologise for this post being semi rambly, it was kind of meant to be that way! When I’m crying and sobbing at this films, this is exactly how I will talk. Dumbo recently when me and Dane watched it together was hilarious for me rambling about why I was crying and how sad it was making me, in a hilarious manner!

I hope you actually laughed at this post, instead of crying!

What films make you sob your eyes out? I’d love to hear! I love a good cry at films, especially now I can. I never used to cry much at films. 😛

Make sure to leave me all your comments below!

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