Black Milk Clothing x Animal Crossing

This has been a blog post I’ve been pretty excited to write and share with you considering it contains Animal Crossing related goodies!

If you don’t know by now I LOVE Animal Crossing and with the release Animal Crossing: New Horizons back in March I have been even more obsessed than usual.

I’ve also rediscovered my love of Black Milk Clothing in 2020 thanks to the Pokemon collection that came out in the summer. You can read about all the goodies I picked up from that collection here.

October 5th and less than a month after my Pokemon goodies arrived, Black Milk Clothing announced they were releasing an Animal Crossing collection and it would be released just over a week later on 13th October! I was all over it and watching my Instagram page daily for sneak peaks and reveals of what the pieces looked like that were going to be part of the collection.

I’m not going to sugar coat it… I was incredibly disappointed by the Animal Crossing collection and I know I’m not the only one either. Some of my friends and people on social media gathered to express their disappointment. It just felt like Animal Crossing was cheated, as the Pokemon collection was amazing.

At the same time though I was kind of pleased due to how much money I’d already spent on the Pokemon collection, as well as one piece I picked up from the Halloween collection as well.

I won’t moan too much about the pieces I didn’t like, but I want to be honest, which I know you guys appreciate!

The one piece that everyone commented on is the Pocket Skater Skirt that is literally the box art for New Horizons. This was in very poor taste and felt kind of… Lazy. They could have done so much more than just slapping the box art on the skirt. It reminds me of something you would buy from a knock off of Black Milk Clothing from Wish or AliExpress.

Another complaint myself and others said on social media is how the fossil stand alone design was missing from this collection, as well as constellation designs for Celeste. The latter would have been gorgeous as a skater skirt and or skater dress design. I just felt like a lot of the collection was the same prints wise and the styles they were put against was strange. One in particular being the Villagers Tie The Knot Jumpsuit. It’s just… Ugly and random and just a big ball of no from me.

I decided on three pieces I was going to buy from the collection and was super nervous when it came to the time to put my orders in. As we all know, the Pokemon collection sold out stupidly quick the first time and even the restocks sold out after a while. I prepared myself for this collection to sell out… But I didn’t need to at all. The collection is still in really good stock with only two pieces being sold out at the time of writing this post (12/12/2020).

I ordered my pieces and waited for them to arrive. I think it took a little longer for my goods to be sent out to me (and others) due to a printer breaking. I was offered a 10% discount code, which I used to buy the Sporty Stripes Hosiery 2.0. These are amazing, but I won’t be showing them off in this post.

After I ordered my pieces, I’d heard about some issues with a piece from the Halloween collection, that was similar to one of the Animal Crossing pieces I’d bought. I’ll go into that a little more later, but let’s put it this way… I was gutted to find out that one of my pieces would arrive and after being worn would have issues with it… >.<

My pieces FINALLY arrived on the 27th November and I couldn’t wait to try them on and feel a little like an Animal Crossing character! 😀

As I stated on the Pokemon post the tracking was really good! I was able to keep up with where my parcel was and more. It did give an estimated arrival, but my goods arrived a little earlier than what was suggested, which was good!

Like when I bought from the Pokemon collection, I don’t know why I wasn’t charged customs. I don’t know if it’s due to Royal Mail delivering my parcel or what. I was very lucky and I’m grateful I wasn’t stung. I find it odd though when I spent less money on my Halloween piece I was stung for £20 customs and I only bought one piece! :S

I didn’t take any photos, but the pieces I ordered arrived in perfect condition! All the pieces I bought were made in Australia and arrived in a special bag you can throw away in your compost bin and it’ll decompose. I love this idea and more brands need to do this.

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

I just want to add here by the way that all the pieces I bought are not sold out, but may be limited in sizes OR may have sold out by the time this post goes live. As far as I’m aware the pieces I bought, once they do sell out, they aren’t making a return. There are some pieces under the Pokemon collection that WILL return (which you can see here), so make sure to sign up for restock alerts if items that aren’t LIMITED. 🙂

Sadly there are no pictures of me in the dresses as at the time of writing this post I’ve actually really badly pulled my shoulder and if I’m not in a world of pain, I’m smothered in deep heat to try and help the pain go away. I have tried my best to show off the pieces. Not going to lie, the photos aren’t the best. 😦

• K.K. Long Sleeve Oversized BFT (link)

I’ve never owned a BFT (boyfriend tee) from Black Milk Clothing and I’m not going to lie, you can definitely size down for these as they’re oversized (as it states in the name). I bought an L, which is my go to size to order from Black Milk Clothing. It’s really big but at the same time I like how baggy it is. I could get away with wearing this with leggings and tucked into mom jeans with no worries.

It’s a black tee with a massive image of K.K. Slider on the back, on his stool and with his guitar, ready to jam on a Saturday night. On the right sleeve there are yellow musical notes and on the left it says, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons“. I do wonder if they could have instead of putting the name of the game, maybe some of the pictures of the songs in the game by K.K Slider? Then on the front on the left hand side there is another image of K.K. Slider.

I do love the BFT and I know I’ll wear it loads, especially whilst working from home. The quality feels great and I know this will be loved throughout the autumn and winter and chillier days in spring and summer.

•   Nook Gingham Evil Skater Dress (link)

I love skater dresses from Black Milk Clothing and the Nook gingham one is no exception! The only thing I don’t like about it, is it doesn’t have pockets like my Eeveelution dress. The skater dresses from Black Milk Clothing are my favourite thing to buy from them. I can wear them all the time, later them up if need be and more! I can already see me wearing this dress on Christmas Eve/Day because it’s just shouting Christmassy colours to me.

As you can see the skater dress is red gingham with images of Tom, Timmy and Tommy Nook all over, as well as money bags and DIY recipe cards. I do love this, it’s such a simple but perfect design. If you know about Animal Crossing and who these characters and items are, of course you would get this straight away. However, if people don’t happen to know about Animal Crossing, it can just look like some cute raccoon/tanuki animals. I also feel like this dress would be a conversation starter for nerds alike!

Not going to lie… I’m wondering if I can get away with wearing this dress to work when I’m eventually back in the office again. I feel it would look lovely with a cream t-shirt underneath or a cream jumper over the top for colder days. I know I really want to get a new black/navy/cream boyfriend cardigan to wear with my Black Milk Clothing pieces.

There are quite a few pieces in the collection with this pattern, including short overalls and cuffed pants. I would love the latter to wear with geeky t-shirts but I don’t know if they would suit me… At the same time, I would love to grab some cuffed pants in different designs to mix up my Black Milk Collection a little too.

• Isabelle Gingham Apron Dress (link)

This is the final piece I picked up from the Animal Crossing collection and it’s one I want to talk about in a lot more detail than the other two pieces. You know I mentioned earlier in the post that one of the pieces might come with issues? It’s this piece…

So let me get the issue out of the way first. So the material the apron dresses are made out of are rubbish. If anything catches onto them, it can make a mar on he pieces and make them look frizzy/fuzzy. I’ve heard people report that wearing a seat belt causes issues, wearing a bag with a chain strap, but with the strap adjusters on the apron dresses that causes issues too, which is what has already happened to mine. I was expecting it, so I’m not too gutted, but I am at the same time too. I just really wanted a dress with this design on it. The Isabelle tartan design is my favourite from the whole collection. They did release a Pilgrim Dress and some Cuffed Shorts but I didn’t really want either (eventually I do want the cuffed shorts…). I could have cancelled my order and reordered but… Why should I?

The main issue here is that the material used for the apron dresses is a problem and Sharkies (name for Black Milk Clothing fans) have been raising it for a while now. Not only are the apron dresses affected but I know I heard of someone who faced issues with the Rainbow Garden Long Sleeve Scoop Skater Dress from the Animal Crossing collection, which is a massive shame! I thought about buying this dress as it has some of my favourite villagers on (including Cookie!) but I’m glad I didn’t know. I can deal with buying one dodgy piece, but not two.

I’ve not raised this issue with Black Milk Clothing yet, but I fully intend to soon. I wanted to raise it on my blog post because word needs to get out. There is a material that is SHITE and you should avoid it if you can. I could have cancelled my Black Milk Clothing order and just not bought the dress, but I wanted it. Why shouldn’t I have something I want because of some dodgy material?

Anyhoo, I’m FINALLY going to talk more about the dress, because it’s gorgeous and it needs to be spoken about highly too like it deserves.

I’ve never owned one of the apron dresses before and they’re… Interesting. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not used to them or what, but I’ve found it a tad awkward to wear. I have big boobs and a big bum, so trying to balance both of those factors with this dress is tricky. Plus I didn’t want to keep playing with the strap adjusters in case it damaged the dress anymore than it already has. The chest doesn’t feel covered enough for me, but then my bum won’t feel covered enough. When I eventually wear this properly I think I’m going to wear a long sleeved top underneath, or maybe even a shirt or jumper and instead of tights, I’d wear leggings due to the length of the dress.

The design on the dress is gorgeous and as I’ve already said, my favourite from the collection! It’s a green gingham with images of Isabelle, a white daisy (cosmos in Animal Crossing) and the classic Animal Crossing leaf. It’s just so perfect! In Animal Crossing: New Leaf Isabelle would wear a green gingham dress (as shown above) so this is perfect in every way, shape and form! If anything I wish they’d brought out a skater dress with this design on it! One thing I love is that this has pockets too! Pockets on dresses is definitely a way forward.

I feel like I won’t properly wear this dress until a special occasion. I could wear it New Years Eve around the house, my birthday in January or maybe anniversary in June. It’s a dress I’ll be cautious about wearing… But I won’t NOT wear it. Otherwise it’s a waste. I get why people have stopped buying the material in question that is having issues and I don’t know if I’ll buy it again.

So, those are all the pieces I picked up from the Animal Crossing collection! Although pieces are mostly limited, there are some limited and permanent pieces that I would love to pick up in the future, including – Isabelle Gingham Cuffed Shorts and Collectibles Cuffed Shorts. I’d love to wear these with sweaters and thick tights!

Overall I am really happy with the pieces I picked up from the Animal Crossing collection I do wish they’d been a bit more creative in regards to the pieces they released.

It’s a real shame to have seen the Pokemon collection do so well (it’s not on it’s SECOND restock!) and the Animal Crossing collection do so poor… It just goes to show the designs really didn’t do as well as they could have.

What do you guys think of Black Milk Clothing? Do you own any pieces by them? Are there any pieces you like the look of? In the New Year I might do a massive post showing off all of my Black Milk Clothing pieces! Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, stay safe, take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

30th Birthday Wish List

It is officially my birthday in 2 days time and I will be turning the the big three-O… Which semi depresses me and it sort of doesn’t at the same time. Ageing is going to happen and that’s just something I need to deal with now, as well as in the future.

I thought it would be worth sharing with you guys (as I always do) what I have on my wish list this month, which happens to include what I would like for my birthday… But if I don’t – I would probably just buy it myself. 🙂

• Pandora Blue Sparkling Crown Solitaire Ring (link)

A few Christmas/birthday’s ago my mom bought me a gorgeous Pandora ring – the one with the red heart (you can see it here) and I still love it to this day! I wear it pretty much all the time and it makes me think of my mom all the time. I have since spied a few other Pandora rings I like the look of, but never enough to take the plunge to ask for them as gifts or buy them myself… Until now! I saw this ring before Halloween whilst out shopping with a friends and I fell in love! It’s a gorgeous blue stone and it really stands out. I’m hoping to get to wear alongside my red heart ring, either above or below, whichever way looks best! I have a feeling Dane has bought me this… But we shall see! 😛

• Nintendo Tokyo Animal Crossing Smart Phone Ring (no link)

When I first bought my iPhone XR I bought a PopSocket to use when holding the phone. For the short time that I used it, it really did benefit me but at the same time it taught me that I should be holding my phone better. Since then I have missed having something on the back of my phone to hold onto, especially if I’m out and about and have my hands full. I saw these kawaii smart phone rings for sale in the Nintendo Tokyo store and I just have to have them! I plan to pick up both when I visit the store in Japan (as well as so much more Animal Crossing merch!) so that I can use them both on different cases. I find the backing doesn’t stick very well with things like this, so I may need to get the superglue out…

• Hell Bunny Ricci Dress in Black or Red (link)

I actually saw these dresses in EMP’s catalogue that I was given by Dane’s parents on Boxing Day to take home with me… They’ve clearly bought me something from EMP for my birthday… ANYWAY! I love dresses of this style as they shout out to me so much and I especially love to wear them with a thick warm coat in the winter and my Dr Martens boots. In the summer, with a cardigan and my flats. I think I love the red one most as it’s one of my favourite colours to wear. I would have loved to pick this up for my birthday, but I think at this point (my birthday is in 2 days) it’s a little too late now, unless I find it in store somewhere before then.

• Smoko Pearl Boba Tea Light (link)

Dane bought me the Little Bao Dumpling Light from Firebox/Smoko for Christmas and I LOVE it so much! For a battery operated light, it’s really bright and turns itself off after a certain amount of time. I love the Boba Tea Light as I’m a massive bubble tea drinker so would love to add this one to my collection as well. The thing I love about this the most is the fact when you move the light around, the boba in the bottom of the light move around. How cool is that? 😀

• Nintendo Tokyo Animal Crossing Pencil Case (link)

I love Animal Crossing so damn much and when I saw this for sale on the Something Japanese website, I really wanted to order it! That being said, I know I can just wait until my trip to Japan to pick this up myself if I still want it. I don’t NEED a new pencil case as I still have the one I owned back when I was at school and it’s still doing it’s job today of keeping my pens safe.

So (as boring as they were…) that is my 30th birthday wish list post! Wow it’s crazy to think that in 2 days time I’ll be turning 30… I’ll now have to say I’m in my early thirties when talking to people and tick the 30-35 box when signing up for things. 😛 If I still get ID’d though, I’ll be very happy!

Next week I plan to share with you guys what I received for my 30th birthday! I know I didn’t do this for Christmas 2019 but this was due to personal reasons. 🙂

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

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

Christmas Gift Guide 2019 – Animal Crossing

Image taken from GIPHY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Various stationary from washi tape, stickers and notebooks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image take from diyCrossing

• diyCrossing Music Box Set – (link)

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

• Various charms/keychains/rings.

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

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

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

• Amazon Gym/Travel Bag – (link)

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

• Various enamel pins.

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

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

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

Image taken from Miss Octopie

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

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

Image taken from diyCrossing

• diyCrossing Cross Stitch Kit – (link)

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

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

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

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

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

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

December Wish List ’19

Image taken from GIPHY

How are we already halfway through the first week of December? Oh God, this week is going to quickly and I know it isn’t going to slow down anytime soon either!

I was kind of torn this year whether to just add my wish list into a “Christmas wish list” post for the whole month or to separate them… I’ve decided to go for the latter! I have loads of items on my wish list this month purely for my Japan trip and even just for myself to be honest.

I hope you enjoy the final wish list of the year! 😀

• Superdry Gracie Cable Snood Womens Scarf (link)

I could really do with a new scarf not only for the winter ahead but also for my trip to Japan. When I was looking around for a new snood, I found this gorgeous Superdry one! I’m not a massive scarf fan… In terms of “normal” ones and I much prefer a snood. I can just shove it on without any faffing about of wrapping. I really like the look of this one because of the soft borg lining inside. I can only imagine how soft and fluffy it will be during the colder months! I also really like the dark pink colour too. This being said, I would like to see this scarf in person before buying in case I don’t like the colour THAT much. 😦

• Dispel Dice Debut Collection With Sharp Edges & Inclusions (link to Kickstarter)

This is a Kickstarter I want to back so much… But I don’t know if I can justify it. 😦 It finishes in 4 days time and I know I have those days to decide if I want to back, but even so… Dispel Dice are a company I have lusted and looked at since getting into Dungeons & Dragons at the start of 2019. Now they have a Kickstarter out with “affordable” dice sets I would like to back… There are just a few factors that put me off… Price and delivery. You won’t receive the dice until August 2021, which sucks! I’ll see if I decide to back these at the last moment. 🙂

• River Island Blue Button Front Denim Mini Skirt (link)

If there is something I don’t own any of and would love to wear more, it’s skirts. I either wear jeans, leggings, joggers or dresses. I discovered this skirt last month through Helen Anderson in her “TESTING SIZE 14 HIGH STREET DENIM SKIRTS” YouTube video and I have fallen in love! I wanted to try and pick it up in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals but I never did. It’s something I’ll definitely take a look into picking up in the Christmas/January sales!

• Elfen Lied Omnibus Volume 2 (link)

I love Elfen Lied, it’s definitely one of my favourite anime and manga series to date and was actually the first anime I watched and manga I read. So, to say it has some fond memories and a place in my heart is pretty accurate. I already own volume 1 of the omnibus and have even pre-ordered volume 3 ad volume 4. This is a series I plan to dig into and read on days off in the run up to Christmas, as well as during the Christmas holidays from work. 🙂

• Bravissimo Jessie Skater Dress (link)

This is a dress I REALLY want at the moment! I plan to try it on at some point this week as it’s something I would like to pick up whilst it’s on offer. It’s a gorgeous black dress, which will not only be perfect for work and the party season, but also great for my 30th birthday! I don’t have any “posh” dresses if you will and often gravitate towards the same one I’ve worn for 3 years now, which is a bit shit at the best of times… I just want something pretty I can wear for evenings out with Dane and friends. 🙂 I’ve never bought clothing from Bravissmo but as I love their bras, I’m sure I’ll love this dress too!

• Animal Crossing Isabelle Plush Pass Case (link)

With my trip to Japan getting closer and closer and mine and Dane’s Suica cards now in our possession, I would really like a nice pass case to use during my trip there! I’ve eyed up this plush Animal Crossing one which is in the shape of Isabelle’s head. It has a handy pull cord on it, so if you attach this to your bag, keys, etc you can easily pull it to wherever you need it to go. It’s not cheap however, but this is something I have asked for for Christmas from Dane too… It’s something I’ll keep my eyes peeled for whilst I’m in Japan too if I don’t manage to get one beforehand.

So that’s my wish list for December overall! I know his months is really boring, but I’m saving all the awesome wish list items for Christmas Eve’s post when I write about my Christmas wish list. 🙂

I can’t believe we’re already into the 4th day of December and Christmas Day is 3 weeks today! How crazy is that, huh? 2019 has really flown by…

Aside from Christmas, what items do you have on your wish list? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below. 🙂

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

October Wish List ’19

First of all, I REALLY struggled with this months wish list post. I feel like deep down there’s loads of shit I want but I just can’t think of it all to add to this months wish list.

I’ve dug as deep as I can possibly go and sadly this is the best I could come up with. Some of this stuff I do really want, but not that much that I have the urge to pick it up anytime soon. If anything, some of these items I’d actually like to receive as gifts for Christmas or birthday.

Alas, I needed to get my monthly post together… After all, it’s one of my favourites to write and put together! I love showing off all the crap I don’t need but want to buy. 😛

• Snotgirl Volume 3 (link)

This is in fact something I’ve already pre-ordered! I love the Snotgirl comic series and I’ve waited about a year for the third volume to come out now. Crazy, right? Snotgirl is about a beauty blogger/influencer who looks gorgeous and perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors she suffers terrible allergies… Hence the name of the comic series. There’s some unexpected twists and turns however throughout the comic book series (which I won’t mention in case of spoilers) but honestly, as a blogger I love this series and recommend any bloggers out there to pick it up! 😀 I have to be honest though, the main character pisses me off, she’s such a bitch haha!

• Hell Bunny Vixey Skirt (link)

I remember seeing a Hell Bunny advert on my Instagram and the dress the girl had on in the advert was gorgeous! I went onto the website in search of it… I had no luck! However, I did discover that Hell Bunny have a gorgeous new print out called “Vixey” which is mustard with foxes on! SOOOOO ME! They have a dress, as well and although I would love this, I do keep saying lately how I would like some more skirts in my wardrobe. I only have one and this alone is hardly worn… No reason why! I would like some more to add to my wardrobe, both for work and for personal. I’d love to team this up with a comfortable black jumper like the model is wearing, shirts and more! I might pick this up soon… It’d be nice to wear to Japan too with my Docs.

• Luigi’s Mansion 3 on Nintendo Switch (link)

I would like this game (I even mentioned it last month on a post about games I’m excited for!) but I don’t know if I want it yet. It’s not a game I’m rushing out to buy, but I’d purely want to pick it up to play with Dane over the Halloween season and especially if we spend Halloween at home. It would just be fun to play, you know? As I’m off around the time of Halloween it would be nice to stay in for the evening and play this… I’ll see how I feel!

• Stuffed Fables – An Adventure Book Game (link)

This isn’t something I plan to buy anytime soon and if anything it’s a board game I would much rather receive as a Christmas or birthday present. I’ve eyed this game up since 2018, but only of late have I really invested into it, learning how to play and even looking at heading to Dicebox to give it a go with Dane for a date evening. FYI I just went onto the website so I could link here on my blog and I didn’t realise that there’s a photo of me, Dane and Amy from Writing into the Ether there! How cool eh?! That aside, I do want this game, but considering its hefty price tag I want to make sure I like it first before buying…

• Pokemon Center London – ALL THE GOODIES!

I almost forgot about going to the Pokemon Centre in London when it opens. Holy shit, HOW DARE I!!! Yeah I plan to potentially pick up some goodies from here, but it all depends. If I can pick up items that I know are available in Japan, I’ll buy them here to save on bringing/sending them back during out holiday. If there are any exclusive items that I know will only be available during the pop up shop in London, I may pick those up too. I won’t be picking up plushies, more stationary and household items. The Pokemon Centre are great for bringing out cookie tins/jars and I’ve only ever purchased (well gifted!) one from there, which I still love to this day. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for things like this. As of yet, no photos have leaked of any goods that will be for sale… Watch my blog though as I may post about it before I go!

That’s all the goodies I can think of sadly in regards to items I want to purchase this month. Honestly, I really struggled this month to come up with things for this list, but alas there are some things here!

What item(s) do you have on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments, including if you’re excited for the Pokemon Centre in London! Are you planning to go?

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

Wish List Friday – Killstar

Now I know I usually post my wish lists on a Wednesday and at the start of each month, but I decided to change it up for a change. Change is good. 😛

I was kind of stumped for what I wanted to write for today and was thinking over and over about what I wanted to get out there and then I thought, “Hey! Killstar have brought out loads of amazing stuff. I wonder if my readers would like to see what I want to buy?” and here we are. 😛

The last time I made an order with Killstar I ended up sending everything back because all the stuff I ordered was just shit. I mentioned on my March wish list here about one of the dresses I was after. For mine and Dane’s anniversary I decided to order the dress so I could wear it out for a meal and you know what? I was so disappointed. The sizing was awful, it was far too short and just shocking. I sent it back and was more annoyed that I had to pay nearly £5 to send the fucking thing back! I also ordered a belt, which was one size but that one size felt like a size 1!

I was gutted to say the least and have decided moving forward that I will either only order when there are sales or free shipping/returns from Killstar themselves, or order from someone else who always offers free shipping AND returns… Aka Kate’s Clothing.

I would like to grab some nice dresses to wear for my holiday to Japan, so I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on the gorgeous pieces I’ll be showing off on my post today!

I hope you like everything I mention on this list, it will mostly be dresses to be honest with you, but I don’t have a problem with that! 😛

All images taken from the Killstar website.

• Moonscape Skater Dress (link)

I love a good skater dress and this one is simplistic and something I could wear for both personal, as well as at work. It’s a cute peter pan style with the white collar and has a gorgeous stars, moons and star signs pattern all around the bottom of the dress. This is a decent price too for Killstar. It’s a dress I would definitely love to rock with loafers for work and my Dr Martens boots for personal.

• Cathedral Skater Dress (link)

This dress is gorgeous and shouts Wednesday Addams vibes and more! I still want the Wednesday dress from Killstar, but the only problem with that is I’m not sure if it would suit me. However, I feel like the Cathedral dress would definitely be for me considering it’s a skater dress and these flatter me the most. The only problem I’m having with this dress is it looks really short on the model, as well as people who I’ve seen buy and try it on on YouTube.

• Tartan Darklands Doll Dress (link)

I love a good bit of tartan in my life and I wear it weekly through my tartan trousers. This is a “doll dress” so whilst it looks similar to the skater dress style, I think it’s a bit different all the same. As of yet I’ve not tried one of Killstar’s doll dress styles so I’m worried how this would end up looking on me. Either way though this is cute and to jazz it up a bit I’d probably wear it with fishnet tights and loafer shoes! This would definitely look cute with my rainbow cardigan. 😛 I especially love the little moon on the left hand side. (FYI I actually ordered this dress before posting this up on my blog :P)

• Darklands Doll Dress (link)

This is exactly the same as the tartan variant, but this is obviously black! The black dress has a PVC collar, whilst that tartan has a more fake leather collar. I have a dress similar to this one by Killstar already (Coven Cutie) so I feel like this would be a nicer variant that I could wear for work. The Coven Cutie dress has a zip on the chest with a crescent moon attached to the zip, which I LOVE but this dress isn’t appropriate for work sadly. I feel like this one would be. 🙂

• Amaya Skater Dress (link)

I mentioned this dress on my wish list at the start of the month and I STILL want it so badly! I’m not going to go over old ground, so I’m just going to copy and paste what I said on my August wish list… I love a good skater dress, especially one from Killstar. This is from one of their new collections, which represents Japanese school style fashions and manga/anime designs too. This is something I’d love to be able to wear for work but due to the style of the dress (mostly the back with the hanging part) I doubt that would be doable… At least not during the warmer months when I don’t need to wear a cardigan, jumper or my work fleece. I’ll be keeping my eyes on it though, this is something I’ll definitely be picking up in the future.

• Moonscape Long Sleeve Top (link)

The final item on this list is actually a top! I love everything about this top, the style, the material, the white collar on the neck and the wrists and even the moon design on the left hand side. It looks really comfortable too and this is something I would probably wear for work more than anything. I don’t think it’s something I would really wear for personal… I don’t think I have anything it would look good with. 😦

So that’s all the items I’m lusting after at the moment from Killstar. I would love to gradually pick up all of these pieces to add to my wardrobe, especially for work. I really do love wearing dresses for work as they’re comfortable and make me feel pretty!

https://prz.io/1kdxeEt0

If you like the look of anything from the Killstar website then make sure to use my 5% code next time you shop! I’ve popped the code above in bold.

Do you like Killstar as a brand? If so do you own or have anything on your wish lists from them? Let me know all in the comments!

Anyhoo I hope you’re all having a lovely Friday afternoon. I honestly cannot wait for bank holiday to start. I plan to do sweet FA. 😛

Until next time, take care all!

May Favourites ’19

I cannot believe we are officially over halfway through 2019! The year is flying by, but I feel the past two months really have flown since I’ve been at my new job. It’s been amazing so far and to be honest with you the end of May and start of June have been amazing for so many reasons!

After years of wishing to go, on Wednesday me and Dane FINALLY booked our trip to Japan! I still cannot believe it’s happening and the sooner it sinks in, the better. I’ll be writing all about this in June at some point. 🙂

I’m off work next week which I’m really excited for as I haven’t actually had any holiday since my birthday in January. Me and Dane have loads planned, including going to Manchester for a few days and even going to see The Book of Mormon there! 😀

Anyhoo, I’ll try and give a massive life update post soon on my blog instead of using my monthly post to give you guys TOOOO many updates.

On with the monthly favourites! 😀

• Colgate Naturals Charcoal Toothpaste.

If there’s something I love, it’s a toothpaste that tastes sweet, foams loads and leaves my teeth and mouth lovely and clean. This is a new charcoal toothpaste by Colgate so on a food shop at the start of May I saw it was on offer so decided to pick it up. Well, I picked a couple of these because I do love a charcoal toothpaste. Since buying it I really do love using it morning and evening. If anything, it’s a pleasure to use. It doesn’t go black when brushing with it, which is fab! I know some people don’t like that when it comes down to charcoal toothpaste – this is nothing like that!

• Lime Crime Wet Cherry Gloss in Cherry Bomb.

In the Easter sales I ended up grabbing some bargains, including the Lime Crime best of red lips and this was one of the four products inside of the set. Out of the four this is definitely my favourite to be honest, which took me by surprise! I’m not going to lie – whilst I thought the wet cherry glosses looked amazing, for £16.00 I thought they were a rip off for something you could pick up on the high street for half of the price and less! I’ll admit it. I’ve now eaten my own words, these lip glosses are definitely a game changer. They’re so light, not sticky and so much more pigmented than I thought they were going to be. If I fancy a bit of colour, but don’t wish to wear anything heavy I’ve been reaching for this. The wet cherry glosses also smell AMAZING! They remind me of the Yankee Candle Cherries On Snow and I can only image this is what an American cherry pie must smell like.

• Decleor Hydra Floral Everfresh Hydrating Wide-Open Eye Gel.

Since I started my new job, I’ve been seeing my mom more – which is so lovely. We tend to pop to the shops together after I finish work or relax. On one of our shopping trips I picked up a new eye gel for myself, that isn’t this one however. The one I bought was anti-aging and BURNT MY SKIN! It was horrible and I was beyond gutted in so many ways. My mom gave me this eye gel as she knew how I was after a new one. So far this one has been amazing and I haven’t had any issues. It’s a lovely cooling gel and even though I’m sure it isn’t anti-aging but I feel like it does help with brightening my eyes a tad.

• Optex Intensive Eye Drops For Dry Eyes.

I really do love using eye drops, especially during he cold and hot months especially. Depending on the type of eye drops I buy, depends whether I repurchase them again or not. I don’t feel like I’ve ever really enjoyed eye drops as much as I have with the Optex ones. I find these work really well for me, especially as the hayfever season has officially started. These really help my eyes first thing in the morning to wake me up, as well as refreshing my eyes. I make sure to use these daily to keep my eyes from drying up whilst the weather is on and off of what it wants to be! 😛

• L’Oreal Men Expert Pure Power Black Charcoal Face Wash.

IDGAF is this is a product for men, I’m still fucking using it! 😛 It it works for blokes, it’ll definitely work for me. 😉 If you know what I mean! This is actually Dane’s face wash, which he loves to bits! He’s had this since about March/April now and around the time he first got it he recommended I give it a go to see what I thought of it. I LOVE it! A little bit of it goes a long way and it goes REALLY creamy and with loads of lather. It gives a lovely cooling feeling on the face, which is great when the weather is really warm. I give this a go once a week to once a fortnight and it really does give my skin a bit of a boost.

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

Image taken from GIPHYGIPHY

Favourite TV Show – Attack on Titan Season 3.

I was so happy for Attack on Titan to be back for the rest of season 3 at the end of April and weekly me and Dane have tuned into Crunchyroll or Funimation to make sure to watch the latest episode. We’re caught up so far at the moment and each episode has me on the edge of my seat and by the “to be continued” at the end of the episode, I am already craving more! Dane knows what’s happening throughout the series at the moment as he’s all caught up on the manga – so he’s always one step ahead of me in regards to what’s going to happen… Which sucks. 😛 One of the episodes recently was really emotional for me and I really need this weeks episode soon!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Movie – Detective Pikachu.

I have been so excited for Detective Pikachu since it was announced months ago so as soon as tickets were released for this film at my local cinema I made sure to get our seats booked! It was an awesome date night out to be honest with you and I couldn’t have been any happier as I left the cinema after watching this. It was everything I wanted and more and I would love to go and spontaneously go and watch it again. I played the 3DS game of this and it was completely different with the story line in various ways. I honestly enjoyed the film more, because whilst the game had more information about Tim’s father and clue searching the film had more about what happened to Tim’s father. Recently Nintendo announced that there is going to be a sequel to Detective Pikachu on the Switch, which I am SO EXCITED FOR! 😀 Honestly if you haven’t been to watch this film yet, go and see it before it’s gone from cinemas.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – A Polar Bear In Love Vol. 4.

I love this manga series so much and I was so scared that volume 4 was actually the last volume in the series! Thankfully this isn’t the case, but this volume was really emotional and it really tugged on my heart strings. I’ve mentioned this manga series on and off in the past on my blogs monthly favourites, but it’s about a polar bear who falls in love with a seal pup. Of course polar bears eat seals so the love is seen as strange, especially by the seal who at first is constantly scared that the polar bear is going to eat him. Along the way they start to travel together and even make some friends along the way. This manga has been turned into a mini series, which I really need to watch more of! 😛

Favourite Music – I Prevail – “Bow Down”, PVRIS – “Fire” and Grimes – “We Appreciate Power”.

If there are three songs I couldn’t stop listening to this past month, it was definitely the three shown above. I discovered all these thanks to listening to KERRANG! Radio during the week at work and I’ve fallen in love with them all! “Bow Down” has some screaming singing in there, as well as some normal singing. I love the combination between the two singers and it works really well! I love singing along to it on my way home from work, as well as in the evenings when I’m chilling out. PVRIS are a band that I feel I’ve discovered too late! I now really want to get their albums to listen to, as I really love their songs, especially this one. It’s so damn catchy and I always find myself singing along to it, especially if it comes on when driving. Finally we have Grimes “We Appreciate Power”. I’ve always listened to Grimes on and off over the past 7 years and I do rather like her music. Another artist whose music I need to download and listen to more!

Image taken from Tumblr

Favourite Game – Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

This is a game I have not been able to stop playing whenever I have a moment to pick up my phone to play it. I play it in the morning when I wake up, if I have a spare 10/15 minutes before work, during my work break and then in the evening on and off after work. I don’t know how I have suddenly grown so addicted to it, but I have and I’m loving it! 😛 Even talking about it now, I’m going onto the app to see if there is anything I need to do! I am so excited for Animal Crossing to come out on the Switch and I’m keeping fingers crossed that Nintendo will announce information at E3.

So those are all my favourites from May! Again, I cannot believe it’s June already. The start of June is always a busy month for me and Dane, including celebrating when we bought our house as well as our anniversary. We’ll be 6 years together this time next week and it’s crazy how time flies when you’re having fun. 🙂

I’d love to hear what your favourites were from May! Make sure to let me know in the comments down below. Do you have a busy month ahead of you? If so, let me know about that in the comments too.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you have an amazing weekend. 😀

 

May Wish List ’19

Wow as if it’s May already! It’s pretty crazy just how quick 2019 is going but at the same time it’s kind of depressing… It means I’m not only getting closer to turning 30 but also getting closer to one of my life goals. I want to go to Japan after my 30th birthday but at the moment I’m worried this is just going to continue to be a dream.

This is something I’ll go into another time. For now it’s time for my monthly wish list! I’ve been really loving getting a style again apart from baggy joggers and a t-shirt. I picked up a pair of mom jeans in April and I love them to death so I’m trying to get more geeky t-shirts lately so I can get myself a real geeky look going on! 😀

To be honest I need to really chill out with money lately as I do really want to save up for Japan and whilst it isn’t going bad right now, it isn’t going as quickly as I’d have hoped.

For now however, I hope you enjoy this months wish list! I feel like it’s a really boring list, but whatever. I love all the items that are on it and I hope you guys do too.

• Lime Crime Best Of Lip Reds (link)

This is a set I have wanted since Christmas to be honest with you, but I just never picked it up. I guess I wasn’t sure of the price at the time and I was skint due to Christmas, as well as both mine and my mom’s birthdays. I’ve been keeping my eyes on this set though for ages on the website and during Easter it went REALLY cheap, almost half price in fact. Finally I bit the bullet and purchased the set! I rather like Lime Crime and miss wearing liquid lipsticks a little for their staying power. This set is gorgeous and will work great for when I fancy wearing reds throughout the year, whether it be for work, in the beer garden or for blog events. 🙂 I’m glad I waited and picked this up for cheap!

• Monsoon Celleni Star Print Midi Dress (link)

I’ve had my eye on this dress for just over a month now. I saw it when I was out in Leamington Spa looking for possible new work pieces for when I was due to start my new job. I spotted this dress and thought what a gorgeous colour and print it was and had on it. I do rather like a good maxi dress but as of yet I’ve actually never tried a midi dress. I tried one on the day I was out shopping and rather liked it, the reason for not buying said dress was the fit on the arms was shit! 😛 This dress is really expensive so I’m waiting for it to go down in price before I make the jump at it. 🙂

• Detective Pikachu T-Shirt (link)

I’m so damn excited for Detective Pikachu! It’s less than a week away now and I’ve already booked tickets to go and watch it. I am THAT excited for this movie! Not only am I a huge Pokemon fan, but Ryan Reynolds is also my favourite actor. When I saw this t-shirt for sale on EMP I KNEW I had to get it! I’ve ordered it before this post went live and I’m actually hoping it arrives soon so I can dress it up with my mom jeans and my Vans.

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid T-Shirt (link)

This is a t-shirt I’ve had saved on my eBay account for the longest time, but as of yet I just haven’t ordered it. It’s from China, which to be honest I am always hesitant to order from for various reasons. The photos always look better than the actual product. I’ll see how I feel still in regards to this t-shirt, but again like the Detective Pikachu t-shirt I would really love to rock this with mom jeans.

• Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. 5 (link)

Towards the end of April my reading just shot straight up! I haven’t been reading properly for ages due to having too much shit going on so now I’ve finally had the chance to sit and read during my work break, it’s lovely. When I’ve caught up on this series I’ll definitely pick up this volume to read next. I do really love reading manga and if anything I’ve forgotten lately just how much I love reading it.

• Pandora Bull Terrier Puppy Pendant Charm (link)

Pandora have recently released their adorable pets charms and I am in LOVE with all the puppy versions they’ve released, including this bull terrier one. Randomly I used to really want a bull terrier growing up so I would love to add this charm to my bracelet as a reminder of younger Nat and the pet that she wanted when she grew up. I’d never get one now to be perfectly honest with you, even though a part of me would still love to deep down.

• Chocolate Raisin Fury Starry Sky Of Creation Mew T-Shirt (link)

The last item on this list and it’s ANOTHER t-shirt! I was meant to mention Chocolate Raisin Fury’s t-shirts back in last months wish list post but I kind of forgot to be honest with you. I discovered Chocolate Raisin Fury at MCM Comic Con Birmingham back at the end of March and I am so thankful for it. I LOVE her designs so much and I definitely need to own more in my life! I have my eye on all of the Studio Ghibli designs but I REALLY love this Mew design at the moment and would love to add it to my geeky t-shirt collection!

So that is my wish list for May! What items do you guys have on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments as well as what item(s) you like on my list (if any! :P).

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

April Wish List ’19

Is it really April already?! 2019 is already flying by and it’s pretty damn crazy. I’m glad to be fair as I rather like 2019 but all the same, I would like time to slow down a tad. 😛

I’m going to use April as the month to really get myself back on track, especially with my blog! I’ve only been posting once a week at the moment and that’s upsetting me to be honest as I don’t like not investing into my blog, but I’ve just been too busy or too tired to do so. April already has been good blog wise and I am finding more time to write. I plan to try and spend some of this weekend catching up on writing too.

For now however, it’s time for me to talk about all the goodies I have on my wish list for this month! I hope you enjoy them, I know a lot of people love the sort of items I share and that in itself makes me so happy.

• Pandora Disney Dumbo Pendant Charm (link)

When Disney Find posted about this over on her Instagram page I KNEW I had to have it! I love Dumbo so much. It’s actually in my top 3 Disney films (alongside Lady and The Tramp and 101 Dalmatians). So when Pandora released this charm I knew I had to get it. I want to buy it this month to be honest but it’s currently sold out online, so if I have some spare cash towards the end of the month I might treat myself. I saw it in the Pandora store recently and it’s gorgeous and so detailed!

• Nendoroid Persona 5 Joker (link)

I am so excited for this Nendoroid to come out! As many of my readers will know, I LOVE Persona 5 and since I’ve played it, I am kind of obsessed with it… 😛 so when Good Smile Company decided to release the characters as Nendoroid figures I was so happy, because of course I collect Nendoroid figures like crazy, especially this year. This figure will actually be gifted to me by the lovely guys who run and own Gamersheek! I’m hoping in the future I can do a massive post about this figure, as well as the other Phantom Thieves babies. 😛

• Vans Checkerboard Classic Slip-On Shoes in Black and White Checker/White (link)

I’ve been toying with the idea of buying these on and off since the New Year and it really sucks… I remember venturing into Schuh and was about to buy them but I left it because I was in the mind of, “meh do I really need these?” So alas they weren’t bought. I was recently gifted a £25 Amazon voucher from the gorgeous bunch at my old job. I want to use it towards these Vans! 😀

• Monsoon Bea Textured Fit & Flare Dress (link)

I really love this dress, it’s gorgeous and I would really like to have it for my new job due to that! 😛 I haven’t been able to find it in store due to the fact it’s on sale but online it’s still available in my size and in my mind, a decent price. I’m torn with it though but this being said I would still like to get it. I love wearing dresses for work to be fair and this cobalt blue one would be perfect for that. We shall see…

• Pop Vinyl Figure Aggretsuko Retsuko (link)

I’m not a MASSIVE pop vinyl fan but I recently saw someone buy this Aggretsuko Retsuko one and it looks so adorable! I would rather like this cutie for my desk at work. I’m not sure though… even if I didn’t have her for my desk I think I’d like to have her regardless. 🙂

• Alan Carr – Yap, Yap, Yap! DVD (link)

Finally I’m talking about this Alan Carr stand up DVD. He’s actually one of my favourite comedians and I own his previous two stand up DVD’s to this one and they are so funny! I rewatched them both recently and remember how hilarious they were! So yeah I would love to watch this one next. I plan to buy it soon as it’s less than £3! What a bargain, eh?!

So that is my wish list for this month! A lot of stuff I would really love to buy… but I may just have to be sensible due to monies. I’m trying to save money but last month that really didn’t happen… Dane’s 30th is next weekend and I’ve been trying to spoil him rotten so my bank account has really suffered due to that.

So with it though to be fair, he’s so lovely and deserves to be spoilt!

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

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

Skinthetics Coventry*

I can’t believe we’re already over a week into March, 2019 is really flying by but to be honest I am loving this month so far. It’s full of positive vibes so far, both in my personal life as well as with my blogging. I’m just loving it at the moment, I hope to bring you guys a very happy and positive catch up post towards the end of March.

Last week I was very much hungover after a night out of drinking with my work colleagues, so thankfully this treatment being booked in for the late afternoon was something I was really looking forward to having done!

I’ve never had a facial treatment before so this was a definitely first for me and due to that I wasn’t sure what to expect other than someone rubbing treatments all over my face.

Image taken from Skinthetics.co

Before I talk about the treatment itself, I’ll talk about Skinthetics. They’re a brand new clinic that opened at the start of March, so at the point of writing this post they’ve been open just over a week now. I was invited alongside some of the other Coventry Bloggers to the event last Saturday to partake in one of the many treatments they have to offer.

They’re located in Earlsdon and specialise in laser hair removal, beauty, weight loss, teeth whitening and more! They have so much on offer and it’s amazing!

When I was asked which treatment I would like to try I was offered loads of various different ones which ranged from:

Fibra DFA – a pain free laser hair removal.

T-Shape – body shaping machine that targets fat cells and uneven skin to smooth and tighten the target area.

Iridium – Eye treatment that helps active ingredients penetrate the skin deeper than usual.

Aqua 3 – An amazing facial that is ideal for oil, spot-prone skin and is a deep exfoliator.

I went for the Aqua 3* [GIFTED] treatment as it sounded right up my street due to it being ideal for oily spot prone skin and as it also offers deep exfoliation I really loved the sound of it.  I also found out during the treatment that this works on stretch marks too, which I would LOVE to give a go on the ones in my hips! This is also said to work wonders on acne prone skin too, which I think is amazing!

Whilst I was waiting for my treatment to be started I was reading one of the leaflets and inside it tells you a little more about the treatment, which I have added above as well as below. 🙂

Aqua 3 is a 3 in 1 system where the technology combines the properties of water based peel containing sequential acids with microdermabrasion and the transdermal delivery of cosmetic ingredients.

• Water based peel with sequential acids
• Deep moisturisation with hyaluronic acid
• Restructuring and oxygenating your tissues

When I entered the clinic it looked so clean and fresh, as well as welcoming. It was lovely and when I entered the building Emily (Drained Beauty) who runs Cov Bloggers had just finished her treatment (she had the same as me) so we had a little natter about the treatment as well as some general stuff.

The waiting room is gorgeous and for the grand opening of the clinic Skinthetics had some food and drinks out for people visiting the clinic, as well as some gorgeous cakes! At one point I heard someone ask, “Are they real?” as no one had cut into them throughout the day! I hope they were eaten eventually and also very yummy. 😛

My treatment was due to 4pm but I didn’t actually get seen for my treatment until around 4.30pm due to some communication issues. The clinic waiting room wasn’t exactly huge so I get why there had been those issues. Loads of people suddenly turned up and due to the size of the room it was getting all confusing. The wait was a tad annoying and it took me asking what as happening for me to get seen.

This being said though, the treatment itself and the service that was provided throughout it made up for the half an hour wait.

My treatment was done by the lovely Shahana who was chatty throughout the whole treatment with me, which I really loved! I felt so at ease and relaxed with her and just the fact we bounced on and off each other with conversation made her the perfect beautician for me.

FYI this photo was taken after the treatment, hence the paper being a bit messy on the bed where I’d been lying.

She took me up to the treatment room which was small so there was some privacy for just yourself and the person doing your treatment. There’s various seating so if you did want someone to come in with you you’d be able to. This being said I regret not inviting Dane in with me to take some photos of me during the facial. Again, it’s a lovely size and nothing too spacious.

The Aqua 3 facial treatment requires various different stages, all of which feel as good as the next one! I found a video on the Baldan Group website, who are the company to provide the Aqua 3 equipment and machinery to Skinthetics. I feel like the video will describe so much better than I ever will about the treatment and how exactly it works to leave you skin feeling and looking fresh, bright and silky smooth.

The treatment itself lasted for half an hour, even though I was told an hour originally when the treatment was booked. Either way the treatment was amazing and really did leave me feeling fresh and like a new woman! 😛

Shahana was so lovely throughout the treatment, making sure to let me know each stage of the facial, what it was, what it would do to my skin and even warning me about how each may feel.

The tool on the right is for deep cleansing and was a suction handpiece that had a mixture of water, mandelic acid and salicylic acid which helps to remove surface impurities. This can work on all skin types and sucks out all the dead skin cells, blackheads and whiteheads thanks to how strong the vacuum is. (info taken from Baldan Group website)

The tool on the left is the diamond tool that contains diamond granules to help with mechanical peeling on the thickest of skin. It helps to perform controlled, non-invasive microdermabrasion that can free the skin from the superficial stratum corneum. This improves the appearance and texture of the skin and restores elasticity. (info taken from Baldan Group website)

These both felt amazing on the skin and really did make me feel like I was being pampered, especially the deep cleansing tool. I’d honesty love something like that at home to use on both mine and Dane’s skin once a week! 😛

Now this tool, whilst I thought was going to be my least favourite part of the treatment ended up being my favourite and I’ve actually been craving it since which sounds so odd! 😛

When Shahana was talking me about how this treatment would feel I was worried I’d signed up to something I didn’t mean to. Alas this wasn’t the case. I was told it might feel painful in certain areas, especially my forehead and how it had a slight prickling sensation to it. This sensation was accurate but it wasn’t painful for myself at all and if anything, I didn’t even feel that sensation on my forehead! It was oddly relaxing and satisfying in the way it felt and for a couple of days after the treatment I wanted to feel it again on my skin as it just felt like it woke up my skin a little! It’s like the little dermal roll tools you can buy online but it doesn’t look as scary! 😛

How the tool works is by harnessing the power of the mesoporic handpiece’s transdermal delivery, the skin is restructured by hyaluronic acid and Dermakléb serums. (info taken from Baldan Group website)

The final stage of my treatment before some facial moisturiser was a bubble mask, which reminded me of the Elizavecca milky piggy mask (which you can read about here) and I loved the feeling of the mask expanding.

Throughout the treatment I was told by Shahana how lovely my skin was, which was such a compliment as I love to think I’ve looked after it pretty well the past 29 years. 😛 I asked her how often I’d need treatments and she told me either once a month or maybe even once every two months.

The cost of the treatment can vary depending on your skin so it’s best to have a chat with someone in the clinic to see what the options are for yourself. 🙂 Sorry I’m not able to give you guys a price. 😦

Before without glasses

Before with glasses

Straight after treatment without glasses

Straight after treatment with glasses

5 hours after treatment

5 hours after treatment

5 hours after treatment

24 hours after treatment

A week after treatment aka me sat in bed as I write this post… 😛

So here are some before and after photographs of my skin. I apologise about the amount of photos of my face, as well as the lighting by the way. I was trying to get some better photos but it just wasn’t happening for me. It’s definitely more noticeable in person than what any photo can show. I hope the photo from today helps you guys see how it’s left my skin.

My skin was a tad sensitive for the first couple of hours after the treatment itself but this soon faded and left my skin looking brighter and younger, which was lovely. I asked Dane how he thought I looked after the treatment and him being him I thought he was going to say, “You look the same!” but to my surprise he commented how my face looked fresh faced, plumper and bouncy. His wording was, “I mean if I flicked your cheek it would jiggle.” What a cutie. 😛

I think the only thing I didn’t like in the clinic was if you want to get your teeth whitened it appeared to me that you had to have the procedure done in the waiting room, in front of everyone else when you may have just wanted some privacy. I understand they’re new so this may be temporary but personally, I just wouldn’t enjoy it. It wouldn’t relax me and it wouldn’t add to the experience either. This being said, I didn’t have this treatment so I can’t really fault it… If that makes sense!

Overall I LOVED the treatment I received and it was definitely an amazing and memorable first experience for my first facial. I would love to get more treatments of the Aqua 3 done on my skin in the future as it’s really helped with my breakouts, as well as my oily t-zone.

I’m unsure if this was done to the facial or just the massive shift in the weather but a few days after the treatment my face was really dry on my cheeks and it was uncomfortable. I use tea tree daily to cleanse my skin and I’ve NEVER had a problem with it for the almost ten years of using it on and off. I’m combination skin so maybe on my dry patches on my face (cheeks and chin) this treatment may have been a bit too much for it. The dryness has gone now and only lasted a couple of days, but nonetheless it’s something to be wary of if you have combination skin like I do.

I wouldn’t let this affect my experience though as I honestly loved every moment of the treatment and I highly recommend Shahana for your Aqua 3 facial if you pop to Skinthetics in Coventry for a facial!

As I mentioned near the start of the post you can find Skintentis in Earlsdon, I’ll pop their address, opening times and contact information down below:

The Old Nail Factory

Allard House

28 Moor Street

Earlsdon

CV5 6EQ

Telephone: 01926 629 001

Email: info@skinthetics.co

Opening times:

Monday – Wednesday: 9.30am – 6.30pm

Thursday – Saturday: 9.30am – 7.30pm

Social media:

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I know this is something different for my blog today, but I hope you enjoyed reading about the treatment I had just as much as I did when receiving it! As I mentioned this was [GIFTED] to me so I’ve popped the * in the title of the post as well as where I mentioned the treatment for the first time.

Would you ever give the Aqua 3 treatment a go? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time all, I hope you have a lovely weekend! 😀