May Favourites ’20

It’s safe to say that May was weird and really shitty… For me at least anyway!

As many of you may or may not have noticed, I was quiet on my blog this past month and the reason for that being that I just didn’t feel up to writing any content… Which makes me feel incredibly sad. I wanted to write, but I just didn’t have the mental energy to. Most evenings after work I found myself crawling into bed (yes, even during the hotter days) with my laptop and Switch Lite and did nothing constructive. I binged TV shows, played Animal Crossing and that was about it.

Image taken from The Latest Kate

I’m not meaning to start off this months favourites with a sop story but I just want to be honest as to why my blog was so quiet this month. I’m hoping that June will be better and I can continue to bring you all the geeky, kawaii content that I know you all love!

Aside from May being rubbish, May was also a month that seemed to fly by and I discovered some new things, as well as remembering and enjoying some old.

• Molton Brown Fiery Pink Pepper Bath & Shower Gel.

I recently discovered that I had a bottle of this in my bathroom cupboard and was delighted! In May we had some water damage from our bathroom to the kitchen and I was and still am gutted. So, this has been lovely to rediscover and use every other day in the shower. The scent left behind on the skin is strong and lingers around for ages after you get out of the shower, which I don’t often get after I’ve had a shower. I know Molton Brown isn’t cheap, so I don’t know when I’ll ever buy a bottle of their bath & shower gel again. I think I might treat myself in the future, but it’ll depend. I highly recommend though if you love your showers and want a real treat!

• Nails Inc Ocean Ever After Nail Polish.

I have been blown away by this nail polish the last couple of weeks of May! It has lasted over a week without chipping and I am so pleased. I really miss having my nails painted with gel and I honestly can’t wait for my nail tech to be open again so I can go and get pampered. Whilst I wait for my nail tech to open her salon, I’ve been painting my nails again, which honestly I have somewhat missed. As I write this post I’m still wearing this gorgeous blue/green shade is still intact and I love it so much. It’s the perfect shade for summer due to the mermaid effect and whilst I’m not getting comments on it due to isolation, I know when I’ve worn this in the past, people have always commented. This was part of a duo set, which I have a feeling Nails Inc don’t sell anymore. 😦

• Nivea Blueberry Blush Lip Butter.

This is another product I recently rediscovered as I needed another lip balm. I used to use this one loads during a period when the corners of my mouth were prone to infections (I know that’s gross, but it’s true!), and for some reason I discontinued use. I think this was down to Vaseline working better at the time alongside the steroid cream I was given. However, it’s back out and being used daily and it is amazing! First of all, I love blueberry scented (and flavoured) things and this smells so fruity and yummy. This really is a lip butter, it’s thick and a little goes a long way. It feels really nice on the lips when applied and like it’s actually moisturising. I especially love to use this before bed, so I can wake up with soft lips in the morning. Although it’s pink in the tin, it doesn’t tint or change the colour of your lips, which is great too. I definitely recommend this.

• Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover.

As I mentioned previously above, due to COVID I’m not able to go and get my nails done by my nail tech, so I’m doing them myself at home. I decided to buy myself a cuticle remover from Amazon so I could do my nails properly. I hadn’t touched my cuticles over a month and they were pretty bad. I couldn’t wait for this remover to arrive, as well as the cuticle remover tools I’d ordered too. This works amazing and it only takes 15 seconds for it to work it’s magic as well. A little goes a long way and it doesn’t hurt or sting when applied. I even did Dane’s nails with it too to see what it could do. The results were amazing. I use this once a week when I paint my nails, I don’t know if that’s too much or not, but it’s what I’m doing. 🙂

• The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray.

With us in the UK being graced with warm weather at the moment, both me and Dane have been using this cooling foot spray at the moment. It’s so refreshing to use throughout the day whilst we’re at home, especially when you’re feeling really warm! They always say if you’re feeling either hot or cold, you need to cool/warm your feet up for your whole body to cool/warm up. This definitely applies to me, so when I’ve been really warm in the day, I’ve sprayed some of this on both the tops and bottoms of my feet, let it dry and then gone about my day. It’s so quick drying and due to the size of the bottle it’s handy to take out and about with you if need be. I always forget how much I love this foot spray!

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

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite TV Show – Jackass.

I’ve been binge watching a lot of shows this month, especially as I needed to cheer myself up after a few crappy things happening. I haven’t binged Jackass for a while now, so I decided now was a good time to do so. So far I’ve only watched season 1 and 2 of the show but I always forget how much I love it, certain scenes and how much I miss Ryan Dunn (who died almost 10 years ago). The guys are currently working on Jackass 4, which I am so excited for. I am wondering what will happen however, as this will be the first film without Ryan Dunn. Nonetheless, I am still really excited and will continue to binge watch the rest of the show, as well as the movies.

Favourite Movie – Unbroken.

This is a film that Dane popped on one evening for us to watch and I ended up finishing watching it on my own (as he had things to do). This film is amazing and I loved every moment of it. It’s directed by Angelina Jolie and is all about an American man fighting in the Second World War. He is captured by the Japanese and sent off to various prisoner of war camps. It’s all based on a true story and it’s a really emotional watch. It’s on Netflix and I can’t recommend it enough to watch. I might watch it again soon in the future, as I loved it that much.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Skinema.

Yes. I actually read a book! Well, part of a book anyway. I read and I haven’t done that for months… If not years at this point. This book was actually kindly bought for me from Estelle (go check out her blog over at Estellosaurus!) after sharing my Amazon wish list (which I’ll link here). I was so happy when it arrived as I have wanted this book for years! I actually bought it from Amazon before Christmas but it got lost in the post so I had to get a refund. I even tweeted Chris Nieratko telling him I’d ordered the book and he replied! Told me it’s probably going to be shit so to be prepared. So far, I love it and it was a mixture of what I did and didn’t expect it to be. I highly recommend reading if you’re a fan of Jackass, as well as have a dark sense of humour and open to anything.

Favourite Songs – Bush – “The Sound of Winter” and Institute – “When Animals Attack”.

I’ve been binge listening to Radio Bam since lock down began over two months ago and I’ve now finished it. Two of the songs I discovered years ago through the episodes and now love are my two favourite songs this month. They’re both bands fronted by Gavin Rossdale by the way. Out of the two I love “The Sound of Winter” the most as it has such a great sound behind it. These are just songs I’ve found myself listening to almost everyday whilst working and doing things in my own time (such as writing and playing Animal Crossing). Go and give them a listen if you like rock music and haven’t heard them before. 😀

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Game – Still Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Is it really odd for Animal Crossing to be here again this month? I’ve not played anything else in all honesty and I think it’s obvious why. This game is going to be on my monthly favourites for quite some time now due to how excited I still am to play it. For the whole of June there will be a new event coming called Wedding Season Event, which I am really excited for! We haven’t yet seen Reese and Cyrus yet in New Horizons so I’m excited to see them both soon! It is getting to a point at the moment with Animal Crossing where I would like some more events to come, as well as the introduction to some old and very loved characters. I’m really missing The Roost and Brewster right now, so I hope we hear about it from Nintendo soon. 🙂

So there are all my favourites from May! I can’t believe we’re already in June. June is always a momentous month for me. It’s the month we got the keys to our house, but most of all it’s mine and Dane’s anniversary. We’ve been in our house for 4 years and together for 7 years. All that time has really flew by and I can’t quite believe it to be honest with you. I’m also excited for June to come along as May was shit. June will hopefully be the month we get things done and sorted… Which I may talk about more in the future. 😀

So, what were your favourites from May? Are you going to check out any of the things I mentioned in mine? Let me know in the comments! 😀

Until next time, take care and stay safe. 🙂

The Estelleosaurus Animal Crossing Island Getaway Tag

Can you believe in almost a week that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been out for two months? Nope… Neither can I! The time has really flown by and honestly, I am living my best island life!

I don’t care if I talk about Animal Crossing too much on my blog, I love it so damn much and I’ll shout about if I want to! I love reading bloggers Animal Crossing posts too, I honestly cant get enough of it.

During the lock down I’ve not been too great on and off mentally. I’m feeling low, tired and lethargic and the only thing that is keeping me going at the moment (aside from Dane and my friends) is Animal Crossing. It came out at the perfect time considering lock down happened 3 days after the game released.

So, I will continue to talk about Animal Crossing as much as I want to, because this game is literally a huge part of my life right now.

Recently Estelle over at Estellosaurus created an Animal Crossing tag and I KNEW I had to take part! So, let’s get started!

Welcome to the Estellosaurus Animal Crossing Island Getaway Tag!

The rules are:

1. Copy and paste the rules and sentence above. Answer the questions. Duh.
2. Thank the person who tagged you, don’t forget to link to their original post/answers
3. Tag 2 new people to take part.
4. Share your Switch Friend Code at the end if you want too!

Animal Crossing Island Getaway Tag

1. What is your island called? Why did you pick that name?

My island is called Kitsakura and the name is a mixture of kitsune and sakura. I tried loads of names I wanted to have for my island, but they were all too long, so I merged some of my ideas together. I really love the name, it feels unique.

2. Share a picture of yourself on your island.

3. What hemisphere did you choose? Is it the hemisphere you are actually in?

I chose the Northern Hemisphere, as this is what I am in. I know some who changed it, but honestly I don’t see the point. I want the game to adapt to what is happening realistically where I live.

4. Who is your current favourite resident? Who would be your ultimate dream resident?

This is such a hard question because I love all my residents for different reasons! I would have to say Cookie though. This is the first time I have had her on my island and she’s always a villager I have wanted in the previous games. The fact I can finally have her (thanks to amiibo) is amazing and I honestly love how sassy and kawaii she is. I love her so much, I requested for her to be drawn in a commission with me, purely because I love her vibe so much!

 

I honestly love Bones so much 🙂 #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/6bhAMN4bml

— Nat 🐱 (@MayBeeCoffee) April 27, 2020

A close second to Cookie is Bones. I had him in one of my previous games and adored his silly, childish behaviour. He’s still as adorable as ever and he honestly brings a smile to my face whenever I see and talk to him on my island.

5. What can you not do on your island that you wish you could?

I’m really missing The Roost at the moment… In New Leaf it was one of my favourite places to go, as well as one of my favourite things to do once a day. You would have to make some villagers coffees for them and make sure to get them right. If you did good, Brewster would give you a special item. I worked as a barista at the time, so that’s why I loved it so much. Honestly though, The Roost needs to return!

6. Favourite season in game and why?

This is a hard one, especially with New Horizons, as so far we have only really seen spring. Overall… I think I have always loved spring for the cherry blossoms and winter for the snow. I especially love making snowmen and when Christmas is around, all the pine trees have pretty fairy lights on them.

7. If you played New Leaf, what do you miss from that game that you wish had been taken across to New Horizons?

The first thing that comes to mind is your villagers coming to your house to visit. You could either invite them or they would ask to come over. I really wish you could do this! I want Cookie, Bones and Goldie to come to my house and see all my cute stuff… As well as all my turnips. 😛

8. Favourite K.K. Slider song?

It’s always been K.K. Bossa since the Animal Crossing anime movie, however I’ve always fallen in love with Bubblegum K.K. after hearing it loads in Cookie’s house! It’s definitely K.K. Bossa though, it’s even my phones ringtone. The scene from the film is really cute and I recommend you to go and find it to watch if you can. YouTube has a fake English dub here… It’s not official dub but they did an amazing job (I’ve watched the Japanese one too).

9. Favourite non resident character?

Definitely Isabelle! She only came around in New Leaf, but honestly she is such a cutie and I honestly look forward to seeing her every morning when I turn my game on, even when she doesn’t have news. I love hearing about how she spent her evening and what crappy TV she’s been watching. Alongside Isabelle I love Tommy, he’s so cute and adorable with his higher pitched voice out of the two Nook brothers.

Finally, I love and miss Resetti. As much as I hated when he would have a go at me in the game if I didn’t save, I always looked forward to seeing him too as it was such a rare occurrence. I hope he comes back in the future… I really do. I know people have said they can hear him when you go to use the terraforming tool… But it isn’t the same. 😦

So, that was The Estelleosaurus Animal Crossing Island Getaway Tag! I love Animal Crossing so much, as well as Estelle, so I knew I had to take part in this tag.

Now for tagging who I want to join in… EVERYONE! If you read this post and would like to join in, please do!

Are you playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Are you still loving it and playing it everyday? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below all your thoughts and feelings on the game.

Until next time all, take care and stay safe.

Surviving The Christmas Party – Guest Post

Christmas is just around the corner so me and Estelle over at Estelleosaurus decided it would be fun to do another collaboration post together! We did one in the summer about rainbow fashion (you can read her post here and my post here) and I LOVED it so damn much! 😀

I’ve spoken about great gift ideas for people who love gin and Estelle (as you’ll have guessed from the title!) is talking about how you can survive your Christmas party.

Right without further ado, I’ll hand it over to Estelle! 😀

For a long time, my only reference for the office Christmas party was what I’d seen on TV or in a film. The party was usually held in a very large office and all the staff partied there. Someone would inevitably photocopy their genitalia. Someone dressed as an elf would cop off with someone in a Santa hat in the stationery cupboard!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been to an office Christmas party like that. Even if I had, I’m fairly confident I couldn’t get on top of the photocopier to photocopy my bum anyway.

The office Christmas party can be a tricky event to navigate whether it’s held in the office or not, so here are some tips to get you through the festive season!

Planning

These days it is much more likely you and your work colleagues will go out to a pub or restaurant for the Christmas party. If you are really lucky, you will be the chosen organiser (I strongly suggest you try to avoid being the organiser). Your job will be to think of somewhere to go – usually more than one place because people like a choice. You will need to make sure you’ve covered allergies, dietary requirements, vegetarians etc. and then send the menu’s out for everyone to pick where they’d like to go. I cannot stress enough how important it is to do this early. Getting everyone to make a decision as to where they’d like to go is like herding cats. You will have to chase them, repeatedly. Once you have managed to get everyone’s restaurant preference it will be your job to call the venue, check they’ve got a table on your chosen festive night.

You will usually have to pre order and pay a deposit during the Christmas period, so next comes the fun task of collecting the deposit and getting a pre order choice from then. Once you have let the restaurant know the pre -orders you can relax until the big night. Definitely keep a list of what everyone ordered though, because they will forget and insist they ordered something different when the meal arrives in front of them!

What to Wear

It seems to be a given that you should wear something sparkly for the entire Christmas period, which quite frankly is fine with me. But not everyone will feel comfortable, so what should you wear? Honestly? It’s up to you. Where what the hell you want. Obviously check your venue doesn’t have a dress code – you should try not to wear flip flops and a baseball cap if the dress code is smart casual! It is important to be comfortable and if you are already suffering from anxiety, worrying about what to wear or what you are going to look like is the last thing you need.
Christmas jumpers are all over the place at this time of the year and you can pick up some really funky ones very cheaply at places like Primark. If you don’t have the spare cash or don’t want to spend money on something new, pinching a bit of tinsel off the tree and putting it in your hair or wearing it like a scarf can give you an instant Christmas look.

Once you are comfortable and ready to go it’s time to navigate the party itself.

The Big Night

As an anxiety sufferer the actual party can be quite stressful. It’s important to try and relax as much as you can, but give yourself a backup plan. If you need to leave, then do so. If you feel you can’t leave without an excuse then invent a sick friend, relative, dog, cat, goldfish that you need to get home for. Most people understand if and why you need to leave, but you will find one or two occasionally that don’t get it (usually the same people who are offended if you choose not to drink). If you need to go, just go. Your mental health is more important than seeing Angela’s knickers when she falls off her chair during desert.

If you want to have a drink then do so. Personally, I love a cocktail or a glass of prosecco. If you don’t want to drink, then don’t. Don’t feel pressured into drinking or going on to a club or doing anything you don’t want to do.

Try to sit at the other end of the table from Angela too, especially if she wants to talk about work all night!

Try to enjoy yourself, it is Christmas after all and hopefully you’ll be getting some really nice food and company.

The Day After

I don’t like to drink too much when I’m out, especially when I’m with work colleagues. Getting smashed and lairy can be really embarrassing when you have to go back to work on Monday. It’s obviously your choice at the end of the day, but I would advise caution, especially if you don’t want to be the talk of the office for the next year and be reminded of your dancing on the table at every office get together for the rest of eternity.

I like to have a relaxing day the day after any social event, just to calm myself from all the anxieties that lead up to the event, stress can be exhausting and can make you ill, so it’s important to debrief your body afterwards. For me, this involves going over ever single thing I did or said that may have made me look like a fool. I wouldn’t recommend this though!

Final Thoughts from Estellosaurus

This time of year can be tricky for some people for various reasons. Try to be kind (as you should all bloody year actually). If people don’t want to drink, or prefer not to come to the Christmas party then respect that, don’t try to force them to join in.

Enjoy the festive season, rock those antlers, jingle those bells, be merry and bright and if someone suggests you photocopy your fanny, then politely decline!

Thanks Nat for having me! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Aww I love those final thoughts from Estelle so damn much! They’re so important and so many people forget that not everyone wants to drink or even come to the Christmas party!

I LOVED Estelle’s post so much! It’s always good to have a plan when it comes to the Christmas party. 😛 I want to also say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to her for writing this Christmas post for me, she’s such a star and by far one of my favourite blogging girls. 🙂

Have you had your work or friends Christmas party yet? My work one is due in almost a week and I’m so damn excited! 😀

Make sure to let me and Estelle know in the comments your thoughts on Christmas parties.

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

Wish List Wednesday – Rainbow Fashion Collab Post!

Today’s wish list Wednesday is such an exciting one and it’s for one reason in particular! This is a collab post with the one and only wonderful blogger, Estelle over at Estellosaurus.

If there is one rainbow queen who I know it is her! I love her outfit posts and I always end up going to look at one piece of clothing she’s wearing in said post online.

It’s because of her that I recently bought myself a new rainbow cardigan and she’ll probably be the cause for many more rainbow purchases… She’s definitely a bad influence. 😛

So we decided to work together to do a collab post and I have been so excited to get it written down! We decided that I would do a wish list Wednesday about rainbow fashion pieces I want and Estelle is going to talk about the rainbow fashion pieces she owns. I would have done the same as Estelle, but sadly I only own two items, which are both my amazing rainbow cardigans! 😀

So without further ado, bring on the rainbow goodies!

• Monki Rainbow Stripe Tee – (link)

I’ve had my eye on picking up a rainbow stripe tee from Monki for AGES but every time I’ve had a look at one it’s either sold out completely or sold out in my size! When I recently visited Bristol with Dane I had a look in the Monki shop inside Cabot Circus and got super excited! Sadly the rainbow stripe tee wasn’t in my size and it looks really cropped too, which sucked. I’m going to keep the hope alive though for a nice striped rainbow tee like this one!

• Monki Crew Neck Rainbow Jumper – (link)

This jumper really does remind me of the one that Lazy Oaf brought out and it looks AMAZING! I would love this jumper to rock to work on Monday’s and Friday’s throughout the colder months, as well as over weekends with friends or lazy days in with Dane. I especially love that the sleeves are a little tighter, because although I love baggy sleeves that can hide my hands, it can be a bit of a pain when working. My only issue with this jumper is that it looks cropped… So I’d want to see what it looks like in the Bristol Monki store before buying!

• Boohoo Rainbow Stripe T-Shirt Dress – (link)

I’ve been after some more t-shirt dresses for a while to wear with my normal black leggings, as well as with my Black Milk Clothing leggings and whilst I’m on a massive rainbow love and high, this top would be awesome to wear with my black leggings all casual and such! I wouldn’t be able to wear this for work, it would purely be for when I can’t be arsed to dress up and want to be comfortable. I could imagine it  being a great t-shirt dress to wear on sick days too. 😛

• Rocks N Rainbows Ringer Tee – (link)

This is a really cute tee but I wish it was in the UK! I know you can order from the Dolls Kill site and get them sent to the UK, but you know… 😛 ANYWAY! This isn’t technically a rainbow item, but it has a rainbow on it so that counts… Right? 😛 I really love this tee for both work and casual because it’ll just go and work with anything and everything! I especially love the red around the collar and sleeves, it’s a really nice touch and works really well! It also isn’t a bad price either, which I’m always happy with. 😛

• Club Exx Dark Rainbow Anodized Boots – (link)

Oh man I just had to add these boots to this list! I know they’re not shouting in your face that they’re rainbow, but fuck me are these sexy boots! I love a good pair of Dr Martens boots and live in them throughout autumn and winter, but these are just something else. To me my Docs are my, “Don’t piss me off…” boots, whereas these would be, “Don’t fuck with me!” boots. You know what I mean? They’d just be awesome to wear throughout the autumn months and possibly spring too.

• Lazy Oaf Pastel Stripe Rainbow Cardigan

This is a cardigan I have been lusting after for the longest time, but these days it’s a bit of a struggle to find unless you remortgage your house first! It was the original Lazy Oaf rainbow bored cardigan that kick started everyone off on the rainbow cardigan craze and I can honestly understand why! Since then, everyone has been either lusting after that cardigan, the one I’m talking about or any others for that matter! I still want this one and as soon as I find it for a decent price, it WILL be mine! I love wearing cardigans for work, as well as in general and this is such a muted and gorgeous colour that I just need it in my life! HEY if you’re selling one and want a decent price for it, DROP ME A COMMENT ASAP! xD

• Run & Fly Unisex Rainbow Jumper – (link)

Finally we have another jumper on this list and it’s the last thing I’ll be talking about today. This is actually a unisex product and honestly I LOVE unisex and men’s clothing, it’s always so much more comfortable than women’s. This is such a vintage looking jumper and I feel like it’s something you’d have seen someone wear in the 60’s or 70’s. Or even something from the 90’s that someones picked up in a charity shop. This would be super cozy to wear throughout the autumn and winter months, both at work as well as over the weekends for chilly evenings out. It isn’t cheap at £30.00 but I would like to pick it up in the near future.

So those are all my rainbow goodies for my wish list Wednesday! I’m not a massive rainbow magpie, but I do love me some signature rainbow pieces!

I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to Estelle for agreeing to do this rainbow themed collaboration with me! Make sure to head over to her blog to check out what she’s written! I posted her link at the start of this post, but I’ll pop it here too.

Please make sure to go and give Estelle some love, not only is she an amazing and adorable blogger, but she’s also an absolute gem and lovely to talk to. I love that I’ve met her through blogging as she’s definitely one of my favourite bloggers and become a very good blogging friend in such a short period of time.

Anyhoo, I’m off for the day! I hope you all have a lovely day and until next time, take care all!