A Holiday Haul!

I’m sure I mentioned time and time again the past month (or two…) that I would write a holiday haul post when I’d bought all the goodies I wanted for my holiday. It now looks like I’ve bought all the goodies I’ll want (and need for that matter…) for my holiday IN LESS THAN A MONTHS TIME! Oh my, the days, weeks and months have gone by so damn quickly.

I’m not going to lie, I am hella excited for my holiday, but I’m also really nervous all at the same time. I know for a fact I won’t want to come home.

Anyway, I decided to be naughty as soon as pay day hit this month and bought myself quite a few bits and pieces for the holiday… As well as to wear in the UK as and when appropriate… I kind of used the holiday as an excuse to buy things. 😛

I don’t think I’ll be buying anything else for “the holiday” (hahaha :P) but if I do I can always make a second post about that! The only other thing(s) I can see me buying is a new bra for the dress I bought (you’ll see what I mean when I show it off) and maybe a choker.

Right, enough waffle. On with the haul! I’ll talk about things in the order I bought/received them.

  • Sixty Seven Silver Tone Holographic Sliders (no longer available).

Oh sliders, such ugly sandals when covered in fur and pom poms. I’m not a huge fan of wearing sandals, flip flips etc and more than not often opt for Vans when on holiday due to how comfortable and lightweight they are. However, I had a little thing for sliders this year… The none fluffy variety, of course! I had a look everywhere for a holographic pair but couldn’t find a single thing and when I did SEEM to find something decent it was stupidly priced or the colours were a little off.

As I do at least once a week I had a nosey over on TK Maxx and found these beauties! I waited a while to order them, but as sizes below and above my own started to sell out I knew I needed to get on it and get my pair ordered! These cost me £12.99 and retail for £33.99. WOW! They’re amazing though and I’m so glad I bought them! They’re really sturdy and feel like they’ll last a long time. The holographic is sort of matte in colour and doesn’t look too shiny, which I like. They’re not 100% comfortable to be honest and I find they’re rubbing a little on the top of my foot, but I’m hoping this is just them breaking in.

I plan to wear these both in the daytime and the evenings. Everything I’ll be showing off in this video what I bought I’ll probably wear with these sliders. I have to say I hate that they’re called sliders… I know why they are but I dislike it so damn much! I can’t wait to rock these to the beach in my matching bikini! 😛

My camera just wasn’t playing ball with me when trying to take pictures! It looks pretty cool though and shows off all the colours of the glitter really well. 😛

My camera just wasn’t playing ball with me when trying to take pictures! It looks pretty cool though and shows off all the colours of the glitter really well. 😛

  • Topshop Black Glitter Skater Skirt (no longer available).

I’ve been in need of a new skater skirt for quite a long time now but I just haven’t really seen anything I’ve liked. My previous skater skirt was from Topshop so I decided to have a look on their website for an upgrade, sadly I found nothing. I looked around various high street stores for a while and I remembered the one place I hadn’t even looked for a new skirt, a Topshop one at least. eBay, my holy grail and first place I often look for things I want at a decent price. I found this Topshop skater skirt straight away and I fell in love! It was bidding and considering there was only 2 of us bidding on it, it started on 99p and I did a ninja and bidded with 5 seconds left, I won. I only paid about £2.50 for this including postage.

It’s really gorgeous black skirt with pink, blue gold and silver pieces of glitter running throughout it. It’s a lightweight skirt which is nice as it doesn’t feel heavy at all when wearing it. I’m also glad to say that the glitter is embedded into the skirt itself so when wearing, washing, etc no glitter bits will shed anywhere. I don’t know how much the skirt originally retailed for, but knowing Topshop probably £20-£30.

I’m just so pleased I picked this skirt up as it’s amazing! It does make my bum look bigger than it actually is though due to the way it hangs and I’m not sure if I like this or not. It can be worn as a high-waisted skirt or normal. With my new crop top (which I’ll be talking about last) it looks gorgeous and works really well. If anything it has finally given me the push and courage to wear more crop tops. 🙂

  • Pretty Little Thing Anaiya Multi Tie Dye Denim Short (available here).

Urgh. Just getting this out there that if you have read my recent blog post you’ll know how annoyed at am at Pretty Little Thing and how I don’t recommend them. If you haven’t, here is the link.

That aside I love these shorts, even if they are a little on the snug side. They’re high-waisted denim shorts with a tie dye affect on them. Although not 100% they do have rainbow colors on them. You can see where they originally dyed them blue, pink and yellow only for the colours to run to create green, purple and orange. They look amazing and very eye catching! They’re distressed too which I love, all over the front of the legs and a little on the one back pocket. The pockets in these are really big and deep, which I love! Means you can keep a phone and money on you if you don’t want to carry a bag around.

I’ll be rocking these with my crop top, as well as various t-shirts tucked into it. I tried on one of my black long sleeved t-shirts and I loved how it looked! I’m tempted to take said t-shirt on holiday so I can wear it in the evenings. I’d wear it with either my pair of Star Wars or 101 Dalmatians Vans. Maybe even my DC high tops. I’ll see what shoes I decide to take with me closer to the time. I’ve even looked at wearing my chunky 90’s looking heels, but I’m not sure if I will or not yet.

I know they’re very bright to wear in the UK throughout the whole year (come on let’s face it, our summer lasts all of a week…) BUT I will wear these throughout the year over here. I’ll rock them with band tees, tights and Dr Martens boots for a grunge look. If anything, I can’t wait to when I’m back from holiday! 😛

  • Boohoo Manhattan Hologram Triangle Tie Bikini (available here).

I didn’t need a new bikini and in the end I bought two. Shit. For this holiday I have noticed a pattern of me lusting after things that are either holographic, mermaid scale print or turquoise sequins. This obviously caught my eye (like the little magpie I am…) when browsing around Boohoo. It’s a bog standard triangle bikini BUT OMG IT’S HOLOGRAPHIC AND SHINY AND PRETTY AND OMG! Breathe Nat, breathe.

You can’t go wrong with holographic and when it comes to a hot country where the sun is out most of the time, you definitely can’t go wrong! This is the bikini I’ll wear when tanning on the balcony. It’s the tie at the sides for the bottoms and at the neck and back for the top. As I said, bog standard.

These are still available on the Boohoo website as well as another here which is holographic too. I was tempted to order this one instead/as well as the one I bought but meh. Don’t need ALL THE BIKINIS! xD

I am seriously in love with this picture since taking it!

  • Killstar Pheadra Skater Dress (available here).

The day that Killstar launched this dress for sale on their website I KNEW I had to have it. I’m a massive fan of Killstar and my love of them has grown dramatically this past year. I want NO NEED to own more pieces by Killstar!

This is a skater dress with a mermaid print on, and a pentagram strappy back. This IS NOT a dress I would wear in the daytime, only in the evening when the sun isn’t out and at risk of tanning the pentagram shape into my back. I do not want. 😛 The pictures of this dress don’t do it justice. To me it just looks turquoise on the website but when it arrived I noticed that in the light the dress will shift and go a purple shade. Also as you can see it has a mermaid pattern on it. Oh Nat, you and those mermaid scales! I do like the smaller scales though and it makes a change from the bigger ones I rock on Black Milk Clothing pieces.

My only issue with this dress is I feel it’s too big… But I worry the size down would be too small… Also as amazing as the pentagram shape is on the back, it isn’t practical at all when wearing a bra. As of yet I haven’t got myself a new bra to wear with it yet… I hope I can get one before the holiday.

I know it sounds stupid because with a back like that you’d want to show off the dress, wouldn’t you? Alas this dress actually looks better with a jacket or cardigan over the top. In fact it looks so cute teamed up with my burgundy cardigan! Who’d have thought? I can’t wait to wear this throughout the year in the UK. I’ll definitely have to wear Dr Martens or brothel creepers. 😛

  • Killstar Arabella Halter Top (available here) and Posing Shorts (available here).

The same brand and the same print as the Killstar Pheadra dress. I couldn’t resist not getting this top and shorts. I don’t 100% know if you can swim in them, but damn I’ll give it a go! Nah if anything these won’t be for tanning in due to the top being the way it is, but more for popping out to the beach in for a walk with the shorts or even a pair of shorts over the top. I also wanted to pick these up for pole dancing in as I think they’d be gorgeous!

I do feel a little self conscious in this set due to how out there it is, but at the same time I actually feel really good about my body! I ordered both the top and shorts in the same size as I ordered the dress and whilst I don’t feel they’re too big, I do worry that the top part is a little baggy. I think I just need to get used to the style of it. I plan to try it on a few times at home before we leave for our holiday. I’d gladly wear this with shorts or a skirt with a little jacket over the top for if it’s chilly.

  • Black Milk Clothing Mermemerald Crop Top (no longer available).

Finally we have my last piece of clothing I bought in this haul and to be honest it’s by far my favourite! Everyone knows it, I love Black Milk Clothing and I especially love their mermaid printed pieces. I now own 3 mermaid pieces, including this new addition!

This is a size up from what I usually buy from Black Milk but it doesn’t matter as it fits lovely. It’s the Mermemerald crop top and guess what? It’s discontinued and now a museum item SO IT’S WORTH A FORTUNE! I picked this up second hand off of eBay for about £24.00, which I’m really chuffed about.

I didn’t expect it to be such a bright green when I took it out of the packaging though, but I adore it. At first when I tried it on I put it on the wrong way around. When I worked it out though and put it on properly I just fell in love. I paired it with my shorts, which looked amazing and then I paired it with my skater skirt. A part of me died and went to heaven for how lovely the two looked together. I haven’t felt all that great about my body the past month and more so the past week so to feel confident and nice about myself, I’m so happy. Black Milk seems to always have that affect on me. 😛

I already know I’m going to be wearing this most evenings when out with Dane for drinks and even for a day of shopping! I can’t wait to wear this back at home though to be honest. It’s such a stunning piece and when the weather is crap and gloomy over here, I can see this perking me up. It shifts from green to turquoise in the right light. How amazing!

One of my favourite pictures I’ve taken for such a long time! FYI I’m covering my face because I had some nasty zits on my cheek. YUCK! xD

PLZ DO NOT LOOK IN THE BIN. Nothing in there to hide, but still! xD

I was going to try and merge these four pictures in with the items themselves but it would have just been a mess… Sort of. SO I thought I would add said pictures at the end of the post, so you can see how I would wear some of the pieces together, as well as with other items. 😀

So that is everything I picked up for my holiday! I have so much more crap that I could buy and a part of me still wants to pick up a few more things to grunge up my outfits in the evenings. A choker being the main thing right now really. We shall see…

Have you guys been on your holidays yet? Where did you go?

Also, are there any items in this post YOU own or want to? Let me know all your thoughts and answers in the comments!

Until next time all, take care and I hope your weeks are going well so far.

Footer

Kawaii Box Review & GIVEAWAY (Giveaway now closed)*

As a regular reader of my blog, people will know how much I love anything Japanese related. I’m a massive fan of Japan, especially kawaii things. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past two or three years, you’ll have heard of subscription boxes and how over the years they’ve just become more popular. You can get subscription boxes for anything these days, from beauty, fashion, game related things, and of course Japanese related items.

I’ll be talking about the latter today with the Kawaii Box*, a monthly subscription box that comes piled high with goodies from Japan and Korea. Each month you’ll receive 10-12 handpicked items, some being stationery, some being food. There’s a bit of everything in every box!

The awesome people over at Kawaii Box were lovely enough to send me a box to open up and review to you guys and I cannot explain how excited I have been for this to arrive so I could share what goodies I received inside of it. Also, as you can probably tell by the title, I was also given the chance to give one of these away to a lucky winner. Make sure to stay with me and read to the end of the post to find out how you can win!

This box arrived two weeks after they confirmed it was on its way to me and I’m really pleased about that. I’ve had it for about a week now, which has given me plenty of time to try out every item that I received, and in turn means I can give you guys a proper review of everything.

This months box came with 11 items, which is really good, and everything is different from the other too, so you don’t get anything the same as one another, which I liked.

This is what you get inside of the box;

  • Kracie DIY Chain Candy Set
  • Squishy Doughnut Mirror
  • Dessert Eraser
  • Kawaii Toast Coaster
  • Pastel Pearl Bracelet
  • Korean Glitter Glue Set
  • Rilakkuma Sticky Notes
  • Mushroom Mini Plush
  • Cute Korean Pencil Set
  • Flake Seal Stickers
  • Alpaca Keychain

I’ll be talking about each item with a little bit of detail just to give my readers a basic idea of what you get and such. Not every box comes with exactly the same items, so you get a unique box!

There are quite a few stationery bits in this box and they’re really nice too. You get a pack of pencils, a dessert rubber/eraser, a glitter glue set, some sticky notes, and flake seal stickers. These will be perfect for making notes for blog related work, as well as life in general. I’ll be taking these on holiday with me when I send postcards back to the UK, as well as when I do some blog work whilst out there. The stickers are really cute and whilst I was bored I stuck a couple on my boyfriends face for giggles.

The Rilakkuma sticky notes are amazing and one of my favourite things in this box. I’ll be using them to jot little blog post notes on, as well as using for bookmarks as well. There are so many that they’ll last me for months!

I never say no to Japanese candy, and I couldn’t wait to share this candy with my boyfriend. It’s chain candy which you link together and then well… Eat! It takes of ramune, Japanese lemonade and grape soda, two very popular flavours in Japan, and also two of my favourites. These tasted amazing and I was sad when they all ran out. 😦

There are also some random little bits and pieces in here which were really kawaii! A squishy little doughnut mirror, which is covered in sprinkles and is super soft and squishy! The mirror isn’t the best in the world, but it does the job and it’s one I’m going to be taking on holiday with me for quick touch ups on the go. A cute little bead bracelet which is on the small side, so if you have big wrists it might be a little tight, as I’m a medium and it was just about okay for me. This being said, it’s still cute and a nice little piece for down days. I’ve seen various different mushroom plushie keyrings in peoples boxes, but I got the red one and it’s so adorable, reminds me of Mario. I don’t know what I’ll do with this, I may give it to a friend of mine very soon as a little surprise.

Finally we have two more of my favourite pieces out of the box, a toast shaped coaster and an alpaca keyring. I don’t yet have my own place but when I do I’ll be using this coaster in the living room, or office area as it’s just too cute NOT to use! It’s wooden and sounds really nice when placed down too. I know that sounds weird… But yeah. 😛 The alpaca keyring already has it’s pride and place on my backpack and is something I have had many comments on so far due to how adorable it is. I’ve been asked by many where it’s from!

Overall what do I think of the box? I LOVE IT! It’s a perfect monthly treat for anyone who loves all things kawaii and Japanese, and can’t access Japanese stores near them or online. It also makes for a nice surprise every month too and it’s all different.

So I’ll give you the prices of the box!

One Month Plan = $18.50 a month – free shipping worldwide – recurring one month plan – cancel anytime.

Three Month Plan = $18.50 a month – free shipping worldwide – ends after three months – perfect gift idea.

Six Month Plan = $17.90 a month – free shipping worldwide – ends after six months – save $6!

Twelve Month Plan = $17.30 a month – free shipping worldwide – ends after twelve months – get one box free!!!

In my eyes those are some pretty decent deals, especially the twelve month box.

So what are you waiting for guys? Get out there and get subscribing! If you would like to get one of these boxes yourself, click this link to go ahead and make your purchase!

HOWEVER how would you like to win one of these yourself? All you have to do is click the link below and then go and fill out the rafflecopter widget. Sadly due to WordPress being a smelly ogre, it won’t allow the widget to show on my blog, which sucks! The giveaway is open internationally and all you need to do is follow what it says to on the giveaway to be in with the chance of winning your own Kawaii Box.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the Kawaii Box? Will you be making your order soon? Or trying for the competition? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time though, take care all and good luck in the giveaway!

Fox Footer

Twitter Facebook Icon