September Favourites ’21

I cannot believe it’s already October! This month has flown by and it’s been a mixture of good and bad for me. I won’t go into the latter but I’ll definitely share some exciting stuff me and Dane got up to during the month!

I’m quite glad for a new month to be honest, purely for the bad that’s happened and I especially cannot wait for Halloween at the end of the month, some time off for me and Dane as well as Bonfire Night too, even though that’s November. 😛

For October I have decided to go on a spending ban too, I need to start saving for Christmas, which will be here before we know it! I’ll talk more about that on next weeks post (wish list).

Without further delay, let’s get on with the monthly favourites!

Favourite Beauty Product – Blistex MedPlus Lip Balm.

I don’t know what happened at the start of September but at one point for about a week my lips were so dry, sore and sensitive! So much so, at one point I was anxious I had eczema/dermatitis on my lips! During mine and Dane’s week off we went shopping and I decided to pick up this Blistex lip balm in the hops it would help my lips, which it did, thank fuck for that! Quite frankly since buying this I’ve been using it on my lips when they feel sore or sensitive and due for a flare up. This was only £2 from Bodycare, but I know it’s around this price elsewhere too from places like Boots and Superdrug.

Image taken from Giphy

Favourite Film – Free Guy.

I literally watched this film the evening before writing this post as it’s on Disney+ (thanks Sacha for telling me! :D) and I was SO EXCITED for watching it! I remember when this film was announced, as well as a trailer, I was so hyped. Ryan Reynolds is my favourite actor, so whenever he’s in a new film I always tend to check it out. Free Guy is about Guy, a NPC (non playable character) in a Grand Theft Auto style game. One day he realises he can do more and is more than just a guy who works in a bank. It’s an amazing film and I highly recommend everyone to watch it, especially if you love Ryan Reynolds like me, as well as games. 😀

Image taken from Amazon.com

Favourite TV Show – Kenny Vs Spenny.

Kenny Vs Spenny is a TV show I kept (and keep) going to and from and I love it so much! It’s one that Dane actually introduced me to around the start of our week off together in September and it’s also one he thought I’d heard of. This is due to the fact it’s similar to Dirty Sanchez and Jackass, which are both right up my street. Kenny Vs Spenny came out in the early 00’s, which you can tell if you watch it. The show is hilarious though and is about Kenny and Spenny, two best friends who set each other challenges. The winner gets the loser to do horrible prank style stuff. Kenny is always cheating and due to that often wins over Spenny, so when Spenny wins it makes me so happy. I’m constantly rooting for Spenny. 😛 I highly recommend you giving this a go, all six seasons are over on Kenny’s YouTube account, which I’ve linked you back to. 🙂

Favourite Music/Album – Lil Nas X – Montero.

Lil Nas X’s new album Montero came out a couple of weeks ago and since then I’ve been listening to it on and off. I love some of the songs from Montero and I think Lil Nas X is such a legend! This isn’t my usual music genre of choice but I do really love this album. It’s got a little bit of everything in there (lyric topics wise) and I’m always there for that! I’d say whether or not you like this genre, definitely give Montero a listen as you might be surprised at just how GOOD this album is! I’m listening to it as I write this post this evening. 😀

Image taken from Giphy

Favourite Game – WarioWare: Get It Together!

Gaming in September for me has really been lacking due to a mixture of being busy and just not being in the mood. However, I have played a bit of the new WarioWare game on Nintendo Switch as Dane pre-ordered us both a copy. It’s been so much fun to play alone as well as together as it’s full of small quick paced party style games, which can be frustrating and funny all at the same time! This is the first time I’ve played a WarioWare game and I’m glad I’ve finally gotten to give it a go. If you fancy getting this game but want to see what you think of it, make sure to go to the Nintendo eShop and download the demo to try before you buy. 🙂

Just a few of my favourite things…

The Steamhouse Bakery.

I have been excited to talk to you guys about The Steamhouse Bakery and why (if you’re in the Midlands) you need to visit in on your next trip! I heard about The Steamhouse Bakery during lockdown last year ad have wanted to go there ever since. So, during mine and Dane’s week off last month we decided to go and we went all out… In a way! 😛 We had yummy coffee, bagels and of course had to get some cakes too!

We bought a bagel of each, but decided to share them so we could see what they were like! I went for The Workman (Smoked Bacon, Scrambled Eggs & Sausage) and Dane went for The Southern Gent (Roast Chicken, Bacon, Mozzarella, BBQ Sauce & Leaves). Both bagels were amazing and as you can see from the photos, you get plenty of food too! We were stuffed and couldn’t eat any dinner due to that fact. 😛 We also ordered some cakes, I had a Nutella and Bueno brownie and Dane had a Twix doughnut.

The Steamhouse Bakery have three stores, based in Leamington Spa, Worcester and Redditch. So if you’re in the Midlands (or live here like I do), there’s a chance on your next trip out to Worcestershire, you might be able to drop into one of the stores to try their amazing baked goods… And coffee. 😛

Holiday to Wales.

A couple of weeks before September, we decided to book a few days in Wales, just to get away and have a break. We haven’t had a holiday (as in get away from home) since Japan in January 2020 so this trip away was a little overdue. We did a tour of the coast of Wales travelling from Pembrokeshire, to Aberystwyth, and finally to Snowdon. During out time there we did lots of walking, visited our friends farm , walked on some beaches and stayed in a luxury cabin with a HUGE bath and double showers. It was a lovely break away and we’re already planning to go to the luxury cabin again in the future!

Black Milk Clothing Ghost Unicorns Sheer Romance Dress.

This photo is actually from the luxury cabin in question, but I wanted to show off my Black Milk Clothing ghost unicorns dress, as I LOVE it! This is the first time I’d worn it, which was just on the way home from Wales. I then wore it again for my dad’s birthday meal out! I LOVE the romance style of BMC’s dresses as it’s so flattering for my figure and I always feel fancy wearing them (I own two including this one). On our way home from Wales we stopped off somewhere for food and the woman who served us commented how lovely my dress was and how it had a pink glow around the restaurant as I walked around. Her comments really made me smile. :’)

Ghost Items!

I have to show off some of the new spoopy items I’ve received from orders and pre-orders, especially these two ghostie cuties! I love kawaii ghosts, I have done since I was a kid, so when Halloween comes around, I always like to snag a few spooky pieces.

The Sad Ghost Club brought out a limited edition plush back in July and I made sure to pre-order my own as soon as I could! My Sad Ghost arrived a week or so ago and it’s so cute and perfect. The Sad Ghost Club is something I really adore and their posts on Instagram really do help me when I’m feeling low. I feel like it’s been around forever and it’s always been something that comes up on my social media now, it’s sort of like a norm for me now. So, to have my own Sad Ghost as part of my plushie collection really does make me happy!

I also managed to snag this large DW Home ghost candle from TK Maxx… Well, technically I sourced it through a group on Facebook and someone was nice enough to pick it up for me and ship it. This candle smells like vanilla cupcake and honestly, the picture doesn’t so it just of just how big this thing is! It weighs a ton but that cuteness really does pack a punch. This ghostie lives on my bedroom window shelf and it makes me smile looking at it each morning and evening. I’m planning to light it soon… But at the same time I want to keep it nice! xD

Autumnal Gel Nails!

Finally I want to share my newest and current gel mani with you all! I know nails might not be some people’s thing and I get that, I do. But my nails mean a lot to me now. I’ve mentioned before on my blog (I’m sure…) how bad my nails condition used to be. I’d cut them down so short they would bleed and they looked tiny and more like children’s nails than a grown adults. Due to how often I cut them down, they didn’t get the chance to grow. This was down to my anxieties and I often cut them down to stop myself from chewing and biting them.

When I started going to my nail tech almost two years ago now, I wondered if getting my nails done with gel would be for me. Who knew it would be, eh? I bloody love my nails now and love seeing them look healthy, long and gorgeous all the time. I don’t have my nails long, because I do still like them neat and short. If I have them long, I end up chewing on them and the gel doesn’t last five minutes.

My friend Bintou (hey girl! :D) recently had her nails painted pretty much the same as mine, which in turn inspired me to go with some gorgeous fall colours for my recent mani! I love them so much and they’re definitely up there as some of my favourite nails! 😀

There we have it guys, my monthly favourites from September!

What were some of your favourite things last month? What are you looking forward to in October? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Roll on Halloween I say!!!

Until next time all, take care and I hope you have a great start to the month. 🙂

Japan Series – Where We Plan To Go

Hello and welcome to the second post of the Japan Series! I posted last month on my blog the exciting news about how me and Dane are FINALLY going to Japan in 2020. It still hasn’t sunk in, but almost daily we are talking about it and where we want to go, whether it be to visit, shop, eat and drink.

We are constantly asking people and researching. I thought I would share with my gorgeous readers where we are planning to go and why!

Image taken from Ghibli Museum website

• Ghibli Museum

This is a place I have wanted to visit ever since I heard about many years ago. I LOVE Studio Ghibli so much and alongside Elfen Lied it’s what actually got me into anime in the first place! I have fond memories of my dad and me watching Spirited Away one day after school during a rain storm outside. Years later I bought it on DVD and not long after me and Dane got together, I took the DVD to his house so we could watch it. I even want a tattoo of Haku on my bicep! It’s just a film I adore to the bottom of my heart. The museum apparently isn’t mind blowing, but I don’t care. I still plan to go! You have to book tickets a month in advance, so Dane has daily reminders a month before we’re off to Japan to book the tickets so we don’t miss out! I plan (if I’m allowed to do so!) to take loads of photos of the museum and possibly spend a little bit too much money in the gift shop. 😛

Image taken from teamLab Borderless website

Image taken from teamLab Planets website

• teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets

These gorgeous light museums are somewhere I have wanted to visit for quite some time now and I am so excited to finally have the chance to go when we visit Japan. I’m not a massive museum or art exhibition person… I can at times find them quite boring, but these interactive light installations look amazing. You can download an app to use alongside the experience, which I really like the look and sound of. You need to book in advance and from memory it said two months, so myself and Dane will be keeping our eyes peeled for when we can book!

Image taken from Sanrio Puroland website

• Sanrio Puroland

This is a place I’ve ummed about for ages because I really want to go, but I don’t know if I love Sanrio enough to… In the end however, I would really love to go! It looks like it’s a good day out to go and explore, see a couple of shows (maybe) and just go around the area. Of course there’s lots of shopping to be done throughout too. I say I don’t love Sanrio, but I do have a lot of memories with Sanrio. I remember back when I was coming towards the end of primary school and in my first couple of years of secondary school, I adored Sanrio and couldn’t get enough of it! I fell in love with Chococat, Cinnamoroll (alongside his friends Azuki, Milk, Chiffon, Espresso, Mocha and Cappuccino) who came out in the early 00’s and especially Pompompurin! The most recent character Aggretsuko is amazing and I adore her so much. The more I write and think about it, the more I really would like to go to Puroland whilst we’re in Japan!

• Nara Park to feed the deers!

This is somewhere in Japan I REALLY want to go to but I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not… Basically Nara Park is located in Nara, which is nearly 4 and a half hours away by train… Unless we get up really early and go to Nara for a day… I don’t know if we’ll be able to go or not. In Nara Park you can feed the deer that live there. They bow their heads for food and as a reward, you feed them. Both me and Dane love animals, so it’s something we would both love to do whilst we’re out there. I feel like Dane will sort it so we can go, but I’m worried it won’t be able to happen… We shall see! 🙂

Image taken from Kyoto Animation website

• Kyoto Animation

This isn’t somewhere me and Dane thought about going before the tragic arson attack that happened at Kyoto Animation on the morning of 18th July 2019. We LOVE loads of anime that has been released by Kyoto Animation such as K-ON!, Nichijo, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, A Silent Voice, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Violet Evergarden. It broke out hearts when we heard about what had happened to the studio and it still to this day upsets me. It hurts even more that the director of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid died in the attack of Kyoto Animation. This is by far one of my favourite anime and manga series to date and I know they had just started to work on a second season too. I want to go and pay my respects to be honest and I’m hoping that when we’re out in Japan, Kyoto Animation will have begun to rebuild and me and Dane will be able to see how it’s forming and growing again.

Image taken from Tokyo Skytree website

• Tokyo Skytree

This is somewhere I really do want to go to in Japan… However I am also shit scared. I’m not a massive fan of heights in all honesty and I especially hate using lifts. Of course, both of these need to be used when it comes to visiting the Tokyo Skytree. This being said I know Dane really wants to go and visit this whilst we’re in Japan and to be honest with you, I would hate to come back from our trip and think, “I wish we had gone and done it now.” So yes, I will suck it in and go! If anything whilst I will be scared, I know I’ll also love it!

Honestly guys, I could go on for hours about all the places in Japan that me and Dane plan to visit, but I could be here for ages and would definitely bore you all! 😛 These are the main places we plan to go and would love to go whilst we’re in Japan.

Our holiday STILL hasn’t sunk in for me and honestly, it won’t until we’re boarding the plane and I’m beginning to have a mini panic attack!

What do you think to the places both me and Dane would like to visit in Japan? Make sure to let us know in the comments and hey! Even suggest any if you’ve visited Japan yourselves!

Next time I plan to talk about food and drinks places we plan to visit, including cafes! 😀

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

 

Japan Series – We’re Going To Japan!

Image taken from GIPHY

This is a series I have spoken about starting for about a month now and finally I’m starting it! This series is one I didn’t know if I would ever write about, due to the fact some dreams just don’t seem like a reality.

However, me and Dane suddenly decided that enough was enough. Before we knew it we were approaching 6 months into 2019 and we hadn’t even come close to booking out dream holiday to Japan. No matter what we had decided we wanted to go in 2020 and that was that.

Before I go into any details leading up to booking our holiday, I want to talk a little bit about this new series on my blog and what you as the reader will come to expect from it each month.

Yes, it will be a monthly series and from what I can tell, it’s also going to be indefinite! This isn’t the first Japan series I’ve written on my blog, back in 2014 I decided to do a 4 part series about Japan, why I wanted to go as well as things to do with Japan that made the series what it was. I’ll link all 4 posts below so you can go and check them out. I know I gave them a read through whilst writing this post.

Japanese Series: Manga

Japanese Series: Asian Food

Japanese Series: Places To Visit (including Dane’s!)

Japanese Series: Studio Ghibli

Image taken from GIPHY

Not going to lie, I gave the manga post a read and it made me laugh at my younger self.

“As you can see from the above image, I own quite a lot of manga books so far, eight in total, seven from one manga series and one from another.”

Over 5 years have passed since I wrote that post in February 2014 and I own so much fucking more than that now. The seven books I own from one series is Nana – which I have already doubled on by now owning all 21 volumes. I could list all of the manga I now own but I would be here for ages and that’s for another post in the future.

I didn’t read the other three posts in detail but from skimming, not a whole lot has changed in terms of where both me and Dane would love to visit in Japan.

We’ve had dreams of going to Japan for a holiday in mind for all that time and now we are finally making it a reality. I still can’t believe it to be honest with you… It still hasn’t truly sunk in and I don’t think it will until I’m packing my bag for the holiday and getting on the plane for the 11-12 hour flight… That I am dreading.

Image taken from GIPHY

As excited as I am for my trip to one of the places I have dreamed of going for over 10 years, I am shit scared for the flight there and back from Japan. I hate flying at the best of times and that’s just with a 4 hour flight. I’m sure and know I’ll be okay, but nonetheless, I’m still really anxious.

I feel like I’ve rambled loads so far on this post and I do apologise for that… I just want to try and get as much into this post as I can! 😀

As this is the first post of many in this new Japan series, I want to basically lay it down what the future is going to be like for these posts.

I want to talk about what research me and Dane did before booking our holiday, including booking flights and hotel, as well as how we saved the monies and paid for the holiday. I’ll also be showing off loads of blogs and YouTubers who helped along the way without realising it.

Then I want to talk in posts about which places me and Dane are planning to go to, as well as book which will be for food mostly, as well as fun days out.

I just have so much stuff I want to talk about on this series and I am really excited for it!

I hope you guys are just as excited for this series as I am to write it for you all, as well as me.

What are you excited to read in these Japan series posts? Are you happy with seeing them once a month? Or would you like to see them twice a month instead? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, take care and I hope I haven’t bored you too much with this post. 😛

5th Anniversary

Yesterday was mine and Dane’s 5th anniversary and honestly, I don’t know where those 5 years have gone.

I know I’ve given you all the sop before but I just wanted to write about us here, because it’s nice and stuffs. 😛

We both met through POF (Plenty of Fish), which for those of you who live under a rock and don’t know, it’s a dating site. I remember an old friend telling me how she’d met guys through the website and had gotten loads of dates (even though she never went on any…) with guys.

A couple of months later in jest I was talking to my friend Jacqui about the website, and suggested we both give it a go. We set our profiles up and before we knew it we were ready to meet some guys! Urgh they were either grim, clingey and professing their love or just after a quick shag.

Then Dane messaged me, he was sweet and we had quite a lot in common. I remember my first comments were, “He’s ginger!” and “He’s from Coventry… Is that far from here?”

We spoke for a week via the website and then moved to texting as it was easier. Before long we were arranging out first date and met in Birmingham for drinks. From then on it was just date, date, date! We went to Milton Keynes a couple of days later for a second date and then after that a week later we met up for a shopping trip in Birmingham.

It must have been almost a month before and Dane decided to become a couple during a gig. It was lovely to be honest and was nice to wait a little before jumping it. I think we both knew though that we liked each other and wanted to make it work.

6 months later on my birthday we said those 3 little words and since then we’ve just been so in love and all that soppy shit!

For our first year together we went to Bristol for a long weekend. I loved it so much and it’s a city I have always wanted to visit again, but sadly just never have… Not for any real reasons why either to be honest with you.

That is until our fifth anniversary where we decided to head to Chedder Gorge for a couple of days before the weekend, which also involved a trip to Bristol, as well as a trip to Weston Super Mare.

Before I go into what we got up to, we gave each other our anniversary presents early as sadly we both knew what we’d bought one another. As we always do at Christmas, birthday’s and especially anniversary, we always gift each other a Nendoroid (or two!).

Kakashi Hatake on the left, Nana Ebina on the right.

Dane has recently started to collect the Naruto Nendoroids so it’s lovely that I could help towards that by buying him Kakashi Hatake.

Himouto! Umaru-chan is one of my favourite anime series! Dane bought me Umaru for Christmas in 2015. It’s lovely how nearly 3 years later I can now have her teamed up with Nana Ebina! 😀

I love the Nana Ebina Nendoroid so much! I especially love the little cat body pillow she comes with, which is unbelievably soft!

This year I bought Dane Kakashi Hatake from Naruto and Dane bought me Nana Ebina from Himouto! Umaru-chan.

Sadly I didn’t manage to get a picture of Kakashi Hatake in his box, Dane got him out as soon as he received him and was playing around with his positions, etc. So I decided to show pictures of them in our Nendoroid cabinet instead! I hope you like them! We always try and make our Nendoroids look as happy and “realistic” as possible, all whilst looking cute!

The week before me and Dane broke up from work for our week off together, he booked us a 2 night stay in Webbington at a hotel and spa. It wasn’t a surprise but due to how busy I was at work the day he was booking it I didn’t realise until I got home that he had booked it!

We had originally planned to go to the Lake District and Scotland for a long weekend, but ended up cancelling that due to money. So after I suggested going to Bristol for a long weekend Dane found somewhere a drive away from Bristol and everywhere else we wanted to go.

I was a mixture of excited and nervous. Since leaving my old job I am always conscious and worried about money now so the thought of going away did worry me… Only because of money though!

The hotel didn’t cost us a lot due to Dane’s nights he’d saved up with Hotels.com, so in total we only paid £55 altogether for the 2 nights!

I hadn’t worn my Lumpy Space Princess Black Milk Clothing dress for the longest time, so I decided to team it up with my rainbow cardigan (which you can read about here) as well as my new Eevee doughnut pin badge from Ohayou! Clothing’s Patreon (which I’ve linked here). I felt so kawaii and cute! 😀 Sadly/thankfully I got zero comments on my outfit, which made me a tad sad considering.

Before going to the hotel though, we decided to stop off in Bristol first for a look around the shops and for some lunch. To think we went into Bristol to buy stuff we couldn’t get at home, but alas we ventured into Primark and as sad as it sounds I loved the Bristol Primark! It’s the biggest one I’ve been into to date and as it’s space out over 4 floors, there’s so much room to look around everything and not feel claustrophobic. Dane bought himself some gym/running gear, I grabbed a swimming costumes for the pool at the spa, as well as a pair of mustard yellow joggers (which make me look like the main character from Kill Bill!) and a Lady and The Tramp nightshirt, which I am BEYOND excited to wear!

Before that however we popped to Three Brothers Burgers for lunch. We discovered it the first time we went to Bristol for our first anniversary and we fell in love with the place. I’d talk loads about it here but I want to write A WHOLE REVIEW on the place on a separate blog post! For now I’ll link their website here so you can take a peek for yourselves.

I am so happy that we went to Bristol for the afternoon for various reasons, the main one being how much it reminded us of our first year together and how we celebrated it there. Bristol will always have a huge place in my heart due to that. Not only that, but it made me and Dane realise how Bristol isn’t THAT far away from Birmingham and we’ve already decided that we will go there more for days out. We’re already planning to go there for the second instalment of Gromit Unleashed with some friends!

After we’d had enough we headed to our hotel, which was gorgeous but kind of in the middle of nowhere. We had expected a village within walking distance so we could walk to a local pub for drinks, but sadly this wasn’t the case. The hotel did have a bar, but it just wasn’t what we were expecting. The spa in there was also lovely, but with how tired we were after each day we didn’t want to use it, which again is such a shame as that was the sole purpose for booking this one in the first place. But if you wanted to go in the pool and then to the steam room and sauna, you needed to walk through the gym to get from one to the other and you’d have to dry off beforehand. It didn’t make sense. Plus when we were having a guided tour I felt awkward standing in front of the sauna and steam room with half naked men sat staring at me.

So yeah, big no no! We also contemplated booking massages each, but these cost between £25-£50 and whilst I probably spent that money shopping today, I didn’t feel like wasting it on a massage. I also didn’t know whether you had to call the lady to book to do it, or go to the hotel desk and they’d sort it. I’ll just look at my local college for some cheap beauty treatments soon.

Thursday evening we were shattered and fell to sleep relatively early, ready for an early start the next day!

We got up bright and early, got washed and dressed and headed out for breakfast before going to Cheddar Gorge to explore the caves, as well as the village. I dressed in my gorgeous Midnight Owl dress by Black Milk Clothing. I love this dress so much and since buying it I’ve already worn it loads.

It didn’t take long for us to drive to Cheddar and walk through Cheddar Gorge! I’d never really heard about it before and it was all Dane’s idea to go! I was somewhat anxious walking through the caves, but I put this down to my anxiety and claustrophobia. I was okay though and I actually really enjoyed being able to see inside the caves and how they’ve formed over thousands of years!

Afterwards we popped around the museum over the road and walked up hundreds of steps, only to be left feeling shattered and achey! We deserved an afternoon cream tea. 😛 Well, Dane did! I shared half of the plain scone he had with my cup of coffee. The picture isn’t showing it, but it was such a gorgeous and sunny afternoon! Soon after we had a mooch around the shops, which also included buying a slush puppy, we walked back to the car and headed to our next destination, Wookey Hole!

It didn’t take long to head over to Wookey Hole and I’d never been before, or even heard of it! It was nice to see Dane talk to fondly of it from when he visited it with his family as a child. It was incredibly sweet and I can understand why from my own experience.

Wookey Hole was different than I thought it was going to be. It wasn’t as open as Cheddar Gorge was and due to that my anxiety was quite bad at some parts of the the tour. We went around a dozen, if not more caves and to get through from some to others you had to duck right down to get under, this in itself scared me a little bit, but when you got across the other side and saw the whole cave, it was amazing! There was one area where you had to walk across metal bridges (safe by the way!) to get through one cave to the next. This is where I was incredibly anxious and urgh, when you’re surrounded by people and you feel like that it can really suck! If you’re claustrophobic then Wookey Hole might not be for you, but looking back it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

Sadly we never took any pictures but near the gift shop there were LOADS of old games and arcade machines, which even included some rude photo viewers. Me and Dane had a go at the one for shits and giggles and it was pretty funny! It was only a woman taking off her clothes, as in she’s just got in from a busy day out and she wants that bra off! 😛 You know that feeling ladies. Anyway, it was such a laugh either way and we really enjoyed looking around all the old arcade machines. We also had a go at doing the mirror maze together, as well as looking at our funny reflections in the fun house mirrors. I haven’t seen them for the longest time, probably not for a good 18 years now!

After Wookey Hole we did contemplate going home to freshen up and then head to Weston-super-mare but we just ended up heading straight there, which was a good thing because we hit SO MUCH TRAFFIC and we were pretty hungry too. We’d planned to head to the beach for some fish and chips, get an ice cream and maybe play on some arcades. The only things that happened were the first two.

We walked around for ages as I couldn’t believe that the beach was pretty much all Weston had to offer and that looked rubbish as it wasn’t the best weather. We eventually grabbed something to eat, which was lovely but I was constantly on edge that a seagull may steal my dinner! We didn’t have an issue thankfully, but a family near us certainly did! We don’t quite know what happened but at one point the family had left a full pack of chips on the wall and the seagulls were literally all attacking at it for what was inside! All you could hear was the father shouting, “GRAB IT! QUICKLY! COME ON HURRY UP!” Me and Dane sat there giggling our heads off!

We sat for a while on the beach after we’d eaten out food and just chilled. We sadly didn’t take any pictures whilst in Weston and I’m glad as it was crap there. It looked so miserable and yeah. I was gutted in all honesty about going there as it wasn’t what I remembered it to be when I was a kid. It reminded me of a shitty holiday area for British tourists. It did however inspire me to write a teen novel again, which I’ll get around to at some point.

Eventually we moved on from the beach and went in search of ice cream! For a £1 I had the best ice cream ever in Weston and it took me aggggges to finish it! Just the thought of it is making me want another one. 😛

After we’d eaten our ice creams it was time to head back to the hotel. We’d seen enough of Weston to last us a life time. The only thing that I’d go back for is if there was a special event on there… Probably one involving loads of food. 😛

That evening we just chilled out together watching YouTube videos. We had planned to go for a swim together but we were both far too tired for that. Plus we wanted to be up nice and early to check out and go for breakfast.

Dane had researched where we could go for breakfast in Cribbs Causeway and he discovered they had a Frankie & Benny’s. The plan was made and we went to sleep.

The next morning we did indeed get up bright and early and got ready to leave. It was quite sad leaving as whilst I wasn’t a massive fan of the spa facilities anyway, I was gutted that we hadn’t taken advantage of them. The hotel was lovely but the walls were also pretty thin. On the Friday night we could hear every word of the people’s television next to us. We could also hear people walking outside of our room and most of the floorboards creaked around the hotel. This being said, our room was gorgeous and we actually had the best one in the hotel, aka the supreme suite! I felt special knowing that to be honest with you. We also had the best shower in the world, a waterfall shower or whatever they’re called! I was anxious to use it at first as I didn’t want to get my hair wet, but now I want to get one myself! Me and Dane have added it to our, “perfect bathroom” wish list! 😛

I decided to wear a Lady and The Tramp sweater I’d recently bought from Depop, (which you will see on a future post VERY soon!) with my new yellow joggers from Primark. I was super comfortable but my only flaw with the joggers are that there’s no pockets in them. Very sad times. Not going to lie, I actually love the second picture of me as a potential new profile picture for on here! Let me know what you think. 😉

We headed to Cribbs Causeway but we’ve only been once and the place is HUGE! It reminds me of a shopping mall by me but I feel like this place is just way bigger. Due to getting “lost” amongst all the shops we didn’t go to Frankie & Bennys, because we couldn’t find it! It would have meant driving all the way there, to drive all the way back and it just wasn’t worth it, sadly.

Instead we went to Patisserie Valerie for breakfast and it was so lovely! Dane had pancakes with fruit and I have scrambled egg, salmon and toast. It was amazing and kept us both full up until past dinner time.

We ventured around the shops for a while and I knew the one place I wanted to head into was the Gromit Unleashed shop. I knew I wanted to pick something up from here as we never did 4 years previous when we’d ventured there. Now me and Dane own our own home we’ve become that type of couple where tea towels become pretty good souvenirs! I was also going to pick up a pen and a notebook, but I have plenty of those already. This pink tea towel doesn’t really match our red, white and black kitchen but who gives a fuck! You have a live a little. 😛 This was pretty decent in price so I’m glad I picked it up. It’s now washed and as soon as it’s dry, it’ll be in my kitchen and ready to use!

The next shop we ventured into was Cath Kidston. Over the past year I’ve really fallen in love with the store and their cute and vintage inspired designs. What caused me to fall in love with them was their Disney 101 Dalmatians collection which I bought a notebook from… I regret not buying more!

Since then I haven’t bought anything else from there, until today! I only went in for a nose in case they had any 101 Dalmatians goodies left, or even any cute guinea pigs items from the Pets Party collection. I discovered something even better, fox designs from their recent Park Wildlife collection!

It was Dane who noticed all the cute fox stuff I picked up from the store! It started with a pillow he spotted, which sadly I didn’t buy and slightly regret it… I’m going to keep my eye on it on the website!

I’ve been in need of a trinket dish for the past 6 months now and although I’ve ummed and ahhed at many, I’ve never picked one up because it didn’t say me! I nearly bought one yesterday when I was in Wookey Hole because it was an awesome Pingu one.

If I had of picked it up, I wouldn’t have this awesome little fox one, which is definitely more me! It fits all my jewellery perfectly and also looks adorable whilst doing so.

Finally and Dane noticed it when I was waiting by the till, but it’s this gorgeous tray with all the wildlife animals on it, especially that cute little fox. This is for our living room table to keep things organised on it. At the moment we have our sippy cup on it, television and soundbar remotes and our Xbox One and PS4 controllers. I also suggested how we can also use it for mornings when someone makes morning coffee. It’s very sturdy and I am so glad I bought this!

After we’d had enough of looking around the shops we decided it was finally time to head home.

Although I had a lovely couple of relaxing and adventurous days with Dane, I was so glad to be back home and just relax and chill.

We spent the evening doing our own thing, me doing some blog work and Dane playing some games. We cuddled and relaxed together this evening whilst E3 2018 kicked off with EA and we had some dinner.

We both had such a lovely time together celebrating out fifth anniversary and if anything it’s taught us a few things…

• We still want a puppy/dog to take with us for adventures.
• We love Bristol STILL and can’t wait to go there again for both days out AND Gromit Unleashed 2.
• Three Brothers Burgers are still the best.
• Weston is a shit hole, but the food is spot on.
• Next time we book a spa hotel, we MEAN WE WANT A SPA HOTEL.
• And finally, we really want a waterfall shower.

I apologise that there aren’t any pictures of me and Dane in this post, I want to keep those private for us two. We don’t really take pictures together much another so the couple of gems that we took I want for just me and Dane.

I hope everyone has had a great week though and especially a great start to the weekend! I’m back at work on Monday and whilst I’ll miss lazy mornings in bed and days spent sat in my bed playing games and writing blog posts, I will be glad to be back at work!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekends.

Fuerteventura Favourites

This is going to be like a monthly favourites style post, but instead 2 weeks worth of favourite items and from the island! As well as that it’ll be a mixture of beauty and lifestyle related items that I loved using and enjoying whilst I was away.

I would have included these on my October Favourites post at the start of next month, but I already know for a fact that I’ll have loads of things on that list already and these wouldn’t even get a look in!

A couple of these items have been left in Fuerteventura so due to that I’ve had to use stock images to show off what they are.

Let’s get on with the favourites though, starting with beauty!

Beauty

Image taken from Amazon.co.uk

• Babaria Foot Cream.

My feet really were bad when we were on holiday and they usually are to be perfectly honest due to how dry my skin is as well as how the sea and sand were drying out my feet too. This foot cream said to apply it both day and night, so I applied it before I went to bed and first thing when I woke up. It helped in a short matter of time and I guess I’m just gutted I couldn’t bring it  back with me, especially with how good it worked on my feet! This being said when I was looking for a picture of the product to put on here I delightfully found out that Amazon UK sell this! So I may pick one up when I’ve used my Body Shop Intensive Foot Rescue.

Image taken from Amazon.co.uk

• L’Oreal Hair Expertise Sleek Smooth Intense Shampoo.

This is the shampoo I always use when I got to Fuerteventura and it really did work wonders for my hair whilst I was there. It made it feel so light and moisturised. I loved it so much I had a search for it when I got home to buy and thankfully I found it in Superdrug! I haven’t used it here yet, but a part of me can’t wait to, as sad as that sounds. I’ve been using sulphate free shampoo for about a year now and it really has improved my hair, I’ll never got back to normal shampoo now!

• Skinnydip X Carmex Cherry Lip Balm.

I picked this lip balm up the day before we went on holiday as whilst I have Vaseline, that doesn’t contain any SPF. I wanted to make sure to pick up one that did so I grabbed this whilst in Superdrug. I love Carmex, especially the cherry flavour and this contains SPF 15 too which is perfect! I used this constantly on holiday, both day and night. I did find however in the day time that this would sting the part above my top lip in the day time, which makes me wonder if it’s due to the sun being really hot and 15 not being a high enough number. I didn’t burn though, so who knows! I’m still using this now we’re back and I still love it just as much!

• Essence Out Of Space Nail Polish in shade Intergalactic Adventure.

I picked up this nail polish the day before we went on holiday and although it’s just a bog standard nail polish but it’s so pretty and for the price it’s a complete bargain! I remember when higher brands such as OPI and Nails Inc brought out polishes like this for five times the price! I painted my nails with it before we went and wore it a couple of times whilst we were there. It was especially lovely to wear when swimming in the pool. I want to pick up more of the shades from the collection!

• Barry M Matte Me Up Metallic Lip Kit in Avant Garde.

This is another product I picked up before the holiday and it was my most worn lipstick throughout the holiday. I only wore it in the evenings of course as this is such a dark colour! It’s not at all a holiday type shade, at least not one you associate with holidays anyway. It’s a dark purple shade and the metallic in it shifts the purple to a slight gold colour. Due to it being part of a kit you also get the lip liner, which is amazing too! I’ll be reviewing this really soon on my blog and I cannot wait! This is a gorgeous shade for autumn and winter, especially teamed up with a mustard jumper or dress.

Games

• Miitopia.

The night before we went on holiday I ended up downloading the demo of this to see if it was worth the fuss it was getting. That and it’s meant to be like Tomodachi Life, which both me and Dane love! I fell in love with the demo and downloaded it as soon as possible! It was ready in time for the day of our flight and I played it loads on the plane, as well as pretty much most mornings and/or evenings in the house. Dane loved the look of it so much that he bought it whilst we was on holiday to play with me. Sadly neither of us have played it since we’ve been back, but I’m sure we’ll pick it up soon.

• Pokemon Silver.

Oh all the nostalgic feels this game brings me! I loved the first gen of Pokemon, but gen two holds more of a place in my heart, so when I heard Nintendo were bringing this out on the 3DS I was beyond excited! I pre-ordered it the day before we went on holiday and downloaded it ready to play the day it came out, two days after we arrived. I played it loads the one day and since then I’ve picked it up once. This is mainly due to playing loads of Miitopia! I’ll be playing it more now as I really want to play it and complete it to the level my original Game Boy Color game was at.

• Persona 4 Golden.

This is a game that I didn’t start playing until the day we came home. We flew with Monarch… Do I need to say anymore? 😛 We were in the airport for 7 hours so I needed something to do! I got my PS Vita out and played this for about an hour and played it for half of the flight home. Since then I’ve picked it up a couple of times to play and I’m really enjoying it! I still haven’t finished Persona 5 though, so I won’t invest loads of time into this until Persona 5 is finished.

Book

• Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella.

If I’ve really enjoyed reading a book in such a long time, it was most definitely this one! I’ve wanted it since Sophie Kinsella released it and it was better than I thought it was going to be. It’s about Audrey and how she suffers with anxiety disorders due to something that happened at school. It’s really well written and clearly researched before writing about. As usual Sophie Kinsella writes her characters so realistic that I want to be their best friends. If you haven’t read it yet and love young adult mental health related novels, please do!

Music

Image taken from https://dainumo.bandcamp.com/album/suited

• Dai Numo – Suited album.

Oh man I LOVE this album so much I can’t even put into words how much I love it to be honest! It was the perfect album to play whilst in the pool, driving around the island and on the flight there and back. My favourite track is One Digit, which is how I discovered Dai Numo in the first place! I’ve linked where to get his album under the picture of it, but I’ll also link where you can listen to his music on Soundcloud here. Other than this album we didn’t really listen to much whilst we were on holiday.

Food & Drink

• Nescafe Frappelatte.

These are a real treat whenever I go to Fuerteventura and I just wish so much that we could get them here! They’re really thick coffee milkshakes that are made in a machine just like a Slush Puppy. They’re not expensive and you can get all sorts of different toppings such as cream, chocolate sauce, ice cream and even a Kit Kat. I wish I’d been naughty and drank more of these whilst we were away, but we had one as a treat whenever we’d been swimming at the beach or out for the day. It’s a lovely treat to have, like a Slush Puppy I guess. 😛

• Fanta/Clipper Fresa.

I don’t quite understand why we don’t have strawberry Fanta in the UK because it’s bloody amazing! I gave Clipper a go too as they did a zero version. I didn’t drink loads of this (I’ve definitely drank more in the past!) but it was so refreshing to drink and incredibly yummy. It was just nice to have on the balcony in the day time and as a drink to pick up and have whilst down at the beach or out on a walk. We really need this in the UK though, only through Five Guys at stupid prices is lame.

• Nutella B-Ready.

These ARE in the UK and they’re fucking beautiful! I didn’t realise we could get these at home, but on the night we arrived we popped to the shops and picked a box up. I popped them in the fridge so that the chocolate inside would go hard and it was really nice done like that. These were a night treat in the day time after going for a swim in the pool and in the evenings if we fancied something sweet! Since we’ve been home we’ve bought a box of them from Asda, but they aren’t exactly cheap. Tesco have them on offer right now so me and Dane intend to buy LOADS! 😛 I’ve been eating them in the mornings before work to give me a little something for the day.

So those are my favourites from Fuerteventura, but in reality everything was my favourite thing there. 😛

Do you always seem to have favourite items when you’re on holiday? If you do what were your favourite items from your last holiday? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

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

Fall for this Autumnal Home Décor

So, before I begin, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Hayley, a professional freelance Copywriter and Content Writer who absolutely loves blogging (and home décor, as you’ll soon find out)! Therefore, when I came across Nat’s tweet explaining that she needs guest bloggers to fill in for her whilst she’s on holiday, I jumped at the opportunity. I enjoyed reading her clothing wish lists, so decided to do something similar for homeware, because who doesn’t love a fancy cushion or two? Just me? Anyway, I’ll stop rambling now and get into the post:

*

Whilst I’m going to miss the warmer weather and bright evenings, we’re now officially on the second day of Autumn, so it’s time to embrace the new season with open arms. The beautiful orange leaves, the cosy clothes, and copious amounts of hot chocolate definitely make it easier to say goodbye to Summer (plus, it’s almost Hallowe’en).

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a home decoration enthusiast – any opportunity to give my home a fresh, new look is welcomed in my books. I always think that changing seasons are perfect times to add little pieces that reflect the weather, either through using different colours, patterns, or even textures. The best part about this is you certainly don’t have to break the bank to do it!

Before I began writing this post, I got thinking about what I associate with the season because it’s always useful to have a ‘theme’ which will ensure that all the pieces look good together. I’ve compiled a little list below which helped me to find the items I included, so, should you want to look for more yourself, you’ll have something to refer to:

– Rustic wood
– ‘Earthy’ tones (think burnt orange, brown, mustard yellow)
– Leaf patterns
– Rough textures

So, let’s take a look at some pieces you’ll fall for this Autumn (get it… fall? Okay, sorry).

Yankee Candle in ‘Brilliant Autumn’

How much more perfect could the name of this candle be? It’s a must for any Autumn lover who wants to bring a little bit of the woodlands indoors. To me, there’s nothing cosier than having some beautiful smelling candles burning on the coffee table whilst you relax on the weekend! Plus, it’s a gorgeous orange colour that will complement the other items in this list (any other home décor enthusiasts will agree that this is very important).

Image taken from fragrancedirect.co.uk

Item: Large Yankee Candle (Brilliant Autumn)
Shop: Fragrance Direct
Price: £14.50

Cosy blanket

When updating your home décor, you can’t go wrong with a big, fluffy blanket. The neutral ‘mink’ tone of this one from Wilko means that you can mix ‘n’ match it with a range of different colour schemes throughout the year (because, let’s be real, the UK is chilly around 80% of the time). I personally love the soft ‘waffle’ texture on this as it prevents the blanket from being too plain, but it won’t clash with other patterns!

Image taken from wilko.com

Item: Waffle Throw (Mink)
Shop: Wilko
Price: £16

Burnt orange cushions (bonus points if they incorporate a tartan pattern)

Dunelm are currently selling these statement tartan cushions in a perfect earthy, burnt orange shade (though they do offer lots of other colours if you’d prefer to mix it up). The tweed texture also gives it a lovely rustic feel that provides your home with instant cosy-factor fit for a pub in the countryside. Cushions are a great way to instantly change the colour scheme in your living room as they’re much larger than some of the other items on this list, but still relatively inexpensive!

Image taken from dunelm.com

Item: Tweed Woven Cushion (Terracotta/Orange)
Shop: Dunelm
Price: £14

Wicker hearts (or any shape you want)

Sometimes, just having random little knick-knacks in your house can make it feel more like a home. You can grab this set of three wicker hearts for under £10 on Amazon* (bargain!), and have them delivered next day if you’re a Prime member. The adorable gingham ribbon and rustic wood texture also give it a little extra bit of detail that screams ‘Autumn’.

Image taken from amazon.co.uk

Item: Large Rustic Wicker Heart Decorations
Shop: Amazon
Price: £9*

Cute Mugs

Whilst these are more functional items than decorative ones, they still make the list, because what else are you going to drink hot chocolate from whilst you sit in your newly-decorated living room? I’m a sucker for anything with a cute animal design plastered on it, so I just had to include these Fairmont & Main bone china mugs from Amazon. I love how autumnal the design is, from the range of beautiful colours, right down the leaf print. Ahh, let’s get the kettle on!

Image taken from amazon.co.uk

Item: Fairmont & Main Bone China Mug (Orange)
Shop: Amazon
Price: £4.99

So, there you go – updating your living room on a budget is easy (and fun)! What will you be adding to your home this Autumn? Let us know!

*

Psst, if you enjoyed this post, you can find more of me (and my company, DTM Copywriting) here:
Website (including my blog): http://dtmcopywriting.co.uk/
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @dtmcopywriting
Email: hayley.andrews@dtmcopywriting.co.uk

*Please note that prices on Amazon are subject to change.

I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Hayley for writing this post! She was such a joy to talk to via Twitter and email and was so professional and lovely at the same time. It’s made me so excited for when I come back from Fuerteventura to have a mooch around the shops for some lovely autumn editions to add into our home this year!

What items do you like buying as the season changes from summer to autumn? Please make to sure to let me and Hayley know in the comments!

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re doing well!

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.

Pretty Little Thing Clothing – A Rant

First of all, I’m sorry I’ve been away from my blog for a week today. You know what though? It is probably one of the first times I haven’t written sweet fuck all for my blog and not given a shit. That sounds really negative but I’m actually glad I didn’t. Instead of writing or even thinking about what to write I was chilling out with Dane playing games with some work friends and binge watching TV shows and films on Netflix.

Today’s post is one I knew I would write about as soon as I experienced the poor customer service with Pretty Little Thing. I feel bad outing them, but at the same time I don’t because the experience I had with them is something that NEEDS to be shared. I don’t want anyone else to go through the shit I have.

I want to first of all say that the issue I had/have STILL hasn’t been resolved and it has been over a week now.

I also want to say that although I have had an appalling experience with Pretty Little Thing the first time (and only time!) I shopped with them, it doesn’t mean everyone will. I’ll elaborate on this however…

I can’t remember which blogger or YouTuber I heard about Pretty Little Thing from but I had never heard anything bad about the brand before. I had a nose on their website for some stuff I could order for the holiday and I can’t remember how I did but I stumbled across some rainbow high-waisted shorts. I immediately fell in love with them but was so undecided about whether to order them or not. In the end I did as I knew they’d be great for the holiday in both the daytime and the evening, as well as for evenings out with Dane in the UK.

I decided to order a size up due to them being high-waisted and not really knowing what the sizes were like with Pretty Little Thing. On their website they were advertising about £1.00 next day delivery, which usually costs about £5.00. “Great I can get them tomorrow!” I thought to myself. There was a timer for it and I had about 5 minutes to order these shorts with the cheap next day delivery. So I add the shorts to my cart, put in all my information, the code for the offer and whatever else you do when ordering stuff online.

I payed through PayPal, fine the next day delivery offer was on there and everything, but oh wait, what’s this? It charged me for the bloody full price delivery! I found out through a sodding email from both PayPal and Pretty Little Thing.

Annoyed about how I’ve just been cheated my offer I took to Twitter to contact Pretty Little Thing about the issue. I tweeted them, I messaged them, I even did the same on their special customer service Twitter account (which hasn’t even been active for a month! :S). Have I heard back from either accounts? HAVE I FUCK.

Image taken from Pretty Little Thing official Twitter account

When you go onto the Pretty Little Things Twitter page the first thing you will see is a pink picture of them telling you how their customer service is down. This has been there since the start of August. At the time of writing this rant/post there are 55 replies to this image, including one of my own of people complaining about things. All sorts of things.

Same as me where they have been charged for something they shouldn’t have, people not receiving their parcels even though someone has “signed for them”, returns needing to be sent back but not being able to due to messages not being replied to and many more.

People have also stated how long they’ve been waiting for from one week, to almost a month. It’s pretty appalling really. I understand that they CLEARLY have some customer service issues right now, but when I had a look on Google about this obvious issue it appears to have gone on for ages now. It’s pretty bad.

It made me worry though from reading all the negative comments from shoppers about whether my shorts would even arrive! I mean I paid for next day delivery, I fucking expected it. I worried they wouldn’t arrive and if they didn’t, who would I have moaned to about it? NO ONE!

Luckily they arrived the day after and when I tried them on I was so gutted at first. They didn’t fit how I expected them to and they felt really tight. I was disappointed but I didn’t want to send them back due to the bullshit that everyone else had been through with the customer service, including what I had already been through. I sat smug and miserable for ages about it. It made me wonder if I had put on weight and feel crap. Then later on when I felt better I tried them on again and they felt better.

Every time I tried them on they felt better and still a week on they feel better every time I put them on. So I AM happy with the shorts! I really am! Even though they could be a bit baggier. I actually love this outfit that I put together with them and will probably wear stuff like this in the UK as well as possibly on holiday in the chilly evenings.

Do you know what pissed me off more though? Not the fact that I was charged more for the delivery than I expected, not even the fact that I’ve still to this day been ignored by customer service (when it clearly shows on my Twitter messages that they’ve seen my message!) BUT that they had a FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY code on their sodding Twitter page.

It has just made me feel like a complete mug and to be honest it still does. They have promotional codes all over the place for all sorts of things. I do feel like it’s a catch to get you to pay more for the delivery. I know this could just be me being annoyed about what happened, but something doesn’t add up.

Although I love the shorts I bought I definitely won’t be buying from from Pretty Little Thing ever again. Their shitty customer service and their shoddy past with it has just put me off. I work in customer service myself so I know what good service should be like. I didn’t even get an apology for the wait BECAUSE MY ISSUE STILL HASN’T BEEN DEALT WITH.

Do I care if Pretty Little Thing reads this post? Do I fuck. Read it and learn from it because you really need to sort out your shoddy customer service issues. It shouldn’t take at least 2 months to sort things out for people who have trusted to buy from you.

Good luck is all I can say.

Have you shopped with Pretty Little Thing? If so have you had issues? What sorts of issues if any? Share any rubbish customer service stories too! I love to hear about them.

I do apologise for the rant, but as a blogger I sometimes feel it’s my duty to write good reviews as well as bad ones.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re all well!

This Or That: Summer Tag

Image taken from weheartit.com

I know we’re still in summer for well over a month BUT before we know it summer will be over, so I thought I would take part in this tag today before I NEVER get the chance to!

I found it over on lifethroughtsg which is run by Hayley. She didn’t tag me in taking part but I will anyway. I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend and Sunday. I’ve just had an amazing Lush bath. Enjoy the tag and make sure to take part yourself if you enjoy reading my answers.

1. Ocean or Pool
I like both to be honest for different reasons. When I went to Fuerteventura with Dane for the first time it was also the first time I went into the ocean properly and I actually really loved it! I’d probably choose ocean over pool though to be honest.

2. Beach Vacation or Wilderness
Definitely beach vacation! I’ve done wilderness before but I didn’t like it that much. I found that I couldn’t wait to get back home and I don’t want to feel like that when I’m supposed to be getting away.

3. Watermelon or Strawberries
Neither! Allergic to watermelon and I can’t stand strawberries.

4. Bikini or 1-piece
Bikini! At least you can get a tan on your tummy in one. 😛

5. Lemonade or Iced Tea
Iced tea!

Image taken from weheartit.com

6. Hotdogs… grilled or over a fire
Either way as long as they’re cooked. 😛

7. Hat or Sunglasses
Sunglasses.

8. Windows Down or AC all the way
Windows open, I want to hear all the sounds whilst driving.

9. Tanning Lotion or Sunscreen
What’s the difference? Anything that keeps me protected from the sun and gets me a tan all in one.

10. Baseball Game or Concert
Concert!

11. Ice Cream or Popsicle
Depends on the mood I’m in really. Usually opt for ice cream though in this country and ice lollies in Fuerteventura.

Image taken from weheartit.com

12. Fireworks or Fireflies
Fireworks usually but if I could see fireflies for a night I would love that.

13. Flip Flops or Bare Feet
Depends on the mood but definitely flip flops.

14. Water Balloons or Squirt Guns
Squirt guns are definitely more fun. 😛

So those are my answers for the summer this and that quiz! I really enjoyed giving it a go whilst I chilled out after my bath. I can’t believe that in just over a months time we’ll be into autumn weather. This year is going by so quickly!

Tell me, what’s your favourite and your least favourite thing about summer? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

I tag EVERYONE who reads this tag to give it a go! 😀 I’ll also be tagging a few of my favourite blogger beauties over on Twitter too so keep your eyes peeled for that.

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

Currently #10

It’s July and it has also been WAY TOO LONG since I last wrote a currently list! List number 9 was way back in March. It honestly feels like yesterday when I was writing that one which I’ll also link here if you want to go and check it out! 😀

Due to the minor issues that have come up on my blog with Photobucket (which I wrote about recently here) not allowing my images to show anymore (IN MY HEAD IT’S ACTUALLY A FUCKING CAR CRASH AND I’M BURNING…) I’m trying to quickly get a blog post out there for you awesome lot!

It’s my day off and I could easily say I have done sod all, but I’ve actually done LOADS of housework and had to pop out with Dane this afternoon to run some errands and get the McFlurry that I’ve been craving for God knows how long (FYI before anymore suggests, no I am not pregnant. I’m just a fat bitch and love ice cream. :P) so that was pretty awesome, especially considering how hot it is today.

So now after playing Persona 5 for a couple of hours and cooking me and Dane dinner I’m now sat at the computer with every window open, my headphones on and my random playlist of music on.

Let’s get on with currently number 10! 😀

Watching – I can’t honestly say I’ve watched anything major recently. Me and Dane finished RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9 and my girl Sasha Velour won, which I was so damn happy and proud of! She definitely did the best throughout the competition in my opinion so I’m just so chuffed. Me and my best friend Gabriella have already said we’ll be going to see her live when she comes to the UK. Oh man I cannot wait for that day! We also finished watching Attack on Titan season 2 and it was fucking amazing! I didn’t feel bored at all throughout and if anything was on the edge of my seat after every single episode. Dane is up to date on the manga series at the moment which is quite far ahead of the anime, so after every episode ended I would turn to him and ask him to explain what’s going on and what will happen next. I won’t talk too much about it as I know whilst a lot of UK fans have watched it, I also know some who read my blog and haven’t. I don’t want to spoil any of it for you lovely lot, just hurry up and watch it already! 😉

Image taken from Netflix

A show we did binge watch last month however was GLOW, which is a Netflix exclusive show created by the same people at Orange is The New Black, which we also binge watched last month and for your information, Piper still annoys the fuck out of me. ANYWAY! GLOW is about the Glamorous Women of Wresting and is set in the 80’s. From looking for a gif for this post I discovered that this was an ACTUAL thing in the 80’s, which I think is pretty cool! At first I wasn’t sure if I would like the show as the trailer didn’t really do it any justice after watching. I also worried I would dislike the main character Ruth. She’s an aspiring actress who can’t seem to get a break and a role that she so badly wants. That is until she joins GLOW. Some other stuff happens along the show and it just makes the show great! My favourite character by far is Sam, who is the director of GLOW. He’s got a sarcastic and dry sense of humour which I love so damn much. At times I just wanted to reach into the screen and pat him on the back… and maybe a cuddle. They’ve already announced a season 2 by the looks of it and judging by how season 1 ended it needs to have another season! I cannot wait to be honest as I already know it’ll be amazing. I already miss all the characters.

Reading – I’ve really not been reading as much as I used to and instead have replaced that with playing Persona 5 and focusing loads of my blog. This is also mainly due to manga series I’m reading being finished or having to wait for new volumes to come out. I did however recently buy Your Name (Kimi no Na wa in Japanese) manga, to coincide with the anime movie with the same name. I finished the first volume recently and it is amazing! I’m really excited to read the rest as they have added a little more to the manga than they did in the anime. I also recently bought volume 3 of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. I really love the manga as again, it is telling  more of a story than the anime did. Volume 3 also appears to introduce a new dragon that watchers of the anime won’t have seen yet! Other than that, that is all I have read recently. I still have K-ON! to read but I want to save those for my holiday. I can’t see this happening however. 😛

Listening – I haven’t really listened to any new albums lately, not even the new cKy album, which I have shocked myself with! Sadly I just haven’t felt like I’ve had time to sit down and properly listen to it. I might however get Dane to download it tomorrow if not over the weekend for us to listen to together after I finish work over the weekend.

I have found myself listening to loads of anime and game music however, which I’m loving! One of the opening songs from Gintama has stuck in my head and I love it so much! There is a full version of this song but I thought I’d just show the one from the actual opening. This is an anime Dane has been watching so when I heard this song I instantly fell in love with the chorus. It’s just so damn catchy and sounds so positive. Also as weeabo as this sounds, Gintama is a little itty bitty titty hot. xD

Otherwise any other music I’ve been listening to lately has been a mixture of Nirvana, Daft Punk and random bits and pieces on both my YouTube account and on my iPod.

Eating – Mmm food huh? I haven’t really been eating properly lately due to my mental health acting up. I find if anything I’ve not eaten anything special and just binging on carbs, but that’s the norm for me! 😛 Me and Dane have eaten less takeaways lately which is great of course! 😛

Me and Dane did recently visit an amazing milkshake and waffle place with our friends Lee and Sam and it was amazing. I went for a Ferraro Roche waffle and surprisingly I ate it all! Me and Dane also shared a Nutella milkshake actually out of a Nutella jar, which had a brownie on the top! It was really nice but a little too sugary for myself. Otherwise it was great and I can see us all going there again in the future.

Wearing – God it’s been so damn hot that I feel like I’ve hardly been wearing anything! Been living in dresses and my short pyjamas pretty much. I bought a couple of Pokemon pairs from Primark recently and I still wear them to death and wear them loads. I’ve also been wearing the cKy baseball tee I bought at their gig to death! I love it so much and a part of me can see me taking it on holiday to wear to chill out in in the day and evenings. I also bought myself a Pikachu dress recently and I’ve only worn it once so far but I intend to wear it again very soon. For how much I paid for it it’s so damn comfortable and makes me feel great when I wear it.

Image taken from weheartit.com

Wanting – Oh what don’t I want? To win loads of money on a scratch card, to have more holiday time from work so I can do stuff to the house and speaking of the house new windows! A holiday to Japan is also another thing I desperately want right now. There’s all sorts I want though to be honest. I’ve fallen in love with a few pieces from the VANS x Peanuts collection, as well as some Killstar dresses. OH and don’t even get me started on some of the latest Nendoroid releases that both me and Dane want. It’s all just money though at the moment. Right now though all I want is a break. A break from my anxiety as my head is on and off a mess right now and it pisses me off something awful. 😦

Wow so that was my currently number 10! I love that I’ve written that many over the past couple of years now and it makes me so happy. I’m not going to stop here though, I’ll continue writing these as I really love to be able to keep you guys up to date on things I’m currently loving.

Of course I would love to hear what things you’re currently loving. Make sure to let me know in the comments tomorrow if not over at my Twitter page @maybeecoffee

Until next time take care all, I hope you’re having a great week so far. Not long not and it’ll be the weekend!