The Opposites Book Tag

Image taken from giphy.com

I don’t feel like I’ve done and taken part in a blog tag for a while now (not going to lie, it was probably just last month… :P) so when I came across The Opposites Book Tag on Eleanor’s blog a month ago I knew I’d do it at some point.

Fast forward a month later and here we are! She tagged anyone who read her post, which I’m linking here because you need to read her answers!

I’m changing my answers up a little though and instead of talking about “normal” books, I’ll be talking about manga instead… Considering manga is the majority of what I read. 😛

I hope you enjoy this tag post!

FIRST BOOK IN YOUR COLLECTION/LAST BOOK YOU BOUGHT.

The first manga I ever bought was Azumanga Daioh and it’s one of my biggest manga books in my collection… So far anyway. 😛 I loved the anime of the same name so when I heard about a manga of it too, I knew I had to find it! It took me ages and when I finally found it online I ordered it to be told a month later that it wasn’t actually in stock as they’d said. I got a refund and headed elsewhere in search of it. I found it on eBay in the end brand new and ended up buying it for less money than I was intending to pay for it in the first place.

My most recent purchase is Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life Vol. 2. I LOVE this spin off series even more than the original due to how adorable it is and yet how hilarious it is at other times. I’ll soon be buying some new manga… I feel like I buy it monthly in all honesty. 😛

A CHEAP BOOK/AN EXPENSIVE BOOK.

This stands for both of the same series but I’ve spent an absolute fortune on the Nana manga in the past! It’s not really published anymore I don’t think so it can be such a hard manga to get hold of! It’s so worth it though as I think the Nana manga will be worth some serious monies in the future due to it being on a hiatus. ANYWAY I’ve spent next to sod all on many copies of this manga and other times I’ve paid through the teeth just to get a decent copy or even a brand new one.

Aside from Nana the most I have spent on manga for myself is £15.99, which I spent on the manga of Wolf Children. I regret spending that much on it, but 1. it’s hardback and 2. I picked it up in Waterstones… Of course it was expensive! 😛

A BOOK WITH A MALE PROTAGONIST/ONE WITH A FEMALE PROTAGONIST.

First of all, male protagonist! The first one that pops into my head is Hideo Suzuki from the manga, I Am a Hero. This manga is amazing and it’s thanks to Dane discovering it in Forbidden Planet that we started reading it together. He’s such a fanny at the best of times, but this is due to what appears to be a form of anxiety. He’s our hero during a zombie apocalypse in Japan and he’s such a great and real protagonist for that story. I cannot wait to see where the series goes and what the future has in store for him.

So a female protagonist eh? Oh man I could pick so many manga series with a legend of a female protagonist but I think the first one I can think of is Nana Osaki, from the manga of the same name. She’s the Nana who is a singer in a rock band and doesn’t stand for shit! Although she’s rock hard on the outside and appears untouchable, she actually has a heart of gold and is mending a broken heart throughout most of the manga. I remember when watching the anime, as well as reading the manga what a strong and bold woman she is, even though she isn’t real. I wanted to be like her as I got older and I like to think I am. 😛

A BOOK YOU READ FAST/ONE THAT TOOK YOU LONG TO READ.

If there is a series I found myself whizzing through and finishing quicker than any manga series I own to date, it’s A Silent Voice. I remember hearing about the manga thanks to the anime that came out as a film last year. I picked up a couple of volumes to read to see if I would enjoy it and I instantly fell in love. Even before me and Dane went to watch the anime I went into my local manga/comic book store and bought some more volumes! Later I bought the rest on Amazon PRIME so I could read them as soon as possible. To this day it is now one of my favourite manga series and I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to get into manga and see why it’s so amazing.

Fuck me, if there is one manga series that is taking me forever to get through, it’s definitely K-ON! and I honestly couldn’t tell you why. I think it’s because I enjoy reading it so much that I take my time to read it. I’m on my second to last volume now and I’ll be sad when I’ve finished the K-ON! series. This just means I need to find a NEW SERIES to get into. 😛

PRETTY COVER/UGLY COVER.

I don’t think I really own any pretty manga covers… If anything I love Nana for the story each volume tells about the two Nana’s and the same can go for A Silent Voice which shows off the two main characters together. I also really love A Polar Bear In Love for the adorable covers that their volumes produce! I cannot wait for Volume 3 to come out now as the cover for that looks amazing.

I can’t say I own any ugly covers though… If there are some manga covers I dislike it’s Dane’s Berserk series, as well as some of the Junji Ito covers which aren’t ugly, just very creepy. 😛

A NATIONAL BOOK/AN INTERNATIONAL BOOK.

HA they’re all pretty international when you think about it! 😛

No I joke. All my manga books are in English! Although once I nearly ordered Elfen Lied on Amazon, only to discover they were all in German. I dodged a very heavy and expensive burden there. 😛

A THIN BOOK/A THICK BOOK.

I don’t really own any thin manga… Some of my thicker books are Wolf Children and Azumanga Daioh.

FICTION BOOK/NON-FICTION BOOK.

They’re all fiction really.

VERY (WAY TOO) ROMANTIC BOOK/ACTION BOOK.

Oh man, the majority of my manga is romance related as that’s just what I’m into. I have read action style manga though before, don’t get me wrong! Those are usually ones that Dane has bought and told me to check out. I do like a bit of action in manga, but I’m a total romance girl. 😛

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY/ONE THAT MADE YOU SAD.

There are so many manga series that make me happy! K-ON!, Azumanga Daioh, Nichijou, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and more, but if there is one that really cheers me up to read lately, it’s A Polar Bear In Love.

A Polar Bear In Love is about a polar bear who is in love with a baby seal. The story is about them exploring where they live together and learning more each day about one another, as well as about things around them. I remember reading volume 1 and wondering what the hell was happening, but it’s such a cute story and the artwork is also adorable. Give it a read if you love cute and yet weird manga. 😛

I feel like I’ve spoken about it so much on this post, but both Nana and A Silent Voice broke my heart. Nana is for many reasons, with the biggest of course being the story but also because it isn’t finished! The writer/artist of Nana has health issues and due to that she had to hiatus Nana. I need to know what happens and how it finishes for all the characters. 😦

A Silent Voice is just depressing for many different reasons and what makes it even more depressing? It’s so realistic that I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of stuff that happens in the manga, doesn’t happen on a daily basis to both children and teenagers. It’s about a deaf girl who is bullied by her classmate. She leaves due to the bullying, which results in the classmate being bullied himself for many years after. He learns sign language and goes to meet her to apologise before he attempts suicide… Which doesn’t happen thankfully! That’s all I’m saying! 😛 It has a lovely ending to it however and in itself, that makes me happy.

So those are the answers to the The Opposites Book Tag! I hope my answers aren’t boring due to me changing them to adapt to manga, but as I said before… I don’t read anything else other than manga these days…

Like Eleanor did, anyone who reads this tag post, I CHOOSE YOU TO TAKE PART TOO! 😀

Will you be giving the tag a go? If so let me know in the comments!

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

April Favourites ’18

Image taken from GIPHY

Oh man I had to use that gif! I’ve never done this before so any time is better than no time! 😛

April went by so damn quick to be honest and I can’t believe that not only is May here, but that Avengers Infinity Wars is also here and breaking everyone’s hearts.

I’m off work tomorrow (YAYS!) so I’m going to have a blog and chill day. For now though I’m catching up on some housework whilst doing some blogging.

This months favourites are pretty good (in my opinion anyway!) and I’m loving everything on this list, which I hope you do too! 😀

• Jo Malone Cologne in Earl Grey & Cucumber (review)

This is an old favourite of mine and one I tend to use on and off whenever the mood takes me. It’s one I got through my old job at Costa Coffee and since then I use it on special occasions. I think pretty much every weekend in April however, I’ve used this when going out! It’s a really strong perfume so you can use it once and it’ll last for ages! I love the scent so much and although I love it more during autumn and winter, it’s been so refreshing to use during the spring month of April!

• Antipodes Deliverance Hand Cream.

I was bought this as a Christmas present back in 2015, which I know is forever ago and probably means that it’s out of date but I don’t care. 😛 When tidying stuff in our bedroom a few weeks back I found this hand cream again and have started to use it. I use it daily now, especially at work and it’s really helped my hands with their recent spell of dryness! It smells really nice, just like lemongrass and isn’t too heavy and thick on your hands. I just love it to use throughout my shifts at work, as well as on the go. I’d definitely buy it myself.

• Nivea Peach Shine & Cherry Shine Caring Lip Balm.

I would just talk about one of these this month but I love both so much equally that they both need to be spoken about! I used to use the cherry and strawberry Nivea lip balms ALL THE TIME during my final years of school! I just feel like a kid again and it’s so weird. The cherry one is tinted so you get a slight pinky/red tint, which is lovely. The peach one you don’t really get much of a tint. They both smell amazing too, which I love the most! Towards the end of the month my lips have been splitting again at the sides, so sadly I haven’t been able to use the lip balms.

• Newtons Labs T-Zone Spot Zapping Gel.

This is an oldie and goldie I have loved on and off over the years. I always have a supply of it in case I break out badly and need it. I don’t know why but a couple of weeks ago my cheeks broke out so badly that I worried it was the start of acne. Thankfully due to other beauty products it’s now passed, but I do feel this tea tree gel really has helped too!

• The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel.

This is always a firm favourite of mine and Dane bought it for me for my birthday this year. I started using it FINALLY in April and I always forget how much I love it. It reminds me of when I was a child, my mom would always buy it for me and I fondly remember using it before school most mornings when I was in primary school. It’s definitely a great shower gel to start using with spring here!

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

Image taken from Amazon.co.uk

Favourite TV Show – Hitoshi Matsumoto Presents Documental Season 1.

Oh man if there is a show I have thoroughly loved and enjoyed it’s definitely Documental! Dane was watching it one morning and got me to watch the start of episode 3, I really got into it and continued to watch that episode, as well as 4 with him. I then went on to watch episode 1 and 2 on my own. Since then I’ve watched it again, as some of the moments in episode 3 and 4 are absolutely hilarious! It’s created and presented by a big Japanese comedian, Hitoshi Matsumoto. 10 Japanese comedians are locked in a room for either 6 or 9 hours and the one whose left in the room will win 10 million yen! Each comedian has taken in a million yen, which obviously makes up the prize money. The one who will win the 10 million yen needs to be the one who doesn’t laugh or smile. Some of the stuff the comedians will do to throw one another off is just amazing. I’ve seen online that there’s 3, maybe even 4 seasons now and I cannot wait for them all to come out!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Film – Black Panther and Marvel Infinity War

I know I’m talking about two Marvel films, but I just have to! First of all just before Dane’s birthday we went to see Black Panther and it’s fast turned into one of my favourite Avengers movies! There was so much action going on throughout the movie and it was perfect. I especially loved Erik Killmonger (reason why the gif is of him! :P) and he stole the show, well… Movie. 😛

The second film on this list is Infinity War. I’m not going to talk too much about this film here, obviously due to spoilers and shit. Let’s just say both me and Dane were really excited but nervous to go and watch it. We went in excited and unsure what to expect, but left feeling confused and depressed. Honestly I felt low the whole of Sunday, as did Dane. I think I can speak for us both when we say we want to go again soon to see it.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – K-ON!

I love K-ON! the anime so much! So this time last year I ended up buying all of the manga because I needed more. I’ve only just recently started reading them of late however! I’m currently on Vol. 3 and loving it! I just love getting to work early most mornings and reading them before I head in. It’s also funny reading them during my shifts at work during my breaks too. I can’t wait to finish reading them however though now.

Favourite Song/Album/Artist – James Arthur.

This is thanks to the radio at work to be honest. Both of these songs come on on a daily basis and I love them so much! James Arthur has such a lovely singing voice and I’ve found myself singing along to these songs most days throughout the month. There isn’t much more music I can talk about on here really as I haven’t listened to much more in all honesty.

Favourite Game – A Way Out.

During our depressive state after Marvel Infinity Wars me and Dane decided to buy this on the Xbox One. We’ve been playing it together and we’re having so much fun. It’s about two guys and you get to pick who you play as. Leo is already in prison, but you start the game either playing as or witnessing Vincent coming into the prison. From there you have to work together to escape prison and both take on the same person who caused you to be in jail in the first place. Or something like that anyway. 😛

So those were my favourites for this month! I still can’t believe it’s May! There’s loads of stuff coming up in June, I’ll have to write about it towards the end of this month.

I’m sorry my April favourites are up late today, I’ve just been so incredibly busy over the weekend and yesterday, but I’m sure it’s worth the wait!

What were your favourites throughout April? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

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

August Favourites ’17

YAY SEPTEMBER! Oh my I have been so excited for this month to roll around. Apart from the holiday this is always my month of the year where I try to get a fresh start in order. I’ll try and do a blog post about this before I go on holiday.

This past months favourites has been so hard to do as I really had to have a good think about what products I was loving. Obviously I came up with my 5 items for the month but it wasn’t easy!

• Australian Bodycare Tea Tree Oil Skin Wash.

This is a shower gel I’ve started using again and I always forget how amazing it is! It’s a massive bottle that my mom gave me not long before me and Dane moved into the house. I stopped using it because I wanted to save it for whenever I fancied using it again. Of course tea tree is antibacterial and due to that I love using this shower gel to help me feel lovely and clean. My anxiety can sometimes make me worry I smell and I’m dirty, even if I’ve just got out of the shower. Bless my mom she recently gave me ANOTHER bottle of this and as you can see from the picture, it’s huge. A 1000ml bottle in fact. So I’ve started using it again. I forgot how refreshing this shower gel is and I love it so damn much!

• Benefit Gogotint Cheek & Lip Stain (review here).

This was one of my new purchases in July/August and it’s the main lip product I’ve worn throughout the month. It’s so easy to apply and in so many different ways! I love wearing it at work at the moment as it adds a pop of colour in the mornings and I can apply my Vaseline over the top of it without any colour being ruined. This will definitely be worn loads throughout September and especially on holiday. You can read my review to understand more of why it’s on my favourites this month.

• Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel.

You know Lush Christmas is looming when I get the Snow Fairy out! I still have a massive 1kg bottle left to break out and use when we’re back from holiday, but for now me and Dane have really been enjoying this one and have used nearly all of it! I forgot how sickly sweet it is and I fucking love it! It’s been a shower gel I’ve used on days off as well as in the bath alongside some of my Lush bubble bars and bath bombs. I’m excited to find out what we’ll be getting for Christmas with Lush!

• Rimmel London Insta Fix & Matte Powder.

I bought this powder as I needed a new one and this has been everywhere on blogs the past month or two. I’m glad I picked it up as it’s a great powder for the price. All the same however it’s not the best in the world, but it definitely does the job whenever I’m getting ready and popping out. I’ve been using it loads this month and I’m probably going to take it with me on holiday too as it’ll be great to use in the evenings to keep shine away. This doesn’t keep shine away all day, but it will for at least 6 hours.

• DIOR Addict EDP.

I’ve owned this perfume since I went to Fuerteventura in 2015 and it’s still got loads left in the bottle! I started using this mid August and I actually forgot how much I love the scent. I can’t really describe it to be honest with you. It’s sweet but not a girly, teenage, Britney Spears type scent but more of a mature woman smell. It’s the sort of fragrance that if you will see a business woman wear. 😛 This is a classic and has been around for over 10 years now.

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

Image taken from weheartit.com

Favourite TV Show – This Is England 86, 88 and 90.

To say I love This Is England is a massive understatement. I don’t know why but recently I felt the need to watch the TV series from the start to finish. I watched all 11 episodes in probably a day if not two and I fell in love all over again. I didn’t watch the film however. I do have a feeling I felt the urge to watch them due to watching Joseph Gilgun in Preacher recently. Which I am still loving from last month by the way! If you’ve never watched the This Is England series then I seriously suggest you do so asap! You’ll love it more than the film, I guarantee. I just love LOL and Woody so damn much. I wish I had them both as friends.

Favourite Film – Swiss Army Man and To The Bone.

I recently watched these two films thanks to both Amazon and Netflix. Me and Dane have wanted to watch Swiss Army Man for ages but we just never got around to it until we saw it recently being advertised on Amazon Prime. It was all that I could imagine it to be and even more, quite honestly it was weird and amazing and I recommend it for everyone to watch! I’ve had to put a trailer above because I’m pretty sure many haven’t even heard of this film before.

I also recently watched To The Bone, which is about a girl dealing with an eating disorder. It reminds me of a John Green novel and I just fell in love with all of the characters. The film ended and I was left wanting to find out more of what happened! I recommend you watch it if you love films, TV shows and books like this. Something to watch out for is if you have or are currently dealing with an eating disorder then this could trigger you, so please be cautious before watching.

Image taken from weheartit.com

Favourite Book – Erm…

I haven’t read anything this month sadly. I don’t know what it is at the moment but I just haven’t really been reading anything, not even manga. I’m kind of waiting to go on holiday to catch up on reading all my manga at the moment. But I can see me just taking two Bridget Jones books to read.

Favourite Song/Album – K-ON! Soundtrack.

Dane recently bought the soundtrack to K-ON! and that’s pretty much most of what we’ve both been listening to and I actually love it! I can’t wait to listen to these songs when we’re on holiday as they’re just some really happy and go lucky feeling songs. The song I’ve added above is one of the last songs the band create together and it’s the last one we hear on the anime too. It’s the girls goodbye song to the youngest member of the band, Azusa. They’re all leaving to go to college and she’s staying at school for her final year. It’s a very sad song but it’s lovely all the same and is definitely my favourite.

Image taken from weheartit.com

Favourite Game – Persona 5… YES IT STILL IS, GET OVER IT! 😛

Yes I am STILL playing Persona 5 and I don’t give a fuck! Sadly due to how bad my mental health has been throughout August I haven’t been reading nor have I been playing games and it’s purely because I just haven’t had the patience or thought behind doing either of them. Watching films and TV shows has been fine though.

Image taken from weheartit.com

This being said I have been playing Minecraft with Dane quite a lot lately. We both craved a game we could just chill out and play together and Minecraft was the perfect game for this. We’ve played it loads and I forgot how much I love it. We haven’t played it as much though lately, sadly. I’m sure we will again soon.

So those are my favourites from August! It went by really quickly and a part of me is so pleased. I fucking hated August. It was full of stress for me and mind fucks and I’m really hoping that September will bring better things.

I’ll be writing a blog post about that soon. 🙂

What were your favourites throughout August? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a great month.

May Wish List ’17

I swear this months wish list should be called “holographic/metallic wish list!” as most of the items on here are just that. That and holiday related items too. As I mentioned in one of my posts recently, me and Dane are going on holiday this year which is super exciting! I didn’t mean to find so much holographic and holiday related stuff to be honest… I kind of just ended up stumbling upon stuff out of boredom last week… Oops! 😛 Oh well, it makes for some reading today for you guys. ^_^

• New Look Turquoise Metallic Lattice Longline Bikini Top – £16.99 (link)
• New Look Turquoise Metallic Tie Side Bikini Bottoms – £12.99 (link)

I discovered this bikini recently through a Google search whilst looking for holographic/metallic bikinis. I don’t really need a new bikini but I wouldn’t mind picking up a new one for my holiday in September. This is gorgeous and is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before to be honest. Not only does the design of this look unique and have a grunge style to it (which I LOVE!) but it’s also a beautiful turquoise metallic colour which is the perfect holiday and beach colour. Although this is gorgeous and probably my perfect bikini for Fuerteventura it’s kind of impractical for sunbathing in due to the lattice design. Due to this I’d probably use this mostly for popping down to the beach and on very hot days to the shops. Of course I would pick up both the top and bottoms. I’ll definitely be buying these on payday next week so I don’t miss out the chance of getting them!

• Your Lie in April Part 2 Limited Edition Blu-ray – £44.99 (link)

I LOVE Your Lie in April and especially around the start of the year when I first started watching the anime series, as well as reading the manga. Since then I’ve finished the manga and been awaiting part 2 of the blu-ray to come out and be added to my collection. I haven’t actually finished watching the anime yet as I wanted to binge watch it all on the blu-rays with Dane, so of course I am really excited to be able to finally do this!

• New Look Silver Holographic Mini Backpack – £17.99 (link)

I don’t NEEEEED a new backpack but it never hurts to add a new addition to your collection… Does it? I’ve owned backpacks similar to this from New Look before and they’re definitely some of the best ones I’ve owned to be honest. They’re comfortable, look great and are a bargain for how much wear you get from them. I really am on a holographic kick at the moment, like a holographic magpie so I couldn’t help but eye up this backpack. I’d love to try and pick it up in the sale (if it goes into sale obviously) before I go on holiday, but we’ll see what happens. I’d want to try and cutesy this bag up by popping a couple of badges on it and some cute Japanese gatchapon keyrings.

• Truffle Collection Truffle Flatform Holographic Sliders – £14.00 (link)

Again I was looking for some holiday ideas and the first thing I thought to search for was (yet again!) holographic themed items. I found this flatform sandals and I’m unsure what I think of them to be honest. I don’t love them enough to buy them as soon as possible for the holiday, but I don’t know if I hate them enough to not warrant myself buying them at all. I would love another pair of shoes to take with me to wear around the house, to the beach and in the evenings as something light but I have my flip flops to do that. I’m definitely more of a Vans slip on trainer and flip flop girl when it comes to going to Fuerteventura. If these went to a dirt cheap price I’d definitely pick them up as they’d be great to wear casual in the day and dressed up in the evening a little. I think what puts me off the most is that they’re white. Black would have been SOOOO much better!

• Forever 21 Holographic Windbreaker Jacket – £24.00 (link)

When I saw this jacket it just reminded me of the 90’s and of the style of jackets my mom and brother used to wear… But not holographic obviously. 😛 For the final time on this blog post I’ll be talking about something holographic… I do apologise about how much stuff there is on here that’s either that or metallic. Again due to the holiday I was having a look around to see what else I could find on Forever 21’s website to buy in the future and this jacket looks cool! I’d want to pick it up to wear over the summer, as well as for the holiday. As cool as the turquoise colour is I don’t know if the jacket itself would look good or even feel comfortable. I’d want to go in store and have a look at this first before buying it, or at least read a handful of reviews.

• Good Smile Company K-ON! Yui Hirasawa Nendoroid – Prices vary depending where you buy.

Finally we come to the last item on this list and it’s one that me and Dane both want to try and find next month! We were really naughty this month Nendoroid wise and bought quite a lot in one go. We’re part of a Nendoroid group on Facebook and someone on there was selling all of her K-ON! collection so erm… We bought all of the ones we needed. We picked up four out of five she was selling which means the only girl we need now is Yuki! She’s the main character of K-ON! and is Dane’s favourite character. We’ll try and keep our eyes peeled for someone else on that group to sell a Yui Nendoroid or we’ll end up buying a new or second hand one from Japan. These Nendoroid figures came out years ago, not long after they started being made so they’re not as easy to get a hold of now, but this being said they’re cheaper.

So that’s my wish list for this month! I really need to stop spending money now and put it in savings to have towards the holiday. I don’t really want anymore manga at the moment so I’ll definitely be saving money not buying those. I’ll also be saving money not buying much else too because besides the stuff on this list I don’t want anything. 😛

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

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re having a great week.

April Favourites ’17

Easter holidays are over, all the chocolate eggs have been sold or are still on sale in the shops, and Mini Eggs won’t be back until New Year… This is the saddest thing for me. I fucking love Mini Eggs! 😛

But we’re into May now and happy May Day! I’m off work for a change and I intend to spend the day doing sod all and chilling out with Dane. I might make us sausage and mash… Love it!

ANYWAY! With a new month of course comes my monthly posts, including my favourites. April was a funny month, but I discovered a lot of new items this month gone and luckily stuff I needed… Not just buying for the sake of it. 😛

• Imperial Leather Marshmallow Shower Cream.

I’ve used this in the past and I’m pretty sure it has featured on my monthly favourites before. It being featured on here again just shows what an amazing product it is! I actually forgot how good it was until I recently started using it again. It smells beautiful and leaves your skin not only smelling yummy but feeling lovely and soft too. For only a £1 you cannot go wrong!

• Vaseline Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter.

It’s shit to admit but my lips are STILL bad. Well they appear to be on the mend now and better than before but still bad… Urgh. I finally got some decent answers from two doctors recently and was given the right treatments. Alongside using the treatment creams I’ve also been slathering on this Vaseline in between applications to keep my lips nice and moist… Ew I hate that word but it’s the only word I can use right now and it be accurate. This tub is for around the house, as I bought an aloe vera one for out on the go and for work. I don’t like that one as much as the cocoa butter though to be honest. I find the smell to be fresh, but that doesn’t apply when on the lips. I feel like the cocoa butter scent is lovely both in the jar and when applied to the lips. You can never go wrong with cocoa butter to be fair! I love this better than the original Vaseline though to be honest! 😀

• Boots Essentials Cucumber Eye Gel.

I needed a new eye gel last month and wanted to make sure to get something that would cool my eyes whilst hydrating them throughout the day. I wouldn’t usually go for a low budget eye gel due to the whole, “It’s not going to do sod all…” but I thought for £1.50 it wouldn’t break the bank to give it a whirl! I hate eye creams and have always opted to buying gels if I can. This one is amazing and really does soothe and cool tired eyes either in the morning before work or after a long day in the evening. Either way I love this and I think I’ll end up buying another soon for mine and Dane’s holiday in September!

• Barry M Molten Metal Nail Paint in shade Copper Mine.

When I was off work during April I decided to paint my nails as due to the job I do I’m not allowed to wear it whilst working. I have a couple of these Molten Metal polishes but this one is my favourite. I find the copper shade suits my yellow skin tone the best and it just looks gorgeous too. The formula is lovely and it lasts ages before chipping! Even whilst doing loads of work on the house last week it hardly chipped. This was without a top coat too! I’ll be reviewing these very soon as they deserve a review. I plan to get myself the new holographic shade that recently came out. These are on 2 for £7 at the moment so I’ll be getting that and another shade.

• Radox Feel Heavenly Bath Soak with Coconut & Milk.

Finally we have a bubble bath on my monthly favourites. I still use my Lush products, don’t get me wrong but more often than not I find if I overuse them it actually causes more harm to my body than good. That and I try to make my money last at the moment. ANYWAY! This bath soak was bought on a whim that I wanted something nice and light to use on days off work and before bed. This is a gorgeous bubble bath where a little bit goes a long way, but I always add a generous amount to my bath to create LOADS of bubbles. I always find this leaves my skin lovely and soft after use. It’s amazing.

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

Favourite TV Show – Sirens (UK version).

This is a show I recently started to re-watch. It was out YEARS ago… (looks on Wikipedia) Holy shit 2011 was when this show first aired. I feel old. Very old. ANYWAY! As the title may give away this show is about 3 paramedics and it shows what they get up to during their shifts. It also shows a couple of members of the Police and Fire Service too. This is fiction I’ll have you know and is actually a comedy. I love it so much though, it just makes me laugh. There are some serious notes in it however and with that it does remind me of Only Fools and Horses. One moment it can be side splitting funny and the next bringing a tear to your eye. If you’ve never watched it and you fancy giving it a go then I think you’re only options now are going to be watching it online for free, or as a shitty YouTube upload. I’m being naughty and watching it online for free… Hey! I’d buy it if I could!

Favourite Film – Your Name (Kimi no Na wa).

Last month me and Dane went to go and watch this after he found out it was showing in the Mockingbird cinema in Birmingham’s Custard Factory. He booked it that day and that evening we were off to watch it. Oh my God it wasn’t even what I was expecting it to be to be honest. I knew what the basic plot was for the film but it has a lot of twists and such throughout the film. I don’t want to talk too in depth as I worry it could spoil the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it. You can watch a trailer here if you like the sound of it. BUT to be honest if you haven’t heard about it by now, whether you’re an anime fan or not then where have you been hiding? It keeps being spoken about how it’s the best anime film for quite some time. 😛

Favourite Book – K-ON!

As regular readers of my blog will know I have been reading nothing but manga since the start of the year and whilst it is an expensive thing to keep on top of, it is so damn worth it! I recently purchased all of the K-ON manga to read and whilst I am only somewhat through the series, I am in love with it. It’s just great to see some of my new favourite anime characters come to life on the pages of the manga as well as through the anime series. I’ll be reviewing in the future!

Favourite Songs – George Michael “Freedom! 90” and “Careless Whisper”.

This is kind of random I suppose but a few nights ago I just started listening to songs from the 00’s… Which led to songs from the 90’s and for some reason that then led me to listen to some of George Michael’s best singles. Of course he died at the end of last year which was a real shame. He was a talented guy in every way! I have always had a place for “Freedom! 90” and I don’t know why… I especially love the music video as I think it’s so clever, alongside the song as a dig at the music industry. 😛 Thanks to Deadpool now whenever I hear “Careless Whisper” I just think of Ryan Reynolds singing it at the end of the film. HA! 😛 BUT instead of popping either of the songs mentioned above I thought I would attach Seether’s cover of “Careless Whisper”. It’s amazing in my eyes and they did a really good job!

Favourite game – TsumTsum.

This is a game I have owned for as long as I’ve had my iPhone 6 to be honest… I remember when I went on holiday with my dad in November 2015 playing it whenever we were near a WiFi connection! ANYWAY… This is a game I have been playing nonstop this month and it’s one I always forget that I love to play. It’s a game that you can actually pay to play in Japan as an actual arcade game. I would love to play it like that! I’ve attached a video above of Sharla playing it! It’s just a great, free and relaxing game to play. It’s one of those where you need to match up 3 plus of the same Disney character to get rid of them, get a high score, coins etc. With those coins you can buy new characters etc. If you love Disney and love the Tsum Tsum’s then you’ll love this!

So those were my favourites from April! I can’t believe how quickly the year is going by though to be perfectly honest. Next month me and Dane will have been in our house for a year and I don’t know if I like that or if it scares me a little. Time is going wayyyyy too fast and I don’t think I like that. It also means next month marks our four year anniversary which IS exciting and I don’t mind that. 😛 It does feel like we’ve been together longer mind.

What products were you loving throughout April? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time take care all and I hope you have a lovely bank holiday Monday. I know I will be. 😛

TV Shows I’m Loving At The Moment

Now I wouldn’t exactly call myself a coach potato but I feel like this is pretty much an accurate term for me lately. As of late after both me and Dane finish work we either sit and play games online with friends or binge watch various TV shows. Mostly the later though…

There just seems to be so many TV shows out lately with new series that we need to watch! There’s so many that almost everyday we have a new episode to catch up with. This sounds worse than it actually is… 😛

So come and have a read about what TV shows me and Dane have been binge watching lately. You never know, you may just get some inspiration for what you can watch yourselves. 😉

• RuPaul’s Drag Race – S9 (Netflix)

I’ve been a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race for as long as I can remember and as soon as a new season comes out I always make sure to keep up with the episodes. Spoilers are one of the reasons why, but it’s mostly due to wanting to keep up with which queen(s) are doing the best. I’ve always watched the show with Dane, which is really nice to be honest! I didn’t think he would be interested in giving it a go due to what it’s all about, but he loves it! My favourite in this season so far is Nina Bonina Brown. This being said though I’m not a massive fan of season 9 so far… It just seems like the queens don’t give much of a shit, or give too much of a shit. No one is really standing out right now for me. I just hope someone does soon! I want another Jinxx Monsoon! She’s my favourite queen! For the first time in the UK this is available on Netflix as and when a new episode airs. I used to have to look online for videos to watch when it came to getting my RuPaul new show fix!

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid – S1 (Crunchyroll and Funimation)

Out of all of these TV shows being mentioned in this post this is definitely one of my favourites. I’ve mentioned this show on my blog before. It’s about a dragon who is pretty much adopted by by a human and who falls in love with said human. More dragons come to the human world, another one who comes to live with them and others who live with other humans. It’s a very funny show and heart warming at the same time. I’ve started to read the manga of it and it is amazing!

• Attack On Titan – S2 (Crunchyroll)

Both me and Dane have been waiting what feels like forever for season 2 of Attack On Titan to come out! We both love the show and we’ve been worried that the next season would never come out. It’s been out for a couple of weeks now and it’s amazing. Dane pretty much knows the basics of what is going to happen due to reading the manga. I haven’t yet read the manga for Attack On Titan and I’m unsure when and if I will. If you loved the first season of Attack On Titan then make sure to watch this season!

• 13 Reasons Why – S1 (Netflix exclusive)

On this list this has to be my favourite one on the list! As soon as me and Dane watched the trailer for this on Netflix we knew that we would want to watch it! It’s based off a novel of the same name and the show is said to be loads better! The show is about Hannah, a girl who has committed suicide and records 13 tapes explaining why she killed herself. It’s an emotional roller coaster and to be honest it made me feel really low at the end of it. It’s an amazing show though and one I recommend everyone to watch as soon as possible! I might pick the book up in the future to read if I fancy it. This is a Netflix exclusive so if you want to watch it you need to have a Netflix account… Or you can be naughty and find it online to watch.

• K-ON! – S1 and S2 (DVD)

Like Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid this is another one of my favourite TV shows on this list. Dane recently became interested in watching K-ON! and popped it on for us both to watch one day. Since then we have been hooked and it’s definitely become a massive new love for us both. We haven’t finished watching season 2 yet, but I’ll be sad when we do however. I was going to buy Dane all of the seasons on DVD as well as the film on blu-ray but I left it in the end. I’m sure we’ll buy them on our week off together next week. I’ve bought all of the manga of K-ON! and I’m loving it so far!

• Masamune-kun’s Revenge – S1 (Crunchyroll and Funimation)

This is a show I have loved and then been bored with… Which is strange! Dane has felt the same way about it as well. We usually stop watching things we get bored with, like anyone would be to honest. The only reason we have kept on with it is because we have watched so much of it already. It just doesn’t feel like it is going anywhere right now and we’re about 10 episodes in. I was going to buy the manga of it to read but I am so bloody glad I haven’t… This show just doesn’t feel like it’s going to have a decent outcome. This being said it is good… But I don’t recommend it. I would recommend all the other shows on this list more!

• Peter Kay’s Car Share – S1 and S2 (BBC iPlayer)

This is one I haven’t really watched with Dane. He’s not particularly interested in stuff like this and although I’m not a MASSIVE fan I do love this show! It reminds me of the summer I was at university studying my MA and when Dane practically lived with me for 3 weeks whilst my family was away on holiday. It was lovely and pretty much a test drive for what it would be like if we lived together. So when season 2 came out recently I had to watch it as soon as possible! As the title suggests it’s about a car share. He drives and his colleague keeps him company in the car. You see their relationship grow from just colleagues to friends, to possibly something more. I was disappointed to learn after watching episode 4 that that was it… No more episodes for season 2. I mean what the fuck Peter Kay?! I say this due to how the last episode of season 2 ends. I can’t say anything without giving away any spoilers, but it’s a mixture of really shit and the perfect cliffhanger. Both season 1 and 2 are on BBC iPlayer at the moment so go and check them out if you’re interested.

• Eromanga Sensei – S1 (Crunchyroll)

This is a new anime to be added to Crunchyroll recently and it’s one people either love or hate due to what it’s about. I’m watching it for a mixture of reasons. 1. The main female character is so fucking adorable and 2. I like the fact that she’s a manga cartoon artist and that her brother (the main male character) is a manga/light novel writer. These are both the sorts of job roles and creative talents I give my characters when I write. The part about the show that is riling people up is the fact that the two main characters are siblings (well adopted siblings…) and they’re meant to have a relationship together… Awkward… This aspect doesn’t appeal to me at all but the story line otherwise really does. It’s only 2 episodes in at the moment so I’ll see how it goes, but so far this relationship side hasn’t really shown. A few creepy bits have though… Otherwise it’s pretty funny at the moment and I’m enjoying it.

So those are some TV shows I’m loving right now! I feel like I have a show a day to catch up on, which is really sad but it gives me something to look forward to after work I suppose!

It’s not on this list but I’m currently watching Sirens, which aired on Channel 4 6 years ago! WOW I FEEL OLD!!! What TV shows are you loving and binge watching right now? Are you watching anything that’s on my list? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and I hope you had a lovely Easter and are equally having a lovely week.

April Wish List ’17

Another new month means another new wish list and boy was this month hard to put together. Although I’ve been naughty recently and bought quite a bit of manga, I’ve also been really good and bought sod all else! No make up, no clothes, no stickers or badges or cups or any other random rubbish! Just manga, which I’m happy about, and I’m pretty sure the same is going to happen this month too. My wish list this month isn’t huge, but it’s enough for me. 😛

• Sugarpill Cosmetics Pretty Poison Lipstick in shade Dark Sided – £16.00 (link)

As of yet I haven’t bought a Sugarpill product but I really would love to try the lipsticks! They sound beautiful and they definitely look it. They recently released their Pretty Poison lipsticks, which are dark and all gorgeous shades! They’re also limited edition, ahhhh! There are four shades altogether and I’m after the purple shade which is called Dark Sided. I love my purple lipsticks and would love a dark yet creamy purple lipstick in my collection. This being said I am trying to stop buying lip products this year as I have WAY TOO MANY. We shall see…

• Good Smile Company Nendoroid Star Wars Boba Fett – £43.99 (link)

As regular readers will know I LOVE Nendoroid figures, as does Dane and we’ve been collecting them for three years this year now. We have a lovely collection growing and we both just want to add more and more to it. We pre-ordered the Deadpool Nendoroid and now my new pre-order is set on Boba Fett. I don’t know why but I’ve always loved his character since I was a kid. I think it’s due to how calm and collected he is, yet determined. This being said he’s still a bit of a wimp. I mean come on Boba Fett, your death? REALLY?! Ahem… This Nendoroid figure of him is gorgeous! It’s very well made and even comes with a carbonite Han Solo too.

• K-ON! Group Notebook – £8.80 (link)

I recently discovered the anime K-ON thanks to Dane and I REALLY love it! Since watching the first season I really want to read the manga, grab some cute merchandise and try to grab all the Nendoroids! I found this cute notebook on Crunchyroll and would love to have it to keep in my car to jot blog ideas on during my breaks at work and when out on the go.

• NYX Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powder in shade Twilight – £9.00 (link)

Before any regular readers get excited that I’ll be experimenting with more make up, that won’t be the case sadly… 😛 I’ve seen loads of people experimenting with highlighters lately to make their lipsticks pop. This is something I REALLY want to do and I’ve been on the lookout for a powder like this for ages. I haven’t as of yet seen anything like this in store, but they do it online so eventually I’ll be picking this up to try, if not a duplicate at a cheaper price. It’s a gorgeous white powder with a blue shimmer. AMAZING!

• Tony Moly Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick – £8.30 (link)

I love Korean beauty and I’m always craving more and more products from there, especially brands such as Tony Moly and Etude House. I already have the brightening eye base and when my current eye cream runs out, I’d love to give this a go! I’ve heard great things about it and with the warmer weather coming up it’d be nice to use during the warm clammy days.

• K-ON! manga Volumes 1-4 – £7.99 (link)

As I mentioned above I’ve really gotten into the K-ON anime so I would love to read the manga too! There’s only four volumes so it’s not going to break the bank either, which is good. This manga is said to be disliked by fans of the anime as it’s nothing like it. I still want to give it a go though and see how I get on! It’s meant to be in a similar style to Azumanga Daioh, which is one of the first manga books I read. I want to order these now but I’ll definitely wait until I finish some of my other manga books first.

So that was my wish list for this month! I apologise that it wasn’t anything special or heavily beauty or fashion related. I’m starting to realise that I need to be more realistic when it comes down to writing my monthly wish list posts. I’m currently on a “spending ban” and not buying stuff I don’t need. The only exceptions are books and Nendoroids… Oh and any beauty stuff I actually do need. E.g. Clinique goodies for my skincare routine.

What items do you have on your wish list for April? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

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

March Favourites ’17

Wow it’s April already? I know I say this every month of every year but this year really is going fast already. It’s April now and with this month comes Dane’s birthday as well as us having some time off of work to do some stuff to the house. I can’t wait for mine and Dane’s week off together to be honest.

So it’s time for me to talk about my favourites from March, yay! AND don’t forget I now talk about lifestyle favourites every month now too. Double yay!

• NSpa Fruit Extracts Strawberry Shower and Bath Gel.

I recently picked up this shower and bath gel on a random visit to Asda. I love the NSpa products and have never faulted them for their products, especially the shower and bath gels. I’ve tried various flavours but I’d never seen the strawberry one until that visit. We snapped it up straight away and both gave it a go in the shower the next morning. Oh my it is amazing! It smells just like strawberry lace sweeties which Dane loved. It reminds me of The Body Shop strawberry shower gel but this isn’t as nice. BUT I did find that this one is more moisturing! It’s also BRIGHT RED which is amazing, especially if you pop it into the bath. It smells amazing first thing in the morning and really wakes and perks you up for the day ahead. I definitely recommend giving it a go if you love strawberry flavoured things.

• Blistex Relief Cream.

I mentioned last month in my February favourites (which you can read here) that my lips are suffering quite a lot lately and are constantly sore, uncomfortable and splitting. Since buying this lip cream it’s not been so bad, BUT my lips are still very sore and splitting. I’m going to blame stress and being in the cold quite a lot at work right now. If it doesn’t go though in the next week I’ll be going to the doctors as it’s becoming a joke now. It isn’t cold sores, it’s just weird. xD

• Marc Jacobs Oh Lola EDP.

I recently dug this out of my perfume box recently and I actually forgot how much I love the scent. It’s very floral and refreshing and not only does it remind me of summer days, but also of Bristol, where me and Dane went for our first anniversary together. I think when this is finished I’ll be repurchasing it in the future. I want to get through quite a bit of my perfume collection at the moment so I can try some new scents.

• Superdrug Refreshing Hydrogel Eye Patches.

I found these in Superdrug of late when buying my mom’s Mother’s Day present and I couldn’t pass up the chance to give them a go. I bought three as they were on a 3 for 2 offer and they don’t break the bank at almost £1.50 each. I’ve given two of them a go so far and they really do help if you have tired eyes. I haven’t found they help my dark circles but they don’t really claim to help with this. I’m currently working very early shifts right now so after a tired week of that these really do help when used before bed. I leave them on for a good 15-20 minutes whilst reading a book or playing with an app on my phone. Lovely!

• St.Ives Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub.

I mentioned this back in August on my favourites and I’m mentioning it again because I was recently reminded how good it is. I have always used it with a wet face and hands and although it did scrub my skin and leave it feeling lovely and soft, I didn’t feel like it was leaving me as soft as I wanted to be. However I recently tried it without wetting my face and hands and I find that it works so much better! You are supposed to use it on wet skin but meh. Although I have sensitive skin I don’t scrub too hard and don’t have any issues. It leaves my skin feeling baby soft and gorgeous. My love for this scrub has been renewed!

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

Favourite TV Show – K-On

Dane recently introduced me to K-On, an anime about a group of high school girls who meet through the band club at school. You see them as they all develop as a band and how they do with their music. We’ve now finished season one and are soon to start season two. I love it so much! All the girls are adorable and the songs throughout the show are catchy and right up my street. My favourite character is Mio, the bass player who is the mature one of the group, but who is also scared of most things, especially singing on stage. 😛 I love her for that, as well as her being a left handed bass player like myself.

Favourite Film – A Silence Voice

I was so excited to go and watch this anime film! I wanted to book the first showing with Dane but sadly due to him working we weren’t able to. It looked like we had lost our only chance to go and watch this in the cinema but with a random Google search I found out they were doing one showing at The Electric in Birmingham. I booked it straight away and not long after I did it had sold out. This is definitely one of my favourite films of the year (including Logan) and I wish I could go and watch it again! I’ve attached the trailer above so you can see what it’s like.

Favourite Book – A Silent Voice

I had wanted to read the manga of this whilst I was reading Your Lie in April, as it was advertised at the end of each volume. I had already bought the first two volumes before we went to watch the anime film version, however just before going to watch it I ended up buying all seven volumes as I knew I wanted to read the rest after reading the first two. It has fast turned into my favourite manga series and I cannot wait to write a blog post about it as well as the anime when I finish the series. It’s about Shoya a cocky school boy who becomes a bully when deaf girl Shoko joins his class. She ends up leaving the school and he’s left on his own as a punishment for his actions by the rest of the children in his class. Years later he learns sign language so he can apologise for his actions years previously and from there we see how their friendship grows, as well as many more. It is a beautiful manga and one I recommend everyone to read.

Favourite Song – Sex Whales & Phantom Sage – One Day.

I LOVE songs that are brought out by NCS for so many reasons! Most of them I find are of the chilled electronic style which I love and are free to use. I can’t recall where I heard this song, but I’m pretty sure it was from a blogger or YouTuber. Either way it’s amazing and very chilled, something I can see me blasting throughout the summer both at home as well as on the move. I’m hoping to start doing YouTube videos this year and NCS songs are what I’d be using on any future videos.

Favourite Game – ???

Erm I can’t lie I haven’t played any games this month… Most of my time has been focused on reading manga in all honesty… Is that bad? 😛 I really do need to pick up Pokemon Moon again though! As well as some of my Lego games. We did buy Lego Worlds when it was released and whilst Dane loves it, I’m not a huge fan. I’m not used to playing Lego games like that and as silly as it sounds it creeped me out a tad. 😛

So those were my favourites from March. It was hard to think of stuff I loved this month apart from the shower and bath gel and the Blistex cream. Only because I just didn’t take much notice really. That and due to my lips being sore lip products other than balms or creams are a no no, which makes me very sad. 😦

What were you loving throughout March? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

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