♡ A New Year, and a Not So New Me.............? ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I LLLIIIVVVEEE! (bonus points if you guys know, which movie scene I'm channelling there) but, HI THERE! I have been still living, and breathing, but I took a year off, and away, from the pressures of blogging - which has been nice, and now even though I do feel ready to do this again, but I am going to do this at my own pace, at my own degree, and listen to myself when to comes down to decisions etc. Did any of that make sense? Or is my mind just going on another ramble quest as per usual? 

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SO ANYWAY... 2017 came and went extremely quickly, no? I don't have many interesting experiences from last year - as my mental health took an extreme nose dive down the dunny - but one of the major things that happened last year, was that I changed jobs! I'm still working in childcare, but I changed my setting (as at my old one, my manager was an extremely toxic person) and I am happier where I am, and I feel that I can progress on further with my career! Another major event - my second baby cousin (a boy, called Samuel) was born, and he's a May 4th baby!!! So, basically I am going to be sowing the seeds of Star Wars into this child as much as possible, aaannnddd last but not least, my brother went and got married, so I now have a new sister! That's it. I didn't do any fancy travelling abroad, or anything memorable, but nonetheless, it was still productive, and even though there were, rather a few shall I say, dark times during the past year, I came out the other end breathing, maybe just a tiny bit ragged, but still breathing. So bonus.

A thing, though, that I did focus on more during the last year, was my photography and it has been rather nice, if I do say so myself, to have that distract me for a while. 

This next part goes slightly off tangent - but there is a reason behind it, so do keep reading! There is this interesting guy - who I found about, from my mother! She got his book from the library, and I started reading it, and kinda found myself nodding along. He's called 'The Angry Chef', (you can read his blog here btw) and he basically rants, and exposes things to do with the food world - which you've gotta admit, some things can be pretty ridiculous, no?! But in the end, it was these words that stuck out to me the most;

Just a small mantra, that will always stick with me from now on. Seriously, fuck what other people say or think - and to continue on with that mantra, I did decide that for 2018, I wasn't going to do any resolutions or goals, or whatever you'd like to call them. But, I am going to do more. More travelling, more exploring, more eating, more treatin', more ignoring the "looks" and "comments", more not feeling guilty about the small things, just MORE. More of life, more of breathing freely, more of not being sorry for being who I am, and more of living.

So here it is, and here I stand. Unfiltered, and (trying) not to give a fuck.

♡ Oh Shit... Whaddup 2017! A Quick Catch Up + What I got for Christmas ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

image source

It's been a while hasn't it? I must admit, I hadn't had that familiar blogging feeling for a while before my trip to Tokyo, but now I am back - well, it seems to have travelled back with me!

2016, has most certainly, been a roller coaster for everyone it seems - some with more ups, than downs, whilst others had more downs, than ups, and that is not necessarily a bad thing?! Personally; a massive down for me, involved hitting the highest peak of my mental health - where I had been driven to the point, where I saw no reason in carrying on any more with life... yeah, that was hard to say the least. But, with prodding and shoving, I was able to drag myself to the doctors, and I have been given the correct help that I, so desperately, needed, and now I am (slowly) on the road to recovery! I've decided, not to let my mental health stigmatise me, and lead my life any more, and I will strive forward with the determination (and some form of grace) I have had hidden away inside of me, for quite a while it seems.

Despite that down, a big climb up I endured, was completing my NVQ Level 3 in childcare - so that makes me, officially, a qualified nursery nurse! *inserts some form of witchy cackle here* Oh, and I suppose, another big climb was travelling to my dream country.. I mean, if you've been following me on instagram, and twitter, then you may have seen the spew of my posts. Only a small amount of spew... tiny, weeny bit *coughs* But, in all honesty, Tokyo was extremely fabulous, and I still miss the hustle and bustle of the city, and just... *sighs* I need to go back ASAP. Not going to even sugar coat it. I am going back. End of discussion.

Now, I don't have any goals, or resolutions, for 2017 - especially the ones that involve the mantra "new year, new me!" pffft. I'm just going to go along with life, and whatever comes my way - whether it be good or bad - I will take it. And hopefully not spontaneously combust from it, but hey, we shall see! I already have a few good events coming up this year - birth of another new baby cousin, my older brother getting married and... ok that's about it so far, but I'm sure more will come along!

What I got for Christmas

NOW. Here's something light, to finish off this post. I always love seeing what everybody received for Christmas - because heck, who doesn't love to be surprised by presents? Especially when there were some items, you weren't truly expecting! I only had a small, ten (or was it more... I can't remember tbh) item list, as I would have just come back from Tokyo with lots of goodies, so I wasn't expecting a great deal - until I come down on Christmas day, and get greeted w/ most of this lot (I say most, because I hadn't seen some family members until later that day, and on Boxing Day etc)

The biggest surprises for me - were the Vera Wang Princess perfume, the Jeffree Star Cosmetics and the Colourpop cosmetics! I'd completely forgotten that my mum was asking me which brand(s) I preferred, other than Urban Decay, and without even clocking on, I just said those two. Which is true, because these two brands were the two I used the most throughout the entire year!

Regardless, I feel like a spoilt princess, and I love each and every piece, and I am wearing my new slipper boots until they die - seriously they are so soft and warm and jfc, my feet welcome them.

So that's it! I did think of a couple new goals for the year, as I wrote this - improve my photography, and improve my make-up skills! Hopefully it will happen... fingers crossed. So, I wish all my friends, and family, and everyone in between, a healthy and thankful new year. May you never quash your hopes, dreams and desires, and remember to reach for the stars and the moon - because even though you may not believe it, you damn well deserve it ♡

Thank you for reading!

xoxo

♡ The "Bloggers Make Me Want It" Beauty Wishlist ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I think I spend about 40% of my spare time, scouring blog posts, and instagram pictures/videos with pretty enticing portrayed products, gorgeous mini make-up tutorials and just pretty products in general. I do. I love make-up to the point, where it's slightly scary to how far my limits will reach, just for something make-up related.

I know, that I have my own routine, and have certain products that suit my problematic skin type, but there are just some (v.cute, v.shiny, v.me) things, that seem to scream out to me. Recently, I love doing make-up looks that involve either nudes, reds and/or glitter (especially from the Lime Crime Venus palette) and so I have found myself, looking at shadows based around this criteria. Other products listed, are from the countless youtube videos and instagram pictures, I manage to seek out from my favourite make-up guru's.

Violet Voss x Laura Lee Eyeshadow Palette // Violet Voss Holy Grail Eyeshadow Palette // Sugarpill loose eyeshadows in Penelope, Aslyum and Goldilux // EYELURE Vegas Nay False Eyelashes in Grand Glamour // MELT Rust Stack Eyeshadows

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette // Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit in Fair // BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl // Glam Glow Supermud Mask // Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Snow // Farsali Rose Gold Elixir

Too Faced Sweethearts Flush Blush in Candy Glow // Too Faced Sweethearts Bronzer in Sweet Tea // Cryptic Cosmetics Gore Couture Collection // Artist Couture Diamond Glow Powder in Broadway and Mermaid Fantasy // Coloured Raine Matte Liquid Lipsticks in Classy, Roulette and Mary

So there we have it! Don't ask me how I am containing myself, in not purchasing every single piece right now... but I am *breathes into a paper bag* Looking back over it, it does seem like a lot bbbuuuttt it's not really?! *is in super denial about it all*

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ TokyoTreat: Seven Month Review ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

So, after unsubscribing to a previous subscription box - which I loved at first, but then it turned to disdain after a while - I had my attention brought to Tokyo Treat. Annnnnd a quick note, I was originally going to do this at the six month period, but I completely forgot a month - basically, I forgot that I started this subscription in March, and thought that I had started it in April! What a tit I am...

So basically, Tokyo Treat comes across like ALLLLLLLL the other snack subscription boxes on the market these days, but to be truthful, it's better. Not only were the themes better - March was spring themed, April was the first anniversary edition, May was based on holiday treats, June was bizarre snacks/candy, July was anime characters, August was tropical fruits and September's is Mirai Suenaga x Tokyo Treat vs. Pokemon characters! So besides the interesting themes, the boxes are (literally - premium boxes get 13-17 treats, a drink and a DIY kit guarantee) rammed with goodies, you honestly get so many - with added extras! As well as the themes being interesting, they are also stuck to meticulously, so you're getting what it says on the box. No funny business whatsoever.

March

○ Hello Kitty strawberry biscuit sticks ○ strawberry wheat chocolate ○ Punifua's gummies ○ peach flavoured caramel corn ○ BBQ flavoured scones ○ Kracie's DIY kit ○ Tyrol sakura shiriejo ○ strawberry cotton candy ○ hi-chew honey kumquat flavour ○ bourbon usuyaki mix ○ sushi magnet ○ melon cream soda, Alfort's mini blonde chocolate ○ strawberry taiyaki snack ○ bonus item: Hello Kitty puff snacks ○

April & May

○ Meiji's pucca chocolate ○ crunchy panda z ○ Meiji's plum pati-chan ○ raw ramune candy ○ Karamucho hot chilli crisps ○ Baby Star yakisoba sauce flavour ○ mochi DIY candy kit ○ Lotte's Koala March custard pudding flavour ○ carrot chopped rice cake ○ wasabi grilled seaweed ○ Baby Star bonito kelp udon ○ Sakura pepsi ○ chocolate moaca ○ Calbee BBQ potato snack ○ bonus item: character purse ○

○ Gudtama character seal & gum ○ Crunchy matcha ○ Yochan's "sweating spicy snack" ○ curry crisps ○ Uji matcha brownie ○ plum jam crackers ○ chocolate & banana DIY kit ○ Friend Bakery matcha ○ raspberry flavoured kitkats ○ sour spray ○ matcha caramel ○ matcha flavoured cider ○ rich cheddar cheese crisps ○ matcha flavoured pocky ○ bonus item: Nameko re-ment charm ○

June & July

○ Yaokin big ika ○ otona crush kitkat ○ Pine's cola lollipop ○ Fujiya chocolate pencils ○ crazy bubbly soda ramune candy ○ chocolate dipped corn ○ karaoke mic ramune ○ mysterious syrup DIY kit ○ smartphone mochi ○ chocolate umaibo ○ Neko Atsume biscuits ○ Hi-Eight chocolate ○ sakura cola ○ potato tiramisu chips ○ super long HimoQ gummy ○ bonus item: Chimokke mascot ○

○ fortune-telling chocolate pills ○ Pokemon gummy ○ milk flavoured potato chips ○ shrimp crackers ○ Brazilian orange pocky ○ mochi DIY kit ○ Calpis gummies ○ Thomas & Friends chocolate pretzel sticks ○ Anpanman ramune candy ○ Cocotame snacks ○ Marutake peach drink ○ Yokai Watch chocolate ○ Black Thunder Gold ○ Thomas & Friends chewing candy ○ Dragon Ball Heroes snack ○ bonus item: moko moko toilet DIY candy kit ○

August & September

○ Torotto mango flavour chocolate ○ mugipon milk coffee cereal ○ watermelon flavoured gummy ○ wasabi flavoured potato chips ○ honey roast flavoured pretz ○ Dodotto DIY kit ○ seven stick milk chocolate flavour ○ Pachi Pachi poppin' candy ○ Jibanyan chocolate monaka ○ watermelon flavoured gum ○ Chocobi watermelon flavoured ○ watermelon salt Fanta ○ hoppechane cherryblossom candy ○ rice cracker with plum jam ○ rusk snacks ○ bonus item: Pokemon key chain ○

○ Yakisoba flavoured corn puffs ○ Pakkucho Disney biscuits ○ moguchuu strawberry soft candy ○ super sour lemon gum ○ chocolate umaibo ○ ice cream DIY kit ○ corn potage snack ○ maple butter beer ramune ○ sour plum pretzel sticks ○ Kuppy ramune ○ crazy cola bubble ramune candy ○ Chip Star shrimp flavour ○ bonus items: Mirai Suenaga x Tokyo Treat chocolate crackers, ramune soda & peach flavoured jelly ○ extra bonus item: Pompompurin letter set ○

Before I forget - you can choose between three sizes (small, regular and premium) and get free shipping worldwide aaannnddd I believe (that this is still valid) that if you use the code: FOREVER5 you get $5 off your subscription service, for as long as you're subscribed until?! How awesome is that?!
Seriously though. This subscription service has helped me decide what treats I am bringing back from my trip to Tokyo, at the end of the year. I know some of the treats won't be in season by them *heart breaks* bbbuuuttt other pieces, hopefully, will still be around? Lets hope so... for my sake *heavy breathing intensifies*

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ BeautyBay Haul; Makeup Geek + Gerard Cosmetics ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I am a sucker for offers on make-up, and a while ago now (like literally, back in May - that's how far behind, I am on things) BeautyBay was holding a "buy one, get one half price" offer on Gerard Cosmetics items, I swear that I was in there like a bat outta hell! And I couldn't resist purchasing some other goodies as well...

I'd had an empty Z palette lying around for ages now, and I knew that it needed to be filled, otherwise it would continue on being empty. So, seeing the selection of Makeup Geek pans on offer (and the fact that I got a free foiled eyeshadow pan after spending a certain amount) I decided to, just go for it and see what the outcome was, and the outcome was this! Oh,  and after sorting out each pan into alphabetical order (yes, this is what I do, w/ my organising) from left, to right, the pans go as follows;

○ Barcelona Beach ○ Bedrock ○ Bitten ○ Burlesque ○ Cinderella ○ Goddess ○ In The Spotlight ○ Latte ○ Vintage ○

I love these colours. I've been using all of these shades, besides the 'In The Spotlight' foiled eyeshadow, as transition shades mainly, and I've yet to use them just on their own? I feel that I probably need a primer for these pans though, as I did do tester swatches on my arms (which, the photographs turned out horrible, so no putting them in. Nope) and they needed, a good four to five swipes of colour, before they seemed usable? So basically, these pans are good for a build up of colour, and as I'm not using primer on my eyes at the moment, using them as transition shades, is the best option for sure. I do love these colours though, they are all, honestly, super pretty, and can be introduced to either everyday looks, or added to a glam look too.

Next up, are the stunning (and boy, do I mean s t u n n i n g) hydra matte lipsticks, as well as normal lipsticks, by Gerard Cosmetics. I love the hydra matte lipstick range - I even did a post about the colour CHER, which you can re-cap here if you so desire - because the formula agrees with me, on so many levels. They're creamy to apply, they don't dry to the point where the colour cracks, and makes my lips look awful, and the colours are just gorgeous in pigmentation. I cannot fault these liquid lipsticks... I really cannot. I also decided to get a few of the creamy lipsticks too, and I'm glad that I did! I really love these colours - even though I still haven't used them yet... oops! I will try to use them soon. Promise!

○ Gravity ○ Iced Mocha ○ Invasion ○ Mystic Moon ○ Rodeo Drive ○ London Fog ○

Oh, and I also purchased a pot of loose pigment powder from Makeup Geek - it's a beautiful champagne rose colour - which is a colour I have been after for a while, and it's just that extra bit of glitz, to make any eye look, well, pop!

So there we have it, a haul post that has been sitting in my drafts for over four months now *doom and gloom*, is finally finished! Boy, I sure do take my time... don't I.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ My Dream Crate w/ LOOT CRATE ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

It's not everyday, where I get approached and asked to write something - because someone likes my writing style. So you can probably understand my excitement for this blog post then - as I was approached by LOOT CRATE, and asked to create my own "dream crate". Now before I continue, I haven't been given anything as "payment", so this post is completely off my own back, and so therefore, contains my own thoughts and opinions etc.

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If you know me personally, then you know the type of things I like. If you don't know me personally, well there are (quite) a lot of things, that make up my personality, but I have managed (somehow) to narrow it down to, just a few, things, and trust me. It's hard to narrow down things for me... but yet, I've done it! *gives self a gold star* 

○ magical shoujo girls 

○ anti-heros i.e. Deadpool (ok, especially Deadpool) 

○ cute shit like Little Twin Stars

I've split the goodies into two boxes - one reason being that I couldn't fit all the stuff onto one panel, but another is to show the split sides of my personality. 50% of me likes cute shit, where as the other 50% just shows the dark side. It's who I am, and I'm not going to change that representation for anyone, so if you don't like it, tough titties and learn to deal with it.

Wade vs. Wade poster // Kotobukiya Bishoujo Statue: Lady Deadpool // The Hobbit moleskin notebook // Deadpool festival style wristbands // Deadpool figure // Funko POP! Home: Deadpool // Black Panther Tee by Mighty Fine // Cute Groot keyring // The Hobbit hardback edition

Sailor Moon long leather wallet // petite Kiki and Lala mascots // Little Twin Stars five-way pen // Little Twin Stars diary // Sailor Moon character socks // Sailor Moon 2017 schedule planner // Little Twin Starts letter set

I'm not going to lie. It was hard to choose things. I honestly, wanted to put EVERYTHING into my dream crate, but I managed to keep it.... well.... small-ish. As a Loot Crate box only contains 4-6 items per box, having even a couple of items appear in a box would be amazing.
I honestly, enjoyed writing this blog post. It's been a while since I've dove into the whole "comic book slash cutesy" side of me, since I've been so focused on make-up and personal things lately, it's just been nice to step away from that, for a small breather!

N/B: Deadpool items found via here, here and here. Lady Deadpool figure found here. Black Panther t-shirt is found here. Sailor Moon items from here, here, and here.The Marvel wristbands and keyrings were found here. The Hobbit hardback book from here, whilst the notebook is from here, and all the Little Twin Stars items can be found here.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Hyper Japan // Nocturnal Bloodlust ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

It has been, now, over a month(?!) since Hyper Japan and I am still feeling it all. It's also the summer holidays here in the UK, and my work hours have dropped dramatically (YAY for term time children!) yet all I would like to do, is sleep. Besides the hours I have had at work, I have been so, so, so lazy with stuff - I've literally just eaten, slept and watched TV series, oops.

Hyper Japan is, now, the one and only convention I do these days, and every year it is very up and down with its organisation skills. Last year, their organisation was as good as it could be for a last minute venue change, where as this year, it just seemed very... "splot we're here, deal with it" kind of attitude. But anyway.

Before Hyper Japan, on the Friday (15th July) Saph and I went to a gig in Camden Underworld - more particularly, we saw Nocturnal Bloodlust - who are a deathcore/metalcore band from Japan and holy shit... they were just... they were seriously amazing. Besides seeing LOST ASH at Hyper Japan last year, seeing this band was near the top of my list and wow. They honestly blew me away during the live! I was lucky enough to get a V.I.P ticket, but it was kinda disappointing because all we got to do was walk past, and have a handshake with the band members - and I know this probably sounds extremely whingy of me, but in the past, a meet and greet was a little bit than just a handshake - especially when it was £20 extra for just that?! Best meet and greet for me (besides LOST ASH shhh) was SCREW back in 2012, because for that little bit extra money, they did photographs, handshakes, signatures AND a Q&A slot... so yeah guys, sort it out there.

ANYWAY. The live was amazing, and there was even a death/mosh circle pit! Not a literate death circle, but Saph did want to go and throw herself in it... me? Not so much. I have to admit, in the past, I would have been up front, as close to the centre as possible but this time around, it was nice to be at the back and away from the................. squishing. All in all the set was amazing, and they played quite a lot of songs, and a encore. 10/10 would go see them live again. It was just so energetic, and the surge of power from the band, well. Just epic. I got some brilliant goodies - two cd's and a photoset, whilst Saph got a poster.

Moving on to the next day - where I must admit, I wasn't too achy but I did have blocked ears - the bane of being RIGHT next to a bass speaker during a gig... and my ears didn't unpop all weekend so I felt extremely old, yelling at people and saying "FUCKING SPEAK UP, SERIOUSLY" yes, that's what I said, and I regret nothing. We managed to wake up at 9am (WOW, CHECK US OUT) and get to the venue just before midday - which to us, it's nice because we were able to do things at our own pace, and our own leisure.

We are so cute together, shhh~

Normally, I don't stop and listen to bands that are performing - unless they are someone I like? - but this year, it was Saph's turn to be happy as larry, as CHARISMA.COM were performing, and I'm not going to lie. I was hooked. They are super catchy and really know how to get the crowd going! I was also lucky enough to meet them afterwards! They are both super cute, and easy to talk to!

This duo wasn't the only lovely people I met up with - I was able to hang out with Toni, and Milly, and meet Saph's boyfriend Tom, and some of Saph's friends too! It was just nice to hang around with people, who enjoy the same things I do, and not feel............... ridiculous?!

The second day was just as hot as the Saturday - I honestly hate the warm weather, I am just NOT a warm weather type of person... pft. But we managed, and we had just as much fun as we did on the Saturday. I can't really tell you much else about the weekend - it was literally; food, friends and fun! What more could we ask for?!

What was nice about this year, was everything was spaced out, so no one was crushed together, but the whole event did feel slightly... haphazard? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy everything about Hyper Japan in general, but this year, it definitely felt different. I can't quite put my finger on it with why, but I just have that niggle. Oh, and the fact that the venue has a glass ceiling. Glass ceiling + hot weather = grumpy and sweaty people. Cries.

Before I finish off - I didn't purchase as many goodies as usual, but nothing really grabbed my attention, besides what is pictured above! Annnnnnnnd, an amazing friend of mine managed to catch Caqui's pick from the gig! She caught a couple, as well as found a couple on the floor - so I was lucky to nab one from her! I do like collecting guitar picks from gigs...

Thanks for reading!
xoxo