Kitsch Bitch Jewellery Dark Willow ring...

I am a HUGE Buffy fan, and was ridiculously pleased to get this Dark Willow ring for my Birthday. As well as loving Dark Willow (even though she is kind of evil) I love the lilac cameo. The ring is handmade by the Etsy store called Kitsch Bitch jewellery who I've mentioned before (and have a blog post on a custom order here.) 

Their store is the perfect combination of kitsch, kawaii, and nerdy and I want it all!! 

Bored now.

Ebay picks...

Skull shoulder bag £3.40 here

Rilakkuma bag charm £1.56 here

Strapless dress £11.99 here

Holika Holika Real Skin Finish £7.05 here

Chunky buckle boots £15.99 here

Bomb Cosmetics Pink Coconut Bath Creamer review...

Another Bomb Cosmetics review, and this time I picked the Pink Coconut Bath Creamer to try. This is pretty small, and enough for one bath. It fizzed gentle, and didn't give off any foam or colour. Bomb say "a warming coconut fragrance, reminiscent of carribean holidays and soaking up the sun. Contains Lavender and Geranium essential oils." I could definitely smell this before I used it- but once it was in the bath It hardly gave off any scent which was a bit disappointing. It did however make the water silky soft, and a lovely treat for my skin.

The Bath Creamers cost £2.09 which I'd say it a pretty reasonable price too!

Book review: Both Ways is the Only Way I Want it by Maile Meloy

This is a short story collection where each story focuses on a character that is facing a hard decision in their life- all concerning love be it new or lost. I found this an enjoyable read, but it didn't completely blow me away. A lot of the stories where brief snippets that had no conclusion which slightly frustrated me, as it felt like they ended too abruptly. 

I liked the fact a lot of the stories where set in cold snowy Winters. I felt like the environment the characters were in got a lot of attention which really helped set the scene. The different characters kept the stories interesting, although mostly all of the stories were very straight forward ordinary life situations. My favourites were 'Travis, B' about a lonely young farmer who falls in love with a lawyer, 'The Girlfriend', about a father trying to find out how his daughter had been murdered, 'Liliana', about a rich eccentric old lady presumed dead that turns up at her grandsons house, and 'O Tannenbaum', about a family that pick up a hitchhiking couple at Christmas named Bonnie and Clyde. 

Overall, I would recommend the book as an easy and enjoyable read. 3.5/5

"His heart felt dangerously full, for the first time in years. That dried up, battered organ, suddenly flush with love. It could kill him."

Things I got for my Birthday...

It was my Birthday on the 8th of August, and I was very much spoilt by my loved ones. I thought I would do a post showing the presents I received, I know most people either love or hate these posts- but I love them! My presents are a combination of cute and nerdy...

I got a nice selection of Korean cosmetics which I can't wait to try and review.

A bunch of stuff from Tiger- I love the highlighters :)

Breaking Bad, and My Little Pony bits.

I am in love with my Dark Willow ring! *Buffy obsessive*

Some dvds. Batman Returns is my favourite ever Batman film. I'm not that fussed about Disney, but I was obsessed with The Little Mermaid when I was a kid, so am looking forward to a watching that again.

Books! If you are a fan of horror and vintage comics then you should check out The Little Book of Vintage Horror, it's really cool (and it comes with a fridge magnet!)

DS games. I've started playing Dementium and it's really good, sort of like Resident Evil. Great if you love horror.

This mega cute donut trinket box

A cloth Deathnote print of L.Can't wait to get a frame for this!

And finally,some Skullcandy Hesh 2 headphones, and most excitingly The X Files complete box set.  

Hello Kitty Sheet Mask..

I have been hoarding this Hello Kitty sheet mask for far too long due to the cuteness factor of the packaging. The other day I thought I'd *finally* get round to using it, and guess what? It had expired in April *huge sad face.* I did think about still using it but when I opened it, instead of smelling like strawberries it smelt like play doh, so I thought maybe not! Rather than waste these pictures I thought I'd still post them as the instruction pictures on the back are too cute to miss out on! 

Bomb Cosmetics Land of Smiles Butter Loop review...

This is the first review of one of the amazing selection I received in my lucky dip box and I've been dying to start using some of the products. In hindsight I can confirm August is the wrong time to have a long hot bath so It will probably be a while before I try out some of the other stuff! 

The first thing I chose to try was the Land of Smiles Butter Loop, just because it looks so lovely and colourful. Bomb say  "Travel on a carriage of butters and pure mandarin essential oil to the land of smiles. A refreshing fragrance with a sparkling tropical heart along with a top note of bergamot and lemongrass." 

When I put this in the bath it gently fizzed releasing a smooth lather to the surface. I was also excited to find broken up pieces of different coloured button shapes in the middle. Thanks to the cocoa butter the water was silky soft, and soaked into my skin leaving it feeling well moisturised. The scent left a gentle lingering scent of mandarin which was lovely although maybe could have been a bit stronger. One thing I will say is that the scent didn't last on my skin, instead leaving a slight buttery smell which I'm not overly fond of.

This was just right for one baths worth for me, and costing just £2.24 each I'm more than happy with that. I would link to it on Bomb Cosmetics site but for some reason this flavour has disappeared. Overall very nice, and I can't wait to try out more.

Recently watched...

Here are the things I've been watching lately...

What Maisie Knew (2012)

The story of six year old Maisie whose parents fight for custody over her and seem more interested in getting one over on the other than her. The film is from the perspective of Masie which gives it a childlike innocence. At times it's heartbreaking, but the relationship she forms with her new stepmother and stepfather is ridiculously sweet. Onate Aprile who plays Maisie is brilliant. Overall this is a lovely film. 4/5 

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

If I had to describe this film in one word it would be: mediocre. The story had potential as the one sibling who hadn't got his life together, but sadly is was disappointing. For a comedy I can't really remember any overly funny moments other than the odd gentle laugh. Generally I like Paul Rudd, and he was very likeable here, and Steve Coogan was quite amusing too but other than that it was completely forgettable. 2/5

The Way Way Back (2013)

This was a feel good coming of age story that offered nothing new but was a nice watch all the same. Sam Rockwell stole the show as the fun loving pool park owner who befriends and gives lonely kid Duncan a holiday job. I liked the fact the film didn't descend into horrible cheesiness and instead kept it light, subtle and funny. It also made an interesting change to see Steve Carell play someone who wasn't completely loveable (in fact he was a total bastard!) Basically I felt this was Adventureland but good! (I hated that film...) 4/5

The X Files

This is my latest TV show obsession. I've decided to work my way through from the beginning. I love this show so much: Mulder and Scully are total badasses, I love Scullys snarkiness, and Mulders Dad jokes. I'm just getting to the end of series one, and there has been many amusing fashion choices too!

What have you been watching lately?

Japanese snacks round up...

As you may have noticed from my Youtube channel I am a big fan of Japanese snacks and candy and often make videos on DIY candy kits. I thought I would do a post today on some of the more known and easily available Japanese snacks...

Meiji Hello Panda Strawberry

I'd say most people have tried, or at least seen these before. They are hugely popular and very cute! Hello panda are a crunchy panda shaped biscuit shell with Strawberry creamy filling inside.

Meiji Hello Panda Chocolate

As you've probably guessed these are exactly the same but with a chocolate filling, yum!

Happy Nikukyu Peach

These probably aren't so well known but I had to include them in this post because they are so cute. They are a peach flavoured soft gummy that is shaped like a kitten paw *cute overload* Peach is my favourite gummy flavour, and Japanese candy uses it quite a lot. They are really tasty.

Meiji Yan Yan in chocolate and stawberry

These are a delicious pot of dipping biscuits and a portion of sauce. The biscuits taste just like the Pocky sticks and the sauce is ridiculously tasty. You get tons of biscuits per pot and they each have cute little phrases on, which my four year old sister was very impressed with!

Have you tried any of these?

[Oyatsu Cafe is a great website to get Japanese snacks an candy from- it's where I get most of mine and have so far had great service. There's a link to them in the sidebar if you want a look]

Tiger store haul...

The past few months I have seen all sorts of amazing things people have been buying from the store Tiger and have been completely gutted that there wasn't a store near me. Boo! Fortunately my lovely Nan lives in London and like me is a total shopaholic and surprised me with some bits she'd bought in the store near her.

My favourite of her picks has to be the geisha tweezers (which as well as being cute happen to feel really good quality), and I also love the space themed pegs too!

Fast forward a few weeks later and I found a Tiger had opened up right near me, so I rushed in to have a look. I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff they have, and everything is so colourful (and cheap!) 

I bought some stamp markers for £1, a strawberry plastic lunchbox for £2, and a mummy hand fan for £2 also. I'm fairly certain I will be going back there soon to buy some more things.

Poundland Pretty Speckle Nail Polish...

This nail polish is from a brand called Pretty from Poundland who have a selection of dupes for all sorts of nail trends. I am a fan of the speckled polishes from Models Own, and originally Illamasqua so thought I'd give this one a go.

The pictures are with two coats, I'd say it might benefit with a base coat underneath as it's fairly sheer. Other than than I really liked it. It did chip quickly, but for a pound I'd say this is a great budget version. They also have a pink shade too.

Book review: No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July...

[I haven't written any book reviews before, but love reading and enjoy reading other bloggers reviews- so thought I'd give it a go!]

This is a collection of short stories I've had sitting on my book shelf for ages waiting to be read. As soon as I started the first story in this book that was it: I was sucked in to July's world. The stories are a collection of ordinary but extraordinary characters. Some are strange, some funny, but all have a gentle melancholy running through their veins.

I loved July's writing style. Almost poetical, and full of beauty. Sometimes pondering on the simplest things produced quotable and profound lines. My copy is full of post its, holding particular lines I loved, and the person who had this book before me felt the same as they have underlined and circled different parts in pencil throughout. All the characters quirks and innermost thoughts are what gave flesh to these simple stories. Quite frankly I am in love. Reading this book is like delving into these people's worlds and briefly living their lives.

"What a terrible mistake to let go of something wonderful for something real"

Bomb Cosmetics lucky dip gift pack...

Last Wednesday afternoon I saw a post from Bomb Cosmetics on Facebook advertising their Lucky Dip Gift Pack for £30 which promised at least £50 worth of stuff and at least one candle and one liquid product. Of course I can never resist a lucky dip and wanted to try some more Bomb Cosmetics products, as I've loved what I've tried  so far, so I ordered one.

I got an email to say it was despatched the next day, and it arrived on Saturday. It was a huge pink box and I'm not ashamed to admit I was as excited as a kid at Christmas to see what was inside! I thought I would do a post to show everything I received in case you are tempted!

Land of Smiles butter loop, Pink Coconut bath creamer, Pina Paradise and Love Buds bath mallows.

Mandarin Sunset and two Queen of the Nile whoopie blasters.

Rhubarb Rainbow, Aztec Gold, and Pink Oasis handmade soap slices.

Flight of the Frangipani and Hippy Hippy Shake bath blasters.

Butterfly Ball bath tulip and Lime and Kiwi Big Top cocoa swirl.

Citrus Storm tinned candle and Blackberry Sour Scoopable shower gel.

Paradise Lost Shower Butter

And lastly Je T'ame and Fields of Joy car and home fragrancers.

Overall, I'm very happy with the huge selection I received. I like the fact there is a good mix of different product to try. I worked out the total value using their website and everything here added up to around £60 so I definitely got my moneys worth!

My only small disappointment was the Blackberry Sour shower gel- it seriously smells terrible. I'm not sure it this is how it is supposed to smell, but to me it smells of stale beer 0_0 My sister had a smell and her reaction confirmed it wasn't just my nose!

Other than that everything else smells amazing and I can't wait to try it all. I'm sure I will review everything here on my blog as I work my way through it. If you want to order one you can find them here.

Etude House Summer 2014: Lock'N Summer Collection...

Etude House has a new collection out for Summer called Lock'N Summer. There's some great new products, here's some of the promo images (sourced from Google.)

The collection consists of a mascara, a cushion blush, Any Cushion BB Cream in LE compact, cushion eyeliners, and new shades of Color Lips Fit.

The cushion eyeliners look like a really interesting product. They are a liquid eyeliner in a cushion compact and come in blue, purple, red, brown and black. I was tempted to try one of these but the reviews I've seen so far aren't very good.

They have added more Summer shades to the Color Lips Fit range with LE packaging. I love this product, but must admit I prefer the original colour selection.

Ah blush, my biggest weakness! Of course I bought one of these as soon as I saw them. They are a liquid blush in the cushion packaging and come in pink and peach.I can't wait to try them, they look lovely :) 

Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion bases...

I bought this cute deluxe sample set of the Etude House Magic Any Cushion bases ages ago, thinking it would be a good way to try all three shades of the make up base (and I'm a sucker for make up bases!) I've now tried out all three long enough to be able to review them.

The Magic Any Cushion bases come in three shades for different skin types: Magic Pink for radiance , Magic Mint to cover redness, and Magic Peach to brighten dull skin. As well as bases they can also be used as highlighters. The liquid product is soaked in a sponge which you push your applicator sponge in to release the product.  

As you can see from the picture the texture is really light and runny, which means it applies and sinks into the skin really easily. I was looking forward to trying the mint shade as I have quite a lot of redness to my skin, but I found it didn't really do a great deal unfortunately (I've yet to find a green base that does...) The Pink shade wasn't the best shade for me due to the aforementioned redness. My favourite of the three was Magic Peach which really helped to brighten my dry, dull skin. It gave a lovely glow, without adding any shimmer.

I found all three shades made my foundation blend easier and sit on the skin nicer. I think my foundation lasted a little longer than usual- although not majorly so. Overall, I think they are nice bases, and would certainly recommend the Magic Peach shade if you have dull skin. 

The full size products come in lovely compacts that remind me a little of macarons :)