What Musical Theatre Means To Me

Hey lovelies! I hope you're all been having a wonderful start to the week :) To be honest, mine has been tough and I have been really struggling mental health wise. Today, in a bid to uplift myself and determined to start my day on a much more positive note, I put on my favourite musical hits as soon as I got out of bed. Songs from musicals never fail to make me feel better, even if I'm in the gloomiest of moods, I won't be able to make it through more than five songs without bursting into song myself! Musicals have always been a big part of my life; from being a small child, I have loved them! I used to watch them on repeat for days, and when I wasn't watching them, I was reciting them and dancing around my house singing :D They taught me so much and have brought joy into my life for the last twenty years, they have been something of an escape for me when things were hard and it felt amazing when as an adult, I could finally afford to go to see them in person, which was surreal and just phenomenal! Did you guys know that today is World Theatre Day!? It just seemed like perfect timing that I really appreciated how much listening to those songs this morning, and experiencing that feeling of warmth and emotion flow through me, made me feel 10x better. I couldn't not share that with you guys! This might be another rambley kind of post, because I'm just going to write and not think too much about it :) However, I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless!   

I've decided that I'm going to write all about the reasons why I love musicals! Right now, I am listening to the original soundtrack for Cats, which is definitely my all-time favourite musical, and I'm having such a marvellous time having a good old sing-along (my family are probably not enjoying it as much, haha!). I would love to know what your favourite musical is! Please let me know in the comments :) 

One of the main reasons why I love musical theatre, and so wish that I had the musical and dancing talent to participate in them myself, is because of how unique a way of emotional expression they are. Everything in musicals is so deep and moving, whether the emotions being conveyed are those of sadness or anger or extreme happiness! I am a very emotionally empathic person and I feel things strongly, and so I find watching musicals therapeutic in a way, they allow me to experience intense feelings and give me an outlet, if that even makes sense. I cry a lot during musicals :D Is anyone else the same? 

I just love how extra musicals are when it comes to portraying emotions, and I feel like people who are less emotionally expressive will gain a lot from watching them. When I was around ten or eleven years old, I first started to experience the onset of my depression and I bottled up a lot of my feelings, because I wanted to pretend that everything was okay and I didn't want to be a burden to my loved ones. I would keep my feelings internalised when I was around others, but when I was alone, I would still find it hard let go of the tension of constantly trying to put on a happy face, and that's where musical theatre came in. I would put on one of my favourite shows and as I watched I would be able to channel my emotions through the stories and feelings of the characters. I always felt kind of refreshed after watching, pretty similar to how you might feel after you've had a good cry.  

Another reason why I love musicals and why they helped me so much was their depiction of individuality. I struggled a lot as a child and a teenager with my identify and embracing my personality and my quirks, who I was as a person. I dealt with bullying for most of my school years, and it was very challenging for me not to see myself through the eyes of people who were mean to me. I struggled with learning to love myself for all that makes me unique, and although I am a lot better now, like I value so many things about myself and I think I'm pretty awesome, there are still days when everything comes back to haunt me and I falter. There were many things that helped me on my journey of self discovery and acceptance, and one of those was musicals. 

Musical theatre is a beautiful, expressive art form and there are so many creative details and inspiring characters. There are lots of themes about societal outcasts and people who stand out as different from the crowd, for example Dr Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors. Watching characters like those, who are so amazing and gorgeous and intriguing because of what makes them unique, because of their individuality, made me feel not so alone, and that it was not only okay to be different, but empowering to. So that was very important to me, and still very much is now that I'm a grown up (even though I feel like I have Peter Pan 'syndrome' sometimes XD). 

Coming back to the fact that musicals are an art form that are beautiful and scream creativity, this is another reason why I find myself so in love with them! I adore how emotions and scenarios are interpreted throughout dance and song, and how the staging is stunning and full of colours and features elaborate set up's. There is so much to look at and take in. You really get to feel like you are in the scene along with the preforming artists, and for me I feel like I'm transported into another place or time for the duration of the show, even more so when I'm viewing in person! They are enthralling and make me feel all the things :) 

There is something uniquely moving about watching a scene unfold in song rather than word, and it is fascinating how much meaning can be expressed through certain lyrics. I feel like listening to these songs throughout my childhood helped me with my own emotional understanding and expression, because they provided something different to the music in the charts (not that they didn't influence me in their own way). Listening to Annie, in the musical of the same name, sing about her longing for a family to call her own, and to Fantine in Les Misérables pour her heart out about all of the suffering she endured, is moving in all kinds of ways. No matter how many times I see those scenes, I am moved just as much as if I'm watching them for the first time! But I am a bit of an emotional wreck anyway XD Crying is my default response, no matter what emotion I'm feeling. 

Something else that I love about musicals is how fun they are! They empathise positive feelings just as much as they do for the heart-wrenching moments. A lot of the time, everyone is just so elated and animated and are expressing pure happiness through song and dance. Such as in Cats, in my favourite song of the entire musical, 'Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat', the cast are running and leaping about the stage celebrating the fabulousness of a ginger tabby cat who lives on the trains! Or in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, people are literally dancing around congratulating a guy because he has the rainbow gown of dreams! And I am all for this :D Seriously though, what's not to love about musicals!? They make me feel like I want to sing and dance through life too, and I feel so joyous after watching them! 

I'm going to stop writing now, because this is becoming an essay :D But I just wanted to end my post by saying a huge thank you to all of the creative geniuses out there who produce musicals, who write the storylines and create the costumes and sets, who choreograph the dances, to everyone who does their bit to put together such wonderful works of art! You enrich my life and the lives of lots of others. Happy World Theatre Day! Keep doing what you're doing, and bringing more happiness into the world. I cannot wait to go watch my next musical! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What is your favourite thing about musical theatre?

Do you have favourite song that never fails to uplift you?

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Should Severus Snape Have Been A Ravenclaw?

Hi everyone! Did you guys know that there are several days in March that are dedicated Hogwarts House Pride days? If you follow me on social media then you'll have likely found out that yesterday was Ravenclaw's special day, because I was somewhat spamming my Instagram with related posts! If you've followed my blog for a while. you will know that I'm a big Harry Potter fan, and if you hadn't already gathered, the house that I was sorted into on Pottermore was Ravenclaw, which was fabulous news to me since I'd always related most to that house and would want to be sorted into it if I ever went to Hogwarts... unfortunately my letter is still lost in the post T_T. Luna Lovegood is one of my favourite characters of the franchise too, so it's cool to be in the same house as her! My other favourite character is Severus Snape, and so it may seem like this post is bias but it's totally not XD 

Anyhow, I've always thought that Snape fit well into Ravenclaw House and with it having been Ravenclaw Pride Day yesterday, I was inspired to write all about it! I hope you guys enjoy reading, whether you're a fellow Potterhead or just curious about my thoughts ♥ I apologise now for how rambley this post might get! 

The traits attributed to the Ravenclaw House are Wit, Wisdom and Intelligence. You are sorted into houses not necessarily because you possess the attributes that were favourable to each of the four founders, but because you value these traits most. There are lots of characters in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World who also show strong characteristics that are highly valued by another house than the one they were placed into during the sorting ceremony on their first night at Hogwarts school. I feel that at the age of eleven most people don't value what they necessarily would with more exposure to the world and life experience, and that as they grow towards adulthood, they may change considerably and not value the traits they once did. But since they were already sorted, their lives at school will be influenced by the presumed character traits of their allotted houses, and they may not be able to experience opportunities or mingle with peers truly alike to themselves (since students spend the majority of their time at Hogwarts amongst their housemates, in lessons and also in the common room during free time) if they were sorted into a house that was reflecting of their eleven year old self's wants or views. Maybe the sorting hat is also capable of seeing into the future, who knows...? 

When it comes to Severus Snape at eleven years old, from the little insight we have into his childhood, he seemed to be a loner and maybe he felt insignificant as a consequence, and so he would have probably valued ambition (which is one of the qualities desirable to Slytherin House) because he wanted to become more than he was and to excel at school/in life. Maybe he did forever value this trait most of all but I feel from what we learnt about Snape's character throughout his later years at school, he had both a thirst for learning and was a very talented and intelligent young wizard. These would be qualities very well suited for Ravenclaw House. 

Professor Dumbledore says in a scene that Harry witnesses through the pensive in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' (Chapter 33, Page 555), 'You know, I sometimes think we sort too soon...'. And I definitely agree! What he says prior to that is in relation to Severus being braver than Igor Karkaroff, and it would seem that he is hinting towards him being more suited to Gryffindor, but this may not be the case. There are plenty of characters in the story that are not in Gryffindor and show great bravery; Luna Lovegood, for example. 

Anyhow, I'm getting carried away with myself :D Let's go back to the Ravenclaw House traits and my thoughts on how Severus Snape seems to me very suited to this house. 

Intelligence & Wisdom

In 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince' (more so in the book than the movie, which I personally feel didn't do justice to the book! What do you guys think?), we learn all about young Severus' Advanced Potion-Making 'textbook' that Harry borrows from the copies available in Professor Slughorn's Potions class. In this book, the young wizard has annotated all of the spells with his own tips and advice, going against the experienced author's guidelines for the measurements of ingredients and such. Harry follows these notes and makes the best potions in the class! To figure all of this out, the young Snape would have had to spend a lot of time researching and practising, and I can just imagine him hiding in the toilets or in empty rooms across the castle, spending all of his free time working on perfecting his potions, and it reminds me so much of Hermione (who was very close to being sorted in Ravenclaw herself)! His iconic quote just shows how much passion he has for potions, 'I don't expect that you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensuring the senses.' - gosh, I love reading this scene *fangirling* :D

The teenage Severus also created his own spells, which he recorded in his textbook, and even though some of them were rather nasty like the Sectumsempra one that Harry uses on Draco, it still shows a lot of skill and intelligence for someone of his age to be able to do advanced spell-work like this. These are just some of examples, there is no denying that Snape is a clever guy! 

Oh, another example is in the fact that Snape could literally be the Professor for teaching so many different subjects at Hogwarts! He's fantastic at Potions, and he shows himself throughout the story to be very skilled at Defence Against the Dark Arts. I also think that he would be good at Herbology too, because I imagine that he collects a lot of the ingredients for his Potions storeroom himself, so he must be very knowledgeable about plants and magical creatures, etc., to be able to source materials, and this could likely be applied to growing the plants. 

Wisdom is very similar to intelligence, but not all wise people are scholars! Intelligence can be learnt but wisdom is all about having the abilities to apply knowledge well and to possess good decision-making skills, etc. That is probably not the best explanation but I want to get straight to my thoughts on how Severus shows this quality :) Because wisdom and intelligence often go hand-in-hand, my example can probably be used as an argument for both, but oh well :D One of the reasons that I think Severus Snape shows great wisdom is in the fact that he effectively manages to convince Voldemort of his loyalty to him, feeding him information but not enough to allude to the fact that he is actually manipulating him. Yes, this could be seen as being cunning as well (another Slytherin associated trait), but he's doing it for a good reason, to help Dumbledore in defeating Voldemort. Snape has to make a lot of decisions to keep the façade up. I think this shows him to very capable when it comes to wisdom anyway! 

Wit 

Well, I mean we all know how sassy af Severus Snape is! Some of the stuff he comes out with is so witty, I love it! Wit by definition is the 'ability to use words in a clever and humorous way'. Sarcasm, when done well, can certainly be considered a type of wit. Oscar Wilde's quote, 'Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence' popped into my mind just now. Severus Snape's sarcastic responses are iconic to his character, and one of the reasons I like him so much. I love some good ironic humour! Since I re-read Chapter 33 of the Deathly Hallows when writing notes for this post, I'll use this example... Snape's response after Dumbledore has asked him to be the one who kills him instead of Draco: 'Would you like me to do it now?, asked Snape, his voice heavy with irony. Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?'. Something only Snape would come out with during a discussion like this, and it made Dumbledore smile, so he seemingly is as much a fan of Snape's sarcasm as me :D 

Creating good riddles and puzzles is something that shows strong wit as well in my opinion, and Snape is good at this! It annoyed me that they decided to not put this into the movie for 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' but in the books, all of the Professors at Hogwarts come up with way to protect the stone, and Snape's is the Potion Puzzle. You can read more about it here if you've not read the book :) but he creates a riddle of sorts that Hermione solves so that Harry can drink the correct potions and advance in to the next room. 

Creativity & Individuality 

Even though this isn't one of the traits that is mentioned by the sorting hat, it is a known quality that is associated with Ravenclaw. As it says on the Harry Potter Fandom website, 'it's not unusual to find Ravenclaw students practicing especially different types of magic that other houses might shun', and thus we see Ravenclaw's like Professor Trelawny specialising in Divination, which a lot of other people at Hogwarts don't seem to take seriously, and Luna Lovegood and her affiliation with Thestrals and other very rare magical creatures that others don't even believe exist! Although Snape doesn't really stand out in this way, he can be considered as someone who expresses individuality, in his mannerisms and the way he dresses in his ironic all-black robes. As for creativity, he created his own spells and I think that shows awesome creative abilities in of itself. We know very little about Snape's interests and hobbies outside of his teaching and lesson preparation, but I can imagine that he is a creative and imaginative person just because of what he do know about him. I'd love to hear your opinions on this point guys :) Let me know in the comments. 

Not only Slytherin's are capable of committing mean acts... 

'There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin', is something that Hagrid tells Harry and there is a lot of prejudice towards Slytherins all being bad in the books/movies which I just hate, but I could write a whole blog post on this topic alone! Slytherin's get a bad name and of course, Snape did some very bad things and yes, he was sorted into Slytherin but that's probably because of the fact that J.K. Rowling used Slytherin as a place to dump most of the obviously mean people >.< Whenever people think about all of the cruel acts that Snape committed, it seems fair that he should automatically be a Slytherin, but there are a few people from other houses who in Hagrid's words 'go bad'. Peter Pettigrew is in Gryffindor and we have him to thank for Voldemort's revival and more, however I'm going to use another character as my example because he's a Ravenclaw. Gilderoy Lockhart manipulated heroic wizards into telling him all about their achievements and then would use a memory charm to make them forget ever telling him, and claim their actions as his own! This is obviously mean, but no one is getting injured or killed. But in the Chamber of Secrets, Lockhart shows that he would have quite happily let Harry and Ron suffer so that he could survive! Professor Quirrell is a Ravenclaw and another perfect example. So, Snape could still be in Ravenclaw despite the horrid stuff he's done. 

Okay, I think I should stop writing now! I think I have given enough reasons why I think Severus Snape could very well be a Ravenclaw. Do you agree with my points? I could go on much further, but if you've managed to make it to the end of this post then you deserve a medal XD *presents you with an imaginary epicness medal*. Thankyou if you did read all my ramblings; I hope that it was,at the very least, interesting! I don't blog about Harry Potter things much as I don't want to bore everyone, but if you did enjoy this post and want to see some more related content in the future, I would love to know :) I hope you all have a lovely week! 

Thankyou for reading!

♥

What is your Hogwarts House? 

Do you think you should have been sorted into another house than Pottermore decided? 

Are there are characters that you think should have been sorted into a different house? 

Super Cute Pin Club by Stami Studios | Review

Happy Friday guys! Yay, the weekend is almost here! Although the thing that's most exciting for me today is the fact that Netflix is releasing Season 2 of The OA!! We've been waiting for almost three years for another season of this brilliant sci-fi/fantasy show and I cannot wait to find out what's in store for all of the characters and where the storyline is going to take us next :) And well, I get to watch Jason Isaacs, too! *all the heart-eyed emojis*. Anyone else a fan of The OA? I'd love to know who your favourite character from S1 was? But before this post accidently ends up as a review of The OA, on with the topic at hand :D 

Last month, I signed up to my first pin badge subscription! I've been looking for a subscription like this for years but I just couldn't find one that I was really drawn to, until I came across Stami Studios and their monthly 'Super Cute Pin Club', that is! I've been so looking forward to blogging all about it and sharing the cuteness with you all ♥ Enjoy! 

It's clear to see just from the card above just how adorable the artwork by Stami Studios is! I was so delighted that this was the first thing that I was greeted with when I reached into the padded envelope and pulled something out :) The cats are so sweet and the colour scheme is gorgeous! I was very intrigued to see what I would get for my first pin!

To explain a little about the Super Cute Pin Club subscription... it's only £7 a month, with free shipping within the UK (although they ship worldwide). I thought this was an absolutely marvellous offer after browsing through all of the products on the Stami Studios website and seeing how good they looked! I had been following them on Instagram for a while, admiring their pins and 'gameboy' ita bags (which is how I first came across them), but I didn't realise that they had a pin club until I decided to have a nosey on their website one day in February. I'm so glad I did!

I couldn't resist signing up and giving this pin subscription a try considering it was only £7! I was too curious not to after seeing the range of pins created by Sam Rostami, the artist behind Stami Studios; there was so much variety and lots of designs inspired from fandoms/franchises that I love, like Pokemon, Nintendo & Studio Ghibli. I saw that the pins were limited editions too so that intrigued me. So which pin did I get in the March Super Cute Pin Club? 

Here's what I received! It's a Magical Girl Kit pin! I think it's a lovely, unique idea for a pin and I love how much detail it has :) The quality is fantastic, and I was super impressed considering the subscription was cheaper than the price of pins available to buy on the website. I love how colourful the pin is, it's very bright and eye-catching! I wouldn't usually choose a 'girly' pin like this, but I actually really like it! It's nice to get a new pin for my collection that I've never seen anything similar to before. Let's take a closer look at it... 

I love all of the gold stars dotted about all over the pin! They remind me of a particular star emoji that I love and use a little too much, haha! It's more of a sparkle than a star in my opinion and I like it a lot. I also love that this pin features some sceptres/staffs resembling the moon sticks from the anime series Sailor Moon. 

Despite all of these pretty things, my favourite detail of the pin is the paper scroll that says 'Magical Girl Kit'! I very much like its curled over edge and the colour of it; it's great that it stands out against all of the more vibrant shades surrounding it. Not only does this pin look like as it's described, a magical girl kit, but I also see it like a dressing-up box for children and that just makes it even more of a sweet pin! What do you all think of this pin badge?

I really like the backing card for this pin too. I was unsure whether or not the pin would come on a backing card as it would if I was to purchase a pin individually from the online store for example, but it did and I was very glad about that. The pin is a great size, meaning it is more likely to get noticed and also I'm less likely to forget that I'm wearing a pin and somehow manage to knock it off when moving my hair or bag strap, etc., oops! I've done that a few times whilst wearing pins >.< My new magical girl kit pin is also double backed and the backs are made of a nice, smooth rubber material so they are less likely to irritate my skin or scratch at my clothing. Double backs are always better for securing the pin, and giving it that extra attachment so it's less likely to come off. I was really happy to see these backing features on my new pin. It is seriously worth so much more than £7, and who doesn't love getting more for their money!? :) 

Have you guys noticed from my photo above that there's the back of another pin there too?!! 

I was so surprised when I received another pin inside my package! I had completely forgotten that the website said that all new subscribers would be sent an extra pin from one of the previous monthly Super Cute Pin Club's. How awesome is that though!? Firstly the subscription is a fabulous price and then I get a free pin just for signing up! How lovely that it also came inside this wonderful presentation card :D 

I have no idea if this character has any relation to a fandom... does anyone know? I instantly thought of something like Dungeons and Dragons because of all the different types of dice! Whatever it is, I absolutely adore it! The colour scheme is beautiful and this little demon dude is very cute! I really like the little wings coming out of its hair, and the sparkle in its eyes. What a excellent pin! 

Overall, I am very happy with my new pins from Stami Studios and my first impressions of the Super Cute Pin Club is that it's awesome! Not only are the pins really nice and fabulous quality, but the attention to detail that has gone into all of the presentation is brilliant too! I am so looking to April's edition of this subscription ^.^ I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Thankyou for reading!

♥ 

Which is your favourite pin of the two I received?

Are you also a pin badge collector? 

I'd love to hear all about any new pins you've been buying lately!

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Autumn 2018 Pusheen Box | Review

Hello guys! Ugh, hasn't the weather just been dreadful lately!? It's making me long for Spring to arrive! And I know that will bring with it 'April showers' but along with those we'll get flowers blossoming and trees growing buds and all the baby animals! Thinking about the fact it's going to be officially the start of Springtime tomorrow made me realise that I'm yet to show you guys what I got in my last two Pusheen subscription boxes! I was terrible last year at blogging, if you're a regular reader you'll know why, and for that I'm sorry guys, but to be honest, considering the theme of the box I am going to show you all today, I feel like it's perfect timing :) The theme is a cosy one, and with all this miserable weather in the aftermath of Storm Gareth (I love that they name storms like this! haha), I'm sure we've all been trying to make ourselves as comfy and snug as possible, pretty much hibernating in our homes! Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy reading this long-awaited post! 

The Autumn 2018 Pusheen Box doesn't list a theme but some of the descriptions on the little information card they give you in each box say relax so that's what I'm going to asumme it is! Although I'd maybe call it more of a self-care box. You can decide for yourselves :) 

Before I show you guys what items I received, I should explain a little more about the Pusheen Box for anyone who's not heard of it before. This super awesome subscription is a quarterly one, which means that subscribers are sent a box every season/three months or so, and the boxes are themed in association with the corresponding season :) You can check out my Summer 2018 Box here for more insight into the themes and such. 

Every box comes with an exclusive vinyl figure that matches the theme in some way, but all of the other 7-9 items are a surprise! The subscription boxes are pretty pricey but considering you get a big box of excellent quality, and mostly exclusive, items, and you pay the same 'in bunk' as what you'd pay anyway over three months if you were subscribed to a monthly box of a similar quality, it's really not bad at all. I love the Pusheen Box, and I'm always super happy with the items I'm sent so I don't really mind the price, which works out at around £55 (that's including the shipping) plus the silly customs fee if you live in the UK like me. So, without further ado, here is the contents of the Autumn 2018 Pusheen Box... 

I am in love with the pastel shades colour scheme of this version of the Autumn Pusheen Box! As much as I love the browns and rusts associated with this wonderful season, my most favourite season of the year, it makes a nice change to have something a little different, plus it makes the items even more useful because you can use them all year round, not that I wouldn't anyway, but I know a lot of people like to keep their home décor and such matching whatever season it is. Me, on the other hand still has some of my Halloween decorations displayed around my bedroom XD The pastels also go perfectly with the overall theme of the box because they set the mood for relaxation, don't you think?

There were eight items in this Pusheen subscription box, and I think that whoever packs these boxes needs an award because they manage to fit so much in the space available, and I have no idea how they do it! Because I can never get every single item back into the box! But maybe that's just me being crap at packaging :D Anyhow, the items were: Pusheen stress ball, a toothbrush cover and toothbrush, a hand towel,  a loofah, an exclusive themed plushie, a Lazy Pusheen vinyl figure, a soap dispenser, and... 

A Pusheen dressing gown/robe! Seriously how pretty is this item!? I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I am always super delighted whenever Pusheen Box include a jumper, but this is even better! Each box usually contains some type of wearable, from t-shirts to flip-flops, and Pusheen Box unlike so many other subscription boxes has more than like two plus sizes, so I can actually wear the clothes I receive! (I'm looking at you geeky subscription boxes... -_-). I never expected to get a dressing gown though and oh my goodness, it's so bloody soft, and feels really nice to wear! I've only tried it on thus far because it's so lovely that I'm a little worried that I will somehow ruin it. I am in the habit of ruining clothes with my clumsiness and  epic lack of hand-eye coordination skills :D 

You can literally see just how lovely the quality of the material is just from the picture :) It's lush! I really like the shade of blue that they've chosen too as it's one of my favourite colours, it seems more summery than autumn vibes, but I don't care, it's fabulous! I am such a fan of fluffy white clouds on a blue background designs, so I can't not adore this dressing gown, and as if that's not enough, it is covered in the most adorable Pusheens! The balloon ones reminds me of Disney's Up which is a wonderful movie, and they add the perfect splash of colour. The Pusheens that have a speech bubble saying 'Hi!' just make me think of that high-pitched meow that cats give you when they're greeting you, and that makes my heart happy :3 

This item is more of a squishy than a stress ball, which is fine because I love squishies :) I don't own that many so it's awesome to have received an adorable, good quality one. I'm curious to see if it will help my anxiety, because I know that a lot of people use them for that. I'll let you guys know if it does! 

This item seems a little random when compared with the other items in the box, which together seem to make up a bathroom or bathtime box! The reason why I would consider it a self-care box is because each of the items help you to look after your well-being in some way. I think the theme of this box is fantastic! Even though this stress ball could be seen as more of a filler item, it's still useful and when compared with the kinds of filler items that I've been sent in other subscription boxes in the past, it's a great item! I like that it's the original Pusheen too, who is forever adorable in her simplicity. 

How sweet is this rubber tag attached to the loofah!? I absolutely love the design of it! I imagine that I look something like this Pusheen when I put on the dressing gown that I received XD Chubby and cute, with the same expression of pure joy on my face because of how soft the dressing gown is! As you can see from my group photo of all the items above, it also matches the plushie that I was sent too which is awesome. When I've finished with the loofah, I can cut the rope 'handle' and keep this tag, put it on a keyring or whatever :) It's brilliant quality too. The loofah is just a standard loofah, but I'm happy to receive an item that is actually useful. 

As for the soap dispenser, I very much like that it's simplistic in design, and I can see it going well with any bathroom colour scheme. The reasons that I love Pusheen so much is because a) she's a cat and cats are amazing!, b) she's chubby and adorable and looks so huggable, c) I love grey animals! & d) I really like her simple design, it just really appeals to me! So, I am always very glad that so much Pusheen merch just keeps to her original design, and although it's nice to have Pusheenicorns and Pusheenosaurus, etc., plain, grey Pusheen will always be personally my favourite. And so the soap dispenser suits my tastes, and again, it's something that I can get a lot of use out of. The Pusheen Box is so fantastic because it appeals to lovers of kawaii, but unlike other kawaii boxes, it is designed more with adults in mind, and thus includes items that are practical and handy, but still super adorable! 

Even though the dressing gown just has to be my favourite item in the entire box, it is closely followed by this spectacular plushie! I am a collector of plushies, I have loved them all of my life and while a lot of people grow out of them as they get older, I just found that I wanted to buy more now that I was an adult (Pfft XD) and had money that I could spend on whatever I wanted... apparently I wanted a lot of plushies! Despite the fact that I am sooner or later going to be overrun with plushies and have no room left to actually sleep in my bedroom, I am always happy to get more to add to my collection! Who else is the same? 

I have received three mini plushies now from Pusheen Box and I adore them all, but this one might be the best in my opinion. I just love the colours, the sky blue goes so nicely with the grey, and I love that me and Pusheen will be twinning when I'm wearing my new dressing gown. The plushie is just as soft and so squishy and ideal for cuddling! I like that the plushies are mini as it makes them easier to display and store, and I wouldn't mind receiving more in future boxes so I can create a little army of Pusheens! (and they can help me finally achieve world domination, who knows! :') … that sounded funnier in my head, I tried!). 

Behind the plushie you can kind of see the toothbrush cover, I would have taken a photo of it on it's own but I feel like my blog posts are always so picture heavy and I don't know if that makes them annoying to read or whatever, I'd really appreciate your feedback on this guys! But yeah, I was certainly happy to receive this item because I was just going to buy some more anyway, and I usually purchase the boring, clear plastic ones, so it will be a lovely change to be greeted by Pusheen each time I brush my teeth :) It's cool that they threw in a toothbrush as well, plus I love the colour of it, it's like a mint green/turquoise-ish shade. 

Finally, it's time to talk about the vinyl figure! As a collector of vinyl figures (yes, I collect a lot of things...), I always enjoy getting new figures and I love that these ones are exclusive to the subscription boxes. I wasn't really a fan of the design of the vinyl figure from the previous box I received so I was hoping the Autumn box would bring with it a figure that I loved. I was not disappointed! This vinyl figure is the smallest of all of the ones I've been sent, and I really like how Pusheen is laying on her side. I also love that she's winking, so cute! I can't wait for an opportunity to use this little cutie for my toy photography page, which you can have a nosey at over on Instagram. 

I said finally, but then I realised that I almost forgot to share my thoughts on the hand towel that was included in the Autumn 2018 box. I was impressed with the size of it, because upon first glance I assumed it was a flannel but it's a typical sized hand towel. I like that it's made from a thin material because it won't take up too much room in a suitcase or overnight bag. It's a lovely colour, although I usually opt for darker colours on account of the colours fading with each wash, some pale towels don't take many washes to look completely faded. It's still a really nice towel though and I don't even know if I'm going to be able to bring myself to use it yet! There's always one item that I receive in each Pusheen Box that I find myself saying this about, but it's true. They are too cute and precious and I don't want to wreck them. Especially this towel because the design on it is incredibly adorable. It's Pusheen sleeping on a cloud! There's always one item in the box that directly relates to the details on the outside of the actual box, and this is the one for 2018's Autumn edition. 

Here's a better look at the toothbrush cover guys! I'd love to know what your favourite item is in this box, and what you think of the overall theme in general. Let me know in the comments! I hope that you all love reading about the Pusheen subscription box as much as I enjoy sharing it with you all. It is such an exciting box to get in the post, which makes up for the nice customs fee that comes along with it >.<. I still think it's worth it as it's the only subscription box that I've always found to have such a consistent standard and quality. I know that I will like the majority of the items I get, that they will always be well-made and something that I can actually get use out of! (or will make a lovely present for one of my loved ones who will). Even if the theme ends up being one that isn't really my cup of tea, I know that I will still enjoy the items themselves, because it's Pusheen and I love her character! 

It won't be long until the Spring Box arrives, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the theme will be! Back in 2016, I got my first ever Pusheen Box and it had a very food-oriental theme. Then I missed 2017's Spring box because I was going through some money issues and had to unsubscribe for a while, and that box had a Pusheen Easter bunny on the front so I was gutted that I couldn't get it! Last Spring, the box had a celebration theme to commemorate the 10th Pusheen Box, including items of gold, turquoise and pink, featuring very Pinterest worthy designs. So I have no inkling what this year's theme will be and I love surprises! Before it arrives, I'll make sure to blog all about my last box of 2018, Winter's Pusheen Box. Have a wonderful rest of the week everyone! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What's your favourite thing about Autumn? 

Are you more of a fan of original Pusheen or Pusheenicorns/Pusheenimals/etc.? 

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