Funko Photo A Day Challenge

Hi lovelies! Some of you guys may know, if you follow me on my social media, that a few months ago, I set up a separate Instagram account completely dedicated to my toy photography hobby. It has been absolutely amazing and I've made lots of friends in the toy collector community, especially in the 'Funko Family' as it's affectionately called. People within the community run daily photo challenges, and there's even some run by Funko's official account. Funko are the company that make Pop! Vinyl figures (and lots more!) if you didn't already know :) As you've probably guessed from the title, this post is going to be all about the recent Photo-A-Day challenge run by Funko *it's going to fairly pic heavy*. They host them a few times a year and they usually run for 15 days; December's went on through 1st-15th and each day had a different theme. It was super fun taking part and I wanted to share my photography with you guys! Enjoy! 

Above is the list of daily prompts for December 2018! It is not compulsory to stick to the theme, but it's interesting trying to come up with the perfect shot to match the prompt each day so I always do! It can be a challenge too (I instantly thought, well duh! to myself writing that, haha!), to think outside the box and come up with a photo that is going to be different from everybody else's. If you are fellow toy and/or vinyl figure enthusiasts then I would love to know in the comments that you would photograph for each theme! Without further ado, here's what I came up with...

Day 1 ~ Make A List 

Day 2 ~ Something Blue 

Day 3 ~ In My Mug 

Day 4 ~ Treats 

Day 5 ~ Something Red 

Day 6 ~ Jolly

Day 7 ~ Pyjamas 

Day 8 ~ Pets 

By the 8th Day, my favourite photograph to take had been my one of Luna Lovegood, standing on top of my Harry Potter Honeydukes Sherbet Lemons candle from Primark (it smells so delicious; I'm a big fan of circus scents)! If you follow me over on my personal/blog Instagram, you'll know that all this month I have been opening a door a day of the Funko Harry Potter advent calendar, and this Luna figure came from inside that. It was pricey but so worth it! I'm really enjoying unboxing a new Pocket Pop! figure each day. 

Anyhow, I had really struggled to think of something unique to share for the prompt 'Treats' because I knew everyone else would be posting Christmas sweets and chocolates. I had those in the house but I wanted to do something different! Then an idea suddenly popped into my head on the morning of Day 4 when my mom asked me if I wanted her to pick me up any snacks from town. I love how all of the colourful beans go so well with Luna's eclectic outfit :) My favourite day thus far to follow was Day 8: Pets because everyone in the community was sharing the most adorable photos of their pets and there was also an abundance of Pop figures wearing Santa hat's like mine! The hat I used is actually a hair clip version that I got to put on my rabbits' fluffy head's for some festive photos I took a few years ago :) 

Day 9 ~ Lights

Day 10 ~ Not A Pop! 

Day 11 ~ Cheer

Day 12 ~ Home 

Day 13 ~ Shelfie 

Day 14 ~ Funko Fashion 

Day 15 ~Happy Holidays!

It is so tough to choose a favourite for the last half of the challenge, because I feel like the quality of my photographs improved as I got more confident with my ideas! I always get a little nervous that my photos are going to be crappy compared to everyone else's, however I felt better after that first week :) I really like how my shot for Day 14 turned out, especially because it took me all day to think of what to photograph. It was the perfect excuse to photograph my new Coraline Pop! and in my caption I wrote that she & Georgie want to start a yellow raincoat club, which made me think the photo was even more cute, haha! I want a yellow raincoat!! 

I was really happy with how my photograph for the 9th of December turned out using my galaxy background (photography tip: it's a wallpaper sample!) because I hadn't yet bought the lights for the little Christmas tree that I put up in my bedroom, so I had to make do with some random ones that we use to light up a festive glass vase each year and the batteries were running out so they weren't as bright anymore T_T However, it was really surprised by how well they showed up under my studio light. Also if you're curious, the background I used for Day 12 is actually my Quality Street chocolate advent calendar! I love utilising random things to make an idea really come to life.

So, there are my entries for the December Funko Photo A Day Challenge! I hope that this post was interesting, even if you're not particularly into figures, and if you are, then you can find my toy Instagram here :) I'll be posting every single day of this month, since I'm currently taking part in another photo-a-day challenge co-created by one of my friends :) Please let me know in comments which of my shots is your favourite & why, I'm really curious to find out! To all my fellow toy lovers, keep your eyes out for some other toy themed posts that I have planned this month!

Thankyou for reading!

♥

Do you collect any figures?

If not, are you collector of anything else? 

Goodbye Tumblr As We Know It

Hey guys! I wasn't sure whether or not to write this post, but it's something that's affected me and a lot of my friends so I thought I'd sit down with my laptop and let it all out. I might post it at the end, we'll see. If any of you guys are users of the social media platform Tumblr then you will know what this post is going to be about. A few weeks ago, Tumblr staff announced that from December 17th onwards, all NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content would be banned from the website. Many of you may be thinking, well that's not really a big issue, most websites have regulations on the posting of adult content. However, Tumblr has always been one of the only places to go on the internet to find such a unique bundle of communities existing side by side, a place for the weird and the wonderful, where people could post freely and express themselves, uncensored and in a way that was like no other website. 

Most people who don't use Tumblr have heard mostly negative things about the website and think that it's where all the strange people hang out, I mean it is but that's the great thing about the website! :D I for one can be considered kind of strange, I have quirky interests and a dark sense of humour, and I am a big fan of Tumblr. I love the uniqueness of the website and it sucks that it has been going downhill for so long now. Most of us who use the website love to hate it, and complain about it often but when it comes down to it, it is one of our favourite corners of the web, and it's such a shame that things look like they are going to be changing for the worse. This could very well the end of a website that has been suffering for a while! 

*If anyone was wondering, the 'Bad Vibes Eraser' pin above is from a collaboration between Lucky Dip Club X Kitiya Palaskas :) 

So why has Tumblr banned NSFW content?

Tumblr has been having problems for a while in many areas, and despite the fact that users have been constantly complaining, instead of working to fix the factors that are flawed on the site, they have decided to take the easy road out and just put a complete block on all adult content!

If you're not a user of Tumblr but have seen people talking about the changes to come throughout December, you may have had a read up about the problem and think that the ban sounds reasonable. If you are yet to hear anything about it... back in November, the Tumblr app was removed from the Apple store because of child abuse being shared on the website and in response to this, Tumblr have of course had to make decisions to do something about this serious problem. However, the problems that Tumblr has faced have also been seen on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and those websites have put regulations in place to deal with those problems and protect users, whereas Tumblr has decided instead to just censor all content. Users have speculated that this quick fix has come with pressure from Apple so that the website can have its app now allowed back on their store.  For years, the website has had a massive problem with porn bots, which are automated spam profiles filled with porn images and links to dodgy websites. I am constantly having to block them even on my SFW Tumblr account that coincides with this blog. These bots also don't help the problems that already exist on Tumblr, and complaints from users for staff to do something about them has likely also fuelled this content ban. 

What does this ban mean for Tumblr's users?

Tumblr is well-known for being an overtly sexual website and this is always viewed in a negative light however what Tumblr actually is, is a website filled with all sorts of brilliant content that yes, is often adult-orientated, but nudity does not equal porn! There is a lot of beautiful, artistic content on Tumblr from drawings, to photography, to digital artwork. It is a unique place where people can display their talents without being censored. So many artists use Tumblr as a platform to show their work and grow their businesses, to find fanbases and to encourage people to visit their websites/online stores and purchase their work. Those people are going to have their livelihoods compromised by the ban. Further more, Tumblr before the ban was also a place were many sex workers advertised their websites and content, and now they are also going to be affected in the same way. 

Not only will the artists and businesses be affected by this ban, but also communities that use Tumblr has a safe space where they can connect with like-minded people and express themselves in a way that they cannot on other websites. This is where the ban impacts me personally. If you've been a regular reader of my blog, you may have seen a couple of posts I've shared about being into kink and BDSM, and although I don't talk about this on here often, other than when I think there's an important message to share, this is a big part of my identity and I do express myself more openly on Tumblr, where there is a community of fellow kinksters. 

Maybe I will share a post dedicated to what it is like to grow up knowing that your preferences are different to those around you and that they are seen as taboo by society, and how isolated that can make you feel, but for now I will just explain how this ties in with Tumblr. When I first discovered the BDSM community on Tumblr, I was still in a place where I felt alone with how I was feeling and didn't know any other people in my life who I could relate to about these things, and it was amazing to have found somewhere were I could freely express myself and share my interests with others, and I made a lot of friends. This had a huge affect on my confidence and my self image, and the way I thought about myself. I built a wonderful support system and learnt to embrace who I was as well as going on a journey of self discovery, as cheesy as may sound. I have Tumblr to thank for that and I love my friends who I met on there so much. I feel sad that for other people this opportunity has been taken away, because I know how much it helped me :( And for all of the other communities affected by this, it is a real shame. 

How will this ban impact the future of the website? 

Already Tumblr's new algorithm that they have put in place to regulate their adult content ban is causing problems for users. Aside from blocking what it's supposed to, the algorithm is also flagging posts that resemble anything that looks like, in Tumblr's own words, 'a female-presenting nipple' or a phallic shape. This includes photographs of people's gemstone collections and geology photography! :D On top of this, the algorithm is additionally flagging content that cannot be construed as sexual at all. This is going to make using the website even more annoying that it always was, with its showing us old notifications again and again, to its refusing to load images and gifs! 

Taking away one of the main things that people use Tumblr for is going to have a severe affect on the website. So many of my friends are already moving over to other websites and I feel like even though many people will stick around (I am going to stay and see what happens!), there is going to be a huge gap in the community and also in the content. It's just not going to be what it once was, and that is crappy. There are so many memes out there about hoping people from your real life don't find your tumblr and its so true! Most peoples blogs on there are made up of their fandom interests, random artwork that they find pretty, memes and humorous content, and NSFW posts. You can find out so much about a person from what they share on their tumblr; it's like a blog, a diary and a Pinterest account all rolled into one! Now it's just not going to be the Tumblr that we know and love. Gone are the days when you're randomly scrolling through cute gifs and fanart in front of your friends or family and suddenly porn appears on your dashboard XD 

Going back to Tumblr's new algorithm, not only is it flagging random photos that resemble NSFW content but it also did something hilarious! Tumblr staff posted a statement on their profile/blog titled 'A better, more positive Tumblr' explaining their decisions and their vision for the websites future, and this post itself was apparently flagged as inappropriate content!! XD To see more fails regarding this new regulation system, look at #TooSexyForTumblr over on Twitter! 

In this statement itself Tumblr has expressed that they have 'given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward and have been hard at work laying the foundation for a better Tumblr', which is great in theory but the website has blocked all NSFW content of which most was causing no harm to anyone, and has allowed other content to remain on the website that is frankly disgusting. One of the specific things that I'm referring to are the white supremacy/Nazi blogs! They want to create a better Tumblr but apparently feel that adults sharing gifs from their favourite pornos is more serious a problem than racism and other forms of prejudice and hate! I hope that very soon, we start to see Tumblr implementing bans for these kinds of posts! And also that it re-establishes its allowance of NSFW content but comes up with a better regulation system to monitor the kind of content posted. I very much doubt that this is going to happen unless Tumblr sees a dramatic reduction in followers and activity on the platform. 

So, who knows how everything is going to turn out on Tumblr!? All I know is that it is not going to be the same platform that it once was; it will no longer hold the same appeal that it did before and although it is still going to be a unique website filled with fandom posts and artistic content, it is going to be very different and I'm not sure how much until I have used the website for a while after the ban. Today, I have been talking part in a 24 hour 'log off protest' with lots of other users, but at this point I don't think Tumblr are going to pay much notice to this. They've probably been lovin' the publicity that their adult content ban has caused! This is another reason why I was considering not sharing this, but I feel like I had to have my say on the matter. I'm not sure that this post is going to be very interesting to read, but if you're a fellow Tumblr user or used to be, then you may find it relatable. I've decided to share this post in the end because I've written so much and it seems a bit of a waste not to! Plus I'm annoyed about this ban, and even though I know that something needed to be done to tackle the problems with criminal content on Tumblr, I just feel like they should have followed the example of other websites and organised a system to monitor and report this VS a complete ban of adult content. If you've made it to this point, then I hope I haven't bored you with my rambling and I really appreciate you taking the time to read my 2,000 word complaint! :D

Thankyou for reading!

♥

I would love to hear everyone's opinion on this ban?

If you're a Tumblr user, how has it affected you? 

And how do you think it will impact the website as a whole?

10 Basic Confessions Tag

Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend, despite the downpours! I don't know about you guys, but I always feel much more relaxed and cosy when I'm indoors listening to/watching the heavy rain outside :) I love the sound and it just makes it feel so much more warmer and snug in my bed, which in turn makes it even more difficult to get out of it! Thus, I spent most of the weekend in bed, haha! This has actually worked in my favour because I've been more motivated to type away on my laptop, writing blog posts and adding more to the fanfiction story I'm currently working on. I thought it was about time that I did the 10 Basic Confessions Tag that the lovely Kiah from over at SpookyKiah tagged me in a few months back (sorry that its taken me so long!). 

I think this tag is such a fabulous idea! It always bugs me when people make fun of others for being 'basic' just because they like something that is popular. There's a reason these things are so well-loved and it's because they bring people joy. Why someone would want to be mean about people liking something that makes them happy, I don't know... It's ridiculous! So to celebrate loving things that people deem to be 'basic', I'm sharing 10 things that I love that so many others do too! I'm a basic bitch & proud! I hope you all enjoy reading :) 

Bathbombs!

Over the last few years, bathbombs have become really popular, most likely because of everyone sharing their bathart on Instagram! If you're a fan of baths, it's tough to resist wanting to get yourself bath bombs when you can see photos of gorgeous, vibrant coloured baths all over your newsfeed. It is so fascinating to watch them spinning and swirling around in the water, releasing an array of colours. Bath bombs are kind of magical and adult life can be miserable at times, so who wouldn't want to make bathtime a little more exciting!? I know that I do! I spend so much on bath bombs it's silly, but I don't care :D 

Llamas!

As much as I love unicorns and mermaids, and am thrilled that they have become so popular, when all the llama themed products hit the market, I was over the moon! One of my most favourite animals are alpacas, and to be honest, so many of the llama designs that I've seen much more resemble alpacas in my opinion so I'm lovin' that! I used to have to buy products from Japan where chibi alpaca designs have been popular for years now, especially after the release of Alpacasso plushies (which if you've been a regular reader of my blog for a while now, you'll know I'm pretty obsessed with!). However now that the llama craze is here, I can find cute products here in the UK (yay! no more pricey shipping fees)! Llamas are in the same family of mammals as alpacas & I find them just as cute! 

Iridescent coloured things!

I've always been a fan of iridescent colours, shiny shades that change when moved. There's just something so surreal and magical about them, and they have always caught my eye. They remind me of colours from a dream world, from fantasy, like something from Alice In Wonderland. They make me think about the wonder that is light and how it can change the way something appears, and also of optical illusions. Iridescent coloured products have been very popular this year and I'm all for that :) 

Stationery/Notebook Obsessed!

I see so many people talking about how much they love buying new stationery and how many notebooks they have that they've never written in but cannot stop buying more and more, so I know I'm not alone in my love for these things! That's because getting new stationery is awesome! I'm sure most people can relate when they think back to their childhood/teens, to the excitement of getting all of your new stationery just before the start of the new school year. Well, this excitement for many of us as never left us and we still get a thrill when we are picking up new writing supplies! I can't stop buying cute pens, pencils, sticky notes, notebooks and pencil cases! I have too many pencil cases than I can ever use but it's so hard to stop XD 

Snapchat filters!

The snapchat craze seems to be dying down a lot more, especially since Instagram and Facebook introduced similar filters that you could apply to your selfies, however I am a big fan of snapchat and I still use their filters whenever I want to take cute photos of myself :) That's literally all that I use my app for now! They are super fun and I think it will be a long time until I ever get bored of using them. Selfies with filters are something that are considered basic apparently, but I bet most people who call them that still love having a play around with them when no-ones watching! :D 

Using gifs to communicate!

I don't really know if this is something that is universally considered basic, however I thought I'd include it anyway because of how popular gifs are. The gif sharing website Giphy, has become a feature of most social media platforms now and I can't scroll for more than a few minutes without seeing them on my newsfeed, so I think they are eligible to make this list :D As someone with social anxiety, I find gifs a really useful tool as I often struggle to find the right words to express what I want to say, and I get nervous a lot when responding to comments, but it's so common for someone to answer with a relatable gif now! As such, I use them abundantly and its now a very socially-acceptable why to communicate that I take advantage whenever I can. When I'm talking to my best friend, I almost use gifs (and emojis) more than words XD 

Crime Documentaries!

Crime documentaries, specifically those about serial killers and unsolved murders, etc., used to be something that only a handful of people were interested in, or maybe willing to admit that they were. It seemed to be one of those clichés that were often associated with the alternative sub-culture, and when I was younger, if I told people that one of my hobbies was watching crime documentaries and reading books about notorious murderers, I would get weird looks. However nowadays, maybe due to the growing popularity of streaming sites and Netflix, interest in this genre of documentary is now very mainstream and 'documentaries and chill' is a thing! Which is great for me because it now means that there are lots more people to talk to about shows I watch and a lot more intricate documentaries being aired. Liking crime documentaries is nowadays considered a very basic thing, and I'm okay with that :) 

Living in Leggings!

Okay, so I have no idea if this makes me a basic bitch, but I know that a lot of people prefer to basically wear leggings as pants, and essentially 'live in them', and I am one of those people! I used to just wear jeans all the time, until I first discovered the marvelousness of leggings when I was at college. I immediately ditched the jeans for leggings, because they are super comfy and it feels like you're wearing PJ pants during the day (although I'm always to be found either in leggings or PJs, haha). 

Hashtags galore!

I feel kind of cringey admitting this but I can't stop using hashtags in everyday conversation! It's ridiculous but I'm always writing #InsertRelatableWord at the end of discussions, and I've even said them aloud in literal person-to-person conversation! If this isn't basic, then I don't know what is! #basicmuch XD 

Forever Quoting Mean Girls (2004)

Yes, I am still quoting the amazing movie that is Mean Girls over 10 years after its release, and I feel no shame! So many of the lines in this movie are fabulous and they are just perfect for throwing out in response to so many everyday situations. Almost everybody around my age group recognises that its a quote from this movie right away, and it makes them laugh. I actually do this with lots of movies and TV shows that I love, but I chose to use Mean Girls for this post because it's so common to see other people doing this too! I love the nostalgia of quoting media that I'm a fan of. Who else does this? Also, what's your favourite Mean Girls quote? I find myself saying 'She doesn't even go here!', '4 for you Glen Coco, you go Glen Coco' and 'Why are you so obsessed with me?' too often :D 

I hope you all enjoyed reading! I think this tag is awesome! Don't let anyone make you feel bad for loving the things you do, no matter how popular or basic they are. You do whatever makes you happy and if you enjoy using filters or drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes or you love yourself an inspiration quote, then that's fantastic :) 

So here's who I tag to join in with the 10 Basic Confessions Tag: 

Natalee

Jess

Estelle

Eleanor 

Stacey

Thankyou for reading!

♥

Can you relate to any of the things I shared in this post?

What something that makes you a basic bitch too? 

Gund Pusheen Mini Haul

Hi lovelies! We've come to mid-way through December and now there are only 10 days left until Christmas is here! And believe or not, being as unorganised as ever before this year, I am STILL not finished with my Christmas shopping! Why am I like this?! Is anyone else in the same situation? We can do it guys, there's still over a week until the big day, we will accomplish this mission! I have faith in us! Haha :D Today's post might even give you some inspiration on what to get your loved ones for Christmas, especially if they are lovers of cute things & cats! As my title suggests, this post is going to be dedicated to a very adorable, chubby, grey kitty called Pusheen! Enjoy :) 

Earlier this month, I was scrolling down my Instagram newsfeed and I came across an advertisement by Gund, (the company that supplies Pusheen merchandise), and it grabbed my attention! On the ad, it was advertising that for that week only, Gund UK would be giving away a free gift with every purchase made! Even though in that moment I would have loved to head straight over to the website and buy something, I tried to be sensible and tell myself that I should be saving all of my money for Christmas shopping. However as the week went on, and me being typical me, I could no longer resist the temptation, considering Instagram wouldn't stop showing me the ad and I saw it over on another social media platform. I gave in to curiosity, eager to see what this free gift would be! I browsed the Gund website for something that was less costly and chose an item that I'd had my eyes on a few months back. After hitting that 'add to cart' button, I checked and there waiting for me was a 'free surprise gift', which was actually valued higher than the cost of the item I was purchasing, and this just fuelled my excitement even more! 

When my order arrived I was very happy with what I found inside the package, and so I just had to share it with you guys! 

So I thought I'd start off by showing you all the product that I purchased. The adorable fluffy item that you see above is the Pusheenosaurus, in the form of a 'fluffy pom soft toy' as the website lists it. It's one of those pom-pom keychains that have become rather popular over the last year or so, and to be honest it's no surprise because they are super cute! I think that they are also good for anyone who deals with anxiety; I have often found that whenever I've had a keychain like this one on my bag and have stroked it when I'm stressed, it has helped me calm down a little. So this might be something to look into if you are someone who gets nervous in social situations, etc :) 

I chose this item because I am a big fan of dinosaurs and I have adored the Pusheen X Dinosaur version ever since I first saw it on an official Pusheen gif. I am lovin' that combinations of two different animals and/or creatures has become such a thing because I love me a caticorn or a purrmaid! What's the best creature combination that you've seen? Anyhow, this Pusheenosaurus keychain was £6.95 when I added it to my shopping cart, but lucky for you guys at the moment it's on sale for £4.95 so grab yourself one quick or snap one up for a Christmas gift!! You can find it here, and also the Pusheenicorn version of this keychain is on sale too! 

As much as I love Pusheen's sweet little face, the other sides of this keychain are so much more adorable to me because dinosaur!! I really love the stripy tail, and the spikes/spines along the Pusheenosaurus' back & tail are too cute! If you didn't know already, green is my favourite colour and so I am a big fan of this pom-pom keychains colour scheme... so many pretty shades of green! Something else that I was really impressed with about this keychain is just how soft it is! The material that every inch of this item is made of is great quality and feels so lovely. For only £6.95, I found the fact that it was so well made to be fantastic! The keyring/chain itself is also great as it comes with both a ring and a clasp, and feels very sturdy, but I don't know yet if I want to put that to the test because I really don't want to ruin this beautiful pom-pom plushie! I am very tempted to get the unicorn one too.

Okay, so next I'm going to reveal what the free gifts were! Yay! The add-on that was put into my cart as soon as I added the keychain said that it was worth £7.95, and I was certainly interested to see how realistic this pricing was when my package arrived. Gund charges £3.95 for standard shipping, so my total order came to £10.90 and I was really hoping this gift made it worth the spend. £10 isn't too pricey really, but with it being around Christmas, I felt like I shouldn't be spending money on random stuff for myself so I wanted the outcome to justify my purchase, hahaha! 

So here is what Pusheen sent me for free!...

You may be thinking, is that all!? But this is just the smaller of the free gifts I got! Yes, there's more than one!! Eeee! Look how adorable this teeny little Pusheen plushie is! I love the pastel colours; this lilac shade reminds me of parma violets! *nom* I think the heart crest is also so sweet, and it just makes the whole item to me resemble a My Little Pony. There's actually larger plushies available in this design, with three colour variations, and I've wanted one for the longest time. This tiny one has just made me want one of the bigger ones more! Like every other Pusheen plushie I've ever had (I've gotten some in my Pusheen subscription boxes!), this one is very soft and made from the smoothest, loveliest fabric! The whiskers are the only 'rough' material on the product, because they are made from something that I can only describe as shoelace cord. As cute as this item is, I was a little puzzled why they would sell such a small plush, something that you can't really cuddle and is easy to lose... however.... 

IT'S A PENCIL/PEN TOPPER!! How sweet! I wish these were available when I was at school! It would have been a great excuse to bring a plushie to school with me, although I often hid one in my backpack anyway :D I don't know if this topper would be able to endure my habit of shaking my pen when I'm deep in thought about whatever I am writing because it feels like it would easily fall off, however it's still a lovely item! Now the item that I'm sure you're all waiting to see! I'm excited to show you ♥

LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS!! Oh my gosh I love it so much! It's a Pusheen tree ornament/decoration, and I think the design is so perfect! I can't believe Gund were just giving these away with their orders, I definitely personally feel like it outweighed the item I purchased. I feel like people would pay more than £7.95 for a decoration this cute (or around £6 if you take away the price of the tiny plush)! I know I'm saying it for all of the items featured in this post, but I love the colours they have used! They are really pretty and with regards to this item in particular, they match the aesthetic I'm going for with the mini Christmas tree I'm putting up in my bedroom :) 

It's such a photogenic decoration! The quality is fantastic in my opinion, even though there's some messy glue marks/residue at the end of the whiskers! It's not really visible unless you get up close to the decoration, but I feel like all of the pretty features on the rest of it would draw your eyes away from these marks. Seriously though, how gorgeous are the scarf and hat? I like how the ribbon is pale pink to match them. I thought upon first glance that the decoration would be hollow but it isn't and is fairly heavy! And unlike with similar weighted items by other brands, Gund have made sure to use a thicker, more sturdy metal loop to attach the decoration to the ribbon, so it's not going to fall off. This Pusheen decoration is made out of a vinyl material and I love the feel of smooth vinyl so that makes me like it even more! What do you guys think of the decoration? 

I'm really happy with my decision to give into temptation and make a purchase on the Gund website to get these free gifts! They are so worth it, don't you think? I thought it was also really sweet of them to add in this little Dairy Milk chocolate mousse Snowman, which are super delicious by the way and if you've never tried them you need to! Even though my order arrived in a simple plastic mail bag, the items inside where packaged really well. The decoration was inside a polystyrene box and then some as it was also in a little plastic bag, and the other items were individually wrapped in plastic too. I love all of my new Pusheen goodies so much & I'm definitely going to take advantage of any other Gund offers I see in the future. Follow them over on their Instagram guys so you don't miss out! I hope you all enjoyed reading my post and please do let me know in the comments if I've inspired you to get a Pusheen related gift for your loved ones this Christmas. Have a lovely rest of the weekend! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

Are you a fan of Pusheen? 

Which of these items is your favourite and why?

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Primark Holler and Glow Unicorn Bath Fizzer | Review

Hey guys! I hope you all had a marvellous weekend, whatever you got up to! I spent it in typical cold season fashion, by staying indoors, in bed or wrapped up in blankets, complaining about how cold it is and how dark it's getting so early in the day! I've never felt more stereotypically British than I do in Autumn/Winter :D haha! This time of year is the perfect excuse to have lots of baths VS showers (although personally I struggle to stand up for long periods of time in the shower so baths it is for me all year round, #SpoonieProblems), which means it's also the perfect opportunity to use fun bath products! And that brings me onto today's topic! 

Back in October, I went out shopping with my mom and I picked up a few goodies from Primark, including a bath product that caught my eye because of how colourful it was! I have never tried any of the bath products by Primark, but I thought I'd give them a go considering Primark's makeup seems to have a lot of good reviews. I wanted to see if their bath products matched up to those that I have tried from other brands, and so I picked up the 'Holler and Glow' bath fizzer. I mean, how could I resist trying it out when it's so pretty!? Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy reading my review :) 

As you can see, the Holler and Glow/Rainbow Chaser bath fizzer looks amazing!! The bright colours are what first grabbed my attention, before I even realised the fizzer was shaped like a unicorn head! I am a sucker for novelty shaped things, I don't know why but they make me like a product so much more! Who else feels the same? I thought at only £2 I couldn't walk away from the product, since I was so curious about whether the colours would 'disperse' in a similar way to a bathbomb, or whether they were just to make the product look pretty. I am a big fan of bathbombs that make gorgeous bathart and I am always looking for cheaper products that do the same, because I already spend too much at Lush XD 

I have to admit that I use bathbombs a lot more than bath fizzers, and the two work a lot differently when added to water. Fizzers are usually smaller and less pricey, they don't have a very strong scent as far as I have experienced, and they don't really do much to the water after the initial reaction. They typically dissolve very quickly, making them fizz a lot, hence the name, whereas bathbombs are designed to dissolve slowly. Thus giving them time to release more colours and fragrance into the bath, and are fun to watch slowly working their magic around you as you soak! Regardless, I haven't seen many bath fizzers as colourful as this Primark one so I was very intrigued about whether we'd get more bathart than is typical for these products. 

Something that I really liked about this product, aside from the fact it looks so lovely, was the size of it! It is a chunky thing, which is another reason why I was hoping it was going to be different to a standard bath fizzer (having more space to layer up the contents inside the fizzer with colouring and oils, etc). How aesthetically pleasing is the Holler and Glow/Rainbow Chaser fizzer though!? The shape and design of it resembles an emoji so much, and I just love it!! I like to fill all areas of my life with cuteness, so I'm especially a lover of adorable bath products. I wish that more bathbombs/fizzers were designed in novelty shapes, instead of the usual spherical shape.

So, how did it work out when I used it? Did it meet my expectations? 

The answer to the latter is both yes and no! 

Like I mentioned before, I know that bath fizzers are a lot less exciting when compared to bathbombs so even though I was curious about this one in particular because of how bright it was, I was still pretty sure that that wouldn't matter, that it would still react in the same way that any bath fizzer does. When I first put it into the bath, there was a lot of colour 'bleeding' out of the fizzer, and it did look very cool! However to really see this you had to be holding the bath fizzer in your hand. It is a weighty product that would sink to the bottom of the tub and the colours coming out of it would be more muted by the time they bubbled to the surface of the water. The Holler and Glow/Rainbow Chaser dissolved pretty quickly and fizzled a lot, causing lots of bubbles as it went! I do like this about bath fizzers because it makes a change from bathbombs and when it only cost £2, it's not too bad that it didn't last very long. 

I also forgot to mention the fragrance of the bath fizzer, and that's mostly because it didn't leave a very lasting impression. It was a pleasant scent, which to me was a mixture of fruity and floral fragrances, although I couldn't pinpoint any of the specific scents. It was a little annoying that the scent wasn't written anywhere on the packaging, especially because if you don't like a particular scent, you want to be able to avoid buying products that smell of it. Like myself when it comes to Lavender! The smell didn't release any more once the product was in the water, and it did not linger so this product is designed for its look rather than its fragrance, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I know a lot of people who are very sensitive to strong fragrances and so prefer to opt for milder scented products. I think this would be a good option for them. 

It was difficult to get any decent photographs of how the bath fizzer actually looked in the water because the reactions were pretty subtle. Despite the packaging saying 'Drop the fizzer into a warm bath and watch it swirl, melt and fizz leaving a trail of unicorn magic behind', the colours that came from the fizzer were pale and cloudy rather than vibrant. To be honest, nothing much happened, but after the fizzer had completely melted, the bath water was a pale shade of purpley-blue for a while. This didn't last long at all though! 

Overall, I wasn't expecting the fizzer to do much, and my expectations were met, however it was still a fun product! I wasn't disappointed because it was not expensive and it still makes bath-time a little more interesting, which is always a bonus for me because baths are not the most easy thing to do when you have a chronic pain condition. The look of the product is gorgeous and so that made up for some of the shortcomings in performance. I do think that this product would be great for children, and would be good to gift as a stocking filler this Christmas :) I'm considering picking up some for my nieces as a little extra something. It hasn't discouraged me from trying more Primark bath products, and I'm wondering now if they sell bathbombs because I've never seen them if they do.... does anyone know if they do?

I hope you all found this post an interesting one and I'd love to hear if I made you want to try out the product for yourself. I think I'm ready for some festive bath products in my life now that it's officially Christmas Time! 

Thankyou for reading!

♥

Have you ever tried any Primark bath products?

How about bath fizzers in general? If so, would you recommend any specific brands? 

If you're a fellow fan of bathbombs, then check out my related posts: 

| Sir Fizzalot Bath Bomb | As Black As Your Soul Bath Bomb | Pool Party Bath Bomb |