Disney Ears make the best accessory | June 2021

Disney Ears make the best accessory especially when you are in the parks and there are so many that you can collect to enable you to match them to any outfit. I have collected a number of Mickey Ears recently and the sparkly sequin ones are definitely my favourite. We are hoping to go on the Disney Staycation Cruise and fingers crossed maybe a trip to Disneyland Paris so I will be taking a selection of these with me, as well as probably increasing my collection!

Thought that I would share some of my favourite Mickey Ears as well the most recent pairs that I have purchased. 

Hollywood Tower of Terror Mickey Ears

These are new to my Mickey Ears collection and I can't wait to wear them in the Disney Parks. The Tower of Terror ride is one of my favourites and I love how the colours used on the ears match with the ride and all the other accessories that are available. The key and the tassel fit in perfectly with the ears and links the hotel theme to them. These ears are by Loungfly and they definitely deserve to be part of my collection. 

Black and Silver sequinned ears

This pair of ears is really different to the others in my collection, not only is the bow completely covered in sequins but it is extra large and also removable. The bow is clipped onto the ears which means you can remove it and have the traditional plain Mickey ears or even replace the bow with a different one. I will be on the look out to see what other bows can be added to these ears. 

Celebration Sequin Ears

These ears are really different to anything that I have in my collection but I love how the sequinned bow is so colourful. It is really different having clear plastic ears and if you look closely the sequins in the ears are a colourful combination of stars and Mickey's.

Rose Gold and Silver sequin ears

Not only are these ears completely covered in sequins but they also have a padded extra large bow. These would be perfect for a day in Magic Kingdom as definitely have Cinderella vibes and I can't wait to take these to the parks. They are based upon the traditional black ears with large padded red bow with white polka dots. 

Black and Gold Sequin Ears

These ears are vey much based upon the traditional theme by having a polka dot design but with a black and gold theme. Sequin ears are one of my favourites to have in my collection and I really like it when Disney ears have a really large bow.

Flannel Holiday Ears

These ears were part of the 2019 Christmas collection and I was so lucky that our friends, who were out in Walt Disney World at this time, were able to bring pack a pair of the ears and matching spirit jersey. I love how the ears are made of a flannel material and that then there is a sherpa fluffy bow which then carries onto the headband. We are hoping to be going to Disneyland Paris in November which should be when the Christmas decorations are out so these will definitely be coming with me then!

Belle of the Ball Disney Ears

These are based upon Beauty & the Beast and were part of the Belle of the Ball Bronze collection. I actually have the Loungefly bag that was part of this collection to match. These are very simple in the colours used but have the standard black sequin ears and then a gorgeous bronze bow. I can't wait to wear both these ears and the matching bag in the parks. 

Pastel Sequin Ears

These ears were recently released in Walt Disney World and as soon as I saw them on the ShopDisney website, I knew that I needed to add them to my collection. They are a mix of all different pastel colours including sequins and I really like how they have an almost tie dye effect on the bow. 

The Little Mermaid Coral Ears

These are an absolutely gorgeous colour and I love how the ears are covered in sequins that are almost holographic and shine all different colours. The bow is a more metallic colour but matches perfectly with the sequins on the ears. 

Millennial Pink Disney Ears

These are a gorgeous baby pink colour and covered in sequins for the ears and the bow. They are one of my favourites and am yet to wear them in a Disney park. These ears were part of the Millennial Pink collection that was released in 2018. There was a matching Spirit Jersey also released at the same time as part of the collection and I wish that I had got one of these when we were in Walt Disney world as they would have been perfect together. Anyone else like to have matching ears and spirit jerseys? 

Minnie Mouse Rainbow Ears

This pair of ears are part of the latest Price collection on ShopDisney and they are so colourful and sparkly! The gems that are on each of the ears really catch the light and I love how they match the colours of the rainbow bow. Think that these will definitely be coming with me on our Disney Staycation cruise. 

Little Mermaid Ears

These are a recent purchase that I got from a local Disney store as I had been looking for a pair of Little Mermaid themed ears. These ears are absolutely gorgeous, I really love the sequins that have been used on the ears and how they look different colours when the light shines on them. The bow is also in the shape of a shell instead of the traditional bow which really fits in with the theme for the ears. 

Minnie Mouse The Main Attraction Ears - Jungle Cruise

I was so lucky to pick up a pair of the Main Attraction Jungle Cruise ears in the sale and I absolutely love them! Not only do they have an element of sequins to them, they also have so much detail to them as well. I cannot wait to wear these in the park, they definitely have Animal Kingdom vibes and would make the perfect accessory to an outfit. 

If you want to see some of these Mickey Ears, I have previously filmed a Reel on Instagram which includes a number of the ones included above. 

Do you collect Mickey Ears for your Disney trips and are there any that you are looking to get? I have recently seen the new mint green collection from ShopDisneyUK and am really tempted on added a pair of the ears to my collection!

Trying Rude Cosmetics The Roaring 20's Carefree palette | May 2021

I hadn't tried any make-up products by Rude Cosmetics previously but when I saw a review of the The Roaring 20's Carefree eyeshadow palette on YouTube, I knew that I needed to give it a try. I very much like creating eye looks with neutral colours but at the same time like a bit of shimmer and sparkle and this palette definitely includes all of that. 

The palette has a mixture of mattes, shimmers and pressed glitters and focuses on the warm natural colours with some hints of pink and dark purples. The pressed glitters were one of the features that drew me to this palette as I absolutely love using these types of eye shadows and the impact that they can bring to an eye look. 

The packaging fits in so well with the colours that are included in the palette and definitely aligns to the description in that there are 20 fabulous shadows which will enable you to make an unforgettable entrance. All of Rude Cosmetics make-up products are cruelty free and there products enable you to be really creative with the looks that you create due to the shades that are included in all their palettes. 

The box also provides a lot of detail about the shades included in the palette and I love that they have really tried to show all the different colours and whether they are shimmers, mattes or pressed glitters. Within the 20 shades that are included, there are 12 matte shades, 4 shimmers and 4 pressed glitters/metallics. 

I purchased The Roaring 20's Carefree palette from Superdrug and was £23.99 which I think is good value for money especially when you are getting 20 different eyeshadow shades. The palette can also be purchased from Rude Cosmetics UK website directly. 

I thought that I would try and swatch all of the shades included in the palette to give you an idea of the colours included as well as the pigmentation of them. I found that for the majority of the shades they are all really pigmented and the colours come across really strong. The only ones that were less so were the lighter shades but thats to be expected although they would still look great with as part of your eye look. 

The first swatch below shows the top two lines of the palette starting with Bee's Knees all the way to Live Wire. All of these colours are absolutely gorgeous and have a real mix of neutrals but with some colours that really pack a punch. There is also a gorgeous pressed glitter called Cat's Meow which definitely doesn't disappoint in terms of sparkles. 

The second swatch includes the next ten shades in the palette and this incorporates the remaining three pressed glitters. Again there is a mix of some very light colours (perfect for transition colours or blending out of of you main shade) to some really dark and intense colours such as Dapper (last colour). One of my favourite shades is Hooch and I love that this has a duo-chrome effect and has a mixture of pink and gold. You really don't need to include much of this shade in a eye look to make it dramatic and stand out. 

I will definitely be looking at what other palettes Rude Cosmetics have as this is currently one of my favourites at the moment. Let me know if you like any of the Rude Cosmetics eye shadow palettes and which ones you would recommend trying?

Planning for our Disney UK Staycation Cruise | May 2021

I am a massive Disney fan and also love to be by the sea so a Disney cruise is something that we have always wanted to experience. So when we heard about the UK staycation cruises this year it was definitely a trip that we wanted to consider and explore further. 

Last year we were really lucky to be able to see the Disney Magic Cruise Ship docked at Dover and it was an amazing sight. There was so much excitement at just being able to see the ship, we knew at that moment that we needed (at some point) to book a Disney Cruise to experience the magic of cruising mixed with our love of Disney. As well as getting to experience being on Board a Disney cruise ship!

Obviously this past year has been very different in terms of booking holidays and/or cruises but when we heard about the UK staycation cruise it was definitely something that we wanted to consider. Even up to the day that the sailings were released for reservations we still didn't know if it was something that we were going to do. There are a lot of booking requirements (in terms of vaccines) that have to be met as well as restrictions whilst on board which we needed to take into consideration. In the end and after talking it through a lot we decided that we would go ahead and book. 

In the end we went for a two-night cruise and will be sailing from London Tillbury which is a perfect location for us. Now that we have gone through the booking process and have it all confirmed as well as starting to get our vaccines, we are now very much looking forward to boarding the ship. You've got to love a holiday countdown especially when it relates to Disney!

We decided that we would just go for a 2-night cruise as it will also be our first cruise experience, and thought that this would be a great way to try out a cruise before looking at booking anything longer or further afield. One of our dreams would be to experience a Disney Cruise in the Bahamas and to get to visit the private Castaway Cay island. 

Now we are at the stage of planning our trip and working out what activities or additional bookings that we want to make during our cruise. We have definitely missed all the planning that goes into holidays and especially Disney holidays so it has been great to get back into this. Whilst there are differences to our planning for this cruise due to the current circumstances, we are enjoying starting to think about outfits and activities to do whilst at sea. 

So far I have purchased this amazing jumper from Magical Day Apparel which is going to be perfect for this cruise alongside these face masks from LaursCraftyThings on Etsy. I have had the Disney Cruise Dream Guide by Adam Hatten for a while but now it is going to be perfect for our trip and to understand any tips that will be useful to know!

Are any of you going on a Disney UK Staycation this year and do you have any planning tips for first time cruisers?

Glossybox - Pretty Pleasures | March 2021

The March Glossybox will be the final box that I review for a while as I have decided to take a break from receiving them for a bit as I still have a number of products to get through from all the boxes recently. I have really enjoyed receiving these monthly treats through the post and will definitely look to restart them again in the future. 

The theme for the March Glossybox was all about pretty pleasures (beauty treats) and all the colours of the products that I received definitely fitted in with the theming of the box. Similar to previous Glossyboxes, there were 5 products contained within the box, 4 of which were full sized and 1 was a deluxe mini. I had received variation 3 of the box this month and I think that the main difference was that I did not receive the NYX Liquid Lip cream. It can be a bit disappointing when you do not receive the same as the advertised version of the box but they do always try to include a substitute product. 

Detailed below is a summary of the products that I received as part of March's Pretty Pleasures box:

1. Figs & Rouge - Satin Soft Blurring Primer & Finishing Fix (full size)
2. Nails Inc - Palace Gardens Nail Polish (full size)
3. Beautaniq Beauty - Nourishing Mascara (full size)
4. So Eco - Complexion Sponge (full size)
5. Lord & Berry - Line/Shade Travel Black (deluxe mini)

As mentioned above, the majority f the products received this month are full size and in total the box has a retail value of £80.50 (this is based on if the eyeliner pencil was a full size and not a deluxe mini), this is still great value when compared to the monthly subscription cost and the quality of the products received. This is mainly due to the Figs & Rouge product which is worth £38.00 on its own!

Nails Inc - Palace Gardens Nail Polish

I have previously really loved Nails Inc nail polishes but haven't used them in a while since getting gel nails but will definitely look to use try this out until we can start to get our nails done again. This nail polish is described as being super glossy, long lasting with an intense colour and that is definitely how I would describe previous Nails Inc products that I have used before so it is likely that this will be the same. It is a lovely light grey colour which will go with everything. 

Lord & Berry - Line/Shade (Travel Black)

It was perfect timing that this product was included in the latest box as I was in need of getting a new eye liner pencil. I have used this quite a bit since getting the box and it is really easy to apply and haven't found that I have had any smudging throughout the day. 

Beautaniq Beauty - Nourishing Mascara

I have received similar products in a number of previous boxes but gave this a try as part of my latest make-up products. It is a volumising and lengthening mascara which creates fuller looking lashes and I definitely found this when using it. The ingredients within this mascara includes Camelia and Almond Oil so it is also developed to strengthen and maximise the length of your lashes. 

So Eco - Complexion Sponge

I always find that you can never have too many sponges for applying your foundation so it was perfect that this box included another sponge. This sponge is ultra soft and can be used both dry and wet to make blending effortless. So Eco also plant one tree for every 100 products sold so you know that they are doing their part for the environment with this product being in the box. Looking forward to trying out this sponge when I next apply my make-up. 

Figs & Rouge - Satin Soft Blurring Primer & Finishing Fix

This was the most expensive product within this month's box with this full size version having a recommended retail price of £38.00. Due to the price of it I was very keen to try it out and to see how it works as a primer. I have used this on a number of occasions now and it is a lovely primer to use before applying foundation, it definitely smooths your skin and doesn't leave it feeling sticky at all. It provides a really nice base for your foundations and I will definitely continue to use this as part of my make-up routine. 

Hope you have enjoyed this review of the March 2021 Glossybox, let me know if you have also received this box and what your favourite item is? I do have a few boxes that I haven't got around to reviewing yet (including the Christmas Advent Calendar) so there will be a few more reviews coming shortly. 

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Trying Hello Fresh for 2 weeks | February 2021

I had seen a lot about Hello Fresh and the meal boxes that you can receive but had never got around to taking the plunge and trying a box. As part of one of my Glossyboxes there was a leaflet included which had a discount offer to two boxes so thought that this was a good time to try out Hello Fresh and see what it is all about. 

Keep reading for more details around our experience and the meals that we chose as part of the two weeks trial offer. 

As part of your Hello Fresh delivery you will get everything that you need to make the number of meals that you ordered. For our Hello Fresh delivery, our orders were based upon 2 people and we went with 4 meals. These can both be changed depending on the number of people that you need the boxes for and you can choose the number of meals that you want included. 

Once you have signed up for Hello Fresh and have decided upon when you want to have your delivery and the number of meals etc. there is then the option to select your meals. There is a list of meals that you can select based upon the options that you choose (including whether you want family meals, rapid meals etc). You will find that there are some meals which are classed as premium and therefore there is an additional charge as well as the option to add on sides if you want to. 

When you receive you Hello Fresh box, you will find that there are recipe cards for each meal within your box alongside there being a bag for each meal of all the ingredients needed. Your box will also have an ice pack bag for your products that need to be refrigerated. We really liked how there was a bag for every meal all sorted and organised as that makes it easier when making each of the meals. 

Week 1

For Week1 of trying Hello Fresh, we went with the following meals:

• Spiced Pork Ragu
• Beany Beef and Bacon Loaded Sweet Potatoe Wedges
• Middle Eastern-style Beef Stew
• Mexican Style Beef Loaded Wedges

This was the Spiced Pork Ragu and we absolutely loved this recipe, it was really easy to follow and very tasty. Would definitely recommend this meal if it comes up in your selection of choices. 

The Beany Beef and Bacon Loaded Sweet Potatoe Wedges was another meal that we both enjoyed and was quite quick to make. One thing to note especially when you have a number of meals that use the same ingredients (e.g. beef) is to make sure that you check the weight listed on the back of the receipt card and pick the correct one from your products. We got ours mixed up in the recipes from this week but it all worked out in the end. 

Middle Eastern-style Beef Stew recipe was not what we had originally expected when you think o f a stew but this has turned out to be one of our favourites which we have gone on to cook more as part of our weekly meals. 

The Mexican Style Beef Loaded Wedges was similar to one of our other meals this week but there were some differences to how it was made, again this was a really tasty meal that we both enjoyed. This one did take longer to cook than some of the other recipes due to it being baked in the oven but as long as you take the timings detailed in to consideration then it shouldn't be an issue. 

Week 2

For week 2, we chose the following meals from the selection available. 

• Speady Creamy Chorizo & Sweetcorn Pasta
• Green Thai Style Chicken Curry
• Penne Ragu Al Forno
• Thai Style Pork Rice Bowl

The Speady Creamy Chorizo & Sweetcorn Pasta was one of those meals that has become a favourite of ours since making it for the first time as part of this Hello Fresh box. We both really enjoyed it and have made it a number of times since and have also changed some of the ingredients slightly (chorizo for bacon) and it still works really well. 

This was the first time that we have made a Green Thai Chicken Curry and we were both surprised about how nice this meal was quite quick to make as was listed as one of the rapid meals. 

The next meal that we had was Penne Ragu Al Forno and as pasta lovers we really enjoyed this recipe and was quite simple to make. It is always worth noting the time indication for how long it takes to make and cook as similar to one of the recipes above this was a baked pasta dish so took a bit longer to prep. 

The last dish of our box was the Thai Style Pork Rice Bowl and out of all of the meals that we made this was probably our least favourite. Whilst it was still tasty it definitely didn't look like the picture on the meal card so we aren't sure as to whether it was something that we did during cooking or got some of the ingredients incorrect. We would try it again if it appeared in our next selections to see if we do anything different whether it would look more like the pictures on the recipe card. 

We have continued to use Hello Fresh and now get a box once a month as a way of mixing up recipes for dinner. This has been really useful as we have found some really lovely meals that we have since gone on and made again after having them initially in a Hello Fresh box. 

Have you tried Hello Fresh before and what are your favourite recipes of the boxes that you have had?