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?

A few of our favourite places to visit on the Isle of Wight | April 2021

Given that we are more likely to be taking staycations this year in the UK due to everything that has been going on with the pandemic, I thought that it would be really useful to share some of our favourite places to visit on the Isle of Wight incase any of you are planning a trip later in the year. 

We have visited to the Isle of Wight twice (August 2017 and September 2020) and have fallen in love with the island. We love that it feels like you are abroad, probably due to having to take a ferry but that everything is the same as being in the UK and you don't have to sort out things like different currencies etc. 

Obviously everything is a bit different now at the moment due to the pandemic and whilst we can suggest places to visit and how they were when we were last there, it is always best to check their websites or in advance with them directly as to how they will be operating during the restrictions and later on in 2021. As our last trip to the Isle of Wight was in September 2020, there were some Covid-19 restrictions in place that had to be observed and we will mention these were applicable for the different sites. 

The Needles - Boat Trip 

This is one of those places that we visited on both of our trips to the Isle of Wight and absolutely loved the experience. There are a number of attractions available at the Needles which include Chairlift, Boat trip, rides and some shops. 

The drive to the Needles Landmark Attraction is also quite impressive as you drive along the coast you can see the Needles in the distance. Always makes for a great photo opportunity!

There is a car park available at the site and the website above provides details of the costs that would be applicable. On both of our visits we purchased return tickets to use the chairlift which takes you to where the boat trips start from. You get some amazing views on the chair lift as it takes you do the clifftop. I don't like heights and although you may think it looks scary it really isn't that bad, the views and experience you get is definitely worth it. 

We have been on the boat trip on our visits and absolutely love being able to get as close as they do to the Needles. When we went in September, the social distancing on the boat (limiting the amount of people per trip) and the wearing of masks was required but it was really well managed. You had to stay in the same location on the boat and weren't allowed to walk around but they tried to ensure that everyone was able to get those photo opportunities. 

We keep saying that next time we visit that we will try the faster boat trip round the Needles, this is definitely on our bucket list!

Shanklin Chine

Shanklin Chine is another one of those locations that we have visited on both of our trips to the Isle of Wight. It is located a short walk (although steep hill) from Shanklin Beach and is definitely worth the effort in our opinion. It is a tree lined gorge with some lovely walks available where you get to experience being in the trees and seeing waterfalls. 

You can visit the site during the day which is lovely in itself but if you can visit during the evening you will get to experience the lights that are set up around the walks and in the waterfalls. This really does make it a magical experience. What makes it even better with visiting Shanklin Chine is that once you have purchased a ticket you can re-enter for the next 7 days. This makes it really easy if you did want to visit during the day and the evening to experience the lights. 

On our last trip in September 2020, we didn't want to stay too late as we had other plans in the evening, but managed to catch the lights turning on at around 6pm. although the colours and the experience is not as magical as later on in the evening we loved this experience just as much. If you go during the summer months you will need to take into consideration when it gets dark to get the full experience. 

There are some lovely photo opportunities during the evening with the lights, when we visited back in 2017, I think that we were some of the last guest to leave on the evening that we visited as just couldn't stop find different photo places. We would definitely return again and make the most of the 7-day ticket when we next have a trip to the Isle of Wight.

Mini-Golf - Shanklin Seafront

We are big fans of mini-golf courses and especially when we are on holiday, it is one of those activities that we love to do. When we visited Shanklin, there are two mini-golf courses that are just across the road from the seafront and perfect for an afternoon activity. You will find that there are two golf courses available, these are Pirate's Cove and Jurassic Bay. As you can tell by the names of the courses, one has a prates theme and the other is based upon dinosaurs. 

Both of the courses have 18 holes and the theming is really great across both. We had a great time playing the mini-golf courses and definitely brought out the competition between us. They can get quite popular so be prepared to have to wait to play some of the holes depending on the size of groups that are in front of you. We will definitely play these mini-golf courses again on our next trip to see if there are any changes in who wins!

Old Thatch Tea Shop - Shanklin

Whilst visiting Shanklin, we decided that we needed to find the Old That Tea Rooms which is close to Shanklin Chine but be prepared it is quite a walk up from the beach to the team room. 

We booked in advance to make sure that we could visit as had heard that it is really populate. As we visited last year there were precautions in place and tables were spaced out but we didn't find that this caused any issues with our experience. We had a table inside and had already decided that we would treat ourselves to afternoon tea. 

With their afternoon tea you are able to select the sandwich fillings based on a selection that is available and we decided to add a glass of Prosecco to our tea. The food was really lovely and we would definitely visit again on any further trips to the Isle of Wight. It was very popular when we visited so I would recommend making a reservation to ensure that you are not disappointed. 

Mini-Golf - Sandown Pier

Whilst we are on the topic of mini-golf, another course that we really enjoyed was Lost World Adventure Golf on Sundown Pier. We tried this mini-golf course for the first time on our trip last year and really enjoyed the theming of the course. 

It is on Sandown Pier and is based upon ancient aztec ruins. There are 11 holes which is quite smaller compared to the two courses in Shanklin but we really enjoyed it and started the mini-golf competition for our trip. As it was only last year that we visited, there were safety measures in place due to Covid but it was really well managed. As the course is inside we did have to wear masks but didn't have any issues with this. As it is on Sandown Pier, we enjoyed a lovely walk along the pier after our game and got some amazing views of Sandown beach. 

The Garlic Farm

We visited the Garlic Farm twice on our last trip to the Isle of Wight. The first time that we visited was once we had arrived and we took a walk around the farm and the shop which was lovely as there are some nice walks available. You can also learn all about the different types of garlic that are grown there and see where they are grown. The shop also has a lot of products that you can buy which we definitely made the most of. 

On our second visit we went to have lunch at the Garlic Farm and we would definitely recommend that you book in advance as it was very popular. We could only get a table outside so wasn't able to experience the restaurant itself but we really enjoyed the food and its a good way to try some of the products that are available to buy from the shop.

Godshill Model Village

Godshill Model Village is a must to visit whilst staying on the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately when we went a few years ago it was raining however this did mean that it was very quiet and we got to walk round at our own pace. 

As the title suggests, it is a model version of Godshill and we absolutely loved all the detail that you could see in all the models. There is even one that has a scaled down version of the village in the model village, which is crazy especially with all details that are included. You will also find that there are model trains moving round the different areas which really does bring the village to life. 

On our last trip we stayed in one of the treehouses at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat and have included the link to my previous blog post if you wanted to see what it was like staying in a treehouse! I have some videos on my YouTube channel of our trips to the Isle of Wight if you want to see some of the places that we have mentioned in this blog. 

These are just some of our favourite places to visit on the Isle of Wight and will look to share some more great locations that we have found on our trips. 

Hope you have found this blog useful especially if you are looking to go on a staycation to the Isle of Wight this year. Let us know where you favourite places to visit on the Isle of Wight are and if they are similar to the ones we suggested? We are hoping to get back to the Isle of Wight at some point so any other suggestions of places to visit would be really useful.