Busted

Okay, so I was never a Busted fan. By 2002 I was snobby about music and mostly listened to Evanescence and punk. But 14 years on and I'm now a big enough person to say I actually liked their stupid catchy songs, so when a friend at work said she had space in her car for their first Cardiff show last week, I ended up tagging along.


We left just after midday so we got to the queue super early for a wait of about 5 hours. Somehow the time went quite quickly though.


The first act was Emma Blackery, but the crowd didn't seem to be feeling it.


Wheatus on the other hand, were awesome. Although not many people knew more songs than Teenage Dirtbag (I think I listened to that album once, but that was a good 8 or 9 years ago!). We all laughed out loud when they started playing a song called Leroy because we had a pigeon friend in the queue who we named that...we had no idea it was a song!


And then pigs started to fly...


Somehow we managed to get to the 2nd/3rd row of the general standing area, so we had a really good view. The part in front was for people who paid about £100 more for their tickets, but since they made use of the whole arena it didn't really matter.


They even did a few songs at the back of the venue, which was super far for us but great for anybody who couldn't make it further forward. The light fittings were super cool.


I was miffed that the tickets were so expensive, but the stages were definitely worth the money. They even had those things that raised them up from below the stage. The setlist had a good mix of old and new songs. I ended up knowing most of them as we had a few albums on in the car on the way, and I don't think anybody of my generation could NOT know any of the singles!


We were directly in front of Charlie for a lot of the show. This is my favourite shot because of dat derp! I'll admit he was the most boring person to watch though. Matt especially was doing all sorts of things, including taking selfies with fans on that back wall during the show (and he was the only one I saw do a Busted jump!).


And then it was over! I probably don't ever need to hear a Busted song ever again, but it was a good show and I had a great time. They really didn't disappoint. I imagine a lot of fans who missed out on seeing them way back when were practically peeing themselves from excitement =P

Unfortunately we ended up taking a huge detour on the way home which doubled our journey time as we couldn't find a McDonald's that was open so we ended up grumpy and hungry. Won't be making that mistake again!

Cala D'or

A few weeks ago I went on my first holiday abroad for years!


Sadly it turns out I have a fear of flying which I didn't have before. I really think the pressure in my head is off, I could feel every slight change in altitude and it gave me an ocular migraine which sucked. But pretty views and went right over the Pyrenees mountains! We ended up not doing anything the first day since we bought groceries and were tired.


The second day it was super stormy, with the heaviest hail I've ever seen and lots of lightning. Annoyingly the wifi and tv weren't working at this point aside from a few Spanish channels (this got fixed a few days later so we had British tv stations, but we ended up watching the Spanish version of cartoon network a lot since you can change the language back to English haha). We also had a nice view of the marina from the living room which is great as I love boats (they remind me of the Isle of Wight).


I fell in love with the cheap alcohol in lots of interesting flavours. We also found cans of Monster that we resealable, which was pretty cool! Although I struggled for food since there wasn't really anything veggie at all.


When the sun came out, it was scorching! Being the end of May I guess it wasn't really THAT hot, but it was just right for me. The pool was way too cold though so I couldn't venture in fully, but it was perfect for sitting on the edge with feet dangling in.


There were 2 beaches nearby, and the smaller one was super quiet in the evenings so we went there to watch the sun set a few times. We also went to a bigger beach at Sa Coma on one day, and there were lots of German cyclists (there were German signs everywhere too!), and a lady with a wheelbarrow of fruit encouraging us to buy pineapple and watermelon.


Obligatory bikini-clad Busted jump.


Did I mention cheap delicious alcohol? May have spent the week being a stereotypical Brit by drinking a lot.


I was sad that we wasted a beautiful day driving around the mountains as it got boring really quickly. The plants there just aren't as nice as the ones we have, mostly super dry earth and cacti. The ocean looked amazing though!


I was also excited to try 'Angry Fries' from Burger King. Wish we had them here as they were tasty! Especially enjoyable when sat by the pool in a swimsuit.

At first I thought I'd be bored all week, but after taking a few days to get into it I didn't really want to leave. I guess I just enjoy lounging around in the sun and not doing anything constructive...although if I could take the weather and put it on the Isle of Wight I'd still rather go there, I think! But I'd go again, definitely.

BMC: Offbeat

I wasn't too sure what to expect from April's 90's theme release, but turned out there were a few gems. Most notably, the first IOD in a while! Also there seems to have been a resurgence in the customs fairy, with both of my orders sneaking through unscathed.


The Galaxy Supernova vs Tartan Punk Inside Out Dress seemed like it would be a big hit. People have been wanting the tartan on one since a rejected sample sneak did the rounds, and the galaxy side is the much anticipated reworking of the wildly poplar black hole print. However, it proved controversial since the site photos showed the print the opposite way around (with the neck seam being tartan rather than galaxy). While I'd have preferred it to be the other way around and I'm undecided on the brightness of the galaxy or the mirroring on that side, I do really love this one! Unfortunately my photo is really washed out, the colours are actually very bold.


I'd hoped for a Mint Pastel PVC Skater Skirt since the Fly With Me Panel Dress came out in the Wonderlust Collection. I did consider the mauve one since I love lilac, but figured mint would suit me better and I already have a lot of lilac items to pair with it. There was also a blush colourway. Turns out I really love this skirt, although I'm not too sure how to coord it casually!


The In Your Dreams Cap Sleeve Skater Dress was a risk for me since I've cleared out a lot of my pastel clothes, but with only 48 hours to decide and lots of unicorns I gave it a go. I'm pretty sure I'll end up selling it though as there's an upcoming Unicornia release and I'm pretty sure this will end up on an IOD, but I really like it! So glad I didn't size down for it as it fits a little tighter than regular skater dresses (I do seem to struggle with my shoulders and back with pieces with shoulders even though I'm quite petite). This print was also released on toasties.


While undecided on the stiff fabric of the Caught Oversized Sweater, I just can't resist fishnet! Hoping summer is warm enough to get some use out of it. However I wouldn't recommend it for smaller girls. This is the smallest size they make and it's really big! It's even baggy over my hips, which by the model photos and the fact that this is supposed to be for XXS-XS girls I really wasn't expecting.


And since I couldn't decide which I liked most, I also ordered the Mesh Up Raglan Sweater from the Future Classics release. I feel like maybe I should have sized down for this one as it's a bit longer than I had hoped, but I think I'll keep it anyway.

There was also a Game Of Thrones release this month, but I didn't partake. Hopefully next month will be kinder to my bank balance!

Spirithoods: Mother Meow

I told myself I'd only buy collabo hoods, but with a $59 price tag & kitty goodness, the Mother Meow couldn't be passed up.


Sold as a women's hood, I thought I'd finally get something cute that wouldn't be miles too big. Also I already wear my H&M cat ear beanie a lot, so it seemed like a good investment.


I also added a Midnight Phoenix Bracelet, although the vest I've been wanting for ages was sadly out of stock (not worth the customs buying just the vest when it was in stock, grr!).


Unfortunately it's still massive. I think a gust of wind would take it straight off my head, and it fits Rob's huge head much better despite it being sold as a women's hood. Which is disappointing. Also the fur of the Mother Bear looks a lot cuter as this fur is too shiny and straight. It's still pretty cute though, I guess! Hoping that customs doesn't burn me too hard.

There are a few upcoming releases like a Red Fox Vest which look adorable, but I'm forcing myself to resist. There are also rumours that the next galaxy items won't be collaborations with Black Milk, so I don't think I will be buying those either. It's a shame the grey wolf half hood never materialised as I'd have worn the heck out of one. I think my next purchase may be a grey wolf crop jacket when they finally get released, but to be honest I'm not too sure about that either since the jacket sizing was so huge! Although I guess they will be for women rather than unisex, but judging by this release that doesn't necessarily say anything about the sizing.

BABYMETAL

On the 2nd of April, Babymetal's much anticipated Wembley Arena show happened! I was in two minds about making the trip to London for it, but I have no regrets now!

After checking into my hostel, I headed to Camden for the afternoon to meet some sharkies for a wander around before heading to Wembley. Queueing there was a nightmare, I ended up in the wrong queue twice before getting into the arena. Then I was in the wrong queue for picking up my preordered shirt. Then I queued there to be told my reference had to be printed so I had to queue to print it out and then queue AGAIN to pick it up.

The show had to support, just some DJing by Daniel P Carter which wasn't so bad.


Then I met up with a sharkie and her friend for the show itself! We had matching Babymetal wristbands!


Babymetal! Haha my photos didn't come out to great, I had quite a bit of cider haha.


The lighting, set, and outfits were all awesome!


Ended up singing and dancing a lot! The setlist was a good mix of tracks from the new album and old goodies.


Really want to see them again! Hope they come back to the UK soon.


The next day I couldn't keep down my free breakfast, so I headed to the Spoons at Marble Arch for second breakfast before walking along Oxford Street and then going to Forbidden Planet before heading to my usual spot at Jubilee Gardens to chill out and read all afternoon.


Went for a sporty Black Milk outfit for the day. Ended up wishing I had worn something lighter as it was surprisingly hot! Especially since I did quite a lot of walking (I was lazy afterwards and got the tube back rather than walking for over an hour).


This was my haul from the weekend! A split top from F21, a shirt from Primark, Catbug keyring and manga from Forbidden Planet, and of course my Babymetal shirt! I wish I could have bought one of the other shirts too, but apparently they sold out super quickly!

BMC: Fear and Clothing In Las Vegas + Restocks

As seems to often be the case, Fear and Clothing in las Vegas wasn't a release that appealed to me. However, there were a few black pieces...


While I still haven't worn my Velvet Black Wood Chucks, A Real Cool Cat Woodchucks have cats on, so it had to happen. These are the toastie material, and they don't seem to go sheer on the butt! I'm glad I didn't size up in the end. They're actually a little loose on the waist, so I could have gotten away with sizing down. I think I'll probably wear them mostly with the straps down though as they look a little odd to me!


The Counterculture Leggings fit me a bit oddly due to my short legs, and they definitely don't look the same on me as they do on the model. But they are awesome. The zips open too! There are actually 3 different fabrics on them.


Route 66 Shorties appealed to me as they're a great basic. However due to the stiffness of the vinyl, they do sit a little oddly. I have too much fabric in the front middle, which makes me feel like maybe I should have sized down for them. Also despite the description referencing the desert, I feel these are more of a winter piece as the vinyl waistband would be sweaty and the liner is fleecy!

A long awaited restock occurred the week after this release, so I ended up getting a few more bits this month as well.


The Tartan Punk Ryder Dress has a tartan that was only previously released on pieces in the US (although it gets an IOD next month!). I wasn't sure which size to get as it's made of toastie fabric, but since the crop of the same cut was so tiny I didn't size down like I usually need to in bodycons. I think this was a wise move. I'm pleasantly surprised by the print and fabric...usually toastie leggings go quite white on my butt due to stretching, but this fabric is fine! Maybe they improved it, since the woodchucks were also good for this. It does bunch at the sides a bit on my hips, but hoping flattening the seams and wearing tights underneath will improve it.


I somehow missed The Mullet Crop previously, I have a feeling I thought it was a museum piece! I intended to use it with leggings but the front is maybe cut a bit too high to reveal too much stomach. The back is dropped, which maybe makes it look a bit odd with skirts though. But over bodycons and high-waisted shorts should be perfect! It's such a soft piece too.


Even though I haven't sold my XS yet, I got the Dark Moth Ryder Crop again in a bigger size. I think it's still too small to wear over dresses which is a shame, but I didn't want to go up to an M! It fits a lot better but is still a bit uncomfortable around the neck and tight across the bust, but any bigger would have been loose on the band as this one has a little bit of wriggle room as it is. Hopefully I can at least get some use out of this one!

I'm already super excited for the next release as it has the first IOD in it for a while. If I can't get my hands on it I'll be totally devastated though!

BMC: 200+ Custom Piece!

So you may or may not know, but Black Milk Clothing has a kind of loyalty scheme where you get rewards when you hit certain milestones. For 50 pieces, you get a voucher. For 100 pieces, you either get another voucher, a shooter, or a Pop Art piece (this is the option I chose). But for 200, 300, 400, etc., you get a custom piece of your choice for free!

I hit 200 pieces back in October, and I already had an idea of what I wanted. Mine ended up arriving on the 30th of March, so the turnover for mine was pretty quick. I know a lot of girls have had to wait much longer though! But my prints were pretty simple, with just one colour change. For bigger changes or completely new prints, I imagine the wait is much longer.


This was the preview I got sent at the beginning of March, to allow for any fixes before it was put into production. One of the first pieces I wanted but missed out was the Cotton Candy Corn Skater Skirt, so I knew that had to be one side. I had toyed with a galaxy for the other side, but at the end of the day tartan is kind of my jam. So I went for the Tartan Punk print, but in pink to match the unicorn side. And obviously, it had to be an IOD...I mean, I own all the other ones that have been released so far haha.


I was so excited when it turned up! It's so perfect!


I also got a cute note from loads of the staff members, complete with confetti and My Little Pony stickers! And a polaroid and BM stickers.


I think the Cotton Candy Corn side is my favourite, although it's less flattering. I was worried about it being a bit too girly for me, but I guess unicorns are pretty badass, even if they are pastel.


Tartan on the IOD cut is always so flattering, so I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of this side too.

I'm so so happy with it! The only downside is that it is slightly too big as I went with the S as usual, but I do that to allow for layering underneath in the colder months. Other than that, it's absolutely perfect! Now I'm being naughty and planning my 300 customs already...only 60 more pieces to go, which is pretty terrible! I need to save money for a house! Naughty me.