Things I Wanna’ Tick Off My Japan Bucket List

Lately I’ve been missing Japan. A lot. It’s been over two years now since we travelled there and one of my biggest regrets was that I was really ill for almost half of our holiday there (due to not accounting for ‘rest’ days), and didn’t document it as much, including the time leading up to it. So today’s post is going to be a little different to my usual outfits as I’ve compiled my ultimate Japan bucket list – feel free to scroll to the bottom to see the simple checklist, or read on for more details…

Japan Bucket List

Pusheen the Boat Out: A Trip to ARTBOX Cafe ‘Pusheen Snack Parlour’!

I cannot tell you how excited I was to go to the ARTBOX cafe in Brighton which, I can say with confidence, is the cutest cafe in the UK. The owners had recently announced that ARTBOX Cafe would transform into a themed cafe every three months, kicking off with “Pusheen Snack Parlour” as their first theme where – you guessed it – Pusheen the Cat is the star of the show. Here’s a little peak into our trip to the Pusheen Snack Parlour!

Please note: as of February 2020, the Pusheen Snack Parlour has now been changed (as ARTBOX Cafe changes their theme every few months).

Pusheen snack parlour at Artbox Cafe in Brighton via hellolizziebee

Countryside Flower in the Cotswolds

Gosh, I love himekaji. I was actually thankful that it wasn’t as sunny as it had been because then I was able to wear my new Liz Lisa jumpsuit for my birthday (which I actually bought secondhand – but still “new” in my eyes). I had no idea where my hubby was taking me but he did hint that my jumpsuit would be perfect for it, and it was! We spent the whole day in the sunshine (and some rain) strolling through the countryside and eating afternoon tea in beautiful English manors, and I felt like such a princess. I was definitely treated like one in any case!

Summery himekaji Liz Lisa coord via hellolizziebee

Come Rain or Shine: Day Out at Warwick Castle

I am not made for rain, I thought to myself as I gazed outside at the gloomy landscape of Warwick that came rolling past my car window. We’ve had blistering heat for the past week or so, so why is it that today, of all days, that it decided to rain? Not that I was wearing the right clothes, of course; you wouldn’t have thought that I’d be trekking around Warwick Castle with my cute (and incredibly short) skirt, cream blouse and bare legs. At least I had my unicorn print umbrella with me!

Disclaimer: I was invite by Warwick Castle (via Coventry Bloggers) to go along to their summer event and write about my experience.

Rainy day at Warwick Castle

Clueless Inspired Outfit + Day Out in Bordeaux

As soon as I stepped out into the sunshine and onto the cobble-stone streets, surrounded by beautiful French architecture, I knew I made the right choice to wear my Clueless inspired outfit (with a gyaru twist, of course!). I’ve got to hand it to my friend Nini who actually persuaded me to wear it, and who also styled my hair in two cute little buns resting on either side of my head. I haven’t felt this cute in so long and was excited to be roaming the winding streets and tasting Bordeaux wine.

Clueless inspired outfit, Umbrella sky in Bordeaux

Gyaru Outfit Diaries: Malta, Baby!

Helloooo sunny beaches, palm trees and crystal-clear waters. I’m not usually one for going on a summer holiday (I don’t cope well with mosquito bites and the blistering sun) but Malta was absolutely perfect. My friend Amy and I went in late May which was, I felt, the ideal time for exploring as it wasn’t crazy hot but was still sunny. This meant that I packed quite a few outfits as I knew I wanted to have at least two outfits per day, so here’s my Malta outfit diaries.

Mdina outfit ideas

Gyaru Outfit Diaries: A Sunny Holiday in Cornwall

Our holiday to sunny Cornwall was one of the best holidays we’ve had in recent years. It was the first time that I actually relaxed – truly, relaxed – and it was also the first time we didn’t have a checklist of a thousand tourist attractions to tick off. We just went with the flow and it was so much nicer. It was also incredibly hot, which I wasn’t really prepared for as I packed clothes for a cooler climate, so I had to make a lot of last minute choices whilst running around our Airbnb in a panic. But I managed to put together a few summery gyaru outfits with the clothes that I did have, so here’s what I wore during my holiday in Cornwall.

Summer gyaru outfit at the beach by hellolizziebee

A Gyaru Guide to Birmingham, England

I can’t tell you how excited I am for the Gyaru Jubilee event. The Paris meet is still fresh in my mind and I can’t wait for the partying, photos, and para para! In the lead up to the event I decided to put together a post on the gyaru guide to everything Birmingham for those who are planning on staying longer than a weekend (and for those that are, there are plenty of lush hotels in Birmingham for you to stay in). Birmingham rivals London in my eyes for it’s wide range of activities, and it’s only getting better and better.

Disclaimer: spending money was gifted by Hotels but all views are my own.

A Gyaru Guide to Birmingham by hellolizziebee

How to Prepare for Your First International Gyaru Meet

I remember the first time I went to an international gyaru meet; I went with my gal Chewiee and honestly it was one of my favourite gyaru meets ever. That’s not to say that it was a completely smooth process – about half an hour before we met everyone I had a panic attack in our hotel room. I was just getting so worked up about meeting everyone and fearing that they wouldn’t like me! But it turned out that I didn’t have to worry after all as I had the most amazing time and everyone was so lovely.

Fast forward to now – my gyarusa QueenE have recently announced our big international gyaru meetup, Gyaru Jubilee, that’s happening over here in the U.K. and we’re SO excited for it! We’ve decided to put together a lil’ list of advice for first-timers because going to your first international gyaru meet can be a bit daunting, especially if you’re a newbie.

UK gyaru circle QueenE in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

4 Days in Amsterdam – Travel Diary

I did it, guys – I went to Amsterdam. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before but I’m so happy to finally tick it off my ‘30 before 30‘ list. My hubby and I went there to celebrate the second part of our Honeymoon (as we decided to split it between Marrakech and Amsterdam). We had such a lovely time, and I wished that we could’ve stayed a little bit longer (four days were way too short a stay).

Nevertheless, we managed to pack a lot in our short stay, so here’s a lil’ Amsterdam travel diary!

Bridge of 15 bridges in Amsterdam by hellolizziebee
The bridge of 15 bridges

Our Perfect Honeymoon in Marrakesh, Morocco

honeymoon, marrakesh, marrakech, morocco, camel riding, camel safari

Our honeymoon in Marrakesh/Marrakech (Morocco) couldn’t come soon enough. It was a time where I could finally let my hair down and relax after the wedding – and man I really needed it! I was so exhausted from the wedding that I was actually a little bit ill during the first couple of days of our newly wedded life, so any excuse to just lie in the sunbed reading a book was perfect for me. But the adventurer in me did kick in after the second day, and I couldn’t wait to explore!

30 Places to Explore Before I’m 30

One of my favourite to-do lists of all time has been my travel bucketlist. When I was growing up my parents made it our yearly goal to go on holiday – it didn’t matter how far or how close it was, but we would pack our bags and travel for a couple of weeks to a whole new place. But, sadly, as I grew up and moved out for university it all changed… I travelled a lot less – so much so that for a few years I didn’t go anywhere at all.

But now I’ve been hit by the wanderlust bug, hard. I just want to go out and explore! I’ve been scrolling endlessly through travel blogs and came across Kirsty’s post on ‘30 countries before 30‘ and it really inspired me to write this post.

So here it is – my ultimate travel bucketlist. I’ll put a little heart next to the places I’ve been and things I’ve done (that I might revisit one day).

travel blogger, holiday packing, 30 places to explore

Hogwarts in the Snow & 5 Reasons Why I Love Harry Potter

Hogwarts express, christmas, hogwarts castle, hogwarts train

I did the thing – I ticked off a major item off my bucket list by going to Warner Bros Studios Tour during the Hogwarts in the Snow period for Christmas. And boy could I tell you just how exciting it was! I had been planning this moment for months since the very first time I went but found myself on the day feeling quite a little bit clueless. And the most important questions? What the hell was I going to wear and how much my bank is going to suffer afterwards.

Down the Rabbit Hole: Alice in Wonderland Afternoon Tea at Kona

afternoon tea, alice in wonderland, food review, blogger

“Cup of tea, anyone?” is perhaps one of the most stereotypically British things we say and I felt oh-so-stereotypical when I found myself on the train to London for afternoon tea with my gal pals Chewiee and Maz. It wasn’t just any afternoon tea, though, but Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea. How amazing is that?! This was one at Kona at the Taj hotel, and it was by far one of the best afternoon teas I’ve ever had.