The Awkward Moment, Pitch Perfect 2 and Love, Rosie | MOVIE REVIEWS

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source 1, 2, 3
"It's a rollercoaster of emotions and a movie that's my favourite"

There have been many-a movie reviews on BBXO recently, but you seem to like it (*I hope so, otherwise this is quite annoying!*), but I had a movie day a little while ago so decided to combine the 3 reviews in one. We watched That Awkward Moment (only because Mr Zac Efron was in it, and who would say no to Zac time?), Pitch Perfect 2 (how could you not?) and Love, Rosie (Lily Collins is absolutely stunning!). In case you're either running out of movies to watch, or just want to hear my thoughts, read ahead and then conclude whether you should add the title to your movie list! 

Magnitone Lucid Haul + First Impressions | BEAUTY

Hello!

Out came the Lucid, and then I was beginning to get drawn in"

If you've been watching YouTubers for a while now, you might remember when there was a huge craze on the Clarisonic. It had just come out at the time, and was pretty much an America-only product. It seemed to have great reviews and I think I'd watched every single one of the YouTube reviews out there! I really wanted one. 
It was, however, a nightmare to get in the UK, and quite frankly, I'm glad I didn't get it then. At £180, it wasn't something I could justify buying, and the hassle of plug exchange and overseas warranty just didn't appeal to me.

Fast forward a couple of years and here I am, holding the Magnitone in my hands with the facial expressions of a proud mother!

When I first saw the Magnitone range come out a few months back, it didn't really appeal to me. At the time they had the pulsar, which is the slightly bigger (and not so attractive) version of the one I got, the Lucid. Although the price of the pulsar is a lot cheaper than the Clarisonic, I didn't want to buy it at the time. Out came the Lucid, and then I was beginning to get drawn in.

"Lucid resembles the Clarisonic Mia, and the range of colours Magnitone has is just beautiful!"

So, having had my eyes on the beauty for a couple of weeks, I knew I had to get my hands on it. There were many bloggers and vloggers showcasing the product, as it had been sent to them. One thing I realised, most of the reviews I watched/read were not reliable. You see people using it for a few days and claiming it to be their holy-grail, others doing a skin care routine video and then mention it's their second time using the product (it's hardly a routine if you've only been doing it for 2 days). I just couldn't trust it.

On the day of my second last exam, I ordered the product from Superdrug, as it's currently on sale for £49.99, down from it's original £69.99. It was delivered on the day of my last exam (last Friday), so it was almost a "yay for completing exams" treat!

I'd say the Lucid resembles the Clarisonic Mia, and the range of colours Magnitone has is just beautiful! There's like a colour to suit everyone! Though I was contemplating between the pink or the aqua, the minty green of the aqua was the one calling my name. Plus, it matches my toothbrush, that's always a plus side, right? :)

"I will keep you updated and let you know it how it's going after a few weeks - so stay tuned!"

As for the brush itself, I've been using it for the past two days and am pleasantly surprised. When you first open the box and feel the bristles on the brush, you wont believe how soft they are. When using the brush on your face, it's a lovely feeling and not abrasive at all. There are two settings, deep clean and sensitive. You're meant to use the sensitive setting for the first 5 days of use, then whatever suits your fancy. You can use the brush twice a day (one minute each time) but for the first couple of days, they recommend once a day to ease your skin into it.

There's a timer on the brush that beeps every 20 seconds, so you have a guideline as to when to move to the next part of your face. They recommend 20 seconds for the forehead, 20 for both cheeks, and 20 for the chin and nose. I do find that I'm often wanting more than 20 seconds, yet I stick to it as I don't want to overdo it. The device automatically turns off after the minute.

"here I am, holding the Magnitone in my hands with the facial expressions of a proud mother!"

So far my skin feels good after using it, but I can't vouch for much as it has only been 2 days. I will keep you updated and let you know it how it's going after a few weeks - so stay tuned!

In terms of what the device comes with, there's an EU charger for when you go on holiday (which will be great when I go to Egypt), a UK charger for charging at home, both of which is a wire that attaches to a magnet-like thing which attaches to the device, meaning it's safer (and pretty cool!). Alongside that, there's a 1 year warranty that you can sign up to online.

All in all, I'm glad I waited and purchased the Magnitone Lucid rather than the Clarisonic, and I'm also glad I caught a great deal with Superdrug.

Tell me, is there anything that you swear by when it comes to skincare? 

Paper Towns, John Green | BOOKS

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"almost as though the book is written with the idea that Cara will play Margo"

After hearing about Cara Delevingne getting into acting, I had to read this. Why does Cara have anything to do with Paper Towns by John Green? Well, she's going to be acting in the movie. I guess a model acting doesn't sound like anything new - anyone going to see Rosie Huntington-Whitely in Mad Max and the Fury Road? Yet, there's something about John Green and Cara colliding that made me feel as though something is not right... until I read the book.

"If I was reading it in public, I'd probably seem like a lunatic"

The minute (or should I say line) that Margo Roth Spiegelman popped up in the book, I knew it was going to be Cara's role. It's almost as though the book is written with the idea that Cara will play Margo. The fun, adventurous and super pretty but care-free girl - yep, that seems a lot like Cara. Although I (obviously) don't know her personally, it's what I'd expect her to be like.

"It's the ultimate movie-in-your-head"

The book is out-of-nowhere. By that, I mean it's a super random storyline, and it seems like things like that never happen in real life - i.e. breaking into Sea World? But it is super fun to read, and there are parts when I actually found myself laughing out loud and smiling. If I was reading it in public, I'd probably seem like a lunatic. Either way, if you're up for a super fun, enjoyable and want a book you can't put down, then this is the one.

"there's something about John Green and Cara colliding that made me feel as though something is not right... until I read the book"

It's the ultimate movie-in-your-head about an ordinary guy taken away on an adventure. "Margo Roth Spiegelman loved mysteries so much, she became one" - I think that sums up enough without giving too much away. Oh, and having just watched the trailer, it seems very much like the book - a lot of the lines are exactly the same as in the paper copy. It's also quite amusing to see how Cara pulls off the American accent! All in all, a great read, and after having read Abundance of Katherines by John Green a matter of weeks ago (which I did not finish by the way, so didn't review it for you), my expectations for this was low. Yet, it did not disappoint!

Here's the Trailer:



Have you read Paper Towns? What do you think of the trailer? 

The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks | BOOKS

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"Many times, I caught myself physically smiling as I was reading"

Everyone knows of the oh-so-famous Nicholas Sparks based movies. You know, the ones with Ryan Gosling, Liam Hemsworth, Channing Tatum and in this case, Zac Efron. I must say, good choice of actors! Although I had known of the films, and watched a few in my day, I never really thought about picking up the book. Then came a day I decided to take a read of this one, and I've never looked back.

"yet there's something about it that just makes real life seem that much more magical"

Seeing as I hadn't yet watched the movie, I thought it'd be a good idea to flick through the book first. Let me tell you, once I picked it up, there was no way I was putting it down. I must admit, the moment I read about Thibault, Zac Efrons' face jumped into view, and he totally fits the character. Thibault is an awesome guy. He's done so many great things but is so modest. I don't know what is it about those kind of characters, but they are my favourite. So every time his good nature was mentioned, it made me feel somewhat 'warm and fuzzy' on the inside. Many times, I caught myself physically smiling as I was reading. And that's just one of the myriad of things I liked about the book.

"I don't know what is it about those kind of characters, but they are my favourite"

The overall story is quite interesting. It really does make me believe in destiny, and as cliché as it may sound, I guess I am a believer of fate. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand how this is a book and only a story, not real life, yet there's something about it that just makes real life seem that much more magical. Am I going crazy? I don't really know what it is, but the book gave me a sense of hope, the idea that 'good things are to come' - okay, this is just proving how much of a dreamer I really am!

"Then came a day I decided to take a read of this one, and I've never looked back"

I'm going to watch the movie and give you a verdict, was the book better than the movie? Keep your eye's peeled for that post later on in the week! However, to round this post off, let me just tell you, if you're looking for a nice escape, a good read and overall a lovely story rammed in a neat little book, this one is for you! 

Tell me, what do you think of Nicholas Sparks' books, any suggestions?

Movies in the Cinema | Spring 2015

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source 1/2/3/4
"feel the magic as you're watching a Disney movie on the laptop, but the cinema brings out something quite different."

They say movies are perfect for the fall and winter, snuggling up with a blanket and enjoying a flick or two. Although it's now Spring, the weather's not that much better and let's be honest, a movie is good anytime of the year!

It may feel like I've totally been living under a rock when it comes to new movies, but passing the Cinderella exhibition in Leicester Square last week reminded me that the new movie releases have not stopped since the Hunger Games Mockingjay came out!

Speaking of the Hunger Games, a similar style of movie has hit the big screen. Insurgent, the next movie in the Divergent series, is currently in cinemas.
Although I was a fan of Divergent, see that post here, I had no intention to see Insurgent any time soon. Whether that be because I'd rather see The Fast and Furious 7, or because I may have just completely forgotten that even Divergent existed. Yet, watching the trailer and seeing Theo James... that may have just changed my mind!
IMDB Rating: 7/10

Fast & Furious 7
The only one of the F&F series that I really remember is the third. Ask me about 1,2,4,5 or 6 and I'll put my hands up - nope, I've got nothing to say. Either way, the whole thing about this being Paul Walkers legacy has gotten to me. Plus I want to see if it's a noticeable change when they switch from Paul to Cody!
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Cinderella
Bellatrix from Harry Potter, a.k.a. Helena Bonham Carter, is the fairy godmother! How wonderful! Any Disney movie is lovely to see in the big screen. You can definitely feel the magic as you're watching a Disney movie on the laptop, but the cinema brings out something quite different. Disneyland? That's a whole other level, but for now, the cinema shall do!
If you are in the London area, do pop by the exhibition in Leicester Square. I didn't get a chance to go inside, but it did look pretty promising! Oh, and we saw a cute little girl dressed up as cinderella going into the exhibition and it was adorable!
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10

All in all, the movies out at the moment definitely seem worth a watch. Although Divergent wasn't my first choice when I first started writing this post, I may be leaning more towards watching it now! (That's the effect of Theo James, my friend!)
What's the movie that's currently on your 'to-watch' list?

Anybody Out There | BOOKS

Hello!

"you'd find yourself getting very emotional over, laughing with, crying with and definitely enjoying every second of it."

Since the last book I read (review here) I had sort of lost hope in reading. Dramatic? Yes, I guess it is a little bit. Well, when one of your favourite authors of all time end up disappointing you so much, you're bound to feel a little disheartened (J.K. Rowling, how could you?). Everything happens for a reason, and I believe it was fate that this beauty entered my life.

The best thing about the novel? The storyline kept on going. There was not one point at which I thought 'I could do with skipping a few pages'. I wanted to read and read until the cows came home - or until my eyelids gave up on me.

"It'd be one of those movies you could watch again and again."

Another thing I've got to give Mariyan credit for, the lack of confusion when she writes.
Throughout the book, especially the first half of it, there is a lot of back and forth on what's happening 'right now' and what happened in the past. The thing is: you can tell the difference. It's put very clearly and it's incredible to see how a persons life can change so dramatically.
One more thing: the protagonist is very 3 dimensional, making the whole thing even more realistic.

On the note of characters, she has done a fantastic job! There are characters of which you will end up crying of laughter over, characters who you admire and characters that you wish were your best friend.

"Everything happens for a reason, and I believe it was fate that this beauty entered my life."

If you've read a few of the previous book reviews on BBXO, you'd know the ultimate thing I judge a book over: how it visualises as being a movie.
Let me tell you, this story was definitely a movie in my head. It would be a movie you'd find yourself getting very emotional over, laughing with, crying with and definitely enjoying every second of it. It'd  be one of those movies you could watch again and again.

Have you got any books you can read again and again?

The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling | Books

Hello!

You may have seen this picture somewhere (i.e. Instagram) which hugely hinted at this post coming your way. Since then, I have debated whether or not this should be written. Also since then, another book has been started being read. Let me tell you, it's completely different to the one pictured above!

Well, as we're mentioning all the things that have happened since I started reading The Casual Vacancy, I'll just throw in there that this book has been the inspiration of a new show on BBC called 'The Casual Vacancy'!

For the record, I watched the first episode of that show and was not a fan. It is completely different to how I imagined it would be. To be honest, when I was reading this, I did imagine it to be a bit like EastEnders. You know, with the whole 'peaking into people's lives all over the town and their lives all intertwine, and everyone knows each other' kind of thing, yet I thought it was more 'posh' than they portrayed it in the show. Let me just say: I don't like EastEnders and I didn't like this book.

The reason I picked it up? It's got J.K.Rowling as the author, and as much as I love Harry Potter books, it's the fact that I absolutely adored The Cuckoo's Calling that made me want to pick up this one. It is nowhere near the standard of The Cuckoo's Calling. I feel like it took forever to get the ball rolling in terms of the storyline itself, heck, the ball was never rolling! It was a totally stationary ball.

I do like J.K.Rowling's writing style, which again wasn't too bad in this book, but just when you're getting into a character, it changes and another character is the main story. There are a million characters and it's so difficult to get your head around it - especially if you're not into the (practically non-existent) story line. Maybe that's why it didn't grab my attention, as there was just too much going on.

Long story short, just when you think J.K.Rowling never disappoints (after reading this book by her), she disappoints!

Have you read any other books by J.K.Rowling that may redeem her in my eyes? 

Starbucks Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate: The Verdict

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"Topping it off with chocolate cream, honey and chocolate sauce, do I need to say that it was darn chocolate-y."

During this time of year there are a million different festive things going around, take Vlogmas, Blogmas and The Christmas Tag as some examples. Well, without really planning it, this year for BerryBloomXO seems to be the season of the Red Cups - that's right, it's the time of year for Starbucks! 

If you've heard or read about the flavours that Starbucks offers, you would know about the new Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate that is released in UK Starbucks stores. As one of the four festive drinks released, it was a must try - being a chocoholic and all, how could one resist? 

"If you're a fan of the whole 'salted caramel', 'bitter and sweet' kind of thing, this will be right up your street"

Topping it off with chocolate cream, honey and chocolate sauce, do I need to say that it was darn chocolate-y. If you're not a fan of dark chocolate, I'd say stay away. It has that bitter aftertaste you get from dark chocolate and is super rich. I'd say the drink has sort of 3 'notes' to it: first being the mild taste of milky, almond goodness, second being a sting of honey (believe me it's strong) and a final kick of the dark chocolate bitterness.

Overall, I'd say a surprising mix of flavours, one that I wouldn't opt for again, but worth a try, nonetheless. If you're a fan of the whole 'salted caramel', 'bitter and sweet' kind of thing, this will be right up your street, but for me, not my top Starbucks drink.

What's your favourite festive drink of the season (be it from Starbucks, Costa... wherever!)? 

TGIF: Movie's in the Cinema

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"a movie this weekend sounds good."

Another Friday and I'm sitting here watching last weeks re-runs of X Factor, thinking a movie this weekend sounds good. Looking at the movie listings, these are the three caught my eye:

"It's action packed and science-y!"

Although it's been out for a while, the storyline of this is quite cool! It's about someone who unlocks their brain potential to 100%, other than the average 10% that everyone else uses. It's action packed and science-y! Trailer link HERE.

"We've seen the likes of golf movies: Happy Gilmore... Now it's Cricket's turn!"

The sports movie of the year. We've seen the likes of golf movies: Happy Gilmore, american football: The Blind Side and even basketball movies: High School Musical. Now it's Baseball's turn!
Trailer link HERE.

"Oprah Winfrey helped create this movie - it must be good!"

This is the one the foodie in you may be the most excited for! Mentioned in this post, Oprah Winfrey helped create this movie - it must be good! Trailer link HERE.

Out of the three - which would you go to watch? 

Divergent or The Hunger Games?

Hello!

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a lovely week and are looking forward to the weekend as much as I am! Being a Friday, it's MOVIE NIGHT! Actually, I watched Divergent last week and wanted to tell you all about it! Long story short: it's a good movie! Better than Hunger Games? Well, read on to find out!

1 // 2

Having started reading the book, it was one I had not got round to finishing, simply because I got bored. Weirdly enough, the same had happened with The Hunger Games - I started reading the book but never finished it.

Many people have compared the two movies due to the similarities in genre and same target audience. I, for one, loved Hunger Games Catching Fire - mainly due to the ending of the movie where (spoiler alert) the place catches fire. The reference to this and the title of the movie got me excited so it ended on a happy note, I guess!

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from Divergent. I thought it'd just be another movie, not so special, yet average. Boy, was I wrong! I loved it! It was surprisingly good - even though the ending was quite cliché. I loved the way that Tris picked up her game and the message 'work hard, play hard' was shown throughout the movie. Also, it shows that people are not one dimensional, they do not have one trait but various traits of different amounts.

Overall, I did prefer Divergent over Hunger Games. Maybe because I felt that the Hunger Games was also overhyped about before I saw the movie, and I guess it was a bit of a let down. Compared to Divergent, which I didn't think much of, so it did exceed my (low) expectations.

Well, are you Team Divergent or Team Hunger Games? 

Read before Watching the Movie - Spring/Summer 2014

Hello! 

I find that I am reading a lot more now, sometimes for longer than I should, but reading never hurt anybody, right?! Also, I feel like The Fault in Our Stars has been getting a lot of attention and there are other books/movies coming out very soon that deserve credit too! If you're just looking for new books to read or movies to see, read on! 

Vampire Academy

This movie is actually already released - which I haven't seen. It seems like a fun, girly movie which is quite light hearted. It is basically about a girl who gets turned a vampire by her best friend, she is extremely cheeky and feisty!
Because I can't describe very well, heres the description from Wiki: 'It tells the story of Rose Hathaway, a seventeen/eighteen-year-old Dhampir girl, who is training to be a bodyguard for her Moroi best friend, Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir. In the process of learning how to defeat Strigoi (the evil undead vampires) in St. Vladimir's Academy, Rose finds herself caught in a forbidden romance with her instructor, Dimitri Belikov, while having an unbreakable bond with Lissa'
Trailer: here 
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
Movie Release: 7th February 2014


Divergent 

Another very thrilling, interesting and rather popular book - a different take on life, one would say! From Amazon: 'For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….'

Trailer: here
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5
Movie Release: 21st March 2014


The Fault In Our Stars

After featuring it on another post - click here to view - I decided it was too good to miss out on this post too! The storyline from Wiki: 'The story is narrated by a sixteen-year-oldcancer patient named Hazel, who is forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she subsequently meets and falls in love with the seventeen-year-old Augustus Waters, an ex-basketball player and amputee.'
Trailer: here
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5
Movie Release: 6th June 2014


The Hundred Foot Journey

Oprah Winfrey is helping produce the movie. Just to put that out there!
The storyline from amazon 'The Hundred-Foot Journey is about how the hundred-foot distance between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional French one can represent the gulf between different cultures and desires. A testament to the inevitability of destiny, this is a fable for the ages—charming, endearing, and compulsively readable.' 

I thought the storyline seems wonderful and exotic, as well as Oprah being part of production, I'm excited to see how the movie turns out! 

Trailer: N/A
Amazon Rating: 3.8/5
Movie Release: 8th August 2014

I hope you got some ideas from the post and tell me, what is your most looked forward to movie?

image source: background, books 

BerryReads: Wishlist

Hello! 

Reading is something I have not done in a while. Having redone my room, there are now a few more areas whereby I can relax and… well sit and read! Don't you just love having little areas to chill in?! Well, obviously that calls for more reading, right? Isn't that justice enough?! :)

Well, since a very young age I've been a reader yet I haven't read in a while. You may be like me: one that loves story lines such as those in movies, tv shows and even music videos! Well, books are like little movies in your head and you can direct them however you wish!

You may notice a slight theme in this BerryReads today: Movies. Well, not all of the books but 2 of the 3 are (soon to be) movies!

Wolf of Wall Street is currently a movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio - it's about a guy who makes thousands of dollars per minute yet 'rinses' (spends) it all during the night on things such as drugs, alcohol and bad, bad stuff! I like that it's a different storyline based around greed and power. It intrigues me, and the fact that it's based in New York makes it even more interesting!
(GoodReads Rating: 3.6/5)

Cancer patients are being increasing by the minute in our day to day lives, The Fault In Our Stars is a love story about a cancer patient. You probably have heard of it, if not read it already! The first time  watching the trailer for TFIOS reminded me a bit of The Sisters Keeper in terms of the cancer idea - yet it still seems a must read before watching the movie!
(GR: 4.5/5)

GoodReads is a great place to find ratings of books and lists to choose books from. Looking at the 'Popular' list of what others are really enjoying, I came across Shatter Me. It is about a girl who has the power to kill someone at the touch of her fingertips. Sounds pretty gruesome, right? Actually, thats the part that repels me from the book! However, she wants to use her powers for good not evil (Frozen, anyone?) and it makes me wonder how she deals with it! Though, if it's too gruesome I won't continue reading it!
(GR: 4.09/5)

That's it, nothing too girly this time but quite a few to get my hands on!
What book is on your Reading Wishlist?

source: GoodReads, Image

BerryReads: Restoring Grace

Hello!

I've been reading like crazy recently, it's a good thing and a bad thing. The bad thing is that it means I tend to go to bed later than I would but the good thing is that it's very interesting and it really does make me feel happy!

When you read you get loads of inspiration and your imagination runs wild! It's good to feel your imagination stretching and expanding, do you feel the same way?

Anyway, so I picked this book out of a whim and cannot say that I would like to do that again anytime soon - and sometimes wish I knew what book I wanted before I picked it out, here's why:

Well, the book itself doesn't have a fixed storyline. There's no one thing that is focused on throughout the whole story. In one sense, I guess there is, as 3 girls become friends but the entire thing feels very loose and there're no fixed connections. All of it seems very unrealistic and I guess it's quite un-relatable.

I found myself constantly trying to find something that will make me feel relatable to the characters, so they can inspire and 'click' with my imagination but I guess that click never came.

The story is very slow paced. A lot of the things you know are going to happen but it takes far much longer than it should to get to the time when it actually does happen, and you're not surprised when it does because you were expecting it. If things took longer than it should have and something you did not expect to happen turns up then it would be worth the wait, but not in this case.

So many questions pop into your head when your reading a book, any book in this matter, however, in this particular book there are so many answers left untold. Again, in some cases this is good because it makes you think of it yourself, however, there just isn't enough information to do this - and then you're left disappointed because you're not satisfied.

On the contrary to all of this, I've left quite a few books hanging in my time, yet this wasn't one of them. This goes to show that the book is not so BORING that you don't want to pick it up. Yes, I agree that it's an okay storyline if the author expanded it and made it something bigger - this wasn't the case.

Overall, I recommend you do not read this, unless you're looking for a EXTREMELY light read with no surprises and very slow paced.
I give it a 4/10.

What book do you recommend I read next - one better than this, I hope?!