"I can wear the comfiest form of pants out in public and still look pretty pulled together"
As mentioned a million and one times on this blog, Summer is coming. Summer is not what it is without some floral print, am I right? Basically my summer wardrobe has a lot of florals. Though, it had lots of floral tops and floral dresses, yet no floral... pants. Before we go on, let's clarify: I mean pants standing for bottoms/trousers not underwear :)
I love the way these look. They're almost chinos but not quite in that category. The pants pictured on the right are from TopShop who name them 'cigarette' trousers. Well, I don't really want to call them that but you get the point - they're different. You can choose to dress them up with some heels or dress them down with a casual/plain top and some flats (possibly toms).
As well as these beauties in the trouser, more structured, form, you can totally opt for the, well, less-structured form: the joggers! Who doesn't like joggers?! If you tell me I can wear the comfiest form of pants out in public and still look pretty pulled together - I'm sold. Let me tell you, I might just have about a million pairs by the end of the summer and I won't judge you if you do too! ;)
"Keep those important dates highlighted and have an amazing month of June!"
May is nearing an end, and as always, we have the next month to look forward to. June, for me, will be packed of exams, but it's also a month of freedom. Contradictory? Oh yes, but let me explain. My last exam is in June, so after that date, I am a free woman. Okay, that's obviously an exaggeration but you get my gist ;)
Feel free to download away and print to stick up in your room, your study, at your desk, in your diary, in a planner, in a folder or even on your fridge. Keep those important dates highlighted and have an amazing month of June!
"I know it's all about being calm and collected, but also not giving up."
During this time of year, quotes are a great reminder to keep one on the 'Be Calm and Positive' bandwagon. As it is exam season, you'll probably be seeing a few of these on here - and who knows, maybe it'll benefit you to clear your head and remind you of the good things, even if you're not taking exams.
Patience is an aspect many often forget about. I know I do. It's all about letting go, having less control and just understanding that things will happen the way they're supposed to - so just let it be. The quote above really does bring the idea of patience home, and sometimes, we just have to accept it.
source, source "it'll benefit you to clear your head and remind you of the good things"
Roald Dahl, ah the famous Roald Dahl! What wonderful things he said, and things I totally agree with. Happy thoughts WILL shine.
This one's a little different - it almost changes the entire mood of the post. I know it's all about being calm and collected, but also not giving up.
Best of luck to those taking exams, and those not, I hope you have a great week anyway. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more quote posts on here sometime soon - but if you feel like you would like to read some more now, and you want to be on the positive boat, here are some links:
" grab a glue gun, some flowers and possibly some fabric to create an array of beautiful Spring decor"
"April Showers bring May's Flowers" is what they say, and as we're in the middle of May, I thought it'd be a nice idea to bring those flowers into our homes. Pinterest is a great source for fun and simple DIY ideas that look super cute - so doing a roundup of a few favourites seemed like such a festive post to write in May.
Ca we just take a moment to look at this. How stunning? Of course, you can use fake flowers if you want it to last longer, but either way, it's so pretty! A hot glue gun can produce masterpieces (though you don't necessarily need a hot glue gun, it looks pretty cool to work with ;) ).
"you could totally gift it to someone, and I'm sure they'd love it!"
I have a thing for wooden furniture, and I love the way this looks. In fact, although I'm a bit of a glass fanatic too, the contrast of the modern glass with the wooden piece would look gorgeous (ideas for my future home..).
Have you seen the little hanging succulents around instagram? This reminds me a little of that. Oh, and what cute little way to up-cycle old light bulbs?!
"what better way to make the perfect quote pillow than make it yourself?"
As well as having a thing for wooden stuff, I have a thing for cushions. If you've seen my bed, I have about 7 pillows, which might be a bit excessive for some, but I love it! For those on the same wavelength as me, you can never have too many pillows, right?
Pillows with quotes are lovely and inspiring, and what better way to make the perfect quote pillow than make it yourself? You can choose your own fabric, particular shades of colour and your favourite quote! Using Spring prints and pastel shades will look beautiful during this season!
So why not grab a glue gun, some flowers and possibly some fabric to create an array of beautiful Spring decor to spruce up your home. Even better, you could totally gift it to someone, and I'm sure they'd love it!
Tell me, what are your favourite DIY's to do with flowers? Oh, and your favourite type of flower?
"The story line totally hits home in terms of my 'dreamer' self,"
Usually on a Friday you may see a BerryWeekly, and rarely a 'Friday Faves'.Why the change? Well, a BerryWeekly is usually written when the week has been somewhat interesting. With exams just around the corner, my week has been mostly sitting around, so not much to see there, really! However, LaurenConrad.com does the most beautiful Friday Faves posts, so I thought I'd share mine!
A new show on my list - Once Upon a Time is one I've thought again and again about beginning to watch, but only now have I started - and I'm loving it! The story line totally hits home in terms of my 'dreamer' self, and better yet, it's available on Netflix!
The weather in England has been quite confusing, I'm talking very sunny but freezing, and Spring showers occasionally popping into the equation. What more than a Chai Latte to get us through the day?
I am Indian, so if anyone knows what a Chai Latte should taste like, it's us! Let's put it this way: Starbucks did not disappoint. The kick of ginger was incredible, and the warmth of the drink made me feel 10x better! I am a huge fan of masala in my chai, and this drink definitely had it.
So, you may ask: Why the soy milk? Well, I love watching a bit of MissGlamorazzi, a.k.a. Ingrid, on YouTube and remember her raving about the Iced Soy Chai Latte, however, the other day when I ordered, it was pouring down with rain and I couldn't bare to have an iced tea, so went with the warm version. It was incredible. The frothiness of the soy made the drink taste very yummy!
The verdict: Starbucks, you've got it down to the T (T, tea, geddit? Oh the puns!) with your Soy Chai Latte. Nicely done!
If you're a fan of ginger and spice in your tea, get a soy chai latte next time you're in Starbucks - you can thank me later ;) Have you tried teas in Starbucks? If so, what's your favourite?
"the good thing about Afternoon Tea, it's all very relaxed, calm and you're not in a rush to go anywhere - utter bliss"
Afternoon Tea is a great way to spend an afternoon. You may have noticed it becoming a reoccurring topic on BBXO (see here and here). Yet, this time, the weather decided to treat us a little better, and the sun was shining. All the other times I've been, it's been pouring down with rain! Nonetheless, let's take a peak into the beautiful Colonnade Hotel.
First things first, we went around in circles and passed the place about twice before found it! It was quite discrete and the only sign was a little menu (pictured in the title). I've got to admit, thearea was beautiful, but more on that later.
The atmosphere was light, and the glass roof ensured the sun was shining through and making everything look 10x prettier! You had to walk down stairs to the seating area and enter a pastel coloured room, with pastel paintings and very clean, white plates and cups, which instantly makes you feel calm. That's the good thing about Afternoon Tea, it's all very relaxed, calm and you're not in a rush to go anywhere - utter bliss.
"What's an English Afternoon Tea without Scones?"
As for the tea, there was a range to choose from. Although the range was not that big, it was enough to get something you liked. We went for the Darjeeling, and although it was my first time trying it, I fell in love! Such a beautiful, mellow and slightly sweet tea.
The food was lovely, and to my surprise, there were macarons! In all the places I've had tea, I've never had macarons included! Oh, and they did taste amazing! Mine was pink, but didn't have a particular flavour, it was a plain macaron sporting all of the glorious texture it's known for.
What's an English Afternoon Tea without Scones? They gave us jam in a cute little jar that was just adorable! It tasted amazing too.
"You can bet your bottom dollar that I instagrammed that!"
Of all the other Afternoon Tea places I've been to, this is definitely been one of the best. I loved the light, airy atmosphere, the polite staff and the lovely treats. If you're looking for a place to go to on a lovely sunny day, definitely check out The Colonnade Hotel near Little Venice.
Speaking of the area, it is absolutely stunning. The buildings are white with huge doors and pillars. It was like a dream! You can bet your bottom dollar that I instagrammed that! But more on the area will be coming to a blog near you very soon, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)
All in all, a wonderful place to visit, I would definitely recommend you go. Plus, there's a beautiful canal a mere 5 minute walk away - a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Tell me, have you tried Darjeeling, and what's your favourite tea?
"As always, it's free to download, available in a PDF version and print as many times as you wish!"
Is it already nearly the 5th month of the year? How is that even possible?! Do you feel like the first few months of the year always go by super quick? I don't know what it is, but 2015 has literally ran past us!
Well, anyway, us believing time is just super fast right now doesn't make it any slower, so we've got to keep up with the times and get the latest calendar! So, here it is, in the 'flesh'!
As always, it's free to download, available in a PDF version and print as many times as you wish!
I hope you have a fabulous May, even if it does mean spending most of your time at a desk if you're a student - exam time is upon us!
Anyone else feel like time is going particularly fast? :)
Spring is well and truly upon us, and if you caught a glimpse of theSpring Nail Colour Picks, and had a little look at theSpring Inspiration Board, you'd know this colour is definitely a go-to Spring shade. Oh, and what better way to spice it up than with a bit of glitter, ey? :)
The combination is one of those,you know, the ones that you do not want to get rid of, even if it's chipping from left, right and centre? Yep, one of those! You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be wearing this shade, if not the combo, again sometime this season.
"what better way to spice it up than with a bit of glitter, ey? :)"
In all honesty, I was going for the gold glitter, but as I only had a candle lit and the lamp on in my room (you know, to create a nice atmosphere and all), I blindly picked out the silver glitter instead. However, I loved the way it looked - everything happens for a reason, right?!
All in all, the fuchsia is a lovely shade that screams 'ME'. Shame it was a limited edition, though! Nonetheless, I'll enjoy it while it lasts!
Tell me, if you were to pick one 'ME' shade, what would it be?
"you know what they say, think good things, and good things will happen!"
Quotes are lovely. They make you take a step back and realise what life is about. It's so easy for us to get bogged down into our own little troubles and we forget how irrelevant they might be in the long run. Or we forget our morals and values, so it's always nice to take a moment and refer to them. That's one of my favourite things about these posts, we get a chance to just bring ourselves back down to Earth. Here we go:
"we get a chance to just bring ourselves back down to Earth."
Living in London, there's this 'unwritten rule' that you should never smile to strangers. Or so there seems to be. I, for one, don't follow that rule. Being lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood where people do say good morning to you, where it's acceptable to smile at someone out of courtesy, it's totally normal to say hello to 'strangers'.
I remember going out and about with a friend who lives nearby, and I said hello and smiled to a 'stranger' as they did so back, and the friend said 'How do you know them?!'. I don't know what it was, but that completely shocked me. Is it not normal to do this? Do most people just walk past others as though they did not cross paths?
"so easy for us to get bogged down into our own little troubles and we forget how irrelevant they might be"
If you read my last blog post, you may have picked up that I'm a bit of a dreamer. I saw this quote on Pinterest and thought I had to include it. It's okay to dream a little - you know what they say, think good things, and good things will happen!
"take a step back and realise what life is about."
This one is just speaks for itself. Just be you! <3
Hope you have a fantastic day, and tell me, if there's one quote that's stuck to you right now, what is it?
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?
"there was some nail polish, which we can never get enough of,"
Being part of the blogging community is amazing! Not only being a blogger, but being a reader has so many benefits too. You get a sneak peak into someone else's life (let's face it: we're all a little nosy) and it's good to check reviews of stuff before you go ahead and purchase.
This post, however, is the evidence of the benefits of meeting people from the community. Adele from adelesmith.co.uk organised this little Spring Gift Swap. I received my end of the swap and sent it off too. I thought I'd show you what my wonderful Swap-pee sent me.
My 'swap-pee' as we have now called it, was Emily from recipesandreviews.co.uk. I've got to hand it to her, the packaging was absolutely gorgeous! I love a bit of pink and you can only guess my excitement when I opened the package.
"maybe made you feel a little more Spring-festive.. "
Inside, Emily has individually packaged each item with a few easter chocolates! It was so cute!
If you follow my instagram, you'd know about the scrapbook. Emily also knew about it and kindly sent over some washi tape! Along with that, there was some nail polish, which we can never get enough of, and stationary! It was so thoughtful of her.
"awesome community we are lucky to have"
Overall, it was a super fun thing to do, and a nice way to connect in the community!
Hopefully this has somewhat reminded you of the awesome community we are lucky to have, and maybe made you feel a little more Spring-festive.. like these posts haven't done enough of that!
Nonetheless, I hope you have a lovely day, and tell me: What is one thing you'd put in a gift swap inspired by Spring?
"I was out and about with music in my ears, I noticed the song was super catchy and was thinking to myself: Who is the artist?"
We all need a refresh of the playlist every now and again, and when One Directions 'FOUR' get's a bit boring, it's time to hit the charts and see what's new.
Having said that, the charts at the moment are not-so-good. Yes, FourFiveSeconds is a good song, but of the new ones in the top 40, I was probably a fan of all about 3 of them. The songs mentioned here are actually in the charts, expect one of them. That one isn't even available in stores...
1. Sam Smith - Lay Me Down
This is in the title picture for a reason. The song is amazing. The thing about Sam Smith and his singing, is that you can almost feel the emotion as he opens that mouth of his! Through the headphones you are transformed into another world - and one which I would happily live in.
The minute I heard the song, I played it on repeat 3 times. If you know me, you know I rarely watch a movie twice, read the same book again or play a song on repeat (especially when it's the first time I've heard it). This? This was an exception. Other than the song 'Say Something' by Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World, which I played around 8 times in a row, this doesn't really happen to often. So, long story short: if you haven't heard this song yet, run over and put it on before continuing to read the rest of this post!
2. Taylor Swift - Style I'm a big fan of T-Swift. She sings the kind of music I like, whether it be Love Story or Shake it Off - I'm a fan. Style? Style's a little bit different. I was out and about with music in my ears, I noticed the song was super catchy and was thinking to myself: Who is the artist? They're AMAZING! Next thing I know, it's good old Tay Tay. It's something quite different to what I'm used to with her, but it's a great song, nonetheless!
3. Hozier - Take Me to Church
When I first heard this song on the automated YouTube playlist thing (which, by the way, I think it's quite handy) I was totally loving it. I thought the emotion I felt through it was good, and it's like sort of rock/grunge vibe I do actually like. Being a pretty low key, not in-your-face song, it was right up my street! However, it was not one I instantly downloaded. Hearing it again on The Voice UK (covered by Clarke), I knew I had to have it in my playlist, and off I trot to download it.
It's such a great song, and I hope to be loving more songs by the same artist.
4. Daniel Duke - Gonna Be/500 Miles
Finally, the unexpected, not-in-the-charts song you'd probably never expect to see in a current favourite music post. The song that didn't get enough credit, in my opinion, and the artist that should have gotten through to the lives on The Voice UK. That's right, the artist was a contestant on The Voice UK this year, and he was on Sir Tom Jones team.
Tom didn't pick him from the knockouts, and I'm thoroughly disappointed. Tom had a great team - and there were about 4 of the 8 that I thought had great potential, and of the 8, he chose 3 that I think didn't do his team justice. This is all my opinion, but I think I'm just a bit annoyed by the fact than Daniel was let to go home.
Gonna Be/500 Miles was the song he sang on his first audition, and it was incredible! He has such a unique voice that he uses to recreate hit songs in a different way. Here's the YouTube link to his other performance of Shake it Off. The version he crafted was different to the original, but it still sounded awesome!
Although this post was not meant to be a huge ramble on about The Voice, it has been a show I've been loving recently. The songs they choose are the wonderful, and the amount of talent the contestants have is incredible to see. All in all, these are the Top 4 songs I recommend you listen to, at least once, and possibly add to your playlist.
Tell me, what did you think of Daniel's performance? Like his spin on things, or do you think it's not for you?
It's come that time again, and the April calendar is now out for you to grab and enjoy. It is, as always, completely free. The thing about the calendars is, they're cute enough to be Pinterest worthy yet absolutely practical too. What's to loose, hey?!
"the colours I picked haven't 'gone-all-out', but there's a nice range that I think truly represents me"
It feels like forever since we've bought out the pastels, and now the time has come. The first day of Spring has sprung (ha!) so you can feel free to whip out those shades you put away about 6 months ago. Having said that, it is totally fine to wear whatever shade you want to in the autumn and winter - so if you were rocking pastels in the mist of November, GO YOU! :)
"the grey may still dominate"
Although it's Spring, the weather hasn't been wanting to change too much in London. Well, it did for about 3 days, and then went back to grey clouds. Maybe it's the weather that doesn't let the little nail-colour freak inside of me not want to pick out all the pastel shades, or maybe I'm just saving them for the summer. Either way, the colours I picked haven't 'gone-all-out', but there's a nice range that I think truly represents me.
"choosing the colours that make you feel comfortable"
As you can tell, there's a lot of Barry M going on here! With great formulas, an ever-growing shade range and their incredible price - where can one go wrong?
In the end, it's all about choosing the colours that make you feel comfortable. To me, these are the ones. I'll leave them lined up on the shelf near my nail polish box, so I can just pick and go! Having still being obsessed with grey's, I have a feeling it may be the most used this season, but I shall keep you updated!
"It feels like forever since we've bought out the pastels, and now the time has come."
