Manicure Monday: Pastels are Back - Ice Cream Purple

Hello!

What is THE biggest trend for Summer pretty much every year?

Yep it's Pastels. That means there are pastel bags, pastel clothes and.... inevitably pastel nails! 

Pastels are said to make one look tanner and more summer ready! The most popular pastels would probably be the pastel pinks and whites - you know what I mean if you read this post. 

I was going for a pastel pink but opted for a pastel PURPLE this time round and I love it! It's slightly different yet also in the same pastel family.

This particular shade is Barry M Nail Paint in Ice Cream Purple - I've always loved Barry M for their quality and for this shade I needed 2 coats for an opaque finish.

What's on your favourite Pastel shade?

BerryWeekly: Boba, Babies and Buses

Hello!

It's that time again - a wonderful Friday to reflect on the pictures of the week! 

This week I had popped down to London twice - both very fun days and the weather has been amazing the entire week, making the experience even more fun!

Coconut Drinks are the Best!

These two drinks were drank on different days - for the record! The one on the left is a smoothie - it has a bunch of great ingredients like Guava, Lychee, Pineapple and my favourite: coconut! It is a superfood smoothie and tastes so amazing!

Speaking of Coconut, we went to China Town on one of the days we were in London and I got the coconut milk tea (with boba, of course) and it tasted AMAZING!! Definitely recommend that one. Plus, it was cold and great for a hot, summer day!

Also on the day we had boba tea/bubble tea (whatever you want to call it), we had lunch at EAT. If you haven't heard of EAT. it is basically a chain of healthier foods and it has great choices! It was out of this or Pret, but Pret was super busy as usual, so we went with EAT. I had a falafel and hummus wrap and I totally recommend it.

On another day we popped down to London, we saw a '1' bus! If you live in London or know about buses, this is quite cool - like the buses I know of are mostly 3 digits or sometimes 2, but I've never seen the 1 bus!

Finally, after college one day, I went to go visit my nephew! He is super cute and just begun walking - we gave him ice-cream for the first time ever and he loved it. Obviously, we didn't give him too much as he was hyper enough already! haha! I just love how he knew to look directly at the camera!

So, tell me, do you call it boba tea or bubble tea, and whats your favourite flavour?

July 2014 Calendar - Free Printable

Hello!

How are you enjoying June? Well, look out because July is just around the corner! With July being Summer, a ton of events have popped up on my calendar... but I don't have a calendar... >.< #fail
Having not gotten around to buying a calendar as I thought virtual calendars would do the job - there hasn't been much use of that.

 You've got to admit that nothing beats a good old ACTUAL calendar which you write on with a pen and even draw teeny pictures on the dates (okay maybe that's only me..) - just like how a handwritten diary is always more fun than a typed out one.. do you agree??

Anyway, to the point, I was making my calendar for July to put up on my wall and thought you might enjoy one too - here are two designs which you can download - it is completely free. 

Click HERE to Download

Click HERE to Download

Tell me, can you live without a calendar?

BBXO's 1 Year Blog-iversary + milestones

Hello!

Do you know what day it is? Of course you do, because you read the title!
It's BBXO's ONE YEAR Anniversary! Can you believe it. This time last year was the first day of my summer vacation. It was the day I came home from my last exam and started the blog... it was when all of this started.

Some things that have obviously changed is the layout.... the logo, the background and the vibe.

Blog Posts shown: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

ANOTHER milestone is 150 posts. This is the 150st post - is it just me that feels this is quite cool that it happened at the same time - I mean the 1 year and the 150th post?!

Also, the ending has changed, before you were said goodbye to in the form of '...keep blooming berries!' but now, you get given a rose! A picture says a 1000 words, right? ;)

Okay, I don't have much to say to you, because how far this blog has gotten is unbelievable - reaching 24,000 views is incredible and even though for some it may not be a lot, for me it is more than I had ever thought!
Thank you for sticking with BBXO and there's a lot more coming your way (plus a huge surprise which I can't tell you much about just yet) so stay tuned!!!

5 Simple Strawberry + Chocolate Recipes

Hello!

British Strawberries - the fruit of the season, especially in the UK (I guess that goes without saying!). The thing with strawberries is that they don't last for very long - so simple recipes are perfect for when you want them eaten before they go to waste. Also, what better way to eat strawberries than with chocolate?

Here are 5 easy recipes which can be substituted with Raw Chocolate (1 cup cacao, 1 cup melted coconut oil, 4 tbsp agave syrup)  for a healthier version! Healthier White Chocolate recipe here.

This is a simple recipe which is easy to replicate (the whole idea of this post) and is so versatile as you can add things to it without much worry. You can add almond flakes or make it a coconut chocolate filled strawberries or whatever you wish! 

This is a little different but just as simple. If you use whipped cream, ensure that you eat it soon and not leave for too long!

This idea is another simple one. Sort of like the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups but with strawberries instead of peanut butter - not saying peanut butter cannot be added to it!

This idea I thought was totally different. I would have never thought of it yet it's such a lovely idea! You can add any fruits you want or any other toppings.

A little trickier but just as tasty and yummy as all the others, this recipe consists of an oreo crust and a strawberry and chocolate filling!

What's your favourite simple go-to recipe with strawberries?

image sources: 1//2//3//4//5

Purchase of The Week: Vaseline Active Fresh Deodorant

Hello!

The name of this product is a bit of a mouthful, the packaging resembles a mushroom and the words 'Antiperspirant' and 'Cream' together makes me feel a little skeptical about this product. Well, you never know unless you try and that's why the POTW* is this very product.

Seeing as it is new, the product was on sale, so I thought 'What the hey?' and picked it up. Summer means sweaty people and sweaty people mean B.O. We can't prevent other people smelling up the train or the classroom but the best we can do is make sure we don't add to the smell!

See what I mean by 'Mushroom'?!

There are many ways to prevent smelling throughout the day, but it begins with a good deodorant in the morning. Later on, you can have a body splash in your bag - but anti-persirants are key!

Overall, the 'mushroom' head does seem quite practical as it would fit perfecting under the arms hence it's a good idea! Vaseline has a great reputation and lets hope it doesn't go against my high hopes!

What's your favourite deodorant for the summer? 

*POTW= Purchase Of The Week 

Mani Inspiration: Summer Edition

Hello! 

As I have nothing special on my nails yet, it was time for some nail inspiration - Summer Edition, of course! ;)

Knowing from the last Manicure Monday on BBXO, you'd realise I love Coral. Oh, and I love Gold. So, you guessed it: I love this mani! It is so girly yet summer-y and.. perfect! The accent nail was totally a thing a while a go but I feel it's still trendy enough to pull off without looking 'so last year'! 

Who said Navy is for the Winter? Well it is, but it's also for the summer! Working the Navy with the White makes it appropriate for this season. The all-different nails add dimension to the nails and they look pretty together.

Representing Pastels - there's no better colour group than Pastels for this season - show off your tan and make you feel like the Sun is officially here to stay!

Image Source: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Lilac is also a lovely colour that is undermentioned. It rarely is a huge topic of interest yet would work wonderfully as a mani.

What's your favourite Mani for Summer?