Apologies, Coconut & Desktop Roses!

Hello!

First of all, I do apologise that I haven't been able to reply to your comments recently! I love reading them and have read them all as I get an email on my phone too. I reply to them in my head but don't get a chance to type that out haha!! That sounds silly but to put it into perspective: This is the first time I've turned my laptop on for the last 2 days (that's a lot for me!)! Less than a month to go until exam season is over, though!!! :D

Well, you know that I haven't been able to reply to comments, but I can't leave you hanging on not doing a Friday post, therefore, this needed to be written!

So, the sun is finally out full blast since Wednesday and everyone in England seems to be loving it!
The grass was cut, hedges trimmed in the garden and a fresh coconut split into pieces to enjoy! I love coconut.. everything! I've made coconut cookies and a post on coconut water! So, you can imagine how happy I was to consume raw coconut!

Also, I changed my desktop picture! I blurred out the files and folders but it looks so lovely! Changing things up is super fun and with it being Spring and the sun popping out, I loved how the roses looked: Fresh, Pure and Girly. Link to image HERE. 

Okay, obviously I don't have much going on in my life right now but exams, hence the post was a bit boring! But mainly I wanted to apologise for not being able to reply to you! Expect posts and soon I'll begin replying again too! Thanks for sticking with me!

Well, I hope you enjoyed it, now the Laptop is turning off again! But tell me: what's your desktop background at the moment?

Current Everyday Makeup - Less than 5 minutes!

Hello!

Compliments are great, aren't they? Well, when I wear this look, I get a few of them and I thought I'd share a QUICK makeup look that takes me a maximum of 5 minutes to do every morning before I leave the house - because, let's face it, who's fully awake enough to do an entire face of makeup when you have to leave the house in 15 minutes?!

Something that adds a little extra but doesn't make you LOOK extra is the perfect mix for me. This way, I'm wearing makeup, yet tend not to look overdone - because at a college where most people are in jogging bottoms, this isn't cute!

 First of all is the eye makeup. I love eyeshadow pencils. I use the Barry M Eye and Lip Crayon on my lid, then use 'Erotica' from the Too Faced Natural Eye Palette in my crease.
This defines my eye shape and adds a little depth.

I also curl my lashes and then apply mascara - at the moment I've been using Maybelline The Falsies… not sure it beats my favourite mascara of all time, though!

My eye looks red here - I think it's because I'm tired… that's why mascara is important - to make you look more awake - I obviously need it! haha! 

Next is Blush and I have been using 'Golden Hour'. I found this in my mums vanity so I don't know where it's from. I LOVE it, though and have hit MAJOR pan on it - well, basically it's finished! :(
It was a rose gold shade and was gorgeous! I need to find a dupe… ASAP!
I just sweep this on my cheek bones using a MAC 168 brush.

Finally, I use a lip colour! Recently I have been reaching for my Revlon Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Peony. I apply a bit on my lips and then use my fingers to rub it in. It looks so nice and even if it wears off a little bit throughout the day, it doesn't make your lips look bad.

I also use translucent powder if need be but try and avoid foundation.

This has been my current everyday makeup taking me less than 5 minutes!

What's your must-have makeup for everyday?

BerryHealthy: Charming Cherries and Pick-Your-Own Farms

Hello!

Hope you guys are making the most of the sunny weather - going to have picnics, going to the beach, having dinner in the garden or... going fruit picking! We have a tradition to go fruit picking every year during the summer months, usually we go to a local strawberry farm but this year we decided to pack up and take a mini road trip to the cherry farm, which is slightly further away but still not that far! YAY Road Trips!

Cherries are in season in July in pick your own farms and they are so yummy! Not only that but they are full of vitamins and minerals that are great for your body! Did you know, these beautiful fruits are 75% water?! I didn't know that until I dug down into some research!

We entered the farm and there were multiple rows of these trees with little red ball-like fruits hanging off them. The entire first 2-3 rows were left almost bare of cherries but there were still so many delicately hanging from the other trees. These cherry trees were quite short - which is good for me because I'm short and then I can reach the highest cherry and it makes me feel like a giant - come on, I'll never get to feel like that with normal trees!

Cherries are a great source of potassium, consumption of potassium leads to lower blood pressure. This is done as potassiums removes excess sodium in our bodies - so when you're not feeling like eating a banana, grab a handful of cherries for similar benefits! Cherries also help fight cancer, due to the dark pigmentation we can see that they're great antioxidants! Cherries contain an antioxidant called Flavonoids that help fight cancer by preventing cancerous cells from growing.

Also you insomniacs that like cherries may be happy to know that cherries help you get a good nights sleep - tart cherries contain a hormone called melatonin which promotes sleep. So, you want a good nights sleep? Have a glass of cherry juice before bed - check this post why squeezing your own fresh juice may be better than cartons from the store.

Moreover, cherries contain anthocyanin which is shown to improve memory! So, you need a study snack? Try some cherries to make sure the notes you're reading stick! Anthocyanin is also said to increase insulin production by 50%, this is great for diabetics.

Cherries are also said to be great for the skin, the vitamin A and high carotene content allows this fruit to be great for the immune system and to beautify your skin!

With all these benefits, I couldn't help but put a basket together for me to take home - well, it was a pick-your-own farm, so obviously I was going pick-my-own!

I picked all my cherries in twos so the stem contained two cherries at the end of them - because to me, that looks cute... and this way the cherries don't get lonely! LOL! Is it just me that thinks like this?

Also, the pick-your-own farm had other fruits like strawberries and raspberries, but during this time cherries were the main attraction! Oh, and they had loads of wheat!

 They looked lovely in the sun, all yellow and happy-looking! Did you know if you rub this between your hands you get sunflower seed-like seeds which you can just eat? They tasted nice and chewy - and this was legit WHOLE-GRAIN wheat - with the total nutrients.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my Watermelon Wonders post to see the benefits from watermelons!

So, yes, that was how I spent my Sunday and I had so much fun! How do you like to make the most of the sun? Comment below!

xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Info from here, here and here. 

Fresh Juice over Cartons... Why?

Hello!
Many of you may be aware of the 'Juice Cleanse' craze going on at the moment, and to be honest, I love it!
From a family who has freshly made juice almost everyday of the week for at least the last 6-7 years, I am a huge fan. My parents had seen a tele advert for a juicer and jumped on it and since then we've been served with carrot, apple and ginger juice for a very long time (with the occasional melon or over-ripening fruit added to the mixure!)... oh, and for a change we'd have freshly squeezed orange juice too.

Anyway, the REAL reason I'm writing this post is to tell you the reasons why freshly squeezed juice, orange juice in particular, is much more beneficial than the cartoned juice. I am not a huge fan of juice in general, I don't remember the last time I drank soda and nor do I enjoy fruit juice or any sort of cartoned juice in general, but when it comes to fresh juice... YUMMY.

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice in my Summery Glass! 

You may know that food (vegetables/fruits etc.) in general lose nutritional value when they're cooked, by that I mean raw broccoli has more vitamins and minerals than cooked, such as steamed, broccoli, therefore if orange juice is cooked in any way, the nutritional value is reduced. "Cooked juice? WHAT?"you may ask, well, legally (in the UK anyway), all juice has to be pasteurised before sold to ensure longer shelf life and the idea that bacteria is killed. Now, pasteurised means heating the juice, which is basically cooking the juice, what does this mean? This means the nutritional value is reduced!

Therefore, store bought orange juice, no matter how healthy and high in nutritional value it may seem (I'm looking at you, Tropicana), it won't beat the freshly squeezed, legit juice. Also, the sooner you drink it after it is squeezed, the higher in nutritional value as it is said that the longer it sits, the decrease in nutritional value.

Moreover, many store bought juices have added sugar and ingredients that you may not be aware of, so you may think it's great for you, yet it's not. So, even though it takes a little more effort, I recommend freshly squeezed NON-PASTEURISED juice to ensure you're consuming the most nutritious beverages with the highest amount of nutritional value to nourish your body.

Woah, I feel like I said 'Nutritional Value' a million times in this post! Anyway, I hope you learnt something from this and decide to join me and my family with the fresh juice consumption.

xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

Disclaimer: I am not trying to say the juiced/cartoned juices are BAD for you, just that there are many benefits of fresh juice - and if you find that you crave some orange juice and don't have the time or energy to squeeze it fresh, by all means buy the cartoned version over that soda (try and avoid added sugars, though)... :)
Oh, and I'm not a nutritionist or anything, just a curious person who likes to research stuff! :D

Get Glowy For Summer - Highlighters

Hello!
Summer comes around and so does the tanned skin and glow - whether it be artificial or real is a different story!
Around summer time the 'oily look' is something that is avoided with matte powder but a dewy, fresh glow is there instead. I recently found that so many cosmetic companies are introducing new highlighters, especially liquid - guys, they are in FULL BLAST right now!
Here are some of the ones that I have recently found:

1. MAC Lustre Drops

This is described as a 'bronzer that applies like liquid sun' - so yes, it is summer in a bottle! This is available in 2 shades: 'Sun Rush' which is a yellow toned highlight and 'Pink Rebel' which is suited for those with pink undertones. This reminds me very much of the 'Sun Beam' and 'High Beam' from Benefit Cosmetics which has been selling for a long time. The MAC Lustre Drops are limited edition and sell for £18 for 18ml, in comparison to the Benefit which sells for £19.50 for 15ml, so the price for the Lustre Drops are lower!

Lustre Drops are water-based though, and would not be waterproof for the days in the pool (then again, who REALLY wears a full face of makeup at the pool?!). 

2. Benefit Watts Up

ANOTHER product from Benefit! Benefit actually have a range of highlighters: Sun Beam, High Beam, Watt's Up, Girl Meets Pearl, Moon Beam, Erase Paste (Concealer and highlighter)... AND they have a mini-kit called 'finding mr. bright' which features High Beam, Posie Tint, Erase Paste and Girl Meets Pearl! So Benefit are really milking this whole highlight product, and to be quite honest, it is selling well! Good for them! These products are great and Watt's Up in particular is a champagne shade which can be placed on top of cheek bones, on the brow bone and anywhere where you think you want a nice glow and shimmer - a highlight to be quite precise! This product provides a luminous sheen to accentuate areas where the sun naturally hits anyway, giving a more chiselled and glow-y look at £24.50.

3. ELF Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter

Lastly, I went ahead and found a cheaper alternative to the liquid highlighters, this one is by ELF and is meant to be used under the eye, however can obviously be used elsewhere. This sells for a mere £3.75 and includes a concealer! 

Liquid highlighters (and all the ones mentioned above) can be applied on top of, or without, makeup! So, if you do want to have a no-makeup makeup look, this could be the only product you need to give yourself a longed-for glow! Who says you don't wake up looking like that? (Nobody needs to know - it'll be our secret!)

xoxo,

BerryBloomXO

Picture 1 from HERE

Picture 2 from HERE

Picture 3 from HERE