Top 3 Fragrance Picks for Summer 2015 | BEAUTY

Hello!

"something about the scent that doesn't quite match with the ultra-girly packaging it is placed in"

With the amount of rain that has fallen in England in the past few days, it may seem like summer is over. Well, here's news for you, summer is officially not over until September 22nd, so let's keep the spirit alive with a summer fragrance post, shall we?!

August 2015 Free Printable | CALENDAR

Hello!

"you need a calendar to make sure nothing clashes, that you plan your days wisely"

How is the 8th month of the year starting very soon? It's crazy! Nonetheless, it's probably the most looked forward to month, it's the month of SUMMER. Filled with trips to the beach, pool and planning picnics and spending time with family and friends. With all of that going on, you need a calendar to make sure nothing clashes, that you plan your days wisely. Oh, and it is completely okay to plan a DO NOTHING day - not everyday has to be busy just because it's summer, right? :)

A Quote to Live By - Be Open | MOTIVATION

Hello!

"gets you on the right track again"

You know the quotes you find on Pinterest, and occasionally pop up on your Tumblr and Twitter feeds, well I think they're great. It's a way to bring you back down to Earth, reminds you of your morals and gets you on the right track again. Well, this is one that really gets me back down to Earth, reminds me of my morals, and helps to get me back on the right track again. 

June 2015 Calendar | FREE PRINTABLE

Hello!

"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 ;)

Click HERE to Download

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! 

If you want some ideas, here are some easy DIY's to do this coming month, or here's a list of movies to watch. Either way, enjoy it!

Tell me, any colour combinations you'd like to see in the monthly calendars? Leave them in the comments.

Fuchsia with a bit of Glitter | MANICURE MONDAY

Hello!

"a lovely shade that screams 'ME'"

Spring is well and truly upon us, and if you caught a glimpse of the Spring Nail Colour Picks, and had a little look at the Spring 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? 

Spring 2015 Nail Picks | BEAUTY

Hello!

"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.

From Left to Right:
Barry M Watermelon
Barry M Kiwi
Barry M Limited Edition 030
Barry M Cappuccino 
Barry M Aqua Glitter
Ciaté Pocket Money

"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."

As most of the colours on the runways for SS15 were bare/nude nails, it'd be wrong not to include Ciaté Pocket Money. Nonetheless, the grey may still dominate for me. It's not ALL about the trends now, is it?! :D

Tell me, what shade do you think will be on your nails a lot this Spring? 

Clinique Chubby Stick: Woppin' Watermelon | BEAUTY

Hello!

" Just as I expected - I was not sold."

There was definitely a phase of tinted lip balms. You know the time, when Maybelline BabyLips was sold out pretty much everywhere? Well, Clinique had jumped on that bandwagon and released these beauties - the Chubby Stick. Although the packaging is a real beauty, the product itself? Not so sure...

I'm not going to lie, I never had much of an interest in the Maybelline BabyLips phase, and still to this day would rather just use my trusty Burt's Bee's Pomegranate Oil Lip Balm - good for the real moisture and adds a little bit of a tint. Perfect.

Being a subscriber of Glamour Magazine, this popped through my letterbox one morning, and I was reluctant to try it. Having had a history of allergies to many lip balms (yep, Carmex is not my friend), I didn't know if this could be trusted. Anyhow, I went for plunge and tried it out. Just as I expected - I was not sold.
(For the record: No Allergic Reaction in sight!)

"Although the packaging is a real beauty, the product itself? Not so sure..."

Maybe it was the shade they send, or maybe it was the actual sheerness of the balm that put me off. It was super sheer, and although I was pleased with the lack of sticky-gloss feeling, it still wasn't a winner in my eyes.

If you're a fan of the glossy look (I'm more of a matte girl myself), and need something you would like to apply regularly throughout the day, giving a slight tint but not much - this is the one.

For me, it just left a greyish colour on my lips, and although it was slightly moisturising, something about it didn't feel right. Plus, as I'm not a biggie on that shiny lip-gloss look, this product was probably never going to work in my favour.

"although I was pleased with the lack of sticky-gloss feeling, it still wasn't a winner in my eyes."

If this product was more pigmented, I think I would have liked it. As shown above, this is a swatch of many layers of the balm - and if that came out in one swipe, I might have been sold.

In terms of packaging, it's a seller - no need for any sharpening and it's a cute little pencil.
I think it's one of those 'love it or hate it' kind of things, and at £17 a stick - I'm not quite loving it. Oh well, you can't win every time!

Tell me, are you a Matte or Glossy kind of person? 

iPhone 6, My First Onesie & Bathroom Makeover : BerryWeekly

Hello! 

This Friday has been long anticipated. Why? It's my first weekend off in a very long time! I can't say I wasn't looking forward to it. Actually, do you not think that when you're looking forward to a particular day, the time leading up to it just drags on?

Well, anyway, since the last BerryWeekly, it did actually snow in London! Whoopie! However, not a lot. By afternoon the snow had melted and I didn't get a chance to build a snowman :(
I hope it does snow properly this year!

Though what did make me happy was my new phone cover! The gold and white combination so pretty. On another note, I got my first onesie! How is that even possible? Well, I was obviously late to jump on that bandwagon, yet it has bambi all over and bambi is my fav, so it was totally worth the wait until I got one I loved! Believe me, it was the comfiest thing ever!! I call it "big peoples baby grow" - yeah, cringe but I think that's it's kind of cute!

Here's the old case next to the new. A bit of photography at it's finest! Who would've thought such a small thing would make you feel happier? Change is good :)

Finally, a super random thing to add to this post: I redid my bathroom. I love a bit of pot pourri and scented stuff in the room, so putting some fragrance drops in there, cleaning the bowl and turning the sticks in the fragrance diffuser made the room smell amazing! The main reason the bathroom was redone was all because of towels. That's right, towels. So, all the towels are matching - the face cloths, the hand towels, the bath towels, the lot! A switch over of all the towels to a warmer shade makes everything seem 100x cosier.
By the way, by 'redone' it was mainly just rearranging and decorating! Well, that was a lengthy description of the bathroom, but believe me, it made me so happy that entire day!

That's it! In case you missed this post, follow me on Instagram to see what goes on during the week. It's fun writing about them on a BerryWeekly afterwards, as Instagram only explains half the story!

Tell me, did it snow a lot where you are this Winter? Did you get to build a snowman ;)?

February 2015 Calendar: FREE Printable

Hello!

This monthly routine of ours has become a bit of a statement of BBXO hasn't it? The thing with February's Calendar is that everything is PINK. Am I complaining? Nuh Uh. Actually, I kind of like it ;)

Click HERE to get

As always, it's completely free. All you have to do is click on the link to get the calendar of your choice and print away. Simples!

Click HERE to get

Remember those special dates, or the not-so-special dates such as appointments and stuff, and keep it in a place you can remember!

I hope you have a fabulous February (like the use of alliteration?) full with happiness and good memories.
Any special plans?

September 2014 Calendar - FREE Printable Download

Hello!

Actually, this was a calendar that was requested, and what you want, you get! You may have noticed the JULY 2014 Calendar and the AUGUST 2014 Calendar that was posted for FREE Printable Download here on BBXO, well, here's the September one:

Click HERE to Download

Click HERE to Download

I went with two colours this time, a burgundy more autumn-y one and a pretty pink and girly one - choose whichever you fancy! How excited are you for autumn/fall?! It's my favourite season!

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?

Easy Valentines Day Recipes!

Hello!

Being it February Valentines Day is one of the big events (if not the biggest) - whether you have plans or not, it doesn't mean you can't make valentines inspired food!

Well, I'm not that great of a baker, yet I do like to bake! So, for V. Day I wanted to make something simple and easy, which doesn't take very long so it can practically be eaten straight away - being impatient and all! So here are some VERY simple recipes you (and your friends) can make in a matter of minutes!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

A typical Valentines Day Snack that is super easy and extremely tasty! The first picture looks so lovely and pink - perfect for Valentines Day, but still quite hard, so a simple chocolate covered strawberry will do too! All you do is melt some chocolate (milk, white or dark -up to you) and dip strawberries in. You can either have a fondue style or simply leave the chocolate to cool and have later. I prefer it like a fondue! Yum! 

Cocoa Cornflakes/Rice Krispies Treats

Do you remember doing this as a kid? I remember in Primary School one Friday afternoon we got to make these - that was because a teaching assistant was leaving so she decided to treat us! 

Anyway, there are multiple ways of making this - you can either simply melt chocolate and mix in cornflakes/rice krispies or with cocoa. Melting Chocolate is probably the easiest option. To break it down, just get some chocolate, melt on a double boiler or microwave (be careful not to burn it, trust me it's not nice in terms of smell, or taste of course!) and mix in cornflakes/rice krispies.

I'm not sure if that was completely necessary to explain yet there we go! :)

Pink Popcorn

This was a new one for me! I thought it was very nice! Basically you add food colouring to popcorn! I haven't done this before yet loved the idea! Perfect if you're watching a movie for V. Day! 

Pretty Pink Trail Mix

This is so super easy too, it's just throwing together things you have such as cereals (cheerios, raisin wheats, shredded wheat… etc.) chocolate chips, M&M's, popcorn, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts… whatever you have! I love how you don't need anything specific for this and you can make this completely to your taste! Again, perfect for a movie or night in or something you may have planned for valentines day!

So, that's a couple of snacks you can make which are super, super easy to make and so simple!
Also, for Valentines Outfit Inspiration click here! I hope you have an amazing, fun day on Friday with your valentines, or even watch a movie by yourself with yummy snacks (it seems like a fun night too)!

What's your favourite simple recipe to make?

 Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Sunshine Blogger Award

Hello!

Even though it's almost December now, with temperatures really cold and not much sun in sight, I got nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Yay! I got nominated by Lindsey and in her own words "The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers who bring sunshine to the blogging world." so, thank you for thinking that I bring sunshine to the blogging world!

The Rules:
1. Post 11 random facts about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions from the nominating blogger.
3. Nominate 11 wonderful bloggers, that you feel bring sunshine to the blogging world. Be sure to notify them.
4. Write 11 questions for your nominated bloggers.

*Don’t forget to acknowledge the nominating blogger.

11 Random Facts about me:

     1. I need fragrance things in every room (ie. Candles)

     2. I'm in my silky soft robe 90% of the time I'm at home

     3. I love the colour Pink 

     4. I am the only girl in my first cousins

     5. I dance and performed at a theatre 2 weeks ago

     6. I used to be a tom boy when I was younger and can now probably not be any more of a girly girl!

     7. I am finding this quite hard! I can't think of 11 random facts! haha!

     8. I prefer chocolate over sweets

     9. I love baking but don't get to do it a lot

    10. I love reading

    11. I've always loved writing and had never dreamed that I'd start a blog: it was totally random but I love it so much!

Her Questions:

    1. What is your favorite book?

I loved Me Before You and find I am constantly trying to look for books like it - however, that was a recent read and I don't really remember all the books I have read and remember. Although, when I was about 10 years old I read 'Dragon Rider' which I was so proud of reading because it's so big! It wasn't a bad book, either! (she spelt favourite wrong - it's not spelt like that in the UK! haha!)

   2. What's the one beauty item you cannot do without?

Mascara. I wear mascara almost everyday. If nothing else, I just put of a few coats of mascara and run out the door - it makes the world of a difference!

   3. Coffee or Tea?

Tea! I rarely have coffee at home and only when I'm out and feel like getting a Starbucks. If I have coffee in the morning I get headaches so I have chai tea lattes on most days! 

   4. What is your favorite season?

FALL. I love fall, the weather is perfect as it's sunny yet not too hot and I find I can cosy up and I find that it always feels like Golden Hour. The leaves also turn golden and ahhh it's just wonderful! 

   5. If you could tell your 18 year old self anything, what would it be?

Well, I'm 17, turning 18 next year but I'd probably tell myself to keep moving forwards, keep your head held high and stay positive, be kind and be happy.

   6. What is your dream vacation destination?

I LOVE the idea of New York and LA. I sometimes feel I've been born in the wrong country and am an American at heart! Although, I love the city of London that I live in and then feel that I am also British at heart, so I don't really know! haha! But I would love to go to New York - even though I've been there for an hour as I had a stop over on the way to Florida - but that doesn't count!

   7. What is your favourite online shop?

Boots. I love the way it is set out and so easy to use. It's also great for checking the prices without having to go to store and search for the item! However, I rarely actually buy anything from there but go to the actual store to. I do buy a lot from Amazon as it has everything and anything and BeautyBay has great deals!

   8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I find I kind of mentioned this in Q6, but I would either live in New York or Central London - as I prefer slightly colder climates to extremely hot ones, these would be my choices!

   9. It's Christmas time, do you prefer eggnog or hot cocoa?

Well, I've never had eggnog before but I have Hot Cocoa all the time and LOVE IT! So, technically I prefer it but would love to try eggnog.

  10. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Getting good grades was a great accomplishment yet it doesn't feel real. I was featured in a local newspaper for it and many people congratulated me however, it still hasn't hit me yet that it happened!

  11. What is your guilty pleasure?

Sitting at home being completely unproductive, watching YouTube videos/movies/tv shows with a cup of Hot Chocolate and biscuits - what more could a girl need?! haha! 

My Nominees:

 carlottasbeautyspot

 britishbeautyaddict

 chaneletco

 365shades

 rosehorseshoe

 perlasancheza

 lestylorouge 

 tweet 

 thefashionpandacrew

 glamdevils

 justaddcakeuk

My Questions:

 1. A staple in your wardrobe?

 2. A beauty product do you keep repurchasing?

 3. What's on your christmas list?

 4. Your favourite winter scent/smell

 5. A TV show are you obsessed with?

 6. Your favourite movie?

 7. Your go-to food item?

 8. What MUST you do everyday before you sleep everyday?

 9. First thing you check in the morning? (ie. Twitter, FaceBook etc.)

 10. One word to describe you

 11. Your favourite quote

That's it! If you want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged by me and I'd love to hear your responses to the Questions! When you've done it, let me know!

So, tell me: One word to describe you

BeautyBuys: Rimmel London Apocalips!

Hello!

As for posting a Fashion Haul last Friday I thought I'd show you a Beauty Buy that I picked up during the weekend. I went shopping and as soon as I saw this on the shelf I knew I wanted it. Okay, I want a lot of things but this was something I REALLY wanted! So, I got it!

This product had a huge phase in the beauty blogger world and at the time I didn't pay attention to it! Now, however, I thought I'd pick it up - better late than never?

All the colours are very vibrant and it is said to be a lipstick in a lipgloss form. This is good as lipgloss always tend to be easier to apply colour evenly on the lips - and this was no different.

I went with Stellar, a deep red (slightly pink) shade, which is perfect for this season, alongside other makeup trends you can view here. Also, every girl needs a red shade in their beauty cabinet!

So, yes, I don't have much else to say about this product other than the application is easy (as far as I can tell with the one time I've used it so far!), the colour is bold/intense and the packaging is nice! You can pick one up for £6.49, have a choice of 13 shades and can buy more than one from here!

What's your favourite Red Lipstick? Leave a comment!

July's Top Nail Colour Picks

Hello!
I was browsing through the web to search for the 'ultimate' July Polish and I was faced with difficulty. On one hand there was the light, pale colours such as the milky, nearly-white, Pinks like this one:

And then completely on the opposite end of the spectrum are the deep, darker colours like this one:

Both of these kind of colours were spotted on celebrities, the lighter one being seen on Miranda Cosgrove and the blue on Aisha Tyler.

So, this means to say that there definitely isn't one set shade of colour for this month, like a coral or a mint that has previously been HUGE, so I went ahead and chose the top 3 colours I am likely to wear during this month!

So These are my Top Picks:
1. Hot, Candy Pinks
2. Orange-Red Shades
3. Pastel Shade, specifically Purple!

I LOVE PINK! Think of summer - what comes to mind? WATERMELONS! Watermelons are a lovely shade of pink that I love especially for July! (If you follow me on twitter, you might have seen the GIGANTIC watermelon we had in our Kitchen!) I feel pink is definitely a year round colour - I'm sure you girly girls would agree!

Red is a classic colour, it can be worn with your fav LBD* to give it a lovely pop - especially with the popular 1920's based films coming out recently, who wouldn't love that combination? Yet, sometimes I feel red is a little too much and to make it a little more fun and toned down for the Summer, I would go for the Orange-Red tone. It's a step aside from the CORAL colours that are pretty much always in for the summer, yet it's still trendy and nice for July.

Pastels are a MUST in Spring and Summer times, you see mints, corals, pastel blues and even the lilac. I went for the Lilac pastel shade because I like the look of it and it reminds me of Lavender. Hmmm... don't lavenders smell lovely? ;)

Anyway so those are my top 3 nail picks for July! I hope you enjoy and wait for another posts where I'll show you the next colour I decide to paint my nails for this month (HINT: It may be one of the above!) - take your guesses and leave me suggestions and YOUR FAVOURITE JULY POLISH!

Love you loads,
xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

*LBD = Little Black Dress

First photo from HERE
Second photo from HERE
3 Photos from: 1. 2. 3.