Watermelons, Cookbook, End of Exams & Mason Jars | BERRYWEEKLY

Hello!

"First of all, watermelon season is upon us"

The week has been a start of something new. I say that meaning there's less pens and papers and exam seats in my life, and more sun, movies and what feels like freedom! I do believe it's all about the little things in life that make us happy, and here's a peak at the week!

"To celebrate the end of exams, I bought myself a gift"

First of all, watermelon season is upon us. We love watermelon and bought 2 that were over 10kg! That's a lot of watermelon, but it is just so delicious! Watermelon juice (pictured above) tastes incredible when its cold, on a hot summers day!

On that note, I also got myself the Deliciously Ella cookbook! I love her YouTube channel and thought the book would be great to get some new recipes. It was a decision and a half to choose between this one and the Get the Glow by Madeleine Shaw book, but went with this one as I thought it'd more suit my vegetarian lifestyle. So far, I have been loving it, it's lovely to read her story and the tips behind ingredients she keeps as staples!

"totally feel 'tumblr worthy'"

On Saturday I had a huge clear out in terms of revision material. Let's just say my walls look a lot cleaner without a million papers stuck there. Oh, and a couple of pens were, unfortunately, murdered in the process!

To celebrate the end of exams, I bought myself a gift. The Magnitone Lucid had been on my skin care list for a while, and I thought it was finally time to take the plunge (blog post about it here).

"it's all about the little things in life that make us happy,"

I love candles year around, and when it comes to summer, more floral scents are opted for. The candle pictured above is Pomegranate and Acai, and let me tell you, it smells incredible!

Finally, if you saw a picture posted the other day on Twitter or Instagram, you'd have seen the mason jar. I bought it the other day, and although it's not 'legit', it's still super cool and I totally feel 'tumblr worthy'. Is that a thing? I don't know but it's just so cool! It has a double wall so your drinks remain colder for longer too - it's just cool! I got it from Sainsbury's by the way :)

Having spent most of the week just chilling and having the pleasure to do pretty much nothing, I've loved it! Tell me, what has been your highlight for the week? 

Have the Perfect At Home Spa Experience: GUEST POST

This article was submitted by Cosmetology & Spa Academy. Located in Illinois, CSA is a beauty school with over 30 years of experience in the cosmetology, esthetics and beauty industry.

Creating your own spa in the comfort of your home can be a relaxing and low cost way to reduce stress, take care of your body and most importantly, save money!
You will be required to grab some items in preparation for your spa experience, but it will be much more convenient in the long run. No driving, no waiting and no strangers to distract you from what matters most: taking care of yourself.

Set the Stage
You’ll need to find somewhere to setup your spa, perhaps your bedroom, bathroom or a spare room that you might have. Set the mood by lighting some scented candles, dimming the lights and play some music. Don’t forget to unplug and turn off that phone!
Next, get a vaporizer and use it in combination with the essential oil bergamot. This oil is used in aromatherapy, massage oils and perfumes. The vaporizer will fill the air with the bergamot oil and which will be absorbed by your skin. You'll feel considerably better as it will decrease your blood pressure and heart rate.

Prepare a Bath
Bergamot oil has several purposes and can also be added to your bath. Add 5 to 10 drops of the oil to your bath water and hop on in. You can also substitute in regular bath oils into your warm bath water instead. Soak for around 10 to 20 minutes.
This is a great opportunity to clean your nails with a brush and soap or warmed olive oil. Apply a generous amount of oil to both the nail bed and the hands before rinsing it off. You hair can get an oil treatment during this time as well. With a couple of simple ingredients, you can make your own at home solution.
Mix together a cup of sweet almond oil with a half-cup of sesame and a sprinkling of sweet orange essential oil. If you are feeling adventurous, add in a couple drops of lavender oil. Start to massage this oil deeply into your follicles and then wrap your hair up. You want your hair collect the moisture from the oil treatment for as long as possible. Once you are ready, rinse off and begin your normal hair routine with shampoo and conditioner.

Cleanse Your Skin
The bergamot oil is truly multipurpose and we are going to use it to create a DIY skin cleanser. Start by adding 5 drops to some steaming water in a bowl. Use a towel to create a tent that will lay over your head and the bowl. This will collect the steam and you should inhale deeply for a short few minutes.
Bergamot will help to reduce your skin's potential for any outbreaks and can also help fight against those already afflicting your skin. Your skin will also benefit from bergamot oil when it is added directly to your lotion. Add a couple of drops into unscented vitamin E cream to create an improved lotion for dry skin. This can be used as the start of a fantastic massage oil. You can learn more techniques and secrets like these from enrolling in an esthetics program.

Conduct an At Home Facial
A facial at home can be accomplished with a few simple ingredients and some preparation. You want to start with a light steaming. Select a few herbs and add them to a teapot with some water to boil. Make sure to let the herbal components sit for a while so that the water can absorb the benefits. A few herb suggestions would be mint, lavender flowers, parsley, rose petals and lemongrass.
Similar to the bergamot steam, you want to do the same thing here. Pour this herbal infusion into the sink while adding hot water. Grab a towel and cover your head and the bowl to let the steam come in contact with your face. Keep your face just above it for 5 full minutes. This will clear your pores and smooth out your skin. Then apply a facial cleanser and lean back over your steaming infusion for another full minute. It'll eliminate impurities while unclogging oil and debris.
After the cleanser, you should start to apply your toner. Create your own toner at home with a few simple ingredients. Fill a spray bottle with water, a little bit of milk and a couple drops of rose and lavender essential oils. Exfoliate and apply a mask that meets your skin's needs. Lay back and put your mind at ease as your mask works its magic. Finally, add an organic moisturizer with active ingredients to complete your DIY facial.

Massage at Home
It’s easier than you may think to perform your own at home massage. Mix 10 drops of essential oils together with 2 cups of sweet almond oil. Start to massage this mixture all over your body, beginning with the soles of your feet and moving upwards. Use long and smooth strokes to massage the oil into your skin and relieve any stress you may have. Once you've massaged the oil onto your entire body, wrap yourself in a couple towels to ensure that the oils are fully absorbed.

** Guest Post

Advent Calendars, Candles & Furry Things: BerryWeekly

Hello!

"housed in fur comfort with the outer material being velvet - luxurious? Not one bit ;)"

I refuse to believe it's almost 2015. Saying this in every post hasn't made it seem any more real. Nonetheless, my advent calendar was an exciting addition to this lovely month of December. Although my mother bought it for me on the 5th of December, I was over the moon - getting 5 chocolates on the first day is just bliss! Fast forward 5 days and I find that all the little doors are now opened and empty, and we haven't even reached the 13th just yet... my brother was to blame! Well, it's okay, because soon after I was gifted another Chocolate Treat...

"making me even more excited for snow to fall (come on London, let it snow!)"

Alongside the advent calendar, another thing that has been making every day special is the lighting of a candle. Special, really? You may ask. Well, yes, festive candles are the best and who doesn't like an occasional whiff of spiced scent and the relaxing feeling you get from flickering candle light? However, this beauty of a candle is almost waxed-out. But fear not, I've stocked up ;)

"you can only guess my excitement when I saw these"

Speaking of cosy-ing it up, these new additions to my slipper collection have been lovely! My feet couldn't be happier being housed in fur comfort with the outer material being velvet - luxurious? Not one bit ;)

"I refuse to believe it's almost 2015. Saying this in every post hasn't made it seem any more real. "

These coconut filled lindt chocolates do make up for the loss of advent calendar chocolates. I must say, Lindt have gone all out with the snowflake, festive packaging making me even more excited for snow to fall (come on London, let it snow!). These truffles are super yummy, you can only guess my excitement when I saw these if you know how much I love things coconut (refer to this, this and this!).

Do you have an advent Calendar, and have you stuck to it?

5 Reasons You need Pyjama Days

Hello!

You may still be on summer break, may just have started school/college/university again or may be doing whatever you're doing on this fine Friday but the question is: Are YOU a fan of Pyjama Days?

"they're mentally, and physically, called for... and here's why"

Pyjama Days are usually Sundays, but can obviously be any day that fits in your schedule, yet there's something about them that is just... satisfying. For me, Pyjama Days are literally relaxing, watching YouTube videos or Telly, having a few treats and just... chilling. :)

So, although Pyjama Day's may not be the most productive days, they're mentally, and physically, called for and needed, and here's why:

1. They set you up for the week
When you have a rest day, it makes you feel rejuvenated and ready for the more productive week ahead. So, taking a step back is definitely the way forward!

2. Catch Up with Yourself
Having a non-planned day can allow you to catch up with yourself, in terms of little things that may need organising, catching up with your favourite TV shows and just doing what you want to do, not what needs to be done.

3. Actually allows you to Relax
During the week, stress can really build up, and what better way to release it then a nice pyjama day, with basically a do-nothing, stress-free, comfortable day!

4. Call it Official
I know some people who like to stay in pyjama's until they need to change into proper clothes, but for me, this isn't feasible. The reason being is that I feel somewhat 'lazy' if I stay in Pyjama's ALL the time - so having a nice shower in the morning and putting on actual clothes (not PJ's) makes me feel as though the day has really started, so having Pyjama Days, it makes it official that it is a day to relax, not just any other day.

5. A Chance to Appreciate Your Productiveness
This one may seem a little far fetched, but it's true all the same: when you have a day which is, lets be honest, not productive at all, it makes us miss the feeling of doing something productive - hence overall, making us more productive people!

So, do you have Pyjama Days, and what's your favourite thing about them?

BerryWeekly: Weddings, Lashes and Bill Gates!

Hello!!

I hope you're having a fab Friday (or weekend, or tuesday or whenever you're reading this!). If you're like me, all you hear and think about right now is EXAMS. For those of you in the UK, you'd know that although May is the season the sun pops out, it's also the time of year to stay in and STUDY.
Although, on the positive side: it'll be over before we know it!

Last weekend, I had a VERY important wedding to attend: the eldest of my first cousins got married! It was a super fun weekend and I want to do it again!! Anyway, considering I had dressed up for it and all, a selfie (or few) had to be taken, ovi*:

Secondly, the new mascara featured in this post is amazing!! I have been loving it and have received a few compliments so far! It's amazing!

Finally, a quote to keep you inspired, and possibly make you chuckle:

Well, that quote reminds me that exams are not everything - so stress less and be happy!

I hope you all had a fabulous week and tell me: any exam tips?

*ovi= obviously 

Current Love: Pretty Little Liars

Hello!

Being a student and exam time coming very soon -so soon that I don't want to mention when exactly, because that would make them feel real and then stress me out- does that mean we can't watch TV anymore and should be revising? No, as I've watched like 6 episodes of one particular TV show in the few days and I loved every second of it! What TV show you ask? PLL of course! 

I am up to date with the 4th series, so if you're not there yet and don't want any spoilers, you may want to stop reading now... because I can't promise nothing slipping out!

Okay, if you have carried on: EZRA isn't A?!
I knew it! The moment they had shown Fitz in the 'A Room' I knew it was another 'Toby' incident and that he wasn't A, I mean come on!! Did you think he was A for any moment? Although, when they did show that he was A, I became very vary for Aria and was shouting at the screen when she lied to others in order to be with him!

So, Alison is alive and Spencer could have been the "murderer"? I think she might. That seems sort of realistic as she was on the drugs at the time, and the evidence does lead to her! How weird is that?!

If she was the killer, who the hell is A?! And why are they stalking the girls?
Do they want to reveal that Spencer is the killer? If they did, they could have done it all this time - I mean they do have some evidence and stuff!

Oh, and where has Cici Drake gone? What was her biggie in all of this!
Don't get me started on Mona - what is up with the girl dating Aria's little brother and what did she have to do with Ezra? All that Ezra went through was for a book? He was manipulating peoples lives for a book? That's deep!

So, to end that ramble about PLL - any suggestions on who 'A' is?!

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

Relaxing or Sick Day Must-Haves (ft. Firmoo)

Hello!

Cough. Sneeze. Tired.
It's that time of year. We're either sick with the flu, or just have the January blues where we wish it could be summer (unless you live in Australia or something, then you must be having a nice time!)….

This calls for a must-haves list for the days we want to stay in bed. Let me tell you, it's okay to not be doing things every second of the day. It's okay to have a less productive day, sometimes. Now - lets relax!


1. Snuggle

Snuggle up with your cosiest blanket on your sofa/couch. If you feel REALLY lazy, then just stay in bed - all is good! I love my pink rose blanket. I got it last year and it has come so much in handy during the cold months. I actually like it when my room is cold and I'm snuggled up in this!


2. Make Some Hot Cocoa

What is the cold without hot cocoa? Or a mug of coffee or tea. I love me some Chai Tea Latte, too! This makes you feel instantly better as the warmth makes your body warmer and you're left with a lovely taste in your mouth!


3. Ease off the Contacts!

I know when you go out and have glasses, you might prefer your contact lenses - but on relaxing days it may be time to give your eyes a rest and pull out the glasses. I got mine from Firmoo who have a range of designs you can choose from. These have a lovely tortoise design on the side of the frame. I love how fashionable these look, how intelligent you look (and feel) and how comfortably they fit! Also, I love that they aren't the typical rectangle as I find everyone and their mother has them! This is slightly different yet still has that chic touch. You can customise the glasses to be tinted, polarised and of course have the lens matched to your prescription - the website is super easy to use and delivery is great. You also get 2 cases and an eye-glass cloth. I really do recommend them. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, you can even try on the glasses online with a cool picture thing where you virtually have them on to see which glasses design fits you! AND you get your first pair free! Click here to see.

4. Watch some Flicks

We all know that watching our favourite shows, movies or even YouTube stars can brighten up our day and make you feel better! I love to have a catch up Pretty Little Liars day or something! It's a lot of fun and a great way to wind down! If you're feeling like having more of a movie night then that's good too - the other day I watched 'Now You See Me' and it's a really good movie!


5. Take a Bath

I love taking baths as they're so relaxing. Also, using luxurious products make your skin feel lovely and  you look and feel great! Maybe take in a book with you to pass the time while you soak!


6. Light a Candle

I could NOT miss this one out! Ahh even thinking about Candles makes me feel happy!


That's it for my must-haves for a relaxing day! If you're ill right now, I hope you get well soon - and if you just need a relaxing day.. just relax ;)
What are your Relaxing/Sick day must-haves, leave a comment?!

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?!

Bath & Body Products Haul

Hello!

With the colder months you get dryer skin and feel the urge to take long, relaxing bubble baths - when we get the time, that is - and drink hot beverages!

This called for a shopping trip for my bathroom! Well, I didn't specifically go out to buy stuff for my bathroom but when a shopping trip was called for, these were the products that called out to me most! Well, where my eyes were drawn to anyway! You know what they say, you're a better person when you moisturise...

Okay, I totally just made that up, but I still believe it!

I first saw these beauties on the shelves and know that it would look great! Baylis & Harding have a thing about posh and lovely looking products and you can't help but fall for it! Although the scent is Rose, Yland Ylang (which I have no idea what in the world it is!) and Patchouli and there was no tester to smell it, I thought I'd purchase anyway because I liked the bottle! I did, however, try it when I got home and I've got to say the hand cream smells lovely and lingers in a good way!

I also bought a Body polish from the same line.

Having a fresh smelling product in your shower for the morning can really waken you up, hence the reason I bought the Radox Uplifting Shower Gel in Grapefruit and Basil. The packaging is a pink and if you're a girly girl like me, then you know what I mean by falling for it! Also, these Shower Gels have a hook which fits perfectly in my shower and doesn't linger on the bottom meaning the shower looks less cluttered! 

 Finally for today's haul, I bought a new bottle of FemFresh for the feminine hygiene... but we don't need to go in detail with that!

By the way, you may have noticed the loofah - I didn't buy it today but I thought it looked nice with the bath products none-the-less! All in the name of photos!

What are your favourite bath products?

Weekly Roundup #8

Hello!
I hope you've had a great week and can now relax in the weekend, unless you're attending a late Halloween Party, which you may want some ideas for here.
Anyway, this week revolved a LOT around Halloween, so here's my roundup:

For the first time ever this year, I carved a pumpkin! I was determined to do one this year and I've got to say, I''m quite proud:

Also on the theme of Halloween, they're selling Halloween themes Orange boxes, I bought one, opened it and found STICKERS! Yes, I was as excited as a 6 year old, but IDC! Anyway, so I decorated some oranges and didn't end up eating theme - I mean, when there's chocolate involved, the fruits go out the window!

Finally I changed around my office and now this is the gorgeous view from my desk, which is where I'm writing this from now! It's muchhhhh better than the wall I was previously facing!

Oh and behind me is the canvas I hung up myself, and shown in this post.

Well, that's my roundup, so tell me: What did you do for Halloween?

Get Fall-Festive! - Room Decor

Hello!

October is most definitely among us no matter how unreal it may seem that we're already in the 10th month of the year - so that means you and I need to make our rooms more fit for the cold and cosy months! Do I sound excited through this post to you? Because I am. Believe me.

First, and foremost, the easiest and most simple thing you can do is light a candle. Okay it's not that easy - I mean you have to go out and look for and buy a candle, then come home, put it in a room then light it (gasp) BUT essentially it's a great way to make your room fall festive! This is one I recently bought and lit:

It's a mulled wine and cinnamon apple scent and makes the room smell and feel warm and luxurious! Featured in my book review here - yes I light candles and read books: pure luxury.

Another idea is things to do with Pine Cones.
You could decorate them with glitter and put them in a pretty bowl.

source: here

This is so easy to do and you can just get the pinecones for free in a local park (as long as it's permitted). For the longest time, I called these beauties ACORNS not PINECONES and it wasn't until I spent a while google-ing random words to try and find what they are called that I started calling them Pinecones - because that's what they are: Pinecones! Anyway, there's a accessible idea too!

source: here

If you don't want to decorate the pinecones (not called acorns - even though you could also collect acorns to display/decorate) then simply decorate the basket! 

source: here

source: here

Flowers are not only for summer - warm coloured flowers can be stunners for fall too! Who doesn't love a little bit of florals in their life?! If there really aren't any flowers around, even branches look lovely when displayed right! 

source: here

Adding a knit pillow will bring some cosiness to your room! 

Finally, add some pumpkin to your life. October wouldn't be October without a bit of Pumpkin!

source: here

This image is of a pumpkin covered in stocking! What a great idea! It looks so lovely! I wish England was more pumpkin-festive... not many people around here have pumpkins out during fall! 

Anyway, I hope you have a Fall-festive season and make your room as cosy as possible! 

What are your ideas for fall decor?