BELLE
for art lovers
Why it's important
Mindfulness is super important- I would even go so far as to say it's essential- in leading a healthy balanced life. I see mindfulness as a time of relaxation where one can put aside all the stresses and burdens of the day, and just focus on something that they enjoy, letting their mind wander without any restraints. Life can be very stressful, and although it's hard to factor in time to get away from it all, it's very effective and enjoyable.
PAMPER EVENINGS - THEY'RE THE BEST!
Follow these steps for an incredible treat
1. Clear out anything from your bathroom that is not necessary- any other towels, soaps or shampoos that you are not going to use.
2. Bring in and light candles- as many as you want- just remember to be safe around them!
3. Choose what you are going to put in your bath- a bath bomb, bubble bar, bath salt.
4. Choose what soaps, scrubs, shampoos and conditioners you are going to use, and any skincare products such as face masks and cleansers. Also decide on what products you are going to use afterwards- creams, nail polish, room fragrance, heel balm etc.
5. Choose what music you are going to play and what you are going to play it on- I recommend choosing a relaxing playlist from your phone. Then start playing it!
6. Run your bath.
8. Cleanse face and apply face mask.
9. Get in the bath- you can put your products into the bath before you get in, but I always prefer being in the bath and watching my bath bomb fizz around, and playing with it.
10. Wash your hair, apply hair mask if you have one, soak and relax while enjoying music.
11. Truly just enjoy yourself- let your mind run loose- don't try and concentrate your thoughts on anything- just take deep breaths and soak it all in.
12. After soaking for the desired amount, moisturise your skin and prepare to go to bed.
13. You can watch a film, read a book, browse through magazines, paint your nails or just simply listen to music or have a phone call with friends- but try to stay away from social media and technology in general, as the blue light does more harm than good in preparing you for bed, and personally I find social media very depressing as I compare myself to others and can have feelings of sadness, boredom or jealousy- we don't want that!
14. Drift off into snoozeland! (Or do whatever you want- perhaps you are doing this before you go out to meet friends or go to a party?)
MY FAVOURITE BATH PRODUCTS
I've always enjoyed soaking in baths, but I think I first started getting into bath products in Year 7, when I was gifted a Lush box for my birthday by a classmate (thanks Ellie). Since then, I've been obsessed with Lush. Their store in Oxford Street is huge, and smells divine. It's so fun and colourful and playful. Every Christmas, I usually have a Lush haul, as they do a Christmas offer. Anyway, here are my top three bath products from Lush:
- Avobomb
- Twilight
- Brightside Bubble Bar
I am not really a fan of sweet scents- I know they have a lot of products with a fairy angel scent- that's a bit too sweet for me. I prefer refreshing, clean scents, with citrus notes (so lemon, orange, bergamot oil).
I'm also not a fan of products with glitter in them, as, although fun and pretty, it actually does not wash off all too well!!
CANDLES
Mood Uplifters
I've always loved spending time in the candles section of a shop, and it's the place I always drift to when entering Tk Maxx or Home Sense. My favourite brands are Jo Malone and The White Company, but I've also got an affordable recommendation: Blackberry & Bay Number 2 Candle from Aldi. My sister got this for me one Christmas and it smells divine. I'm generally not a fan of sweet scents, and prefer something with more of a clean or refreshing aroma.
Candles also set such a relaxing and sensual mood in the room- it provides such a different light compared to artificial lights, and they always make me feel relaxed, and change the atmosphere in the room.
COOKING & BAKING
I love cooking, although I can't really say the same for baking, which I'm quite hopeless at. My dad is a great cook, and always makes the meals at home, and I've always loved watching him cook, and food Network is my favourite channel on TV. Although I admit that I usually don't cook, I do enjoy it, and it allows me to have fun whilst (hopefully) pleasing others with my dishes.
I find cooking much easier than baking, as you can watch over your ingredients as they cook. When you make your cake batter, you never know how it will taste or look when you take it out of the oven, and usually for me, it's never as expected.
I'd love to become really good at cooking and possibly baking one day in the future, but for now, I think I'll share a couple of recipes.
Since I'm part Sri Lankan, I'm greatly exposed to all sorts of delicious curries, rice dishes and pastries, so I could share some of those recipes, and attempt to make them myself!
I'm also half Latvian, and I'd love to share some Latvian recipes too (of course I'll share my experience making them). I love both cuisines, and my favourite eatery in Latvia is a place called 'Lido'. It has such a special place in my heart, and I love the interior of it. In once location, the waiters dress in traditional costume, and there are bunnies in hutches outside, which greatly amused me as a child.
My favourite dishes from there are pepper stuffed with minced pork, potato pancakes, courgette pancakes, and a rice dish (plov). I also love their Kvass and bread soup (a dessert). My mum loves their cold beetroot soup too.
I might make separate pages for the two different types of cuisine, and could expand to challenge myself to make all these dishes! Sirniki are also delicious, and I make them quite often at home. they're essentially mini fritters made out of curd cheese, and I love to put raisins or sometimes blueberries in them.
We've also once made vegetarian Borsch, with fresh beetroots from Bristol market, and it was delicious! (I'm not a fan of meat, hence it was vegetarian). Also on our travels to Latvia, I tried and loved whipped manna, which is semolina whipped with milk and cranberry juice- really delicious!
FILM RECOMMENDATIONS
Films in English
- Julie and Julia
This film actually inspired me to write this blog! It's very heart-warming, and is based on a true story of Julia Child, an American cook who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to America. Safe to say , all the food in the film looks delicious, especially the fried bread with chopped tomatoes. Julie made blogging seem so fun, and I loved the idea of the challenge that she set herself (a year to make every recipe from Julia Child's cookery book).
- Sound of Music
You've probably already seen it. But if you haven't - watch it!! It's an absolute classic- one that I've watched many times over throughout my childhood. It's so sweet, the scenery is stunning, but it's also moving and touching. It's based on a true story about the Von Trapp family singers and their extraordinary lives. It's set in the era immediately preceding World War II, and I love the tradition and the feminine fashion in it.
Films in French
- Intouchables
Very touching and just really really good- based on a true story. Really opened my eyes to the fact that friendship can evolve between anyone anywhere.
- La Vie en Rose
About the life of Edith Piaf- quite sad but made me fall in love with her music and very impressive acting by Marion Cotillard.
- Nothing to Hide
I loved the idea and really funny - I stumbled upon it unintentionally and really enjoyed it!
- Milf
Really funny and a cool idea.
- Les Choristes
Really touching and heart-warming; the singing is beautiful.
MUSIC & MUSIC VIDEOS
My Recommendations
English
'Bangers'
- Any ABBA song
- One in a Million, Bosson
- Any MJ song
- My Love, Westlife
- Rule the World, Take That
- Total Eclipse Of the Heart, Bonnie Tyler
- YMCA, Village People
- Just the Two of Us, Bill Withers
- Lovely day, Bill Withers (Special shoutout to Liz, my Twinny, who says, 'it brings me such joy' and 'the essence of life to me is this song')
- September, Earth Wind & Fire (And shoutout to Twinny here too:))
Twinny Camp (Named after a camping trip I went on with my friend- we created this playlist on the drive there)
- I'm Still Standing, Elton John
- The Final Countdown, Europe
- I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
- Careless Whisper, George Michael
- Livin' On a Prayer, Bon Jovi
- Karma Chamelion, Culture Club
- Big in Japan, Alphaville
Honestly there's a lot more music that I love but I think it would be a bit pointless of me to list it all here.
Also I constantly go through phases of loving an artist- I listen to their songs on repeat for weeks on end, and then never really want to listen to it again- some of these artists are: Chris Brown, Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande. I also love some of Taylor Swift's songs, as well as Rihanna and Frank Sinatra. I've listed some of the timeless songs which are great to lift your mood and dance to with friends and family.
Classic
- Toreador, Georges Bizet
- The Barber of Seville- Overture, Gioachino Rossini
- Erlkonig, Franz Schubert
- Für Elise, Beethoven
Russian
- Ты Лучшая, Arame
- Было и прошло, Анжелика Агурбаш и Арамэ
- А я по ней схожу с ума,
- Просто подари, Филипп Киркоров
- Снег, Филипп Киркоров
- Роза Чайная, Киркоров и М Распутина
- Невозможное, Дима Билан
- На берегу неба, Билан
- Ты, только ты, Билан
- Я так люблю тебя, Билан
- Доля , Зара и Олег Газманов
- Попури, Олег Газманов
- Ради тебя, Sergei Zverev
- Aлла, Zverev
- Милый , Zverev & Kristina Sveshnikova
- Несчатливая любовь, Бьянка
French
- Dernière Danse, Indila
- Tourner Dans Le Vide, Indila
- Est-ce que tu m'aimes?, Maitre Gims
- Bella, Maitre Gims
- Non, Je ne regrette rien, Edith Piaf
- La Vie En Rose, E. Piaf
- La Foule, E. Piaf
- Milord, E. Piaf
- Padam Padam, E. Piaf
- L'Accordeoniste, E. Piaf
- Vois sur ton chemin, Les Choristes
Spanish - I always play these in the summer- they make me feel so good
- Subeme la radio, Enrique Iglesias
- Duele el Corazon, E. Iglesias
- La Bicicleta, Carlos Vives, Shakira
Favourite Music Videos
- Try with me, Nicole Scherzinger (Filmed in Xilitla, Mexico, which seems so magical and charming to me- it would be a dream to visit!)
- Young and Beautiful, Lana Del Ray
- Wildest Dreams, Taylor Swift