Nicole Berrie
Founder of Bonberi
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Nightly Routine
If there’s anyone who embodies an “I am what I eat and wear and use” lifestyle, it’s Nicole Berrie. She founded the plant-based wellness site Bonberi—a one-stop-shop for wellness tips, inspiring interviews, and healthy recipes for those times when you really need a smoothie. (And if you live in New York City, you can pick one up at her IRL store, Bonberi Mart.)
Since she holds the secrets to a leafy green lifestyle, we chatted with her about how she incorporates her favorite little luxuries into her nighttime routine. Hint: It’s all about toxin-free Reed+Gwen bath products, cozy HASS loungewear, and a Caesar salad hack you need to try ASAP. Lettuce tell you, it’s a game-changer.
6:30 P.M. I’m just finishing work at my store—a plant-based market in New York City’s West Village. After I wrap up last-minute emails and whatnot, I head home for the day. At this point, my 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter are eating their last bites of dinner. It’s always a mad dash to get them in bed at a reasonable hour, but bath time is fun for us, so we stretch it out as long as we can. We love to include bath salts like the Reed+Gwen Snoozy Bath Soak with Magnesium Flakes because it helps relax the kids. They call it “flour” and pretend to cook with it. We’re big fans of this one in particular because it has an essential oil blend of lavender and rosewood, which is really soothing along with the magnesium. The kids usually play in the bath for around 45 minutes and we chat about what they did that day. It’s also our music time. We have a special bath time playlist on Spotify. We’re listening to a lot of holiday songs right now.
7:30 P.M. After bath time we do book time. We’re loving this book called Tickle Monster right now, and also Eva Chen’s, Oh No! The Talent Show. We’re big book people so we’re always discovering new ones.
8:30 P.M. Sometimes I multitask and eat dinner while getting the kids ready for bed. But when I can, I’ll cook a more leisurely dinner for my husband and me. I usually make a big salad—right now I’m loving peppery arugula with shaved fennel, simple olive oil, and lemon. Another hit is my dulse Caesar salad. It’s similar to a typical Caesar but instead of using anchovies, I use dulse, which is a nice, fishy kind of algae. My husband loves it. I always make extra dressing to keep in the fridge for the next week. We mainly eat plant-based and gluten free, so occasionally we’ll do brown rice pasta or legume pasta with a spicy marinara. Or coconut pho, which is just a ton of noodles in a rich, creamy broth with veggies. I’ve been craving that kind of thing lately—it’s super grounding and warm during the winter months.
9:30 P.M. Once the dishes are done I change into comfy clothes before we curl up on the sofa in our living room to watch TV. I’ve been living in the HASS Fleece Roll Cuff Shorts and Fleece Cropped Hoodie lately because they’re ultra soft and breathable. Wearing clothing made from natural materials is important to me. We try to be as clean and nontoxic as we can as a family, especially in our home. My passion for this lifestyle started with food, and then gradually extended into skincare and household items, and then most recently to my clothing. I try to educate myself on where and how the things I’m wearing are made, and what fibers are used, because it all has a cumulative effect. I was really excited when Avocado Green launched their clothing line HASS, because I was already familiar with their mattresses and knew I could trust their standards.
10:30 P.M. Usually I’m a morning showerer, but on colder nights I enjoy taking a bath before bed. I start by dry-brushing all over my body with a natural bristle brush, which is good for lymphatic drainage and circulation, and for sloughing off dry skin. I like to put a few drops of Reed+Gwen’s Grounding Dry Body Oil into my bath. It has the most mind-blowing effect because the warm water seals it into your skin and creates an unparalleled level of moisturization. Once I towel off, I apply a few more drops to my dry skin. I’m really careful about the type of products I put on my body because the skin is our biggest organ, so I appreciate how natural this oil’s ingredient list is. The double whammy of dry brushing, a few drops of the oil in the bath, and then a few more drops afterwards is amazing, especially in the winter months. I’m all about creating that in-home spa experience.
11 P.M. I try to squeeze in a daily meditation practice right before bed. I do one in the morning too, but the one I do at night is specifically meant for winding down. It’s called the Kirtan Kriya. It’s 11 minutes of chanting. You repeat the same mantra. There’s a children’s version, too, that’s a little shorter, which we do with our kids sometimes. It’s such a great way of downloading the day—almost like a spiritual shower.*
*Hi there. This is a sponsored post.