FLOWERS AND FLOW

When the summer rolls in and the sun comes out to play - most likely with a smug grin meaning "enjoy me bitches, I'm disappearing in place of snow next week" - my style tends to go from dragged through a hedge backwards quite simple, classic and tailored with a rocky/boho edge (LOL at being absolutely poor at describing my style/words/life in general) to straight up boho chic. We're talking fringing, we're talking floral, paisley and pretty prints... anything flowy, anything off shoulder, and anything that makes me look a little more "I woke up like this" effortless is right up my street.

Fortunately for me, one of my favourite clothing brands F+F - yes I know it's an extremely random clothing favourite but their stuff is just *insert heart eye'd emoji's here*, check previous Elle fangirl evidence here, here and here - are also all about flowy, boho beautifulness which is what I'll be so inelegantly displaying here today.

This outfit is easily one of my favourites from my (limited) summer collection so far. There's just something about the way this dress falls, combined with the casual - but still bloody beaut - classic black sandals and the extremely vajazzled and perfect in every way bag that just makes it all feel very, easy I guess. 

Now, I love the flower pattern on this dress, but I think it's the cut that really made me all omg need it in my life right this second please and thank you. I absolutely adore the off shoulder trend however some off shoulder pieces just aren't that comfortable/leave you on permanent nip slip duties. Which is why I absolutely love this as the additional straps as it makes you much more comfortable and protected. The addition of the side slit takes a beautiful dress into a beautiful and subtly sexy one and I am all about that.

I ummed and ahhed over this bag for a long time, mainly clicking off of the site and leaving tbh, but there was something niggling in the back of my mind telling me I needed it. Call it gut instinct, but I'm now so darn happy I picked it up because this little sequin number will be seeing me through summer. I love that it's really delicate and compact but also manages to fit in my Olympus pen, phone, card holder and 5 identical but obvs totally necessary peachy pink lipsticks. Not to mention the obvious in that it looks absolutely gorgeous. I am ever so slightly obsessed with the intricate beading and patterns on this beauty, as was the lady that stopped me in Greenwich to tell me so. #Winning

I've already touched upon these shoes so I won't say too much - miracle - as they kind of do what they say on the tin. A beautiful, classic, simple pair of black sandals with gold hardware which look so much more than the £8 that they cost.

Finally, the sunglasses. I am such a sunnies hoarder so to be able to find a pair that's a) unique to my collection and b) ones that I really like, is extremely rare, but Florence and Fred have managed to do it. I never really know what sunglass style suits me but I couldn't help but vere towards this subtle cat eye style. Subtle, simple, classy plus the tortoise shell colour - always my top choice - means they go with absolutely everything.

So that brings me to the end of this post, I'd love to know if you've had a browse through the Tesco/Florence and Fred website recently? Has anything taken your fancy? 

As always, thanks so much for reading!

xx

*This post was kindly sponsored by Florence and Fred. All thoughts, photographs and love of flowy dresses that make me feel as sassy as Beyonce, my own.

FOR THE COFFEE LOVERS

You will probably all know by now that my Mum is a pretty significant, important person in my life. Mainly because I use her in pretty much every single post to laugh at myself and bants - BRB just calling the blogging police to get an injunction against ever using the phrase “bants” again in a post - about the fact that she’s the only one interested in my posts/video’s and just generally chat about what a babe she is, but what you wouldn’t know - unless you’re a major stalker. Hey… I’m not judging, I’m all about checking out old friends Instagram photo’s since 2k11 - is my Dad is also one of the most amazing, special, kind, generous and loving people that I have ever even met, let alone be lucky enough to have in my life.

But this post isn’t a really soppy, cringey TMI love fest for my parents - insert hallelujah/“thank christ for that” emoji here - it’s actually a mini gift guide for the impending Father’s day that always has me totally stumped because omg he’s got absolutely everything and what can I buy that’s amazing and shows him that he’s the best but also isn’t something that I buy every christmas, birthday and fathers day? So this year I went back to basics, logged off of the clothing sites and Dermalogica store locator - yes my Dad uses Dermalogica shave balm #player - and asked myself, what does he absolutely love and use every single day and in seconds, the very first thing that popped into my head was coffee.

Like father like daughter….

So here is a pretty frickin awesome gift guide for the coffee loving Dads of the world, and here are some pretty frickin awesome - if I do say so myself - recipes that you can make from your Dad’s gift and totally devour yourself.

Strategic gift buying is pretty much my forte, just saying.

I wanted to get my Dad something special and I wanted to get him something he would not only fall in love with, but something that he could use every day and this Magimix Debenhams exclusive; Nespresso Citiz and Milk coffee machine absolutely had to be his when I saw it on the Debenhams website. So, about this absolutely babin piece of machinery then... exclusive to Debenhams - who you all know by now are one of my absolute faves - it is so incredibly easy to use but produces amazing quality, New york coffee shop style coffee that will actually blow your mind. 

Oh, and can we also talk about how cute the Ben de lisi "The Boss" mug is? Although totally ironic considering the woman in our house are definitely the bosses ;) (Plus it's only £6, thank me later gal pals).

The coffee machine also comes with an Aeroccino milk frother - which can be purchased separately so a bit of a bargain there if I say so myself - and is perfect for fellow Latte and Cappuccino lovers (err hello, latte art = Instagram heaven, of course we're all fans). Most importantly, I know that my Dad will absolutely adore it and I genuinely think that if you're looking for a Father's day gift for the coffee lover, the Magimix Debenhams exclusive; Nespresso Citiz and Milk coffee machine is your guy. If it's out of your budget, you can always go halves with a sibling, or use it as a birthday and christmas present in one. Or, just yolo it, because Dads are pretty special - the good ones - so make sure you show them they are.

Now that I've fangirled over the coffee machine, here are my - seemingly disgusting but actually delicious - coffee based recipes which I'm officially obsessed with and officially have loosened my trouser buttons to make way for them!

Avobanaaaaana

This is probably the most omg what the hell is she thinking recipe but I promise you it's absolutely incredible. I can't take total credit for this as I tried something similar from the amazing Gary from Beanbag coffee and just adjusted the recipe slightly, but I thought that as a lot of you won't be able to reach London to try Gary's version, it'd be fun for you to try this at home. So yeah, this bad boy contains the most random ingredients - including avocado, lols for being such a good cliche blogger - but it makes the most delicious latte/mocha/creamy beautiful outcome so definitely give it a go!

Ingredients:

1 Avocado

1 Banana 

4 squares of dark chocolate (you can actually use any - and however much you like - but I find that dark makes it richer)

1 Nespresso pod - I like Dulsao do Brasil for this (how fancy did I just sound then fyi?)
1 cup of Coconut milk (or any milk you fancy but I prefer coconut).

Method:

Make the coffee in the coffee machine, whack everything in a blender, blend [insert cry laughter emoji at the fact that I've created the easiest, quickest recipes in existence).

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

I mean, I'm definitely drooling looking back at these photo's. This beauty was one of my faves because err hello so much peanut butter and whipped cream but mainly because Peanut butter jelly reminds me of NYC (BRB while I cry about the fact that I'm not eating pancakes at Big Daddy's with a PBJ shake). But yeah, this one is a little bit special and obviously looks very instagrammable, fill your boots ladies...

Ingredients:

2 - 3 tablespoons of peanut butter (or yolo it and do 5)

Squirty cream 

Strawberry sauce or runny strawberry jam

1 Nespresso pod - I used the Vanillio one for this

1 cup of coconut milk

Chopped Nuts.

Method:

Make the coffee in the Nespresso machine, stir in your tablespoons of peanut butter - if it's really thick you may be best using a blender to blend it all together - squirt on as much squirty cream as your Instagram square can handle, drizzle over your strawberry sauce and finish with some chopped nuts.

Banana Coffee N'ice Cream

Let's face it, I've never been one for the superfood matcha soya up my life lifestyle, but I do like to make healthier choices now and then when I have time to which is why we've got ourselves some N'ice cream here today. Or, blended up frozen bananas for those who don't try to glamourise all things basic ;) This is basically my healthier version of Affogato Al Caffe - Vanilla ice cream with espresso - and it's an absolute dream if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

1 Frozen Banana
A few tablespoons of condensed milk to make it creamier

1 Nespresso pod - the straight up espresso pod is your guy for this one.

Method:

Cut your banana into small chunks so they're easier to blend and freeze overnight. Blend up your banana (any blender will do) with the condensed milk and serve (or pop back in the freezer if you want it firmer/aren't ready to eat yet. Then simply just pour your espresso over and devour the amazing coffee/ice cream explosion that you're about to experience. P.S I also like to add cashews to the banana ice cream but didn't have any at my new house because I suck at adulting. P.P.S if you can manage to pour your espresso without it going everywhere, you're a better person than I am.

Annnnnd all three in all their glory...

So that brings this post to an end. I really, really hope you liked it as it genuinely might have been on my all time favourites to put together. Working with one of my favourite brands - Hey Debs, that's you - always pushes me to be more creative and think outside the box and after nearly 4 years of blogging, that is definitely something I appreciate.

I'd love to know if you'd consider picking up the super duper ridiculously snazzy and amazing Magimix Debenhams exclusive; Nespresso Citiz and Milk coffee machine (crikey that's a mouthful) for your Dad this Father's day? Or if he's not a coffee drinker, what else do you have in mind? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

As always, thank you so much for reading!

P.S a big thank you to the best man I know for being such a good sport and getting involved despite being so camera shy. I love you beyond words <3

xx

This post was in collaboration with and kindly sponsored by my favourites, Debenhams, but all thoughts, photographs and love of drinking as many calories as possible, my own.