Category: Product Reviews

My Nespresso Citiz Review (& My 2 Favorite Nespresso Recipes)

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that I’m kind of obsessed with my Nespresso machine. I purchased it right before Christmas and I have been using it non-stop for the last few months. So, I thought I’d share my thoughts with you as well as my daily recipe for a mid-afternoon coffee break!

First off, I was 100% influenced by my friend Lindsey to buy a Nespresso. Maybe even 120% influenced. Every so often we have what I call “Lindsey Adventure Weekends” where I go to her place and we spend the weekend away from stinky boys doing girl stuff. Like watching lots of rom-com’s, eating way too much cheese, wearing comfy pajamas, putting on smelly face masks, and thrifting/antiquing. And yes, it’s amazing.

Lindsey introduced me to her Nespresso machine and like Pavlov’s dog, when I hear the swoosh sound of the espresso being made, my shoulders are conditioned to retract from my ears and I relax.

Right before Christmas I was telling my husband how I really, truly didn’t have anything I want on my Christmas list, when suddenly I had the thought that maybe I should get my own Nespresso machine. I texted Lindsey to find out exactly which machine she owned, did a bunch of research and made my order off Amazon.

My Nespresso Machine: Nespresso CitiZ

I purchased the Nespresso CitiZ and found a few options online:

I purchased the version without a milk frother, because I already own one (a previous year’s Christmas gift) that works great. If you don’t have a milk frother, the 2-in-1 version on Amazon is actually a better price.

Things I like about the Nespresso CitiZ:

  • It’s slim and fits in easily next to my current coffee maker.
  • The removable water tank holds 33 ounces, so I’m not refilling it every time I make a cup.
  • It has a fast heat-up system, so it goes from off to making my espresso in 25 seconds.
  • It’s delicious!

And yes, I still use my regular coffee maker too (as does my husband). I usually start the day with regular coffee and have a Nespresso in the afternoon as a treat.

My Favorite Nespresso Capsule Flavors

The machine came with a sample pack of coffee capsules, which was great to give a bunch of flavors a try. After I tried them out, I narrowed it down to my favorites and made an order.

You can order capsules off Amazon or the Nespresso website for similar pricing. However, Nespresso often runs specials where you get an extra sleeve for free or your first order is $10 off, so I went with them for my first order. I also ordered a Recycling Bag (for free) so I can recycle my used capsules.

My current favorite capsule flavors:

Firenze Arpeggio (dark purple)

Stokholm Fortissio Lungo (teal green)

Vanilla Éclair (cream)

My Favorite Flavored Syrups

I also purchased a couple gift sets from Monin, so I could try a bunch of different syrup flavors. The Toasted Marshmallow from this holiday set (currently still available) is AMAZING.

Here are three of my favorite syrups off Amazon (be warned, the bottles are HUGE):

My Favorite Nespresso Recipes

I’ve been using my Nespresso machine almost daily since the end of December and I’m not kidding when I say it lights up my afternoon. When I was in the office, I would walk down to Starbucks and pay $6+ for my Caramel Macchiato. Now, I walk downstairs and have a similar drink for less than $2.

My two most frequently made recipes:

My Afternoon Cappuccino/Macchiato type-thing:

Ingredients:

  • One Firenze Arpeggio capsule (dark purple) or Stokholm Fortissio Lungo capsule (teal green)
  • 2% Milk
  • Whipped Cream
  • Caramel Sauce

I use my frother and fill the milk to the ‘froth’ setting (about ¼ cup-ish). I let that do its thing – it heats and froths and takes about a minute or so. Then, I walk it over to the Nespresso machine, add my milk to my cup and hit ‘start’ on my Firenze Arpeggio capsule for a Lungo size, when that’s done, I top it with a squirt of whipped cream and a little caramel sauce.

(PS this also works great with Almond Milk, if regular milk isn’t your thing. I make it that way for Travis and it tastes great — it just doesn’t foam much).

Look I made an adorable video to show you how I make it:

My Energy Shot type-thing:

Ingredients:

  • One Vanilla Éclair capsule (cream)
  • 1 TBSP half and half
  • Toasted Marshmallow syrup
  • Whipped Cream

I make one Vanilla Éclair capsule for a Lungo size directly into my mug. Then, I add 1 TBSP half and half, 1 TBSP Toasted Marshmallow syrup and top it with a squirt of whipped cream. YUM.

You guys. I’m OBSESSED. And I’m also saving money because I like my own Nespresso recipes better than my old Starbucks orders.

Disclosure: Not sponsored. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

notPERFECT LINEN: Heavy Linen Sale & Deciding on My Order

If you’ve been following me on Instagram lately, you can see I’m in the middle of a linen obsession. Something about the classic, breezy look is really calling to me. And as much as I’m not going to be the kind of gal who has a capsule wardrobe, I do tend to make myself mini capsules out of my wardrobe of items that I want to wear each month. And since I’ve purchased a few NPL items, I’ve been wearing them nonstop!

So, why notPERFECT LINEN? Mostly for the fact that their items are fully made-to-order and have that classic look I’ve been drooling over. They have a small shop in Lithuania, and even if you purchase an item in a size they have listed, they still make it specifically for you. Everything is made by hand and they try to cut back on waste as much as possible.

Over the past couple months, I’ve collected a few notPERFECT LINEN items secondhand. Some haven’t worked out so well, so I’ve released them back into the world. I’ve been working on planning my own order directly from the company. I’m especially interested in having a couple items made for my specific measurements – so that I can have an actual fitted top where the bust AND the waist fits my shape! That sounds like magic, to be honest.

Here are the items I currently own from notPERFECT LINEN and love:

VOLUME Dress in Deepest Black Heavy Linen, XL (I probably could have sized down in this, but this is what I found on Poshmark for a great price and I love how twirly it is!). I love the weight of the heavy linen and this will be super versatile — you can style it over a fitted tank top, over a long sleeved top, or with a cardigan as I did here.

SION Skirt in Teal Blue (discontinued color), Large (original owner mods: 24” in length). I love this skirt and the huge pockets. This one will be easy to wear to work and also casually on weekends. I was considering a SION skirt in my initial order, so I felt super lucky to find this one secondhand.

1950’s CITY Skirt in Deepest Black Heavy Linen, Large (original owner mods: waist elastic all the way around, 25” length, added belt loops and matching belt/sash). This was the first item that I added to my notPERFECT LINEN shopping cart because I LOVE a swishy full skirt! Ironically, I was planning to modify the waistband the exact same way the original owner did, with the elastic all the way around (rather than a flat front). Love, love, love this skirt and I can see it getting a ton of wear!

notPERFECT LINEN is currently having a special sale for their heavy linen, as they are not sure whether they will be bringing the fabric back at this time. You can find their sale items here: Heavy Weight Linen Sale.

I was considering a Volume Dress in Heavy Weight Redwood, but it looks like they are sold out! So, if you see something you love, don’t wait.

Here are the items that I’ve been considering for my first (non-secondhand) order:

  • DIJON linen collar shirt – I really want a button-up shirt that actually fits my shoulders, bust and waist without being super flowy. I would send them my measurements so they could make this work for my exact body shape. Thinking either Deepest Black or Moss Green. I may also have them switch out the wooden buttons to snaps.
  • PORTO-2 front snap tank – Love the v-neck and snaps on this tank top. I would send them my measurements so they could make this work for my exact body shape. Thinking either Deepest Black or Moss Green.
  • MARSEILLE front snap skirt – I would order a size large, based on the fit of the other two skirts I own. I may shorten this one to 25” like my black skirt. Unsure though, because it looks awfully cute at its current length. For color, I’m thinking either Moss Green or Redwood (mid-weight, since heavy-weight is sold out). If I get the PORTO and the MARSEILLE in Moss Green, I could pair them to make a dress-look.

Oh, and one of the awesome things about notPERFECT Linen is that they send you a full set of their current swatches! When I purchased my shirt secondhand, the seller included the swatches, which was super helpful!

Since I’ve been such a superfan lately, I got a super cool affiliate link which give anyone 15% off their entire first order. If you’d like to make an order, use Joules15 or you can use this direct link.

Disclosure: Not sponsored. This post contains affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you so much!

Why Am I Watching This?! Love Prison

I am not typically a reality show watcher. I don’t know why; it just makes me really uncomfortable when people are having their issues and I’m watching like a voyeur. Also, knowing that not everything is as it seems (with lots being set up) makes me weirdly angry. Typically, my reality tv watching is on the Discovery + app, with Hometown and other DIY-type shows. My sister convinced me to watch season 2 of Love is Blind – which I did – but that’s about it. And I yelled at the tv most of the time.

BUT. Travis and I just got sucked into a show and OHMYGOD I can’t deal with it.

It’s called Love Prison. And it’s currently on Discovery +, but it looks like you can watch it other places too (like Amazon Prime). It was originally an A&E show and the one season of the show came out in 2014.

The premise: Two people who have been online dating for awhile get to meet in person for the first time. However, the catch is that they meet in a “love prison” which is a house on an island with no technology to entertain them. They are stuck together for a full week with no television, no phones, no radio, no computers. And they only get one hour of ‘outside time’ each day.

Sure, it sounds challenging. But as I’ve told my husband at least 5 times since we started watching the show (we are currently on episode 3), we would have definitely played some hide and seek in the house. And made some silly food dishes. And just gotten super weird.

And let me just say, WOW does the crazy come out in these couples. The couple in the second episode has been dating online for TWO YEARS and when they meet you can only wonder what the heck they had been doing in their daily phone calls. They had nothing in common and it was clear that they were just going to drive each other crazy.

At the end of their episode, they have to decide whether they are going to leave together (staying in a relationship) or leave alone (breaking up). And, here, watch it for yourself:

I’m obviously late to the game with this show. Like 8 years late. But I can’t stop watching it. {Also, good for you Chris… Rosie is not the right fit for you!}