Category: Product Reviews

You Need Shower Candles!

I made a life changing update to our bathroom that cost $20. TWENTY DOLLARS! After spending a bazillion dollars on our recent bathroom renovation, this $20 addition as rocked my world. Or rocked my showers… at least.

Shower. Candles.

SHOWER CANDLES!

Why didn’t I think of these before?!

I’m not a brightly lit shower kinda girl. I prefer natural light from the window. Don’t worry, our window is far enough away from the shower that nobody sees a crazy naked lady singing at the top of her lungs in the shower when nobody else is home.

Anyways, I got my husband started on what I call ‘dark showers’ too. In fact, he started taking ACTUAL dark showers in the morning, because he gets up at 4am for work.

And then I had a light bulb go off over my head… we need some of those fancy remote candles.

Source: Amazon.com

Here are the exact candles I purchased: Flameless Flickering Batter Operated Candles, Set of 9. (Don’t forget to also order batteries!)

I took a couple quick videos when received them. Check out the two modes: light or candle:

If you don’t have a shower the size of a New York City bedroom, you can totally put them on the countertop. However, we built our shower specifically for my giant husband’s wingspan… so we have plenty of room on the ledge that doesn’t get wet.

I put a few in each corner and it’s just so soothing:

I thought 9 candles seemed kind of excessive and was planning to only use a few of them… but OH MY GOSH, 9 candles is actually the exactly perfect number of candles to have the most relaxing shower ever.

Disclosure: 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.

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!