Bag*: Vendula London
Dress: Primark (bought a couple of years ago!)
Belt: Pull and Bear
Tights*: Pamela Mann via UK Tights
This outfit was from last saturday, a stormy and very rainy day that needed a bold red dress to brighten it up a bit. This dress was actually a Primark bargain and definitely cost us less than £10. It used to belong to Ellie who has never worn it and gave it to me about a month ago, which is great for me because I have always wanted to look like the sassy, red dress lady emoji. The material is thick and scuba style making it perfect for all weathers and meaning you don't have to iron it. I also feel like it pairs with my Pamela Mann tights perfectly to add a bit on fun to the look.
My beautiful bag* is courtesy of Vendula London and it is my new favourite accessory! I was in Cannes (a post about my time in Cannes will be coming very soon!) when they contacted me and had coincidently been looking at their purses and bags in The British Shop about 2 hours before, so I was overjoyed. My family can confirm that I was running around the apartment we stayed in shouting about it for a good 15 minutes. The bag I chose was the Classic Nail Art Clutch. I was contemplating getting the blue or the brown, but I stuck to my roots and went for the black! As soon as it arrived I knew it was true love, mainly because:
1. It arrived in a dust bag (If a bag arrives in a dust bag I instantly love it 10000x more, it seems to be a mark of quality and makes the bag inside even more beautiful).
2. It is a perfect, shiny, square clutch and is somewhat reminiscent of Lulu Guinness.
3. The lining is monochrome stripes and is GORGEOUS.
I rarely switch up the bags I use day to day. On weekdays, I carry my vintage satchel, as I usually need a stack of books and my laptop, and on weekends, I usually have my trusty little Vivienne Westwood bag slung over my shoulder. I really have to love a bag in order to set my lovely Viv bag to one side in favour of something new, but the minute my parcel from Vendula arrived I had my mitts firmly prized on the beautiful box clutch and went on to ask every person in the house if they had seen my new bag and how gloriously shiny and perfect it is.
Before I recommended Vendula to you, I felt that I should give my bag a few test runs (as I do with all of the products I am sent) and I honestly can not fault anything. I was worried initially that the gold strap and sides of the bag would mark and tarnish easily, but this is so not the case. The metal is really durable, as is the faux leather, which is great as I seem to be getting more and more clumsy every day, no matter how careful I am! I was also a tiny bit concerned about the size of it, as I like to carry a fair few things around with me usually (such as old receipts, broken bobby pins and about 12 Lipsticks, can anyone relate?) but this bag is a perfect size for the essentials (A purse, phone, earphones and a small makeup bag in my case, though I'm sure I could fit more in should I need to).
If this clutch isn't quite your bag (see what i did there), make sure you check out some of my other Vendula favourites like the Thatched Roof Cottage bag or this amazing Book cover clutch!
To top this post off, here is my banana pancake recipe as promised above. This really is the best one I can find and is the perfect saturday morning breakfast topped with some berries, natural yogurt and a bit of honey! This is basically a modified version of those 2 ingredient pancakes you always see and hear about on Instagram with some little additions here and there to make them that bit tastier and, to be honest, more reminicsent of a traditional pancake. If you do give this recipe a try be sure to tag me on instagram (@bethanygraceo) so I can see your breakfast creations.
You will need:
2 eggs
1 Banana
A healthy sprinkle of cinnamon (this one is optional but I just prefer it)
3 tablespoons of oats (You can also use muesli)
1/2 tsp of baking powder
A little bit of oil
First of all mash the banana up with a fork until it has a creamy consistency with as little lumps as possible. If the banana isn't completely mashed you might end up with something that resembles a banana omelette, and I know from past experience that this is not good! Then add the baking powder to the banana and mix in until evenly distributed, before whisking the eggs and oats into the mix, and thats it! Super easy. I would recommend putting the mix in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so the oats begin to soak and the mixture thickens. This always gives me much better pancakes!
I hope you're all doing brilliantly. I haven't blogged as much recently ,even though I have a whole lot to post, but sorting my travel pictures and putting my trip away into words is proving a little tricky and time consuming! I had such an amazing time away, but it all seems to be melting into one memory as time passes and is less vivid. I think when you're so busy everyday, visiting markets and exploring and driving to new countries and cities, it all becomes a blur even just after it happened. I do have a whole host of lovely pictures that I cant wait to share with you though, so they will be published soon!
Thanks again to Vendula London for my beautiful bag. Do check them out, there is something for everyone on their site!
Bethany x
