summer

Dress Down Khaki.

Yesterday I had the afternoon off work and my boyfriend’s family where down from Manchester. It was so nice to see them again, we met them for lunch in Kensington after some london site seeing we then got the river boat down the Thames to Cutty Sark for some delicious ice cream from Black Vanilla. It was such a lovely afternoon and the perfect start to the weekend.

I wanted something comfy and casual to wear so I paired a simple khaki cami from Newlook with Black rolled up Topshop Jeans, Asos leather sling back sandals, Newlook sunnies and my Pulsar watch.

dress down khaki

I really love these sunglasses. I picked them up yesterday after my old ones cracked. I never buy expensive sunglasses because I am forever loosing them, sitting on them or dropping and cracking them. These cost £3 in the Newlook sale. They are a simple black frame with black lenses, with a quilted texture on the arms and a grey inner frame. A steel for the price.

Check out the Newlook sale here: http://www.newlook.com/shop/sale/womens-sale_30082?intcam=INT-2015-16-WK16-HOME-ZBck-0027

A link to my post on Black Vanilla  https://katielouisaclarke.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/black-vanilla-2/

Men in Sandals.

Men’s summer footwear can be slightly limiting. Most guys stick to their trainers and I am defiantly not saying there is nothing wrong with a good pair of chino shorts, white T, sunnies and a crisp pair of white converse or relaxed boat shoes. But when you are away on holiday and the weather is just too hot for shoes you have to turn to something lighter. So what are your options?

Fip flops- the classic beach shoe, really comfy and relaxed perfect for a warm day of doing nothing.

But what if you need something a little more sturdy but still light and airy. My solution; Birkenstocks. They are such a classic summer essential and round any outfit off. No blisters between your toes from flip flops, and a more supported sole an they are so durable being leather and cork. I know they ain’t every guys cup of tea but I think they’re great. You should defiantly give them a chance especially if flip flops are sore on your toes.

birks

Holiday Blues.

We got back from Egypt earlier this week and have now finally sorted all the washing and got unpacked and we are now feeling the holiday blues setting in. Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt is honestly one of the most amazing places to go on holiday. Its just Sun. Sand and Sea. The temperatures were up in the high 30s every day with the sea breeze giving a refreshing relief. The beaches where we were, in Sharks Bay were clean with sand stretching across the whole coast line. And then there is the sea- The Red Sea with the most amazing corral reefs and marine life. We went snorkeling and scuba diving at Ras Mohammed National Park, it is the second best rated coral reef in the whole world after the Great Barbour Reef in Australia and is the most amazing place I have ever been. We also were so lucky to get to see wild dolphins, about 20 in total, we took a speed boat out at sunset and came across them, they played with the boats wake, swimming along side us and one guy even did a flip for us, twice!

ras mohammed

When we weren’t at the beach or out at sea we chilled at the hotel, lapping up the sun, getting our tan on and taking full advantage of all inclusive. Cobra Libre was our drink of choice- Rum, Coke and lime juice -Delicious! we would spend the day basking in the sun and then cooling off with a splash in the pool. Sharm is honestly the best balance of chilling doing nothing and being adventurous and exploring the gorgeous Red Sea.

Solymar-Sharks-Bay

Now we are back in the UK and typically it starting to rain as we landed. It’s now back to reality, I start my new job on Tuesday and I am just enjoying the last few days of nothing before the 6am alarm has to be set.

We have been to Sharm for the past two years so we have said next year we have to go somewhere different. Any suggestions?? next year is a long way off so we have plenty of time to think and plan. 🙂

I’l leave you with our holiday video and I’l cry a little as I watch and wish I was back there.

Hope everyone is having a great summer. For those of you heading off on holiday soon have an amazing time. And for those of you here stay tuned for more posts coming soon.

Tropical.

palm trees

With summer heating up nicely and our holiday coming ever closer. It’s time to talk bikinis. This summer its all about tropical prints- the bolder the better. They are garish but fun and are screaming out to be taken on a tropical beach holiday and I just can’t get enough.

fruit saladThese are my favorites on the high street: First up we have Tropical Fruit bikini- Tesco Clothing. Top: £8 Briefs: £6. You may be surprised but Tesco Clothing has really pulled out the sizzlers for their swimwear this year . This bikini is so much fun and not gonna break the bank, the bright warm colours really complement each other and the print is the perfect scale, another nice touch is the briefs come high waisted or regular so you can really get the fit you are after. This is such an amazing bikini and will look so good against your golden tan.
http://www.clothingattesco.com/swimwear/f+f-tropical-fruit-print-bandeau-bikini-top/invt/jo511348&bklist=icat,4,shop,catgwomens,womens-swimwear

See what I'm loving on Topshop for iOS

There we have moved to Topshop with this pastel floral bikini: £34 for the set it is a lot more pricey but the print is a little more subtle in mint green with pink flowers. The bikini is a classic shape with padded under wired cups and high waisted briefs. This bikini will look perfect on any skin tone but will work particularly on the first couple of days of holiday before your tan has set in.
http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/swimwear-beachwear-3163078/tropical-print-bikini-set-4326138?bi=1&ps=200

Next has also brought us some amazing swimwear this year. This swimsuit really stood out to me. Navy Floral swimsuit with frill: £25 I really like the low back paired with this neck line and the colour combination is stunning. http://www.next.co.uk/g2d64s4#976991g52

And finally -if only I had the money. This large palm print plunge swimsuit is £123 by Revolve Clothing but it is absolutely gorgeous and I am going to keep my eyes peeled for a similar high street copy. http://www.revolveclothing.com/beach-riot-stone_cold_fox-gally-cook-one-piece-in-palm-print/dp/BRIO-WX5/?aliasURL=beach-riot-stone_cold_fox-gally-cook-one-piece-in-palm-print/dp/BRIO-WX5&product=BRIO-WX5&hasCTL=false

You may be a little hesitant to brave such bold patterns but the bolder the better- as long as the print is busy it distracts the eye and can be more forgiving than a block colour piece and they are simply so much fun. For me the fruit salad bikini set from Tesco Clothing is an absolute must have and I will be ordering my set very soon.

If you want to keep an eye on my favorite summer essentials why not follow my summer Pintrest board.

Bream on the Barbie.

It’s been an absolutely glorious weekend here in London. When the weather is this nice what can you do but buy three crates of beer and whip out the BBQ. We invited some friends round yesterday and had the classic barbie: sausages, burgers, chicken and everything meaty and macho washed down with plenty of bottles of Bud. The food and company was perfect, that and the sun made it such a lovely Saturday in the garden.

bbqWe brought the cutest little BBQ from ASDA the other day- just in time for the lovely weather. It was only £10! and I 100% recommend it to anyone after a small and easy portable BBQ. It comes in a few different colours, we chose this little red number.It’s the classic round style with a lid on a small stand its perfect for anyone with a small outdoor space, for us it works particularly well in our split level garden.

Today with bellies still full after one too many burgers we decided to do a lighter, fresher BBQ. We whipped ourselves up some chili king prawns to start followed by Sea Bream stuffed with lemon and garlic butter rubbed in chili oil, served with grilled pak choi and tomatoes -Oh my god it was the most delicious thing I have every tasted and so proud we cooked it ourselves. I know some people are funny about fish especially if it still has a head but there is nothing to be scared of when it comes to cooking a whole fish. It’s moist and so so simply to cook.

Bream

Sea Bream is a delicious choice, at approximately £1.80 per fish its pretty cheap and a perfect substitute for the usual chicken and beef on the BBQ. Simply season and stuff with lemon butter and garlic and then grill over hot coals for 5-7 mins on each side until the skin is crispy and the flesh cooked through, rubbing butter on the inside will ensure for perfectly succulent flesh and a melt in the mouth butteriness. You can serve fish with so many things but here we went for a Thai feel and grilled sliced Pak Choi with cherry tomatoes- but you could easily have rice, salad or Mediterranean vegetables.

IMG_2531

It was absolutely delicious. We sat outside with a glass of wine by the warmth from the bbq enjoying the perfect end to our lovely weekend in the sun. I hope you too have had a great weekend. And lets hope the weather stays nice for more weekend BBQs to come.

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Small Red BBQ: ASDA http://m.direct.asda.com/george/george-home/portable-kettle-bbq-in-red-34cm/001679167,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M09G09C02S01

Greenwich Park.

The sun is shining. The sky’s are blue and we needed to get out the house so we raided the wardrobe for something summery, whipped out the shades and walked into Greenwich.

We grabbed some strawberries and juice from Sainsberies and picnic blanket in hand we went in search of the perfect picnic spot. It was such a nice afternoon sat just chilling in the March sun. It’s still a bit cold in the breeze but it gave us a taste of the summer sun to come. We sat eating our strawberries watching the world go by. There were so many doggies out on a walk, I saw two frenchies- I nearly melted. I had to run up for a cuddle. I want a frenchie so bad! Too cute.

Anyway back home now and going to chill before a few friends come round for some drinks.

Jet Set. Go.

We have booked our holiday for summer 2015. We are going to Egypt! Zac and I went last year and we have decided to go again, this time with our friends Pierce and Simona for a double couples holiday- Yay!
Last year we spent two weeks lapping up the sun, getting drunk on cocktails at the pool bar and going snorkeling with all the gorgeous fish and corals of the Red Sea. It was the most incredible two weeks, we felt so far away from the ordinary- it was our two week slice of heaven.

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Egypt is such an incredible place and super cheap, making it perfect for us students. In my opinion its a perfect place for 18-30 year olds, you get the perfect balance of chill out time, activities and night life. You can take a boat trip to the best snorkeling spots along the red sea coast. Go quad biking in the desert. Enjoy the water sports on the beach. Chill by the pool and go out in the evenings. The hotel animation teams arrange lots of the activities for you and are always willing to give advice on the best places to go.

sharm
The hotels in Egypt are pretty much all 4 and 5 star hotels, all grand with huge receptions and large spacious king size rooms- its so much nicer than the often tacky hotel tower blocks in places like Spain. Then there’s the prices: all inclusive hotels start from as little as £15 a night, that’s £15 for all the food and alcohol you could wish for as well as a really nice room in a hot country for literally pennies!
Then there is the weather: between July and August temperatures can reach as much as 45°C. Which is seriously hot! but the sea breeze cools it a little and as long as you like to be by the pool or the sea and don’t mind being lazy for the middle of the day then its perfect. Lounge by the pool, build up the tan, when you get too hot take a dip in the pool and then grab a drink at the pool bar when your thirsty. Just total bliss.

Egypt, Red Sea, Sharm el-Sheikh, Coral reefs!

We booked our package with onthebeach.com- they are great because you can pay right up until 2 weeks before you leave and the deposit is spit into two parts to help you to spread the cost. They also make it really easy to compare destinations, dates and flights to help you find the cheapest package. For us we found a 13 night all inclusive package to Sol y Mar Sharks Bay, Sharm el Sheikh for a steel. To put it in perspective we have originally thought about going to Ibiza; we found a 7 night basic bed and breakfast for the same price as our 13 night 5 star stay in Sharm.

For anyone looking for an action packed holiday with plenty of time to chill and relax then I would really recommend you look into Egypt. I am so excited bring on June 28th.

https://www.onthebeach.co.uk/