OOTD: Day Time LBD

Hi Dolls,

I hope you've enjoyed the lovely rainy weather we had in South Africa this week?  I absolutely love love this type of weather, not all the time of course but now and again it's really nice, and I then indulge in a day long You Tube marathon when I'm not working, and thanks to all the rain we have our fluffy grass back and our garden is looking fabulous!

Dress and Shoes - Mr Price   |   Makeup:  Used the NYX Spring Fling Palette on my eyes - NYX is available at selected Clicks stores   |   Kangol - Time to Shine Bronzer (Review)   |   Kardashian Beauty Lip Gloss (Review)

There's no filter on the face of the day photo as I wanted to show you true colors of the makeup (as I always do with makeup and product photos, I never filter them I may just adjust the lighting if it's too dark), anyway, I'm not scared of makeup.  The more the better, throw it all on - lol kidding, but let's just say I'm not afraid of wearing colors on my eyes or go for a dramatic day time look (as I'm typing this post my eyes are bedazzled with a dark purple/blue smokey eye slap bang in the middle of the day).  I feel like once you get over that initial fear, as well as all the rules that people used to associate with makeup, you can have fun with it - honestly, if you're a novice give it a try, put a color on your eyelid and pair it with a neutral brown/bronze and you're good to go, the more you wear it the more confidence you'll get.  I absolutely adore the green in the NYX spring fling palette, in fact I've worn all the colors and love them equally, it's really beautiful and the shadow is very buttery and pigmented, I wear it over the NYX white eye shadow base which helps to intensify the color.  

It's a really nice eye look with the little black dress, how beautiful is the cut out details at the top?  So as you may know already, I'm petite and pear shaped, and this dress is perfect for pear shaped women, it's fitted at the top which makes your bust appear a bit larger (goodness knows I need it, and btw don't pay attention to my bra-dent, for some reason it appears in photo's and not in real life, not sure if it's a shadow causing it or what but nevertheless), cinched in at the waist with a belt and flaring out at the bottom which gives your curves a softness and is very flattering.  

I then wore these really pretty and colorful shoes, it's fun and it gives me height (plus they're comfy - bonus).

On a side note I totally need to get my hair trimmed again, my hair have always grown really fast, but now that it's short it seems to get out of style really quickly and I do have to go every single month.  Not that I'm complaining, I'm totally loving my short hair, and next time want to go shorter in the back but keep the length in the front so it's more asymmetrical from the side ala Victoria Beckham.

Hope you have an awesome Friday!

Love,

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Outfit of the Day: Fun Florals

Hi Beauties,

I hope you had a fabulous week?

Happy 1st of November, it's my birthday month hoorrayy. I still get excited for my birthday, it's always a big event in our house so it's a lot of fun.  I hope I never get tired or bored of celebrating it ;)

Seeing as we're still in the Kruger National Park, I thought I'd schedule this post with one of my favorite items for summer from cotton on.

Top - Cotton On   |   Black Pants - Mr Price   |   Cropped Black Vest Top - Pick n Pay Clothing   |   Shoes - Legit   |   Handbag - Guess   |   Earrings - Fashion Express   |   Stiletto Nails - MOB Ministry of Beauty available at Clicks

I love Cotton On, it's absolutely one of my favorite stores!  I feel like they have an amazing range of different styles available, all in one store, from really nice t-shirts to more dressier items like this flowy floral top, which by the way looks really fab with a more dressier statement necklace for a night out.  I also really like the material of most of their garments, their t-shirts are made of the softest material which is very flattering, plus they regularly have specials on certain items and who doesn't love an awesome deal? 

This top is one that I purchased when they had one of their promotions on recently, and I love it.  I wear it so often I think people may be getting sick of seeing me in it, but honestly, it fits me perfectly, it's such a soft and flowy top which goes with everything, and I adore the print on it, it's still feminine without being cutesy.  If you want to incorporate prints into your work wardrobe items like this is a must have. Underneath I'm wearing a cropped vest top from Pick n Pay clothing, it's really stretchy and was so affordable, I highly recommend getting a few pairs of these because they're perfect to wear underneath tops that may show too much skin (if that's not your kind of thing).

I got these pants and shoes last year, which I've also worn to death, I've done a post about my body shape and both of these are very flattering and makes me look like a skinny minnie haha.  At a stage I went through a handbag obsession and bought anything and everything I liked, the more the merrier, but I've noticed the past year or so that I'm now buying more quality pieces and tend to stick with them, I also feel that a quality piece ads sophistication to an outfit (Í'm aware that Guess is no Prada but hey, you have to work with you have).  So if you like wearing Mr Price just like I do, adding a good quality handbag makes it look as if you've spent more money on your outfit than you actually did.

Oh, I tried these MOB Ministry of Beauty stiletto nails a while ago, and then I used the remainder of them this week.  They are stick-on nails which I apply with nail glue, when the stiletto trend came out I really didn't like it very much.  Maybe because some can be very long or have too busy of a print, I don't know, but after trying this I really do like the shape, although it is an absolute hassle typing on your phone, and be careful not to poke your eyes out (thank goodness for my BURST Studio brushes which came in handy this week)!

My makeup I kept relatively neutral, I just had a bronze/golden smokey eye with my flicked eyeliner which I wear most of the time, and a neutral glossy lip.

PS ~ For all my South African dolls, some insider scoop, but Clicks recently tweeted me that due to the high demand, they will be stocking the NYX Butter Glosses (not sure about the lipsticks) for a limited time during 2015 so please be sure to check out my twitter/instagram pages because I will keep you informed.

I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Love,

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Petite/Pear Body Shape: How to wear White Jeans

Hi Girls,

I hope you've had an amazing week!

Today we're going over to my folks for a family braai and to watch the rugby of course, I'm not a die hard fan but it's hard not to get excited with everyone there you know, although I have managed to get the "I know exactly what that means" face down to a T (in reality I have no clue what this or that penalty is but don't tell anyone).  And - I received a really lovely package this week which I've photographed and am absolutely thrilled to share with you very soon!

Turquoise Top - Jay Jays   |   Denim Top - Mr Price   |   Jeans - Mr Price   |   Shoes - Mr Price   |   

Bag - Guess   |   Necklace - Fashion Express   |   Nails - OPI in Strawberry Margarita

Foundation:  MAC in NW20   |   Eye Lashes:  Eylure in Lengthening

**Only listing the two main products that I wanted featured in this look but let me know

if you'd like information on another product I used **

People are normally surprised by my height, as I tend to wear high heels most of the time and seem to be taller than I am, but in reality I'm only 1.62 cm or for my overseas readers 5ft4in (technically it's 5ft3in + something).  I wouldn't say that there's a lot of limitations on dressing as a pear shaped petite woman, as long as you always keep portion in mind you can wear anything (yes, that means you can pull off wearing skinnys with cute flats without looking chunky).  Hopefully I'll debunk a lot of myths you may have read/heard about our body shape!

Okay, so how do you know you're pear shaped?  It's quite simple, your hips are wider than your shoulders. For example, my measurements approx. is bust 86cm and hips 103cm.  You can see there's a huge difference between my bust and hips, and it's easy to see I carry most of my weight around my bum, hips and thighs.  

I'll be doing a series of outfit posts on my blog, especially catered to women of my shape and length, hopefully you'll find inspiration and ideas.  This outfit isn't groundbreaking at all!  It's very simple, but I wanted to show you a basic outfit that you can spruce up, because hitting the nail on the head with any outfit starts with getting the basics right first.

The most common thing you'll hear or read in magazines for my body shape, is to buy jeans in a dark color, and go for a bootleg cut.  And although those are great and flattering items to have in your closet, you can absolutely wear skinny jeans in a light color such as white.  These jeans paired with high heels (with a skinny heel that elongates and adds length instead of a chunky heel which can add chunk to your junk lol), and a long flowy top that covers most of my bum and thighs - I've gone for tight on top and flowy at the bottom which is the perfect balance and keep that in mind when doing a look like this.

These items are fab to add to a basic outfit like this, you can definitely change it up so I hope these give you an idea of where you can take this outfit, and I think that it's a great look for so many different occasions, from a casual movie/lunch date to casual fridays at work:

** None of these images are mine, I have linked the source **

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Have a fab weekend everyone!

Love,

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{OOTD} How to Style ~ Houndstooth

Hi Pretties,

I hope you've had a good day?

Houndstooth has been around for quite a while and I don't see this trend going away soon, and it was one of the pieces I had to get, and when I found this amazing black pair at Foschini I had to buy it.

I love that this isn't the standard black/white houndstooth print, but instead the print is created by different fabrics, which makes it suitable for most women and also really wearable.

Excuse the awkwardly placed white fluff! LoL!

Red Blazer - Foschini

Black Houndstooth Pants - Foschini

Shoes - Fashion Express

Clutch Bag - Accessorize (also available at selected Edgars stores)

Earrings - Mr Price

How absolutely gorgeous is this red jacket?  Overall this is one of my favourite outfits, I love the black, white and red colours with a pop of gold.  This blazer will easily take you into summer as the sleeves roll up which also gives you a pop of black (tres chic).

Can we take a moment and bow down to the fabulousness of these shoes ~ Love at first sight!?  Would you believe that I got these babies in the sale at Fashion Express!  They have a well deserved loving space in my closet, not only are they bang on trend with the studs, but how totally amazing is the gold heel?  And best bit ... they're really comfy and the inside has lovely padding which will give you hours of walking and smiling, something one doesn't find often with heels so high.  Heels are a must for me as I'm so short (5ft 2in - 1.57 metres), I rarely venture out of the house without at least a bit of a heel.

Another way I like to wear these houndstooth pants is to pear it with pointy heels and an awesome t-shirt and a biker jacket like the one I wore here or even an amazing jumper with ankle booties would look totally cute!

Hope you liked my outfit!

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OOTD: Mint and Movie Madness

Hi Lovely Gals,

This weekend truly is movie madness, yesterday (which is when this outfit post was taken), we saw Hangover Part 3, it's so funny and if you're a fan of the franchise I'd highly recommend that you see it!  Honestly, I'm always a bit sceptic when it comes to the 2nd or 3rd sequel of an awesome movie, but this one was just as funny as the first two, especially with a very unexpected end.  Anyway, today we're going to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I think the last really awesome horror movie I saw at the cinema was Paranormal Activity, I'm quite a horror movie buff (read my about section here ), they really need to know what they're doing in order for me to be chuffed, so I'm going in with high hopes today and will let you know if it's worth the watch.

Here's my babies!  Aren't they just the cutest, I cannot imagine my life without them, each one of them have their own personality, they're different just like us humans are, never just assume that because they're just a dog/cat/bird etc. that they're all the same and they have no emotion or feelings, I assure you they do ~ they experience loss and pain the exact same way we do.  It's an unfortunate reality that I like animals more than most people, being involved with various shelters which I'll still post about, one gets to see raw human cruelty, I also can't help it but I tend to greet animals before humans LoL, I'm just drawn to them and I don't question why God gave me such passion for them, I also believe that He created them for a purpose, as humans we all crave to be unconditionally loved and that is a love you'll only ever get from a pet.  Yesterday morning we made a quick visit to our vet just to give our babies a quick check-up, and there was this gorgeous poodle, she sat next to what I assumed is her owner, so posh and statuesque, until I heard that she's up for adoption and she's 13 years old, her owners had died in a tragedy and she was left with no one :'( her last years will be spent in a Foster home, so please!  Make sure you nominate someone to take care of your furries in case something were ever to happen to you.

 

Until one has loved an animal a part of ones soul remains unawakened.

Anatole France

Whoever said "Diamonds are a girls best friend" never owned a dog.

Unknown

Jersey / Jumper:  Fashion Express

Jeans:  Sissy Boy

Knee High Boots (Last season unfortunately can't remember where it's from)

Necklaces:  Mr Price

Handbag:  Blackcherry Bag Exotic Skin PU Structured Bag Dirty Pink available from Zando R419.00 here *

 

Textured bags are all the rage this winter, it's a really easy way to spruce up an outfit, and take what could be a drab to a fab outfit just with one amazing piece like this.  I adore this Blackcherry handbag, if you're not familiar with this brand you're missing out, I also recently found this gorgeous cream and gold bag, there is definitely something for every taste, style and wallet size ;) so if you're on a budget you will find a beautiful piece.

 

I paired it with this pastel aztec print jumper, how cute is this knitted beauty?  I kept my accessories to the minimum to show off this handbag to the max, and just wore a few dainty necklaces.  On to my next favourite piece for winter, these stylish and sexy knee high boots!  These boots could be utterly gorgeous but also utterly hideous if worn wrong, you don't want to look like a lady of the night ;) so find a pair with no platforms and a medium length heel, also steer clear of bright colours and invest in a black, grey or brown/taupe colour.  They are my favourite pair though and I love wearing them with an awesome tee and some leg warmers just peeking out at the top, or a gorgeous top with a fab blazer for nights out.

 

Hope you have an awesome and Blessed Sunday lovelies! 

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Outfit of the Day: You Rock my World

Hi Pretties,

Here's wishing you a relaxing and fun-filled weekend!

I adore blazers, from boyfriend to structured ones, and needless to say I got super excited when I saw this fabulous one in Foschini.  The detailing on this is impeccable:

 

 Look at Mrs Grumpy today ~ Haha just kidding I wasn't really grumpy but the sun and I had a staring contest and it won ;)

 

 

 

Jacket:  Foschini

Skinny Jeans:  Sissy Boy

Studded Pointy Shoes:  Fashion Express

Necklace:  Cotton On

Clutch Blag:  Mr Price

 

I want to share the funny story of our "behind the scenes" taking my outfit photos ~ I'm really lucky that my hubby takes most of them (obviously neither of us are professional photographers), I have a photo inspiration book from other bloggers, which I always show him and tell him how I should be posing or what I want to do that day, and he must direct me because I can't see what it looks like through a lense.  He doesn't like the fact that outfit photos "should" be more serious, so when I do the looking downward or staring into the sky no smile ones, he tells me to smile LoL, and no amount of protest from my side is going to change that, so now you know why I rarely have fashiony blog photos ;) but I do hope you still enjoy them.

 

Okay, back to the purpose of this post, blazers for winter and summer is a must have.  I have a few different ones in various colours and patterns, but obviously black is the most versatile.  They go with everything, therefore it helps to have a variety of styles, from cropped to boyfriend to structured, patterned and plain ~ wear them with dresses, leggings or jeans, over slogan t-shirts or jumpers and even pretty blouses or tops.  There is a blazer to fit every age, body shape and style preference.

 

I felt a bit like Michael Jackson in this blazer, and if I knew any awesome moves I'd have done them ;) I wore a plain white vest underneath and for a bit of colour I wore these cobalt blue shoes from Fashion express, the height is perfect and easy to walk in (aren't they darling?) and a fab bright pink clutch, the only pop of accessories is this gorgeous black stone necklace and a few dainty rings.

 

A simple smokey eye with pink and greys with a peachy cheek rounded off this look perfectly, and I had my hair in wavy curles which I'm really loving at the moment.  I also wanted to show you the after effects of ombre'ing your hair.  About 2 years ago (way before the ombre trend hit South-Africa) I ombre'd my hair, since then I've had my hair coloured loads of times, and still the ends of my hair fades first into a very blonde shade, the only way to get rid of ombre is to cut it off which I'm not going to do until it's way longer.  Although I loved it and I don't mind it too much, one doesn't realize at the time just how harsh it is on your hair, it's not healthy to bleach it.  Just a piece of advice if you're considering having it done.

 

How are you wearing your blazer this winter or summer? 

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