OOTD: 50 shades of Blue

Hello World. It’s time to Break Out another OOTD (Outfit of the day) post.

Today I’m excited to introduce you ( not that this label needs any introduction) to my favourite South African brand , Isabel de Villiers.

I stumbled across this brand two or so years ago  when I started planning my blog & fell in love. Isabel ‘s designs are simple but strikingly beautiful. It’s so easy to wear and I get compliments every time I wear one of her pieces. If this isn’t enough reason for you to buy local then I don’t know what is.

This blue dress with mesh inserts is from Isabel’s Autumn/Winter 2016 Dark secrets and white lies collection. I paired it with my favourite Utopia Vamp Zip block heel,a red bandana necktie  & blue tassel earrings. Who said you couldn’t wear three different shades of blue!

📸 taken by @iamnuraan_c

As always thank you for reading , with all my love F xx

Monday Must Have’s: Essence Liners

Hello World. Time for me to Break Out a Monday Must Have post again.

Today I’m talking about the Essence Lip liners. I started using this when I couldn’t always afford R200.00/14USD/11GBP for a MAC liner. Its overpriced tbh and I feel the Essence quality is as good. I never used to wear lip-liner but my lipstick bleeds. Wearing  good lip-liners prevents bleeding & prolongs lipstick.

The essence range of lip-liners retails for  R20.00/1.50USD/1GBP each which means I can afford one in every color. As Clicks is forever sold out I use the nude liner under most of my lipsticks & I’ve also been known to use the Essence Kajal Pencil in white as a liner to brighten & change the color of certain lipsticks.

Do you have any value for money items that have replaced your favorites from higher end cosmetic companies? Drop me a comment below. As always thank you for reading beauties.With all my love, F.

 

 

OOTD

Hello World. Its time to Break Out another OOTD (Outfit of the Day) post. Recently I introduced you to Kalathea Clothing who I featured on my first OOTD post & today my OOTD is another Kalathea original. Asked to walked in a charity event for them recently , with little time , I arrived on the day of the event to this beauty, custom made for me. This pleated  full length dress with 3/4 sleeves & side seam pockets  feels luxuriously soft.

As a plus size community we have come so far when it comes to whats readily available at retail stores, the sizes/styles & options definately are more inclusive now , but we are still a far cry from where we should be. A few years ago bored with the selection on offer I started looking at local designers, pop up shops & online/instagram stores. Boy am I glad I did. Fashion labels like Kalathea clothing make it easy to love & buy local.

I now use my voice to influence the plus size fashion industry by choosing who I spend my money with. In fact we all have that power, we have been ignored for so long that the only way for our voices to be heard loud & clear is the brands we choose to support.

As always thank you for reading lurvlies. With all my love F xx

How to “self-care” in five easy steps!

Hello World. Is it just me or do things get crazier the faster festive season approaches?! I guess that means its time to Break out a “How to” self care post .

Having received an email from one of my readers starting an interesting conversation about self care (Hi Emily) this was a blessing in disguise because what is self-care really? It seems I had completely forgotten how to unwind.

And because I have recently been under the weather, this forced me to take some much needed me time. Today I’m sharing my top five things to do when you don’t know how to take care of yourself.

1. Light a candle:-The first thing that helped get me into ” chill out” mode was lighting candles, if this doesn’t create a relaxing atmosphere for you nothing will.
2. Pamper party for one: Now that the mood is set, I knew my skin was screaming for some attention. Using my favorites: ie charcoal mask &  She’zen body re-hydrate my skin was feeling the love in no time. Now on to my hair, eyebrows, & nails. Nothing beats clean hair, fresh nails, soft skin & perfectly shaped brows.
3. Right or Write: If there is one thing that calms me its writing. Whether it be a blog post, priority list, bucket list or journal-ling. Whatever makes you completely forget about life’s day to day worries do that.
4. Blending is my cardio: Whatever your bliss is, find it & never let it go. For me it is playing with my makeup. Creating new looks, trying to perfect my cut crease and experimenting with a new make- up technique.
5. Back to the basics: And if you’ve done all of this and you still feel ‘meh’, lets go back to the basics . Drink some water, have a snack, grab some sunscreen & get some sunshine.

In a world where we often feel guilty when we are not busy & only validated when our priority lists are a mile long, its time to cut the b.s. This past week has reminded me why its important to put myself first. My mental health is more important to me than the fear of saying “no”. Thank you for reading lovelies. What is your number 1 self care tip? Please share in the comment section below. With all my love xx

Monday Must Haves: Kiki Cool Citrus Setting Spray

Hello World. How exciting is it that I get to Break Out another Monday Must Have post. Well it is for me anyway.

Lets get into it. Today I’m introducing you to the Kiki Luxury Skincare brand and more specifically the Cool Citrus Setting Spray. This is another item I received in my BSS Beauty Expo swag bag, along with a sample of the Natural Radiance moisturizer & Face Primer ( shout out to Coco for going out of her way to arrange my swag bag & ticket after it sold out).

Description taken from the website:

KiKi’s Make-Up Ready Cool Citrus Setting Spray is a gorgeous, light and silky, citrus enriched product which is sprayed over your make-up in order to set and hold it for longer periods of time. KiKi’s Make-Up Ready Cool Citrus Setting Spray, Step 5 of the Make-Up Ready process, not only locks down your make-up, but spraying on this extra fine mist also gives you a refreshing boost. Don’t let those dry days get you down. The Cool Citrus Setting Spray can also act as a secret weapon to provide instant moisture and hydration. Just whip it out of your handbag, any time, any place, give yourself a quick spritz and immediately find a new, more radiant and moisturised you. This product is free of synthetic fragrance and suitable for both dry and oily skin types. It contains aromatic, natural grapefruit oil to cool and calm the senses.

Let me just say out of the bundle the Cool Citrus Setting Spray is my favorite. To test it I used it before foundation, after foundation, after my make-up was done and spritzed my face once more during a night out. Obsessed much?! I also used it on a brush to intensify my highlight & eye-shadow.

The smell firstly is a biggie for me, because of my sensitive skin & sinus, the citrus tone is not overpowering as I feared.  The Cool Citrus Spray also covers the two p’s. Price & Packaging. It’s reasonably priced , at 245ZAR for 100ml. And then lets not forget about the gorgeous packaging, I can hardly believe this is a local product. Simply put I’m so impressed by this local brand , I will be repurchasing it when I run out.

As always thank you for reading. If you have tried and absolutely love any other Kiki products please let me know.