Lunch at Harbour House

For my birthday last week I  had my heart set on having a leisurely lunch somewhere with a fantastic sea view, so I headed out to Harbour House restaurant in Kalk Bay.

The first thing that you notice when you walk upstairs and enter Harbour House is the mesmerizing views. The big windows and location make it a perfect place to just sit and stare out at the ocean for hours, while you enjoy a tasty meal (you can pretty much see the ocean from anywhere you sit)

So much pretty

 While the amazing view is definitely one of my favourite things about this restaurant, I also love the decor. The overall look is very light, simple and elegant. I could totally handle having my home decorated in all white with pops of blue and red.

The stunning decor

Since the restaurant is located right next to the Kalk Bay harbour, there are also loads of interesting things to have a look at like: the fresh caught fish, seals playing in the harbour, fishing boats and even some art (below)

 Some paintings being sold outside the restaurant

Overall I had a wonderful afternoon, eating and chatting to some family and friends (so much so, that I forgot to take photos of us. oops)

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to have a meal in a beautiful setting. (note: The food is a little on the pricey side, but it's definitely somewhere to go more for the experience than your budget)

 To make a booking or to have a look at their menu, visit their website HERE

 * All the above photos by me *

Celeb style: Kirsten Dunst

Lately I have been liking everything Kirsten Dunst has been wearing. Here are two of the stunning outfits that the actress wore recently, during the Cannes Film Festival:  

Left: For the premiere of On The Road, Kirsten wore a bright pink Christian Dior gown with a Louis Vuitton embellished clutch.

Right:  Kirsten rocked an elegant, Louis Vuitton silk gown at the amfAR gala. 

Do you prefer Kirsten in the light blue or pink dress?

Balm Balm giveaway

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I wrote THIS post about how much I love Balm Balm products. So, today I am especially excited to announce the start of an awesome giveaway that will give one lucky reader the chance to try some of the products for themselves.

The winner will receive a Balm Balm hamper filled with these seven products:

The hamper will contain: Rose & Geranium Face Balm, Tea Tree Foot Balm, Little Miracle Rosehip Serum (my favourite), Recovery Bath & BodySpray, Tea Tree Lip Balm , Fragrance Free Lip Balm and Rose Geranium Lip Balm. Note: all these products are 100% organic and natural. For more info visit the Balm Balm website

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a nice comment on this post

2. For an extra entry, you can either - "Like" the Balm Balm SA Facebook page and leave a comment on the wall mentioning this competition OR tweet about this giveaway and include @beingbrazen and @BalmBalmSA in your tweet.

 Please note: * Giveaway is open to South African residents only * the winner will be chosen randomly *This giveaway will end on Sunday , 3 June and the winner will be announced on FB and Twitter on Monday, 4 June. 

- GIVEAWAY CLOSED : winner @shhhkid (aka Inge) -

Happy weekend!

Have a wonderful friday and a very happy weekend!

photo found via tumblr. words added by me.

Me, today

Today I ...

... am one year older (happy birthday to me! la la la... )
... started the morning off by having breakfast in bed
... got a pretty bunch of  pink and purple flowers
... went to get my hair blowdryed at my salon
... will definitely be having some champagne to celebrate
... feel very happy and loved
... plan to have lunch somewhere with a seaside view
... won't let the fact that I'm a bit flu infected get me down
... might just have to buy myself a little present
... hope it doesn't rain too much, for my hair's sake
... must remember to take photos
... have to have at least one piece of cake
... may be away from computer a lot (will tell you about the rest of my day soon)

How are you doing today?

* Image found via tumblr

Breath Of Life

Since hearing that Snow White and The Huntsman was being made, I have been eagerly awaiting it's arrival at my cineama. Not only am I a fan of Charlize Theron (got to show support for our South African lady) and Kristen Stewart (yes, even despite that annoying lip bite thing she does), I am also keen to see a new take on this great fairytale.

To further add to the film's awesomeness, Florence + The Machine (one of my favourite bands) has recorded a song especially for the film's soundtrack. I have been playing 'Breath Of Life' a lot lately and I absolutely love it. Listen to the song and check out some clips from the movie below:

   Snow White and The Huntsman will released in South African on 1 June (yay!)

What do you think of the song? Are you excited for the film?

'Love' pillows giveaway

Today I am happy to announce the start of a lovely giveaway sponsored by the Smitten Home & Life  store (which is based in Cape Town).
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The winner of this giveaway will win two, sweet 'LOVE' cushion covers (they are available in 4 different colours):

 A bit about Smitten Home & Life: Opened in October 2011 by sisters Tracey and Charlene, this store is full of things to be smitten with. The store stocks a wide selection of ceramics, clothing, jewellery, decor items and a select range of kids accessories. Visit the store at the Farriers Centre, 53 Constantia Rd, Wynberg in Cape Town.

   

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Tell me, in the comments section below, what are you currently smitten with?

2. For an extra entry, you can either,  "Like" the Smitten Facebook page and leave a comment on the wall mentioning this competition  OR tweet about this giveaway and include @beingbrazen in your tweet ( please let me know you did). 

Giveaway notes: *This giveaway is open to SA residents only * the winner will be chosen randomly * This giveaway will end on Monday, 28 May and the winner will be announced on twitter & FB on Tuesday, 29 May. Good luck, darlings.

 - GIVEAWAY CLOSED - winner @anneliyancek -

Celeb style: Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey often rocks a casual jeans and t-shirt look, but lately she has been glamming it up on the red carpet. She  recently wore these two fabulous outfits:

Left: For the premiere of Moonrise Kingdom , at the Cannes film festival, the singer wore a black chiffon gown by Alberta Ferretti and subtle make-up (so lovely)

Right: Lana donned a stunning, silver Altuzarra gown to the Met Gala. She teamed the gown with cape and dark lipstick (I'm not totally sure I like this lippy look on her)

What do you think of Lana's red carpet looks?

Lovely & local: room online

Roomonline.co.za is a new South African online store and it's fabulous. Here are few lovely (and local) items I am coveting in their store right now: 

1. Tree cup set - by love Milo
2. Key heart pendant - by Starbright girl
3. Lace porcelain vase - by Lisa Firer
4. Handprinted deer cushions - by Mia Widlake
5. A4 print
6. Heart ring - by Starbright girl

Happy weekend!

Hope you have a great Friday and fabulous weekend :)  

* Image via tumblr. Words added by me

Light & modern living room

I am loving the living room in this cool, Brazilian apartment. I want almost everything in it.  I'm especially smitten with the wall of bookshelves, complete with a ladder.

To see more photos of this apartment you can trot over here

My top 5: scented candles (right now)

I'm a bit of a scented candle junkie. I like to burn mine as often as I can (especially in winter, when I spend a lot more time indoors and keep most of my windows shut),  I even like to travel with travel-sized ones, and I am always buying new ones to try out. 

While it would be very hard for me to list all the scented candles I love, I thought I'd share my five favourite ones at the moment:

1. Yankee Candle in 'Clean Cotton'  - I love so many  of the Yankee Candle scents, but this is a firm favourite. The clean smell makes me think of  freshly washed laundry.

2. Airwick's Ribbons Touch luxury candle in Vanilla  - If you like vanilla, you should give this candle a try. It has a rather intense vanilla scent and is well priced.

3. SoyLites candle in 'Harmony'  -  This candle is made locally with 100% soybean wax and essential oils. The calming scent is made with a combination of geranium, jasmine and rose ( I currently have the travel-sized version of this).

4.  Jo Malone candle in 'Red Roses'  -  This intense, rose-scented candle is made with a blend of seven different varieties of roses, violet leaves and lemon.  It's a pricey candle (at about R650 for the 200g size), so it's definitely a luxury buy. 

5. Wellness Warehouse soy candle in 'Lemongrass' - I love the fresh, uplifting smell of this candle. These candles can be bought here.

What's one of your favourite scented candles?

Music crush: John Mayer

I've always been a big fan of blues/rock musician John Mayer and have really liked all his albums so far ( Room for Squares, Heavier Things, Continuum and Battle Studies). So, I was pretty excited to hear that his fifth album, Born & Raised, will be released later this month (22 May in US). 

It seems that John has gone through some changes between his last album and his new one (and no, its not just that he is rocking more hair and a hat). Apparently he has moved to Montana, did some soul searching and had vocal surgery (You should check out his latest interview with Ellen over here). I'm interested to hear how these life changes are going to come through in his music.

The first single released from the upcoming album is 'Shadow Days'. It's pretty cool ( bit of a country vibe), you can check out the video for it below:

you can visit John Mayer's official website here

Celeb style: Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton looked really stunning on Friday evening when she attended the Olympic gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a gorgeous teal gown by Jenny Packham (which was embellished with Swarovski crystals), a matching clutch bag and had her hair in a braided updo.  I really loved her whole outfit.

What did you think of Kate's outfit? 

10 things I learnt from my mother

above pic: Me (when I was 1 years old) and my pretty mom

1. Be weary of gossips-If someone gossips to you, they will probably gossip about you.
2. It is better to be honest and hurt someone, than to lie and save their feelings.
3. Use the "good" stuff now - Don't save your fancy clothes, candles, chocolates or crockery just for special occassions. Life is short, everyday is special. 
4.  Confidence and good posture are the most important accessories for any outfit.
5. Noone should ever be there to complete you, you need to be whole on your own.
6. Travel is essential. It will teach you more about yourself and the world.
7. While you are young, start exercising and eat healthy - It will make things a lot easier on you as you get older and your metabolism starts to slow down.
8. No relationship is ever perfect - but you shouldn't ever settle for an unhappy one.
9. Never be afraid to speak your mind or ask questions.
10. You will end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did -  you can never get a missed opportunity back, but you will hopefully learn from your mistakes.

Ps: Dear Mom (I know you will read this at some point), just wanted to tell you how much I love you. Thank you for constantly teaching me things, telling me the truth (even when i don't want to hear it) and always supporting me. Happy Mother's Day for Sunday.

Balm Balm love

I recently discovered UK brand Balm Balm and now I'm hooked. I have been using these four products for about 2 weeks now and I can't say enough good things about them:

1. Rose geranium face balm -  While you can apply it to any area of your body that needs moisturising, I have just been using it on my face daily.  I struggle with having rather dry skin (especially on certain areas of my face) and this product has really helped a lot. It's a really great balm to use on your face at night too (then you dont need to use any other SPF containing products with it). This product also smells amazing.
2. Ultra gentle baby bath & body oil - I have been using this fragrance-free oil on my skin before I shower.  It has been making my skin feel softer.
3. Little miracle rosehip serum - I absolutely love this product. You can use it alone or in conjunction with your regular moisturiser for some extra added moisture (it really is a miracle for dry skin). I also adore the smell of it. 
4. Multi-purpose lip balm with tea tree - This lip balm is now a handbag essential for me. It's  small enough to take anywhere, you can use it on any dry area of your body and it has tea tree oil in it (so it's also antibacterial).

Oh and....Not only are all these products amazing, they are eco-friendly too. All Balm Balm products are 100 % organic (they are certified by the Soil Association) and are never tested on animals (their product range is certified by the BUAV and endorsed by Naturewatch.) Plus, Balm Balm uses recyclable packaging. 

Note: In Cape Town you can buy Balm Balm products from Wellness Warehouse (Kloof Street branch only). For more info about Balm Balm, visit their website over here 

Black & white home

I am loving the simple, black and white decor in this Swedish home. At the moment I would really like to re-decorate my apartment in a similar way (though I think I'd be a bit nervous to have all white couches and rugs).

To see more images of this home, trot over here

Diligo giveaway

Today I am happy to announce the start of a fabulous giveaway sponsored by South African, online fashion store diligo.co.za

The lucky winner will receive a R500 voucher to spend on the online store.

Diligo.co.za is an online fashion store offering seasonal trends at affordable prices (everything  seems to be under R500). Currently the store only stocks womenswear. The store ships to South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Trot over to the diligo store and tell me, in the below comments section, which item you like best from their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection.

2. For an extra entry you can either:  "Like" the diligo Facebook page and leave a comment on the wall mentioning this competition  OR tweet about this giveaway and include @beingbrazen and @Diligo_Online in your tweet.

Giveaway notes: *This giveaway is open to SA residents only * the winner will be chosen randomly * This giveaway will end on Thursday, 17 May and the winner will be announced on twitter & FB on Friday, 18 May. Good luck, darlings.

 - - GIVEAWAY CLOSED - winner: @adaftscot  - -

Peanut butter cookies

This weekend I felt like baking, so I decided to make some peanut butter cookies as a treat. There are so many peanut butter cookie recipes on the interweb, but eventually I settled on using THIS recipe, by Jennifer from Bake or Break . Here is the recipe, with my notes included: 

What you will need: 

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I didn't use this)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I forgot to use this)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling tops of cookies
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 large egg (I used two eggs as my egg was rather tiny)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 (180 C) degrees. Grease or line baking sheets.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Using a handheld mixer (I don't have one of those, so I had to beat it by hand. It was not ideal, but  worked), beat butter, sugar and brown sugar just until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix just until blended. Add egg and vanilla and mix just until blended.Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until blended.
4. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, place tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto prepared pans. Using a fork, lightly make a crisscross pattern on the top of each cookie. Be careful not to over-flatten the cookies. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sugar.(I did not do this as I felt like recipe already had enough sugar in it)  
5. Bake cookies, one pan at a time, 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. (Refrigerate the remainder of dough until ready to bake.) Cool on pan on wire rack for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe thoughts: The cookies came out pretty well, though they were a little bit more crumbly than I thought they would be. They tasted good and were were a bit chewy (which I like). I added dark, chocolate chips to half the mixture and the result was really nice. Next time I would like to use a lot less sugar in my cookies.

Happy weekend!

"Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are."

- Anne Lamott (novelist and non-fiction writer)

Street style inspiration: leopard print scarves

 Above photos found via Tumblr

Above photo from Fashionfillers

For some reason I've always had a bit of an irrational aversion to animal print, but lately I've been seeing it everywhere and it's been making me warm up to the idea of having a little leopard print in my life.

A few days ago I spotted (no pun intended. he he) THIS  pretty scarf  and decided to buy it. I  think the scarf will be a very versatile addition to my winter wardrobe and will add just the right amount of animal print to a plain outfit.

Do you own anything with leopard print on it?

Mama Mio body cream thoughts + giveaway

This week I got some really awesome,  Mama Mio O-Mega body cream to try and so far I have been loving it.   It's a thick cream that's quite rich, but is very easily absorbed into the skin and does not leave my body feeling sticky. It also has a nice, subtle smell. Since I started using it I have definitely noticed that my skin is more soft and less dry.

A bit about the brand: Mama Mio was founded in London by 4 beauty experts. The brand prides itself on packing it's products full of natural oils and keeping them free of parabens, colourants, petrolatum and synthetic fragrances (as well as a few other "nastie" chemicals). A portion of this brand's profits go to a cancer support charity. 

Mama Mio has kindly offered to give one lucky SA reader a 200ml O-Mega body cream (worth about R370) to try for themselves. To win, just enter by....

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment on this post, preferably telling me why you would like this cream, THEN please go and "Like" the Mama Mio SA Facebook page 

2. For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway and include @beingbrazen.


Please note: * Giveaway is open to South African residents only * the winner will be chosen randomly *This giveaway will end on Wednesday , 9 May and the winner will be announced on FB and Twitter on Thursday, 10 May. 

 - GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - WINNER: @ClayJarGirl -