Street style inspiration

Images from: Tumblr & Street Style Aesthetic

At the moment I am really loving the idea of wearing some sparkle in the daytime. Usually I only break out the bling in the evening, but recently  I have spotted some great casual outfits that have been made way more eye-catching by adding just one sparkly item.

I'm also currently smitten with feminine, pastel lace dresses . I would love to have one or two for this summer ( I really love the pale blue dress pictured above).

Are you a fan of either of these looks?  

My top 5: Beauty oils

These are the five beauty oils I would not really want to live without right now: 

1. Bio-Oil: This has been a favourite for a quite a long time. This winter I have been using Bio-Oil a lot on my body and it has really been helping to keep my skin hydrated. 

2. Tea Tree oil: I always have a bottle of this in my bathroom. It's one of the most useful oils. It helps to heal skin blemishes and is also a great antiseptic (I use it on any spots or cuts). I usually buy Thursday Plantation or Body Shop brand tea tree oil.

3. Essie's Apricot cuticle oil: This has been helping to keep my cuticles and nails moisturised. It also helps soften cuticles, so its easier to push them back.

4. Balm Balm Little Miracle Rosehip Serum: This product is made from a blend of fine, skin-loving carrier oils and is absolutely wonderful. I have been using it a few months and I really love it (read my thoughts on this & other Balm Balm products here)

5. MoroccanOil: I just recently the bought the 'Light' Moroccanoil and it's amazing (If you have not tried it, you really should). It makes my hair look better, feel stronger and appear shinier.  I really think this may be my new favourite hair product. 

What's your favourite beauty oil?

Happy weekend!

Hope you all have a really fabulous weekend x

Celeb style: Anne Hathaway

images from Instyle

How cute is Anne Hathaway looking lately? Seriously. I am not usually a fan of super short hair on ladies, but Anne is pulling it off. She recently donned these four outfits: 

1. Rocking a Dolce & Gabbana minidress, oversized shades and flats.

2.  Looking very lady-like in an Erdem floral dress and high heels.
3. Trotting through tthe airport in a Theyskens’ Theory jacket, slim trousers and flats.
4. Glamming it up at the London premiere of  The Dark Knight Rises in a Gucci gown.

What do you think of Anne's pixie cut? Which outfit do you like best?   

Breakfast at Lola's

Not too long ago I went to have breakfast at a cool, little restaurant called Lola's and the whole experience was really good. Here are some thoughts: 

The place.... It's decorated with simple, yet modern, decor and the vibe is very relaxed. There is also local art on the walls which you can purchase if you like.

The service... Our waitress was very friendly and didn't seem to care how long we took to order ( I was having a very indecisive day, so I really appreciated not feeling rushed). Once we had ordered we didn't have to wait too long for our meal to arrive.

Left: corn fritters with bacon and cream cheese.  Right: My cute cup of coffee

The food... I decided to have the corn fritters and a cappuccino. Both were totally delicious.  In fact, the food was so yum, that I even ordered lunch from them to take away (a free range lamb pie -  which totally rocked).

If you have not been there, you should try it out (they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner most days). I  will definitely be going back there again soon.

Lola's - 228 Long Street - City Centre -  Cape Town - (0)21 423 0885

Listen worthy: Kimbra

Kimbra is a 22-year-old singer/songwriter from New Zealand. Currently she is best known for singing alongside Gotye on the super catchy single 'Somebody That I Used to Know' ( I am sure you have heard the song at least a hundred times)

Her debut album, Vows, was released in New Zealand & Australia  during 2011 and was only released worldwide this year.

I think Kimbra has an amazing voice and I quite like her unique jazz/pop sound. My favourite songs on the album are probably 'Settle Down', 'Warrior' and 'Two Way Street' (you can watch the pretty music video for this song below).

Visit Kimbra's website for more info or to listen to more songs.

10 things I've learnt recently

1. Getting woken up, in the middle of the night, by a crazed meowing cat in your bedroom is bit freaky - especially when you don't even own a cat.

2. Magic City is a really cool TV show. It's set in Miami in the late 1950's.

3. I'm a bit of a sushi piggy. I nearly always order more sushi than I can eat (above photo was taken at Willoughby's - my favourite sushi spot in Cape Town).

4. I love my personalised nail polish from Pretty Please (will blog about it soon)

5. Sometimes you just have to forget what your head is saying and follow your heart

6. THIS is one of the funniest cat video's I have seen in a while.

7. My hair and I are very over this super cold, rainy weather.

8. I am starting to really like Google Plus. I think I like it more than Facebook.

9. Often we are the only ones holding ourselves back - HERE are 30 things everyone should stop doing to themselves (a great read)

10. I totally agree with this quote by Anna Wintour: ""Nobody wants to be inundated. There is so much out there. What we need is fewer things, better edited"

What have you learnt recently?   

Joya jewellery giveaway

Today I am happy to announce the start of a really lovely giveaway sponsored by Joya Jewellery (I just love their stuff!)

The lucky winner will get a 'Bronwyn' necklace and two 'Gabi' bracelets:

Descriptions: The 'Bronwyn' necklace is made of chain and semi- precious stone beads. The 'Gabi' friendship bracelet is made of sterling silver beads on cotton a band with a sterling silver button and is available in selection of colours.

 

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Visit the Joya website and tell me, below, which item you like best.

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

Giveaway notes: *This giveaway is open to SA residents only * the winner will be chosen randomly * This giveaway will end on Wednesday, 18 July and the winner will be announced on twitter & FB on Thursday, 19 July. Good luck.

* GIVEAWAY CLOSED - @shopbowpeep *

Zuhair Murad Couture F/W 2012

images via here

I absolutely love the Zuhair Murad Fall/Winter 2012/13 Couture collection.  There is just so much pretty, sparkly and lacey in it that it makes me feel completely giddy.    

If you are interested, you can trot over HERE and watch the full video of the collection being shown at this year's Paris Couture Fashion Week.

What do you think of this collection?

A wintery weekend

Even though Cape Town is a much better summer city, I still really enjoy winter time here. I love how dramatic the sunsets are and how moody the ocean looks. I also like how a gloomy, rainy day can make me feel so deeply contemplative.

Today I thought I'd share a few photos that I took over this wintery weekend (all were taken with my phone and with a little help from Instagram): 

Pretty, but chilly, beach day

Boots at the beach (yup, it was that cold)

 

View of Table mountain from 'Sunset' beach

A lovely winter's sunset 

A paraglider flying by

A rather gloomy morning on the promenade

A random puddle full of trees and sky.

Are you a fan of winter?

Happy weekend!

Hope you have a really wonderful weekend.

Lovely & local: Malée

Malée is a South African brand that makes bath and bath and body care products. All the products are made with 100% natural active ingredients and are free of parabens.  

Not too long ago I got sent four Malée products (pictured above) to try out and I was pretty impressed. Here is what I tried...

1. Hydrating Body Scrub (in 'verdure'): One word - amazing! I absolutely love this salt and sugar scrub. After just using it twice I already started to notice a difference to how smooth my skin was and the smell is fresh.  I would definitely buy some more.   

2. Solid perfume (in 'verdure') - This perfume has notes of mint, citrus and patchouli. I think the scent is very clean, fresh an subtle. Sadly, the smell didn't seem to last very long after it was applied to skin.

3. Hydrating body creme (in 'verdure') - This non-greasy cream seemed to moisturise well and made my skin feel quite nice. Also liked the glass packaging (could be reused).

4. Natural Soy Candle (in 'Ochre') - This candle has a warm, cinnamon scent. It burns at room temperature to an oil that can be used as a skin moisturiser or massage oil. I really liked the smell, but I wasn't so keen on it as a skin moisturiser. 

To read more about Malée and see what else they make (plus prices), trot over HERE

 

Celeb style: Florence Welch

images from instyle

Florence Welch, one of my favourite musicians, always seems to wear such interesting and glam outfits. In the last few days she donned these two outfits:

Left: Wearing a jeweled, lace gown from Valentino

Right: Showing some skin in a low cut, black Julien Macdonald gown

Which dress do you like best?

Eyelash extensions giveaway

Do you live in Cape Town? Are you tired of having short eyelashes? Well, if you answered yes to both those questions I may be able to help you out... 
 

Today I am happy to announce the start of a fabulous, beauty giveaway sponsored by group buying site Groupon SA

The winner will receive a Groupon voucher for a full set of individual eyelash extensions, plus a two-week refill, at Lush Extensions in Green Point (valued at R815!)

Groupon is a great place to find special deals on a number of things, including beauty treatments (the deals are always changing, so best to check it often). I have bought a couple of Groupon vouchers in the past and have had good experiences. To check out all their current beauty deals, you can trot over here.  

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Comment on this post and tell me why you would like to have eyelash extensions.

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

Notes: *This giveaway is open to Cape Town residents only * the Groupon voucher is valid until 17 September 2012 * the winner will be chosen randomly * This giveaway will end on Sunday, 8 July and the winner will be announced on twitter & FB on Monday, 9 July.

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED - WINNER @NicoleWarr