Special Blog Post - Carla van der Merwe

So this year’s special blog posts got a lot of positive feedback and I am proud to share another one with you today.

Carla van der Merwe, or better known as Petro in 7de Laan, is an open-mined, positive and passionate young lady.  Her answers from the questionnaire portrayed her fashion sense as laid back with a “girl next door” type of image.  She said that she always liked more comfortable fashion instead of structured clothing items like pencil skirts and blazers.  As an actress she is very busy and seldom has enough time on her hands to consult a large amount of fashion magazines, so she uses Pinterest as her primary source for keeping up to date on the latest fashion trends as it requires little effort.  She also likes shopping at a variety of retail stores.

This is a photo Phillip Rabie recently posted, showing the close resemblances between Carla and Emily van Camp or better known as Amanda Clark / Emily Thorne from the popular American ABC series, Revenge.

Carla likes light colours such as white, baby blue/ pink etc. This is a perfect choice as it compliments her complexion. Her favourite time of the day is dusk as it reminds her of another day that comes to an end; she also describes it as “peaceful and exciting at the same time”.   

When I asked Carla if she could visit any place in the world, where would it be, and her answer was Monaco.  I then used this as one of the inspirations for her outfit.  That, and of course, the dusky time of day.   

So I decided to style a look for later afternoon, drinking cocktails with her friends.  I tried to keep this look feminine, but not too “girly”.  I decided on the following items:

First of all, the distressed, dark wash skinny jeans were a perfect fit for her.  Combining it with the Crust Vest in silver, it still keeps her looking ladylike, without going too extreme.  The Utopia High Vamp heels and Vogue-printed clutch keeps this look young.  Because of the fact that the top and clutch is already eye catching, I decided to keep the accessories to a minimum by just adding the Pearl Drop Earrings.  Finish this look of with a nude/pink nail polish and a fresh flower/mint scented fragrance.

A-List Crush Vest in Silver available at Spree for R 369, 00.

Dark wash distressed jeans available Mr Price for R 159, 00.

Utopia High Vamp Heels in a Nude colour available at Zando for R 179, 00.

Style Republic Magazine-print Clutch White available at Spree for R 389, 00.

Style Republic Pearl Drop Earrings, White available at Spree for R 180, 00.

Essie Lady Like Nail Polish in Light Mauve available at Zando for R 119, 00.

Sensu Mini Eau De Toilette Fragrance available at Woolworths for R 140, 00.

This special blog post was yet another exciting experience and I really hope that Carla also likes the outfit I styled for her.

Have a lovely day.

C

xxx

(All of the items used in this post is available at the following stores)

Woolworths Exclusive - Hair and Beauty

Today I will be finishing my hair and nail posts for this week.  This was really a fun experience in sharing more beauty oriented tips with all of you.

There is of course no better way to finish this beauty posts than doing a Woolworths Exclusive post.  Yesterday I showed you all the different ways that you can style your hair for Autumn/Winter 2015, so today I will be sharing some Woolworths hair accessories that you can use to achieve that look.  Also I searched for some nail polish that will be perfect for you for this winter.

So here are some of the prettiest hair pins I have seen in a long time.  It will be perfect for that messy up-do on a busy day.  From left to right, first is the Diamante Bobby Pins for R 49,95, second is the Flower Applique Hair Slides for R 49,95, third is the Heart Hair-slides for R 49,95 and lastly is the beautiful Pearl Bobby Pins for R 39,95.

An Alice Band is one of those items you can wear when you are five, and when worn correctly, even when you are 50!  These to nude pink Alice Bands especially caught my eye when searching for something for the "All Tucked In" look.  First is the Mimco Moondance Headband for R 299,00 and second is the Wide Alice Band for only R 49,95.

As we all know - the ponytail will always be in fashion.  So for the "how low can you go" look I decided to get some stylish hair bands to make your ponytail extra special.  From left to right, first is the beautiful Pearl Bow Hairband for R 35,00, second is the Tassel Pearl Hairband for R 39,95, then there is the Witchery Cymbal Pony Hairtie for R 99,00 and lastly is the Witchery Metal Hair Cuff for R 99,00.

This Mimco Disc Pony Set for R 179,00 will make a subtle statement wherever you go.  
Classy.
Effortless.
 Timeless. 

I absolutely fell in love when I first saw this astonishing Mimco Migrata Clip for R 149,00.  This will basically work with all the looks I showed you yesterday and is a perfect pick if you are not really in the mood for jewelry. 

Now, for your nails.  Woolworths has the perfect Nail Varnish Remover Wipes for R29,95 that I cannot go a day without.  The nail polish from left to right is Nail Polish Quick Dry Mini Bottle in a nude colour for R 59,95, second is the dark purple/burgundy metallic Nail Polish for R 29,95.  In the middle is the Revlon Gel Nail Hardener for R 120,00, then in a brown metallic colour is the Revlon Nail Enamel for R 99,95 and lastly is the green with a bit of a blue undertone Revlon Nail Enamel for R 99,95.

This weeks new experience of beauty blogging was successful and I will certainly do it more in the future as well.

Keep your eyes out for a very special blog post tomorrow on one of South Africa's 7de Laan sweethearts.

Have a lovely day.

C

xxx

(All of the items used in this blog post is exclusively available at Woolworths) 

Style Me Pretty

So yesterday I gave you a quick update on what nail and hair colours will be trending in Autumn/Winter 2015.  Today I will show you how to style this looks to ensure a fashionable appearance at all times. 

First of all I will share my top 5 picks for hair styling.  As a student, I quickly lean towards effortless and stylish hair looks.  Anything that is quick, looks classy and will stay the same throughout the day will do for me.  Another thing I have to keep in mind is a hair style that will look nice with my glasses.  That can sometimes be a problem, because a too formal look draws too much attention especially with my glasses on.  So eye sight comes first in my case.

I am so happy to see that this type of hairstyle will be back for Autumn/Winter 2015 – especially to somebody like me who is a student and don’t always have enough time to have a whole hair-do ready for class.  This look can be dolled up with some embellished hair accessories, or you can choose to keep it plain – the choice is all yours.

One thing you can count on each season to be in style is the classic ponytail – the only aspect that drastically changes is the height of the ponytail.  For this season it will be a low ponytail.  You can keep it timeless like in the last picture, or you can add some interesting hair detail like seen in picture 1 and 2. 

This is a very glamorous look that will make any outfit look a lot more fancy.  One of the characteristics of this look is the wavy curl look like seen in the 1st and 3rd picture.  This look can then be worn as a up-do or with your hair hanging loose.  One of the most important factors to keep in mind with this look is that the curl should not be too intense, keep it wavy.  In the 2nd picture is the classic hair roll.  This is easy to do and will keep you looking fabulous throughout the day.

Women are usually not very keen on trying out this particular look.  Some feel too exposed with all the hair out of their face, but it is one of my favorite looks.  I don’t like hair in my face when I get busy in the day – so this tucked in look keeps me feeling organised.  This also looks very pretty if your hair is hanging loose, especially on the cold winter days.

Every women out there knows the feeling of standing up in the mornings and having hair on their head with a life of their own – isn't that why you have hair? To remind you that you cannot control everything in life…  So the messy up-do is absolutely perfect for days with uncontrollable hair.  Use your curling iron and quickly curl tips of your hair and make a messy bun.  You can jazz this look up with some hair accessories.

Now I will be sharing my top 3 nail trends.  When doing your nails a lot of aspects have to be taken into consideration, like in my case I always like to keep it plain and simple.  The colours I use vary from nude to grey, dark pink/red and burgundy.  Yet again, keep your lifestyle and activities in mind when choosing nail colours and details on your nails.

This is one of my FAVORITE nail colours at the moment.  Effortless, but still noticeable.  When doing your own nails in this colour it is very convenient when a nail chips, because first of all it is not so easy noticeable and second of all it can easily be fixed.  If you like wearing a lot of head to toe back this will also give you a more relaxed look.

As indicated in the blog post yesterday, metallic will yet again be a fashionable colour this season.  You can also incorporate some metallic details in your own nail colours.  This will still be striking, but simple.  With this look you can experiment a little and search for some inspiration on Pinterest if you would like to try something new.

With the green colour scheme going on – colours that is eye catching will be nothing new for this Autumn/Winter.  Just remember that every aspect of your style should be incorporated into your own personal look and style.  Don’t wear green nail polish if you are unsure about it.  I will rather wear a green nail polish with a blue undertone, because of my pale skin.  Using a khaki colour on my nails might just make me look a little bit ill….  

I hope this tips has inspired you to try out a few new hair and nail trends for Autumn/Winter 2015.  Tomorrow I will be sharing my Woolworths Exclusive Post with you – also focusing on the latest hair and nail trends.  Then of course, my Special Post will be on the following day.

Have a lovely day.

C

xxx

Beauty Extravaganza

I am excited to share my first beauty blog post with you!

One of my friends wanted to know what the hair and nail trends for Autumn/Winter 2015 will be.  So I did some research and I am happy to share all my tips with you this week. 

Shades of green will be overpowering the dainty and playful summer colours.  You can expect to see a lot of dark, khaki greens as well as greens with a blue undertone to it.  This colour can go horribly wrong if you do not wear a colour that complements your skin tone - so be sure to keep that in mind when going green this Autumn/Winter.

I love metallic colour nail polish in the winter.  It always looks so warm and empowered.  So be on the lookout for a dark burgundy colour that will be categorised under the metallic group for this winter.  Don't be shy to go shiny as well, like the gold Givenchy nail polish seen in the image above.    

 

If you are used to your dark hair - there is good news for the Autumn/Winter of 2015.  The darker, the better.  You can go darker by using highlights, or go for a more golden brown look.  The colour that best suits your complexion is the way to go.

For this season the strawberry blonde is combined with red to get this beautiful rose gold colour.  Again, if it is something that works with your complexion, do not be afraid to try it this year.

When going blonde this season, do it like you mean it!  Go all out.  Ditch the summer beachy blonde colour and go as blonde as you can.  When you wear colours that complements your hair, you will look like a celebrity in an instant!

Keep all these tips in mind, but remember to embrace only the hair and nail looks that will suit your personality, skin tone and style.  I will be posting my first Woolworths Beauty look this week as well - so be on the lookout!

C

xxx