Oh Dear Megan Jewellery Launch

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the summer collection of Oh Dear Megan.

*On a side note, how awesome is that name, it's like when you have this really kooky friend who always does weird-off-the-wall stuff like Luna Lovegood or Cassie from Skin and you want to be surprised but in the end you're all like Oh! Dear Megan and shake your head knowingly*

In case you don't know ODM is a Cape Town-based studio which specialises in jewellery with a local flavour and is a big hit with those uber stylish peeps that roam the streets of the Cape.

 The summer collection launch was held at a studio at The Woodstock Exchange. If I was to describe the collection, I'd say it was the thing that candy-coloured, summer dreams are made of. And true to these words, the range was displayed alongside jars of pastel-coloured candy while we were served pink bubbles and ice-cream. I was in my own little happy place.

 

 

The collection is filled with intricate little pieces of jewellery that are good enough to eat. And they add a bit of whimsical fun to your look without the risk of looking like you went into your younger sister's jewellery box. It's just the right amount of playfulness.

BUT my favourite part of the collection has to be the coins. I love me some coins. I have had dreams of OWNING the Grecian goddess look for years. And these pieces will definitely help me finish off the look. And they're made of vintage South African coins so there's a bit of heritage along with the style.You can bet this is the first thing I'll be buying when the new collection is available.

If you're also keen to get your hands on some, check out Style36 or get on down to shops like Purr and The Fringe Arts.

Thanks to the fabulous Style Guide PR for the invite, the bag of candy and the goodie bag.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Three Ways the Cosmo and Marie Claire Lingerie Show Changed My Life

Last week I was invited to attend the Cosmo and Marie Claire Lingerie Show. For someone who is dealing with weight issues and low self-esteem, this was a sure-fire way to make sure I went home and cried into some carbohydrates. Nevertheless, it’s a party and who doesn’t like parties especially when you see Skyy Vodka is sponsoring. So off I went.

The fashion show itself was amazing, the models were all gorgeous, the music and production was awesome and the free drinks were a treat. But enough about that. It was clearly fate that I showed up to this show. As I sat there surrounded by other bloggers, media and the oh-so-fabulous I watched the models traipsing down the catwalk, something happened to me that made me question my life. Not one of those horrible “when are you going to be more responsible” things I usually experience after a particularly bad hangover but more the inspiration to better my life. See below.

Witness the Fitness

Obviously when models are around you notice how beautiful they are. But as so many editorials and beauty adverts like to remind us, it’s what’s inside that counts and with the right lighting and makeup we could all shift magazine sales. But that doesn’t fly when you’re confronted with several hot bodies. There ain’t no faking that. Sometimes it’s good genes, most of the time it’s because they work hard. And oh man, does it pay off. I found myself drooling over their bodies as much as the pervy guys sitting in front of me. 

 

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This has made me firmly believe, exercise is missing from my life. I have found that when it comes to going to gym, my talent lies in finding excuses to avoid it. From I don’t have any cute workout clothes (even though I don’t believe I should ever sweat in designer clothes), to the gym is always full after work and before work and during work (I like the extent of that one) to what if this is the day the gym gets attacked by racist ninjas. Like I said this is where I am talented. But after seeing these bodies in action, I was a little more inclined to do some cardio. And maybe a bit of weight training. Also some squats and shit. Eventually this new motivation lead me to sign up – and pay – for bootcamp. Since I am super cheap and I have already given away that money, I’ll definitely be going. In 4 to 6 weeks, I’ll be parading my new body around the streets of Cape Town.

No More Granny Pants

I used to be unashamed of my love for granny pants. Anything that keeps stuff in and smooth is a winner in my book. Sadly there isn’t anything sexy about this type of underwear. Like not even a bit. It’s never in black, it’s never got lacey bits and they really look like a grandmother could rock them. Normally I wouldn’t give two shits about my knickers, especially because no one has been seeing them. Crickets in that department. But the lingerie show changed all of that. 

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 While in my seat watching the ladies strut their stuff in sexy shapewear and big pants that still looked comfortable, I was mentally going through my underwear drawer and chucking out all the cotton boy shorts, the ugly beige pairs that sit under my boobs and the magic knickers that allow me to look sleek as long as I don’t drink or eat. I thought I’d made some good mental decisions. I also decided to put the magic knickers back but on the whole I am inspired to change my knickers. After all, if I wear them, surely the boys will come.

Making An Effort

There is a saying that there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. I believe this. I also am very lazy. So while I want to change and make more of an effort, the fat girl on my shoulder makes me snooze for an extra 10 to 30 minutes. This is the time I could spend curling my hair, or learning how to contour my face or finding an outfit that I haven’t messed food on.

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 It’s a truth universally acknowledged in girl world that looking good makes you feel good which makes your outlook all sparkly and happiness personified. I have had those days. I usually have those days when I work. On the weekends however I became a slob. And after two days in baggy jumper and stretchy pants, you lose all direction in life. So if anything this has made me more determined to make an effort. Look at these girls with the good hair and the glowing skin. I want to be that girl dammit.

So thanks to everyone at the Lingerie Show for their help/intervention J

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Images from Cosmo’s FB page.

Tanqueray and Lindt Tasting

If there was ever a reason to believe in angels, it happened to me about two weeks ago. I was just checking my mail when bam! Into my inbox pops an invite to a gin and chocolate tasting workshop. This was my reaction.

Then I looked closer, this was not just any chocolate nor was it any gin, these were the big guns, the forerunners, the Tony Sopranos of the gang. I was going to a Tanqueray and Lindt Tasting. Can you deal? Because I can’t. I spent the whole of last week dropping names even when the conversation topic was nowhere now my subject. ‘Oh your aunt died, you know what you should serve at the wake? Gin. Speaking of…”

So I got together with one of my best gurls Sara and we made our way to the Lindt Chocolate studio at the Cape Quarter. When we arrived, I had to take a second. If you follow this blog and my tweets or had the sad misfortunate of seeing me at the shops, you’ll know, I am a fat kid. I live for carbs and sugar and chocolate is my church. So when I arrived at my version of St Paul’s, girlfriend had to take a moment and show some respect.

 

 

Once I had embarrassed Sara enough we made our way inside and found our seats near the front. As soon as we sat down, we were given these delicious gin gimlet cocktails. I’m sure we were told what was in them but all I remember was birds singing, the sound of the ocean and all my cares floating away. They were that good.

Then we got down to business. Tanqueray, already a master in quality and taste, teamed with Lindt’s Excellence chocolate range to create taste explosions in the form of new cocktails paired perfectly with different chocolates from the range. Thanks to a mixologist (a fancy term for a barman to the rest of us) and Lindt chocolatiers (super fancy chocolate person) we were given the background to gin, chocolate as well a demonstration on how to create these new cocktails and why these chocolates are so perfectly paired.

While we sipped our gimlets, we were given a history of gin. Did you know there are four types? Tanqueray is a Dry London, which means I still have three others to taste. I consider this research. We also got to have a look at what makes gin, gin. It’s a whole bunch of seeds and stuff. The finished project is a whole lot more exciting.

Next up was a mini lesson in how Lindt chocolate is made. I was really interested and keen until I got distracted. Right next to the lovely chocolatier, there was this machine from which chocolate poured out. Like liquid. I wanted to stick my head underneath and just lay there. But that type of behaviour gets you uninvited from PR lists so I had to stay put.

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 Then it got a little bit dirty. With the help of the fancy pants barman we learnt how to make cocktails. Apparently just pouring alcohol and a mixer is not a cocktail. Weird ;)

  This is Sara doing her thang at an apple and gin mojito and the final product. This drink was delish and was paired with the Lindt Mint Intense. 

Next up I had a go at trying to make a coconut and honey something. I really must take proper notes at these things. Boys, please note the wrist action and that I am available for dates. Also bring the Coconut Lindt, it’s amazing with this drink. 

Sara then attempted her hand at this wasabi, cucumber concoction. She loved it. I pretended to when I was asked about it. Also the Wasabi chocolate is something I have avoided for ages. I tasted it here and while it’s tasty Imma gonna stick to my coconut one. 

The final cocktail of the night consisted of raw eggs (for reals), caramel vodka, coffee liqueur, gin and something else. At this point, I had had three cocktails and really was game for anything. Until I remembered there were raw eggs involved. Can you tell how nervous I was. This one was definitely an acquired taste. But the white chocolate that came with it was insane. That is a winner.

So while my alkie-side was taken care of, my fat kid side was looking for some attention. She got it in the form of a chocolate fondant. We watched the boys mix stuff, fold stuff and put things into a piping bag. Let me tell you, it’s sexy. And the best bit, it only took 8 minutes to bake. And then whoop! There is it, chocolate fondant with coconut ice-cream. I literally had to will myself to take this picture before eating it. The smell was so intoxicating my will power disappeared. 

Sadly then it was time to go but not before being rewarded with goodie bags. I say reward like I did something heroic. Inside the bag were recipe cards for Lindt and Tanqueray, a slab of Lindt and a whole bottle of gin. You see what I mean about reward?!

To all the angels I now believe in, thanks for getting us in and for having us. Your work is amaze.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Cosmopolitan and Revlon Polished Event

You know how they say every girl has something about her body she’d like a change? Well I have a list. And it’s long. Just one of my gripes are my hands and nails. My mother has long slender hands and those elegant, pointy nails. I have short, sausage-like stubs with square nails. Beauty therapists like to convince me they’re square-oval because at least that’s a fashionable shape. But these babies are nothing fashionable.

Since they don’t make magic knickers or a Wonderbra equivalent for nails, I resorted to the next best thing: nail polish. So from a young age when all I was allowed to use was that Tinkerbell stuff that you could peel off to the days of Gellish, my nails are almost always covered in varnish. You can imagine how attractive they look when I go bare. (Sometimes I like to scare men who have wronged me by flashing my nude nails at them and watching them recoil in fear)

So when I received an invite to Cosmo Polished event, I squealed with glee. In fact I probably did break out into a Glee-inspired number.

The event was hosted by Cosmopolitan (duh) and Revlon and held at the super-fancy Bree Street Studios. Me and one of my besties Sara grabbed some pink champers and made our way to the front row. Thanks Cosmo for the reserved seating, you know how to make a girl and her friend feel special.

The setup consisted of a nail station with all the essentials a girl would need for the perfect manicure. There was cotton buds, sponges, toothpicks (oh yeah), nail polish remover and some other products from the Revlon range. Most importantly there was stand of nail polish including Revlon’s latest collection Brilliant Strength. You may have noticed the ad campaign with Emma Stone doing the rounds at the moment.

 

To start we were welcomed by Cosmo’s new editor Cathy Lund, who is all kinds of adorable in real life. Seriously I wanted to hug her but that kind of behaviour normally gets me kicked out of events. She in turn introduced Chi Chi who was our manicure tutor. Chi Chi took us through three styles that are gonna change the way we do our nails: ombre, nail art and marble effect. No more boring red for us. Chi Chi showed us all the steps needed to try these three styles and you know what, she made it look *just as easy* as those smug bitches on Pinterest make it look.

 And the truth? It was relatively easy. To mess it up. Sara managed to do the marble effect on her first try. And it looked amaze. Seriously have a look. The rest of the nails were a little bit more interesting. Sara, if you’re reading this, love ya.

I attempted the ombre look. It was more like the sombre look if I’m honest. It was all going so well until I found a way to mess it up. In fact one of the very helpful and nice Revlon ladies had to come over and help me. Like the slow kid in a classroom. I was that girl.

While we were doing our nails, we were entertained by the band Shenfm who you have to check out. If only because they are super-hot. Music isn’t bad either :)

 

So after numerous attempts at trying to create some nail art, I finally succeeded and came up with this masterpiece. Yes that is a smiley face with eyebrows. Take that Pinterest!

Massive thanks to the wonderful peeps at Cosmopolitan who invited us and made this whole evening special. Special shout out to all the Revlon girls for not laughing at my nail art and being so patient with me. Also massive props for the insane goodie bag. I didn’t take a picture of the contents because as soon as I peeked inside it was a goner. Hopefully this picture will suffice.

How we roll at events.

 

Why I'll probably not be invited to another event.

Enjoying the life (while we can).

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!