Princess of Jozi

After over a year of blogging and encouragement from lots of amazing friends I finally gathered up the courage to pose for an outfit post. Even as I am typing this, I am so nervous! I have always, like every girl, had issues with the way I look but I’ve decided to just wear what I always do and take the plunge.

Woolworths RE: Jeans | Forever 21 Top | Chinatown Boots | Koukla @ YDE Jacket

I bought this top at Forever 21 on my trip to the UAE this year. My youngest brother and I have a slight obsession with dinosaurs. We have hundreds of dinosaur related stuff like stuffed toys, stickers, stationery, crockery and lots more. I love it when I can wear a bit of my personality in my clothes or accessories.

The boots are from a Chinese store and they were super cheap. On the downside, the left shoe is a little smaller than the right one which is suuuuuuper uncomfortable but I suffer through it because they look so fab ;)

Woolworths’ RE: is one of my favourite denim brands. I have lots of pairs of skinny jeans from them and they’re really comfy and affordable. They wash well too. I just chuck them in the washing machine and dryer and they’re good to go.

Until next time

“You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

 Love and sparkles

Rihanna’s latest collection for MAC Cosmetics is made up of the unique formulations and textures MAC is famous for; in colours that our girl RiRi has personally worked on all encased in the most beautiful rose-gold and pearl-white packaging. What more can a girl ask for?

The collection sees the famous RiRi Woo matte lipstick (ZAR210) returning as well as 2 new matte colours: Pleasurebomb and Bad Girl RiRi. There is also a RiRi Woo nail polish(ZAR150) which is a cool matte red, Veluxe Pearlfusion eye-shadow palettes(ZAR400) in Phresh Out and 2X Dare, frost Superslick Eyeliners(ZAR250) in Pisces Persuasion, shimmery white,and Cockiness, shimmery rose gold, and a bronzing powder(ZAR400) in Love Rihanna which is shimmery brown with a gold pearl effect. You can use the beautiful rose-gold and pearl white double ended brush (ZAR300) to apply your makeup and store it all in a quilted rose-gold RiRi ♥ M.A.C makeup bag (ZAR500).

The collection went on sale on Tuesday (10 December) on the South African online store (www.maccosmetics.co.za) and I bought myself the Pleasurebomb lipstick. It is a lovely matte, fuchsia colour and I think it will suit most skintones. The texture, although matte is quite creamy and it’s really long lasting. It’s quite similar in shade (although brighter) to MAC’s Impassioned Amplified lipstick. Rihanna posted a photo on Instagram, noting that she had the sample for Pleasurebomb in 2012! Clearly a lot of time, thought and effort has been put into this collection by both Rihanna and MAC.

Pleasurebomb and most of the RiRi ♥ M.A.C Holiday Collection was sold out on the MAC South Africa online store within 48 hours. I was pretty disappointed as I wanted the Bad Girl RiRi lipstick and the Love, Rihanna bronzer, but do not despair, it will be available in MAC standalone(Melrose Arch, Rosebank and V&A Waterfront) stores on January 4th 2014. I do predict that it will be highly popular so get your butt there early so you’re not disappointed. If you know me at all, you will know that I am not above crying in a MAC store if they’re out of a limited edition item ;)

Until next time

Love, sparkles and fuchsia kisses

On November 29th I attended South African designer Suzaan Heyns’s store re-launch event which showcased her second collaboration with PPC Cement. With hardware stores being one of the family businesses, I was fascinated to see how it could be integrated in fashion.

Suzaan Heyns is one of my favourite designers. It is a dream of mine to be dressed by her one day. Her designs are edgy but have an element of pretty which makes them so unique. She has been nominated for and has won many local design awards thanks to her artistry, originality and uniqueness. The idea of taking a very rugged medium like concrete into fashion is just the innovativeness that makes me admire her so much. It is original and inspired.

When I walked into the store, I was awed and I felt like Alice in Wonderland. It was almost like a little Gothic sanctuary. From little concrete mushrooms to a concrete framed mirror to the most amazing concrete light fixture, the detail was impeccable. Suzaan’s beautiful pieces stood out perfectly. Just being in that space was an experience on its own. Moments like these underline and celebrate the artistic and emotional value that fashion holds.

Suzaan worked with Sybrand Wiechers, a sculptor and Sobeit Studio for the store transformation.

We were each given a gorgeous concrete bow neckpiece. I can’t wait to wear mine! I also got to meet fellow bloggers Sarah (The Angelheaded Hipster) and Anne (Lady Jane Loves) who are ahhhhmazing!

Thanks to Ogilvy, PPC Cement and Suzaan Heyns for having me.

You can (SHOULD) visit the store at:

Shop 53

Galleria

Melrose Arch

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xo

I have been using the BB Cream from Topshop for a while now and I’m going to give you a bit of a review. If you don’t know what a BB Cream is, well, why are you here then?! JUST KIDDING, JUST KIDDING!!! Let me break it down for you. A BB Cream or Beauty Balm is basically a tinted moisturizer designed to camouflage imperfections like blemishes and colour flaws and can be used as a primer, moisturizer and even a foundation. They usually contain a Sun Protection Factor which varies from brand to brand. I have totally adopted the BB Cream as my best beauty friend recently as my skin has been behaving and I don’t need a ton of coverage.

Okay so let’s get into it. :)

Packaging

The tube is really pretty. It’s silver and although it’s plastic, it’s quite sturdy. The screw lid closes tightly (definitely a win) and the hole is quite small so you don’t squeeze out too much of the product (I hate it when the holes are huge and I end up wasting so much product and making a general mess). There’s white text on the tube. Here’s what it says,

Front – “Lightweight and flawless finish”

Back – “Lightweight buildable beauty balm which protects, hydrates and gives radiance”

Scent

I’m not a huge fan of the scent but it doesn’t bother me either. It sort of has a mild lavender scent but it disappears once it is on the skin.

Texture/Application

I love love love the texture. You can use a sponge, brush or your fingers to apply this BB Cream. I generally use my fingers and a sponge to just help to blend it. It’s very soft and sort of melts onto your skin. It feels extremely comfortable, like I’m not actually wearing anything on my face.

 I always wear moisturizer underneath. On a day when my skin is particularly oily I have to swipe a bit of translucent powder on my T-zone but otherwise I can totally wear it alone.

Very little of the product is needed for application.

Sun Protection Factor

The Topshop BB Cream contains a SPF of 20.

Colour/Longevity

This BB Cream comes in 3 colour choices: 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. I tried them out at the shop and bought 3.0 which is the darkest shade. It looks quite dark straight out the tube but once applied it kind of blurs into my skin colour. I don’t have swatches for the other two shades but I will try to get them. The finish is very natural on my skin.

The product lasts ±5 hours for me. Maybe less if it’s fairly hot.

Price and Availability

The Topshop BB Cream retails at ZAR169 for 30ML. Although it is the perfect handbag size, I really wish they would make a bigger tube because I’m about to run out :(

Locally, I’ve seen it at the Topshop store in Sandton City and the V&A Waterfront. You can also purchase it at www.topshop.com

For a full list of ingredients go here.

This BB Cream is a little pricier per ML than most drugstore brands’ versions but I will most definitely repurchase it. It is so far the best BB Cream I’ve tried (and I have tried MANY). It’s just perfect for that little confidence I need when I leave the house. I really hope Topshop doesn’t discontinue producing their BB Cream like, ever.

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Korres is a Greek brand established in 1996 by pharmacist George Korres. It is set to be exclusively available in selected Edgars and Red Square stores, as well as online on www.redsquare.co.za sometime this month.

I was lucky to be invited when Edcon announced they would be bringing in this brand and the Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturizing and Brightening Cream was one of the products I was given to try out.

The product has a 96.8% natural content and contains no mineral oils, silicones, parabens, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals or sulphates but it is fragranced and contains alcohol and nut products. It is pH neutral and suitable for vegetarians/vegans.

The Wild Rose Moisturizer is formulated using Wild Rose Oil which naturally contains vitamin C and is known to repair fine lines and abnormal skin colour activity. It also contains desert plant extracts (Imperata Cylindrica) which aid hydration and Turmeric, a natural antioxidant which enriches the brightening characteristics of the product. White Willowbark extract promotes cell renewal and along with corn powder combats oiliness.

 Packaging

The moisturizer is housed in a brown glass jar with a screw top plastic lid. The brown coloured glass protects the product from changing chemical composition due to harsh conditions and light Being a jar, you have to dip your fingers in the product (so make sure they’re clean, or use a small spatula) but it also ensures no wastage. The lid screws on tightly and it is quite sturdy.

Scent

The rose scent is quite strong but not like your Great Aunt’s potpourri.  It is pleasant, natural and quite lovely. My extra sensitive sense of smell detected a slight alcohol scent to it but it is not unpleasant, it just means they haven’t gone out of their way to mask the natural scent of their ingredients.

 Texture/Application

The product is quite dense in the jar but once applied it feels very light on my skin and absorbs quickly. It is lightweight with no greasy or oily residue even on my t-zone.

Effect/Endurance

After using the Wild Rose Moisturizer for around 6 weeks I was quite happy with the results. It didn’t change the condition of my skin (which has been good, for a change) but it did brighten it. The dry winter made my skin dull and it seemed to create this natural glowing effect. I also found that it adapted well to the change from a drier climate to a more humid one through the season. Despite it being hotter, my skin still feels hydrated and not oleaginous when I apply it.

If I apply the product on in the morning it usually lasts through until the evening. I usually have to wash my face for wudhu during the day but it doesn’t give me that horrid greasy sensation when mixed with water.

Price/Availability

The Korres Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturizing and Brightening Cream is recommended to retail at ZAR330 for 40 ml and is available sometime this month from selected Edgars beauty departments, Red Square stores and online on www.redsquare.co.za. I will try and get a full list of stores that stock it for you.

For a full list of ingredients click here.

I will definitely repurchase this moisturizer. I love the effect it has on my skin; it provides enough moisture and feels very comfortable. It also smells divine and i love the way Korres lists all the ingredients noticeably so you know exactly what is in your products and what’s going on your skin.

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Doing these British themed posts over the past month has been such fun. First off I’d like to thank all the bloggers that participated. You guys are the bees’ knees and I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of your posts. Thank you all so very much for being a part of this! What you guys put out there totally exceeded what I imagined.  I’d love to do this again sometime) so any other bloggers reading this that want to get involved, please get in touch(not just South African, bloggers from all over the world)!

I’d like to thank Nails Inc. SA for sponsoring the nail-polishes for the giveaway. Huge gratitude also goes out to Kerrin from the Busby Group and Lisa from Topshop Sandton for all their help, information and allowing me to take photos in the store. Thanks to my Mom for organising the freshwater pearls that the lucky winner will be receiving.

Before I close off the week I’ll leave you with some Royal Guard nail-art by Michelle (Ordinary Misfit)

Some wise words inspired by The Beatles

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand

Some British eye-candy (both happen to be Toms) ;)

Oh and I totally didn’t forget. I really couldn’t choose my favourite answer, so I took ALL your entries; there were loads, thanks for all the tweeting and sharing, and popped them in my Topshop bowler hat. I put on One Direction while watching the highlights of Manchester United vs Arsenal and picked a name.

CONGRATULATIONS Nabeelah Husain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is a Liverpool fan (meh) but she’s such a loyal reader so I guess the symbolic Sorting Hat chose well ;)

To those of you that have followed me on Bloglovin and subscribed to my blog, do not despair. I will be focusing on beauty for the next few weeks and I’ll be giving away spot goodies to some of you ;)

I’m so sad as I type this but it’s finally Goodbye to all the British posts. It was a huge success and leaves me with this warm feeling I usually only get from a roast beef with all the trimmings.

Thank you!

Until next time

Love and sparkles

By Juwairiyya Asmal-Lee

You can find Juwi at JuwitheMad.wordpress.com

GREETINGS! I’m Juwi and I’m going to burst your wonderful romanticized bubbles of what Britain is like.

First things first: a geography lesson

England = one country

Great Britain= 3 countries (Scotland, England & Wales)

United Kingdom = 4 countries (Scotland, England, Wales & Northern Ireland)

Republic of Ireland-its own country. Not part of the UK

Simples.

I do live in London but no…London isn’t the ONLY city in the UK I mean you HAVE heard of Manchester (Manchester Utd?) and Edinburgh has PANDAS in their zoo. Also Bath is where Jane Austen is from and Cardiff is wear they film a lot of stuff. J.K.Rowling is from Scotland. Yes that’s right Harry Potter is British.

Whenever I go to South Africa and meet new people this is how the conversation usually goes:

Me: yeah I live in London

Person: OMG YOU LIVE IN LONDON. HAVE YOU MET THE QUEEN? HAVE YOU SEEN ONE DIRECTION? I JUST LOVE YOUR ACCENT

Me: um I don’t really have an accent and no I haven’t met the queen or One Direction. 

SADLY I HAVE NOT BEEN INVITED TO HAVE TEA WITH THE QUEEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE.  She thinks we’re all peasants. (just kidding. I don’t know…maybe she does. All I know is she really loves her corgis)

I haven’t met One Direction (thankfully); but sadly I have yet to bump into any other celebrity like Tom Hiddleston (Loki) or Dan Howell (danisnotonfire) or Sam Claflin (Finnick) on the tube.

As for ‘British Boys’…

No they don’t all look like Alex Pettyfer or Max Irons. DO YOU THINK GREAT BRITAIN IS FULL OF MODELS? Well there are lots of models but the Average Joe is not a model I’ll; have you know. Luckily for me I live in London so I can go to Oxford Street and see cute guys (if I’m lucky).  So it’s not like you can just walk on the street and randomly bump into this amazingly well dressed guy who is intelligent and has this charming smile and whatnot. No. That ONLY HAPPENS IN BOOKS. AND MOVIES.

Excuse you but no YOU DO NOT LIKE ‘BRITISH’ ACCENTS you like the ‘English’ accent and by that I mean the ‘proper’…Queen’s English.

Hate to burst your bubble but I’m pretty sure like 2% of the population (not an actual statistic) speaks with that posh accent…

When people say they like the South African accent they aren’t talking about the Joburg accent. No offence. When people say they like the American accent I’m pretty sure they aint talking about the southern accent ya’ll. 

So let’s get this straight. We all know the UK is huge. Do you like the Scottish accent? Because that is British. Or maybe have you heard the Scouser accent (Liverpool)…I’m sure you’d LOVE the Geordie accent (Newcastle). No seriously you should meet a chav or someone from ‘up north’ and then tell me how much you love the ‘British’ accent.  (I don’t mean to insult you just say you love the Posh English Accent).

Something they don’t tell you about London: Pigeons. If you love pigeons, London is the place to be. I mean we even have seagulls AND THERE IS NO SEA…just the River Thames (you can go on boat rides woop). Like I remember in school the pigeons and seagulls used to just hover around us waiting for our food. Gross. There are lots of hovering pigeons. You have been warned.

The great thing about London is THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO. Sure I love staying at home with my laptop and books and cat and food but hey ho I can go out and watch a musical or go to the cinema or go for a walk in the park or go to a museum. There is always something going on, some event, premieres, concerts, book events, and festivals whatever you are interested there’s probably something you’ll find to do. Not everyone goes out drinking every night. Okay a lot of people do but I guess that is part of ‘British Culture’.

Ah Tea. We love our tea. Not everyone but usually people will feel better once you give them a nice ‘cuppa’.  But then it’s also about being a tea snob and which brand of tea do you prefer? Tetley? PG tips? Twinings? I’m more of a green tea and jasmine girl myself (black with honey-how pretentious of me).

There’s a NEW boy band in town. They actually PLAY instruments. The Vamps (Brad, Connor, James and Tristan) They’re pretty cool. Check out their song Can We Dance. Also Lawson are another cool band. I mean there ARE other people you’ve heard of apart from One Direction right? Ed Sheeran is one of the coolest most awesome musicians out there right now (I don’t care if he is ginger!) I mean you’ve obviously heard of Adele right? She’s British as well as Ellie Goulding. So we have some pretty cool musicians who are not 1D.

Some British Authors you may (or may not) know: J.K.Rowling (Harry Potter), C.S.Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), Roald Dhal, Enid Blyton, Louise Rennison (Georgia Nicholson series), Malorie Blackman (Noughts and Crosses), Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking trilogy), Neil Gaiman (Stardust), Ian McEwan (Atonement) and Alexander McCall Smith (The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) to name a few.

The weather:

I can’t write a post about ‘British’ things and NOT talk about the weather. So I live in London. It rains. A lot. I’m surprised it’s not raining right now to be honest.

If it’s not raining it’s dull. Like full cloud cover no sun no blue sky nothing just dull grey to match the dull grey buildings. Lovely. I like to wear bright clothes in winter sometimes to bring colour to the dreary streets. And I have a cute blue umbrella.

But umbrellas…they can POKE YOU IN THE EYE but also BETRAY YOU. If there are gale force winds YOUR UMBRELLA IS NO MATCH FOR MOTHER NATURE. On days like those you see many discarded umbrellas in the bin. It’s quite sad really.

Winter. Ah winter…those months from December till February  (then again this year it snowed in April). The thing about snow is that it’s all fun and games until you’re actually IN it. Oohh pretty snowflakes like each one is unique wow and that’s all great from the comfort of your heated home. But once you step outside even if you are wearing five layers and thermals and wellies (wellington boots) and 2 pairs of gloves. It’s cold. It’s freezing. IT IS SNOWING. You try to make a perfect snowball but alas it won’t form a ball and your gloves get wet and the cold starts to seep in and then your fingers start to get numb. By this point you can barely feel your nose. DO I HAVE A NOSE? AM I VOLDEMORT?  (These are the questions I tend to ask myself. This is what the cold does to me…)

So I AM SORRY (not sorry) to burst your bubbles. Snow isn’t that great. Making a snowman is fun but like when it all melts it turns to black sludge, which is gross, and I feel like a penguin whenever I walk because it’s more like an awkward waddle and then the fear of slipping it’s just not good.

Okay I’ve babbled enough. I shall leave you with some tips on how to be ‘British’. Yeah maybe wearing a trilby and talking about how much you love Zara and Topshop might work but it’s all about the slang.

British Slang:  (not everyone uses such words, some are specific to South London while others are used all over)

Dinner- Supper

Trousers- pants (funny story. I moved here when I was 8 and I said to this girl ‘oh and I have these LOVELY new PANTS and the look of horror on her face. And then MY FACE when I figured out pants was UNDERWEAR!)

Trainers- takkies/sneakers

Knackered-tired/exhausted

innit- isn’t it  (innit bruv/blud)

bruv- ‘bruvva’/brother/

blud- mate

Mate- good friend, buddy

Chips-fries

Crisps- potato crisps  (walkers crisps are like lays)

Chat up-pick up/flirt (chat up lines)

Bits n bobs- random/various things

Chav- white trash (ginormous gold hoop earrings, likely to live in a council flat, wears tracksuits, loves Primark, shops in Iceland, only speaks slang- MASSIVE STEREOTYPE)

Bob’s your uncle- there you go (and Robert’s your father’s brother)

Nicked- stolen (he nicked my pen)

Nutter/bonkers/mental -crazy person (see Dizzie Rascal’s song ‘bonkers’)

Quid-  £  (some people say you got a fiver (£5))

Fancy- like (‘I fancy him’)

Chuffed- proud

Bagsie- dibbs  (bagsie the window seat)

Radiator –heater

Ketchup- tomato sauce (HEINZ KECTHUP IS THE BEST OKAY)

Chap-bloke/guy  (‘old chap’)

Cheers- thank you (everyone says this)

Chippy- fish and chip shop (off to the chippy)

Chucking it down –pouring with rain  (a term used frequently)

Dodgy- shady/suspicious (he’s a bit dodgy standing in that corner…’

Fizzy drinks- carbonated drinks  (sprite/coke etc )

Fringe- bangs  (I think I might get a fringe)

Grass- snitch  (don’t be such a grass)

Gob- mouth ‘(shut your gob’)

Gutted-  thoroughly disappointed

Jim jams- pyjamas (I’m gonna put my jim jams on)

Jolly- very (jolly good old chap)

Jumper- sweater (autumn and winter is jumper season. Ooh I love Christmas jumpers!)

Lad- young boy

Leg it- run away (and then we had to leg it)

Chinwag- talk (I love this word so much)

Nip- pop ‘(nip to the shops’)

oi/oy- hey ( ‘oi you’, ‘oi fam’ to get someone’s attention…usually someone you know)

fam- your peeps/see them as family (also famalam)

Choong Ting- pretty/hot/beautiful/sexy (she’s choong ting innit blud)- I don’t know if people still say this. I never did.

Fit-hot/sexually attractive  (omg he’s so fit)

Peckish- a little hungry

Scrummy- delicious

Snap- ditto (me too/same)

Taking the piss- making fun of

Tuck in- eat/dig in

Tube- underground trains

Waffle- ramble (and the food)

What’s up- what’s wrong?

Alright love- how are you

Typical chav phrases: ‘why are you looking at me though’ ‘did I ask you to talk?’ ‘are you staring at me?  ‘I didn’t do nofink’ ‘can I aks you sumfink?’ ‘u wot mate?’ ‘nah mate’ ‘can I borrow 50p?’

Sometimes you’ll see a Chav drinking a whole carton of juice on the bus and eating a packet of crisps for breakfast.

So all in all your British stereotypes make me laugh and if you DO meet a ‘typical English gentleman’ please do let me know.

Pip pip cheero

Toodles

Tally ho

  Xoxo

Juwi

=)

PEACE. LOVE. BOOKS.

By Irina Doman

You can find Irina at IllTakeItAll.co.za

Hi everyone! J I have an outfit post for you today and the little thing about this outfit I that it is positively British (except the shoes those are Steve Madden of course) in honour of the British Week Blog Hop! :) I have been obsessed with certain British brands (ahem Topshop) for a while so pulling together some of my favourite items was not a challenge. I have always loved the 90s denim jacket and glad that it has made a comeback! It was actually sold without the studs but I decided to add them on myself for a funkier look.

 I have recently also fallen in love with Accessorize, their spring campaign featuring the beautiful Kate Upton is so gorgeous! The Mari Tote is from the spring range and is available at all Accessorize and select Edgars stores now. It comes in a variety of colours, and it is the “must-have” bag of the season with everyone from Glamour to Elle magazines featuring it on their websites. I actually scored mine while in Moscow and chose the beige colour because it is so versatile. The bag can be worn two-ways; there is a strap that you can throw over your shoulder or the just wear it the normal way. I have been using it as my varsity bag as well; I am just so obsessed with it! :) Besides Topshop and accessorize I love Lipsy (so sad that they have left the country now), Asos (hello online shopping!) and New Look.

The weather has really been wonderful, so I hope you are spending today outdoors! :)

Top- Topshop

Shorts- Topshop

Denim Vest – Topshop

Bag- Accessorize

Shoes – Steve Madden

In 2012, The Busby Group opened the very 1stTopshop store in Africa, in Sandton City, Johannesburg. Along with this one, you now can find standalone stores in the V&A Waterfront(Cape  Town) and Gateway(Durban) and store-in-stores inside Edgars in Canal Walk(Cape Town) and Menlyn Park(Pretoria)

There are many British retailers I love but Topshop has got to be my absolute favourite. Topshop was established as a youth fashion brand in a now non-operational department store in Sheffield, England. The first stand-alone Topshop was opened in 1970 and they currently boast around 440 stores across the world.

From a young age I read magazines like Sugar and Mizz and I fell in love with Topshop. On my 1st trip to England, I almost fainted in the Oxford Street store. It was like standing in a really holy part of fashion legend. This flagship branch gets around 30,000 shoppers each day!

 Topshop gives an edgy, unique spin to both stuff that’s “in” and the classics that every closet should have. I am all for anything out of the ordinary. They epitomize the idea of “fearless fashion” and it even comes through in the merchandising of their stores. Store manager for the Sandton City branch, Lisa says they take care in pairing unusual items together to capture the attention of their shoppers and get them thinking. Prices in the local store do not fluctuate according to the exchange rate (WIN, considering how mischievous our Rand is) and I LOVE that they don’t get too many of the same item in. I mean who wants to be dressed like the rest of the city, right?!

Famous wearers of Topshop include Paris Hilton (recently seen in the skeleton leggings I am totally dying for), Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Emma Watson, Miley Cyrus and many, many more. Items from Topshop have also been worn on shows like The Carrie Diaries. Locally, Chiano Sky is a HUGE fan. Kate Moss is launching a new collection for the retailer in April 2014. I REALLY cannot wait for this.

You can find Topshop at

Shop U309, Sandton City, Johannesburg

Shop 7202, Upper Level, Victoria Wharf, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Shop 151 UL, Canal Walk Cape Town (Inside Edgars)

Follow @Topshop_SA on Twitter.

Be sure to enter the British Week giveaway as I have included some Topshop items too ;)

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

Sorry for the lack of posts, I totally ran out of data which kinda put a spanner in the works for British week. There’s still some amazing posts coming your way so keep looking.

 I have been teasing this giveaway for a while and I’m really proud of it because there are some fantastic items you can win.

Here are some of the highlights, I will be adding a few more things as the giveaway progresses,

- Two strings of genuine freshwater pearls so you can look and feel totally royal

- Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall on DVD because she is one of the best British vocalists out there

- A Topshop iPhone cover

- Two amazing Nails Inc nailpolishes in brand new summer shades Kensington Palace Gardens and Chelsea Physic Garden

- A secret Topshop item (I will get this once I choose the winner and know their size)

All you have to do to enter is follow the following steps:

Comment/Tweet and tell me what is your favourite thing about British culture and the British themed posts you have seen so far

Follow @LadyZaa on Twitter or Like Princess of Jozi on Facebook

Follow @NailsIncSA on Twitter

Super simple! To gain extra entries you can do the following(each step gets you an entry):

Tweet about the giveaway

Share the giveaway on Facebook

Follow @LadyZaa on Instagram

Follow Princess of Jozi on Bloglovin

Subscribe to Princess of Jozi. The subscribe form is on the sidebar on the right.

The giveaway will run until midnight on 10 November 2013.

Please read the giveaway Terms and Conditions here.

To the lovely ladies who have tweeted and commented already, I have recorded all your entries.

Good luck ;)

Love and sparkles

Today three bloggers share two of their favourite British beauty products. I would love to know what your favourite products are too so please comment away

Chicara

Find Chicara at LipglossKisses.com

LUSH - Bubblegum Lip Scrub

This little pot of magic smells and tastes delicious. Yes, you read that correctly. This scrub is completely edible. That's one of the reasons I love it so much. After scrubbing your lips with this pink sugary scrub you can lick it off. It's very tempting to eat this stuff straight out the tub. I love the smell of this lip scrubbie. It's more like candyfloss than bubblegum. But either way this is my fave night-time treat. I love pretty much all of the products from UK born LUSH.

Soap and Glory - Calm One Calm All Bubble Bath

Aaah, bliss. The name of this bubble bath is so perfectly suited to the heaven that's contained inside. The scent is so light and comforting. I can honestly float away in a bath filled with this foam bath. It bubbles like crazy, so you really only need a capful. My skin is left feeling silky soft and lightly scented when I finally emerge from the bath. This deluxe formula comes with a built-in body lotion. What could be better? Plus it's packed full of lemon balm, mallow extracts and moisture-magnetising skin conditioners. Who doesn't love this British brand?

Follow Chicara on Twitter... @Lipgl0ss_kisses

Charlene

Find Charlene at GeeWhiskers.com

There are many great British beauty products - Eve Lom, Boots No 7, Soap and Glory (which I sadly missed out on when Rubybox had some products on sale), Models Own, This Works, Sleek, Barry M, Carita, Tangle Teezer, Elemis, Nails Inc, Lush, The Body Shop, Ponds, Simple, Jo Malone, Rimmel …I can go on and on.  I really wish that we were fortunate enough to have more of these brands in the SA market.  When Zaakira asked me to do this post and to choose my two favourite British brands I had a rather tough choosing.  But when I looked at the products I use regularly it was an easier task.  Here are my two favourite British beauty brands and why I love them so much.

Tangle Teezer

This product was actually featured on Dragon’s Den in 2007 and since then it has grown a cult following in the beauty community.  I bought my first Tangle Teezer this year out of curiosity and because I struggled with brittle hair from an iron deficiency.  This brush has unique bristles that flex when brushing your hair which prevents cuticle damage and reduces hair breakage.  It detangles knotted hair with very little pain and even massages your scalp.  I personally cannot go back to a conventional brush after using a Tangle Teezer, it is everything a brush should be.  I love it and will definitely be looking to get a little handbag sized one.  Takealot.com sells a Tangle Teezer for only R109 and a compact one starts at R199.  You can also buy the Salon Elite version from Rubybox for R230.

Nails Inc

When Nails Inc came to our shores I was very excited to try them out, but admittedly it took me a while to make my first purchase simply because I had never ventured into Edgars Red Square store.  When the Edgars Red Square online store launched the first thing I bought was a crystal cap Nail Inc nail polish in Porchester Square. I was really impressed with the quality and lasting effects of the nail polish.  The brush is perfect in my opinion and makes applying the nail polish effortless with no streaks. I love the colour choices and the cute little mini sets that are so reasonably priced.   If you are looking for a brand that delivers on quality and lasts long, Nails Inc is a winner.  Nails Inc is available at selected Red Square stores or from the online store starting at R110 a bottle.

Runner up:

The Body Shop

Follow Charlene on Twitter... @Gee_Whiskers

  Mary Lu

Find Mary Lu on LoveMaryLu.com

LUSH – Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner

I’ve always been a huge fan of Lush, even since they opened their first store in the V&A Waterfront. The joy of being able to smell a Lush Store from 15 metres away is just indescribable. I really had a rough time deciding which is my favourite Lush product but then it all boiled down to which product I talked about the most and voila!

I fell in love with this product the moment I tested it at the store, which is an absolute luxury, may I just add. It’s not supposed to replace your body wash as it has no soap content but you’re supposed to apply it afterwards. Rub it in and give your body a massage, rinse it off and you’re ready to go. I love it personally because applying body lotion afterwards is such a hack! Not only will you walk around smelling like a rose all day but also your skin is soft and absolutely no lotion is needed. The product texture itself is extremely rich and satisfying, no large amount is needed so a tub lasts me a month when I use it daily.

The Body Shop – Vitamin E Face Mist

I started using this face mist when my mom persuaded me to use rose water on my face. After a vast amount of research on the ‘benefits of rose water’, I was convinced that rose water is the secret to long lasting beautiful and youthful skin. It didn’t take long till I discovered this ‘magic in a bottle’ as I’m a fan of The Body Shop products anyways.

It contains rose water, which is the main reason why I purchased this product in the first place and being well aware that I have dry skin, it was a bonus that it contains vitamin E too. Now, if you don’t believe that the vitamin E makes a difference, I got my mom to test it out but she has oily skin and this mist make her face even oilier than before. If you have dry/ normal skin, I’m sure this face mist will do wonders for you too. It’s all about the reward in the long run. I use it after I use toner, just a few sprits and pat it in!

By Michelle Roberts

You can find Michelle at OrdinaryMisfit.com

Hey guys!

My name is Michelle from OrdinaryMisfit.com and I am so excited to be here.  Not only is it such an honour to feature on Princess of Jozi but I am also super excited about the theme.

Today I have some Union Jack inspired nail art to show you. This is the look I am going for:

This is actually much easier to do than you think.  There is also more than one way to do it.  One way is to start with a blue polish base and then use stripers to first do the white stripes and then do the red.  I did mine another way though.  Mostly because I am not as confident with stripers ;)

You can use any white, red and blue polishes you choose.  The colours I used:

Sinful Colors – Why Not?  (blue)

Sinful Colors – Ruby Ruby (red)

Sinful Colors – Snow Me White (white)

To do the Union Jack I started with a base of white polish.  Once that was completely dry you can start to tape.  I use striping tape but you can also use normal tape cut into thinner strips.

I used 3 strips of striping take for the horizontal and vertical lines and 2 strips of tape for the criss cross.  If you use normal tape you can just cut them according to the size you want. You can see that I could’ve done a bit of a better job lining all the tape up but it just goes to show it doesn’t have to be perfect to work.  Make sure the tape is pressed down firmly right to the edges.  Then you can paint your blue polish over the tape.  If you are happy, you remove the tape while the polish is still wet.  Do this in the opposite direction that you put it on.  So the last piece of tape you put on will be the first one you take off.

(**Tip: If you use normal tape, press it into the palm of your hand a few times to removes most of the stickiness.  This will ensure your first layer of polish won’t get damaged when you pull it off.**)

Once all your tape is removed you can pull out your stripers.  I used a red LA Colors striper but you could also use regular red polish and a striper brush or a thin brush.  Go over all the white lines with a thin stripe of red polish. 

On all my other nails I alternated between the red and the blue polish.  Once that was completely dry I made small, white polka dots on all of them.

I then also added a matte topcoat for a bit of a different look.

You can also do anything on the other fingers you would like.  Here I did a blue nail with a red tip.  I painted my nail blue and once that I was dry I taped off the tip of my nail and painted that white.  Then I used a piece of striping tape on the edge of the white and made the tip part red.  You can skip the white completely if you want and just make it red.

Or you can leave out the red tip and paint red lines vertically over the white tip.  The possibilities are endless.

I hope you liked my Union Jack inspired nail art and I really hope you try it yourself as well.  It is really fun and easy to do and remember, there is no wrong way. 

Thank you so much to Zaakira for having me here and having some a fabulous theme to work with. I love it and it has been an honour to show some of nail art here.

Thanks for reading!

Xx

M

By Anja van der Spuy

You can find Anja at Glitz and Grammar

As you may know, I have a lot of crushes. I have famous crushes like James Franco, Darren Criss and Joe Manganiello. I also have girl crushes such as Lana Del Rey, Jenna Marbles and Miranda Kerr. Then of course I have real life crushes who I stalk on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and sometimes the occasional Google search.

As if that’s not enough, I also have a crush on anyone with a British/Welsh accent. I.e. The whole cast of Skins.

I love how you can say anything with a British accent and it sounds classy.  Lily Allen proved this when she wrote a song that mentions, “fuck you” a thousand times and it became a chart topper.

My British crush list is longer than Lindsay Lohan’s criminal record, so I decided to narrow it down to the following categories:

Comedian: Jimmy Carr

Okay se he's not the most attractive man alive and he sometimes looks like a ventriloquist dummy, BUT HIS ACCENT IS SO DAMN SEXY.

Also, he's funny, which is the hottest thing a guy can be.

Actress: Emma Watson

Jenna Marbles taught me that girl crushes are totally acceptable, so it's okay for me to say that I'd go lesbionic for Emma Watson. Even when she spoke American English in the Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Actor: Jim Sturgess

I'd go across the universe for this sexy beast. He has a great speaking voice AND singing voice. SCORE!

Silver fox: Colin Firth

I've never watched a Colin Firth movie that I didn't like. That's probably due to the fact that I never pay attention to any of the other characters or the story line - only his gorgeous grey hair and hot accent.

If you haven't seen Jenna Marbles' video about girl crushes, view it here.

Welcome to British Week! We are celebrating everything British and over the next few days you’re going to see awesome British themed posts from lots of different bloggers across the Bloggersphere.

I for one am completely obsessed with most things British. Whether it’s Harry Potter, One Direction, Nails Inc, Princess Kate, Kate Moss, Topshop, James Bond, football… The list is endless.

I’ve only visited England once but London is my favourite city in the world. My idea of heaven is an unlimited amount of cash and Oxford Street. No mall in the entire universe can match the charm of High Street shopping. Harrods was also a happy place for me. It’s such an iconic store. I had my first taste of Jelly Belly beans there.

British boys… swoon! I love all the different accents despite feeling the need for subtitles when watching The Wanted Life or One Direction: This Is Us.

British food has a notorious reputation but I love me some fish and chips and who can resist a roast beef Sunday lunch with gravy and Yorkshire pudding. Eton Mess is one of my favourite desserts so look out for a recipe I will share with you soon.

HARRY POTTER… Need I say more?

If I try to put everything in this post it will probably go on for days and I’ll have no room for the other bloggers. Let me just stop here and leave you totally excited for the next few days ;)

In the meantime I would love to know what positively British thing you love most… Comment, Tweet… just tell me! There’s a fabulous giveaway coming up and your participation guarantees entry! ;)

Love and sparkles

On Friday I was invited to the Zando #ShowLab event hosted at the Protea Fire and Ice hotel in Melrose Arch. I am sure you’ve all heard of www.zando.co.za, one of the first local online shopping destinations, launched in 2012. It boasts an easy to navigate site, filled with wide-ranging products from both local and international brands, secure shopping, fast shipping and personal service.

As the shopaholic I am, you would imagine that I spend most of my free hours clicking ‘add to cart’. Well, I actually am quite apprehensive when it comes to online shopping. I like to feel the product, judge its fabric, materials, manufacturing and then decide if I want to purchase it. My online buys are usually re-purchases, a product I already know that I’ve managed to find online cheaper or impulse sale buys. That’s why Zando’s #ShowLab was a stroke of sheer genius.

On arrival, we were given a R300 voucher to use on the site before we left. I quickly fell in love with a clutch-bag (it had a CROWN on it!) and clicked ‘Checkout’. We were then taken through the trends for the next few seasons by Zak from Zando. I am particularly keen for the ‘Glam Rocker’ trend, which I have to wait until next Fall/Winter for. We were shown what Zando buyers have acquired in all their various departments to keep us trendy. Grunge, 90s and Sports Luxe seem to be transcending through the seasons so stock up!

We were then taken up to The Apartments which were basically a few hotel rooms which the Zando team had set up with items available on their site according to themes. This was perfect for me and I spent a while going through all the items. 

It was a lovely afternoon and I left with a trunk full of goodies. It was great meeting the team behind Zando(Especially Zak who I have been wanting to meet for ages!). They truly put a load of effort in making sure we stay trendy.

Thanks to Gennaro and the Zando team for having me!

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

P.S The bag I ordered on Friday arrived yesterday afternoon. Impeccable service

One of the very first social networking platforms that encouraged users to share their creativity and thoughts was called MySpace. MY SPACE… Basically your space where you can put down everything that makes you… you.

I originally started blogging as a creative outlet for my (sometimes dark) feelings. (This isn’t my first blog). I was inspired by bloggers like Fashion Breed, Baked and Sam from Frills and Thrills (who is kind of a childhood friend) I had always felt like I didn’t fit in as a whole and that the web was somewhere that my crazy, misfit self could share stuff and just feel at home. Recently the blogging world has become another place I have to try to “fit-into”

I fully understand that the idea of blogging is to inspire others but rushing out to buy something just because SHE has it totally defeats the purpose. Buying a fragrance because its brand new doesn’t mean you’re going to love the smell. I’m all for going nuts over cult products and limited editions but buying a cult product just because all the bloggers have it rather than for the value it adds to your life… that’s plain stupid. To be very candid, I didn’t even know Candy Yum Yum was a cult colour, I just REALLY wanted a neon pink lipstick.

It isn’t about who truly loves what anymore. It’s about what we all should have and where we all should be. Blogging basically puts your stuff out there to be scrutinized by the entire universe(yeah I'm pretty sure there's a Martian or 2 out there reading our blogs) and it totally opens us up to criticism but this isn't the issue i have. Give me a huge dose of constructive criticism any day of the week. Not everyone is gonna love what we put out there and I'd rather have a criticism than fake compliments.

I used to LOVE attending events. Meeting people and making acquaintances (I don’t see them as “contacts”) was such fun. But now it’s all a rivalry… “Have you gotten an invite to that” “Ooh I’m going for this” I have to force myself to attend these things now. I have to validate going a thousand times in my head from the day I get an invite to the time I’m leaving the house right to the very moment I have to get off the car. (I get that this is totally unhealthy and I am working on it) I really didn’t want to talk about Miley’s latex clad butt the entire week after the VMAs and I really don’t wanna discuss other bloggers. Frankly all I’d like to talk about this week is Manchester United’s disappointing performance over the weekend and the Government Shutdown in the USA. And if there’s one thing I cannot deal with its being totally nice and complimentary to someone online but talking smack when they can’t hear you.

There are some blogs I do adore… these are truly the essence of individuality and creativity. Luckily there are a lot of them which means there’s still hope. But blogging was supposed to be an outlet for the agony and it’s just become a pain in the butt for me. We are fed this idea that the fashion media industry is filled with bitchiness and unpleasant people and maybe that has a bit of truth in it, but we’ve chosen blogging because it’s FREE and there isn’t anyone we have to answer to. Having said this though, I’d rather have twenty mean Miranda Priestleys in my life than one bitchy blogging “associate”

Are my shopping whinges and pretty photos of lipsticks gonna change the world? Probably not… But I’d like to be thought of as The Princess of Jozi and not just… That blogger

I hope my ramblings didn't scare you ;)

Until next time

Love and sparkles