Things I learnt at #JhbBloggerMeetup

At my 1st ever recent #JhbBloggerMeetup (to be blogged about soon) organised by Johlet over at Our Journey to Everywhere I was listening to all the lovely ladies chatting and after Sue Levy's inspirational talk (Follow her on @Sue_Levy or read her Blog) I realised/learnt a few things:

1. I shouldn't worry about how often I blog. I was always stressing about not blogging every day. Now I feel fine with it as long as I blog regularly.
2. I should blog about what I want. Not worry about what others want to read. This blog is for ME. that was the whole reason I started blogging in the first place.
3. A schedule makes a whole lot of difference. I have my regular #ManicureMonday and #TravelTuesday posts, but I never read enough. I know how have a Bookmarks folder for every day of the week and I read a handful of blogs every day.
4. Leave a comment. We all like a bit of love, so it is really important to leave a comment. I committed to commenting, even if it is a smiley face. Kind of a "Flirty30 was Here"
   Having said this though - when I have to fill in those silly comment moderation things with the numbers and letters, I usually get it wrong. If you have that in your blog and I don't comment as often, that's because even when wearing my glasses I still got the letters wrong and gave up! (It is the thought that counts though!)
5. Reply to your comments as much as you can. When people take the time to comment on your blog, try to show your appreciation.
6. Don't judge others. We are all human. I was feeling pretty self concious about getting there and being the only girl without expertly applied make-up and perfect nails. I wasn't. Apart from a few absolutely gorgeous girls who belong on magazine covers (yes "sparkle shoes" you are 1 of them) we are all pretty much normal girls with a variety of interests and tastes. Yet we all had our love of blogging in common and that got us off to a great start.
7. Start that blog. Don't be afraid. If you want to do it. Go for it. Do it for you. Enjoy it. 

Pink Your Drink CANSA Fundraiser

Table outside

Invite me to a event where anything pink is happening and I am so there. Tell me it's for a good cause and you won't have to ask me twice.

Sasha Martin and Sue Dudley from the Face Value Academy hosted a pretty "pink your drink" Tea Party in aid of Cancer awareness & their Academy launch on 27 October.

Pretty pink touches

The love could be seen in the small touches everywhere. The polka dot cups and awesome desserts and cookies were all in pink - my favourites were the rice-crispie squares! YUM!

Delicious Dessert - Fat free I am sure

Cookies, nougat  & free Cosmopolitan on this gorgeous table

I am in love with the polka dots

The cupcake decorating table was a hit and I am sure I was not the only one who was really excited about the sparkly fairy dust we could sprinkle atop our cupcakes!

Decorate your own cupcake

Finished cupcakes

The day was interspersed with a fun MC & very interesting talks ranging from Breast Self examinations to proper skincare & we were treated to a pink manicure complete with relaxing hand and shoulder massage.

While waiting for my skin-mapping by Dermalogica, I met a vivacious lady & soon to be blogger - Tammy. We chatted a mile a minute and even managed to set a shopping date for the near-future!

Made a new friend - Tammy

Sam, the Style Guru chatted to us about body image and showed us a stunning dress that can be worn 42 different ways.
After playing around with different styles, I wanted a dress for myself. I was about to steal that dress when I saw Tammy contemplating the same thing!
I would pay good money for a dress which looks different every time you wear it. I guess clothing designers make less money if we spend less on clothing - so they are keeping this idea under wraps!

We were also treated to a delicious Pink and Black Magnums. Deliciously sinful.

We did not go away empty handed either; Those of us who did not win 1 of the 20 Goody Bags - still each received a consolation (I use this term lightly) goody bag complete with some hand creams, body oil and Body Butter courtesy of BlendBox or KMS donated haircare products.
We were super-spoilt!

Gorgeous goody bags

Sue your bow demonstration was inspired and I cannot wait to try it out on all my Christmas presents!

Thank you for inviting me Sasha and Sue. The day was as lovely as you both!

To find out more about how Face Value Academy can benefit your daughter/younger sister/niece, visit their website

Sasha and Sue will make you feel very welcome!

Travel Tuesday: Mauritius Part 3 (final)

I am sure you are tired of Mauritius by now, but don't worry - this is the final post!

When we weren't lying around doing nothing or planning which places would be the safest should a Tsunami hit (yes we actually did discuss this!) we actually went out on an excursion to Port Louis to visit the market and the Botanical Gardens.
The weather inland was not as forgiving as it was near the ocean. Hardly any breeze to speak of and the humidity was a bit stifling.

Visiting the market was like being back in South Africa. You are accosted from all sides by shouting merchants vying for your attention. They do not know the meaning of the word "no".

We moved over to the shopping mall version and found some gorgeous shops at the Waterfront.

Pretty Umbrella lined walkway

View from a balcony taken on the fly

Tee was on the lookout for a silver charm and I wanted to shop. I managed to buy an aqua blue table runner & a magnet. I bought a pink silk runner while in Thailand & I would like to continue this tradition.
I have a metal cupboard at the office and to hide it's ugliness, I cover it in magnets.

I even spotted a One Direction DVD in the music shop! (The hotel were also playing One Direction - my boys are everywhere!)

SPOTTED: One Direction in Mauritius!

The gardens were filled with varieties of majestic palms & assorted plants and even a tree full of bats! They look just like birds while flying - who knew they were active in the daytime?

A Lily Pond - these pads can hold up to 3kgs!

Once the petals fall off - they look like shower heads.

Tree

We returned to the hotel that afternoon and collapsed onto our lounger to enjoy a well-deserved cocktail (or 2)

Besides the shopping, there was not much to write home about. The city is like any other 3rd world city - not very pretty.

Back on the beach is where we belonged; sea, lounger, waiters to bring us food and drinks!

Zoe protecting us from pirates

After 1 too many cocktails we were writing lovely things on our bill amusing the waiter

This is how we ended every night; feet up lounging on the comfy sofas in the lobby area catching up on social media thanks to the free Wi-Fi.

I limited myself to only posting 1 photo a day on Instagram (You gotta admire my restraint!)

The hotel is very clever allowing free Wi-Fi in the lobby as whenever you walk by there are people lounging around looking ever so relaxed and happy - lending to that holiday atmosphere of contentment.

The good life

I highly recommend a trip to Mauritius. The island did not disappoint.
Just remember to take the All Inclusive package and lots of sunblock - otherwise both oversights will end up costing you a fortune!
The East side of the island is also the side that has the breeze - keeping the temperature cooler than the rest of the island.
The beauty of such a tiny island is that anything around Mauritius is within driving distance should you feel the need to go snorkelling etc.

I would recommend taking some extra cash with you and springing for an excursion on a catamaran or a boat and having lunch on another little island. it's pricey, but something I wish I had known about so that I could have budgeted for prior to the trip.

The END

To re-visit the other parts of my trip complete with pretty palm tree and ocean scenery, click here for Part 1 or here for Part 2

Manicure Monday - Glitter

I got the idea for a glitter manicure from an article in the October edition of Cosmopolitan.

Cosmopolitan - October

I love that this mint green colour is in fashion because it has been a favourite colour of mine for a while.
I don't own any glitter nail polish in mint green though - so I had to adapt this to suit my purple glitter polish!

This is my lazy, I don't want to cut tape twist on it:

Left Hand

Right Hand

I painted a deep purple colour onto my nails.

I then used the glitter polish and swiped a diagonal line along my index fingers and a straight tip (think french manicure) along my right thumb and left ring finger. I also painted an entire nail on each hand with the glitter for some extra sparkle.

Ta-Da! Ridiculously easy but oh so pretty and sparkly!

Sidenote: The colour is a bit bold - I think this colour would do best at night.