DRIVING (FLYING) HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!

SOOO excited! I've just seen my and Harris's etickets for our December holiday in the UK with my mum in law Jan and Tom! Aaaahhhhhhhhhh it's going to be so good! We'll be in our 'second home', Devon, and it may even snow! And maybe we could go sleighing and build snow men and lie in the snow and make snow angels. Squealing with excitement... for Harris... of course...

We'll be there for most of December and best of all ... for Christmas! Our first UK Christmas in 3 years. You'll laugh but I took one look at those etickets and straightaway, my cheesy head just filled with Christmas songs, ... right this minute, Chris Reah and I are dueting (quite loudly) to "Driving home for Christmas". 

Christmas. Yup, you either love it or hate it. Me? I love it. Unabashedly, unashamedly so and have done so since primary school. When I was little my grandmother took care of us grandchildren in the afternoon after school. My tiny beautiful grandmother of the long silver plaits wound like a coronet around her head, was a very pious Muslim always conscious of passing Islamic knowledge onto her grand kids. Well, Christmas would draw closer and I'd get caught up, filled to the brim with Christmas spirit and, utterly unable to help myself, I'd have to make a mad dash outside onto her stoep and belt out those Christmas carols and songs at the top of my squeaky voice for all the world to hear... And at some point my poor gentle grandmother would be alerted to my indiscretions and mortified out of her mind, would rush out to drag me back inside. Bless her beautiful soul!

I've given up trying to understand any of it. And now, knowing that I'll be seeing Jan, who is just the funnest mother-in-law, especially at Christmas time, and Tom who lives for festivities and treating Harris, I can hardly wait. Looking so forward to crafting handmade decorations and doing up the house, all kitsch and festive, Harris decked out like the Michelin man as we traipse through woods to  choose the most perfect Christmas tree, singing along to Christmas songs on Radio 2, Christmas games and quizzes with close family and friends and watching Harris, quivering with excitement on Christmas morning and tearing through his mountain of presents. 

CAN. NOT. WAIT!

THE FIRST LADY AFFAIR

Hey me lovelies!

Sunday past I got really lucky and found myself invited to THE FIRST LADY AFFAIR at the Hyde Hotel in Sea Point ... cos that's how I roll yeah!

(Thanks for the invitation, my amazing fairy godmother
Aziza Manie Dramat of Orchid Laser & Beauty Spa)

What a special event and how overdue we were for something like this. We queens get so bogged down running our kingdoms that more often than not, we neglect ourselves and our wellbeing, forgetting that if we truly want to be the best we can be, we sometimes need to take time out, and surround ourselves with fellow queens. Sometimes all we need is to sip from that communal well of femme wisdom and draw inspiration from one another. And that's exactly what The First Lady Affair was all about.

Photo credit StyleAfrica

With  Taryn Morris - Ms SA Finalist 2015 as Mistress of Ceremony, keynote address by Twala Ngambe, Beauty courtesy of Natalie Magerman, Entertainment by Heidi van Wyk, Fitness dished up by Rushtush, and Health & Wellness from Dr Laila Sadien Adams - The First Lady Affair packed a powerfully inspirational and motivational punch.

Photo credit StyleAfrica

The brainchild of Raushana Arnold of Rebel Funk and Fatima Wise and Farah Bibi Moosa of MEMRSME, with Style Africa coming on board as their media partner, The First Lady Affair dished up and delivered all it promised, and then some! 

Beyond this it also offered us the brilliant opportunity to meet, engage and strike up collaborations with the speakers and exhibitors - all of them phenomenal women who are doing their thing, creating waves and rocking the status quo in the most exciting ways. This was definitely the highlight of the event for me.

SOME SNAPPY SNAPS

Aziza Manie Dramat and business partner Sumaya - Orchid Laser and Beauty Spa which offers pain-free laser hair removal, laser fat reduction and laser healing and facials, exhibited at the event and donated a pain-free laser hair removal prize giveaway to the value of R2100.

Guest speakers and sponsors - Natalie Magerman - Beauty Boutique, Rushdah Moosajee - Rushtush, Roshan Isaacs - MD StyleAfrica.

 The beautiful Twala Ngambe delivering her inspirational keynote address. 

Singer songwriter, Heidi van Wyk blew us away with her vocals.

I reconnected with my incredible friend Fatima Jakoet. An SAA Boeing 747 pilot, ex Forensics officer and founder of the Sakhikamva Foundation, she is the real deal and a true role model for women and girls everywhere.

Photo credit StyleAfrica 

The very exciting goodie bag with samples and vouchers from the exhibitors. This put a huge smile on my face. Can't wait to dive in!

Photo credit Firdows Jardien

I left the event biting at the bit and so inspired. Rubbing shoulders with fearless women... rubs off and I can't wait to see where it lands me. This is going to be interesting, so hold onto yo britches me lovelies, you're coming along for the ride :):)

On to Happiness!

XXX

Amiena

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IHATA THURSDAYS - VOLUNTEER TALES FROM THE SHELTER

Hey All

Today I want to share something so close to my heart that just thinking about it, has me swallowing hard. I have, these past three months, had the soul destroying, and equally soul uplifting privilege of volunteering away my Thursdays, at a shelter for abused women in Heideveld, on the Cape Flats in Cape Town.

Nuraan Osman, Director at Ihata enjoying the sun with shelter residents' children

Ihata Shelter for the Abused Women, run by my incredible lifelong friend, Nuraan Osman, a qualified psychologist and director of the shelter for the past four years, offers sanctuary, protection and hope to so many of the Cape Flats most vulnerable citizens and their children.

In this time, I've seen how women and their children, sometimes accompanied by police, arrive battered and broken at the shelters' gates. Shrunken husks, victims of abject abuse, they don't even wholly realise the full savagery of what they have endured – it was just part and parcel of their daily existence. Hopeless and hapless, they have scant concept of a healthy relationship, and saddest yet, don't believe that they deserve to be in one.

Ihata Shelter Staff

The wonderful Ihata Shelter staff, some of them previous shelter residents and abuse survivors, take the arrivals under their wings and work efficiently to offer them and their children accommodation for up to six months, as well as food, clothing and toiletries, and a sense of security.

Over time the women slowly begin to settle in and participate in the shelter's healing programmes like yoga, garden therapy, laugh therapy and reiki. And empowering programmes which teaches them soft skills such as listening skills and anger management, as well as practical skills which include computer competency skills, knitting, jewellery making, gardening, baking and sewing.

Residents engaged in garden therapy 

My contribution, as you may well imagine, is a lot more pie in the sky. You know me, it's pie or nothing! I get to do image consulting with the residents and show them how to dress, how to improve their posture, shake hands when entering an interview room and project their voices and speak to impress - a bit like they do at finishing school! We also do giggly girly things like have make up workshops, beauty treatments, and spa days where we give each other treatments. Those are amazing, and oh my... how good isn't it to see them light up and laugh, forget their troubles and behave like carefree women for a few hours! I love those days best.

Some of the residents in Shelter library

The shelter, tranquil, green and shady is a haven. Most of the time it's wonderful being there and so rewarding to see the residents grow more hopeful and positive about their futures with each passing week. Yet, there is no escaping the moments where I find myself floored, listening as a resident opens up and relates something of her life story. Shocked to the core, it once again hits home that so many women's lives are a harsh, brutal reality.

Those are the days that I leave tearful, my heart heavy. I get home and hug my Harris, and sit tucked up tightly next to my amazing mum, seeking solace in the chocolates she's secreted away but which comes out when she sees my face as I enter. I'm so incredibly blessed. I have little but I have so very much. We're the lucky ones. What luxury to be sitting here reading blogs and sipping lattes, and enjoying the favours we take for granted every single day. Let's not take them for granted any more.

If you'd like to visit Ihata Shelter or volunteer time or funds then please don't hesitate to do so, they're an incredible worthy organisation. See their latest Facebook updates by clicking Ihata Shelter.

On to Happiness!

XXX

Amiena

REVIEW: Experience PAIN-FREE Laser Hair Removal at Orchid Laser and Beauty Spa

Hey my Beauties!

So this past Saturday I had the crazy pleasure of meeting the delightfully zany Aziza Manie Dramat​, of Orchid Laser and Beauty Spa in Wetton, Cape Town​.

*For those of you who don't know, Orchid Laser offers permanent, pain-free laser hair removal (along with other beauty therapies) at reasonable prices.

Now, having previously experienced laser hair removal and vowing to NEVA EVA EVVVVA go there again, I was justifiably a sceptic, a cynic just waiting to be proven right... everyone knows that laser hair removal could only ever mean excruciating, mind numbing, heart stopping pain.  Right?!

Only ... I was wrong. I was SO wrong. Beauties, it doesn't have to mean that anymore.

... That wily woman Aziza , she knew what was going on behind my fake smile and offered me a free demo. Her weapon of choice - the Harmony Pain-Free Hair-Free laser hair removal system which heats the hair in your follicles and stops it from producing new hair while keeping your skin cool and comfortable. To start with, you don a pair of protective shades, Aziza enters your details into a touchscreen which calculates the degree of laser required, lubes you up with an icy gel, and runs the hand piece across the area you're having lasered. I had my lower arms done and ... it took all of 16 minutes per arm.

16 painLESS minutes. So utterly painless, I was weeping in wonder. Seriously, it was so good, I could easily have had my bikini area lasered while leisurely sipping on a honeybush (yeah I went there) tea from precious china teacups, and musing on the state of the nation. You get where I'm going with this right? No pain. Nada. Not even a smidgen. I'm going back and getting everything done!

Aziza, in stitches at my incredulous expression and professions of undying adoration, naturally had the last laugh. That woman, she knows her story, and I am now her most ardent fan. A true convert, and most satisfyingly so.

Naturally, I was too impressed to let go, so my new beauty guru Aziza and I, will be working closely together over the course of the next two months, to get her website up and running. And get this, I will be trying out all her treatments and reporting back to you! We're talking laser fat reduction, laser healing, laser facials, body talk sessions etc. etc. HAPPINESSS! 

But more on that later. For now, can I just say that I am loving my soft, smooth as a baby's bum arms, and the amazing painless method of achieving it. 6 to 8 more sessions, and soft, smooth as a baby's bum arms, will be mine permanently.

So Aziza Manie Dramat, I totally love you. I really do. And Orchid Laser, you are so many ladies' hope for a permanent hair-free future. Thank you!

I can't wait for Summer.

BRING IT!!

XXX

Amiena

See Orchid Laser & Beauty Spa on Facebook for their amazing discounts and specials, and book your pain free Laser Hair Removal today.

Let's talk Nose Contouring

Let's talk

NOSE CONTOURING

Hello hello!

Today we're talking nose contouring, which is the way you contour your nose to make it look longer and slimmer. What do I love about it? How it TOTALLY changes the way you look!

I don't do this everyday. I'm okay with my nose, it's round and in summer it's covered in freckles and I've gotten to the point where I'm good with it ... but when I really really want to look all sharp and swish, well then I'm not going to turn up my nose to a bit of contouring.

First time I saw it done, I could not believe how it completely changed the model's face. I gasped, hit pause, scrambled over to my mirror and tried to replicate what I'd just seen. The results, though still quite rough at that point, were... wow. The person staring back at me had a thin nose. It was crazy! And cool! And crazy! But mostly just tres tres treeeeeeees cool!

And now heeeeere's how you can do it!

Have fun

xxx

Amiena

HOW TO:

Step 1

Dip a small shadow brush into a cool matte brown press powder/eye shadow and moving down from your brows, draw two thin lines, close to each other, along the inside length of your nose. Connect them at an angle at the bottom.

(Some MUA's say to draw the lines along the sides of your nose. That's great if you simply want to define your nose. If you want to slim it down you'd need to draw the lines along the inside length of your nose.)

Step 2

Blend the lines using a beauty blender or small fluffy blending brush. Blend until you can't see any lines, just shadow.

Step 3

Use your concealer/ highlighter to draw a thin line down the centre of your nose. Use your fingers or beauty blender to blend.

Step 4

Dab concealer/ highlighter high against the sides of your nose. Use your ring finger or a beauty blender to pat it into the inner corner of your eye and under it.

DONE!

***

• It's not a good idea to use bronzer to contour your nose. Bronzer adds warmth to your face. For contouring to look natural, it needs to look like a shadow – hence the cool matte brown shade.
• Concealer/ highlighter is really really important. Using just the press powder/ eye shadow will make your nose look like a brown blob on your face. You need the lighter shade to illuminate your nose.