iPhone lately

Here are a few snaps you may not have seen.  Some are on my Instagram account @arumlilea and others were on my phone that I had simply forgotten about.  

1. Beautiful courtroom entrance in Pretoria.  2. Snapshot of a post from last week. 3.  Sipping on Rosé in the evening.  3.  My favourite start to the morning.

1.  Favourite moment at the beach this summer.  2.  A precious Russian gift from Irina.  3.  Sneak peak at a look post from a little while ago.  4.  Most incredible view in Mpumalanga.

1.  I can't survive a morning without tea.  2.  The most beautiful bouquet of flowers from my team at work for my birthday.  3.  Another sneak peek at my latest look post.  4.  I have a thing for lanterns, I think they're beautiful so naturally I had to take a picture of this one at our beautiful hotel (more to come on that by the way).

Blog Birthday {2 years}

Happy Birthday to my dear blog.  Today Arum Lilea, my pride and joy, turns two.  It's been such a fun journey and I'm looking forward to the adventure that is still to come.  Thank you so much for all the constant support.  It really means so much to me!

Little Black Dress {LBD}

Mango dress | Woolworths shoes | Blackcherry bag | Sass Diva necklace | Michael Kors watch

Thank you to for all the birthday wishes!!! I received so many messages via the blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which left the biggest smile on my face the whole day.  You made my birthday so special.

For today's post, I thought I'd share a simple LBD look.  I'm loving this Mango version.  What do you think?

24th Birthday

       Blouse (old) | LEGiT pants | ALDO wedges | Dolce & Gabbana sunnies | Michael Kors watch | Forever New bracelet | Mr Price clutch | Sass Diva necklace

Hi everyone!  

Today is my 24th birthday.  Hip Hip Horaay!  

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  I'd love to know if you did anything exciting.  Happy Monday!

xxx

Little Red Riding Hood

Old top | Mr Price skirt | Zoom heels | Elizabeth Arden lipstick in Red Door Red

Here's a midweek post for you today.  I'm considering making my hair a little lighter, what do you think?  Happy Wednesday!

Elizabeth Arden lipstick

I've been having so much fun trying out Elizabeth Arden's new Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in the shades Red Door Red and Neoclassic Coral.  It goes without saying that Elizabeth Arden is a high quality brand but I have been blown away by how long these colours have been lasting throughout the day.  I love brightly coloured lipsticks but generally I find that I need to reapply almost hourly.  Not with these though!  I've found that a single application lasts up to 8 hours, time which includes lunch, teas and lots of chatting.  They're are also rich in shea butter and vitamins A, C and E.  Another thing that I love about these colours is that they don't bleed and smudge and because of this I haven't had to worry about those awkward moments when you realise you have lipstick on your teeth (and believe me I've checked a million times).  I am honestly so impressed with these lipsticks that it will take me a lot to persuade me back to the many that I have used before.

You can find these along with the rest of the 2014 colours at any Elizabeth Arden counter as from tomorrow, 14 January 2014 at the cost of R210 each.  I may just be adding a few more colours to my collection.

Dressing for Work

Mr Price shirt | Woolworths pants | Woolworths heels | Michael Kors watch | Blackcherry bag

Yesterday was my first day as a member of the working world.  I think these basics of a crisp white shirt and black pants work well in any working environment.  I thought I'd accent my basic staples with red nails, lips and heels just for fun.  I must mention that this was the first time I had ever tried lipstick by Elizabeth Arden and I was amazed at how long it lasted!  It was only right at the end of the day that I reapplied it, which I thought was pretty impressive.  

How do you like to dress for work?

The highlights of 2013

2013 is over and here is 2014 already.  Time moves so fast when you're having fun!  I just wanted to take this moment to reflect over the past year.  My blog continues to grow and I can only thank you for that.  You make my day everyday.  Thank you for sharing this incredible journey with me.

In this past year, I've had the most wonderful experience of working with LEGiT fashion (if you missed it, you can take a look over here).  I've been able to learn the scientific methods behind skin care with Dermalogica (here).  I've had the opportunity of experiencing a number of my favourite food, wine and design events such as Decorex, Taste of Joburg to name only two.  I've attended the most wonderful store openings.  I was honoured to have been asked to write articles for online magazines.  I have also appeared in Grazia, People and LEGiT magazines this year much to my surprise!

Collaborating is a word that I'd use to describe 2013 as I've been doing just that with bloggers from South Africa and across the pond.  I love to see the blogging world work together so you can be sure to see more collaborations coming in 2014.  Meeting local bloggers has also been a highlight of my year.  There are so many of you out there and each one of you fascinate me.  I feel so lucky to walk alongside you.

I tend to take blogging day by day, never expecting anything but the self-satisfaction that I have something I love to do in my free time.  That being said, I have so often been so surprised when a super exciting email lands in my inbox or a fantastic delievery arrives at my door.  I'm so often gobsmacked but these little pleasures have really added highlights to my year.  The biggest blogging surprise I've had at all this year, however, came in the form of Irina Doman, a blogger I have the privilege of calling my friend.  It's funny how this little blog has created such a great friendship.  You can visit Irina's blog here.

This past year I received my first DSLR camera as a graduation present from my dad.  I have been having such fun learning the ropes in photography.  Hand-in-hand I have also been learning Photoshop which helped me redesign my blog which was quite exciting!  I also expended the blog to Facebook, Twitter (@arumlilea) and Instagram (@arumlilea) which has been loads of fun.  I like to share snippets of my life on each but also unique from each other just to keep things interesting.

In 2013 I was able to study further, something I'm really passionate about.  This year I dedicated my studies to a Master's degree in Public International law, a field very close to my heart.  I was wonderful to have been able to learn more and dedicate time to this and for that reason 2013 was a big year for me.

I was also able to travel quite a bit.  I ventured off to areas of South Africa that I had never been before which has made me so grateful to live in a country with so much beauty to offer.  I travelled to the United States once again to see the likes of cities I have never been to before (here, here and here).  I also experienced Halloween for the first time.  I hope to visit there again soon.  I was also lucky enough to be able to travel to Tanzania with my sister which was the most incredible experience that I could have shared with no one better (here and here). I can only hope more travelling is in store for me in 2014!

2014 will see me begin my career as an attorney which is quite monumental.  All my years of studying will finally be put to some use.  Arum Lilea will continue in what I hope will be from strength to strength.  There will  definitely be more outfits to post and stories to tell.

Thank you so much for all your support, every moment spent reading my blog and every comment you make.  I am so lucky to have you all.  Thank you also to my family and friend who have added such a great about of value to this blog (and for constantly listening to me ramble on about it).  Much Love!!!