Denim on Denim

Foschini chambray | Old jeans | Woolworths heels | Michael Kors watch | Elizabeth Arden lipstick

Le Bf  and I headed out for Sunday brunch and a movie date over the weekend and it was just wonderful.  We watched the Grand Budapest Hotel and I absolutely loved it.  Did you have a good weekend?  What did you get up to?

Sporty Chic

cap old | Victoria's Secret t-shirt | Zara jeans | Woolworths heels | Accessorize earrings | Mr Price bag | Dolce & Gabbana sunnies | Elizabeth Arden lipstick | Michael Kors watch | Lovisa midi rings

Sometimes there's nothing better than pulling on a comfy and casual jeans and tee combo.  I wore this outfit on the weekend for a lazy Sunday sushi date with le bf and I couldn't have been much happier!

Weekend Shenanigans

Hi Everyone!

I thought I'd share a weekend round up with you today.  To start any weekend (or any day actually) on the right note, I need a cup of tea in my hands.  This is a ritual that cannot be broken.  The day cannot start without tea.  A friend bought me a manicure voucher for my birthday and I finally got round to using it bright and early Saturday morning.  Don't you just love a soft pink mani?  Along with my cup of tea I did my make up and got ready for a bloggers' meet-up. 

On Saturday I was lucky enough to attend Mercedes-Benz fashion week with Irina.  The shows were so inspiring and there were a couple things I would have loved to add to my closet.  We were also able to go backstage and see how things were going behind the scenes.  MAC was responsible for the models' make up and it was as though I'd entered a dream world because there were MAC products everywhere and the best of MAC's make up artists everywhere.  I was pretty convinced I'd found my happy place.

This picture was taken at the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful initiative last week.  I loved having my make up done for a special cause.  Any purchase of Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful mascara goes towards funding young girls' educations which is a charity drive that I think is so important and I'm so grateful I could be a part of.

So I think it's safe to say I'm make up crazed but gosh I love it.  What's your favourite brand?

Jo'burg Fashion Week #MBFWJ2014

Zara blazer | Woolworths shirt | Mr Price skirt | Sass Diva necklace | Woolworths heels | Blackcherry bag | Michael Kors watch

Hi Everyone!

This is the outfit that I wore to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Saturday.  I had the most incredible time watching shows and I was even lucky enough to go backstage with Irina and speak to a few of the make up artists which was so much fun but more on that to come.  I went with black and white with a pop of colour on my lips and bright shoes.  What do you think?

xxx

A Girl In Pearls

Mango dress | Mr Price shirt | Longchamp bag | Vintage brooch | Michael Kors watch | Sass Diva accessories | Linx heels via Zando

Hi everyone 

If you've been reading this blog for a while now you will know that I always tend to gravitate towards navy.  I think it's such a beautiful colour and I always feel dressed up in it.  I thought pearls would be the perfect compliment for this kind of outfit so I used this brooch that belonged to my mom instead of a necklace to pull the whole look together.

Don't forget to enter my Rain giveaway here.  I'm drawing a winner on Friday! 

A Classic Look

Zara blouse | Zara pants | Linx heels | Aldo bag | Sass Diva earrings

Hi Everyone

I hope you had a great weekend.  I had the very best kind which to me means watching movies in bed, morning strolls in the sun, listening to Coldplay's new song on repeat, a little shopping and dinner with friends.  It doesn't get much better than that!  

I found these shoes on Zando last week (here's the link) and I'm absolutely crazy about them!  Don't be surprised if you see them appearing in a bunch of outfit posts.  I love nude shoes.  I probably own way too many, but oh well, whatever makes you happy!  

I hope you have a wonderful week!  Don't forget to enter my Rain giveaway (here).  I'll be drawing a winner on Friday!

Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga Getaway

Hi everyone! 

As I’m sure everyone is well aware and super excited about, we have a lot of public holidays coming up over the next 6 weeks or so and I thought I’d shed some light on where to take a great mini vacation.  I’m always looking to take advantage of these and head off somewhere I’ve never been before so I thought I’d share one of favourites for this kind of holiday.

Mpumalanga?  People ask me all confused.  Yes, Mpumalanga.  It is one of my favourite places on this earth.  More specifically, Blyde River Canyon and the Panorama Route.  In this particular part of the world you can expect forests, waterfalls and views that your eyes might not believe. 

The Panorama Route comprises of various stops including Bourke’s Potholes, Berlin falls, Lisbon falls, God’s Window and the Pinnacle.  On route there are also two sets of caves; the Sudwala caves and Echo caves that are also worth visiting. 

This route requires you drive the distance between each stop which means you’re doing quite a lot of driving around but the route is circular so it does bring you back to your starting point.  If you don’t feel like doing the driving yourself there are travel shuttles that you can organise through your hotel or information centre that will do the driving for you.  We were driving ourselves so we decided to divide the route into two day trips which worked out perfectly.  For this reason, I’d suggest a three or four night stay.

I’d recommend you take a packed lunch as there isn’t very much in the way of restaurants once you’re out there.  We stopped at Spar in the morning and bought fresh rolls and cheeses and popped them in the cooler bag with a few bottles of water.  This is also so lovely to do because it means you end up picnicking surrounded by the most beautiful views.  On your way back to the hotel, Harrie’s Pancakes is not to be missed!  It is right outside Graskop hotel and it has pancakes like you’ve never tasted them before.  My favourite is the milktart filled pancake – nom nom nom. There is also the most incredible Mozambican restaurant just opposite Graskop hotel and if you can I’d definitely recommend having dinner there, it’s delish! 

The first time I ventured out here, I stayed at Graskop Hotel which is a very sweet hotel very close to the start of the Panorama Route.  If you don’t mind staying a little further away, I’ve also stayed Casa do Sol, a four star hotel in Hazyview.  This is a very romantic hotel with lovely spacious rooms (the double villas).  Our room rate included breakfast and dinner which were both delicious.  I also enjoyed staying at this hotel because the drive from Hazyview to Graskop takes you through Sappi’s forests which are beautiful.  The hotel also had a wonderful spa and lovely pool area which are both worth visiting on the days you’ve chosen to relax all day.

If you’re planning on road-tripping out here, have a look for specials for Casa do Sol.  I found ours on mtbeds.co.za which was R5000 for 3 nights including breakfast and an incredible dinner.   Graskop Hotel was about R700 a night including breakfast.  Other costs involve small entrance fees into the viewpoints, majority of which are R10 (the Potholes was about R60, but don't skip it!). 

Don’t forget sunscreen and lots of water and I can guarantee you will have an incredible time and make memories for a lifetime.

Rain Giveaway {Closed}

Hi everyone!

I feel so lucky to have such lovely readers.  Your comments always make my day and I'm constantly thinking about how I can improve my blog for your benefit.  To say thank you for all the support, I've organised this lovely Rain gift hamper to give away!  These Savannah products are just incredible.  They smell amazing and they're so soft on your skin.  This hamper comprises of the body lotion, liquid soap, body cream and mist in this beautiful petal box.  It is the perfect gift for a friend's birthday, upcoming Mother's Day or to treat yourself.

Today I have one of these beautiful hampers to give to one lucky reader and all you need to do to enter is leave me a comment below letting me know how you follow Arum Lilea.

1.  Follow on GFC.
2.  Follow on Bloglovin'.
3.  Follow on Twitter @arumlilea
4.  Follow on Facebook here.
5.  Follow on Instagram @arumlilea

This giveaway is open internationally.  I will be drawing the winner next Friday 21 March 2014.  Good luck!!!

{Update} Congratulations to Delse, you are the winner of this prize!