Dermalogica & Gert-Johan Coetzee #SummerSkin&Fashion

I was lucky enough to be invited to join Dermalogica and Gert-Johan Coetzee for their presentation on all things summery.  Despite the chilly weather we've been having lately, this presentation had me so excited for the beach holiday season.  Today's post is a recap on the event and all the interesting stuff that I learnt.

Dermalogica really has become my tried and tested go-to skin care of choice this year through my terribly dry skin this winter and now with the need for great skin care in the hot summer months.  Generally I wear SPF 40 on my face year round regardless of whether I am going to be indoors or outside and I love that Dermalogica incorporates high factor SPF into my daily routine when so many other skin care ranges only provide you with low factor SPF.  I live in fear of sun damage to my skin so I really do take sun protection very seriously.

Sonette from Dermalogica gave such a wonderful presentation on the importance of sun protection that I learnt so much about what to look for in a great product that I never knew before, even though I'm pedantic about this topic.  Here are a few key points she touched on:

• The SPF (sun protection factor) stated on the bottle of your sun screen only relates to the protection of UVB rays from the sun.  
• To ensure that your skin is protected from UVA rays, your sun screen needs to specifically say that it provides UVA protection.
• The best sun screen will say that it provides broad spectrum protection.
• Sun screens can come in the form of physical or chemical protections.  The physical protection is the thick white creamy texture that needs to be rubbed well into the skin.  The chemical protection comes in the form of oils or sprays and does not have the white creamy texture of the physical one.

Gert-Johan Coetzee, South Africa's most loved fashion designer, had a few wonderful tips on summer fashion for this season.  His tips are fantastic for any woman and all of us in the room during his presentation were inspired to make some changes in our own lives.  Here are a few of his key points for staying fashionable and stylish this summer:

• Tropical prints:  we keep seeing more and more of this print and it's the perfect way to be fun and flirty this summer.  Tropical prints are now widely available so there something in this print that is perfect for a woman of any budget.  It is such a versatile print that it can be dressed up for a night out or worn on the beach which we love!
• Gold metalic sandals are a winner.
• Nude shoes elongate your legs and we all love that!  Be careful though, nude is not a colour, it is simply a shade darker than your skin tone.  If it isn't a shade darker than your skin tone, it is beige and not nude.
• Clear out your wardrobe.  Separate your entire wardrobe into three piles:  give away, keep and maybe piles.  Box up your maybe pile and stick it in the garage.  If after a few months you haven't needed anything in that box, donate it to charity.
• Once you've cleared your wardrobe, assort your clothes into colours and repack them according to colour categories.  This will make your life much easier when you're trying to put together a wonderful outfit.

I hope this post has you feeling beach ready and that you've learnt a few things about being stylish in summer but also staying safe by keeping your skin protected throughout these hot months.  Let me know what you think!  To follow more of the conversation, you can search for the hashtag #SummerSkin&Fashion and follow @dermalogicasa and @gertjohan on Twitter and Instagram.

Second Image source:   Here

Sorbet BB Cream

Lately I've been trying out the Sorbet BB Cream.  I have been so impressed by it that I simply had to share it with you.  It is such a lightweight formula that it sits on my skin without feeling heavy like some other BB creams I've tried.  That being said, while it is a light formula, it still gives excellent coverage.  I love products that aren't too sheer because I like a decent amount of coverage and this certainly gives me just that.  This product is also long lasting.  I can wear it all day and just do a few touch ups to make it look perfect for the evening too.

This product states on the packaging that it evens the tone of your skin and brightens it too and I would definitely say that it has lived up to this promise.  My skin looks so healthy, well moisturised and glowing while I'm wearing this BB cream and I absolutely love the look of it.  Sorbet has also managed to incorporate a primer into this cream which minimises  the appearance of pores which is always a good thing!  The BB cream also contains SPF 15 which is essential for these summer months and the amount of time we will be spending outside.  It is also great for those of us who love to work out as a little bit of coverage and a little bit of SPF definitely goes a long way in that situation.  It comes in the shades Light, Medium and Dark and it really blends into whatever skin colour you have.

I love that this products keeps me moisturised throughout the day and gives me that healthy glow but never leaves me looking like a greasy monster.  I just have to say that this is the first time I have found myself reaching for a BB cream instead of a foundation in the mornings so it must be love.  It has really impressed me so much that I will definitely be adding this to my Summer Essentials for this year.

Have you tried it?  What are your thoughts?

Bronze Make Up Tutorial

I decided to do a bronzed make up tutorial for you because this has been my go-to look for summer so far.  It's soft and gentle and gives you a radiant glow that I think is so perfect for the summer but can also be worn year round.

Neon Yellow Mango Dress

Mango dress ~ Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses via Sunglass Hut ~ Boutique bag ~ Zuri accessories ~ Woolworths heels

A neon pop of colour instantly brightens up my day.  I feel so cheerful in yellow so you can imagine my excitement when I found this yellow dress from Mango.  I knew I wanted to pair this dress with my yellow Woolworths heels for a head to toe yellow look.  To break it up a bit I used my pink bag and my favourite Electric Pink lipstick by Elizabeth Arden.  What do you think?

Bronx Shoes For Women Giveaway

Bronx Shoes for Woman have the most gorgeous summer stock at the moment.  They have everything from great pumps, gorgeous flat sandals, wedges and stunning heels.  I chose to add these black wedges to my summer wardrobe because I've actually never owned black wedges as I always go for lighter shades in summer.  I'm so glad I went with the black ones though because I realised that I have so many outfits that I can wear them with!  

Bronx Woman want to have all stylish ladies enjoy their city this summer.  They want to know where your shoes take you this season.  As you know I've been loving the way Johannesburg has lilac flowers everywhere at the moment thanks to the jacaranda trees that are lining our streets.  It's definitely something that I look forward to in summer.  I decided to wear this outfit paired with my gorgeous new Bronx wedges for a date night with le bf where we enjoyed a rooftop dinner overlooking our city.  We had such a wonderful time!

Now for some excitement:

We want to see where your Bronx Woman shoes will be taking you this summer.  To win yourself a stunning pair of shoes, all you need to do is visit the Bronx Woman website and find the pair of shoes you would like to win and tell us where you would wear them to.  

To enter:

1.  Follow Arum Lilea and Bronx Woman on either Twitter or Facebook; AND

2.  Tweet OR write on the Arum Lilea Facebook page:

   "Hey, @ArumLilea and @BronxWoman_SA I would take __(shoe style)___ to _______ this                summer #BWSUMMERINTHECITY http://bit.ly/1u5neVf "

A winner will be drawn next week Friday :)  Good Luck!

Floral Print Summer Style

Forever New dress, bag & heels, Zuri accessories

The print on this dress has me all set and ready for a holiday.  It's such a vibrant print and I can't help but feel so happy when I wear it.  The floral is just so summery and gorgeous.  I decided to pair this dress with gold accessories so these accessories with pastels on a gold chain, gold bag and glittery gold heels were naturally what I gravitated towards.

What do you think?

Veet Summer

The less glamorous side of being female definitely includes hair removal.  Shaving, waxing. plucking, threading and lasering are all things that come with the territory.  Luckily it needn't be as dreadful as those ads on the TV that send shivers down your spine when the woman nicks herself with a razor.  It also doesn't need to involve the frustration of your beautician being fully booked for three weekends in a row.

I've been using Veet since my school days purely because it is a brand that knows time is an issue for busy women and we all prefer painless, quick and easy hair removal.  Veet has an incredibly wide range of products which is just perfect considering we all have different needs.  Personally, the wax strips with easy grip as well as the hair removal cream for sensitive skin have made my life so much easier. The fact that Veet now cater for different skin types such as dry or sensitive skin also puts them at an advantage over other brands because they really do care about your skin.  I'll be the first to admit that while running out of time before my Contiki tour, I used another brand's wax strips and I had such an awful reaction to it that it left me looking like I had chicken pox throughout my entire tour.  How embarrassing.  Had I stuck with my tried and tested Veet products, though, I would have been silky smooth and could have worried more about the sights than my skin that holiday.

I now stock up a couple boxes of my favourite Veet products, so that I can quickly and easily take care of my hair removal right before a shower and heading to bed.  There is absolutely no reason to be the girl that wears jeans on the hottest summer's day any more.  It's quick and effortless, cost effective and if it's good enough for Miss South Africa, it's good enough for me!

Arum Lilies

YDE shirt and belt | Mr Price skirt | Witchery shoes | Blackcherry bag

As if you couldn't guess, Arum lilies are my absolute favourite flowers and when I found a bunch of them at the florist on Friday, couldn't help but make a bee-line for them.  I thought I would take advantage of the beautiful jacaranda trees lining my street to complement my favourite flower. The Jacaranda trees are all in full bloom at the moment and the streets are carpeted in lilac.  It's so beautiful!  The flowers also inspired me to wear a classic outfit paired with a red lip to keep the emphasis on the natural beauty around me.

What's your favourite flower?

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Midori Spa

I was lucky enough to be invited to try out the Midori Salon and Spa in Sandton about two weeks ago and wow was I impressed.  This spa exudes luxury and and style and the moment I walked through the door I was ready to be pampered. The interior of this spa is so beautifully polished that it is easy to see that some serious thought went into the design and overall look and feel to the spa.

After arriving, I was promptly offered refreshments and seated in the waiting area for my treatments.  While waiting for my treatments, I was able to fully observe the spa and its staff. This spa is wifi friendly which is great for social media junkies such as myself.  Their are iPads available all over the spa which you are able to use while waiting for or even during your treatments.  While waiting, the owner, Anisha Patel explained what her thoughts and ideas were for this beautiful spa.  Having successfully won her battle with cancer she has made a lifestyle change to put effort into avoiding harsh chemicals that are damaging on the body and she wanted this to filter into the foundation of the spa.  She decided that she only wanted recyclable materials used to decorate the interior of the spa which she did so successfully honing in on her interior decorating background.  She also only wanted to make use of environment friendly products within its walls.  She promotes all things green and organic which I think is the way everyone should be thinking so I really appreciated this.  She is an incredible and inspiring woman and she is so inviting to everyone that comes through the door of Midori that you would swear she is family.

The spa offers hair styling for all types of hair and it has a beautiful hair care section to be pampered in.  Midori also offer manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, spray tans and V-bar.  Basically, you name it, Midori offers it.  The spa is also big enough to accommodate groups which is perfect for birthdays or bridal parties.  As for my treatments, I had the Hydramemory Facial and a Full Body Massage both of which were done by absolutely wonderful therapists.  Overall, I found the Midori Spa top-notch, if not the best I've ever been to.  I had an incredible experience and I'd recommend it to everyone.

For more details, visit their website here.