Let your dreams be your Arsenal!

This morning my other half insisted that I watch a clip of a Vietnamese Arsenal soccer fan! I was thinking, it is too early for this and I am not in the mood for soccer but I am glad that inspite of my lack of excitement, that I watched it. The clip is called the Running Man! It is about a young fan who runs 5 miles (that is 8 kilometres) after a bus carrying his dream team. You must really do yourself a favour and watch this clip... While watching this clip, I was thinking... Aghh... but then I saw this youngster running and later riding on the back of a scooter to meet the Arsenal team. It made me realise, that this guy was chasing a dream. One that seemed like it would not succeed... LOL

It takes heart to go after your dreams...Team that is! A simple clip with a strong message that says... If you really put your mind to it, you will gain the fire to chase your dreams!

Thank you to a great Arsenal fan for sharing this clip with me! Now I get to share it with all of you!

Have a great day friends!

BodyLove,
Mishtery

Ps. Did you see the abs on that Running man?!

Bobbi Brown shares her secret with Mishtery!

 Every woman wants to be a flawless beauty. Sometimes you want to roll out of your bed, get ready in 5-10 minutes and face the day confidently. Now, to be naturally beautiful is one thing... Because everyone has natural beauty but, to be flawless is unfortunately not in every woman's cards... This woman included...

A few weeks ago I visited Bobbi Brown at Tyger Valley's Edgars. All my life makeup has been a terrible struggle because of the dark circles under my eyes. These rings of horror become so defined when I am tired or having sinus problems and then the dreaded women's troubles also paints panda eyes onto my face. Everytime I think I've found the right makeup to conceal my areas of concern, its in vain... Because I have to plaster my face with foundation, which I don't really like to do. Until...

Bobbi Brown's Corrector and Concealer combination restored my faith in wearing makeup with confidence.  Bobbi Brown's phillosophy is keeping it natural! Being natural gets the BodyLove stamp of approval from me!

The history of Bobbi

As with all success stories, Bobbi Brown had a passion... Her's was and still is makeup. From a young age, Bobby loved watching her mom practise her beauty rituals. She later studied the art of theatrical makeup as a result and moved to the Big Apple to work as a makeup artist. She quickly realised that there was a gap in the market for natural looking makeup that enhances beauty and does not make a woman look overly made up.

She revolutionized the beauty industry by introducing 10 brown-based lipsticks. The birth of these lipsticks was the start of the established revolutionary brand we  know and love.
 

She believes in teaching her makeup artists to teach women to be there own pro artist. So when I visited the Bobbi counters at Tyger Valley Centre and the V&A Waterfront, I had the Pretty Powerful and Instant Pretty makeup lessons. The great thing is that you receive a personalised face chart that lists the products used during your lesson. This is a free service! So it is a must try!

Do yourself a favour and visit a Bobbi Brown counter and let her A-team teach you how to look your best and enhance your beauty. Do it! Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself!

BodyLove,
Mishtery

The Vintage Experience of Aletta to Alice

As you all know, the buzz around Cape Town is Vintage! It is a trend for the bold, fashionable and daring!

Last year I was behind the scenes of a photoshoot done for Aletta to Alice, a vintage brand that does not fail to impress the old-fashioned at heart! This is an online store owned by a friend of mine with a great eye for vintage and style!

Aletta to Alice will be at the Mid-Year Market by The Vintage Experience at Truth Coffee Cult located: The Fringe Design District, 36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town

Make an evening of it on 26 June (tomorrow night)! The market will be from 5pm to 9pm. Join us! There will be pizza's, goooood coffee, great fashion at excellent prices! See you there!  :)

Join Aletta to Alice on Facebook to keep up to date with the great vintage updates!

Jo Malone makes scents to Mishtery!

Ah smell, the most underrated sense of the human body... Until you have encountered the heart-warming aroma of freshly baked bread, the crisp air after the rain or the scent of your partner’s scarf when you bury your nose in it to shield you from the cold. Fragrance is to the nose as heaven is to the Angels.

As a creative, I am invigorated by passionate people who inspire through their craft. After visiting The World of Jo Malone in the V&A Waterfront, I am certain that this is not just cologne, it is unadulterated art! Perfumery has always poked my interest, so this past Saturday my bff and blogger, Raylene of Diary of an Innocently Oblivious and Hapicup and I visited Jo Malone.

Jo Malone

Jo Malone is an undeniable brand if you are a perfume connoisseur. Jo Malone is a London brand! Straight out of the UK. Jo pushes the boundaries of making scents and experiments with unlikely ingredients such as Saffron and Lime Basil. What I love about Jo Malone is the freedom to create. Each one of her perfumes is ready to wear on its own and can be layered or used together in what she trademarked as The Art of Fragrance Combining.  I thought that you have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to be able to afford bespoke fragrance, but Jo Malone makes it possible to own my own signature fragrance. It is still pricey but I can build my bespoke scent over time and money. 

The Tasting Bar

The staff at Jo Malone will assist you in tailoring the perfect combination that will suit you and your body’s chemistry.  Jo believes layering different textures (such as crèmes, body oils and bath scents) of the scents that you like to forge a longer lasting scent. When I was treated to The Tasting Bar, the combining process was explained to me and scents were chosen according to my preference.

Remember:  A good cologne or perfume comprises of a top note or head note which you will smell right away, a middle note or heart note that carries the sent before the top note diffuses and a base note which you will smell after 30 minutes. I will do a follow up post that will explain  fragrances in depth.

 

My arms and hands were wiped down with a warm towel to open my pores and prep the skin. This is followed by the bath oil, Pomegranate Noir and the application of velvety body crème and the grand finale of Jasmine and Mint cologne sprayed onto my skin and followed by a cupped motion of the hands to blend the scents. 

What a wonderful experience! I still feel heady and overwhelmed by the luxury, quality of service and product that makes Jo Malone a pungent force in the world of fragrances. This is a service that is available to you at no cost upon request when you visit Jo Malone. Upon completion you will be given a chart with a fragrance arc and the assistant will record the combination for you to keep. I recommend you try the Tasting bar! You will love it. Don’t take my word for it though, try it for yourself.

A special thank you to Raylene of Diary of an Innocently Oblivious and Hapicup for being my photographer for the day and to the Glamour Gloss Girls at Topshop SA for beautiful blue manicure!

The rest of the photos are on my Facebook page, A Bunch of Mish-takes, if you want to see more! :)

An Instaweek!

So the Mishtery took to Instagram and I love it! Here are some Instapics of the week!

If you see any pics you like, follow me on Instagram @Mishtery10 and I will follow you back.  :)

InstaMish!

BodyLove: Ashleigh shares her love!

Ashleigh Davids is a confident young wordsmith, a singer, a poet, an editor and a blogger. A creative force. A free spirit. I met Ash through mutual friends and right away I loved her passion, genuine interest in people and her hair! This woman is one to follow. So watch this space. At 20 she was named Editor in chief of Live magazine...  I asked Ashleigh to write her thoughts on BodyLove, to share with you. Enjoy!

I’m at a crossroads, far away from my intended healthy eating plan or enthusiastic exercise routine, somewhere between throwing out the clothes in my cupboard I feel are unflattering and no longer wear, taking better care of my frizzy hair and continuing my path of minimal makeup and modest dress sense.

As I venture on and thrive to make better decisions concerning my health, body and lifestyle I find myself in a fix. I’ve always been aware of the various products, services, activities and practical changes alike that one could make to improve and better ones life, and furthermore, ones perception of self and level of BodyLove.

I’ve also known that these things could quickly become a crutch, a lifeline, a necessity we feel we cannot live without - an unwelcome god which we worship and idolize. I did not want that.

Truth is none of these things, however beneficial, will ever make us beautiful. We were created that way.

Coming to a full and complete sense of body love, is perhaps an eternal journey and lifetime commitment more than it is an occasion or a milestone at the end of a race.

There are many things about me I love, and other things I hope to improve - equally sure that this is as much an emotional, mental and spiritual quest as it is physical - I watchfully guard my mind, body and spirit.

BodyLove starts with a conscious choice. A conscious choice I made yesterday, one I make today, tomorrow and every other day of my life.

What do you choose?

BodyLove,
Ashleigh

Connect with Ashleigh:
Blog: http://ashleighdavids.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @AshleighDavids

A bag of Mish-tricks saves the night!

It seems everything happens on a Friday! Have you noticed how crunch time always seem to take ownership of what should be the winding-down day of the week? Well, Friday past was no exception. I found myself sleep deprived and managing to just about stay awake mentally for the most part.

Let me tell you Tuesday to Friday has been nothing but deadlines, urgent matters and bleh... Too much of everything. So in this zombie-like, preoccupied and panicked state, I reserved my seat to attend our annual book awards ceremony and later cancelled. Long story short, I ended up attending this semi-formal event at The Commodore hotel with a pair of skinny jeans and beaded jersey. FACE PALM. I swore then and there never to be unprepared ever again! So here is what saved the day! A bag of Mish-tricks! In a flat spin I accquired the following items that would transform my look from day time to evening.

The Bag!
I swopped my work tote for this cute studded number. I chose this bag because I like the size and it sharpened my look without looking like I tried too hard. A clutch would do the trick too but I felt like bringing my own flavour. 

The Heel!
I hate high heel shoes! Yes, I know... Not very lady like but they kill my feet. If you are going to suffer, wear a shoe that wow's while you owe in your head... Guilty! I thought this number was a great choice.

The Props
I love accessories and hardly ever buy anything without acquiring at least one accessory. I figured... since I will in all likelihood have a glass of vino, I would make a statement with a nice cocktail ring. My hair was not particularly fresh and clean, so I had a nice sleek bun and to draw attention away from my not so Pantene hair... I went for a larger pair of earings. Pretty vintage flower. :)

The Makeup
One thing that a makeup artist taught me was to draw attention to either the eyes or the lips... I chose the eyes. I always have my smokey eye trio shadow, concealer, white eye pencil and a pot rouge! To quote Bobbi Brown; "Concealer is the secret of the universe..." Makeup universe that is... It covers my dark circles caused by lack of sleep, sinus and allergies. (Also known as the beating the week laid on me.) My own favourite item in my makeup bag is my white eye pencil! It makes the eyes look fresh and bright. Only lining the bottom of my eyelid does the trick. Thank goodness for pot rouge! This is revolutionary. Its lip colour and cheek colour in one! Mascara is my personal preference rather than black eye pencil and if I can recommend a product, the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lift Mascara is perfect. It strengthens and lengthens lashes! Try it!



The Conclusion
A great time was had by all and this is what I looked like! It took 10 minutes to achieve this look.

A Mish-take: I am stuffing all these transforming goodies into my studded bag of Mish-tricks and leaving it in my car's boot! Girls, you should be jumping on this band wagon and creating your own bag of Mish-tricks! If you have your own quick tricks, please comment below! Let me know!

Mishtakenly,
Mishtery