Splurge vs Steal

I've been looking for a pair of black and white striped pointy flats for a while now. I am still hugely into the monochrome trend and I love how they pull any outfit together and make anything, even boyfriend jeans, look incredibly chic.

There are the ridiculously pricey Marc Jacobs pair (number 2 in the image above) which are going for $238 and after delivery and import tax, thats probably at least R4000. Then I saw a pair on Asos on sale for $23 (number 1 in the image above). Much better, but again, after import taxes, they'll have cost me roughly R500.

Enter the rockstars at Mr Price, and as always, they save the day with the cheap and chic option (number 3 in the image above). These look the best out of the 3 in my opinion, and are only R69,99. I am not even joking. I ordered online, so with delivery charges, they cost me R105. The fit is perfect and they are super comfy. I actually regret not buying a few back-up pairs for when this pair bite the dust, as I am going to be living in them for the rest of summer.

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The week in Instagram

The past week has been a busy one. Our 2014 range catalogue went off to print so finally I had some time on my hands and was able to focus on my résumé and start sending it out. I am so excited for whatever the next chapter may bring.

We are really getting into our juicing and our super foods. Every day starts off with a green juice or vitamin booster, and dinners almost always involve quinoa salads. It is much easier to eat light in summer - although the weekend indulgences are keeping the weight firmly attached to my cottage cheese butt!

This weekend we traded in our salads for burgers at Gibsons, before checking out Anchorman 2. The peanut butter milkshake alone was worth raving about.

On Saturday we spent the day at the Breede river and camped over with a bunch of friends and all the kiddos. Dave and I are serious city kids, so we had a pop-up tent which we barely managed to get right, and no mattress - so we hoped for the best in letting mother nature be our soft, cushy bed. Sadly she didn't play along and now we both feel like our spines are pretzel shaped and will be booking a thai massage this week to bend us back into shape! Spinal issues aside, it was so much fun to spend time with great friends, float down the river on a lilo and drink G&T's by the fire. Camping isn't so bad after all.

I have also been doing some shopping for Thailand - I know it is only in August, but it'll be winter then, and the shops won't have anything for the beach. So many people have told me not to bother and to rather shop there, but I just need one or two more things before I go. I am also toying with the idea of investing in some Birkenstocks. Yes they are the world's second ugliest shoes after Uggs, but international bloggers have been styling them to perfection and now they really do appeal to me. If you have any Thailand travel or shopping tips, or even better, restaurant tips - please chat to me in the comments section!

Lastly, because I love spreading happiness and distracting you all from work, go and download an app called CatWang. Then go and enjoy putting cat faces on all of your photos or turning your pets into gangsters. You're welcome.

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Getting bespectacled with Calvin Klein & Mellins i-Style

As a Moscon Eyewear ambassador I get to do some pretty cool things. I get to see the latest eyewear collections from some amazing designers, and even better, I get to wear them. The latest mission they sent me on was to try out Mellins i-Style optometrists.

The store is huge, impressively stylish and carries so many amazing brands such as Calvin Klein, Lacoste, Silhouette Diesel, Levi's and many more. Definitely not your boring optometrist experience of years gone by. But before I could spend hours trying on dozens of styles, I had to go and do the hard bit - seeing how blind I actually am.

Mellins was one of the first to adopt new technology in the field and they use a rather fancy robot-looking machine called the i-Profiler to diagnose. This machine delivers a diagnosis 4 times more accurate than anything else existing in optometry right now, so its the real deal. I simply had to stare at a pretty picture of a hot air balloon for a few minutes and then we were done and diagnosed! (The only room for improvement would be to change the picture to a shirtless Ryan Gosling - then you'll see those pupils dance and dilate!)

I won't bore you with how blind I am, just be grateful that you are all a lot safer on the roads now. My car certainly is. And man, some of you are uuuuuugly! Kidding, all of my readers are gorgeous, obviously. Please still read my blog!
It is weird seeing the world in HD though - it took some getting used to and now I have them on me at all times. Again fellow commuters, you're welcome.

The fun bit came next when I got to pick out my "smart-but-sexy-but-not-hipster-but-not-slutty" looking specs. Like I said, they have a huge array of premium brands, but in the end I went with a gorgeous pair of tortoiseshell Calvin Klein's. The product code is CK5694-219 if you like the look of them. I certainly do, I love the shape and colour so much. And we all know how hot tortoiseshell is right now right? They are also available in red and black - check them out over here. T

If you're looking to update your specs, pop into Mellins at Canal Walk. The staff were super friendly and my optometrist, Mr Uys, was so helpful. Thank you so much for the eye test and frames, big loves to you and your wonderful team!

Find them at Shop 168, Canal Walk, Century City
Tel: 021-5512460 / 461

Splurge vs Steal

I love a slouchy blazer. They make for the perfect transitional piece when you're trying to stay chic in between seasons. With retailers already going full retard on chunky knits and booties (it is February! Seriously Country Road, seriously?), it is hard to find something that works for Autumn. Especially in Cape Town where you can have all four seasons in one day.

If you have R11000 in your wallet, go nuts and grab this Vanessa Bruno number off Net-a-Porter. You can wear it with anything and wear it anywhere. You probably could enjoy wearing it in your giant pool filled with money too. So yeah, moving on...

For the rest of us, there is a gorgeous option just down the road from Ambri designs. Her range is available at Katema Boutique in Bree Street and I am in love with all of it. Soft fabrics, an amazing fit and great pieces that complement everything you already have in your wardrobe. This blazer is only R440. Yes, that is it. R440. Go, go now.

I just had to borrow this image from her Facebook page so you can see how it has been paired with an adorable lace top and slouchy pants.

Find Ambri designs at Katema Boutique, 219 Bree Street.
021-465 6729

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The week in Instagram

Seeing as I didn't get around to last week's post, and now that life is becoming a blur of launches, functions and general summer merriment, I'll be sharing the whole week, and I promise I'll try and take more, and better quality pictures. I often forget and end up doing a slap dash picture of a venue, or shovel my food before I can snap away.

The past week has been busy and wonderful and also not so wonderful at the same time. We tried out a good few restaurants that have been on our hit list for a while. First off was On A Roll in Mowbray where I had my first ever cream soda float. I have had 3 since then. I can't believe I have survived 30 years without one of these. I'll be making up for lost time for the rest of this summer!
The hotdogs were pretty good - nothing comes close to a hotdog in America though. They just know how to do hotdogs.
Next up were Goloso Pizzaria and Lucky Fish and Chips. These are both walking distance from our apartment and we're making a point of trying out every single place to eat within a 500m radius from us. We'd tried Goloso's pasta restaurant over the road and we love it, and the pizza was even better. Posticino has some serious competition. And having a great fish and chip shop nearby is always a winner - but it is even better when it is a quality one that is part of the Harbour House group of restaurants. Score for Sea Point!
The last one was NV-80 Bar and Grill which opened a few weeks ago in the Checkers centre. The space is gorgeous and the food was lovely. I can highly recommend the baby kingklip and the lemon posset for dessert.

In between all of this, we had Valentine's day spoils and plenty of ice cream thanks to the heatwave - so I have my work cut out for me at the gym this week! And speaking of Valentine's day, we spent it on Clifton 4th beach with our friends, and it was one of my favorite Valentine's days yet - it really doesn't need to be about heart shaped boxes of candy and staring into each other's eyes reciting poetraaaaay. It was well spent with a nice mix of alone time, and time with people we love.

To counter all the junk and eating out, we ordered an Oscar Juicer from Yuppiechef and it has become a favorite in our kitchen, second only to my beloved Nespresso machine. I've found tons of wonderful juice recipes online and will share them all in a post soon. I have found energy boosters, skin boosters, immune system boosters and more. I have already noticed a difference in my skin thanks to all the nutrients we're packing in daily.

I am also contemplating having my wrist tattoo updated. Currently I have 3 little stars on my left wrist, and I do love them but they're fading and blurring slightly, and I have fallen in love with a crescent moon tattoo I saw online. The symbolism appeals to me and I adore the simplicity as well. I'd love to know if any of you have tattoos and the stories behind them - talk to me in the comments section!

Have a wonderful week pretty people.

xx
Leigh

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