Pretty Mint

Thursday, 16 January 2014

J.Crew weddings

I know I harp on and on about how much I love America. But they really do have great brands - and one of my favorites is J.Crew. It is in no way affiliated with the 'ou-doos' store that somehow exists here in South Africa. Instead it an insanely chic brand with the best basics, cashmere sweaters, shoes and accessories. Most of the overseas fashion bloggers that I follow are wearing at least one piece from J. Crew in almost every outfit. I turn full blown green monster every time and wish they would head on over to this side of the world and set up shop.
To make my America envy even worse, J.Crew also have a bridal range. I mean, how hard can it really be to plan a wedding over there when everything is available online? Everything! From the dress, to the confetti, you can plan your wedding without ever getting off your rump. Bliss.
I would have saved a ton of time and money without dress fittings and going to a local designer.

Here are some of my favorites from the J. Crew bridal collection. The prices range from R5000 to R22000. So they have something for every budget.

The weekend in Instagram

This weekend was everything that a summer weekend should be. Perfect weather, fun with friends and plenty of good food. We kicked it off at Kirstenbosch Gardens at the Bastille Concert. I was lucky enough to win tickets through Nokia and they spoilt us rotten with a gorgeous picnic basket and blanket and more food and wine than we could consume. The concert itself was out of this world good, and the setting is unbeatable.

The rest of the weekend we spent eating, eating and eating some more. We're loving the new hole in the wall down the road called Craft Burger Bar. It's on Sea Point Main Road between the new Checkers centre and the Spar, and the burgers are amazing. Fresh, delicious combinations of ingredients and big juicy burger patties - served with big fat slap chips, instead of the overdone skinny fries. We then finished the job off by trying Filo frozen yogurt out as well, also on Main Road - and that salted caramel flavour is just magical.

As if we didn't gorge enough, we also tried out Cascades for brunch on Saturday - which will definitely become a regular thing. Best eggs Benedict I've had in ages. Great coffee and perfectly located in a boutique hotel just off the promenade.
That evening we went for dinner with friends, at, lets call it "A ridiculously over-priced Chalet" overlooking Clifton beach. We paid R25 just to park - only to find the guards had left by 10pm and were replaced by homeless people harassing us on our way to our cars. The bouncers at the restaurant gates did nothing about this - also, I am not sure why they need bouncers. The food was pretty good - not great, nor worth the price tag, but I accept that I am also paying for location and the view, so that I can deal with. What really bugged me most was all the smoking. Yes we were at a table on the deck, but we were just outside the covered part of the restaurant and either way, I have no idea why they would allow smoking at all. It ruins the meal and you smell like an ashtray by the time you leave. I really wish they'd just left it as it was, a great beach bar that was a Cape Town landmark.
Anyway, vent done. The company was amazing and we still enjoyed our night out.

Sunday was spent with some amazing friends and our gorgeous little god-daughter. We took a walk along the promenade to the playground. I forgot how terrifying a see-saw was! Little K found my terror somewhat hilarious though. And from the picture above, you can clearly see Dave was having the most fun of all! Kids....
This was followed by a hearty brunch and the only way to end a Sunday, with an afternoon nap.

Have a wonderful week pretties. We're all back to the daily grind. May coffee and a good blog read get you through!

xx
Leigh

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Elle eyewear - budget friendly chic

So Christmas has come and gone, the silly season is behind us and we are crawling our way through to January payday. New year's resolutions are the topic du jour and everyone is talking about how broke they are and how this year they are going to start that RA and save some money.
Here at Pretty Mint, we are also trying to be smarter with our hard earned bucks - but a girl still has to spoil herself. So this year, one of the resolutions we are going to work had at keeping is spending on quality staple items and signature accessories.

Elle Eyewear are making keeping those resolutions easier with their fabulously cheap and chic Summer 2013/2014 range. It really is so very pretty. Think tortoise shell, floral and bowknot details. They also aren't skimping on quality and have a solid UV protection rating of UV400. Best of all, they're dainty and oh-so girly. No wait, I take that back - best of all, they are all under R1350. So that is about at least R1000 you can put into that RA am I right? I am an ex-consultant to financial advisors - can you tell?

Here are my picks from the range. You can find out more about who is stocking these gorgeous sunnies closest to you by checking out www.moscon.co.za or calling Moscon Optics on 011-483 8001.