we found love in a hopeless place.

As weeks go, this has been my toughest one yet. After four and half years of blood, sweat, tears and naked torsos, our beloved magazine is closing its doors. Not even five minutes after breaking the news to my amazing team, our demise hit the social networks and I couldn’t bear to read the Twitter stream.

But when I did finally brave our mentions, I saw nothing but love for a publication that I have believed in since the very beginning. When I joined CLEO just after its launch in 2007, I was a mere features writer, anxious to make my mark on the Gen Y handbook for 20-something women.

Becoming editor in September last year was a dream come true, but as is often the case, the reality was tricky to navigate. I suddenly had to manage my friends, woo advertisers, interact with readers and reinvent the wheel, issue after issue.

It’s simultaneously been the most fun and difficult year of my life. It’s taught me to be tough and to be patient, to take charge and to take the fall. The person I am now is not the same wide-eyed girl who walked into Caxton offices in 2007, too shy to ask where my desk was.

I have worked with the most wonderful people and have made friends for life. We have laughed and cried together, but in the end CLEO would rather go out on a high note than become a shadow of our former sexy self.

The magazine business is a tough one. It’s ridiculously competitive and constantly under threat from an uncertain economy and digital alternatives. Perhaps under different circumstances, we could have made it work and hindsight plays havoc with my thoughts.

Our February issue will be our last so please don’t give up on us yet. We still have two exciting months to share with you. Thank you for all your support and love. It’s been a ride like no other.

A big love to everyone who ever called themselves a CLEO poppet. I love you all. And to those who are still toiling on our February issue, thank you. You are amazing and I have no doubt you’ll all go on to bigger and better things. 

No otters but plenty of shongololos.

If you’re wondering where I’ve been, the answer is somewhere between a rock and a hard place, literally. Last week I took a break from make-up. high heels and cell phone reception to hike The Otter Trail – 42.5 kilometers of breathtaking coastline along the Garden Route.

Steep uphills were inevitably met with steep downhills and scaling cliff faces became just another day out of the office. Hopefully that’s enough to suitably impress you but honestly, there was never a moment I thought “What the frickity frick frick am I doing here?” And this coming from someone whose idea of exercise is a yoga class every now and then and taking the stairs at work. I’m not even what you might call an ‘outdoorsy’ person. In fact, the only camping I’ve done has been at music festivals and that hardly counts, does it?

For four nights and five days I slept in picturesque wooden cabins, made use of flush toilets with one-way glass (so you can stare at the sea while you pee, as you do) and paired lycra with hiking boots (a big trend this summer).

Of course, there were moments where I looked up to 90 degrees of rocky steps or across kilometers of treacherous terrain and swore to no one in particular (the rest of my four man team were usually a good five to 15 minutes ahead of me) but then I practiced my yoga breathing, made a hiking playlist in my head and soldiered on.

And just when my thighs screamed that they couldn’t take it any longer, I’d turn a corner to see a waterfall – the perfect place to refill my bottle with fresh running water and dine on Jelly Babies. 

We ate like kings (turns out chicken in a can is not nearly as hideous as you might imagine), slept for ten hours and woke up to the sound of crashing waves.

We crossed rivers (and occasionally bathed in them), made fires and stopped to see a whale tail frolic in the distance.

And on day five we eventually caught a glimpse of Nature’s Valley and walked the last kilometer along the beach – tired, dirty and pretty darn proud of ourselves.

My trail mix:
Every Day is a Winding Road – Sheryl Crow
I Would Walk 500 Miles – The Proclaimers
Every Breath you Take – Sting & the Police
Keep Pushin’ On – Inaya Day
The Scientist – Coldplay
Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
Survivor – Destiny’s Child

My Otter Trail tips:
Wear two pairs of socks, unless you like blisters.
Pack Jelly Babies – and lots of them.
Wet wipes are your friend.
Anti-inflammatories and pain killers will help you walk on day three.
Showering is overrated.
Find a good walking stick. It will help you hoist yourself up the mountain (and is good for bushwhacking).
Take pictures.
Head torches aren’t lame at all.

Who’s that girl?

Long ago in magazine world, people believed that putting a local star on your cover was tantamount to career suicide. No one’s interested in South African women, they said. People only want to read about Hollywood A-listers, they said. (This was right about the time they believed the world was flat, perms were a good look and George Michael was straight).

How awesome that we live in a time where local is queen and successful beautiful South African women are lining the magazine shelves with their glossy covers, because let’s face it, there’s nothing more inspiring that seeing someone who could be you, taking over the world.

So when our first ever local cover girl Bonang Matheba invited me to a little shindig she was throwing together in honour of our October issue, I said ‘hell yes’ and mentally planned what would look good with my new fuchsia heels.

And so I rocked up at Liquid Chefs in Rosebank last night in jeans, heels and my only clean top that didn’t need ironing to celebrate Queen B’s triumph. The venue was transformed into an oasis of pink balloons, cushions, cupcakes and marshmallows by social guru Melanie Ramjee, who also had our cover blown up into three large posters that dominated the cocktail lounge.

Brutal Fruit flowed, beautiful people mingled and I made a bee line for the super-sweet and ridiculously talented designer Gert-Johan Coetzee who designed the sparkly sequin jacket Bonang sports on the cover. I’m always intimidated by designers but he really is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met (plus we kind of look related).

Speaking of nice guys, our CLEO Bachelor 2010 Dylan King was also there with PR princess Farah Fortune. After huddling together over some exciting plans we have in the pipeline (watch this space), I spotted the Yfm twins and had an embarrassing fan moment.

I launched myself at the sisters who are both sporting the short and shaved hair ‘do but with Melanie’s help I soon figured out that Hlelo (rhymes with yellow) was in the buttercup frock and Ntando was in black.  Also celebrating the success of their own magazine cover, the girls are just lovely and taking it all in.

As for the woman of the hour, Bonang was a gracious host, chatting to everyone, working it for the numerous TV cameras and photographers, and in the end, handing out shots of tequila to us die-hards. She even gave me the most beautiful flowers to say thank you for the beginning of a beautiful friendship. After just over a week on sale, the issue has received an overwhelming response and Bonang, the news of a certain stylish award nomination. Thank you to everyone who’s already bought it and loved it.

A big thank you too to Melanie for such a great night out, on a school night no less. 

Let’s do it again sometime. 

xoxo

lovely lady locks.

Love the way your hair looks and feels after a trip to the hairdresser? Hate how you can’t achieve that same bounce and shine at home? International salon brand Wella has just launched their Wella Pro Series in South Africa. The best news? The collection of shampoos and conditioners comes in Volume, Shine, Repair and Colour formulas and is available at stores for a reasonable recommended retail price of R39.99 each.

To celebrate its arrival on our shelves, Wella threw an elegant soiree last week Thursday at plush venue Urban Tree in Sandton. Not a lot beats champagne on a rooftop in the afternoon – extra points for the fresh sushi, Halloumi Cheese, Tempura Prawns and spring rolls that kept on coming. (Usually I don’t eat at these things because looking elegant while balancing your drink and devouring finger food is an art I’ve not yet mastered so bonus points for the comfortable couches and side tables).

Later, we were ushered inside to be greeted by host Cindy Nell-Roberts who looks slim and trim after giving birth to her son in May. (She later told me that an upcoming Veet shoot was all the motivation she needed.) Models dressed in red frocks created by local designers like Gert Johan Coetzee, Marianne Fassler and Nabeela Akbar showed off luscious locks washed and styled with the Wella Pro Series. Then expert stylists showed us how to get the look with a quick shake of the head, the odd bobby pin and a spritz of hairspray.

Afterwards more food was served and I rolled myself home with a set of Repair shampoo and conditioner under my arm. All in all, it was like Christmas for grown up girls.

Too legit to quit.

Ever been to a party so out of this world, you wondered whether you were watching it on the big screen?  That’s how I felt last night at Face of the Legit launch held at Randlords in Braamfontein. For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of Jozi’s hottest venue, it’s 22 floors up with an unbeatable view of the city. It makes you feel sad for all the countries that don’t have a Nelson Mandela Bridge in their back yard.  Ag, shame.

Hot young things flocked to the launch to celebrate the fifth face of the dynamic fashion brand, which, if the event was anything to go by, is just getting bigger and better. With 170 stores countrywide, Legit is the go-to label for edgy, young fashionistas who still want to be able to pay their rent/cell phone bill at the end of the month. 

After taking advantage of an open bar, the warm night air and hot beats provided by DJ Zinhle (girl works hard for her money), we heeded the call of the hostess with the mostest, Thembisa Mdoda, and gathered for what can only be described as the making of an It Girl.

Models worked the catwalk in retro florals, colour blocking and heels so hot they needed their own platform (no pun intended) before dancers pulsed to Beyonce’s Run the World while the crowd bounced along, chiming in (mostly to ‘girls!’ and  ‘mother’ − go figure.). I actually think I saw a couple of guys scope out the exits in anticipation of an estrogen-fuelled riot.

But before that could happen, a countdown began, a helicopter descended and a radiant Minnie Dlamini appeared, literally on top of the world. When Proverb serenades your arrival, you know you’ve made it and Minnie looked every bit the part of a girl whose dreams have come true.

As the new face (and body) of Legit, the Live co-presenter and budding actress lends a feminine, glam feel to the brand, blending her tastes with the season’s hottest trends. In a press conference afterwards she mentioned how she will stand apart from her predecessors by offering a bursary to study fashion to one lucky Legit customer. As someone who got through high school and varsity on scholarships, she knows the difference it could make to someone’s life, and that was a great note to end the night on.

To see more of The Minnie Series range, go to your nearest Legit store or get a copy of our October issue, on sale 19 September (and look out for our competition where you can win Legit vouchers). Find them on Facebook and at Legitimate.co.za  for more info.

Tequila Tuesday

I’m writing this post with only a slight headache. Why? Because last night, instead of going to my Monday yoga class and watching the tail end of Survivor as I usually do (someone please fill me in on Coach’s delusional antics), I dragged my friend Lexie to Shine Studios in Braamfontein for an Olmeca Tequila launch. Needless to say, my chakras are in dire need of alignment.

I too thought it a strange night to down shooters until we scaled the stairs and arrived on the rooftop to a crowd of bar owners and managers who only have Monday nights off to attend such shindigs. While I can’t down tequila like I used to, I’ve never been one to say no to a complimentary cocktail and sipped oh so carefully on tequila infusions while enjoying the twinkly view of the Nelson Mandela Bridge while waiting for proceedings to begin. 

When the invite comes with salt shaker filled with rich chocolate bits and the Twitter hashtag is #olmecafusions it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a cocoa concoction is about to be released (nothing gets passed me). And yes, Olmeca’s dark chocolate tequila was announced in dramatic fashion as a large cargo box opened up to reveal a bar full of the stuff. Shots for everyone! Think dark chocolate mousse with a heart-warming kick.

Try it for yourself this weekend, not for sale for persons under the age of 18, drink responsibly (preferably with a hot chauffer and a sensible pair of pumps waiting in the wings).