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).

End of the month salty crack snacks.

I don’t know about you, but lately I find myself a few days from pay day, wondering where all my money has gone. I don’t consider myself an extravagant person. Mr Price is my go-to label, (Woolworths for when I’m feeling flush), I only watch welfare TV (DSTV when I visit the parentals)  and I can’t remember the last time I went for a facial (thank goodness for The Body Shop’s Tea Tree face mask). And yet the ATM refuses to negotiate or even hear me out when I try to explain that I’m good for it.


It could be my aversion to cooking, expensive underground parking (Rosebank – I’m talking to you) or the fact that I can’t stopping hopping on the Gautrain but let’s put it down to a global financial crisis and focus on the bright side, namely the things feeling po’ has taught me …

1. Just when you think there’s no more toothpaste in the tube, there’s usually enough for a week.
2. The crusty ends of a loaf of bread are delicious toasted and slathered in peanut butter.
3. Expiry dates are for woosies, the milk doesn’t start to smell until at least a week later.
4. RSVP favourably to functions and they’ll probably feed you.
5. Cashing in Clicks Club Points feels like Christmas.
6. Whatsapp is your friend.
7. There’s no shame in using coupons to buy one meal, get one free.
8. Nothing tastes better than half price cocktail hour at The Office in Greenside feels.
9. My friends are extremely generous people.

give a little bit …

While the memory of Madiba day is fading for some, it sure was encouraging to see so much good being done around the country and reinforced my faith in the human race. I hope we can keep it up and remind ourselves to do good deeds more often. It’s great for the soul if nothing else. 

As mentioned, I was invited by The Ntshulisa Foundation to spend the day with children from various orphanages and homes at Orango Tangos – a new children’s indoor play arena in Randburg (and a little slice of heaven for anyone under the age 10.)

Sub editor Natalie Egling, her little girl Willow and I arrived just before 11am and were immediately put to work in the ball pen (not to be confused with a bull pen). As someone not used to hanging out with small humans, it was initially an overwhelming blur of colourful balls, socked feet and cries of excitement.  But children being children, they welcomed us with open arms (quite literally) and soon scrambled to play with us on the indoor soccer field where my ball skills were put to shame. It’s a humbling experience to have little kids laugh at you when you can’t stop their hurtling goals.

After lunch we all sat down with crayons and paper to make birthday cards for Madiba.  Even the little ones who couldn’t have been older than four got stuck into colouring and before I knew it, I was covered in glitter and glue. Such a good look.

 I arrived expecting to feel sad but I left feeling exhausted and exhilarated. It sounds ridiculously corny but spending time with children really does make you see the world in a different way. If grown-ups could greet each other with bear hugs − even if they didn’t speak the same language, if we were all polite and grateful for the simplicity of hotdogs and apples, and if posing for pictures with our friends made us the happiest, the world really would be a better place (cue the choirs and violins).

I caught up Karissa Samuel, the director of The Ntshulisa Foundation, to find out more about the work they do and how we can help more than just once a year.

Describe what the Ntshulisa Foundation does in one sentence?
“We are a network that uses our resources to execute events, workshops and clinics for orphans and underprivileged youth to enrich their lives.”

How often to you organise events and programs for the children?
“I’ve been informally arranging events such as the one you attended since 2002, but when I registered The Ntshulisa Foundation, we took a turn to include a series of more serious events such as offering free dental and optometry clinics as well as self-esteem development workshops.”

Is it a full-time job for you?
“I decided last year that this was far too big to be a part-time project and have been doing this full time since March 2010.”

Do you have a permanent staff of volunteers?
“We have management committees, volunteers and active board members who assist in the running of the organisation as well as the execution of projects and workshops. Currently, we are looking for interns to work within the organisation as we expand.”

How does the TNF Online volunteer community help and what kind of commitment do you require?
“Ideally we uplift not only the children we serve, but also the homes that they live in. The volunteers are individuals (i.e. ordinary concerned citizens) and professionals (i.e. lawyers, doctors, etc) who want to contribute to improving the lives of our adopted children. We have no expectations of volunteers when they register with us. We use our online community to send requests for certain resources as the need arises and should the request resonate with a volunteer, they pledge whatever time or resources they feel comfortable with.

Not all of the children we met are orphans but are from disadvantaged or underprivileged backgrounds – what does that mean?
“We work with both orphaned and vulnerable children, so in this context, this means children who have been abandoned or whose family cannot take care of them. Either their parents have been incarcerated or they are being raised by their grandmothers. They are children who are truly in need of a little bit of love, guidance and support.”

Spending only a few hours with them was exhausting, heart breaking and inspiring. How do you do it? 
“I’ve learnt the hard way that if I truly want to help these kids, I have to overlook emotion and focus on solutions. Uplifting these children out of poverty and giving them a fighting chance at a decent future and a good life is the end goal. If I had to allow myself to feel for every painful story or innocent child who has been hurt, I’m sure that I would do nothing but weep all day! I like to think of myself as tenacious. My mantra when it gets hard is: ‘Passionate hearts committed to a shared vision can achieve the impossible’.”

Have you been able to see the effect your work has on the children and their lives?
“Yes! One of the best aspects about my job is that I get to watch these children grow up and grow into sweet young men and women. An amazing story of change is about our Big Smiles Dental clinic – our volunteer dentist Dr Shania Chetty fixed the four front teeth of a little girl. What Dr Chetty didn’t know was that this little girl had broken her teeth in the same accident that made her an orphan. I received a call from the girl’s principal the following week saying that this little girl who was so shy and never smiled could not stop smiling and was going to be in their local school production. A moment like that is what makes everything worth it!”

To learn more about The Ntshulisa Foundation or to sign up as a volunteer go to www.Ntshulisa.co.za. Their new site www.tnf.org.za will be up soon.

67 minutes – not just a great title for a movie

I am embarrassed. No. strike that – I’m ashamed, mortified even, that it’s been a month since my last post. Forgive me.

At first it was because I had nothing nice to say (which is when conventional wisdom advises you to shut the hell up) and then it was because I had too much to say, and let’s be honest, no one likes a chatterbox.

When in doubt, keep it simple stupid, so here are my ten cents for the week:  find the good.

Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the all the doom in the gloom. Perhaps you’ve felt it too? There’s no need to go into detail but a glimpse of the newspapers or daily bulletins pretty much confirms there’s a lot of suffering in a country that feels miles away from the one that was still on a World Cup high this time last year.

But every time I feel myself wallowing in a ‘people are poop’ mentality I stumble across South Africans shuffling and hustling to do better, be better and help others along the way.

With Mandela Day just around the corner it seems silly not to jump on the hopeful bandwagon and spare a meager 67 minutes to help someone else in honour of Madiba’s 93rd birthday on Monday 18 July.

As I write this, an email has just appeared in my inbox inviting me to spend Sunday morning with orphaned and vulnerable children at Orango Tangos in Randburg. One google hit of the place and I’m sold. Children, jungle gyms, party packs – what’s not to love?

Check back next week when I update you on my day of sugar highs, monkey bars and 100 kids. In the meantime let me know if you have anything planned and if you need help. I’ll be sure to spread the word via Twitter @CLEO_SA and Facebook CLEO S.A.

How to save a life

You know those heart-wrenching Grey’s Anatomy-type episodes where some little girl needs a bone marrow transplant for a fighting chance to beat leukemia and then, just when you’re doing the ugly cry in your pajamas with a tub of ice-cream, they find a match?  Someone living across the country is a compatible donor and saves the day all because they have the same tissue type. More tears are shed, The Fray plays in the background, credits roll and the world feels right again.

While real life doesn’t always work out this well, The Sunflower Fund is an organisation doing their darndest to give South Africans suffering from life threatening blood disorders the same happy ending. 

You’ve probably seen the ads, perhaps even bought a bandana but do you know what it means to be a bone marrow donor? I didn’t either. Not until I squeezed myself into my sister’s beautiful black ball gown and headed to the Sandton Sun for The Sunflower Fund’s annual charity ball.

Expecting something out of Gossip Girl, I was slightly disappointed to see Jeremy Mansfields where Chace Crawfords should be. I was however glad to see the big man looking healthy and happy with his slinky wife Jacqui by his side. (He is reportedly in remission from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia after being diagnosed in 2009).

After champagne and photos, I found myself at the cool table with our Health & Beauty ed Pippa, her man Paul, Fuzz our photographer and Tameron and Jared Carneson. Jared is The Sunflower Fund’s Gauteng PR manager and the reason we were there. Shortly after his gracious thank you speech and starters, tape rolled and we all turned to watch the big screens on either side of the stage. There’s nothing like Mariah Carey’s Hero set to images of survivors and some who weren’t as lucky to get a stiff audience of black ties and ruffles all chocked up.

I can’t reach Mariah’s high notes, and I’m not one for sermons or sentiment so here are the facts:
• The South African Bone Marrow Registry receives no government funding. 
• It costs R1000 to tissue type each donor’s blood sample. 
• Even though they have a respectable 63 000 donors, they are in desperate need of more and those from all ethnic backgrounds.
 • Although sufferers of leukemia and other blood disorders may be able to find a bone marrow/stem cell match in a sibling, 75% of patients will not.

I could go on, but I won’t.  All it takes is a phone call and two teaspoons of your blood to be a registered donor. There are thousands of reasons to do it and only a few not to (being scared of needles does not count).

A few reasons to do it:
• What if it was you who needed the match?
• What if someone you love needed the match?
• You could be someone’s super hero.

Okay so sentiment crept in ever so slightly. Forgive me.

To learn more about The Sunflower Fund and how to help, go to Sunflowerfund.org.za 

To become a donor, call 0800 12 10 82