Basic

I collaborated with an awesome photographer, Pagiel Chetty, for this shoot. We met through a mutual friend and hit it off ever since. I was super keen to work with him and finally, after weeks of rearranging our schedules, got the chance to work together. We did a couple shots in his studio which is situated at 21 Churchill Road and then took to the streets for another look. It was my first opportunity to shoot in studio for the blog and I'm glad to say I thoroughly enjoyed working with him, for the most part, because he makes the client feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Before we commenced I warned him that I am camera shy and have no model - like instincts, however, much to my surprise - he brought out my inner Tyra Banks. 

I have been meaning to do a shoot like this forever! My blogger inspirations have all done a shot like this and as much as I prefer to do my own thing and create my own looks, I really wanted a couple shots like these. I kept the clothes simple to match the style of the shoot.

What Im Wearing: Since the look of this shoot is basic, I kept the clothes basic as well. I'm sure you must have seen various versions of these shots on all the other blogger's Instagram accounts. Most of them do a plain white over-sized shirt which looks like they've raided their boyfriend's closet. I chose a pastel pink shirt as we are on the cusp of Spring and pastels are all the rage right now. All of the items chosen for this look have a slight androgynous feel to them. I prefer masculine cuts as I think it better suits my personality. The leather studded biker jacket is from Mango which I purchased overseas and the snakeskin skaters are from Zara. The pink shirt is actually a man's shirt from Topman.

Pastel Shirt - Topman // Leather Jacket - Mango // Black Tights - Woolworths // Snakeskin Skater Shoes - Zara //

Hair by Sawleha Hansa - Instagram: @sawlehahansa

Photography by Pagiel Chetty - www.pagielchetty.co.za - Instagram: @pagielchetty

Red Herring

I have just commenced with my third week of dieting and I'm happy to report that it has been going pretty well! the headaches have disappeared however the sugar cravings are still very much present.

 Last week I treated myself to a facial from Skinsation. We did a normal deep cleanse as well as a sebum clearing masque which really helped with my sensitivity and redness. The primary active ingredient is Salicylic Acid which is known to control breakouts. There is a tingling sensation on application which subsides eventually. My skin looked and felt better immediately after the Masque - I did post a picture of my skin on Snapchat so follow me if you aren't following me. This treatment is especially good for those who suffer from breakouts.

What I'm wearing: When I put this look together, I never really thought about it but looking at the picture now, I realised that none of these items were purchased in my hometown. The black diamond stitch cardigan was purchased in Istanbul, Turkey from a local store. I can't remember the name of the store. All I remember was walking past the store and hearing a really awesome song. My sister and I went into the store to Shazam the song (not that I remember what song it was) and walked out with this cardigan and a few other items. The snakeskin jumpsuit is from Topshop, purchased in the UK. It was a gift from a dear friend. The gold mesh belt is from Mango in Johannesburg. The red platform heels are from Topshop - purchased in Dubai. I had to have a pair of platforms when the trend resurfaced, I searched everywhere for a pair and finally found them in Topshop. They looked amazing in the store but I feel like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in them. The style is awesome and so is the colour however, I think my preference has since evolved. I felt like a giant when I wore them for this photoshoot so I just gave them to someone more deserving of them. The clutch is from Jimmy Choo but actually from a friend's closet so I'm not too sure of its origin.

Cardigan - Istanbul // Jumpsuit - Topshop // Belt - Mango // Platform Heels - Topshop // Clutch Bag - Jimmy Choo 

Hair by Sawleha Hansa - 0825088414 // Photography by Hanna Mahomed

Skinsation: 0828384608 / www.skinsation.co.za

Detox Diaries: Glow Cleanse Week One

If you have been following me on Snapchat, this past week was full of food snaps. I started Glow Cleanse which is a detox meal plan by Rushda Moosajee - owner of Glow Studios in Cape Town. It aims to cleanse and reset the digestive system in order to develop and maintain a healthy eating habit.

Basically, in order to detox one needs to eliminate sugar, dairy and carbs from their diet - the three fundamental factors of my diet. Excited and ready for the challenge ahead I mentally prepared myself to embark on this journey towards a healthy lifestyle. I chose to follow this meal plan primarily because I suffer from breakouts which I believe is caused by an unhealthy diet so I am quite excited to see what my skin looks like after this cleanse. 

Day one of the cleanse and I was happy to drink green juice for breakfast. I was surprised at how good everything tasted. About an hour or two later I felt a minor headache coming on - I thought it cannot be the diet, it's only been a few hours. Breakfast for me comprised of toast (carbs), peanut butter (sugar) and tea (dairy) which is now substituted with fruits and vegetables. I endured the headache and carried on with my day. By the end of day one I felt good about myself, having willpower and resisting my sugar cravings. Three days later I was still lugging around that headache from day one and I was moody as F***. I felt like bingeing on anything sweet I could get my hands on but I managed to resist. 

On my fourth day, my sister brought back Krispy Kreme from her travels which I wanted to devour immediately. I tried my best to stay away but my willpower failed me. I had a piece of a donut but sadly, it did nothing for me except make me chase sugar. I subsequently felt disappointed with myself for giving in but more disappointed that I didn't get the satisfaction I was hoping for. That's when I realised that it really isn't worth it. 

I'm trying to change my mindset about food and eating. I used to feel that if I cheated once my whole diet was ruined which led me to make poor choices throughout the day. However, now, if I have one bad meal I try to be extra good for the rest of the day. I haven't followed the diet perfectly because I'm basically weaning myself off drugs and it's only natural to relapse! I do feel so much better than I did a week ago and I've lost some weight! 

Find more details about the Glow Cleanse at www.rushtush.co.za and follow Rushda on snapchat: rushtush for motivation and a few laughs.

Tweet me @zaida_omar and let me know if you follow any diet plan and how you're feeling about it.

'Til next week 

xxx