Monday 26 October 2015

Taxi


I'm starting to feel a little burnt out! This year has been quite a strenuous year for me, however very productive, so I can't complain. With the year nearing it's end, I still have a few goals I wish to achieve even though all I want is a long vacay to a tropical island. Ive been watching some of my snapper friends on holiday and I am feeling major envy!

This shoot was quite fun for both Pagiel and I. It was very impromptu as I didn't really have an idea in mind. Even with the look, I just pulled whatever matched and used it. We started off at Point Road, outside The Chairman. The derelict building served as the perfect backdrop for this look as I wanted the juxtaposition of elegant and casual, which is also evident in the look itself. 

After a few shots, as we were heading back to the car - Pagiel suggested I do a hitchhike pose which then lead to his "lets shoot with the taxis" suggestion. I was keen as I have never been in a taxi before (I strongly suggest everyone try it at least once since it is such a big part of our South African culture). So there we were, speaking to the resting taxi driver, with his feet on the dashboard, he agreed to let us take a few snaps after a tiny bit of persuasion. Oddly enough, the taxi driver was quite excited about this shoot. He even helped me out with a few poses and showed me the different signals for each location, not that I remember, but it was amusing nonetheless. I suppose it was worth compromising his afternoon snooze!

Pants - Splash Dubai // Denim Shirt - Forever 21 // Cutout Heels - Schutz // Rose Gold Bangle - Swarovski // Lips - 'Rebel' by Mac

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








Thursday 22 October 2015

New Look

Hi everyone. My apologies for my absence this past two weeks. Recently, time has been a major constraint. Some of you may have heard or even attended the makeup demo that Neil and I alongside Etre Belle Cosmetics hosted. Most of my time went in planning the event, which was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who came to support us. 

This week I don't have an excuse. I was just too occupied with daily life and a dash of laziness. Nevertheless, I have finally gotten down to writing a post. I'm sure you all noticed my blog has gotten a little facelift. I was tired of the old logo and general image of the blog so I commissioned my good friend Shaylen Mudali of 'The Creative Panda' to help me jazz up the blog. I wanted to keep to the monochrome theme with just a splash of colour. I must have emailed him just one small paragraph of what I envisioned for the new logo and much to my surprise, he got it correct on the first attempt! 

The logo is a representation of my personality. I consider myself a contradiction. I'm quite structured and serious - which is the monochrome part but in the same breath, I can be a total hipster which is translated by the water colour stains. 

Not only is Shaylen and amazing graphic designer, he is quite the artist too! His pop-art inspired portraits are seriously impressive. If you haven't had a look at his repertoire of work, go on to his Facebook Page or Instagram and check it out!

Contact: Shaylen Mudali - creativepanda@mail.com

Facebook: The Creative Panda SA
Instagram: @SHAYLEN_MUDALI 


Wednesday 7 October 2015

No Grey Zone

It was rather fortuitous that I selected these images  for this week's post for the reason that it best describes my current mood. Maybe it's the universe or perhaps it's close to 'that time of the month' but everyone and everything seems to be annoying me. It doesn't help that the end of the year is nearing and I still have so much I wish to achieve! I'm torn between focusing on work or spending the day at the beach - Durban's weather has been all sorts of lovely this week. 

I'm an all or nothing person, whether it's work or play, therefore I'm always on either end of the spectrum; never in between. Right now I am so lazy to even get off my couch. All my tasks (which on a regular day would take up to one hour max) are taking me forever to complete. I'm pretty certain that there has to be some sort of astronomical explanation for my inertia.

What I'm Wearing:

I mentioned in my last post that I purchased a few items from Charles and Keith, the boots being one of them. I wasn't certain about getting them because you know, the hot weather... But they're my new favourite shoes. They're soft and comfortable enough to go a whole day in them and surprisingly, I don't feel hot in them. The white cross-over top is from River Island. I bought it on sale in Johannesburg when I visited my sister a few months back. The black denims are from Woolworths which I purchased for work but since donning them, I could wear them every day. They provide just the right amount of stretch to make them comfortable enough to wear through the day. The black Jacket with silver chord detail was purchased from H&M in Kuala Lampur. I needed to get away from everyone and be alone for a bit so I went shopping... Needless to say, my alone-time was fruitful.

The sunglasses were a real bargain! I bought them from Sunglass Hut in Cape Town. It was my last day in the Cape and I thought I'd spend whatever money I had left. I spotted a sale sign in the window and went in. Little did I know they were having a sale to bring feet into the store. The entire store got flooded so naturally there was a strong damp smell in the air. Once I saw the price of these Tom Ford  glasses the store smelled like fresh daisies to me. I really like the way these sunnies shape my face as well as the dark lens for when I'm not in the mood to interact with anyone. The Swarovski bangle was a gift to myself after a very long time. I had eyed this bangle for some time before I finally made the purchase! 

White Blouse - River Island // Black Denims - Woolworths // Black Jacket - H&M // Necklace - Lovisa // Sunglasses - Tom Ford at Sunglass Hut // Boots - Charles and Keith // Bangle - Swarovski

Photography - Pagiel Chetty.  www.pagielchetty.com

Henna by Zakiyya. Follow her on Instagram @zakiyya_hennaart