LOOKPOST: On To The Next One

So its the 29th of December 2014, meaning we are nearing the end of this exhausting, jam-packed yet thrilling year. As 2014 comes to a close, one can't help but look back on the year and reflect on all the memories, lessons (good or bad) and achievements or failures of the year being left behind. New years give us an opportunity to start over in a sense, with new resolutions and goals for the next 365 days that lie ahead of us. Now I always try to make 'new years resolutions' to guide and help me through the new year, I often forget what they are to be honest but this year I plan on making 3 realistic ones that I'll for sure stick to.

1. Work Harder - 2015 marks the end of my high school career. The year that (is supposed) to map out my future and determine where I will be in the next few years. I plan on working hard academically, in my relationships with those close to me, and of course on my new baby, my blog. This has proven to be one of the best decisions I have made all year, and I'm sticking to it, lol. 

2. Live a healthier lifestyle - Not only do I want to strive to have a healthier diet more consistently and make time for gym and more activities I enjoy, I would like to live a more spiritual lifestyle and take moments this year to reflect more often and just be. Going for walks, going to church or just reading by myself. I believe it is in these moments when one is truly able to just find oneself in all the craziness that is our everyday lives. 

3. To be fearless - Too many times in my life, I find that I tend to be scared to do or say certain things because of the way it may be perceived/make me look. Next year I will to dare to stand out, be different and not be afraid to be Zee (see what I did there!). I want my blog to flourish, myself to flourish and everyone around me to just FLOURISH. 

About This Look
I bought this really cute pleated scuba skirt from Mr Price a while ago and haven't actually had anywhere to wear it to (YET) but I love it! It is super cute and perfect for summer. Perfect length, colour and material (for those wondering, its mostly polyester and 10% cotton but obviously doesn't trap heat because of the structure). It is definitely a statement piece if you're a girl that likes to stand out! The shoes I bought more recently from LEGiT. I love these heels because they are super comfy and add a cute pop of colour to the outfits I wear it with. I like to wear them with a basic colour palette, and let the blue suede give my outfit the extra POP.

Top - Mr Price

Skirt - Mr Price

Shoes - LEGiT

Sunnies - Spitfire

Bag - Jo Borkett

This is my last blog post for the year, so this is it from Ya Girl in 2014! Its been real folks, I can't wait for what next year will bring for both KJ (of Kyte Dlamini Photography) and I, but one thing is certain, that we plan on being and doing better!

So as for you, dream bigger, live louder and don't let limits or people define what you are capable of! Lets make 2015 one for the books, yeah?

Zee - oX

LOOKPOST: Aztec Kimono

So vac has been way more low-key than I've expected. You know sometimes when you do that thing where you picture your vac to be one big turnup with beach dates, movies, seeing your mates all the time and whatnot, but when it gets here, it tends to be the opposite? That's my situation right now. Now I know in my last post I was gushing about how stoked I was to do all those fun things, but reality has proven to be the opposite, lol. All I am really interested in doing lately, is sleeping in, watching Gossip Girl (yes, I watched it again from season 1), the occasional workout, browsing through cool blogs and sometimes hanging out with KJ (photographer). This next week, hopefully, I will jump back on the vac band-wagon and start having myself a little more fun, it is summer after all!

Also, super random but for any of you who watched the Miss World pageant yesterday like me, I hope you all went as super crazy and excited and lost your minds when Roleen Strauss, our Miss South Africa was crowned Miss World 2014. WOW. What a great achievement not only for Roleen but for us as a country! I guess great things really do happen with Madiba as a guardian angel.

My Look

I copped this stunning printed kimono about a month ago from the Lalla X Legit line. I fell in love with the colours and of course the fun print of this kimono. This is literally my star piece for summer because it has super light material yet still covers you enough not to get too burnt from the sun. The colours are perfect for summer and can brighten up any outfit you choose to wear it with. The main thing I love about the kimono in general is the fact that you are able to wear it with virtually anything. Be it jeans, shorts, dresses or even skirts, it is so versatile andi s a very good investment for your wardrobe.

(Pictures all Kyte Dlamini Photography)

My edgy cuff was bought for me as a gift from Guess and I love it! It takes a simple look and gives it a more edgy feel with the gold studs and the gold plating on the front.

The denim shorts are also one of my great finds from the Legit stores!

All my rings are from Lovisa (always stay repping) and shoes are my vintage go-to's from Mrs Price. I hope I've inspired a lot of you to jump on this trend! What are some of your summer faves? Let me know! Drop me a young comment with your picks!

Kimono - Legit 

Top - Woolworths

Shorts - Legit

Shoes - Mr Price

Cuff - Guess

Rings - Lovisa

xx

LOOKPOST: Wild Thing

So school is up and summer is now well underway and its got me feeling some type of way. I am finally done with grade 11, and onto bigger (and better) things. I am really looking forward to chilling out with my mates, getting a summer job and having one last final 'hooraaa' before we begin our final year of this  high school thing! 

It is getting increasingly hot in sunny CPT, so my go-to item, the skirt, has made its way back into my outfits. Maxi-skirts in particular are so great if you want to look stylish, be comfy and most importantly not die in this heat. The skirt I am wearing in this look, was copped at H&M a couple years back and I absolutely love it. If you look closely, it has little cat faces blending in with the print, which I loved and gives the skirt such a fun feeling. The skirt is very light which also makes it great to wear in almost any weather, even in the strongest winds. 

The top I have here is one of my maaaaany crop tops from Cotton On, but came on a 2 for one special last month. I love it because although its typical and somewhat plain, it has the lowered shoulder which makes it really cute and gives it a 'gypsy-esque' feel which I loved for the look. The gold neckpiece I have on was a gift from my sister from Woman Street. This I love as it can literally take an average outfit and give it a glam element because its so grand. My bag was also a gift from Aldo and needless to say, I LOVE it. Its big enough to carry all of my things, and small enough to carry on my arm without looking like too much, PERFECT.

My burgudy/dark-purple nails I literally did yesterday and I am in love. Anyone who knows me, knows how important nails are to me.(I literally can't go through life with average nails to be honest, lol). I have actually never done my nails at the same nail salon more than once, but I loved where I got them done this time. It was at a cute salon called Lilac Nail and Beauty in Table View. Great service, great people and overall great experience! My rings are from Lovisa.

Images courtesy of: Kyte Dlamini Photography

Top - Cotton On | Neckpiece - Woman Street | Shoes -  Mr Price | Bag - Aldo | Rings - Lovisa | Nails - Lilac Nail and Beauty

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, 

Zee - oX

EVENT: Dune London SS14 Summer Trends Talk ft Aisha Baker

On Saturday 28 November, Dune London and fashion blogger Aisha Baker of Baked The Blog hosted the SS14 Summer Trends Talk at the Dune London store in Canal Walk. This was my first 'event' to do with anything remotely related to blogging and fashion so as you can imagine I was really excited to learn from and chat to Aisha! I was also pretty stoked because I have seen her and one of my other favourite bloggers, Crystal Kasper of New Hipster  rocking Dune London heels in their lookposts so I couldn't wait to see what they had in store for their customers this summer.

The event really did live up to my expectations. Customers were greeted with a glass of juice or champers (yes, juice for me) by the very friendly staff at Dune London and then by Aisha. We then were actually able to interact on a one on one basis with Aisha and she took all of her customers through the store, going through the different trends and giving a really personal feel to her tour. There was a variety of styles, colours, and patterns on the bags, shoes and purses so there was literally something for everyone. My personal favourite for yearly looks, was 'Graphic Impact' because it was a sort of mix between chill and edgy, a look that I really love because it is easy to dress up or down and there were mainly neutrals in the collection, which is what I'm about! For summer, I really like 'Citron Pop', it had very vibrant, bright colours and included colour blocking, a a trend that I love for summer!

The best part  about the experience for me, was having a one on one with Aisha where she gave me really great tips about blogging and just in general way to deal with all that comes with it. After talking to someone I admire and whose work I love, I felt inspired to share my blog, to do better and become the best that I can be in terms of blogging. She was really such a treat!

(Pics: Dune London Facebook Page)


Zee - oX

AMAS 2K14

This past weekend was one of the American music industries biggest events, The American Music Awards. Now despite the fact that what is on everyone's mind right now is the tragic and horrific verdict on the Ferguson case, I've decided to do America a solid and do a post on some of the fashion at the AMAs. This year I noticed that in my opinion, there were many more people that missed it, then that actually looked like flames, so I've decided to leave out my 'nays' for the event as I feel I would probably bore you all because there were a lot! JLo, Zendaya, Heidi Klum etcetcetc, the ladies who have been WOW-ing us lately just didn't quite nail it this time. But no worries, its a new year soon meaning, new opportunities to win us back!

Moving swiftly on, I had a handful of faves this year, but they really did wow me.

This right here is Miss Fergalicious herself and might I add, her body STAYS VICIOUS! She really is looking particularly amazing this year and she says she owes this to her starting up her singing career again and of course she put in the work in terms of exercise! She is seen here in a black Halston dress and she looks like a million dollars, even letting us peep her perfectly toned leg! Stunning.

Kate Beckinsale is not someone who I would normally follow in terms of trends or anything like that but she definitely caught my attention and of probably most of the world when she stunned in this stunning white Kaufman Franco dress. The silhouette of the dress is perfect for her figure and the cut-outs in the dress just take it from stunning to sexy as well! Definitely worthy candidate for my best dressed.

The three hot Kardash/Jenner sisters done did it again! Khloe wore a beautiful figure hugging black Versace dress (perfect for her amazing physique), Kenny wore a very daring see-through dress showing her very evident involvement in the side boob movement  by Yigal Azrouel straight off the runway and little sister Kylie wore a burgundy silk dress by Alexandre Vauthier and even wore a very unique accessory that had everyone swooning, her gold grills. This trio definitely had the most daring outfits on the carpet that night and I love this about them, always pushing the boundaries but keeping it chic. Might I add that their shoe game is on on 150!

Now don't @ me but I actually really liked Nicki Minaj's red carpet outfit. The sheer Alexander Wang mini dress is super cute and she really is able to work them curves in that A-Line skirt. I love the cut out and the detailing around them. The thing I must add is I didn't quite like her hair and make-up for this dress but the actual gown itself was nice.

That's it for right now, I hope you enjoyed the post, and feel free to tell me what you think!

Zee- oX

LOOKPOST: Black Romper

So  I have decided to break my blog silence by doing a little look post. I have been beyond excited to shoot again with my mate and to show off one of my favourite pieces for summer. This year I have had this weird attachment to black clothing and more monochromatic and neutral colours and I thought this was just a young phase but I have been loving black clothing for the summer season as well.

This romper that I am wearing is literally one of my favourite pieces for the summer. I copped it a few weeks ago from my go-to-store-that-never-disappoints, Mr Price at such an affordable price. The material is super light and comfortable which is a must in the December Cape Town heat. I have paired it with these cool vintage shoes I bought about a year ago (year agooo) and this cute gold owl necklace that my best got me from a boutique store called Women Street. I hope you like it!

Romper & Shoes - Mr Price | Neck piece - Women Street

All pics are courtesy of Kyte Dlamini Photography

Zee - oX

SOLAs Nuptuals

So as you all know (if you don't.. Idk) the recent Kim K 'scandal' of her 'Break the Internet' cover shoot for Paper magazine had people feeling all sorts of ways this past week. I personally don't get why people are only hating on her now, seeing as her claim to fame was her very explicit tape with Ray J. I really try not to judge peoples hustles, but I was feeling a bit uncomfortable with the pics, but then I realized what we should all have realized at the end of the day: Kim gave us something to talk about and while we are here having opinions and losing sleep over her booty, she just copped 46 mill and has set North up for this life, and a life after this one.

Anyways, enough about Kiki, and on to Sola Knowle's wedding. This weekend Solange tied the knot to music video director, Alan Ferguson in New Orleans, Louisiana and nothing about her day was mainstream. Sola looked stunning in her unconventional off-white jumpsuit with a beautiful cape at the back by Stephane Rolland as well as the beautiful dress she wore for the official portraits. She was also not-so-typical and wore her stunning 'fro out which gave the ultimate goddess feel to her whole look. The groom as well as the wedding party and guests all wore white giving the whole day an angelic feel and overall, AMAZING photos. Her big sissy Bey was there too in a very low-key dress that was rumoured to only be $350 (which I love that she did), but the newest flame was Mama Tina Knowles who looked very chic also in a jumpsuit that was more mature, but still looked like the hottest mom! 

Sola's pictures BLEW the internet up the on Sunday, but in the best way. Most people can agree that a stunning and unconventional bride that does things the way she likes and breaks all fashion norms, is far better than seeing Kim's ba-donkers on our screens. But enough about that, these are some of the pictures, from former Mrs Knowles's wedding.

A family that slays together, stays together

Ah, black excellence!

Zee - oX

CRUNCH TIME

So exams are creeping (rapidly) around the corner and needless to say, I was never ready for them to be coming so soon. 'Tis the season to be crusty, with late nights and early mornings of cramming, coffee always on deck and the endless knuckle cramps from the millions of note we have to make. We feel constantly drained of all energy and sometimes motivation, but fear not. This exam period is no different to any other, we WILL make it through.

On this post I am actually going to share some of my basic exam routines that help me survive the crust, and keep me sane and motivated to study hard and get the most out of this tough period in every students life (don't front). So here's it:

1. START STUDYING ON TIME. -  I know this always sounds like the most obvious thing but really, you should. I give myself at LEAST 2 weekends before my first paper to start writing notes. For exams like Maths, I try and practice everyday for 2 weeks and then start doing past papers closer to the time. This will relieve you of so much stress leading up to your papers as all you will be doing then is revising your notes with a cup - a - coffee and thanking yourself for your advanced planning.
2. EAT RIGHT - Exams can be an even bigger deal for some than other people and this could lead to irregular eating patterns or just not eating at all. This is probably the worst thing that you could do to your body as it relies on that healthy food for energy to learn (your work) and to store information. I usually watch my diet very closely leading up to exams as when i eat right, I feel more energized, less tired, and in an overall better mood. When you feel better- you DO better.
3. EXERCISE OFTEN - This you probably hear often too but, some of us need to hear it again. Exercising is probably the most important during exam times as it helps with many things such as stress and exhaustion. Exercise helps you focus better when studying as well. People generally think the exercise i am talking about is a hectic gym session, weights, treadmills and the whole 9 yards, when actually exercise is walking your dog (or your self), taking a bike ride around your block or even playing a sport for 30 minuets. Nothing hectic, just get your body moving. I usually go for jogs during exams to clear my mind and get some fresh air to get me back into my study grind. 
4. GET ENOUGH SLEEP - This is probably the most vital info that Ya Girl can give you.Sleep in general is so important for us teens not only for the beauty of course, but also so helps us synthesis and remember the work we have learnt in study sessions meaning, with sleep we actually have a better chance of doing well than cramming in the early hours of the morning. The other obvious reason is sleep helps us concentrate and focus when we are working. I know personally that when I haven't had enough sleep i find myself falling asleep during my EXAM. This is literally the worst feeling ever, because that is really the incorrect place and time to feel like napping.

Well with that, a huge GOOD LUCK to everyone writing exams in the upcoming weeks and especially to the Matrics of 2014. May you do your best and remember that if you work hard now, you can turn up harder later! 

This will be my last post up until exams are over unfortunately, Ya Girl has ambitions for her life ;) 

Xo- Zee

SHINE: Zuhair Murad

I was frantically scrolling through my Instagram timeline (heyzee_) one day after the MTV Music Video Awards and of course first person I had to find was my favourite, Queen Bey. After very little effort I found the Queen, and nearly fainted when I saw the deep red number she had on after she had won her video Vanguard award. She slayed. And so, I had to find the designer behind the masterpiece and this is when i discovered the beauty that is Zuhair Murad. A Lebanese designer who creates beautiful gowns that honor the stunning features of all women and are that are made with the finest detail taken into consideration. I was really blown away. This year he was at Paris Fashion Week with his spring collection, these are some of my favourite looks from the show:

oX- Zee

Kyte Dlamini Photography

Hey guys! First blog post (yaaaaay!) I am going to start off my blog history by telling you about the lovely individual that will be taking pics for me. Now on my blog I will either be posting pics by Kyte Dlamini Photography or from my current phone (Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE).

KJ and I met through our parents having mutual friends in the same circles and we have clicked and become bests ever since. He is a very talented photographer and has started building a profile for when he is done with school, as he would love to study photography abroad. I'm very proud of how far he has come and that he's putting in the work to make his dream a reality. He chose the name 'Kyte' fr reasons unknown to him and to myself but it definitely stuck. He actually just launched his new and re-vamped website with all of his profiles that you should all go and check out especially if you are in the Cape Town area and you would like a few snaps, 

Yesterday we got together and he snapped a few pics of me that I will share with you all. 

Feel free to contact this very talented rising photographer on:

Instagram: thisiskyte

Twitter: Kyte_Dlamini

Facebook: KJ Dlamini
Website: http://kjdlamini2011.wix.com/k-d-photography 

x

Zee - ox