{Sewing in Captivity} A Battle of Knits and Wits

2020 was a very strange year…a lot of us have been struggling with…lots of restrictions…I’m just scrambling around trying to find happiness in everyday life. A huge part of that is sewing for me.In her latest video, Karina Trinadad (Youtube channel: Lifting Pins and Needles) This encompasses most of my sewing post March 2020: a …

{Sewing in Captivity} Skirting Around the Issue

I have a vague memory of printed cotton fashioned into puffy sleeves. These puffy sleeves adorn chubby, brown arms. Gazing further, my mind's eye sees a sash at a non-existent waist. The sash is actually a ribbon that has been painstakingly folded. Beneath the ribbon, cotton and vest, butterflies flutter in my five-year-old stomach. It …

Netflix Watchlist: Hyena

The basis of most stories is good versus evil and the triumph of the former over the latter. In order for that to happen, these two categories should be easily identifiable. The 2020 Netflix series, Hyena, is about dualities like these as well as love/hate, order/disorder, loyalty/betrayal. Although it becomes difficult to tell which is …

{Book Review} : Postcolonial Banter by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

'Postcolonial Banter' is an anthology I would recommended for during the current times when you are holed up at home under quarantine or isolation [whether self-imposed or otherwise], especially because it speaks about resilience.

Turkspirit Cafe Review: I made traditional Turkish coffee

Tired of the same old malls and places in Cape Town, my mother and I decided to venture out into the Boland (i.e Stellenbosch), about 40 minutes out of the city. A quaint Turkish cafe called Turkspirit was selling a voucher for Turkish coffee making on Hyperli. A deals website similar to the now defunct …

Swiitch Beauty ’19 Winter Pop Up and Bubble Blush Review

I finally bit the bullet and went... To the Biscuit Mill and the Swiitch Beauty Pop Up on Saturday, 23 August, that is. It took extreme self control coupled with scepticism to keep me from buying Swiitch Beauty products since their launch in 2014. The rumours surrounding the brand regarding their origins, customer service coupled …

How to Pack Luggage like a Pro Even if You’re an Amateur

I recently undertook my first international trip.  One worry that was plaguing my mind was the intensive rules associated with packing for international trips as well as fitting all my things into my case. In my opinion, local travel is stress free because you can supplement anything that you forgot at a grocery or department …

How perfect is the Essence Instaperfect Liquid Make-up?

I realised that this shade is entirely too light for autumn skin tone, this fact is not helped by the neutral undertone which makes me appear sallow. So I decided to repurpose this as lightening drops.

Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Full Coverage Concealer

My latest makeup obsession are concealers because of their versatility. If I'm honest, I'll admit that they were always an obsession of mine. But the drugstore was not always supportive of this obsession. But recently that has changed. More and more concealers from pharmacy makeup brands have been flooding ghe South African market and I …

{Book Review} Mind Platter by Najwa Zebian

Is it poetry? Is it prose? Is it self-help? Is it an autobiography? Mind Platter defies genre just like its author defies categories. Najwa Zebian is a Lebanese-American author, speaker and educator according to the author biography. The first page establishes key elements and themes of the book. "If they don't appreciate your presence, they may …

Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Palette Dupe from Dupe Factorie Review

Dupes are the Donald Trump of the make-up world... Or are they?

CHEAP GIRLS’ ULTIMATTE PALETTE? Catrice Creatice Creamy Matte Lip Palette 010 Back to the Nudes Review

When the Swiitch Beauty Ultimatte Lip Palette came out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Just like other unrealised dreams of mine, neither did that purchase. So I bought the Catrice Creatice Creamy Matte Lip Palette 010 Back to The Nudes at Dis-chem instead. At R159.95 for 10 shades plus a mini …

Flormar Silk Matte Liquid Lipstick in Misty Rosy Review

My six month blog hiatus (look at me addressing the elephant in the room) has thankfully not extended to being a make-up hiatus. I have been making a point of it to explore different make-up brands, both local and international. One of these is a Turkish brand called Flormar. I have visited the Flormar kiosk …

The Body Shop Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation Review

It's been a while, has it not? This was the rhetorical question which I posed to myself while searching for The Body Shop Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation. Talking to oneself may be the surest sign of sanity there is. I was searching in my chest of drawers and in my make-up bag. I rummaged …

Essence All About Roses Eyeshadow Palette Review

Hi all! I'm a big Essence fan because of the affordable pricing from this drugstore brand. So when my friend gifted me this palette for my birthday, I was over the moon. Let's see if my reaction was justified... Essence says: "8 trendy, matching rose colours that can be combined in every way. The soft …

A Review of the Yardley London Stayfast Lipstick in ‘Red’

It occurred to me - while writing this post - that I review a lot of beauty products from Yardley London. In fact, I'm working on a review of their loose powder as well. My life is a series of unfinished drafts... But dear readers, know that this post is not sponsored. In fact, none …

Sassy Wishes: July Make-up Wishlist

I blew a whole 200 MB of data surfing online beauty sites the other day... Just casually drooling over pretty palettes and the like. But what's new? If you think make-up is expensive, you should try buying data in South Africa. Fun fact: when compared to countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, Australia and …

Sassy Wishes: May Make-up Wishlist

Hello lovely readers! It's that time again...a new monthly make-up wishlist! Whoop whoop! The products of this month's Sassy Wishes is quite diverse and ranges from Catrice Cosmetics to Lush and Nyx. Without further ado, you may (weak puns on point) read this... 1. Catrice Cosmetics The Essential Nude Collection Eyeshadow Palette I’m quite new …

Unfiltered: Reflections on my Month of Instagram

Today marks a month of my being on the social media that necessitates a certain kind of perfection: both filtered and flawless - Instagram.

Food for Thought: Samoosas and Milk Tart

I was a rookie in a place of veterans. The very first veteran I met was sitting next to me on the couch. She nudged me on the shoulder: “Don’t you have a samoosa?” she asked in Afrikaans. I was confused. I ate cheese sandwiches during the lunch break. I didn’t recall having brought a …

City Diaries: Chasing Pavements

Hi! So I thought I'd experiment and write a slice of life piece from my experiences commuting in my city, Cape Town, South Africa.

The Sassy From Birth Guide to Interviews

When I walked into the room, several expectant faces sitting around a table stared back at me. So this what they meant by a ‘panel’ interview. “Well this is not intimidating at all,"  my 17 year old self blurted out. This was met by chuckles from those at the table and the level of ice …

Two Weeks and Timeless Advice

Two weeks ago, my cousin suggested that I start a blog. That suggestion was met by numerous excuses by me, one of which was: “Who’s gonna read it? I don’t have 3000 plus followers like you.” She simply responded: “Do you think I started that way?” The internet and social media is saturated with writers, …

My First Ever Eyeshadow Palette Purchase! The Beauty Treats 24 Matte Eyeshadow Palette Review

My eyeshadow purchases – much like the relationship status of some - have been single. The glittery and shimmery palettes that I do have were received as gifts. While I like to ‘shine bright like a diamond’ as much as the next person, shimmery eyeshadow is not exactly subtle when you want it to be. Having …

Sewing Therapy Modern Hanbok Dress Pattern

Most of what I've sewn, in my three years of sewing, has been neutral colours: navy, white and black. The brighter, more colourful projects were usually for an event. I began watching Sewing Therapy early into the pandemic. She had great quality sewalongs of patterns that I had in my stash. I used her video …

{Sewing in Captivity} Upto[w]n Girl: Making a Dress for My Cousin’s Wedding

During the December break from work, I convinced myself that I could sew a dress for my cousin’s wedding in the first week of January.  I bought the Upton extension pack pattern from Cashmerette. Fabric Shopping The sleeved view with a princess seamed bodice and a maxi panel skirt most appealed to me. I told …

{Sewing in Captivity} The Azania Dress

Azania means “heard by God” in Hebrew - according to various internet sources. In South and East Africa, however, Azania has political and geographic connotations. Some Africanist groups use Azania as a way to refer to a fully realised South Africa free of oppression and subjugation. I cannot comment on which definition I believe to …

{Sewing in Captivity} That’s a Wrap!

One afternoon after work, as we were about to walk to the parking lot, a senior colleague turned to me and said: “You work really hard.” I smiled through my mask at the validation. “No, really,” He said, gesturing at the paperwork in his hand — paperwork that I had drawn up and photocopied — …

{Sewing in Captivity} Pocket [Skirt] Full of Sunshine

"That smells really good," said the woman behind the counter at Postnet, an internet cafe slash courier. The kind of place that pdf patterns describe as a "copy shop". The good smell is being emitted by a grande cup of mocha from Woolworths. "Oh, I can't smell it..." I say carelessly as I sanitise my …

{Sewing in Captivity} Off the Cuff

Covid-19 statistics have become as part of the news as the temperature in the weather report. The anchor – filming from home – forecasts that tomorrow will be cloudy with a chance of quarantine. News is sprawled across the couch and disguised as the Sunday Times. The subscription that I signed up for – a …

{Guest Post} A Handful of Henna: My Journey as a Mendhi Artist

By Nadia Ghumra My canvas is different to many. It customarily starts with a narrow base that spreads into a wide section and then reaches out into four long digits. A fifth, rests to one side. I adorn a different canvas each time. Although their general aesthetic is the same, there is always diversification. There …

{Guest Post} We Need to Know that It’s Okay Not to Know

Practice makes progress. This was the main idea that resonated with me while reading the post on Sewing in Captivity. It sparked a flame in me from the beginning when the author of this blog mentioned that she didn’t tell anyone she was going for sewing lessons, as was the case with many other things …