A round-up of my personal favourite, local finds for this past year
Beauty Treatments & Products
This year I discovered the best skin treatments; they may not be new to you, but they really made a massive difference to me this past year in my quest to "age gracefully". You can read the full article about what Mesotherapy is and why it's great as an eye treatment,
HERE. The
Fire-and-Ice peel has also become a firm favourite for me. I go for one every month - especially a day before an event! I've also started using the Dermaceutic product range and I'm absolutely crazy about these products. I use the
Foamer 15 Cleanser and the
Hyal Ceutic Cream at night
Shopping and Stores
I've spent so much time this year on shopping sessions with my clients in Menlyn. The centre has an amazing selection of stores and brands. Two of my favourites in the centre (unfortunately Desigual closed in Menlyn in November, but they are still open in Sandton AND have a very active and updated
online store) are Desigual and UniQ. Desigual for those statement items to create amazing outfits with my basics. And UniQ for those basics ;). They are unmatched in quality and price.
Roea, of Roea Clothing opened the first Toni Pons store in South Africa, in Pretoria in November. The selection of espadrilles, leather sandals and winter boots are absolutely amazing!
Wellness Favourites
The ongoing battle to get the upper hand on my (gut) health continued throughout 2023. Three things made a massive difference to me:
NAD Iv-therapy on a regular basis,
taking Raw Biotics Gut Correct daily,
taking Pro-active Collagen daily.
Bag Favourites
Also recently openend in The Village in Hazelwood, Pretoria, is Masch Atelier. Their leather bags are truly one-of-a-kind pieces and the quality is absolutely amazing. Desigual has a range of very pretty sling bags - I love the soft fabric and fun prints they have per season. Everyone can agree that cellphone slings were the ultimate accessory of 2023 - freeing our hands and keeping us connected all at the same time ;) Sedgars, are importing and selling the infamous Marc Jacobs Tote bag. I shopped mine on a trip to Paris last year, but they have become this years most sought after bag in South Africa
Exercise Heroes
I came across the
Tigerlilly-page by accident on Instagram and I've ordered a number of items from them since. They are exclusive stockists of the
Tavi fitness apparel brand. They also stock Toesox (yoga fans!) and Vooray. I love that their pieces are amazingly comfortable - made to work out in - and also that not everybody is wearing it (think Burnt). You've seen these
The Voyager flasks on almost every content creators page; and I love this one from Lizzard. I personally battle with a water bottle when driving; The Voyager just makes it super easy to get my quota of H2O in daily.
Shoe Favourites
One shoe style that didn't make it to my top four, but definitely ranks right up there, are the Adidas ranges that have become so popular over the last year. Samba's, Handball Spezial's and the Gazelle's brought new life to our outfits. Beyond those, I sourced a range of genuine leather shoes that are for sale on my website. They are truly timeless and great quality pairs of shoes that are extremely comfortable and I've chosen styles that will go with everything in your wardrobe. Again, Toni Pons are on my favourites list...nothing comes to the classic elegance of these shoes imported all the way from Spain.
Wardrobe Heroes
In most of my sessions with my clients they enquire about jewellery and accessories. The trend of the last two years have been to create a genuine collection for yourself with items that are special to you. 9ct gold has become my choice for drip, and
Sir George has a range to die for. I look forward to growing my collection with them in 2024. On the fashion front, we can all agree that stripes and denim were the nr1 additions to our wardrobes. Striped everything, from tee's, dresses, shirts, towels and bags, were all high fashion. And so was denim - skirts, dresses, jackets, shirts. We were spoilt for choice here too!
Hair Favourites
I was introduced to the K18 hair treatment not so long ago and the difference it has made for my naturally curly (and dry and unruly) hair was absolutely amazing. I now permanently have it in the bathroom cupboard and use it every week. I've also discovered the wonderful Silver Bullet range of hair styling aids and tools. Much less expensive than their GHD, Vaudrey etc. counterparts - I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of this range. Definitely worth a try. Last but not least, the luxury that is a Blow Dry Bar appointment. We have a surprise for you, early 2024.. watch this space!
Lifestyle Favourites
Here I've chosen random things that has added pizzazz to my year. Smoke opened its doors in The Village in Pretoria and it's an amazing restauran; the vibe and the menu is inspirational. I love having my meetings there, meeting a friend there for coffee and I look forward to hosting my Wardrobe Masterclasses there in 2024.
My Littish Swarts planner made all the difference when it came to time management this year. It's a single place where I can document everything from ideas to goals, to-do lists and time schedules. If you haven't yet got your 2024 version,
buy it HERE.
Laser hair removal is still one of the best things I've done for my legs, bikini area and underarms. I visit
Mint Laser once every 4 to 6 months to maintain.
Basketly has been my go-to for wardrobe organising tools and utilities for a number of years now. Using their baskets in wardrobes gives it a little more "hygge" and a little less "China", if you know what I mean ;)
And that is it. My favourite things for this year. 2023 has been so good to me, my business and my family. I am so grateful. I have wonderful plans for 2024. I'm launching a subscription service with three membership tiers. These type of blogs will be sent out to Curated Style Members quarterly as a pdf. document. It will consist of my favourite finds for three months at a time; businesses and brands can advertise their products and services in this mailer too as it goes out directly to my subscribers! So much to look forward to! But for now... rest! xxx M
