In light of labour day, a public holiday in South Africa that is held in honor of working people. I thought it would be appropriate for you to ask yourself, why are you working on a day that’s ‘celebrated’ for you? Well, that’s for most of you at least.

Let me just say, kudos to you.

It’s always difficult to establish when enough is enough. To learn how to move on. Move on from shitty jobs, old friends, lovers and bad situations.

I’ve always been the sort of person to leave something that doesn’t add value to my life or who I am as a person. It sounds harsh, but I have to do what’s best for me and you have to do what’s best for you. I could be part of an organisation that pays me thousands every month but if it doesn’t add any sort of worth to my mental and physical well being, then I don’t see the point. You’ll only be fooling yourself if you keep pretending that maybe somewhere along the line, some sort of usefulness will come out of it.

I want to be rich, don’t get me wrong. But not rich like that. I want to be rich in knowledge and experience, memories and life lessons. I believe that the rest will then follow. To me, that’s what is most important; the moments you collect that you can’t put a number to, because they are just too priceless.

I recently left a job that I loved, not because the people were shitty or because I didn’t enjoy it but because it wasn’t adding any sort of benefit to me and who I want to become. Where I want to go is in the complete opposite direction to where they wanted to take me so I thought it was only fair to give that position to someone who wanted to end up on that path. However, I definitely didn’t leave empty handed. I took the knowledge, experience and lessons learned with me and most importantly I still have the lifelong friendships that were created along the way.

All too often I see and speak to people who feel stuck. Stuck in their job, in their current life, their relationships. I did and I do. We become so comfortable  in the little lives we have created for ourselves that we often forget that this is our only life to do everything we have ever wanted to do. It’s too precious to sit at a 08:00 – 17:00 day job every single day and wish that you were out there doing something else instead of the same thing every single day just so you can accumulate enough days in your year to take leave for not even a fraction of what you worked.

If you feel trapped or are too afraid to do the unimaginable, just do it. Leave the job, the city, the relationship – if it’s adding nothing but frustration to you. No one could tell you why you shouldn’t leave and don’t let them!

“We grow fearless when we do the things we fear” – Robin Sharma

Sometimes you have to do things without the advice of other people so that you don’t get influenced by their decision on what YOU should do with YOUR life.

Remember, if you always go by what other people THINK you should do with your life – it will only affect you, not them, not both of you. Just you. They don’t have to live with the decisions they made for you, you do.

If you’re reading this and you feel a little bit guilty for being too comfortable with your life or where you currently are, that’s okay. We have all been there at one point or another and who’s to say that we won’t be there again in a few years. The great thing is, that you can always change it.

“Growth is the antidote of regret” – Robin Sharma

I urge you to go and live the life you want and not the life you need. I promise you will be a lot happier.

It’s time to get uncomfortable being comfortable.

If there is one thing I have come to know about Cape Town, it’s the seasons. Sometimes we will have Summer in Winter and Spring in Autumn and if we are REALLY lucky we will get all 4 seasons in one day!

Which is the exact reason I thought it was fitting to write up a post on my 3 homemade body scrubs for when my skin isn’t feeling so hot no matter what season it is that day!

Although it is admittedly a tedious task, exfoliating is an essential part of any skin care routine, whether it be for the face or the body. It’s so important to stimulate circulation through your skin and get the blood flowing.

I do sometimes use body scrubs bought from a supermarket or a beauty store, the one thing I love about making my own is that there is full control over what goes into the scrubs and onto my skin. It can be tailored to your skin type, It’s a cost-effective hobby and also reduces the amount of chemical build up onto your skin which is a bonus!

In my previous skincare post (Prepping for a special event) I mentioned that I enjoy using my homemade body scrub to exfoliate my skin when it’s feeling a bit poor or when I want my skin to look and feel extra good for an event. Here are some of the easy body scrubs I make:

Soothing peppermint scrub:

1 Cup | Granulated sugar/Brown Sugar

4 Spoons | Refined coconut oil

10 Drops | Peppermint oil

Refreshing lemon scrub:

2 Cups | Granulated sugar/Brown Sugar

¼ Cup | Almond oil

10 Drops | Lemon oil

Once all your ingredients are out, mix your oil and sugar until you get the desired consistency that you are looking for then add the essential oil drops.

Once you are happy with the consistency and all the ingredients are combined well, store it in a cute little jar or container and use for your feet or body.

I absolutely love these scrubs (not only because they smells like peppermint chocolate and sweets) but also for getting rid of those dead skin cells around the elbow, knee and foot area. My skin feels so nourished and moisturized after I use them.

Handy tip: Sugar is not always the best thing for your health and to put inside your body but it can be an amazing exfoliant for your skin.

I would recommend using the peppermint and lemon body scrub in the shower or bath just because once the skin is damp the scrub sticks to the skin more making the whole exfoliating process easier as opposed to dry body brushing then hopping into the shower – also less of a messy situation.

Photographer / Ashley Tapsell

Design & Layout / Jeanna Kenchington

Exfoliating and moisturising hand treatment:

2 Tbsp | Sunflower oil

2 Tbsp | Lemon juice

3 Tbsp | Brown sugar

Mix the ingredients equally and leave on for 10 – 15 minutes then rinse and moisturize with your favorite hand cream. How easy was that?

The only difference between brown and granulated sugar is that brown sugar is a bit softer for use on the skin.

The best part about these homemade scrubs is not only do they benefit your skin but you can also tailor them to your skin type. You can change the essential oils or add something extra, it’s completely up to you. Make it to how you like it! Consider this a base to your creation.

It’s always important to stay cautious of what you are putting on your skin, Remember the skin is the body’s biggest organ that leads into the bloodstream. You wouldnt rub chemicals on your liver so why would you rub it onto your skin? Just some food for thought.

If you make any of your own homemade body scrubs, comment the recipe or tweet me pics. I’d love to see!

Photographer / Ashley Tapsell 

Having always been shorter than most girls and a bit more petite around the bust (ahem, thanks mom) it has never been the easiest thing for me to wear dresses or at least find dresses to wear that compliment/shape my body the way i’d prefer rather than do the complete opposite.

Towards the end of December I was feeling really fed up with how my eating patterns had changed, how I didn’t really care what I ate and when I ate it. Fair enough, it was the festive season and I had to give myself some slack but sorry to break it to you, there does come a point where having whatever you like everyday is just too much!

On the first of january 2017, all preppy and excited for the new year, I planned out a whole 3 month plan of eating clean, and exercising 6 days a week, and in some people’s world, this is a reality unfortunately it just wasn’t my reality. I only lasted 21 days.

Over all these years, I have been making the same New Year resolutions. To be healthy, to become more fit, get summer body ready before summer actually comes.

But whilst I was thinking about what my New Year’s resolution was going to be, I had a Kylie Jenner moment and realized that all my resolutions have been about my outer/physical appearance. Never once has it been about my internal/mental health.

I think it’s safe to say that we are all guilty for talking ourselves out of going to the gym, a run or telling ourselves that it’s okay to eat that 6^th brownie (yes, even me!).

But it’s also safe to say that those days are okay too, just in moderation and not every day!

In this Blog Post I will be sharing my secrets to getting my butt off the couch and onto the road or into the gym even when the only thing I feel like doing is sitting in front of the TV, eating ice cream, getting grumpy with myself for the fact that I am eating ice cream and not going to the gym. (Makes sense right!?)