iStore and iPad Mini have just launched a campaign that will send one lucky punter and his/her family on the trip of a lifetime to the value of R250 000. I’ve been dreaming about what I’d do with this prize if I won it, and it’s almost inconceivable. All I know is my itinerary starts with Vietnam and ends in a pair of Louboutins in Paris. 

I’ve spent the week reviewing the iPad Mini and the powers she possesses. This was an easy review for me. You see, my boyf won one a couple of months ago at Design Indaba and I’ve been drooling over his ever since. At first I thought Apple was silly for bringing it out, I mean, what need could anyone possibly have for a tiny iPad? I answered that question for myself pretty quickly: it’s smaller, lighter, and well, more ‘me’. The iPad Mini is the perfect marriage between the iPad and the e-reader which is exactly what I need in a device of this nature. 

Here’s a look at some of what you can do with an iPad Mini, or at least, the stuff I like to do with mine…

I love that she’s still big enough to work and research from, but small enough to lie in bed and read with, or watch videos from without your arm falling off. The apps photographed above in order of appearance are:

• Gmail
• Kindle for iPad 
• Pinterest 
• TED
• Scrabble 
• The New York Times
• Epicurious
• Flipboard
• Angry Birds
• Penultimate
• Numbers & Pages
• News 24
• Instagram

Right. So this is where it gets sexy. There’s a lot up for grabs here, so follow closely…

1. Win Your Dream Trip Worth R250 000

To get in on the action you need to get down to your local iStore and get your paws on the iPad Mini. Loaded onto it is the competition app that will ask you a few short questions about your dream vacation etc. Submit details and you’re in the running. If you actually buy an iPad Mini between now and June 7th, you’ll obtain 20 additional entries. Click here to view the competition online.

2. Win One of Six Macbook Airs

By entering the competition above and sharing to facebook, you’re automatically entered to win one of 6 Macbook Airs. That’s one each week for the duration of this campaign. 

3. Win an iPad Mini, courtesy of ME!

Right, so iStore are running a blogger challenge in conjunction with this competition and one of us stands the chance to win a R20 000 travel voucher. Pretty awesome, right? Well, I’ve decided that if I win, I will buy an iPad Mini for one of my readers as a thank you for helping me win the prize. You’ll need to click here to vote via the iStore facebook tab, but please also leave a comment on this blog post telling me you’ve voted for me so I can include you in the draw if I actually do win this thing. Yikes! If you’re reading this via mobile, click here to vote. 

Fingers crossed!

#winwithistore

brandslut xoxo

*No actual dogs were harmed in the making of this blog post

This evening I went to one of the loveliest events I’ve had the opportunity of attending. Why? Well, because this one was all about my mom, in aid of Mother’s Day. I was tasked with bringing mom along for a glass of Champagne and the opportunity to choose her favourite pair of sunglasses, courtesy of Sunglass Hut. I know, right! The saleswoman had mom down pat in a nanosecond and narrowed her choice down to a pair of Dolce & Gabbanas and one other in no time. The D&Gs triumphed. I also got totally spoilt and was allowed to leave with a pair too. It was down to the Chanels, as worn by Jerry Hall in the banner above, and a pair of breathtaking Pradas (below). Pradas: tick. 

You can spoil mom too, because Sunglass Hut is running a promotion whereby sales of R2000 or more will be discounted by R400, valid until Mother’s Day, May 12th. Here for more information online.

Thank you Sunglass Hut for a fairy-tale evening and for spoiling mom and I like you did. We are truly grateful.

#SunglassHutMothersDay

brandslut xoxo

Clever agency. Brave client. 

“The magic part of this campaign for Kmart is what is happening to it on social media. It is spawning a wave of response videos and images, some of which are “going viral” in their own right. The twitter hash-tag #Shipmypants has been a major trend for over a week. Of course all of this user-generated activity is leading traffic back to Kmart. It is a marketers dream come true. If there is one lesson to be taken from Kmart it is that brushing away conservative worries and taking a bold creative risk can pay off in a big way. The pay off will be even bigger, on a worldwide scale in fact, if you prepare the campaign for social media.” via.

At the time of publishing this post the YouTube video had 16 million views, and climbing. Uploaded April 10th 2013 by Kmart.

Go on, ship your pants.

brandslut xoxo

In August last year I started taking a daily photograph of my boyfriend Sergio’s outfit and posting it to Tumblr and Instagram. You see, I’ve always thought him extremely dapper and well put together. He didn’t exactly share my sentiment. “Fine!” I said, “if you won’t document your outfits, I will!” And so What My Boyfriend Wore was born.

It was hard at the beginning. People are cruel. South Africans are amongst the worst at criticising their peers, particularly where fashion is concerned. In London and New York bravery is applauded. Here? Not so much. I’ll never forget one of the first comments made on one of our photographs, it went something like “Well this will be awkward when you guys break up!” It’s not easy to ignore stuff like that. We tried our best to ignore the ugliness and kept on keeping on. 

Our meagre Instagram following started growing too, and with it a lot of amazing support from people around the world who, well, dig Sergio’s style and applaud his bravery. Somehow Levi’s South Africa picked up on our project and invited Sergio to participate in the local leg of a global campaign called “What’s Your Interpretation” to celebrate 140 years of the iconic 501. 8 creatives were sent 3 pairs of Levi’s 501′s and tasked with interpreting the classic in 8 looks over 2 weeks. Sergio made a beeline for the local haberdasher and, armed with shweshwe and other neat trimmings, set out to reinvent his 501′s for this challenge. There were many late nights and early mornings, but I think we did a good job of paying homage to the denim stalwart. Here are Sergio’s 8 looks, in no particular order…

You don’t need to wear skinny jeans and no socks to appreciate the amount of detail, time and care that went into these 8 submissions.  And if you indeed think that Sergio deserves to win, then please click here to vote for him. Scroll to the bottom of the article and select Sergio Ines. That’s it. The winner will travel to either San Francisco or Sao Paolo with Levi’s in May, so there’s a heap at stake. Voting closes Tuesday April 30th, tomorrow. Eee! 

Go forth (see what I did there?) and follow the WMBW blog here, Instagram here, Tumblr here or twitter feed here. Whew!

brandslut xoxo

A little while ago I was approached by Crocs to be involved in a new online campaign of theirs. My initial reaction? “Crocs? Eew!” It’s no secret I’m not a fan of the regular Crocs shoe we all love to hate, but I’ll admit I feel differently about their new range of Wellingtons for winter. You see, they don’t look like Crocs, which for me is a win, but they incorporate the best of the brand; light weight, comfortable, you know the drill. A few of us were photographed for their new winter campaign and here are some of the pics…

Naturally, Emma and I shotgunned the cat umbrellas. In the photo above you get a better idea of the full range of colours. We were also kindly offered a couple pairs of Wellies to take home. Fortunately for me there were no other size 3′s in the group and I could choose from the full spectrum of colours. I opted for the army green and the black Rain-Floe boots below, ideal for winter and puddle-jumping.

Cute, hey? Right, so I’m giving away a pair of these bad boys in any colour and style, courtesy of Crocs. All you need to do is click here and leave a comment on my Crocs post on facebook. All you need to do is tell me which colour will rock your winter wardrobe. Easy peasy lemon squeesy! Competition closes at midnight on May 9th and the winner will be announced on Friday May 10th. 

Fingers crossed!

brandslut xoxo

I received a sweet little package from the lovelies at JC Le Roux recently, sharing the details of their new campaign. In a nutshell, all bottles of bubbly sold until 30 April come with a limited edition tee that comes to life when placed in water. Kinda reminds me of those spongey dinosaur things we had growing up. There’s also a lovely brandslut reader giveaway in-store…

One lovely reader will win a nougat, chocolate and Turkish Delight pairing for two at the newly renovated House of JC Le Roux in Stellenbosch. All you need to do is click here, where you’ll get the chance to design your own bespoke tee, inspired by Le Good Life. Once you’ve designed your tee, let me know by tweeting at me (@brandslut_) and JC Le Roux on @LeGoodLife, using the hashtag #JCtee. If you’re not on twitter, you can comment on this blog post letting me know you’ve submitted your design and want in on the bubbly and nougat love. I’ll announce the winner on May 1st, travel not included. If you live outside the Cape, you can hang onto this prize until you get the chance to visit, no probs.

Le good luck! See what I did there?

brandslut xoxo

Okay, seriously, you need a pair of Urbanears in your life. I picked me up a little coral pair from the new Plattan range and I’m obsessed. Sometimes I walk around the house wearing them even when there’s no iPod attached. They really are the most beautifully designed little things. They fold up into a ball the size of your fist and include a jack to plug a second set of headphones into. Sweet man little headphones of love! Oh, but there’s more, the tangle-resistant fabric cord with Kevlar has a microphone and remote compatible with most devices, so you won’t miss any calls. The colour range is incredible too. If you’re not sold by my post, then check out the Urbanears website here. Because, like books and covers, I totally judge brands by their websites. This one is outstanding. 

Nothing wrong with a a shameless selfie, right?

You can get these bad boys in South Africa from your local iStore.

brandslut xoxo

I’ll admit, I’ve fallen for this slipper trend, well, hook, line and slipper. It started with a pair of sparkly ones from Zara, and then came a camo pair from Mr. Price, followed by another in Houndstooth. Do you see where I’m going with this? Correct. Enter my new favourites from Cinnamon…

Cinnamon is Johannesburg based and makes a range of ladies flats using only locally sourced leather and materials. Each pair of shoes is bespoke and individually handmade. The range includes slippers and pumps in a range of different styles, my personal favourite being the African-inspired animal print slippers, like mine above. Here to view the full Cinnamon range and to place an order.

brandslut xoxo

I love discovering amazing new local products. I think South Africans can be a little pessimistic about home-grown consumables, especially where beauty products are concerned. I stumbled upon Oh-Lief recently and my experience has been wonderful. If you follow me on twitter you’ll know I’m a stickler for service, so the knock on my door with my delivery less than 24 hours post me e-mailing my order through scored major  brownie-points.  This is what I ordered… 

My order:

1. Grapefruit Lip Balm
2. Grapefruit Olive Body Wax
3. Grapefruit and Lime Hand Lotion
4. Grapefruit and Sweet Orange Body Wash

I’m a big fan of grapefruit, okay.

Oh-Lief was started in 2010 by sisters Christine and Louiza who were dissatisfied with the range of chemical-free, organic body products on offer in South Africa. When Christine fell pregnant the sisters decided to experiment using locally sourced organic products, old family recipes and ‘love’, which is an ingredient in all of their natural baby and body products.

“Our name references olive oil, which is the main ingredient found in all our products, as well as our love for all things natural. Our products do not contain any harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances, petroleum, parabens, artificial colours or nut oils. We use a base of organic olive oil and beeswax, which is combined with the natural properties of a number of other organic ingredients to form a complete range of products that is ideal for all skin types”.

I’ve been using my Oh-Lief products for a few weeks now and no, they haven’t changed my life or reduced my cellulite, but they feel and smell great and I like knowing that I’m using something natural, organic and good for my body. I can’t vouch for this, but apparently the range of products for babies is also fantastic, so go check it out if you have ankle-bikers or one on the way.

Check out Oh-Lief online here and simply e-mail orders@ohlief.com to place an order.

brandslut xoxo

Our dear friends Michael and Carin invited us to their gorgeous new farm, Eden Rock, in Piketberg this Easter weekend. The farm’s name is particularly apt given the area’s fertile soils and abundance of fruit and nuts.  The fresh mountain air brought out the inner Martha Stewart in the gurls and we spent most of the weekend cooking and baking using the produce we’d picked on the farm, and from those neighbouring it.  Pear, apple, citrus, figs, pomegranate, dragon fruit, almonds and olives are prolific and you get the sense that you’d easily survive in the area if you were to become marooned there. Part of me hoped the roads would wash away in a freak storm and we’d never be able to leave. Here’s the weekend in pictures…

brandslut xoxo