At the end of August I headed to Joburg with Jet - who invited me to their summer preview & media event. I often have to decline blogging related trips as my consulting work and clients have to come first and I am often booked in advance. However, in this case I decided to join in on the fun and accepted the lovely invite. The trip was a really fast one - less than 24 hours to be exact. I left Durban around 2pm after a quick airport lunch and magazine browsing session and arrived in Joburg, together with a few cool Durban people - including Brett Robson and Bongani Mtolo. We were taken to our guesthouse (after being in traffic for ages - obviously) and dashed to get ready. I did take a few moments to admire my beautiful room and must say I was very excited to see the L'Occitane toiletries in the bathroom (hooray). After grabbing a pair of high heels, throwing out most of my luggage on the bed (in the rush) and donning some bright lippy... it was time to head to Cresta where the event was hosted.
The evening was such fun - the Durban creatives stuck together and we got to know each other a bit better, which was lovely as I haven't really chatted to either Brett or Bongani before. I also bumped into a few 'internet friends' like Amy Scheepers and the glowing Mrs Rogero who I met at long last. There were cocktails, snacks and sparkling wine paired with a fashion show. The highlight of the night was winning the grand prize of two domestic flights from Mango. Wow! We also browsed the new summer items and got to do some shopping. On our way back to the guesthouse we did make an emergency McDonalds stop and I'm happy to report that fashionistas do eat (after all). Before we knew it - we had to get up at the crack of dawn (the stars were still out*) and head back to the airport. The early start was totally worth it though. A change of scenery albeit brief can be quite inspiring.
I managed to take only hand luggage - I know that would seem like the obvious choice, but I am a notorious 'over-packer' and was quite proud that I managed to put it all in one, small carry on. The zips were strained and the wheels groaned a little, but off I went - with a few essentials and favourites in tow. I found this pretty Eiffel Tower mirror for a steal at Forever21 and it's great for travel and touching up make-up on the go. The Chanel lippy is a must to add a touch of colour after a long day. I traded my bigger Country Road purse in for a small compact zippy pouch from Zana... saved heaps of space and so much lighter too.
It was really nice to get to know Brett a bit better and we had a good old chat about blogging in South Africa. Her 'Obviously' tee will be in Jet stores soon. Shashi Naidoo was one of the models at the fashion show, which was hosted by the super cool and talented Kathlego Maboe. I bought a beautiful black and white fitted jacket which is the perfect wardrobe staple. It was only R169.99 and it's called 'Boss Girl' (it's fashion fate). The view on the way to the airport was a site to behold - truly incredible Joburg (you showoff). I also shared the trip highlights via Snapchat (nadiavdmescht) which was quite fun, but such a battery drainer!
A huge thanks to the lovely Jet team for the awesome invite and incredible hospitality. I had an amazing time.