Eid Edit with Forever New

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

I love dressing up for Eid, and I always have! But since I’ve become a mum I’ve had a taste for the more practical side of life. This got me thinking around my first Eid as a mother and whether I want to spend money on another outfit for Instagram that cannot translate to my real life or be worn again after that day!

I decided that for this year’s Eid Edit I would work around a more practical style that can easily be transformed for both the coming winter and spring and even high summer!

When styling I worked around layering, of course, using my favorite Zara knee length boots under floaty summer dresses. I got some plain tops to wear underneath to warm up the look and of course, finished off with a coat. All these dresses can be worn again with different boots, sneakers or even open toes closer to summer!

A lot of us love a good jumpsuit but is it wearable again? This time I reinvented the jumpsuit concept by combining super flattering high waist belted pants with either a printed bodysuit and coat or a beautiful chiffon shirt tucked in to create the jumpsuit feel. Once again these can be separated and paired with denim, boots, sneakers, and heels to create different looks.

I am so into this year’s Eid Edit, and I hope you are too! All the fashion items I wore here can be purchased from Forever New either in-store or online, happy Ramadan!

Xo Aisha

My Home Office With MRP Home

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

I am really excited to share my home office with you all! Although I could have not prepared effectively for this new mom life I wanted to try to get my life together, somewhat, before giving birth. I put together a little home office for me to work from as I expected to spend much more time at home with my little baby than my usual mobile office I became accustomed to before becoming a mom.

Admittedly I have had only two meetings in my office and spent hardly any time there as finding time to actually sit down and work on something has been a little challenging of late. I hope to spend much more time here once my little one is a touch more independent.

Check out my office below. 90% of the items were sourced on www.mrphome.com using some of their interior decor ideas they’ve put together on there. I found the site really affordable as I didn’t want to spend too much on my office. The total office came to just under R20 000 for a full revamp

My Pregnancy

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

I swear I have been trying to write this post for the longest time! I really wanted to do a little post on each trimester and what my symptoms were, what I learnt and felt during each one. Admittedly the first trimester hit me so hard that all my plans of being the best most sharing blogger got thrown out the window. Instead I am going to do a little round up of the first and second trimester in this post. If you’re expecting or planning this might help you to feel a little more at ease.

Funny story; Wayne (I call him Parny if you don’t already know) and I had just decided it might be a good idea to wait a year before falling pregnant, not knowing we were already pregnant! Like they say when you make plans God laughs. We were super excited though when taking the test and finding out I was expecting our little babe just after our two year anniversary. We both love kids and are so overwhelmed with excitement and eager to start our new adventure together as mom and dad.

First Trimester – The Lonely Trimester

What no one prepared me for was the crazy roller coaster ride that is the first trimester. Besides being crazy tired all the time, I would literally drive home from work and pass out cold for two hours, I am not a very strong person when it comes to being sick or in pain. It was particularly frustrating for me to be nauseas as well as emotionally and physically sensitive. I experienced a weird aversion to meat, preparing it literally made me squirm but once it was cooked I would crave it intensely, I guess my body needed a protein injection because I ate a boiled egg every morning. I had days where I would just be nauseas and miserable all day. I tried eating sour sweets and citrus fruits, as suggested by a friend and drinking more water to help the nausea. Nothing seemed to really help besides sleep! I drove everyone around me crazy as I was just off my usual flow. Eventually my doctor gave me a script for some medication to help after I had spent a full day just throwing up constantly.

Besides those bad bits I kept working out everyday, which helped take my mind off my weird bodily changes. On the plus side my boobs went up a cup size which made me feel really attractive as well as my insanely glowing skin. So much so that people were sending me pictures of myself saying my skin looked flawless, stopping me in the street to compliment my skin! As an ex acne sufferer this was amazing. For a little while though my skin started breaking out again before going back to being really glowy.

I was really nervous to travel to LA during my first trimester. I had just found out I was preggy at 7 weeks and my friend, Natasha, who I was traveling with didn’t know since it was to early to tell any of my family or friends. I knew I would have to kinda be strong and hide how I was feeling because I’m such an awful liar I would end up just blurting it out. I ended up telling my Natasha after I ran to the bathroom mid convo to puke my guts out. The trip was really challenging for me as LA was having a heat wave, I had promised H&M all this content which was so hard to produce since I was feeling sick all the time and so tired. Not to mention excusing myself to use the bathroom at press meetings to throw up!

Keeping my pregnancy a secret was really important to me because I didn’t want to have to explain anything if, god forbid, anything had gone wrong but I was literally bursting at the seams to just tell everyone around me that I’m pregnant, more so to share how challenging it was for me. I felt really lonely and sad a lot of the time because I was so sick. Not to mention really guilty for not enjoying being pregnant. I experienced this distress during most of my pregnancy as my fear of the unknown often overwhelmed me. I worried a lot about being a good mom and about how I was going to balance my career goals with being the best mom for my babe.

Telling everyone was really exciting! I told my sisters first before anyone else and my best friend because they’re really good at keeping secrets. I also told my seven year old nephew because we are so close and I knew he would be excited to be a big cousin! When the time came I told him to tell his grandparents and they were so excited to hear the news from him! Both mine and Parny’s parents already have grandkids and they were both really excited to welcome a new addition to the family.

Second Trimester – The Glow Up 

The lonely first trimester was totally worth it when the second rolled around! By now my entire family and friend circle knew I was pregnant I just hadn’t announced it on instagram yet since I had a really important scan to go through first. From about 16 weeks I got my appetite back, my skin went back to normal and I could see a faint little bump.

At about 20 weeks I definitely had loads of energy and felt a bit of super woman syndrome thinking I could do it all – to be honest I kinda could! There must have been some crazy happy hormone surging through me.

My bump started showing around 21 weeks which is when I told the world I was pregnant. I kinda wanted to keep the whole pregnancy private which was a strange new feeling for me. I am not a private person, I am sure most of you guesses since I AM A BLOGGER after all. I had to tell everyone though because soon enough it would be pretty challenging to hide. I also shot my Cosmo cover story around this time which was so exciting! The shoot was long and tedious but I soldiered through and luckily I had this invincible energy which allowed me to slay on set for 13 hours (yup apparently cover shoots take that long!)

Around 24 weeks my sister, hubby and I decided to do a quick trip to Dubai to visit our family and friends over there and have a little bit of fun before baby arrives. All of this was totally doable and I didn’t feel the need to rest or put my feet up or anything which was great! I had a bit of round ligament pain during my Dubai trip and started feeling Braxton Hicks for the first time – which I had called “brixton hicks” for a couple weeks (LOL).

Besides a few bouts of anxiety about the future and very minor aches and pains this was definitely a fun trimester where I sometimes forgot I was even pregnant!

Third Trimester – The Grow up 

The third trimester, or the ‘grow up’ as I like to call it was probably the most awkward for me but fun at the same time. I think it was fun because I was comically huge and I really enjoyed having a massive bump to style. I look really young so I love when older women would stare at me in the mall, I once overheard two ladies discussing how sorry they felt for me because I was so young. I loved going up to them and saying “By the way I am 28!”. I also thoroughly enjoyed the productivity that came with nesting. My home is organised and gorgeous due to my crazy nesting period! I did my maternity shoot with one of my close friends Niquita and had my baby shower too! There was loads of excitement around soon becoming a mom.

The tough parts though are that the third trimester aches and pains are loud and proud. Leg cramps and heartburn were the bane of my existence with sleep also being really hard to come by. My cravings were lit as well, I felt like I could eat so much more without feeling satisfied. I quickly put on a whole bunch of weight of course. I simply felt uncomfortable and I could without a doubt feel the extra 13 Kg’s I added on during my pregnancy. What made it most fun though was that in a few short weeks I got to meet my baby!

The third trimester was cut short for me as I gave birth at 37 weeks to a healthy baby boy. We are so happy and blessed to be experiencing parenthood now. All the pregnancy drama was totally worth it when I gave birth to little Khalid. I will be posting my birthing story really soon – as soon as Khalid gives me a break from nursing!

Xo Aisha

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My First Month As a Mama

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

Being a first time mom I think I’ve annoyed everyone around me with all my questions and queries! Ultimately the choice lies with you whether or not you will use a pacifier or bottle feed your baby. I am so glad though to have made a decision on my bottles and pacifiers. Although I planned to breastfeed I wanted to be prepared for anything so I’ve gone with NUK’s collection, mostly because they’ve been orthodontically approved. I planned to use a pacifier instead of thumb sucking to soothe baby too as advised by my pediatric dentist. Once again this is a personal choice, many moms feel like they do not want to use any foreign teats when soothing and feeding their little babe which is totally okay too. 

Breast is best! 

I am learning quickly that with a baby planning, albeit an effective guideline, often doesn’t work out. This is what happened with me and breastfeeding. After spending thousands on a very capable and kind lactation consultant coming to me and consulting me almost daily I still struggled, and continue to struggle to get my baby to latch onto the breast! 

I had a few complications during my birth and shortly after which gave my baby a little slow start to latching onto breastfeeding. When I say we struggled I mean there was blood, sweat and tears involved, I’m sure many moms can relate to those challenging moments. Breastfeeding was not only challenging for me but excruciating at the same time. 

Eventually my consultant could see I was beginning to struggle not only physically but mentally and emotionally. She suggested I sort out some of the initial problems like getting babes tongue tie sorted out from the minute she noticed it, which had hindered baby’s range of motion. We sorted this out within the first week but because he was born a little earlier he continued to struggle with latching on. We tried, and continue to use shields to assist him which should work as a medium term solution. However baby still wasn’t feeding well nor gaining much weight so we were forced to think of a plan C! I began to express milk and bottle feed baby which I will admit was emotional for me as I had dreamed of breastfeeding my baby for a number of years.

Why orthodontically approved dummies and bottles are important: 

They are not round, but rather shaped like the breast while breastfeeding. They come highly recommended by most orthodontists in South Africa because they ensure correct jaw development by being the correct shape, soft and taking up as little space in the mouth as possible, allowing baby’s jaw to develop optimally. Most new moms don’t know that using a pacifier or bottle that is not orthodontically approved can lead to an open bite, something I suffered with and needed braces for! I wanted to give my son, and my wallet, the best chance at optimal orthodontic development so getting the ortho stamp of approval was important to me. 

We’re hoping to work our way back to breastfeeding as baby grows older but I will continue to use NUK’s range for my baby as he progresses. Really happy and proud to be a NUK mama! 

Thank you to NUK for answering all my questions and my sister in law, who is a Paediatric dentist, for giving me the thumbs up on this one!

Biggest takeaway 

In my month of being a mom and giving birth to my baba I have learnt one important lesson;  to go with the flow, quite literally! I’m a really one of those people who is obsessed with a plan and a structure in order to feel in control and confident. My baby has taught me to be more instinctual and follow his lead in finding something comfortable that works for us. I’ve also learnt that things change quickly so I need to adapt too! Finally I’ve discovered a new found level of patience I never knew existed. I am the most impatient person I know so for me to be able to deal with a fussy baby is a real challenge, as I’m sure it is for most moms. Exercising patience has given me control over my situation and assisted me in other parts of my life too! For my mental well-being I’ve decided to let go and follow my baby’s lead – I’m sure he has more exciting and life changing challenges in store for me as time goes! Wish me luck! 

Xo Aisha 

Ramadan Style Guide: Styling The Bump

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

Before I went into labour (earlier than expected at just 37 weeks, I was hoping to carry till 40) I worked on a bump style guide for Ramadan for some of you guys asking for outfit ideas. I was hoping to post and upload this a few days before Ramadan then of course I went into labour! 

Albeit delayed I wanted to post this anyway for those ladies who are in their second or third trimester beginning to show off that gorgeous belly but struggling with modest outfit ideas. These are just inspiration for you if you’re looking to style yourself of course mix and match your own items, it’s not always necessary to buy a full new wardrobe! However when you’re planning for the bigger trimesters I would go for a few key items you can wear post baby again, and with any modest outfit, layering is key! 

Straight cut draped jacket 

HM was one of my favorite local places to shop for maternity clothing. Their denim’s are particularly great! They look like regular jeans and not too old fashioned which I felt most of the local maternity brands were. Covering up with a straight cut draping jacket like this gives a flattering shape while feeling as huge as you most likely do in your third trimester.  This means you can totally still wear jeans, just reworking the look to flatter your figure. A jacket like this is a great addition to any one of your maternity outfits, be it a dress, tights and a top or whatever else you’re finding comfortable to wear. It is stylish flattering and most of all comfortable. 

The yellow now I am wearing here is currently available at H&M and worth the investment (in my opinion) since it will look great post pregnancy too.

Stretchy maxi dress 

This was a lifesaver! I got a ribbed dressed from Superbalist in size small (my regular size) and wore it my entire pregnancy from the first to third trimester. I even bought more colours because the dress was so comfortable and gave me confidence that everything was covered, tucked and looking sleek! I probably wore this dress most of the time, simply covering up with draping blazers, wearing a slouchy jersey over (which I cover in the next tip) or wearing it with any one of my jackets. You can place your scarf over your head and tuck either side into the jackets shoulders to cover your chest like I did here. I thought it looked pretty cute with a  long pendant over the draped scarf and sneakers for comfort.

Slouchy jersey 

An absolute must have! This jersey I imported from ASOS’s maternity range. But please be warned when shopping on ASOS from South Africa the import tax is quite hectic. I paid almost (gulp) 60% above my full shopping cart for my delivery. It was worth it in the end as I intend on keeping my clothes for my next pregnancy but it wasn’t entirely necessary. If for whatever reasons you cannot shop at ASOS.com you can get really cool maternity friendly items at Cotton On. They have a great rewards program and deliver to your door should you feel to uncomfortable to shop at the mall. I got sent a beautiful oversized slouchy jersey from Cotton On Africa, I wore it over tights, jeans and dresses. It was really flattering over my massive bump towards the end and I felt cute in it, not like a walking, talking hippo! Here I wear my slouchy jersey over a dress, my maternity leggings seemed to always be in the laundry so I would alternate between those and dresses in the last trimester since that was the most comfy. Another tip when shopping for anything during your pregnancy is to look for fabrics with stretch (anything with spandex blend) or items that say “oversized” this will look like regular maternity clothes on you – I have an oversized bomber jacket from Cotton on which looks amazing with the bump, it even zips up!

Full length coat dress 

I found this pretty late in my pregnancy, regrettably as I think its such a dope way of covering the bump, staying warm and feeling comfortable! I’m wearing this oversized button up coat from H&M (currently in store) with the maxi dress I mentioned earlier underneath. This is a super easy looking whether buttoning up all the way or simply leaving it open. The Nike hijab I am wearing here is available online too. There is a delivery charge with Nike.com but there is not tax since it comes from the SA warehouse. This hijab comes in differnt colours!

I really hope these tips helped you guys dress your bump in a trendy yet cool way in the third trimester. I know you’re so uncomfortable right now but trust me when your little one arrives you will forget all this discomfort. Enjoy the last few moments with your big belly and the excuse to eat your weight in macaroons!

Xo Aisha

Disclaimer: so sorry if there are loads of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, I didn’t double check this cause I need to go and nurse my baby soon… hehe! XO 

Aisha’s Greenery Themed Baby Shower

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

I decided to stick with a gender neutral greenery theme for my baby shower this weekend. I was a bit ambitious in deciding to plan my own shower and towards the end I thought maybe it was a bad idea since I got all kinds of stressed out!

The Event

Towards the big day everything came together and it was all fine. Nazeema from Flower Girl Decor was such a dream and made everything so much easier for me by doing the flowers and stationery (baby games and cards) for me. At some point I was wishing I had the event at home instead since Nazeema was so organised and had so many beautiful ideas. If you are in Cape Town and have an event coming up do consider using her for the event styling and set up. You can find her on social media @theflowergirldecor.

My cake was a no brainer since I always use Lameez, aka @justtbaked. She does a gorgeous great tasting fluffy cake and I love that we don’t have to compromise when working with her, the cake tastes delicious but also looks beautiful. Since the shower was around the same time as easter we decided to do a cute little vanilla bunny cake and matching chocolate ganache filled bunny cupcakes to go along with it.

The Thank You Gift

I really wanted to spoil my guests because each and every one of them had played such a special role in my life and also my pregnancy. Everyone invited was so near and dear to me I wanted to wow them with the best thank you. Nazeema suggested I do a brown paper bag with a cute sticker highlighting the event so we did that. I filled the bags with coconut lindt balls and chocolate bunnies as well my favourite items from Estee Lauder including the scrumptious mascara and two liquid lip colours. I had to include the very special glamglow supermud mask too!

The Outfit

Most people were curious about my dress! I had it custom made by my dear friend Tahiera @twinimageclothing. We decided to go with a scuba crepe blended fabric since it was stretchy comfortable and flattering. I cannot take full credit for the design, since I found it on pinterest! I simply typed in “baby shower dresses” and voila! I would usually be more creative and design something with Tahiera but since we are both pregnant and going through the most we decided to just replicate a design that already exists. The original designer is Cappellazo Couture.

Hair & Makeup

One of my best friends, Tash, was down for my baby shower and the weekend so I asked her to do my hair for me. She has her own hair salon in Port Elizabeth called @manestudio. We decided to do a simple pony to get my hair off my shoulders since the dress was so dramatic at the top. I asked Kimlyn Sisam (@kimlyn_makeuphair) who I first met when she was working in TV and now she’s a top beauty influencer! Besides being totally gorgeous she is really creative and great at makeup and hair. We decided to do a highly pigmented emerald eye and nude lip for my special day. We didn’t use any lashes at all.

A huge thank you to everyone who was a part of my day it was so magical! Especially my sister Ragiemah for all her help!

Xo Aisha

The Vendors 

Photographs: Tegan Smith @tegansmithphotography

Make up: Kimlyn Sisam @kimlyn_makeuphair

Hair: Tash Dollie @manestudio

Dress: Tahiera Achmat @twinimageclothing

Cake: Lameez Abrahams  @justtbaked

Decor and Flowers: Nazeema Noor @theflowergirldecor

Sneaking into summer

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

It’s no secret that I have an aversion to summer shoes. Although I love a good espadrille and I am not opposed to a pair of haviannas but my true love is closed shoes. I usually live in boots and sneakers all year round. If you’re like me and not a fan of the exposed toe, check out my sneaker suggestions in this post.

Three easy summer looks that still look pretty summery but incorporate my favourite sneakers. These cuties are available at Office London – my go to sneaker store since forever. I was really excited that they launched in South Africa and they literally get new sneakers daily! If you’re a girl who loves a great pair of kicks then give them a follow on instagram to stay up to date with whats on their shelf.

A Guide

Wearing sneakers in summer is really simple. If you’re comfortable showing your ankles definitely go for a low rise sneaker that can easily be paired with over the knee skirts and dresses. I specifically picked out these Puma creepers for their versatile low rise shape. If you’re more of a mini dress gal, go for a high rise sneaker like a converse, it gives off a chilled but edgy feel to your look.

I love jeans in summer too,  I am slowly realising while writing this that its possible that I don’t really like any stereotypical summer clothing. If you’re rocking a summer denim I would opt for  a low rise skinny sneaker similar to a low rise converse or Adidas stan smiths (these go great with skirts too!)

Lastly when in doubt tights always save the day in high summer! I love a three quarter tight for running around the city and I usually pair these with something comfy and low rise. Think Nike Airmax 97 or Cortez.

Xo A

Selena Gomez Beauty Editorial

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

I was delighted when my favs, Razana Omar and Rizqua Barnes asked me to collab on a Selena Gomez inspired shoot. Razana and I always fawn over her makeup looks done by the incomparable Hung Vanngo. I asked Razana to write a little something about the shoot, check out below:

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Each and every look that Hung Vanngo puts together is just the right amount of makeup in the right places.  He is indeed a true artist that I admire and aspire to. As much as I love makeup and Hung Vanngo, I am obsessed with Selena Gomez! So what better to recreate some of their iconic looks together with my favourite canvas- Aisha, and my favourite photographer, Rizqua Barnes.

Red wing look
A perfect wing scares any perfectionist of a makeup artist with excitement.  The sheer boldness and bravery of this one made it impossible for us not to try! I extended my wing a bit more than Hung did, as I attempted to go as far as possible – because there wouldn’t be another moment like this again! Go big or go home!

Pink look
The moment my eyes fell on Selena’s makeup for the Met Gala this year, I knew I had to try it! The popping ice pink solid lid was so unpredictable against her cream dress, I instantly obsessed over the rebelliousness of it all and how it just worked. 2017 had pink eyeshadow trends all over the runway and red carpet; I decided to tweak the bright pink to a bit more of an ice purple-pink to compliment Aisha’s olive skintone.

Dark eye look
While the whole world is doing a triangular -winged shading at the edge of the eye, Hung surprises us with a more rounded shading- and he keeps it solid as opposed to smoked out. While everyone else is balancing a dark eye with a nude lip, Hung somehow pulls off both a dark lip and dark eye and once again, leaves us all speechless. I had so much fun mixing brown and maroon colours and felt nothing but sheer satisfaction when I achieved the colour I felt was as close to Hung’s as possible, given the variety of different lighting in the different images we had googled.

Natural Scarf Look
Hung and Selena created a natural makeup look with her hair curled up in a navy scarf. We decided to combine this one with one of her other most iconic pictures – which also happens to be the most liked picture on Instagram (the one of Selena sipping on a coke bottle.) Silky smooth skin with some light brown eyeshadow and a nude lip. To go for something more natural was a beautiful contrast to the other adventurous looks we got to recreate.

Timbuktu Fashion Editorial

Posted on by Nhlanhla Masemola

I had the privilege of doing a really awesome shoot with Jessica Gaertner and Rizqua Barnes in Cape Town recently. Jessica has worked and styled for magazines like Cosmo and The Love Magazine so I was super excited to get the opportunity to work with her has the stylist for the day. I hardly ever get to work with stylists so it was a really treat to sit back and just be the model for a change.

The shoot was brought together by on of my favorite makeup artists in Cape Town, Kimlyn Sisam. Kim has been doing super well with her makeup and hair stuff on instagram – even scoring a trip to LA with one of her sponsors this year!

A huge thank you to our inspiring location of the day, Timbuktu Ethiopian restaurant in Cape Town.

Check out our collaboration below and let us know what you think!

Xo Aisha