SEPTEMBER highlights

Like pretty much all of this year ,September has proved to be an exciting and eventful month. Each month brings so much excitement and new opportunities , that often I am left rather pleasantly surprised.Durban welcomed Spring in all its glory but we did skip ahead and Mother Nature gave us a taste of Summer.

I decided to round up my highlights of yet another month 🙂

1)COOKIE SWAP , am sure you all are aware of this amazing event I was asked to host last month.Alot of time was spent emailing and getting sponsors and getting the event ready.

2)The lovely Yasantha Naidoo a Sunday Times social reporter contacted me before Cookie Swap and asked if she could cover the event.Instantly I said YES and this lead to another highlight of me featuring in the Sunday Times and been called a “social media fundi”And yes mum got several phone calls and bought a few extra copies of the paper.

3)I attended the Eastern Bridal Fair which was amazing on so many levels. Check out an earlier post.AND YES I want to get married.

4)In JULY I was mentioned in a tweet that @RevlonSA put out about a Durban Cosmo Cover Girl event and within two minutes Maheshree and I booked the event. The event was a sold out event with limited numbers.To my surprise I was invited to attend by Revlon at the start of the month as their guest.Wohoo I was super excited and sold my paid for ticket to my friend Megan who really wanted to attend.It was such a day of glamour and fun.

5)VIVID LUXURY , this amazing PR company based in CAPE TOWN and JHB contacted me via Spicegoddess to ask if I could do a post on their Durban event of PINOTAGE ON TAP. I was gobsmacked that my humble blog was approached by such an amazing company.

6)As a Hindu , September signifies the start of our month long fast.During this month we abstain from eating all forms of meat and no alcohol.Its a very religious month of prayer.

7)I had my first radio interview.At the GFWS I met Avashnee Vandiar is popular and much loved Radio personality from a local Indian station.I recieved an SMS from her three weeks ago asking if she could call me later that evening for an interview. I was taken aback but said yes and we settled on a time. When Avashnee called it was like chatting to an old friend BUT I was super nervous.The interview was about my POUT movement and my role as an Ambassador.The pre recorded interview was aired this week and I will post the podcast link soon.

8)My lovely Twitter friend @irinadoman who I have never met with and only communicated with on Twitter, visited her parents in Russia and sent my a bag of Russian goodies including chocolate, tea and a snow globe of the Kremlin.

So as you can see SEPTEMBER was rather eventful 🙂 but I am loving it.Heres to the rest of the year been just as amazing .

ciao
xxx

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POUT Ambassador 2013

On the 9th of August 2013 , it was announced that I was chosen as a POUT AMBASSADOR for the KZN region. It was finally so good to be able to tell everyone.

So am sure most of you reading this are asking POUT? WHATS THAT?
Here is the story behind POUT…..

POUT stands for Powerful, Outstanding, Unique and Talented. We believe that every young woman should have the confidence to say that they are Powerful beyond measure, Outstanding for every effort they make, Unique for there is no one like them and Talented because they are blessed with the ability to contribute to society!

Pretty cool right ! So what is POUT actually about ?

POUT is a self-empowerment movement for young women. It is a platform for inspiring stories, opportunities and information that will equip the youth in going after their dreams and being the best they can be.

When I was approached by Zaza Motha,I was literally gobsmacked to be offered this role to empower young women in South Africa.Zaza is the founder of the POUT MOVEMENT, “POUT is a result of my life’s journey and I believe that a lot of young women will find relevance in the message that it carries. POUT was formally founded in 2012.”

POUT BENEFITS YOUNG WOMEN WHO NEED:
1. To build or grow their confidence.
2.To feel good.
3.Career growth opportunities.
4.To prepare themselves for mentorship relationships.
5.To fulfill their vision or ambitions.
6.To contribute to society.

WHY POUT FOR YOUNG WOMEN?

Great strides have been made by government and organisations in increasing women’s participation in the economy. With this said, women still have a long way to go in realising their full potential. Investing in young women to realise their potential everyday will assist them in spotting opportunities that will build them, particularly their self esteem, in order to realise their potential and groom it.
POUT also aims to highlight the work that is done within the country and the continent to harness women’s participation in building the nation. This will also relay the message of opportunities that are available to young women.
“Only 3.6% of CEOs of the 300 companies (surveyed in the 2012 Women in Leadership Census) listed on the Johannesburg Stock
exchange are women. If you consider that those companies control between 80% and 90% of the South African economy, while women make up 52% of the population, it is clear that women have a very small voice on how the country’s economy is run” – President of the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA), Kunyalala Maphisa, (www.destinyconnect.com).
“A true democracy is characterised by the full and equal participation of women and men in the formulation and implementation of decisions in all spheres of public life. No country can call itself democratic if half the population is excluded from the decision-making process”. – As quoted by Satang Nabaneh, a child rights activist and women’s rights advocate from The Gambia, in her paper titled “The Power of Women’s Political Participation in ECOWAS – 2012”.
“Women constitute more than 50% of all unemployed people in this country and they also constitute a majority of all casual or contract workers. Those in the rural areas suffer from triple oppression because they are victims of gender, racial and economic oppression.” – Nehawu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla (Mail & Guardian article, Business Section, 8 August 2011 by Natasha Marrian).
A lot of facts and figures can be churned out about the condition of the South African or African woman. POUT aims to tackle such issues in a creative way and make them accessible to every young woman across the country.
It also aims to promote and instil a sense of confidence in young women so that they can go after their goals. Whether they choose to do that in the social, economic or political sector, the POUT sister will know that everything is possible.

POUT WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
The POUT website serves as an information portal for young women. This is where they will get inspiration from stories shared by people who are successful. POUT is also a place where peers can influence each other in a positive way and celebrate each other’s growth. Opportunities for personal and career growth will be on the website for young women to utilise to follow their dreams and be the best they can BE.

Very honoured to be chosen as a POUT AMBASSADOR 🙂
2013 is turning out to be a rather impressive year in the life of me, I can only imagine what 2014 wil bring 🙂

Ciao
xxx

ps will kep you guys updated on my POUT journey

http://www.poutmovement.co.za
http://www.facebook.com/Poutmovement
http://www.twitter.com/Poutmovement

Inecto PLUS announces their new brand ambassador…..

On Tuesday ,I along with several other Durban based bloggers were invited to the launch of the Inecto Plus range as well as the announcement of the stunning new brand ambassador.The event was held at Suncoast Hotel on a gorgeous deck showing off the beautiful Durban scenery.

The gorgeous Gail Mabalane is no stranger to being the celebrity representative of a beauty product. Recently announced as the first South African “Face-Of”, international Skin Care Brand “OLAY Even & Smooth”, Gail has come a long way from her days of auditioning for Idols. She is now an acclaimed actress, singer, Beauty Queen, wife & successful businesswoman.

Pictures do no justice to how stunning Gail really is both inside and out. Gail told all present how she was a typical DIY girl and ” I’m proud to be aligned to the Inecto Plus brand because once again I’m putting my name next to a brand with great heritage and awesome memories over many generations within my family” said Mabalane. “I’m excited about this relationship, the synergy is organic and I look forward to taking my natural look to the next level”.

Inecto was launched into South Africa in 1947 from UK family owned company called Rapidol. By 1960 Rapid No 1 and 1.5 cemented themselves as the largest sellers as Ethnic consumers wishing to have deep black shiny hair switched into the brand. Currently INECTO SuperBlack is the number one selling ethnic hair product in South Africa.

The brand has now over 14 million satisfied users in the sub Saharan Africa in the markets. This brand is well known as a tried and trusted quality product. The company grew and it was bought over by successful and world-renowned in 2007, Godrej a multinational based in India.

The new Inecto Plus range has stunning new colours with fab names like RED WINE, CRAZY PLUM to SUNKISSED BLONDE.The new range has seven different colours, and is targeted at the younger more fashionable urban chic female.

We were treated to a yummy light brunch and a goodie bag filled with all the new colours to try out.So what colour shall I be this month……..