If full-blown animal print seems a bit much, try the less-is-more approach with an accessory that gives a nod to the trend. With a variety of animal-print scarves, bags and shoes to choose from, there’s plenty of room to experiment.
Mango denim jacket 699; Kelso checked shirt 299.95; Kelso paperbag trousers 349.95; Accessorize beaded necklace 249; Aldo print bag 699; Aldo strappy heels 1299
Free 2BU T-shirt 99.95; Kelso side-striped-skirt 179.95; Forever New leopard-print scarf 299; Accessorize hoop earrings 149; Steve Madden cut-out sneakers 1299
Turn heads in an animal-print top. Go wild with all-over leopard print, or slide on by in snakeskin.
Kelso graphic T-shirt 99.95; Kelso paper-bag pants 349.95; Kelso tassel necklace 129.95; Accessorize bangles 249; Accessorize quilted backpack 799; Kelso sport sandals 259.95
Fashion direction & production: Brittany Penebre. Photography: Katinka Bester/Hero Creative. Hair & make-up: Sam Scarborough/One League. Model: Camila/The Circle.
All items subject to availability. Prices may change.
Now that Mars is in your money zone your finances should flow more easily. The good news is: you could boost your savings! The bad? You could spend more. Good news at work or regarding a fun venture is on the way.
Mars in Taurus should boost your energy, but you may also appear more feisty. Aim to channel the fiery Mars energy into favourite activities over the next few weeks. You’ll get a lot done with productive talks or meetings.
This is a good week for negotiations, meetings and commitments, especially if you wish to make changes in your career or general circumstances. Avoid allowing your vulnerabilities to dominate. Key news midweek could be a turning point.
You’ll appreciate getting your feet on the ground after recent changes. The other good news is that this week you could make great progress with your partnerships, both business and personal, so take the initiative. Romance could blossom.
Developments at home, at work or in your relationships will enable you to plan ahead with more certainty this week. Decisive developments could also boost health, beauty and wellbeing. Plan romance; singles may be ready to commit.
There is a healing quality to events this week. Plan to improve your circumstances, and the stars will help you! This is especially the case with relationships, work and domestic matters. Romance could soar this weekend; plan a treat.
A new and stabilising approach to someone who can be unpredictable will be beneficial. You may find that events give you a new understanding of someone, be this at home, at work, or regarding health and wellbeing.
You’ll appreciate the opportunity to make formal agreements or contracts this week. These could be binding or involve financial obligations. Your creativity will flow and you may increasingly invest in family, your home, beauty and romance.
You may be surprised by developments, especially those that concern your home, family or finances. You may be ready to make new arrangements in all of these areas, and these could be decisive changes, so ensure you get the facts.
As Venus and Saturn align in your sign this week, you should achieve a milestone within a work or personal matter. Key financial arrangements can be made or completed now. Just ensure, midweek, that you have all the facts, to avoid confusion.
Work and finances may be a focus this week, as you’ll get the chance to boost both areas. Just ensure you are clear about the terms of new agreements. You can truly make great progress across the board, and achieve a sense of stability.
Your endeavours, especially relating to work, health and wellbeing, will be in the spotlight. Take the initiative, as you could make progress. Socialising and networking could open doors and will be enjoyable, especially this weekend and early next week.
Continue reading “Your weekly horoscope for 16 to 22 February”
From rich and romantic woody notes to soft and feminine florals, these magnetic scents will ensure love is in the air this month.
All items subject to availability. Prices may change.
If there’s ever a time to rise to the occasion and look sharp, Valentine’s Day is surely it. Follow our grooming guidelines to look on point for your date and boost the romance quotient.
Don’t neglect your personal grooming in the midst of all your romantic V-Day planning, because no matter how well dressed you might be on the day, puffy eyes or tired-looking skin won’t go unnoticed. Here’s how to look your handsome best on the big day.
Kick off the process by cleansing your face with a product that removes dirt and sebum from the skin’s surface without stripping it of essential oils. Next, exfoliate with a gentle scrub to remove dead skin cells and other debris. Exfoliating is also a vital pre-shave step as it opens your pores and lifts facial hairs away from your skin, preparing the way for a comfortable and smooth shave.
Clinique For Men Face Wash 385
ClarinsMen Exfoliating Cleanser 360
Tom Ford For Men Exfoliating Energizing Scrub 925
Keeping your facial fuzz in check is an important step in the grooming process. First, apply a thick, lotion-like shave cream to your skin to hydrate and protect it while you shave. Post shave, use a natural aftershave to calm and soothe sensitive areas. If you have a moustache or beard, treat it with a beard oil or balm to keep it soft and styled.
Kiehl’s Grooming Solutions Nourishing Beard Grooming Oil 480
ClarinsMen Smooth Shave Foaming Gel 305
Nuxe Men Gentle Toning Lotion 245
Keep your face soft and supple with a nourishing moisturiser. Products enriched with hydration-boosting ingredients and antioxidants will brighten a lacklustre complexion, for a fresh, youthful face.
Clinique For Men Maximum Hydrator 610
Elemis For Men S.O.S Survival Cream 1110
Sisley Sisleÿum For Men Anti-Age Global Revitalizer 3135
Use a hard-working eye cream to diminish dark circles and smooth fine lines. Look out for a product containing power ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which plumps and firms dehydrated skin, and caffeine, a natural antioxidant with a knack for minimising puffy bags and energising tired-looking complexions.
Filorga Optim-Eyes Eye Contour 885
Kiehl’s Eye Alert 270
La Mer The Lifting Eye Serum 3660
Dry, cracked and chapped lips are not going to encourage any romantic displays of affection. Make sure your lips are smooth and healthy by applying a lip balm regularly leading up to your date. If you’re put off by notions of glossy, fruit-scented sticks, think again – there are plenty of no-shine formulas geared towards men whose lips need a moisture boost.
Kiehl’s Facial Fuel No-Shine Moisturizing Lip Balm 220
Lab Series Pro LS Lip Tech Lip Balm 205
Tom Ford For Men Hydrating Lip Balm 550
Rough, dry hands are an instant turn-off. You may think your body lotion is good enough for your hands, but this is not necessarily the case. Hand creams are formulated with a thicker consistency than body creams, and contain nourishing ingredients such as nut butters and vitamins A and E, for soft, smooth hands that invite intimacy.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment 270
Nivea NourishingCare Hand Cream 34.99
Clarins Super Restorative Hand Cream 705
Your date won’t be able to resist an incredible scent, so put some thought into your V-Day fragrance choice. You could play it safe with your signature scent, but for those wanting to make more of an impact we recommend a deeper, richer fragrance with notes of cedar, patchouli, oud and even rose. These fragrances are stronger, with more projection, than your day-to-day choice, so simply spray a little on each wrist, followed by a dab on the neck, to prevent fragrance overload.
Bvlgari Man Wood Essence 100ml EDP 1640
Giorgio Armani Code 125ml EDT 1727
YSL M7 Oud Absolu 80ml EDT 1550
Photography: Getty Images
All items subject to availability. Prices may change.
Perfume Power in Western Cape, Somerset West offers perfume-making workshop packages, from 1-hour sessions to full day workshops.
Moodsense Perfumes in Gauteng, Cradle of Mankind is offering a special Valentine’s Day Perfume Event on Sunday 17 February for R950 per person, where you can create your own scent and take it home with you.
21 Jump Street in Gauteng, Johannesburg offers 1 – 3-hour jumps from R100 to R200 per person from Monday – Sunday.
Gravity Indoor Trampoline Park in Eastern Cape, East London & Port Elizabeth charges R100 per person per hour and R60 per person for a second hour.
be.UP Park in KZN, Durban charges R130 per person for the first hour and R115 for the second.
Rush in Western Cape, Cape Town is R130 per person for an hour on Friday – Sunday, an extra charge of R100 for the second hour.
Food made with love is arguably the best gift of all, something author, chef and businesswoman Mogau Seshoene knows too well. Her love for South African cuisine and heritage combined with her fear of being dubbed a lazy daughter-in-law who doesn’t know how to cook turned into a successful business – The Lazy Makoti (the lazy daughter-in-law). She shares with us her recipes from her new book The Lazy Makoti’s Guide To The Kitchen – our Valentine’s Day gift to you.
Serves 8 – 10 | Preparation time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 1 hour
6 – 8 apples, cored and quartered
Caramel sauce
⅓ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cream
½ tsp salt
Cake
⅘ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1½ cups self-raising flour
Preheat oven to 180°. Grease a cake tin and place the apple pieces side by side to cover the base, creating a circular or spiral pattern. In a saucepan, heat butter and add sugar, cream and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring to a simmer and cook until sauce turns a brownish caramel colour. Pour the caramel over the apples and set aside. To make the cake, place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and combine well. Stir in the vanilla essence and fold in the flour. Spoon the batter over the caramel apples. Bake for one hour until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool and turn upside down onto a plate.
Serves 4 | Preparation time: 30 minutes | Baking time: 10 minutes
Pastry
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp castor sugar
½ cup butter, cold
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp cold water
Filling
2 tubs cream cheese
¼ cup honey
3 cups fresh berries (variety of your choice)
Preheat oven to 180°. Grease and prepare a tart dish. To make the pastry: sift flour and castor sugar and, using your fingers, rub in butter until crumbly. Add egg and mix together. Blend in cold water and chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry and cut into squares to cover 4 x 10cm tartlet tins. Line tins, trimming pastry if necessary. Prick pastry with a fork and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. To make the filling: combine cream cheese and honey in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Pour into prepared pastry cases and top with berries. Tip: if fresh berries are not available, try frozen berries. Defrost before adding to tarts.
Preparation time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 30 minutes
Cake
1 cup cake flour
3 heaped Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
¾ cup butter
½ cup castor sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp milk
Topping
360g tin of caramel
1 cup cottage cheese
1½ slabs Peppermint Crisp chocolate
Fresh mint leaves to garnish
Preheat oven to 180° and grease a 20cm cake tin. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and castor sugar, and then add the eggs, vanilla essence and milk. Make a well in the flour mixture and mix in the wet ingredients. Spoon batter into cake tin and bake for 30 minutes until risen and cooked. Allow to cool. For the topping: mix caramel and cottage cheese in a bowl. Grate one bar of chocolate and fold into the caramel mixture. Generously spread caramel topping onto the cake. Decorate with more grated chocolate and mint leaves.
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