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"Dipped in chocolate, bronzed in elegance, enameled with grace, toasted with beauty. My Lord she is a black woman" Yes two strong Queens Thank you to everyone who helped me with this To @Koliswa04, my mum. Thank you for the props😘😘😘 Outfits ��👘👕: from @wanchaza. Visit her store in Maboneng you will not regret MUA👄💄: @mishumo.m You did the most and added that thing 📷: One half of @bakeundbacken @mellomoropa. You are amazing. Models👭 Myself and Ms K Styling and earrings by Me #wehereforeverything #styling #fashion #tomoreprojects

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LADIES DRINK AND DRAW

Friday night and what to do? That is a question most of us ask ourselves unless your social calendar is fully booked for the month already. Myself in particular usually spend Fridays at home and happy to do so especially after a long week(not sure if age also plays a role lol). So when I stumbled across this event, I was in two minds about it, I wanted to attend and at the same time I had to organise someone that could take care of my son, which I did (thank you for my Aunt) and also the event involved drawing which I know isn’t something I am good at and the last time I took drawing lessons was in grade 4. With the first situation sorted and hoping that by Friday I would awake with the ability to draw like Picasso I purchased my ticket for R100 on quicket. The ticket included drawing material but you could bring your own. Friday came and alas I couldn’t draw like Picasso. The venue was the Community Centre just off Jan’s smut. I liked it and it had a very homey feel to it. I really didn’t know what to expect but as ladies started making their way in and conversations started, it seemed like we were concerned about our drawing skills that were non-existent. The event kicked off and the guest artist for the night was Karabo Poppy Molestane. She is an award winning illustrator, graphic designer and Street artist. We got to know a bit more about her and what she does and how she got started. Her honesty and her passion are things that stood out for me. Some of gems I took out from what she said are: 1. Charge the price you are worth. As women she pointed out that in her industry they actually quoted less than men but I am sure it’s a across board. It is about knowing your worth. 2.The first years will be embarrassing when you start out. When she started things didn’t just fall into her lap and there was even a point were she house sat for someone as to not pay rent. Things won’t be easy but remember why you started. 3.Be the mentor you wish you had. In her industry female illustrators are few and she couldn’t find someone who would be able to mentor her, but now she is taking the time to learn how to be a mentor. There was so much knowledge being shared and I think as the women sitting in there we all were able to take away something. So after the Q and A session was done, the fun began and we all got sheets of paper and drawing tools to start drawing, and our subject matter was a half naked lady sitting on the couch. We all interpreted her in our own way and we had a good laugh at each other and what we were putting on our sheets. It was an evening you didn’t really want to come to an end. It is definitely something I would do again and I would also encourage other ladies to do this ladies drink and draw evening. It happens monthly, the next one is in July. Follow bloom @bloomorg and watch out for the date for the next one.

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Portraits.....

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✌💪 #neverdone

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Sharing is caring... After the success of 2016’s Fresh Faces model search, Marie Claire is once again out to find the freshest faces in South Africa. Do you have a love for fashion and the Marie Claire brand? Or do you know someone who should obviously be a model and just needs a little push? We’re looking for beauty in all its forms, and we’re calling women of all ages, aspiring professional models or not, to join the #MCfreshfaces17 campaign. The winner will receive a modelling contract and professional portfolio shoot with Ice Models, and all the finalists stand the chance to feature in Marie Claire‘s bumper September fashion issue. Check out the website to enter #Mcfreshfaces17 #Modelsearch

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GIVING ME LIFE   A while back they used to be named “give up on life pants…” but nowadays they seem to be giving fashion scene life as one of the hottest trends. So you don’t need to feel bad about walking out of your house wearing a pair of track suit pants, you just need to make sure you wearing them right. So you can match them up with a formal shirt and a jacket and cute pair of heels and you ready to go. So I decided to put together my own outfit. I kept it simple and I think it is something you out there can try out. You can opt for the straight leg track pants like I did, Capri or even wide leg ones, it depends on what your style and preference is. I matched mine up with a black knit and a pair of mules and sheer socks. Tell me what you think of my outfit 😊

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👋, #trends #fashion #athleisure #ellesse

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I see you 👀

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🙋 styling by me 📷: mellomoropa

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You are not your situation. Love your energy and spirit😘

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Living my life like it's golden 📷:Mellomoropa #velvet #fashiontrends #blueandgold

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Thank you to Ms K my girl for trusting me with this. It's something she has wanted to do. Cancer survivor, strong black woman. 📷:By me. Styling: by me #workworkwork #blackgirlmagic

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Messing around...

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WHAT I AM READING So I am trying to get back to reading more, last year was a fail and I probably started reading a couple of books but never got to finishing any of them. I guess I let life get in the way. So my first read is #GIRLBOSS and yes I know this book came out a while back and I am so late and so last season but I don't care. It has been a book that has been on my to read list but I never got to it.  The author Sophia Amoruso who Forbes profiled as "fashions new Phenom" back in 2012 at the age of 28 and who also made it to the Forbes richest self-made-women list last year. How did she do all this? It started with an eBay store she called Nasty girl vintage, where she sold vintage clothing and other stuff and from there is grew over the years dropping the word vintage and sticking to Nasty  gal. By 2012 the business was a $100-million plus online fashion retail. By 2015 the business surpassed $300 million in revenues. She made a mark in the fashion retail industry but who would have thought it would be coming to an end? The Brand Nasty Gal filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year. Where did it all go wrong? It got me thinking about keeping up in this Fashion retail with new brands appearing all over and where consumers want quality but don't want to pay an arm and leg for it, is becoming difficult but that is another conversation on its own for another time.Let me get stuck into this book and enjoy it.  If anyone has books they want to recommend to me please do. :) Image is the cover of the book.

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GO GREEN As I had said in my previous post that greenery is the colour of the year and we will be seeing it quite a bit this year, so how do you wear this colour? It isn't a neutral colour like your nudes and for some people they would consider this colour too loud to even consider owing anything in it. it is natures neutral but how do you translate that in what you wear? I have put some looks together with green being the star. For the first look I looked at accessories.  Accessories can sometimes save a somewhat drab outfit and just uplift it. Have you ever gotten dressed and looked at yourself in the mirror and felt something was missing and all you ended up doing was add a pair of earrings, maybe you wore a hat or just carried a different handbag and when you looked at yourself again, you just felt complete and looked fabulous.  Accessories can do that. For the first look I was inspired by the two images on the left where both ladies just added green as a pop of colour to their outfits. Looking at the outfit I put together on the right I kept it simple and not risky at all. The accessories just complete the outfit and take note that you wouldn't have to wear all of them at once. You could go for scarf/headwrap and earrings  combination or the handbag and scarf together or just rock one accessory. In place of the blue stripe shirt you could replace it with a classic white shirt.  I also put the yellow ruffle top as a second option for a top. The green and yellow combination complement each other. Look out for more looks this week. Jeans-mango Shirt-H&M Shoes- mango Yellow ruffle top-mango Bag-zara

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GREEN WITH ENVY So if you didn't know, Greenery is the colour of the year for 2017. This colour is nature's neutral. It is associated with meaning of growth, freshness, safety and harmony and balance. It's a colour of life and renewal. This week I will be posting outfits with green being my inspiration and also showing you how to rock this colour without feeling or looking like a plant. Go green!!!!!!😊

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D I Y JEAN WORK So you might have a pair of jeans that you can't let go of or you just want to switch them up. This is what I did with the above pair of jeans and I didn't need a sowing machine or some person to do the work for me. All I needed was a pair of scissors,fabric glue and some creativity. I used a pair of old black faux leather pants that I knew I wasn't going to wear anymore. I used the leather parts to patch up my jeans. The fabric glue works very well and is not messy. Add your own look and play around. It took me less then an hour to do everything. Use prints, another denim fabric, just be creative. So hopefully I can can rock my "new" jeans tonight.😊