About Karisa

http://www.loveaffaircapetown.com

Spoilicious treats at Rain Africa

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Karisa

I’ve been a fan of Rain Africa body & bath products for quite some time…

Their store in the V&A Waterfront is one of my favourite places to hit up if I need to get a birthday prezzie or special treat for someone. And to me, their things just scream total luxury & earthy goodness all in one.

To top it off, walking into that store is also such a calming & good-for-the-soul experience. I mean, it’s just so pretty in there. Let me show you what I mean:

Some interesting facts about Rain you might not have known:

They started over in Swellendam (which is still their head office) and today they have 3 stores in Cape Town (V&A, Willowbridge & Cavendish) as well as a store in Somerset West, the Garden Route & 2 over in Johannesburg. PLUS one in Amsterdam and another in New York. Sjoe…
Their mission is to make a difference in their community by creating jobs and teaching skills to the unskilled.
They are accredited by Beauty Without Cruelty and support Fair Trade.
Their products are handmade & natural, made with organic wild harvested African oils and high in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins and omega 3,6 & 9.

What’s not to love!

I popped in for a visit last week to see what’s new and spotted some great gift ideas for Mother’s day which fyi is coming up this Sunday folks – 12 May – you best not forget that one, otherwise you WILL be hearing about it for years to come…

First off, they’ve got some really gorgeous limited edition Mother’s day treats:

Liquid soap & body lotion gift set in a beautiful gift box which can easily be reused for many other purposes – R249

Left: limited edition soap R29; Right: heart shaped scent sachet R85

Or I’d say other good options would be to make up your own little bath time gift set by getting a little paper box, bag or egg container and filling it with some foam bath or liquid soap, bath salts, bath fizz balls & perhaps a scented candle:

Foam bath / liquid soap – R7.70 per 100ml; fizz balls R15 – R20 each, bath salts R8.90 per 100g.

Box options – box R17, egg container R5.90 and net bag R7; Scented candles – R135

Another idea is to choose one of their luxurious fabric covered gift boxes which sell for around R125 each and filling it with either your own choice of things, or even selecting one of their pre-made sets (if you’re not good at picking out things yourself):

Mother’s Day sorted. And at the same time, maybe pop a little something in there for yourself. Gift shopping can be hard… and you deserve it…

For more information on Rain products, you can contact them on: 028 514 2926 or info@rainafrica.com

xxx

Camille now on at the Artscape (and it’s a must see)

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Karisa

The chandeliers at the Artscape – it’s such an incredible building

Last night I attended the opening night of Camille at the Artscape - a beautiful ballet which will be showing until 12 May.

Now I’ve been an avid ballet fan ever since ballet dancer, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp walked onto the So you think you can dance stage in these white ballet tights which looked like they’d been spray painted on and did an amazing piece from The Nutcracker with fellow contestant, Eliana Girard, who also happened to be a ballet dancer. The two of them went on to win season 9, making it the first time a ballet dancer had ever came out tops on this particular dance show. And Chehon’s ~~perfectly sculpted butt cheeks~~ amazing lines & precision, has stayed with me since… that guy was so ~~hot~~ talented.

Only pic I could find. Sorry, Eliana is clearly in the way there. (Photo credit: buddytv.com)

** You can actually watch the full performance over here.

But on a serious note. I’ve always been intrigued by the art of ballet, but for some reason I just never made it to an actual live performance before. Last night was a total first for me and I was absolutdely blown away… from the incredible stage changes and beautiful costumes, to the enchanting music & dancers, everything was just so perfect. I left there thinking, right, when’s the next one??

Camille is based on a novel called The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas which was first published back in 1848. The story has been converted for film, stage and the opera. Veronica Paeper also created a ballet from it which has been staged several times since 1990. In short, the story follows Marguerite Gautier, a young courtisane (i.e. lady “kept” by various lovers) suffering from tuberculosis, and a young provincial bourgeois (a French term for a person belonging to the middle class), Armand Duval. Armand falls in love with Marguerite and tries to convince her to start a new life with him. But Armand’s dad won’t have any of that and convinces Marguerite to leave Armand, who until Marguerite’s death, believes that she’s run off with another man…

The ending had me on the edge of my seat, it was so intense and I won’t lie, it brought a bit of a tear to my eye…

Accompanied by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, the ballet is set to the music of Verdi’s La Traviata and features dancers from the Cape Town City Ballet, including principal dancers Laura Bosenberg & Thomas Thorne.

Hop on over to Computicket over here right away to secure your tickets. Prices range from R140 to R280 and it will be money well spent, trust me.

A huge thanks to Louis Fouche from ClassicSA Media & Events for the invite. This girl is totally hooked on ballet now (and this time for the right reasons).

xxx

And the St Yves VIP tickets go to…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Karisa

Congratulations to: Tineke Phelps (who entered by posting a comment to my competition post)

You will be partying it up on Saturday eve with 3 of your friends to say farewell to St Yves Beach Club in style!

I’ve got your email address, so will just drop you a line to finalise the details.

xxx

Welcome Jozi shore into your life… do it, do it now…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Karisa

Cape Town crazy man (and I mean crazy in a good way here), Anton Taylor, who also happens to be the winner of the 2011 International Man of Movember which he won with this very interesting, strange and seriously hot look over here:

Now that’s dedication to a cause folks… (Photo credit: pic sourced from Anton’s Facebook page)

Has been working on a new project called Jozi Shore which basically pokes fun at JHB vs CT stereotypes. I watched the first episode a few weeks back and have been wanting to share it with you great folks, but for some reason I kept getting sidetracked…

But this week they launched episode 2 and I thought right, if you haven’t yet stumbled upon the awesomeness that is Jozi Shore, please let me be the person to bring this bit of light into your lives.

The 1st episode was uploaded to YouTube back on 8 April and was accompanied by the following synopses:

Joburg’s biggest boets in search of the H2O scene in the Cape. Follow Anton and his gheys, guided by his hipster cousin, while they attempt to “integrate” into Cape Town culture.

Now watch what goes down:

Just love it… Then this past Monday, episode 2 launched and the boys had this to say about it:

After losing their bag at the airport, the bruthas go in search of some special supplements.

Let’s see what happens:

“I am very good at doing sex”… classic… Really looking forward to the next one, that’s for sure. Keep ‘em coming guys! Love your work…

xxx

Say farewell to St Yves with one last bash (plus a ticket giveaway)

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Karisa

So St Yves Beach Club has been there for the Cape Town party scene for the last 4 years, bringing folks top DJs, great parties and really one of the best views in town:

Photo credit: taken from the St Yves website – styves.co.za

Now sadly, the venue has been taken over for hotel development, and therefore they are planning one last big bash, going out in true St Yves style on Saturday 4 May before they have to close those doors…

And with that, the St Yves team (Jack, Dale & Shaun) invites everyone to come and party with them one last time as they say au revoir to this beautiful lady.

Important details to take note of:

Date: 04 May 2013
Time: 10pm – 4am
Address : St Yves Beach Club – The Promenade, Victoria Road, Camps Bay
Cost: R100.00 at the door
Dress Code: No effort, no entry
Event page: http://on.fb.me/ZztyB1
For more information you can contact Leozette at leozette@redcarpetconcepts.co.za or for table bookings, just contact Kim at kim@styves.co.za.

BUT listen up now guys & girls. There’s going to be an invite only VIP pre-party from 8pm to 10pm and I’ve got 4 tickets to giveaway to one lucky reader. VIP includes welcome drinks and cheese platters, and of course total bragging rights, because these VIP tickets cannot be purchased. Also you’ll save on that R100 entry. Sweet!

All you have to do is send the following tweet:

Hey @CTmylove I’d love to say au revoir to @styvesbeachclub in style this Saturday #LoveStYvesWin

Or if you’re not on twitter: just copy & paste this tweet into a comment below – just make sure you provide your email address as well so I can contact you if you win.

Terms & Conditions:

This competition is only open to people who will be in Cape Town on Sat, 4 May 2013.
Only one entry per person.
Competition closes Thu, 2 May at 5pm.
Winner will be determined by lucky draw & announced here on my blog and on Twitter Thu evening (before midnight)
You have to be ready to provide the names of your 3 guests by 2pm on Fri, 3 May

Good luck everyone. It’s always hard to say goodbye… but a big ass party sure as hell helps soften the blow.

xxx

SA Cheese Fest awesomeness

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Karisa

The annual SA Cheese Festival is a total must if you love stuffing your face with cheese, wine and all things that beautifully accompany these two things. So of course, it’s right up my alley!

I’ve been so busy of late though that I almost forgot about it… By the time I woke up, ticket sales were running out fast, but we luckily still got some for the Sunday session. The weather on the day provided perfect cheese tasting conditions: partly cloudy, but no rain. Not cold, but not too hot either… I mean we all know that heat is not good for the delicate cheesiness (that’s the proper scientific term, I promise).

It also seemed like the whole Western Cape was in attendance. Clearly this is a popular fest amongst pretty much everyone…

Because Sandringham is such a big venue, you didn’t really feel the large number of people until you got inside the main Checkers tent. It was packed, and when I say packed, I mean PACKED. Check it out:

I felt like a gladiator… going in for final battle… but not intimidated in any way… There were so many things to see and taste, it would take me weeks of posts to get through all of it. So I’m just going to give you a bit of a highlights package. Here goes:

Clockwise from top left: Kasselshoop Cheese, Simonsberg feta & mushroom combo which was really tasty; Mysthill Farm; and the best Wasabi chips you’ll ever eat (like ever – I’ve spotted them at Spar and some convenience stores)

Clockwise from top left: the most awarded wines I’ve ever seen, just check all those prize stickers! Alvi’s Drift had some really great & well prices wines; the only lemon curd you should ever buy – from the Lemon Curd Lady; tasty olives from Chrisna’s; and Nessa’s jalapeno relish which should be hitting stores in the near future.

Clockwise from top left: tempting baked treats from Die Backstube (their milk tart looked soooo good); Robin Hood themed wine box??; gorgeous looking savoury muffins from Wicked Treats Bakery and Vokandi who does flavoured vodkas & this spiked vodka chocolate cream which was a little strange, but I could see people loving that for desserts etc.

Clockwise from top left: Puglia Cheese, Olyvenbosch olive oil on tap (their olive oil is really nice); Pronto Mama Gourmet Foods; and I just really liked this winery’s label to be honest… I mean come on, it’s an elephant balancing on an “l”… what’s not to love.

The Landbou Weekblad stand made me think of my dad. When I was still living in PE, he used to threaten to advertise myself and my sisters in there to find husbands for all of us (I come from a big family, 4 girls & 2 boys):

That’s a lot of weddings to be worried about as a parent, I guess…

The kids play area & petting zoo had all the little kids entertained:

Although, just for the record, I thought this was kinda hectic:

A cow right next to a leather furniture stand… one of life’s tough lessons I guess…

But the kids area was also great for the “big kids” like myself, cause this is where I found my two new babies, Frank & Betsy (thanks to the SPCA stand @ only R40 each which goes towards a great cause).

If I happen to look slightly tipsy in this photo, it’s just bad lighting :

Betsy is the little pony & Frank is the doggie… just so you know.

Right, so what did I go home with in the end?

Two Anysbos cheeses:
More cheese from Taaibosh (Heidelberg, Southern Cape). What do you get when you mix soft, creamy cheese with biltong? Heaven in your mouth:
In the hustle & bustle on the day, I didn’t get any contact details for these folks. And couldn’t find anything online. But if I do, I’ll update it here, cause I also want to know where to get my hands on another tub once this one runs out…
This Slow roasted cherry tomato in spicy vinaigrette baby from Pronto Mama:
Hazelnut flavoured Tantinki Fudge. Yum!
You can’t ever go wrong with Wedgewood Nougat, especially their cranberry & almond – a totally winner:
And then I was in a bit of a bubbly mood on the day, so I opted for a bottle of Alvi’s Drift MCC and this lovely, light sparkling wine from De Wet Cellar called Pettilant Fronté which, get this, only cost me R30! (but you can only buy it directly from their cellar)

And then of course, Betsy & Frank have been livin’ it up back at home. The boyfriend hates the fact that I let them on the couch and the bed, he thinks I’m spoiling them, but I just can’t help it. You try looking into those big eyes and saying no. #impossible

Can you hear that Toy Story song playing in your head? “You’ve got a friend in me, you’ve got a friend in me…”

So yeah, all ‘n all a very successful day out. The SA Cheese Festival is always a great place to discover new & exciting products and that’s exactly why I can’t wait for next year…

xxx

Traffic Live Winter fashion show @ Shimmy Beach Club (with video)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Karisa

Last Monday eve I got to attend Cape Town based label, Traffic Live‘s Winter Fashion Show which was held at Shimmy Beach Club
in the Waterfront in association with BlackBerry.

Traffic Live has been around since 2004 and specialises in edgy Cape Town street fashion for both men & women. With this show, Traffic Live also launched a new logo and rebranding plan which will be rolled out across all Traffic Live stores this year. They also announced a new branch which will be opening at the V&A Waterfront as well as a Traffic Live e-commerce store which should be launching in September.

Before the show kicked off, we got to take in the beautiful view, have a look at the Traffic Live pop-up store, mingle & enjoy some bubbly and snacks. No complaints here.

Now I’m not just going to do the standard thing and show you some pics from the show, I thought it would be more fun to see the clothing in action. So I decided to do a little video instead, compressing all the fashion awesomeness down to just under 2min of highlights. But before we have a look at that – here’s some extra info on the show:

Makeup by: MAC Cosmetics headed by Michele Collins
Hair by: Hairstylist and FHI Heat Brand Ambassador Shaun Amey (they used the FHI stylers on the models as well)
Jewellery: Lovisa
Shoes: Madison Footwear
Bags: Blackcherry bags
Styling: A Fashion Friend

Now here goes:

The key looks you would’ve spotted there were: Utility, berrylicious, new nudes, sport luxe, embellished and black & gold. There were quite a few things I loved, but my ultimate favourites was that first look with the studded blouse and light denims, then that hot leather jacket & long floral dress combo and I really must have the denim jacket with the spikes…

Saw anything you liked? Then pay them a visit at either their flagship store at 197 Long Street or their other stores in Canal Walk and Cavendish. For any enquiries you can also contact them on 021 424 2250 or info@trafficshop.co.za.

Here’s to winter and the fun fashion it brings…

xxx

Southern Suburbs coffee culture part 2: Starlings Cafe

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Karisa

So after Twigs and Beans, Darryn mentioned that we were close to this place called Starlings Cafe which people without fail raved about on Twitter every single Saturday, a place that CBD folk actually specially drove out to for their weekly fix.

This I couldn’t believe… No offence to the Southern Suburbs, but there’s some really amazing coffee spots in town, so for me personally, to embark on a bit of a drive, a place has to be quite special. With this in mind we thought, right, let’s see what all the fuss is about…

Google told us that Starlings Cafe was situated at 94 Belvedere Rd, Claremont. We drove up and down Belvedere Rd twice without spotting anything. I started to think Google got it wrong, but Darryn wasn’t ready to give up just yet. He suggested we park the car and do the road by foot. Good idea too, cause turns out, this unassuming front entrance is what I guess keeps Starlings Cafe a bit of a hidden gem:

No signage outside either… just two bushes and a little gate…

We nervously entered, hoping that we weren’t intruding on some poor old couples home or something. I actually had thoughts of a little old lady hitting me over the head with her handbag all the way out again. But what did we find inside? I was blown away… Just check this out:

And not just that, but there’s a big garden area in the back as well:

I was like, OK OK, I get it now… this place is quite awesome. Problem was we had just had breakfast and therefore didn’t really have space to try some food. We decided we’d at least sit down for a cuppa and share a piece of cake. All in the name of research of course.

Yum!

On the breakfast menu however, you have options like the following: muesli, yoghurt & fruit (R48), “breakfast in a cup” with poached egg, chorizo, caramelised apple & soldiers (R50), herbed egg pancake with salmon (R68), avo on toast (R40), french toast (R55), a breakfast wrap (R63), cheese soufflé (R69) and then various types of egg, whether it florentine, poached or scrambled, on toast, off toast, with some pesto or ham, add some bacon or pork sausages, whatever your brekkie of choice really. It all sounded really good.

I also took a peek at their lunch menu. On there you have things like soup of the day, various tart options, risotto, thai chicken curry, intricate salad options, a grass fed beef hamburger and some deluxe sandwiches. Prices range from R49 to R75, which is pretty damn good in my book.

They say on the menu that they support local suppliers and use only the best quality ingredients. Origin coffee and yummy eggs from Spier are some examples and I really can’t wait to return there for the full dining experience.

Just a tip though: Call ahead and book a table. The place was packed when we got there and we were very very lucky to still get a small table inside.

Starlings is open Mon – Fri from 7am to 5pm, Sat from 7am to 4pm and Sun from 8am to 12:30. Give them a call on 021 671 6875 or drop them a mail at starlingscafe@gmail.com.

A follow up report to come (hopefully) very soon.

xxx

Southern Suburbs coffee culture – part 1: Twigs with Beans

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Karisa

I don’t get out to the Southern Suburbs a lot, so when I had to head through there last Saturday for something, I figured I might as well do some exploring at the same time. I took my friend Darryn with me as backup though, cause my sense of direction is pretty poor and I could just see myself getting totally lost in the “burbs” and never ever being seen again.

I found two coffee spots I quite liked, the first of which is called Twigs with Beans. You’ll find it in 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village in what seemed like quite a quiet part of the street. So it makes for a great choice of place for a morning newspaper session perhaps.

Now this spot doesn’t have a big menu or anything, in fact you have a choice of various coffees and then some toasties. That’s it. But it’s a great cup of Tribe coffee and the my toastie was good. So no complaints there.

What I really liked about the place though was that it’s a cute little multi-tasking space. They are part coffee shop, part nursery and part gifts & things. Hell they even sell come kids clothing and fresh fruits & veggies. It reminded me of a farm stall in a way and I thought that was kinda cool.

I opted for a very basic cheese & tomato toastie on brown, but you can also opt for various other toppings & bread options – Darryn for example had an egg & bacon on ciabatta and it looked very good. I know I made like the most boring toastie choice on the planet, but it’s one of my favourite things ever. I think it’s because I loved it as a kid and it’s just stayed with me…

Simple happiness…

Because of it’s cute setup, the fact that you can chill on the stoep or in the little garden and sommer get some shopping done at the same time, I’m going to give Twigs and Beans an overall Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating of:

Like I said, don’t go there expecting lots of different things to eat. Otherwise you’ll be disappointed. Just love it for it’s simplicity and you’ll be good.

Twigs and Beans are open Mon – Fri from 8am to 6pm. Sat from 9am to 6pm and Sun from 9am to 5pm. You can contact them on 021 674 1193 and also follow their blog over here.

xxx

Luminance pop-up store in town until Sunday!

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Karisa

Right ladies, if you have some cash to burn, or even if you don’t but you have just always dreamt of owning a beautiful designer piece from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Armani, Balenciaga, Carolina Herrera, Diane von Fürstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney and Valentino… then get yourself over to the Victoria & Alfred Hotel by this Sunday to check out the Luminance Pop-up store which is in town as part of a country wide trunk show to promote the launch of a fabulous new store in Johannesburg which opens in July.

You will find items from all the amazing designers I’ve mentioned above (and many more) plus the Luminance Private Label, but like I said, you only have a few days to get over there…

Luminance is the brainchild of Destiny magazine founding editor and Ndalo Media CEO Khanyi Dhlomo. Luminance, just like Khanyi’s name, means “light” and she says the concept is based on the kind of luxury retail experience that she’s seen in some of the world’s best department stores. Khanyi says she really got into designer fashion and retail while living in Paris and this inspired her to look into some ideas which she could bring back to SA. As the description on their newly launched website states:

Luminance is an accessible luxury and contemporary fashion and lifestyle retail concept store for consumers who covet world-class quality and beauty.

Now being high-end designer things, you can expect prices to start around the R4000 mark up to around R30000 for those really delicate, striking & intricate pieces. But you’re walking away with a fashion investment here ladies.

I paid them a quick visit last eve to celebrate the launch of the Cape Town pop-up, so I can give you a little sneak peak of what to expect. Let’s shop:

If I had a nice pot of money to totally spoil myself with, this would be my dream outfit:

Balenciaga leather jacket paired with a lace Diane von Fürstenberg dress, Balenciaga shoes, Diane von Fürstenberg bag and this absolutely beautiful Oscar de la Renta ring.

Ah… life would be so perfect in that outfit…

The Cape Town pop-up is currently at The Forum, which is the conference space at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel (situated in the V&A Waterfront Pierhead section - opposite Crosstrainer). Other pop-ups planned are as follows:

Bloemfontein: 25-28 April
Protea Hotel Willow Lake, 101 Henry Street, Westdene
Nelspruit: 2-5 May
La Villa Vita, 21 Klipspringer Street
Durban: 22-26 May
Urban Park Hotel Umhlanga, 60 Meridian Drive, Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre
Port Elizabeth: 23-26 May
No5 Boutique Art Hotel, 5 Brighton Drive, Summerstrand
Polokwane: 30 May-2 June
Fusion Boutique Hotel, 4 Schoeman Street
Botswana: 30 May-3 June
Lansmore Masa Square Hotel, Corner Khama Crescent and Western Avenue, Gaborone
Pretoria: 6-9 June
131 on Herbert Baker Boutique Hotel, 131 Herbert Baker Street, Groenkloof

So if you’re in any of those areas, do keep an eye out. Then over in Johannesburg there’s currently a Luminance pop-up running until 10 Jul in the Upper Mall – Shop 36, Hyde Park Corner. After which the the big 700m² Luminance store will open on 17 Jul (Shop 45 – Hyde Park Corner).

According to the website, more Luminance stores are planned for SA and key African markets over the next few years and the Luminance e-commerce site should launch in November 2013. So that’s pretty exciting for all label lovers out there.

For more information email: store@ndaloluxuryventures.com or call Dineo on tel: 011 300 6743.

A huge thanks to Khanyi and to Jill Grogor & the team at Zebra Square (also find them on Twitter here @ZebraSquareSA) for a lovely evening filled with champagne and lustworthy clothing. I’ve now starting my “Miss K Dream Wardrobe Savings Fund”, and if anyone would like to contribute, or happens to be extremely wealthy and would like to adopt me, please drop me a mail.

I’ll leave you guys with some people-on-the-scene piccies from last night:

Top: With Leigh, Khanyi & Thandie Kupe; Bottom left: with Liezel van der Westhuizen & bottom right with Sonia Booth.

Left: Clouds with designer Jacques Lagrange, looking glamourous in one of his designs; Right: The always fabulous Elrico from Luxo.co.za and his lovely girlfriend, Ritza.

xxx

My Love Affair with Cape Town…

Just random fun in my mother city

Author Archives: Karisa