Fairlady September 2019

I’m so inspired by the story of the 20 South African teens who calmly built their own aeroplane (in two weeks, from a South African-made kit), then flew it from Cape Town to Cairo (and back again). I love their spirit and confidence – to me it embodies an attitude particular to South Africans that’s a kind of weird mixture of ubuntu and ‘’n boer maak ’n plan’. ‘The purpose is to show Africa, and even the world, that anything is possible if you set your mind to it,’ said the pilot, Megan Werner. She founded U-Dream Global, which was behind the whole enterprise. Megan is 17 years old. I can’t really define this spirit other than that, in general, I think South Africans don’t like being told what we…

ACQUA DI PARMA COLONIA My new favourite fragrance… so fresh and citrusy, it just feels like spring. It softens into a mellow Mediterranean scent that lingers like a long, sunlit evening – it’s really beautiful. Created more than 100 years ago as a scent for gentlemen to spray into their handkerchiefs, it became a Hollywood favourite. Apparently Audrey Hepburn loved it. And hey, if it’s good enough for Audrey… THE OPEN BOOK FESTIVAL, 4-8 SEPTEMBER If you love books, don’t miss this: directed by Mervyn Sloman and hosted by Cape Town’s Book Lounge and the Fugard Theatre, this annual treat is one of the best book festivals I’ve ever been to. Intimate (the venues are small, the tone casual), intelligent and inclusive of a whole lot of genres usually ignored…

WINNING LETTER Let’s talk money, honey I bought my first townhouse in 1994. The interest rate was 16%, but I believed it was my forever home, so I signed on the dotted line. Within two years, the interest rate was 18%, so I rented out my spare room for R800 a month. Soon after, the interest rate hit 20% and kept rising; I got a second job as a hotel receptionist and once again, I was okay. I also got a Sunday job as a sitter for show houses for various estate agents. It paid R150 for the day – that filled up my car for the week and paid for bread, milk and cat food. At one point I went into the bank with the house and car keys…

HAMPER INCLUDES: Crème Prodigieuse Boost Essence (100ml), Crème Prodigieuse Boost Silk Cream (40ml), Crème Prodigieuse Boost Eye Balm (15ml), Rêve de Miel Super Balm (40ml), Sun SPF 30 (150ml), Huile Prodigieuse Florale (100ml) and Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil – Golden Shimmer (50ml). At selected Edgars, Woolworths and Truworths stores. Facebook: Nuxe ZA. Instagram: @nuxe_sa ☞ WRITE TO letters@fairlady.com • facebook.com/fairladymag • twitter.com/fairladymag • instagram.com/fairlady_magazine/ • pinterest.com/fairladymag • letters@fairlady.com…

RUB-A-DUB-TUB  I’d buy this tub of deliciousness again and again based purely on the smell – think rose petals (picked at dawn when they’re most fragrant, according to the packaging) plus argan and almond oils as well as cocoa and shea butter – but it’s also a seriously good moisture boost. Ro’s Argan is a ‘body conditioner’, so you massage it on while you’re still in the shower, let it sink in a bit, then rinse it off, leaving just a whiff of that glorious scent behind. Plus your skin is soft and hydrated, minus the stickiness of a body lotion. Well worth it for a bit of a splurge; R295. – Liesl A REAL MESS TLC (coincidentally an acronym for ‘The Learning Channel’, believe it) is the dumpster fire…

Homecoming Revolution’s Angel Jones tells us about the midlife crisis that turned her NPO into a moneymaking business, the highs and lows of Ramaphoria and Nenegate, and why she’s not here for the moaners and the pessimists. in the late ’90s, a young South African made her way to the South African Embassy in Trafalgar Square, London, the site of many anti-apartheid demonstrations. Angel Jones joined a cheering crowd to hear Nelson Mandela speak, and one particular message stuck in her mind. ‘I love each and every one of you,’ he said. ‘I would like to put each and every one of you into my pocket and return with you to South Africa.’ Still filled with Madiba euphoria, Angel went back to work (at ad agency Abel) and wrote these…