I have a passion for beauty products, fashion and shopping, not necessary in that order, and just because I love those things doesn’t mean I have the ability to apply make-up properly, have fashion sense or lots of money.   If I see an advert for some new product that seems interesting, I’m the sucker who goes and buys it hence I have  a lot of times I bought and only used once as I have discovered it isn’t as great as they made it out to be.  This is why I love the beauty bulletin, I can write reviews and tell others which products are great whilst ready theirs and finding what products I should miss and what are must haves.  And then the real magic of the Beauty Bulletin, I get to trial fab new products before I decide to buy them!

  I am a law student from Cape Town, I am a girly-girl, I love makeup, fashion and cute cupcakes. Because I live in two countries (South Africa and Namibia) where great inequality exists between the various classes of people and poverty confronts you daily, I prefer to indulge my beauty and fashion addiction on a budget.  Also, being a student, I am pretty much always busy with school and never really have time to spend hours getting ready or picking out an outfit. So what's a girl with very little time and a penchant for looking good to do? I got onto the internet, and googled away... My blog is a collection of tips, tricks and products for normal girls and women who have limited time and budgets. I don't think beauty should be difficult, or time-consuming or expensive.  I don't profess to be a beauty expert of any sort, just a normal girl, helping other girls out where I can.  Oh and I like kittens, my favourite colours are pink, purple and white, but I'd never be caught dead wearing anything pink, purple maybe.

I’m currently a 20-something graduate student at Stellenbosch University, working towards my PhD in Chemistry. In addition to my academic pursuits, I love to indulge in good books, chocolate, retail therapy (albeit on a student budget), adventures on the Stellenbosch Wine Route, getting captivated by my favourite TV series, dancing the night away with friends and blogging.I’m all about enjoying the small things in life and being thankful for all the little moments of joy in our everyday lives. If I had to choose one word to describe myself, it would probably be “whimsical”!

Over on my site, Whimsy Is Forever, I blog about my favourite outfits and makeup looks, as well as discussing my adventures in Stellenbosch, reviewing my favourite products and sharing inspiration. I love playing around with fashion – experimenting with new trends while still maintaining an overall classic style. I have a passion for makeup and beauty – I love how different techniques and products can completely change your look, or enhance your natural beauty. Due to the fact that I am on a tight budget, all the products I use are affordable and available to the average South African woman.

I have formally been involved in makeup for the past 6 years and in hairstyling for the last 3 years.  My informal years were basically me, playing around and practicing the looks I would see in magazines and this probably started around the age of 4! I have always been creative and my school years were filled with acrylic paints, canvas, pastels you name it. As such, I now carry that creative flair over in to my makeup work.

I studied at CPUT and shortly after finishing my course, I landed a job at PMU. Not long thereafter, I found myself working at Mac and the rest, as they say, is history. From there I learned how to work on various skin types, colours and learn industry secrets and tips. I have worked on runway, magazines, bridal clients, special events, corporate, stock photo shoots, model portfolios and events.

I started my freelance career in 2009 and in 2010 I decided to leave the fashion industry to focus more on my special events and bridal clients as I absolutely love to share in the pageantry and excitement of weddings! Through the use of my art background, I approach my client’s makeup in the same way. What is the feeling and mood we’re trying to capture? Your makeup is an extension and expression of yourself and how you wear it can say a myriad of things about who you are. As a professional, it’s my goal to help you see yourself in the same, beautiful way that I do.

Hailing from sunny Cape Town, South Africa, 27 year old Janis Aranes loves all things beauty.  The love affair began a long time ago and is unlikely to end anytime soon.  By day she works for a CRM agency and by night she is a disco diva.  Pina coladas, hair masks, reality tv are just a few of her favourite things. 

I am a 30-something, Afrikaans speaking, dog-loving, wine drinking, chocolate-eating, technologically impaired, mommy of one. I love sushi, rock music, tattoos, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, all forms of dance and people who are considerate to strangers. And I live in Cape Town. I am passionate about make-up and skincare, but that has nothing to do with my day job. I love trying new products and techniques and telling all what I think. I’m not into fashion – if I like it, I wear it. Pretty Please Charlie contains ramblings about old and new products, my make-up, my newly found love for natural skincare, a post here and there about motherhood and raising a toddler, and my love for all the people around me.