When family members’ quirks, which make me homesick during the school year, started to become incredibly annoying; when my parents were driving me up the wall; when nothing was good on TV and when I’d eaten my way through half of the house, one of the things that kept me sane during the holidays was reading magazines.
Fashion, music, and the regular “find love this summer” article kept me believing in the Holiday Dream: lazy mornings at a choice lodge (hotel/ spa), white sandy beaches in the afternoon, hotspot-hopping at dusk, and late-night partying. And yes, that probably is one of the plots from a recent Hollywood box office hit. But what can I say? Tinsel is what dreams are made of!
I was excited for the release of Rolling Stone South Africa on the 1st of December. Jazz legend ‘Bra’ Hugh Masekela was on the first cover, and editor-in-chief Miles Keylock did a good job of telling the story of Masekela’s life’s journey through music- his life in exile and navigating the age-old artist’s troubles of booze, schmoozing and hoes. His talent was almost overridden by the temptations of the world, but in the end there was a story to be told, and if he hadn’t gotten out of from behind the Haze, hits like Stimela and the more recent Send Me would never have reached the airwaves.
I love that the magazine is about more than music and fashion. There are technology reviews, the odd book review, and this issue even had an impressive current affairs expose on the scandal behind the arms deal.
It’s heavy reading at times, but the journalists who work for Rolling Stone SA are really good with words, so it isn’t as daunting to read the articles. I do wish the font would be a little bit bigger, though.
While Loocha has the font size right, I was less than impressed with the frequent grammatical errors, spelling oversights, and inconvenient spacing mistakes. Isn’t it an editor’s job to make sure his or her staff writers’ articles are legible and accurate?
Other than that, I can appreciate the effort the magazine is making to fill the niche in the market for a current affairs/ business/ employment news oriented publication that is specifically targeted at the youth.
There are bursary pages, and reports on various government seminars. The information on organisations such as the NYDA is valuable, and profiles on influential people to look up to are also a great idea.
While all this is commendable, I don’t think I’m going to be buying Loocha again, unless something on the cover really catches my eye. In Decemeber, it was Zahara- luckily that article was one of the better-written ones.
Then it was on to Ms Jackie Burger’s gem of a magazine, Elle South Africa. Apart from the suspicious cut-off-the-top-of-her-head cover photo of Frieda Pinto (of Slumdog Millionaire fame), I loved everything about December’s issue of “The World’s Biggest Selling Fashion Magazine”.
I always love reading the articles, because they’re so well-thought out and quirky. They usually chronicle the mishaps of a fashion slave, or the tragic social faux pas of a would-be socialite. There is also always a considerable mention of the more important things in life, this time the focus was on AIDS awareness- stories from real survivors of the HI-Virus, as well as an interesting history lesson on the origins of the symbolic red ribbon.
Since Elle is definitely a magazine for the woman who prefers the finer things in life, the fashion spreads are both beautiful to look at and painful to budget for. I’m only going to get to that level in a few years’ time, but I look forward to that day.
I also look forward to the day when I will have my own overseas adventure, like those mentioned by the ladies who were lucky enough to go to Brazil, New York City, Paris and even the United Kingdom on pages 152 – 156.
The samples and freebies in this magazine are always impressive. The tortoise shell wayfarers my aunt got in her copy made me want to go out and get my own one- and in that one there was an Elie Saab Le Parfum sample. One day, I will wear “R800+ for 30ml” perfumes. To gym. One day.
Last, but most definitely not least, Seventeen South Africa.
November saw the Seventeam welcome a new editor, Janine Jellars. I am a follower of her blog, It’s Janine, and I’m glad that she brings some of the sass from there to her editor’s letter, and to the improved layout of the magazine. She takes pride in her writing, and I admire that.
The December issue featured a new year’s resolution fitness article which spoke directly to my life: “…in December of my second year of varsity, a few of my friends and I decided to change our habits”.
That’s exactly what happened with Pearl and I during the last week of finals, when we were lamenting that the ridiculous amounts of Lemon Creams and fried chips we eat throughout the year are definitely not helping our cause in any way.
I haven’t gotten around to doing any of the exercises yet (my hula hoop is still behind my desk), but I will. Soon. (I promise).
The fashion spreads are very helpful- I get to keep up with trends (albeit vicariously through the reader models and Seventeen Style Counsel members) as they come off the runway. Fashion made easy is always a winning formula with me.
In January’s issue, there is a really handy feature on how to make this season’s trends last through the next 3 to 6 months:
In January’s issue, there is a really handy feature on how to make this season’s trends last through the next 3 to 6 months:
I must also commend the work of the beauty editors, who never fail to bring readers the best make-up tips, tailored for every skin type and situation. I tried out the party make up trend, “Starry Eyes”.
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| Essence eyeshadow, eyeliner and shading brush (Clicks); Revlon cream eyeliner/shadow combination pen. (Mascara not shown). |
First, I lined my bottom eyelid with black eyeliner, followed by a layer of mascara on my top lashes. Then I applied a very light layer of Vaseline on my eyelids, before using a shading brush to paint on some pink cream eyeshadow. I lined my eyes with the bronze eyeshadow for the “glitter” effect. And here we have a picture of the finished product:
December is also the annual “Hot Boys of Summer” issue, and that’s always fun!
There is a fair share of international heartthrobs in the supplement, but the Seventeam also showed readers what treasures we have right here in South Africa: hip-hop rising star AKA, model and Selimathunzi presenter Lunga Tshabalala and the impressive Jozi dance crew The Repertoires.
Thank you Seventeen for restoring my hope in the world. And for providing tips on how- should I choose to- to get myself a treat from the eye candy store…
And now I wait for the next issue on the 22nd of February! 🙂
And now I wait for the next issue on the 22nd of February! 🙂
Nkhensani Manabe 