Name: Laura Jane
Hometown: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Age: 24
Occupation: PhD Candidate (Chemistry)
My alarm is set for: 06h30
My South African breakfast
I like to eat locally produced muesli or granola with a generous dose of Bulgarian yogurt and seasonal fruit; with a cup of tea on the side (indigenous Rooibos tea is very popular!). I head to work quite early so often I’ll take my breakfast with me and eat at my desk while checking my emails.
A little later in the morning, I go for coffee at a local café where – if I’m hungry again – I’ll have a fresh croissant. Stellenbosch is well known for its little cafes and restaurants, which spill out onto sidewalks, shaded by its famous oak trees.
There is a big focus on eating local, hand produced food in preference to anything heavily processed. On weekends or “special occasions” a typical breakfast will include toast, eggs, bacon and fried mushrooms. My family is originally from Belgium so sometimes I’ll make waffles instead (old family recipe!)
My South African beauty routine
It starts withmy morning shower, including washing my hair. I love using bath and body products by Rain as they use all-natural, local ingredients including many African herbs and plant extracts that are excellent for your skin and hair!
Makeup is typically fresh and natural looking, even for women like me that wear a full face. I typically wear BB cream, concealer, blush, brow powder, neutral eye-shadow, mascara and lipstick. SPF is also very important for protection from the harsh African sun!
An example beauty product formulated especially for South Africans is the Ponds Flawless Radiance BB Cream, which has SPF 30++ for both UVA and UVB and, importantly, caters for the wide range of skin tones.
My commute
I get to work on foot. Public transport is either non-existent or not very safe, and I much prefer my 15-minute walk from my centrally located apartment to sitting in traffic!
Thanks so much for sharing, Laura Jane! Other South African readers – what do your mornings look like?
P.S. My 3 product makeup bag!
LOVED this. Also, really want a croissant now. And aching to visit South Africa!
Thanks Claire 🙂 If you ever do come to SA, we'll have to grab some coffee and croissants! And then maybe some wine tasting…
Hello, I'm South African although based in the UK but currently spending a few months back home in SA. My morning's are coffee or a green smoothie, then avocado and tomato on toast all while checking my emails and playing my ipad games! I usually wake up around 8am.
I hope you are enjoying your time back home 🙂 Yum, toast with avo is awesome, that's often my afternoon snack at work.
I spent a few months travelling around SA in 2005 and loved going to see the beauty products in the pharmacy and the fashion mags there 🙂
I really liked the food too – I had a lot of game. Was travelling for a bit with a vegetarian and she was pretty much SOL in a lot of places!
I wasn't a huge coffee drinker while there but for the life of me I could not get coffee anywhere. It was french press or nothing and it seemed like kind of an ordeal. Maybe I was just in weird areas?? Could be different now – there was no Starbucks or anything when I went.
Glad you enjoyed your time here 🙂
The coffee thing is weird – it might be a regional thing, here (in the Western Cape) you can spin around and find a coffee shop or ten whichever way you look. However, most of our coffee places tend to be sit-down with the option of take-out. Your options are mostly the classics,i.e latte, cappuccino, mocha, espresso, americano, red versions (eg cappuccino made with a shot of extra strong rooibos instead of espresso), etc. You won't find a lot of places that do Starbuck-sy coffees with all the additives and extras.
Unfortunately, I ran out of time before making it to the western side of SA! It looks lovely there so I will have to go back and check it out. I was in more remote places which probably explains the lack of amenities. I looked it up and it looks like there is still no Starbucks in SA, but that's good. I'm not a big fan of theirs!
Beautiful country though and fascinating culture.
Literally in the OR Tambo airport as we speak leaving from my first trip to South Africa. Spent most of the time in Nelspruit and Pretoria- absolutely amazing views, culture, and people. I cannot wait to come back with my husband and explore the Cape and VINEYARDS! <3
I wish I could find BB Cream with SPF 30 here in Canada! I should look into it. The one I use I think has SPF 10 or 15.
Only just got back from SA a week ago, this has made me miss it all over again!
Originally from SA I moved to France and now live in Belgium (hello, rain!) and my routines here and in SA are dramatically different.
In SA I would start the day with a strong Five Roses tea in which I would dunk a couple of Ouma buttermilk rusks. Then, when my friends woke up a couple of hours later, we would have eggs/leftover boerewors/bacon/fried mushrooms/fried tomatoes or any combination of the above for breakfast/brunch. Man, I love breakfast! =D