Lessons from my Ouma

It's been 10 days since my beloved Ouma passed away and it still doesn't seem real. I'm not sure it ever will. It's been a hard couple of weeks, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend some quality time with my family, reminiscing about my grandmother's life. Looking back, I'm reminded of just how similar my Ouma and I are - she was a hairdresser during her younger years, and I have no doubt that my love for all things beauty is a trait I inherited from her. Here are just a few of the beauty-related lessons I learnt from my Ouma...

1. For super-shiny hair, try rinsing with beer after shampooing. I'm not quite sure why this works, but it does - just make sure that you rinse well with water afterwards. My Ouma was a firm believer in the shine-inducing properties of beer - so much so that she used the Body On Tap range of shampoos and conditioners (these contain beer) without fail for years. I remember trying Body On Tap Shampoo on her recommendation when I was about 10 years old, and when I longingly rummaged around her bathroom this past weekend, I found well-used bottles of Body On Tap Shampoo and Conditioner beside the bath.

2. Find your signature scent - and stick to it. My Ouma's signature scent is and always has been Revlon's Fire and Ice. It's a fragrance that instantly reminds me of her, and I recently bought a bottle of this scent just to remember her by.

3. There's no such thing as too much hairspray. I don't recall a time when my Ouma's hair wasn't impeccably pinned and sprayed in place - her hair was always perfect.

4. To embrace my 'beauty spot'. I have a mole (eww, I loathe that word!) on the right side of my chin and although I have many friends who have bemoaned their moles, I've never thought that mine was anything less than beautiful - and I think my Ouma played a big role in this. She had a mole on her left cheek and I remember her using eyeliner to enhance hers after she applied foundation. She also used to refer to moles as 'beauty spots'. I think the fact that she flaunted her beauty spot with such style and elegance helped me to accept my own and think of it as a beautiful asset, rather than a horrible distraction from the rest of my face.

5. Never leave the house without applying lipstick first. Ok, so as someone who generally opts for a gloss rather than a lipstick, this isn't a nugget that I've always adhered to, but my Ouma's pride in her appearance has certainly rubbed off on me and my mother before me. Both my mom and I always wear a full face of makeup - even if it doesn't look it. I never leave the house without applying foundation, a dab of blusher, some eyeliner and mascara at the very least. My Ouma was an incredibly beautiful woman who took great pride in her appearance and I learnt so much about the art of applying makeup by watching both my mom and Ouma. I have my Ouma to thank for my love of magazines and all things beauty - these are both interests that we shared, so I think it's only fair to say that I owe my career in the beauty industry to my Ouma.

Other things I have in common with my Ouma: our love for soups, my temper and tendency to lash out when things don't go my way, my bra size, our love for floral patterns (I even had the same floral bed spread as my Ouma at one stage...) and an ability to live in heels. I miss you and love you more than you know, Ouma. x