A few weeks back Carolina Herrera (yep, THE Carolina Herrera) and her daughter, who’s also called Carolina but has the addition of de Baez attached to her name, jetted into Jozi. The mother daughter duo were here to create awareness for CH PINK, their global campaign to fight breast cancer by providing patients with palliative care as well as visit The Breast Health foundation. The Herrera’s simple yet powerful message is ‘Don’t give up. You are not alone’.

I got to stay in Jozi for four days and attend several events (thanks ASCO!), one of the nicest being a fragrance session Carolina’s ‘nose’, the woman who helps her create her myriad of scents.

This scent-sniffing session was held in Shepstone Gardens, one of my favourite venues in Johannesburg.

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But ja, let’s snap back to CH, shall we? After the event I was gifted with the most gorgeous book that was signed by both Herreras themselves.

It came with Carolina Herrera 212 VIP Rose, a fresh-smelling fruity floral with sparkling champagne top notes? How much do we love that? The heart is all peach blossom and the dry down is amber, wood and musk. Overall, it’s a soft, feminine scent that, surprisingly, ends up smelling like clean hair fresh from the shower.

The next day, we got to attend a fashion party at Le Chatelat, another gorgeous venue, where the bubbles flowed via (super cute) waiters who made a show of taking your arm and ‘escorting’ you into the mansion. I reckon this is probably as close as I’ll ever get to discovering what it’s like to be a contestant on The Bachelor.

The crowd was filled with media, local celebs and models (one of which was Thando Hopa who’s as sweet as pie) as well as the Carolina’s themselves. Later, we all got treated to a fashion show that saw Herrera-clad models weaving through the crowd. It was kind of nice to not be stuck in a seat so you could get a real close up of everything.

In all, this was a super fun trip to assist in ending a horrible disease that every woman should be concerned with klapping. It might not be directly affecting you, but it affects as all as a whole and if we’re to overcome it we all have to participate in the fight.

So, what can you do to help? First, ensure you screen yourself regularly for breast cancer. (My sister’s step son’s is 25 and his even younger girlfriend is currently undergoing chemo for advanced breast cancer, so please don’t underestimate the reach.) Also, know that a percentage of CH fragrance sales go towards supporting CH Pink but there’s nothing stopping you from making a direct donation to CANSA over here.

Love, love

Leigh