Cindy Nell-Roberts never ends the weekend without a tan
Cindy Nell-Roberts, TV personality, beauty influencer, businesswoman @Cosmetix and former Miss SA
My perfect weekend consists of waking up deep in the bushveld or right on the beach with my kids jumping into bed with me. I spend a little while drinking coffee and getting ready before going for a safari, a walk into the mountains or along the beach to find interesting things or spot some animals. I love making breakfast for my whole family. I prefer lots of people around me, children playing, music on, chatter and laughter all round.
In the afternoon I’ll take a nap, maybe go to the spa or meditate under a tree with my earphones. Then I like to do a spot of shopping at local boutiques or shops.
In the evenings I like to glam it up a little with one of my makeup brands, even when it’s just my husband and me. I enjoy doing my hair and makeup, putting on some of my delicious Caribbean Tan milk and honey body butter or shimmer to highlight my skin and something comfortable but feminine. I like a sit down dinner regardless of whether it’s in or out and afterwards sit by the fire drinking wine if we are alone, or go out to socialise and laugh with friends somewhere. The most important thing being the wine and the laughter.
My favourite places to go to on holiday is the bushveld for safari in Mpumalanga and Phinda in KwaZulu-Natal or the KZN Midlands to the small town of Nottingham Road. I also love holidays on islands like Kefalonia and Mykonos in Greece. If I have to choose it would be to be on a yacht with my family between my favourite Greek islands.
I love to spend weekends with my husband, my family and my close friends. And I love going away with friends who have the same age children as I do — for obvious reasons.
I like to be around people who treat me like I’m their friend or their sister and have no expectations of how I should dress or act. It’s nice not to worry that I am being watched or discussed when I’m relaxing, which comes with the territory of being recognised. On holiday you want to be able to take a big bite into a burger or walk to the kitchen in your pajamas.
I like to cook and I like to be cooked for. On the weekend I try to balance enjoying life but still being healthy. I love to eat a full English breakfast, salads for lunch and potjiekos, steak or hearty meals for dinner.
I’m reading The book of JOY by The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I’ve started to thrive from reading Ariana Huffington’s books and I’m also reading Friends like These by Hanna Ellis. I dip into whichever book I’m in the mood for.
I like listening to Jack Johnson or LORD in the evening. But I’m in love with Spotify right now because it knows your mood depending on the time of day based on previous choices. It’s almost alive and reads your mind. We love music in the house on weekends and on holiday. We are woken up with Sonos and Spotify in the morning with happy music — we set our alarms to it. My favourite song to wake up with is H.O.L.Y by Alle Farben Rhodes.
I like to do my e-mails for Cosmetix before bed time so that I’m the first in everyone’s inbox on Monday morning. Not a great habit — I’m working on breaking it but I can be a bit of a workaholic. On Sunday nights I often do my tan to make sure I’m bronzed for the whole week. I always feel ready to conquer the world with a Caribbean tan.