Gee Whiskers...Charlene

Happy Friday Journeyers!
We are ending November with a bang. This months Blog Interview is with the beautiful Charlene over at Gee Whiskers. She has a huge passion for anything beautiful, especially beauty products and a even bigger crush on purple! Yes that's right, purple. I think she will be happiest in a world filled with beautiful purple things. :) No I doubt she's that bad...hehe!
I love reading all her reviews and her Wishlists are something I would kill for! She also recently got engaged! Congratulations lady!!! May you and the FIANCE (I know you can't get enough of reading or saying that) build a lifetime of happy memories!

JS: Tell us more about Charlene and Gee Whiskers. And why the name Gee Whiskers?
GW: I am a warm hearted and easy going person. I love being around people I care about and prefer to keep a small group of friends who I care deeply about than have many casual friends. I love experiencing new things although I tend to be a creature of habit and it takes someone to pull me out of my routine sometimes. The name Gee Whiskers is something personal to me. It is an exclamation I use when I see things that shock me or grab my attention – in both a good and bad way. I use it quite a bit and when it came time to choosing a name for my blog I wanted it to be something personal as well as different. I know that it isn't quite in line with a beauty blog name, but at least those that know me understand the meaning.

JS: Well the name of your blog is what drew me to it the first time. :) You are a beauty product addict, what 3 products can you not go without?
GW: I am most definitely a beauty product addict however I tend to focus a lot more on my skin care than on beauty. My top 3 beauty products are however – Mascara, BB Cream and Blush.

JS: You do have the most amazing skin I must admit! I might just be a tad jealous of it! hehe. What would you say is the best thing about living in South Africa?
GW: I haven’t traveled overseas and therefore all the travels I have done have been in South Africa. This has given me a deep appreciation for the beauty of this country. I am especially blessed to live in Cape Town so I am surrounded by so many beautiful sights and places. So the best thing about living in South Africa is most definitely the beautiful places we are blessed to have.

JS: So, you find a magic lamp and the genie grants you 3 wishes. What are they?
GW: Gosh, these types of questions always cause a struggle between the “selfish” me and the me that wants to help others. I will answer this a little selfishly this time. First wish, complete financial freedom for me and my entire family. Financial worries are a reality for almost every single person I know. To be able to have complete financial freedom it allows you to do the things that make you happy and that fulfill you. I would work because I want to, not because I have to. My second wish, a house in the Constantia Nek or Kirstenbosch area with a HUGE garden so that I can have lots of dachshunds and other animals running around. My last wish and most important wish, for everyone I care about to be happy and content. It really upsets me when people I care about are upset or going through hard times.

JS: WOW those are 3 rather deep wishes. Lady with a heart of gold! That's what you are! What are the words you live by and why?
GW: I live by very simple words “You are blessed”. It gives me perspective about life and all that I have so that I don’t take what I have for granted. Often it is so easy to get caught up in things and you lose sight of all the wonderful things you have in life. Yes, things can be very bad and unfair at times. But there is always something to be grateful for – be it someone you are blessed to have in your life, a job, or a home you can go to each day.

JS: Who do you look up most to in your life?
GW: This is going to sound like a cliche, but it is most definitely my parents. They started their adult lives with almost nothing and worked so hard for what they have today. I admire and respect them both so very much. They have also given me such a wonderful life that I will always be incredibly grateful for.

JS: What has been your best holiday memory to date?
GW: My best holiday memory is definitely our family holiday to Cape Town in 1998. We were living in Kimberley at the time so the trip to Cape Town was completely mind blowing to me. I remember seeing a billboard at the Waterfront saying “Imagine living here” and I said out loud “I wish!!!”. 18 months later my Dad was offered a job and we moved to Cape Town. I still like to believe it was a wish of mine that came true.

JS: Please describe your best day of your life so far?
GW: That is so easy for me to answer because recently I was proposed to by my boyfriend of almost three years. Without going into all the details (because I would need numerous posts to cover each detail and the back story to each of them) the day was filled with us traveling around Cape Town to all my favourite places and places that were special to us. Heading to each place I was handed a card with a little saying on it to give me hints to where we were going next. Each card had little cut outs in it and eventually all the cards came together to reveal my favourite quote from my favourite novel (The Great Gatsby) “There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice. Say yes?” As I turned around he was on his one knee and asked me to marry him in Kirstenbosch Gardens. It truly was the most beautiful and special day of my life.

JS: Ahhh I just got teary eyed reading that! Where do you see yourself in 5 years. Life, career and blog wise.
GW: Another difficult question to answer – in life I just want to be happy and I know that will be with me travelling and just being with my future husband. Career, I definitely see myself being in a Management role and I am working hard to achieve it. My blog, I really don’t want my blog to change too much. I know blogs change as a person does, but I want to ensure that it remains real and relatable to my followers. I might start including some snaps from my holidays but it will try to keep it true to what it currently is.

JS: Please share 5 of your favourite memories with us in pictures.
GW: I’ll share 5 recent memories from left: (1) Day I got engaged (2) Taking my dogs for a walk with my family at Rhodes Memorial (3) Sister’s Day – my sister and I often have Sister’s Days together where the two of us spend time alone together. This often involves exploring Cape Town. (4) Weekends away with my Sister. The most recent one was to Franschhoek. She is the best sister! (5) My Birthday this year. It was such a beautiful day and I always love going to Du Toitskloof.

So yes it is safe to say that I cannot wait to meet her and she is the first person I will call up when I ever go to Cape Town again! *fingers crossed it's soon*

Thank you so much Charlene for taking time out of your busy life to do this interview!

And good luck with all the wedding planning! :)

Have a blessed weekend and stay safe everyone!