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My Top Places for Budget Shopping

I thought I'd make up for my lack of posting by listing a few of my favorite places for budget shopping.

The Oasis Center, Sheikh Zayed Road
The beauty department at the bottom of the Oasis Center is a great place for bargain makeup. They definitely don't stock as many hair and body products as Lifestyle but they have a nice set up and more than enough staff to help you out (a little more annoying than helpful, if you ask me, but just focus on the makeup!)
They have a big selection of Rimmel, Maybelline and Prestige...but if you really wanna hit the jackpot, check out NYX. Quite the little treasure trove and very popular amongst makeup gurus all over the world for their MAC look-a-like shades, great quality and affordability. Plus, their products come in really cute packaging. I'm really fond of their Black Label Lipstick in Garnet. It's the perfect red for my yellow-undertoned skin. Another great buy is their Doll Eye mascara. I think I got mine for 36dhs.


Boots Drugstores
Boots is a great place to pick up bargain beauty buys. They make everything from hair care products, deodorants, hair removal products, even teeth whitening kits. And I love the fact that their packaging is so simple. Then there's the Botanics range and Boots No 7. I really like their Cucumber Face Mask. I try and use it a few times a week in the shower and it's really convenient because it only needs to be left on for 3 minutes, and it costs less than 15 dirhams so you can stock up if you use it a lot.



For Love 21, Deira City Center
ForLove 21 is one of my favorite stores in the city!! It's one of the only reasons I ever hit DCC. I park outside behind Woolworths, head into FL21 and head straight back out! They stock all sorts of accessories from jewelry to scarves to shoes, and you really can't beat their prices. I rarely spend over 50dhs on a piece of jewelry there, so it's perfect if you wanna try out a new trend but don't want to spend a lot of money on it. Just make sure you coat all of your purchases with clear polish when you get home, cuz their stuff tends to turn quickly. I just bought this silver necklace for 39dhs. It fits in perfectly with this fall's "heavy metal" trend and it works really well with the 70s punk theme I'm trying to work myself around :)


Avon
If you know me well enough, then you will know that I am a total Avon girl. I regularly purchase their retexturizing facial peels and Firm & Sculpt bust contouring cream. One of my favorite products by them is Glimmerstick Luxe in Pearly. It's a really creamy eyeliner in a soft, pretty shimmery pearl shade that I love to use on my lower lashline for a wide-eyed effect. Avon has two offices that I know of, one in Dubai and one in Sharjah. I've bought products directly from their office and through an Avon lady so they are also quite convenient. The Dubai office is on the airport road, their number is 04-2822832 and the Sharjah one is kind of near the corniche, their number is 06-5738585.

Zuris Gallery, near the Hyatt Regency
I actually found this place by mistake. I was desperately looking for pure African Shea Butter and my dad asked these two African women that worked in his department. They gave him the number to Zuris Gallery and I decided to drive down to the souq and find this place by myself. HA! It took me like 50 minutes to find it and when I go there they didn't even have what I was looking for!
What they did have, though, was a whole assortment of shampoos, conditioner, body lotions, hair extensions and makeup. It is a store that caters to African women, but it's worth checking out because it's really inexpensive and they do have some good stuff. I've bought their Olive Oil Hair Mask (a whopping 19dirhams!!) and I also stocked up on 3dirham nail polish. My favorite product so far, is the Ultimate Organics Moisturizing Body Gloss. It's got a delicious blend of lots of different oils (like soybean and sweet almond) and it soaks in really well, leaving behind a gorgeous subtle sheen. It's really light and great for when you want to wear shorts or a short dress out at night. AND, I paid 13 dirhams for a 12oz bottle. Yay! Call them for directions on 04-2716414.

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A Really Easy Way to Clean Silver Jewelry

I'm on a bit of a silver kick right now. I usually love gold jewelry and I do love my black stones and beads, but I decided it's time to mix things up a bit.

So, I dug out some of my silver jewelry and I noticed some of them had really tarnished. I usually use a mix of toothpaste and baking soda with a toothbrush to buff off the tarnishing, but I wanted to find something a bit less abrasive.

I did a search online and apparently there is a really easy (and eco-friendly!) way to clean tarnished jewelry! Yay!

Basically, you need an aluminium plate (or a regular plate covered in aluminium foil) and about a tbsp each of salt and baking soda. Mix the salt and baking soda on the plate and cover it with warm water then stir it till they dissolve. Then just put your jewelry in that for a few minutes and tada! If your stuff is really, really tarnished you may have to redo the process but it's just soo easy!

Here is a link that I found explaining the process:
How to Clean Tarnished Silver

Another great tip:
The first thing I do whenever I buy costume jewelry is coat it with clear nail polish. My skin tends to react with metals and thats causes both the jewelry and my skin to turn a funny color. Coating my jewelry with nail polish really extends it's wearability. My grandmother taught me to coat my earring posts with clearn nail polish too, to prevent nickel allergies.

My Summer Holiday 2009

I really wanted to go to Europe this summer and hit a music festival, but I wasn't able to (read: couldn't afford it). So I went with my family on an all expenses paid holiday to the Philippines! I had never been there before so I was pretty excited to add another stamp :)

We flew Qatar Air, which was actually quite nice. I flew them to Bangkok last December, but this time I got to fly first and business class which made SUCH a huge difference! It was a nine and a half our flight going there and we had a two hour layover in Qatar. BTW, the airport there SUCKS unless you get to use the lounges that have an Elemis spa, bedrooms, sauna and jacuzzi. AND (obviously this part impressed me the most) the bathroom stocks Molton Brown products so I grabbed a few hehe

It was wet season when we got to Manila and it was sooo humid and damp that I quickly realised it was pretty pointless for me to bring my makeup and curling iron.

My brother and I took a short trip to Boracay and stayed at a lovely little place on the beach called the Boracay Mandarin.Luckily it only rained on our last evening and even then it only sprinkled a little bit.


Then we headed back to Manila and did some sightseeing.

Then I headed down with my parents and sisters to a place called Coco Beach resort in Peurto Galera.

Such a cute little place. Everything was made out of wood and very "eco-chic". We were all meant to stay in one of the bungalows, but the 'stairs' were actually ladders leading upstairs and my dad thought it would be too dangerous at night (since the bathroom was downstairs) so he got another one for him and my mom and I shared one with my sisters.

Then we were back in Manila for about another week before heading back home. I did soo much shopping cuz it was soo cheap! One dirham came to about 13 pesos and my dad was paying for it all so I bought pretty much everything I saw! haha They also had a few Avon stores and a warehouse so I stocked up on their products as well. (More on that later!)

We spent three weeks there which is long enough to emotionally detox and de-stress. (And long enough for several massages and mani-pedis) I did miss my cat alot and I worried about him because he was a little ill when we left, but he survived :)

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Bikini Chronicles

Skinny Cupcakes

I've decided that the best way for me to watch what I eat is by counting calories. I tried low carbing, and cutting out certain things (*cough*alcohol*cough*) but I just couldn't do it! A lower calorie intake means that I can still enjoy certain things like bread and my beloved Jack and (diet) coke in moderation.

Being the greedy pig that I am, I NEED NEED NEED my desserts. This is a recipe that has been floating around online for a while now. I have no idea where it orginated. My fluffy little bunny of a friend, Aisha, suggested I put it on here somewhere.

Here you go! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.

Ingredients:
1/2 a package of chocolate cake mix (I used Pillsbury's Moist Supreme Dark Chocolate Cake)
1/2 a can of diet coke

Mix the cake mix and coke until it's smooth. It might look a little funny at first, kinda fluffy and light, but that's OK.
Pour into a cupcake tin with liners. I used about 1tbsp of mix per cupcake.


Makes 12 cupcakes @ approximately 76 calories each! You can top it with light whipped cream too.

They're nothing like real cupcakes, but if you are trying to watch your weight these will do just fine! You can also use vanilla or strawberry cake mix instead, just use diet 7up instead of coke.

A Whole Lotta Abu Dhabi Love.

Ok. So it's been a while. My deepest appologies.

What better way to return to the blogsphere than with a little bit of Zepplin?

Abu Dhabi recently played host to WOMAD. We decided to take a little road trip up to Abu Dhabi to partake in the festivities and watch a guy named Robert Plant perform.


The event was pretty well organised, especially considering it was free!! The only thing was that we seemed to be surrounded by crowds and crowds of men so it was kind of hard to get within panty-flinging distance of the stage :(

Hair Files

Last night I decided that my hair needed to be trimmed. I'm trying to hold off getting a "real" cut until about July because I tend to get my hair cut a lot and I am trying to grow it out as much as I can.

So I figured, it can't be that hard to trim my own hair! I brushed it out, clipped the top half out of the way (I really only wanted the bottom layers trimmed since they are the ones with the most damage right now) and got out the scissors.

Suprisingly, it's a lot harder to trim the back of your own hair than I thought it would be. So I ended up cutting off about an inch as opposed to the quarter of an inch I was originally aiming for. It kinda works out OK, though, because I was in a bit of denial and probably needed a little more than an inch cut off. It does actually make a big difference because my ends feel much thicker and not as frazzled. So yay!

I'm not that worried though. The weather is warming up now and my hair tends to grow like a weed in warm weather. I'm just a little bit past armpit length (APL) now and my goal is to hit brastrap length (BSL) by August. I suppose I'd better start taking my vitamins.

Lisa Hannigan

So apparently I have been living under some sort of rock lately. Lisa Hannigan was on the Colbert Report the other day and I was mighty impressed, though slighly shocked because I didn't know that she had gone solo. My friend told me that apparently Damien Rice fired her!

Anyway, she has an album out called Sea Sew. Very cute. And her songs are very sweet, pretty and a bit feminine. I like them a lot.

Here's a very pretty ditty called I Don't Know. I think it might just be the perfect song for the rainy weather we are having. Cue the hot cocoa and colorful socks.

The Charlatans in May

So apparently Mark and whoever that other guy is from Step On are bringing out the Charlatans to play on May 1st. Should be lots of fun! I will keep my fingers crossed that this actually happens because as we all know, promoters here tend to jump the gun a little bit sometimes.

I just hope it isn't at Chi. I'm pretty sure it will be, but a girl can always dream about seeing a great band in a great venue without being thrown up on by some drunken 16 year old chick, right?

Also, I remember the SeeYouNextFriday boys mentioning something about the Subways. I'm still waiting on that one cuz I'm very excited about seeing them.

Frickity Frick Frack

So today my dad asked me to check and see how many speeding fines I have so we can get them paid. I'm thinking 'well the last time I checked it was like 700dhs so probably not more than that'.

Fucking 1350 dirhams!!! Apparently I was speeding at 21-30kms higher than the speed limit on Al Khail road and was fined 600 freaking dirhams. What the hell. I'm sooo pissed.

Obviously I shouldn't have been going (apparently) 121kms/h. But 600 dirhams? That's like a trip to Sephora! *sniff*

Playsuits

I can't wait to try out the playsuit trend. I'm not sure why I'm so excited. It could be that it's one of those trends that seem just a sexier version of the ones I wore as a kid. Much like my love for frilly party dresses.

Here are some of my favorites that I found online.

From the top left: Topshop,. Forever21, Forever 21, Black Halo @ shopbop.com, Miss Sixty,Topshop, Bardot Fashion Australia, Topshop, Topshop, Topshop

I love the 70s feel that these have. And the great thing about playsuits is that you can wear them with pretty wedges, which makes dancing all night a little less painful.

Recessionista tip 5

St. Ives Whipped Silk Advanced Body Moisturizer

Cost: 20.75 Dhs (for 18oz or 532ML) at Spinneys

This is probably one of my favorite body lotions ever. It's perfect for when the weather warms up. You know how hot and sticky it gets and using a heavy lotion just isn't a good idea.

This one surprised me the first time I used it. I read a few reviews online that really recommended it, but the texture was so light that I didn't really think it was going to do anything. Then I checked a few hours later and my skin was still really soft and moisturised!(always a good thing!)

It's been a few years since then, and while I do like to try different products, I tend to come back to this one as my staple.

It has a really refreshing scent, too - but not over powering at all so it doesn't compete with your perfume. And because the texture is so light you don't have to stand around and wait for the lotion to soak in before you get dressed.

I also mix it with some shimmer powder and apply it to my legs, chest and arms when I think my Nars Body Glow will be too heavy.

Who Took the Bomp From the Bompalompalomp??

One of my favorite songs in the world everrr. I have no idea if this is the real video though because there are so many versions running around youtube!

Bags of Wisdom

I love herbal tea. Herbal tea with a teaspoon of honey has the ability to completely calm me down and make the world seem all lovely and sparkly again.

Anyway, I buy a lot of my herbal tea from the Organic Foods & Cafe near Diyafah street. That place is great, although it doesn't have everything...(um, a little pure shea butter please!)

They have a huge selection. But the one I get always has little pearls of wisdom/advice on the tag thingies. So I thought I would start sharing them with you guys since they always seem to brighten up my day/make me think 'hmmm'. And yes, I do realise that you are probably not as easily amused as I am but I am still going to post them.

Today's label read: "Share your strengths, not weaknesses".

It makes sense. I have a horrible habit of being my own worst critic. And even when people pay me a compliment I play it down by responding with an insult about myself. But thank you teabag, I am now aware of my self destructive behaviour. Ok, so it's more like me being a tad more aware of my self destructive behaviour..

Hair Files

I have reaaally been loving this hair accessories trend, lately.

Hair accessories are a great way to dress up an outfit and make you feel very feminine, almost like a princess!

And since racing season is almost amongst us, I thought I would make a post about some of my favorite ones out there at the moment. I know it's tradition to wear a hat, but I would love to see flowers or big feathers instead.

Forever 21 Rhinestone Feather Headband. I love the feather and tiny bit of sparkle.

Accessorize Large Flower Red Bando. I love this. I would wear it across my forehead with the flower over my ear. I would definitely rock something like this to the races.

Accessorize Bridal Pearl and Crystal Comb. This is soooo gorgeous! It's so simple and has a very vintage feel to it. So pretty to wear to a nice dinner or black tie event. You can even wear it at the top of a french knot or chingon.

Accessorize Shelly Embelished Bando. Gorgeous!! I love the metallic colors because even though it is very floral, it still has a very modern look. Reminds me of something Whitney or Erin would wear on the City.


Accessorize Origami Flower Clip. I actually have this one, and it's great because it has a hair clip and a pin on the back. So you can wear it so many different ways. I wore it pinned onto my dress for my birthday. But it would look great above the ear. I really want to pin it onto a thick ribbon and wear it on my wrist, kinda like a corsage. I think that would be so pretty, especially with a simple dress.

Forever 21 Versatile Rose and Feather Hairclip. This is so pretty and again, the gray makes it really modern. It's on a clip, too so again you can wear it a thousand different ways.

Super Cool Updo

I completely fell in love with the casual updo that Mila Jovovich wore recently in Paris.


It's soo simple but can go so many ways. It's the perfect casual updo that can work during the day or even at night, depending on the headband you use. Mila must really love that headband cuz she has been spotted wearing it a few times.

Anyway, I decided to recreate the look for myself. I tried it with two different headbands, a plain silver one for a more casual look and a pretty beaded one to wear out at night.




(Please excuse my invisble eyebrows and lack of makeup!)

All I did was put the headband around the crown of my head and use bobby pins to anchor it down. Then I rolled the ends of my hair upwards and pinned it with bobby pins to make it stay.

You can make it as messy as you want, just leave a few tendrils out and curl with a curling iron. And if you're hair tends to slide out easily, just apply a bit of mousse before you put it up to dry hair to give it more hold.

Recessionista tip 4

Making the Most of Lipstick Samples

I love samples. Love them. Samples are a great way of trying out a new shade or product without the hassle of crappy store lighting and the pressure of crappy store assistants telling you that you look great when you really look like a crack whore and they just want to make a sale.

But sometimes you just want to get a tiny bit more out of your samples before you splurge on a product. (I'm reminded of that scene in Friends with Money where Jen Aniston lines up like 10 jars of Lancome cream and Chanel lotion!)

Here is an easy way to prolong your lipstick samples:

What you need:

your samples

an empty container (I got this one at Daiso, but you can also find some at Sephora)
Vaseline. I'm sure you can also use any of your fav lipbalm
a lighter
a metal spoon
a spatula. I used a wooden tongue depressor that I cut into half

Use the spatula to scrape out all of the lipstick and put it on the spoon. (I mixed the two middle pinks)
Scrape out a little bit of vaseline and add it on to the spoon. Use less or more depending on how glossy you want the lipstick to be.
Hold the lighter under the spoon and hold it until the flame heats the spoon and the lipstick melts completely.
Pour the liquid lipstick into the container (warning: it's REALLY hot) and stir it with the spatula so that the color mixes evenly.
Let it cool completely. Might take a few minutes.

(tada!)

I think this is the perfect pink to ease myself into the whole 'bright lipstick' trend.

Recessionista tip 3

Daiso False Eyelashes.

(my, what big eye(lashes) you have! Little known fact: False lashes also double as fans when the weather warms up!)

Where: Lamcy, new mall out by Mirdif (I keep forgetting the name!), Ajman outlet mall.

Cost: 5 dirhams!!

I have been wanting to try false lashes for a long time now. And since I'm far from a pro right now, I figured I'd be better off getting some cheaper ones so I won't be mad if I ruin them! (so no Madonna-esque mink and diamond lashes for me right now!)

I bought mine at the Lamcy branch, and they have loads of different styles. I love #13, the half lashes because they are easy to use if you're a first timer and and they give my eyes that sweet, but-not-so-innocent Marilyn Monroe type look.

I also got the individual lashes that I thought would be fun to try for a more casual look. And I bought the shorter ones because I figured they'd look most realistic on my short little Japanese eyelashes. (thanks, mom)

I also stocked up on lash glue. They had the clear kind and also the black one. The black one is great because it practically disappears if you are going to line your eyes afterwards.

Happy Birthday Bowie!

My pretty kitty turns one today.

I've had Bowie since November of last year. My friend Z actually found him, and he was being abandoned on a road behind Nad al Sheba!

That's right. She found him as his previous "owner" was setting him down in a basket on the side of the road and driving off. She said that the poor thing was all confused and trying to run to get back into the car :( Bowie came complete with his tags, vaccination records and microchip documents.

I met Bowie when he was having a check up done and we were all so confused as to why someone would want to abandon such a sweet, well behaved cat. I'm not a very big cat person, but luckily Bowie seems to think he is a dog anyway so it works out great! Plus, this cat is (nearly) as emotionally needy as I am so it really is a match made in heaven!

Time On Me Is Wasted Time

Watkins - Black AM


Kings of Leon - Wasted Time


Cage the Elephant - Back Against the Wall

Get Out The Granny Panties, It's Laundry Day!!

(my babies..I keep all of my brushes in these cute little glasses that I got from Ikea)

Washing my makeup brushes is one of my favorite things to do. I love it so much that I have been known to ask my friends if they need their brushes washed so I have more to do! (Yeah, I know I have issues)

I try to clean my brushes like once a week or so, but I also try to deep clean them every few weeks.

Here's how I do it:

First I run my brushes over a MAC Wipes to get off any excess makeup. With my liner brushes, I like to swirl them in a few drops of oil to completely dissolve the gel/liquid liner residue.

Then I mix a few squirts of shampoo in a cup filled halfway with warm water. I swirl each brush in the cup and then rinse gently to get rid of any suds and until all the makeup runs off.
I try and make sure that I hold the brushes upside down because if water gets into the barrel it can cause it to rust or loosen and come apart from the handle. And I try and wash my big brushes, like my Kabuki brushes and blush brushes, last because these tend to soak up the mix and take a bit longer to rinse clean.

Then I squeeze out the excess water and spritz each brush with surgical spirit to disinfect it.

And finally, I lay them down flat on a towel and make sure to shape the bristles so that they don't dry at a weird angle. They usually dry in a couple hours and then I have clean, soft fluffy brushes!

(A small collection, but it's getting bigger!)