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.