Gap Holiday 2012 Collection in Dubai

I got a preview of Gap's Holiday 2012 Collection at The Pavilion, Dubai. The collection brought colored skinny jeans and faux fur trimmed parkas/jackets in full swing (my favorites). Bold colors including neons and khakis dominated the collection along with striped scarves and color blocked clutches not to mention ankle and knee high boots.

I saw a few staple Gap pieces reinvented to suit the holiday collection.

 
Adding a fun punch to the scarves with stripes and bold colors.

And here are my favorite jackets! I absolutely loved the faux fur trimmed jackets with a pop of color.

 And here are two of my favorite looks from the collection.

I love how grey and orange make this outfit not look dull. The grey cardigan with white polka dots oozes fun!

I think orange is my favorite color at the moment. Here an orange cardigan is teamed up with a leopard print belt. I love the whole look!

The line-up featuring a portion of the new collection featuring some good pieces for the winter season.

The Holiday 2012 collection is available at all Gap stores in the UAE.

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

 
I was really excited to watch Hotel Transylvania. I'm a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula ever since I watched that movie and anything to do with Dracula fascinates me. The real 'Dracula' existed in the form of Vlad the Impaler in Bulgaria circa 1430s (and no, he didn't suck blood or burn under the sun). 

Hotel Transylvania, an animated 3D movie tells the story of Count Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler), an overprotective father and his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez). Dracula does everything in his power to keep Mavis away from the humans as he is convinced that they are out to get (read: kill) his kind. He literally builds a protective wall in the form of a hotel where his daughter will be safe from the humans. However, Mavis has other plans as she wants to experience paradise aka Hawaii and interact with the humans. As it is every year, Dracula throws a grand birthday party for Mavis and invites all the monsters. You see more than a handful of classic monsters attending the event from Frankenstein to The Mummy to The Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. However, a party is not complete without a little mishap. Enter a human named Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg),  your typical 'dude' who happens to stumble upon Hotel Transylvania. From then on ensues a roller coaster ride of tears and laughter for both, as Jonathan  befriends the monsters and falls for Mavis while Dracula tries to get rid of him.

Hotel Transylvania is the brainchild of Genndy Tartakovsky. The name will ring a bell with people who watch Cartoon Network as he is the creator behind The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory and a few other shows.

 
The movie delivers the slapstick comedy and you see Dracula's genius ways (sarcasm intended) of constantly trying to shield his daughter whilst developing a bond with the very species he loathes. The concept of true love has been devised in the form of a 'zing' which is more like love at first sight or finding out that you've met 'The One'. It's a nice  way to deviate from the cliche concepts.

Mavis is a rebellious character but a soft one at that- once she discovers things on her own, she understands it better as opposed to someone telling her about it. Jonathan is a carefree individual who is fascinated by costumes and monsters but as time flies, he does put on his responsible hat in order to keep everyone happy.

It's a kid friendly movie but adults will enjoy the entertaining 90mins of run time.

All in all, Hotel Transylvania is an entertaining movie that will keep kids glued to the screen until the end. Keep an eye out for the hilarious Twilight movie reference and the "I'm Dracula, blah blah blah" scene.


Rating: 2.5/5 star. 

Color Your Hair Without Hair Color

It seems like an oxymoron but when I discovered this I wanted to drop everything I was doing and get the tips of my hair colored. I mean, if you can color your hair without the chemicals found in hair dye...you got a winner! Before Katy Perry made it made popular, I've always wanted to color my hair a cobalt blue but never got to it. I need a friend to color her hair in an awkward (hair) color so we can both be laughed at.

Image credit: Joanna G

Anyway, on to my discovery! So how do you do it without hair dye? One word: Chalk. Let me say that again- c.h.a.l.k. The same thing teachers used years ago to write on black boards in schools. How super is hair coloring with chalk? It is temporary- the color washes away once your hair comes in contact with water but this is just amazing.

Image credit: Joanna G

All you need is chalk and a little water. Wet the chalk a bit and rub it against your hair and voila! Colored tresses. Wait until your hair has dried and then you can show it off. The color doesn't show up that well on hair that has a darker pigment as opposed to lighter colored hair.   

More info on Joanna's blog. I can't wait to try this!

Review: Clavelina Nourishing Cream

Olive oil, shea butter and Vitamin E. This is what the Clavelina Nourishing Cream is made of. It's an all over body cream that provides long lasting moisture and heals cracked skin.

The cream isn't too thick and is easily absorbed by the skin. I had developed a minor bruise on my arm a few days ago which surprisingly, faded a little after using the cream. I love olive oil for it's properties and this cream has enough olive oil to smooth the skin's texture along with shea butter to provide instant moisture. Vitamin E is the third beneficial component of the cream. The only thing I wish the cream had was a SPF. 

It's quite a handy cream tube that fits in the handbag- so you can take it where ever you go especially now that the winter season is upon us.

Clavelina is a Spanish brand and is available at the local pharmacies.

*The product was sent by the brand or it's reps for a review. All reviews are based on my personal experience & outcome thereby presenting an honest opinion to the readers. 

 

Elie Saab: Resort and Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

I'm way too late for this but since Elie Saab is one of my fav designers, I'm going to blab a bit about this- the Resort and Spring/Summer 2013 collection. While a lot of signature prints and designs were witnessed, Saab is deviating slightly from being an amazing red carpet gowns designer to a combination of amazing red carpet and business wear designer.

 Lace, peplums, pencil skirts, palazzo pants and even shorts are part of the collection. When it comes to colors- he used a gorgeous palette of calm greens, vibrant blues, striking reds and a really light version of fuschia which looks amazing.

Here's the Resort 2013 collection:

 

And a few from the Spring/Summer 2013 collection which was designed for the heiress who has several feathers to her cap and is on the move i.e. the modern day heiress.

Banana Republic Holiday 2012 Collection in Dubai

I loved it! Banana Republic recently showcased their latest- the Holiday 2012 Collection in Dubai at the Armani Hotel and the collection was an amazing one. I was impressed that this collection, albeit released for the holiday season didn't have the cliche looking coats or dresses. I also loved the colors- they included the mustard hue within a festive collection and made it look good.

 There were a lot of boots, gorgeous gloves, jackets among other things on display. The below is quite an equestrian look. Although there are only two tones of colors, it's a smart outfit.

 
And then my favorite- black and lace! I was so happy lace made a comeback and Banana Republic made it look great. How pretty is the lace cardigan and gilet? This is on my list to buy.

The picture below does not justify the dress. It's a beautiful pleated dress. Pleats took over the catwalks this year in different forms including tops.

 I LOVE the bag! It's got an amazing silver to gold shine on it.

 
And here's how the collection incorporated the mustard color. I never thought grey would look good against mustard.

I love this handbag. Or more so, the color.

They also had a showcase of the men's holiday collection which was exceptional. Crisp suits dictated the holiday season. After all, being suave is the name of the game.

Bobbi Brown's Matte Lipsticks

I'm a HUGE fan of matte lipsticks. I love the matte versions of lip colors so much that I even transform the glossy lipsticks into matte (quite simple- just dust a little loose powder over it). So, when I heard about one of my favorite brands Bobbi Brown launching matte versions of lipsticks- I was beyond ecstatic! BUT the Creamy Matte Lip Colors will only be available in Dubai from November 2012. Boo :-(. Because I was excited, I rang up the Dubai Mall branch to find out the details.

I love Bobbi Brown! It is one brand that I would keep going back to again and again and again... I love their cream eye shadows- you MUST check out 'Black Pearl'. It is a deep purple with flecks of shimmer that looks gorgeous on the eyes (think of a purple smokey eye). Also check the Peony & Python Palette; it is filled with beautiful lilacs, violets, silver and black. Their moisture lipsticks are equally amazing and I am speechless when it comes to their blushes.

I cannot wait to get the matte lipsticks! I already have my favorites.