Nailed It At The White Room Spa, Dubai

While I have my go-to nail salon, every now and then I deviate from it and visit other salons. I usually tend to discover either new services (chrome nails in certain salons before every other salon started to offer them) or new products. In Dubai, there's a funky new salon popping up every now and then and some of them certainly have an edge over the others.

One such example is that of The White Room Spa. This quaint salon offers the expected beauty services with a handful of special offers thrown in every now and then. How many times have you gone into a salon, shown the picture and walked out with the hairstyle you wanted?

All Glammed Up With Glamazle.com

One of the things I absolutely love about online beauty stores is the fact that they manage to acquire certain cosmetics and skincare/haircare brands that aren't available in the UAE yet. I spend a chunk of my monthly savings on online shopping (be it clothes or cosmetics or accessories) and it's because they have something unique to offer. And I doubt I will shy away from the trend of purchasing online- it's quick and you can return products you aren't happy with.

Performance aside, I also tend to buy beauty products because of the packaging. One look at Giorgio Armani's sleek casing or Tom Ford's luxe lipsticks is enough to make me buy them, but never use them (weird, I know). How about Diptyque? Among other things, I love the brand for it's minimalist designs.  

I think I speak on everyone's behalf when I say buying beauty products online can get a bit tricky. Consider foundation, for example- this is where you have to swatch the product on your skin in order to ensure you buy the right shade. Lipsticks can get challenging as well. There's one brand I am itching to try and discovered it about 2 years ago. The ever so popular Colour Pop Cosmetics. Because this brand isn't available in the UAE, I watched countless videos on YouTube and read blog posts in order to narrow down which matte lipsticks (about 90% of my lip colors are matte) and eye shadows would best suit me. After months of deliberation, I finally decided to place my order during a sale weekend (the brand has these every now and then). I placed my order and every 24 hours, logged onto the delivery site to check on the status. For 15 days straight, my package was still marked as being at the "facility of origin". I finally lost patience and cancelled my order. I never got to try the brand and their wonderful lip colors. 

That was until I discovered local online beauty store, Glamazle.com stocked the brand! I was ecstatic and had stars in my eyes. During their second birthday celebration, they displayed quite a few brands that I had no idea were stocked locally. I was pleasantly surprised (and impressed).

June Glambox Revealed

Don't we all just love surprises? Especially when they come concealed in a vibrant pink box with the name Glambox on it? It's one of those beauty boxes I look forward to every month because I discover new products (and services, at times) on and off. In addition to this, you also get vouchers across the spas, bakeries, restaurants, salons and more.

This month's box is a pretty cool one. There's a brand I discovered that I'm really excited about!

Happy 44th National Day, UAE!

National Days are filled with pride and genuine love. In a place like the UAE, almost everyone jumps on the bandwagon to express their love for the country that's home away from home.

There are brands that create unique elements to celebrate the day and people take it upon themselves to parade the colors of the flag in various formats- from leveraging their cars to clothes and everything in between. Have you noticed the malls decked with everything UAE on 2nd December? And those crazy special offers? This year, most of the stores in the mall have 44% off! Sephora is generously giving away 44 reward points with every purchase. Pretty cool, huh?

July Glambox Revealed

Let me start of by saying the June Glambox is one of the BEST this year. Aptly named Arabian Nights, the beauty box arrived in the month of Ramadan filled with several things I fell in love with.

Many thanks to Glambox for creating these special themed boxes and bringing a smile to a lot of faces, including mine.

Here's the lowdown on what you can expect from each product:

Usher In Spring Nails With Wojooh

If there's one thing I like about the Spring season, it is the vibrant palette that accompanies it- be it in clothing or makeup. Spring also means neatly manicured nails that are show-off worthy and I'll forever be collecting polishes in dark and bright colors with the former being a favorite.

Woojoh (formerly Faces) launched their Color Ritual Breath-in polishes that feature an array of colors, from a barely there beige to a forest green.

Review: Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File + Giveaway

Wouldn't you agree that the neck and feet are the most ignored areas of a human body when it comes to grooming? When was the last time you applied a moisturizing cream or sunscreen to your neck? How about pampering the feet with a foot cream? Sure we spend our time at nail salons for pedicures but how many of us take care of our feet post that? I, for one love heading to the nail salon and getting that extra treatment for the hands and feet but I don't always have the luxury of time. And this is where Scholl's electronic foot file comes handy.

The Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File is one of those easy to use products that deliver remarkable results in the first go. A travel friendly device, this little gem eliminates all the manual scrubbing you usually have to do when using a standard foot file.

August Glambox Revealed

The August Glambox is all about combating summer beauty problems. Oily skin, clogged pores and more? Here's a quick review on what this month's beauty box contains:

Review: All About The Eyes & Nails By Bourjois

Here's a quick review on everything eyes and nails. First off, Bourjois' Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eye Pencil in 57 Up And Brown. The summer season causing your eye liner to smudge and make it look like you got panda eyes? Pick up this gem from Bourjois.

Revlon Launches ColorBurst Crayon Collection

The jumbo crayon lipstick craze is still alive, everyone! Revlon launched the ColorBurst Crayon Collection in the UAE a few weeks ago and the venue had all the gorgeous Revlon makeup lined up- from pretty blushes to shimmery eye-shadows.

The makeup brand collaborated with local designer Aiisha Ramadan (I love her work). A couple of Aiisha's designs were reproduced by artist, Hatty Pedder.

It was interesting to see an artist's vision come alive through Revlon's color palette. How gorgeous does the placement of colors and overall design look?

The ColorBurst Crayon Collection features the jumbo crayon lipsticks in 10 shades, all boosted with moisturizing ingredients such as Shea, Mango and Coconut Butter.

The best part of the collection? 5 of the shades are available in high shine format i.e. ColorBurst Lacquer Balm and the remainder 5 are matte.

If you are a new reader to the blog, let me tell you that I absolutely LOVE matte finishes. Majority of my lipsticks are matte.

The ones that are glossy are, at times converted into matte using lose powder. That's how much I love matte finishes. So it's no secret that from both, the Lacquer Balm and Matte Balm, the latter is my favorite.



The ColorBurst Crayons is a fusion between a lip balm and gloss. It moisturizes and keeps lips locked in with color.

Let's start with the ColorBurst Lacquer Balm in Couquette. This shade is a pretty pink- almost like cotton candy. A handful of shimmer can be witnessed upon application. The product glides on smoothly on the lips and leaves you with a shiny pout. You will need to reapply after a meal.

The swatch below features the Lacquer Balm on the top and Matte Balm on the bottom.

On to my favorite, the ColorBurst Matte Balm. I already got my hands on one of the matte lip colors prior to the official launch. That's what happens when you wander around in the mall and tell yourself that you are just window shopping. I bought 225 Sultry, which is a dusty rose-brown. I totally LOVE that color and now, I may just have another favorite in the form of 250 Standout.

This particular shade is a deep red and I believe it will suit almost all complexions. The Matte Balms do not have a 100% matte finish, they leave a slight sheen which is alright in my opinion. If you want a complete matte finish, you'll have to blot the lips after the first application and then apply a second layer. Unlike other matte lipsticks, this one doesn't tug the lips during application and neither does it dry them out (bonus and bonus!).

Both lipsticks have a peppermint fragrance to it and contrary to what you are (probably) thinking, these balms do not plump up the lips. Nonetheless, I love them.

I'll be reviewing the other products that you see in the images soon- keep an eye out for the Highlighting Palette in Bronze Glow and the scented nail polish. I tried the latter yesterday- gorgeous color and yes, the nails have a pleasant fragrance.

Have you tried the ColorBurst Balms? Which one is your favorite?

The Revlon ColorBurst Balms are available at select stockists across the UAE.

Review: Une Polishes & Eye Shadows

How gorgeous are these Une nail polishes? When they landed on my desk, I immediately fell in love with the nude pink polish . It looked so pretty in the bottle and the same was reflected on my nails. I'm quite happy that my Une collection is growing (remember this lipstick? My favorite is their golden BB cream that doubles as a beautiful highlighter). The fact that this brand is all about organic makeup is a bonus.

The Une C03 polish is probably a favorite among so many girls. It looks gorgeous on the nails and is certainly one of those work-appropriate shades. The color goes on slightly sheer with the first coat and the second seals the deal. 

I didn't apply a top coat as the polish is quite glossy on it's own (I think the picture speaks for itself). 

Next up is a beautiful chocolate brown shade, C16. When I first saw this color, I ignored it. Don't get me wrong- I'm a huge fan of dark colored polishes. In fact, my polish shelf has about 90% dark colors however, looking at C16 made me not want to try it on. It didn't look appealing. I changed my mind when I applied it. 

The color is beautiful! It's such a rich chocolate brown shade and glossy as well. No top coat here either. I now appreciate browns more!  

Both polishes are long lasting- they barely chip. And none of them (especially C16) stained my nails. Hurray! 

And now I present to you another work-appropriate makeup product: The Une Top 3 Eye Palette.

I had a similar perspective of this eye shadow palette when I saw the packaging. I noticed the colors on the label and ignored it. Never judge a book by its cover. The colors are truly pretty; I wore the S03 one fine day, loved it and repeated the look the next day. 

The palette has 3 gorgeous colors. S03- a soft pink (that pretty much matches nail polish C03), S06- a slightly deeper pink (although it looks more like a light aubergine in the picture) and S08- a brown for the crease. 

What I noticed is, if you blend S03 and S06, it turns out to be a totally gorgeous dusty/medium rose. Love this palette! Unfortunately, the colors are on the lighter end to appear as swatches in pictures (I took at least 5 shots with different angles and lighting, yet couldn't capture it right). 

And the final product is the Une Ultra Black Eye Liner Kohl pencil. It is creamy and glides effortlessly on the eyelids (people with oily lids, I suggest you either use a primer first or avoid this all together) and doubles up as a smokey eye shadow if you smudge and blend it. 

Absolutely loving these goodies from Une. If you are impressed and looking for more Une products, read my review on their foundation and mascara. 

Have you tried Une before? What's your favorite/ which one would you like me to review next? 

Une is available at select retailers across the UAE.

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

Review: Sugar Urban Nails, Dubai

Last week, I was invited by Sugar Urban Nails salon located in Almas Tower, JLT to try out their services. I love getting my nails done (who doesn't?) and my favorite is when you get to top it off with a treatment.

First off, let me start by saying that I love almonds, so I selected the Milk & Almond manicure along with the Sexy Soles pedicure. I noticed the salon doesn't stock Essie but does have the latest in OPI and CND, which is just fab! They also happened to stock the latest OPI collection which featured a sunny yellow and vibrant coral. I opted for a violet for the mani and a lilac for the pedi.

My treatment began with the basic nail care and what followed was a truly pampering treat.The Milk & Almond manicure consisted of a sugar and almond oil scrub applied to my arms and hands. It served as an exfoliator and it felt great knowing that the key ingredient here was almond oil (it has a number of skin beautifying benefits!). A few minutes later, the scrub was wiped off. My arms and hands felt softer immediately; post the scrub a gorgeous golden gel (shea butter with almond) was applied to boost the moisture levels. My arms were wrapped in cling-film and after 15mins, the gel was wiped away with a warm towel. It was followed with applying the polish on my nails. This treatment was pure bliss!

The Sexy Soles treatment was equally amazing! This treatment is best for tired feet as it contains cooling mint and relaxing lavender. My feet and nails were given the usual process of a pedicure (sans the color) and then plopped in a warm lavender soak. It was quite relaxing. We always put our feet through so much, that we forget to pamper them (raise your hand if you have foot blisters from wearing those Louboutins).

Later, my feet were scrubbed with a refreshing spearmint scrub, followed by a cooling mint masque and covered in cling-film so the skin soaks in all the goodness. The treatment concluded with a fab cream massaged in and a polish on my toes. I loved getting this treatment!

I also went in for one of Sugar Urban Nails' facials. The products used are by a Hungarian brand called Eminence Organics. I chose the White and Bright Eminence Facial as I wanted to get rid of the dullness and achieve a glow. All products by Eminence are organic in nature. The facial included a Yam & Pumpkin Peel that tingled slightly when applied to the face. I was told the peel was the key product that would work towards delivering the glow I was after.

While I did not notice a drastic change once the facial concluded (I was informed I will have to repeat the facial every month to see the results), my skin had a subtle glow- hurray! Did you know that the Eminence facials are preferred by celebs such as Megan Fox, Olivia Wilde, Madonna etc?

I concluded my pampering session at the salon with a blow dry. I LOVED the way the salon attendant (I didn't catch her name, unfortunately) did my hair. I asked for my hair to be blow dried straight but she gave my hair volume and slight curls at the end- it was fit for an event. I totally loved it.

The staff at Sugar Urban Nails were hospitable and I was quite happy with everything! I will definitely be going back for the Sexy Soles pedicure and the blow-dry. I recommend everything you've read, but if anything at all, get the blow-dry. You won't be disappointed.

I'm so glad I discovered this little gem of a salon. Special thanks to Sugar Urban Nails for this pampering treat! Connect with them on Facebook  or view their menu of service and book your appointment today!

A Bourjois-ful Summer

I love how Bourjois launches pretty shades every now and then. I particularly love the little round pots that house their blushes. A pop of color on the cheek is gorgeous. Blushes aside, a handful of Bourjois goodies landed on my desk.

First up, are the So Laque Glossy and the 1 Seconde nail polishes. The So Laque Glossy in 09 Ciel Mon Vernis is part of the Spring 2014 collection. It's such a beautiful pastel blue.

I usually prefer darker colors on my nails but this color has won me over. It takes about 2 shades to get an opaque coverage.

The polish stayed on for 5 days straight before I noticed slight chipping. Other than that, I totally love this color and the glossy finish it delivers. My new favorite when it comes to pastel polishes!

The next one is something almost every girl loves. Gold and glitter! The Bourjois 1 Seconde polishes have a special gel texture along with a fan brush that allows easy application.

This shade known as 42 Oh My Gold, went on like a dream. I applied this over a dark base so the gold would pop.

Bourjois launched a new fragrance to add to their Glamour range (read my review on the other fragrance here). Aptly named Lovely, this is a fruity floral fragrance that boasts of apples and black currants fused with Turkish rose, jasmine, amber and musk among other ingredients.

When you spray it on, it immediately dispenses a fruity fragrance but allow it to settle, and you will sense the jasmine and musk coming alive.

The final product is the latest offering from the brand, the Volume Seconde Mascara that promises to deliver length and volume to the lashes.

The mascara comes in a waterproof version as well and includes carnauba, bee's wax and jojoba to keep the lashes moisturized.

The mascara has a special brush that coats the lashes and combs/fans them out thereby giving you the best outcome. On my lashes, this mascara is more about length than volume. It didn't flake (hurray!) or smudge. It's great to use during the day or at work.

So, these are latest gems from Bourjois. Have you tried any of these?

Bourjois is available at select stores across the UAE.

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

Review: Illamasqua Glamore Collection

Let me start off by saying that I am sold on Illamasqua. I usually would shy away from the brand because it appeared to be too Halloween-ish. I always associated Illamasqua with dark colored makeup- the blacks, the crimsons, the greys. I Instagramed an Illamasqua look that I instantly loved; notice the eye shadow shades, though? This was then.

My perspective on the brand changed completely when I was introduced to the Spring 2014 collection entitled Glamore. I was pleasantly surprised. The collection features 3 gorgeous lipsticks, 1 eye brow shade and 3 brilliant nail polish shades.

I grabbed 3 of my favorites and here's what I think. Let's start with my uber favorite- the lipstick! The Satin Finish Glamore lipstick in Glissade is an intense pink.

Creamy, full of shine and glides on easily- did I mention how  pigmented this is? Post a meal, the color fades to a decent deep pink stain. I also created a matte finish with this lip color using a matching blush (known as Tweak from Illamasqua).

Overall, gorgeous color. Love it! The Satin Finish Glamore lipsticks are available in 2 more shades: Luster (a candy pink) and Soaked (a vivid coral).

Next are my second favorites- the nail polishes. Yes, I am a polish addict and when it comes to glitter polishes, the 5 year old in me comes alive.

The Shattered Star Nail Varnish in Trilliant and Fire Rose (gotta love the names!) are shimmering shades that light up the nails. Both are glitter based polishes but aren't your standard glitter finishes. There are several polishes that have sparse glitter in them and are usually good as a top coat to a solid color. Trilliant and Fire Rose are the complete opposite- they are opaque glitter shades.

Trilliant is a beautiful champagne shade. I adore it!

Fire Rose is a pretty pink. This is my (unsuccessful) attempt at nail art but hey! You get to see how pretty Fire Rose is.



Team up Fire Rose and Glissade for a pop of pink! The polishes are available in 3 shades including Marquise, a vibrant orange.

I love this collection. Usually, when any brand launches a new range of products, I'll either love two products from it or not like any. Illamasqua's Glamore doesn't disappoint!

Do you have an Illamasqua product you absolutely love? Tell me about it, I might go try it!

The Glamore collection is available across Illamasqua stores in the UAE.

Review: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish

Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear nail polishes are all to do with vibrant color and glitter. And what better time to wear these colors than the summer season?

I tried Hot Tamale, a bright coral and Sea-ing Stars, a glittery top coat.

Hot Tamale is apt for summer. Coral is one of the colors that was spotted every now and then on the catwalk and is dubbed as summer's 'it' color. You will need two coats of polish to acquire an opaque finish.

While Sea-ing Stars looks like a jade glitter polish, it isn't. It's a top coat and shows well when worn against a contrasting base. Here I paired Sea-ing Stars with YSL's Vert D'Orient.

Neither colors had any major chipping for 5 days straight; Sea-ing is my favorite from the two!

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear polishes are available in 8 shades across Faces stores in the UAE.

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

Be Part Of Dubai's World Record + Free Manicure

Don't you just love well manicured nails? And what's better than having glossy nails and being part of a world record?

Beauty Connection Spa and KOKO Nails are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for 50,000 manicures! The previous record is held by Sally Hansen for completing 2,572 manis.

How do you get a free mini mani and take home a special edition KOKO Nails polish bottle?

Where: Dubai Mall (Star Atrium area)
When: 14 February 2014, 2pm - 10pm
What: A free mini manicure and a special edition KOKO nail polish bottle.

Have fun!

Review: OPI Eiffel For This Color

OPI's Eiffel For This Color is just as brilliant on the nails as it is in the bottle. This shade is all the rage right now on the runway and it doesn't look like the trend is going anywhere.

The aubergine color goes hand in hand with the winter season. So, we have about 3 months of winter in the UAE but I'm not complaining. I'd rock this color throughout the year though.

The below is one generous coat. Isn't the color just gorgeous?

This is the color with flash photography. See how the aubergine shade shines through? I love it!

I didn't use a top coat but it will help if you want to prevent unnecessary chipping and want extra shine.

Totally loving this color (big thanks to OPI's PR team for sending this to me). Here's a tip: Dark and metallic colors look better on shorter nails than they do on longer ones.

OPI has just released their new collection entitled San Francisco; it consists of a palette of beautiful reds, brown, silver and more.

Have you picked a color from the new collection?

The San Francisco Collection and the OPI Eiffel For This Color is available across Sephora stores in the UAE.

Review: Sally Hansen Go Baroque Collection

I don't think us polish geeks (I refuse to use the term 'addict') will quit buying polishes. Even if it means the storage case at home cracks and eventually breaks apart. No. We love our polishes even if it means having 6 versions of the same color ("But it's a deep teal, not just teal!").

Having said that, let me introduce you to Sally Hansen's latest: the Baroque Collection. Featuring rich reds to shimmering silvers, this collection features 6 gorgeous colors.

The polishes are glossy on their own, I did not apply a top coat. I'm a fan of dark colors, so let's start with that.

Belle Of The Ball is a deep red. Do you remember the time when oxblood was featured on almost every runway in the form of clothing accessories and more? This polish would be a perfect fit for that trend.

What you see here is one coat of the polish. Belle Of The Ball has subtle shimmer and it highlights the color even more beautifully when light hits the nails.

The next is a contrast. Of Cors-et is a shimmering silver grey. It is a beautiful color; unlike Belle Of The Ball, this color is quite sheer. The below is the product of 2-3 coats.

Although the color does not scream 'look at my nails', this will be appreciated by girls who are into subtle hues. This reminded me of the London sky.

So-nata Problem is a gorgeous midnight blue. One coat gave me a sheer blue color while the second coat reflected the true color in the bottle.

A third coat makes the color look almost black, so unless you are a fan of that color, you might want to stick to 2 coats. This color, for some reason reminded me of Scotland (I have no idea why!).

Star Powder is white with subtle shimmer. I would say Of Cors-et and Star Powder are part of the same family. The first coat is sheer- it does not quite display the color. A third coat did the job.

I used this to create my own nail art on Dec 2 (UAE's National Day). This made an appearance on my Instagram.

Don't be put off by the color. It's white but it's not flat. It has subtle shimmer, enough to make someone go, "That's a nice color you got there".

Out of the colors, Belle Of The Ball and So-nata Problem are my favorites. All 4 polishes went on smoothly without any bubbles or streaking (hurray!).

The collection also features Aria-Ready, a vibrant red and Starcrossed, a sheer gold glitter.

The Sally Hansen Baroque Collection is now available at select stores in the UAE.

Do you have a favorite color? Have you already tried this collection? Tell me about it in the comments section below.

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