Polished /second edition/

I was really really looking forward for this month to end just so I can do another recap of my favourite nail polishes.

If I was still living in Europe this selection would be so different. Cold and dark weather always makes me reach for the dark and moody polishes. In Dubai however it such lovely sunny days and reading about all the make up spring releases makes me want to wear head to toe pastels and have colourful nails to go with it. It also makes me want to buy way too many new products.. and Im rubbish and fighting the urge to shop. Hence there is a pile of makeup and haircare products I want to tell you about soon.

But onto the polishes that got the most use this month:

✓  Barry M Raspberry- well this one got its own blogpost so no wonder its on the list. Totally perfect berry shade that I have gotten many compliment on.

✓  American Apparel Neon Violet- on oldie but goodie that is starting to dry up and that makes me sad. Its such a vibrate flattering neon violet and I need to get my hands on another bottle of this soon. This one screams summer!  Isnt it such a gorgeous shade?

✓ Nailstation Menthe- lovely light green pastel. I have wrote about Nailstation polishes before and I especially like their pastel ones.

✓ Isadora Summer Red- for work events I tend to always go with red polish and this bright fiery red was my pick this month. Im not overly crazy about Isadora polishes the staying power is not amazing but I do like this shade.

With an imaginary drum roll (cause nail polishes totally deserve drum rolls right!) let me present this months superstar..and the winner of Best Newcomer.

 piCture polish Coral Reef

I kept reading about piCture pOlish and was more than tempted to give it a go. So on a work related trip to Dubai Mall I just had to pass their stand in Bloomingdales and pick up a few shades. I had to make it quick as I was there to do other errands so the first one to stand out for me was Coral Reef.

It is such a beauty.. a mix of pastel and neon almost. Its not blindingly bright but certainly doesnt go unnoticed and polish quality is amazing. There shall be many more piCture pOlishes in my collection thats for sure. You can check out my Instagram to see the other pretty pastel that made the cut this time.

Just for fun I painted a golden accent nail with H&M Wawawoom.

So thats it on nail polish from my side. There is a brand new pleated ASOS midi skirt that needs to be taken for a stroll in the park now. Outfit post to follow for sure!

One more thing before I go. Come join me on Facebook..we can totally hang out and stuff! ( Link )

Pretty Displays

Muji-  heaven for a hoarders..but the kind of hoarders who like pretty things and who like their pretty things organized.

In case you live in a Muji-less country, its a japanese household brand best known for their awesome acrylic storage compartments and drawers. That place is addictive. I go there and immediately start imagining how I'm going to become the most organized person on the planet hence I need ALL of the drawers and boxes and stands and..

The stuff they sell is great thou. Its aestethically pleasing and easy to keep clean.

I use their boxes to store my make up but somehow until know I had failed to notice the perfect earring stand. You see I have an ever growing collection of "New Vintage" by Kriss earrings and I have tried all kinds of systems to have them displayed and organized. I have had stands and little trays and a DIY picture frame with strips of fabric where to hang the earrings but non of them worked.

Why? Because I have cats and for them a dangling earring is just the.best.thing.ever! Pawing them out of a tray..next.best.thing.ever!

Enter this Muji stand with a cat proof protective shield around it.

And if at the end of the day I'm too lazy to hang them I can just use the little cushioned tray at the bottom. At least they all stay in one place all the time.



In addition to it being so practical I also find it so pretty. I have not stopped staring at it. I love how my earrings can work as a decoration even when they are not worn.

I only bought one stand thinking.. thats clearly enough space. Turns out not so much. So a trip to purchase a second stand shall be planned. I think it would work great for hanging my dainty necklaces as well.

How do you store/display your earrings?

Get in my Closet Lipstick Edition

My lipsticks are mainly berry tones.. there is variety from dark to fuchsia and many other pinks in between. Pink/berry tones are my comfort zone.I have gotten a bit bored with all of them so currently I'm lusting over reds and nudes. This is my wish list:


Chanel #99 Pirate -a long wearing full coverage satin finish. I keep picking it up whenever I snoop around the Chanel counter. Its a blue red and makes your teeth look whiter than white.Basically its a classic and I kind of need it.

Nars Dragon Girl- Now these Nars Matte Lip Pencils are my favorite matte lip product ever.In the world. I absolutely adore my Red Square and Cruella so Dragon Girl just seems like a nice addition to the family. They don't sell Nars in Dubai so I have never gotten to try it on. This promises to be another blue toned red.

Tom Ford Wild Ginger- this one is swoon worthy. I mean firstly I don't own any TF lipsticks yet and I so so wish I did. The luxury point aside this color is just amazing! The previous two are classic reds but this beauty is orange based however on lips its much redder than in the tube. Its a proper bold and bright color and I'm mesmerized by it. I mean like I could stare at it for hours kind of mesmerized..

Mac Peach Blossom- I have yet to try this one on as the counter at mac said their tester had been stolen (this really must be a killer good lipstick!!) But I have seen it on various blogs and it seems a pretty peachy nude thats not too beige.

Tom Ford Spanish Pink- I have saved the best for last. This is actually the one Im lusting over the most. Let me be honest I didn't even notice it at theTF  counter but then Laura wrote about it and I got to try hers recently. I mean WOW. This is such a stunning color once on the lips. Its something else I tell you..


So yeah..I need new lipsticks. I think I will reward myself with at least two from the list soon. I have created this rewarding thing in my head by the way. Its not just buying a new thing its rewarding. Things I have rewarded myself in the past for include eating salad for lunch three days in a row or making it to crossfit more than twice in a week etc.. you get the point. Its the little things.


Anyway..Do you own any of the above? Is there one I totally should not waste money on?

Origins-Drink Up

Cutting right to the chase here.

Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Mask is my favorite hydrating face mask.

The sole point of this post is to inform anyone who is on the lookout to "quench skin's thirst" to try Drink Up because its great.

Few reasons why it's so great:

-as always with Origins there is no parabens or other nasties in it

-it can be used as a 10min quick fix mask before doing your make up. For this I suggest washing it off with water not wiping it off with tissue. The tissue option leaves a thin layer on the skin which is great if you are going to bed but not ideal make up base. Washing it off however leaves a plump and more even skin to work your foundation into.

-it can be layered on as a thick cream and left overnight (this I do once a week). There is actually another version of this called Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask but I haven't tried that one yet. I just keep using the original one as an overnight mask. If you have combination skin like me you might not need the intensive version.

- it works wonders on skin that has a light sunburn and helps calm down the redness and irritation better than anything I have tried

- it also smells wonderfully peachy and fresh

They don't sell Origins in Dubai so after I ran out I had to order it online. Its kind of a staple in my skincare. And the first thing I did when it arrived was smell it..honestly I did! Thats how much I like the smell of this mask.

 In other but similar news. I'm loving my current hydrating products.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil I bought recently is great. I use it every other night and so far loving the softer more even skin I wake up to. Its not at all as oily as I predicted. I want to give it another few weeks to really see if there is a difference and then report back.


Yalla tried so hard to finally get on a blog picture also so here she is:

What's your current fav hydrating masks? Or even better whats the all time favorites?

New In from ASOS

Some of my ASOS order arrived.

Unfortunately it seems like the parcel with the two most longed for items, the midi skirts, has been lost in mail. After I dried my tears and accepted this fact I realized that some of the stuff that did arrive is actually great.

Like this beige/nude crop blazer.

First of all I really really like beige..well everything. Bags, shoes.. dresses especially. So it was unnatural I did not own a beige blazer. Unnatural I tell you!

I was worried that the material is going to be too thick but its light and lovely and I can hopefully carry on wearing it for a bit longer before the crazy Dubai heat kicks in.

The cropped length is great and works well with both dresses and jeans. The fabric is soft and stretchy which makes it super comfortable and I might have worn it three evening in a row now. (cant.help.must.wear.new.things.all.the.time)

Ohh and here comes the best part. They still have it in stock AND its on sale( Link ) and there is a red verison on sale also ( Link ). I kind of really need that red one now..this is a never ending circle huh?

Now the necklaces. These are by my favorite jewelry brand called "New Vintage" by Kriss. I whole heartedly love the brand and the designer who is beautiful, talented and absolutely awesome and I happen to be lucky enough to be related to her. 

But honestly.. I don't love her pieces because she is my sister, I just think they are perfect!

Here I am wearing one of my all time favorites Miss "Fangs" from the Rocking Halo collection. 

Its made from pieces of raw rock crystal.

The shorter necklace is also from the rock crystal collection and is called Miss "Rock". This one is a newer addition to my stash and I love the short length. It's such a good layering piece.

So there you have it. I got a few more new items so expect more outfit posts.

And I have to admit..maybe the one thing I loved more than wearing my new blazer was cuddling with Sweety. Isn't she just too cute for words!

A Fine Romance

I could try to make a face that I don't like Valentines Day just to blend in you know.

Its seems like a big thing to say the day is silly and too commercial and everyone should just stay at home to show how much they don't like this day. Well..I'm a complete sucker for romance and I hope that never changes. Why not have a day that you put extra thought into? I don't mean getting heart shaped teddy bears and dozens of roses is the main thing but a romantic dinner is something I do love. Dont get me wrong a lovely meal and cuddle at home is perfect but the effort of getting a bit dolled up for each other and going out on a date is pretty great as well.

And this years Valentines Day was pretty magical.

Husband said he booked us a dinner and I didn't ask too many questions. I knew it was a restaurant I had never been before and that already made me excited. We went to the Eau Zone and One & Only Royal Mirage hotel.

We took a stroll through the beautiful hotel grounds and arrived to the poolside beach restaurant that was all dimly lit and romantic..




After telling our name for reservation the girl at the welcome desk suddenly had a wide smile saying ..oohh you have the beach front table. So they walked us out of the restaurant and this is what was waiting..

3 private cabanas on the empty beach with views of beautiful Dubai skyline. I mean seriously.. It was perfect! Morgan really pulled out all the stops. And we are already married so its not like he has to impress me or anything..so happy he still does!


To our luck the other cabanas were only booked from 10:30pm and we arrived at 8pm so we had the whole place to ourselves. The food was fantastic as was the wine and we had such a lovely special dinner. Service was attentive but not overly (in Dubai its common to have 6 people come and ask how is the food in the span of 30min) so we could really enjoy our food and the surroundings.

The staff lit a small bonfire on the beach and after dinner we took our wine and sat by the fire for a bit. 

We ended the evening the some great Moroccan mint tea and shisha at the Arabian Courtyard of the same hotel.

It was such a calm, romantic and sweet evening and I could not be happier to be married to this awesome man of mine.

Hope you all had a great weekend surrounded by loved ones.

Barry M- Raspberry

Today's post will be a short one but its extremely important to tell you that you must go and buy Barry M- Raspberry nail polish. Make it your Valentines gift for yourself!

Its my new favorite berry toned polish and I just cant get enough of it. We are talking the perfect balance of red and purple berry tones and you get a great even coverage with two light coats. Best part- its a bargain!

I have had BarryM nail polishes before and always found their quality to way surpass the price. The formula is great- not too thin and streaky and not overly thick either. They dont have a huge color selection but there are some great pastels as well as basic red, black etc. Actually that statement is wrong. In UK they have a huge color selection but Dubai Boots doesn't stock very many options. Which is fine cause otherwise I would have to buy so many more.

I have been wearing it for a while and just dont feel like switching to something else. Its too perfect of a color! But as you know from a previous post I did buy 4 new polishes so I give Raspberry a few more days and then we see how the new glitters preform.

In other news. I cant wait to go on a romantic dinner with the husband tomorrow evening. I have a feeling its going to be a lovely one. Do you have any plans for the V day?

Get In My Closet

1. Anya Hindmarch Carker tan leather tote (Link)

The other items here are realistic wishes. This one is more on the "If only" department. But look at it..*insert a long wishful sigh* it's what dreams are made of..

2. Reiss black court shoes (Link)

 Pointed toe and mid-heel is my favorite combo and the asymmetrical cut makes them a bit more interesting than a regular black shoe. Perfect day time heel to rock both skinny jeans or a pencil skirt with. Was considering getting my beloved DvF shoes in suede but I think this could be a bit more cost effective option.

3. This cotton skater dress from ASOS for sunny walks on the weekends (Link)
Me + Friday market + this dress..it's meant to be I say!


4. Anthropologie Mercer D'Orsays flats  (Link)

My love for pointed toe is not limited to heels. Best kind of flats generally also have a pointed toe. I just think that shape visually makes my legs look longer and skinnier. Enter the beauuutiful cobalt blue flats that need to be mine.


5. ASOS midi skirt in pleated leather  (Link)

There is a gap in my wardrobe that can only be filled by a leather skirt. Preferably it will be a pleated midi and this one seems to fit the bill. Just need to stalk until they stock it again.

So which of these should be on the top of the wish list in your opinion? 

The One Where Laura Goes to Buy Eye Makeup Remover

I'm not entirely sure who am I trying to fool when just before entering the mall I tell myself I will only buy what I really need- a makeup remover. Cause thats what I did yesterday.

However the taxi driver dropped me off at the other side of the mall. I had aimed for the main entrance which is a small walk to Boots and out again. He dropped me at the other end which is smack next to Sephora and a whole walk through the mall to get to Boots. So I blame this one on the taxi driver (thank you thank you thank you Mr.)

My safari through the mall went a little like this.. first stop Sephora.. buying two new polishes.. deciding quickly the initial plan sucks..changing the plan from buying makeup remover to shopping for new stuff..following through with the new plan immaculately.


This is what I got:

      Cat is not from the mall. Those can be found on the streets of Dubai and they are awesome. Zulu approved all the  items..especially the ones that roll and can be pushed off the dresser. Those ones are the best!

I am extremely exited to try the new polishes and bust out some nail posts soon but my favorite buy is  The Body Shop Vitamine E Overnight Serum-in-oil and Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream. Give me a few weeks and I will review it for sure.

And now to the gem of this little mall trip. The Clarins foundation both Laura and Simone raved about was on top of my wishlist for weeks and weeks. I have no idea why I waited so long to get it. I used it this morning and I can already see what these ladies are talking about. Its pretty amazing stuff. Will give it a few weeks but it might be "how have I ever lived without you" kind of story here.

Oh yeah.. I did get the makeup remover as well but it was soo boring compared to the other purchases I forgot to even add it to the pictures.

Park Life in Pastels

When living in Europe whether Estonia or Spain we spent an awful lot of time in parks.

  Because there is very few things I love more than a lovely weekend picnic in the park. It can be a picnic consisting of full blown meal and BBQ or ice cream or just sitting on the grass- I love all options. In Dubai its always sunny and such a great climate for picnics but it was one massive minus. No park in Dubai allows dogs and this kind of kills all the fun for me. I just dont see why would we gear up for a great day of walking and enjoying the outdoors if we cant bring our pup.

Unless its Friday morning because on Friday mornings something magical happens in Dubai. Its the Ripe Friday Foodie Market day in Safa Park.




Now I cant even begin to tell you how much I love this market. Its buzzing, its vibrate, it has all sorts of goodies and handicraft and flowers.. It has endless grass patches to sit and munch your breakfast. I still wish we could bring our dog Mate with but fair enough. Cant have everything and all that jazz..

So this Friday we rolled out of bed and made our way for late breakfast rounds at Safa Park. I dressed pretty much head to toe pastel colors because that just makes me happy. 

And any excuse to wear my tiffany blue converse is always welcomed! Because they are just about the prettiest thing I have ever seen. It was a whole dedicated hunt to track these babies down. In the Converse store at Dubai Mall the sales assistant had never even heard of this color being available but I finally found some online. Now I have to be extra careful not to ruin them too fast as Im not sure how easy it would be to find another pair.

The dress is about 3 years old and comes from Mango. I get to channel my love of 60's housewife attire and to me that is perfection!

I rarely find things to buy in Mango nowadays but I have about three old pieces I love dearly. So I never lose hope and still do a mandatory Mango round when in the mall..

Ahhh yes.. the flowers at this market. If my husband wasn't with me I would have probably just spent all the money I had and bought one of each color. And then the cats will destroy them all in about 2 days. I pulled myself together and only bought a bunch of pretty pale pink peonies and some lovely fresh lavender.

Here are some other great things I picked up at the market. The Liquorice & Peppermint tea in particular is delicious. Definitely my new favorite flavor. I use the maple syrup and goji berries for home made granola. 

I cant wait for next Friday. Whats your favorite weekend outings?

p.s. Today is our 6-month wedding anniversary (Im aware that its not technically a "thing" but I choose it to be). I would love to post some of our wedding pics but wasn't sure if thats something you are interested to see?

Eminence Organic Skincare

I used to be on pretty good terms with my skin and much more adventurous about trying out new skin care products. Never struggled with super dry skin or breakouts..never was sensitive to products I tried out..but dont worry my bragging isn't gonna last.

Because then I moved to Dubai. Where there are sandstorms and dirty air and bad bad bad water. Suddenly for the first time the skin on my face felt bumpy..not even full on breakouts just uneven in texture. And I had to switch to products meant for combination skin as my T-zone was now remarkably oilier than rest of my face. I am to this day trying to find the right products for me as my skin is still far from perfect but there is one that has become a firm favorite.

Enter Eminence Organic Skincare and their Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant. You see I would have never found out about this product cause I dont go to a cosmetic regularly but last year just before my wedding I was desperate to get my skin in order. This is where I found Eminence Dermafoliant. The cosmetic used other Eminence products on my face and I love the smell and feel of them and on my way out I asked which product she recommends. She handed me the dermafoliant and I have loved it ever since.

It is a daily use rice-based exfoliant with lactic acid. I use it twice a week and it truly is great. It comes as a dry powder and you activate it with water before scrubbing your face. Whats cool about it is that you can also activate it with your cleanser or mask if you want a bit of 2-in-1 action. Works equally well with every option but I tend to use a cleanser just to limit the use of bad bad bad Dubai water on my face.

The small rice bits buff and smooth your skin, the strawberry acts as cleanser and rhubarb is a source of ascorbic acid and vitamins that fight off wrinkles says Eminence website.

I just say its awesome! One of those products I would wholeheartedly recommend. It leaves the skin clear and smooth and leaves me wondering why don't I own any other Eminence products.

Oh and the product lasts forever as you really need a tiny little bit of it.

please note that taking product picture at my house means there is at least one cat sniffing/playing/pushing it off the table or this dude just making sure he is in every single shot. I didn't have the heart to crop him out of this one..look how he is posing!

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Polished /first edition/

We have previously established I like painting my nails.

I am the weirdo who feels utterly devastated if a nail polish chips and I cant take it all off RIGHT THIS SECOND. I do understand other people will probably not notice but it doesn't matter. I notice and I feel uncomfortable if my nails are not perfect.. yes Im sure there is some underlying issues here but lets move on.

I like changing the nail polish often which is also the reason I have never gotten gelish or anything else that makes me commit to a color for longer than a few days. Thirdly I just like buying nail polishes and cant justify it if I dont use them often.

So this brings me to todays post of my January favorites. These are the ones I have reached for most often last few weeks:

It pretty much goes between dark and pastel for me constantly no matter the season. There is however always one red I will use as I just love the look of a properly maintained, short and round red nails. This months fav of the darks was O.P.I. Give me Moor! (on the left). This is proper dark polish with purple undertone. O.P.I. is easily my favorite polish brand and I especially love all their dark colors. 

The red that I reached for the most in January was a fairly new O.P.I buy in Malaga Wine. A dark classic wintery red that just make me feel like such a lady. Well any red polish does that dont you agree? I feel like I should act more grown up whenever I have red polish on..

My favorite pastel combo was the same shown on my first ever blogpost. The Nailstation-Fashion Reaction and my new much loved addition Bourjois-Vampire Vanity

I will leave you with my most recent manicure. I dont do much nail art besides playing around with some glitter polish or painting a different color accent nail but to celebrate the upcoming Valentines Day I figured a tiny little heart was in order.

On my nails:

✓ Essie First Base base coat

✓ one coat of Essie Ballet Slippers followed with a coat of Essie Hi Maintenance (this combo is a b*tch to apply at first and can come off streaky but becomes much easier once you get the hang of it). It is the combo I wore at my wedding so I practiced a lot.

✓ drew the heart with BarryM Raspberry

✓ finished it off with my favorite top coat O.P.I RapiDry

I know thats a whole lot of talk about nail polishes. Lets wrap this up.
My ASOS order should arrive any day now so there shall be outfits posts for sure.

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