Browsing Tag

Dubai

fashion Recommended

In love with… SAPIA•KANG

There’s nothing I love more than beautiful resort wear. I work hard to try and ensure that my body looks half way decent in it, so it makes sense to reward those efforts occasionally and right on time… along came SAPIA•KANG.

Sapia Kang

It’s the brainchild of founders Sapia Simone and Ellen Kang who met in Dubai and started working together back in June. The brand is a true result of their explorations and adventures, living this sunny expat lifestyle that we all share and love.

SAPIA•KANG

If you’re as desperate to get your hands on one of these gorgeous pieces as I am, wait no longer… on January 28, SAPIA•KANG’s e-store, will be unveiling its very first collection, ‘Fantasy Island’. With wild inspirations, it’s a collection perfect for future globetrotting… swimwear to be seen in!

SAPIA•KANG

Recommended

Work Hard. Play Hard. Cleanse. Repeat…

Having survived the busiest month of the year, it’s high time I wrote up one of the main reasons how I have managed to stay relatively healthy here. The lovely people down at Detox Delight sent me a weeks survival kit, full of some of the tastiest soups I have ever tried! Vegan in design, these cold-pressed and pureed vegetable soups are so full of flavour… one of my favourite concoctions was the hot pink pear and beetroot combo. Detox Delight

Detox delight soups are neither pasteurised nor preserved in an artificial way. A healthy way to support your immune system in times of stress…

Why is cold press so good? Traditional blenders use a process that adds some heat and exposes the ingredients to air, two things that cut down on how many nutrients make their way into you directly. The cold press method extracts the goodness by pressing the fruits and vegetables without adding heat. With this method, the natural enzymes from the fibers of the fruit and vegetables are liberated. This way of extracting the goodness ensures the maximum amount of liquid from the least amount of produce. Detox Delight

If you haven’t tried one of their juice cleanses, then that is well worth a look, (it’s next on my list after the Christmas holidays). Detox Delight

The optimum balance of fruit and vegetables is crucial: Pure fruit juices contain too much fructose, which increases our blood sugar levels, triggers ravenous cravings and impairs our bodies’ ability to burn fat.

Recommended

You Can Never Have Too Many Facials….

What a week it’s been! Busy doesn’t even cut it, so when the opportunity to try out one of Biolite’s many treatments presented itself, I jumped at the chance to help my weary skin with a PSF facial. Created and named after Dubai’s favourite twins, the ‘Pintsized fashionistas’, I did wonder if this facial would be able to thoroughly aid my (slightly older) and more sensitive skin. But this facial really is a great way to wake up, feel rejuvenated and totally cleansed. Bursting with freshness and using only natural products, I was treated to a deep cleanse, steam, skin balancing and an overall totally blissful experience. Biolite

You’re taken step by step through a thorough deep cleansing (extraction) & exfoliation using a pineapple based scrub, then you’re massaged and a cleansing mango mask is applied. Finishing the facial, a fruity scented moisturizer made up of apricot and beeswax leaves you feeling completely refreshed. As it’s full of active ingredients like pure pineapple enzymes, fresh mango and strawberry cells, it’s recommended for all skin types too. Biolite

fashion Recommended

💅 #TEAMBEEM 💅

#TEAMBEEM

Dubai has a new piece of tech that will literally change your life ladies… no longer do you have to have that embarrassing phone call about which bikini wax you’d like in the middle of your office, speaking like a ventriloquist and willing the receptionist to understand your request telepathically. My VERY clever (and brave) sister has ventured into the world of tech, after working in the women’s fashion and beauty sector here for 5 years, and watching women suffer in silence.

I know I am notoriously last-minute with my maintenance requirements, often begging to sit on the floor of a salon if it means I can get in for a touch up that evening. BEEM takes all of that stress away from you, by helping to geo-locate salons for easy access. BEEM

So what is BEEM? It’s a very clever and easy to use APP that allows you to pick from the top 6 services; mani, pedi, eyebrows, eyelash extensions, wax and blow dry. You then get to pick 3 time slots for that day or the day after. As they have the BEST salons already signed up, you can choose from a chain you prefer, or find some that are closer to you and select one of them. There are also featured salons, which is great if you don’t know your way round the city’s hotspots yet. Once you’ve chosen, BEEM will search for availability, and the available slots will be pinged back to you for you to confirm your selection. BEEM

Download BEEM free BEEM, to use its one-stop beauty concierge service that takes all the embarrassment out of your bookings.

Fitness yoga

The 6 Week FlyBarre Challenge

Yoga has always been my favourite way to keep fit, whilst helping me to maintain normal stress levels in this busy city, it also has little ways of toning your body. I’ve been an avid yogalates fan in particular, from daring balances to core exercises, there’s always something to sweat about.

And then there was FlyBarre

FlyBarre

Opening in the Gold & Diamond Park, it was a stones throw from work, so I popped in to check it out. One class led to another and very soon was buying packages. Hooked on the sweaty muscle exhausting sessions, it quickly became my favourite after-work haunt. Especially due to their instructors – they have to be some of THE nicest, most encouraging fitness professionals i’ve come across.

FlyBarre

FlyBarre provides a revolutionary form of body sculpting. It’s a complete mixture of exercises, taking elements from yoga to dance, pilates and of course ballet. I’ve never been a Zumba fan (i’m particularly un-coordinated when it comes to following choreographed anything), so I was worried at the beginning about the one dynamic arms track in the hour-long loop.

FlyBarre

I was offered the opportunity to join the FlyBarre Challenge at the beginning of May – a 6 week course, where you have to complete 4 classes a week, including 3 workshops. I jumped at the chance and with Reebok kindly offering to keep me cool in their latest studio and crossfit gear, I was all set.

It’s the final week now and i’m HONESTLY signing up again next month. It’s been a great way of ensuring I get regular exercise, (I hate the gym) and also it’s kept me off the couch in the evenings! I’ve even been trying out the protein shakes, and made it to the odd early class or two. I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a social and dynamic way of toning, losing a couple of inches and building strength.

FlyBarre

Hotspot Recommended

Beauty Insider: The Anti-Free Radical Treatment

Recommended: The Anti-Free Radical Facial Treatment 

Where: Tips ’N’ Toes, Al Barsha branch

It’s been a long time since I had a facial – I’m talking at least a year!

I have been able to balance my skin with a combination of Bioderma products for the last couple of years and my fear was always that if I had a facial – I could potentially unbalance that chemical mixture. Having had facials in the past, I knew that a certain amount of redness and after effects were inevitable, but to this day, my skin still feels moisturised, and no redness at all!Tips'n'toes

The Anti-Free Radical Facial is a treatment for dull, dehydrated skin, combining high potency vitamin C, E and D to seal in hydration and refine the skin, it really is the perfect facial for all of us who’s skin is subject to those harsh sun rays, (I’d been at Dreamland enjoying those the day before).

After a make-up removing cleanse and pore opener with a steamer, I dreaded the pain that the pore cleaner can bring, but I was pleasantly surprised, there was minimal stinging and from the look of my skin now, maximum effect. She really went to town on my face too! After the cleansing, came the moisturising… eye pads and a gauze later, my face was covered in a fast-hardening paste. After a quick nap (it was far too relaxing) I woke to the mask being lifted off as the light flooded back in again. 

Tips'n'toes

All the massaging and moisturising was followed by a final round of cream, to seal in the hydration, and I was off home shortly after. I made sure to sleep in the moisturisers they had put on, so that I didn’t wash off any of that goodness. The next morning I went make-up free and felt like my skin was literally glowing.

I’d advise having this facial at the end of your day so that you aren’t tempted to touch, prod and stroke your face (reducing the risk of dirt being deposited back into your pores).

yoga

Vita Yoga at the Cove

There’s two things I LOVE… coconut water and outdoor yoga. So naturally when Vita Coco got in touch to see if I wanted to join their early Friday morning classes, I jumped at it! They had set up rows of Vita Coco yoga mats down at Dubai’s newest beach hotspot, Cove Beach, overlooking the gorgeous views of the Burj.

Yoga at the Cove

Sporting my bright new Vita Coco yoga leggings (how cool are they!?) from famed Aussie brand Dharma Bums, (found at Dubai yoga-store Yapparel) and a brand new pair of Havianas, I had all I needed for a morning on the beach 🙂

Yoga at the Cove

Taught by yoga superstar Abbey Bates (who’s a complete instagram celeb by the way), these Hatha flow classes are now my favourite way to wake up on the weekend!

Yoga at the Cove

Followed by a delicious breakfast on their wooden terrace, my Friday mornings for the last month have been completely #PoweredByCoconuts!

Yoga at the Cove

Uncategorized

After-hours Yogalates

You won’t believe how far i’ve come here… whether it’s the extended backbend, keeping my hips square or even being able to balance on my arms in side crow, all whilst smiling and not grimacing through clenched teeth. I credit a lot of it to the patience and help from my instructors but, it’s also down to perseverance and not wanting to give up on a pose just because it’s hard.

The harder the pose, the more you need it

***Wearing fit plum leggings***

“Parsva Bakasana” – Side Crow

Yogalates

“Kapotasana” – King Pigeon

Yogalates