Back In Beirut: Hamra Lovin'

Finally back in Beirut! Unfortunately This post is not going to include pictures because I keep forgetting to take my camera out with me.

I arrived on Friday and went straight to Gloria Jeans, oh how I've missed their coffee. I ended up in Ferdinand's later that night, which is one of my favorite pubs on Hamra. The music was great, as was the atmosphere, so all in all it was a great night.

Yesterday morning I had coffee at Caribou Coffee, another great place with great coffee. The weather was absolutely beautiful so I insisted on sitting outside. It was sunny with a really nice breeze. I later headed to Buttermint for Lunch, and Flow even later on at night.

Something occurred to me yesterday while sitting in Caribou, the reason why I love Hamra so much is this: It's almost like New York, but with an Arab twist to it. And I'm not talking about the architecture, I am of course talking about the fashion!

I've been seeing more and more different and funky styles walking around, which is great. I love the fact that there are a lot more people out there who are experimenting and expressing themselves more through fashion. My mission for the next few months is to stop people who I think have a unique sense of style, snap a picture of them, and share it with all of you. I don't know if they'll be open to it, or if they'll think I'm a creepy stalker, but it's worth a try.

Other than that, I will continue with my usual shopping and style updates, along with the lifestyle section of this blog (where to go and when to go there). So stay tuned Beirut, that and a lot more will be coming up soon!

It feels good to be back.

The English Tea Lounge & 2010 VMAs

For those of you who don't know, the 2010 VMAs took place last night. Now, I promised myself not to get sucked into the best/worst dressed thing again, but after seeing Rihanna on stage, I was inspired to. You'll see why in a bit.

Before going on to the VMAs, I have to stop and talk to you all about The English Tea Lounge. I had brunch there this morning and it was absolutely amazing. True, it's location is in a mall, but you kind of forget all about that. It's in on of the secluded areas of The Avenues, and the furniture makes you feel right at home. The food was great, the coffee was great, and the music in the background added a great touch to it all! I didn't have my camera on me so bear with the phone pictures.

The couches are very cozy, it almost feels as if you're sitting in someone's living room.

I thought the menu was really cute.

You really feel like you're sitting in an English tea lounge, they have every different combination of breakfast/brunch foods that you can imagine.

The presentation of the food was really fun as well. You have finger sandwiches at the bottom, pastries in the middle, and the sweet goods at the top.

Finally, you have your mini scones.

Whoever is in Kuwait or visiting, go and try it out one morning, trust me you won't regret it.

Now, on to the VMAs, here are the celebrities, and my thoughts on their fashion picks for the event:

I haven't been keeping up with my reality shows lately, so I kind of missed the part where Audrina went that blonde, but I definitely like her better as a brunette. As for her dress, I like it, it's simple and glam, perfect for the occasion.

Another girl from The Hills, Lo Bosworth. I've always found Lo to be classy on the show, she's always got a great sense of style, and it showed last night too. Great dress, great colour, finished off with simple strappy heels. All in all, a great combination.

Oh Katy Perry, what have you done. I like the top of the dress, and the bottom of the dress.. separately. I really don't think it goes together, it looks like she's trying too hard to stand out, and it's not working for her.

I actually really like this whole outfit. She did really well with the dress, and the shoes are fabulous, I actually really want a pair now. Great picks.

I am actually loving Lady Gaga's look for the evening. She's in Alexander McQueen, and she is working it! Yes it's weird, yes it's quirky, but it's good weird and quirky. Even the spikes coming out of her head aren't making me cringe. Very nice.

I really like the top of Ciara's dress, but I feel that the dress just looks horrible the lower down you go. I was a bit iffy about the feathers at the top, and the fact that they change colours from black to brown to white just ruined it for me completely. Unlucky. Hey, she was on most people's best dressed list, just not mine.

I think this is the best that I've seen Hayley Williams. She looks all grown up in her Miu Miu dress. The dress is adorable, her hair up looks great, she just looks very mature and very natural. I love it.

Rihanna. I'm going to be very blunt about this. She looks like a bride-zilla serial killer who managed to get out of her straight jacket. Honestly that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw her (I have a wild imagination). Her hair is crazy (and not the good crazy), the little band on her head looks like it was bought at Claires, and her outfit is just insane. Not good insane, just plain old insane. Sorry Rihanna, you made me do it. (I kinda feel like Chris Brown saying that!)

That's all for today folks, I did go shopping this morning and yesterday morning, so there will be some outfit posts soon hopefully. I'm back in Beirut on Friday, so get ready for some new additions to this blog within the next 2 weeks.


Links:
http://toofab.com
http://mtv.com

Prepping For The Cold

It seems that every year, I seem to find a new love for a store here in Kuwait. Last year, I was in love with Forever 21. Everything that I picked up looked great. This year, it's absolutely horrible, I can't seem to find anything at all. Topshop and River Island are average so far, but the store that stole my heart this year is H&M. Which is funny, because last year it was pretty much at the bottom of my list. Honestly, when it comes to looking for everyday clothes, H&M is more than perfect at the moment.

I've got a week left here in Kuwait before I'm back to reporting on Beirut shopping. In this week I'm sure I'll be heading back down to the stores to see if any of them have any new collections and whether they're any good or not, but for now I'll show you my pre-fall/winter shopping from H&M:

I picked this sweater up because of it's colour, first of all, it's a very soft pink which I love. I also picked it up because it looked so comfortable, and it really was.

This grey sweater is perfect because I feel that it can be dressed up and dressed down. It works for both night and day, and is light enough to keep on indoors during the winter time.

Now, focusing on the bag. This is not H&M actually, it's from Aldo accessories. Why did I pick it up? Well, I would only wear a bag that small if I were going pubbing, clubbing or to a concert. And to be completely honest, I am not taking a pricey bag to any of those, because from past experiences I know that you can get alcohol stains and cigarette burns on your things because no one  is ever careful by the end of the night. Carrying this bag around is ideal because it still looks very elegant, and at the same time you won't be stressing out about it all night.

We're back to the H&M pieces now, and the thing that caught my attention about this black sweater was the fact that it came with a belt, because my favorite thing in the world is to add waist belts to my outfits, so I had to have it.

This is also a style that I love for the colder seasons. I'm not that big a fan of pants generally, so I love it when I find cute sweater-dresses that I can pair with tights. I love the colour, Camel is very in this fall/winter, and it fits beautifully.

I will definitely make a point to go back to these stores and have a final look at them before leaving. After this week is over, it's back to the fashion scene in Beirut! (Look out for some new changes)

Wake Up And Smell The Fragrances

Today's post is going to be all about perfumes. Last night, I went on a perfume hunt. I got a bit tired of the perfumes that I was using at the moment, and I was determined to find myself some new fragrances with a similar yet different smell to those that I was already using.

The thing is that I'm extremely picky about my perfumes. I don't like citrus smells, nor any fruity smells for that matter. I don't like candy smelling perfumes, nor do I like flowery perfumes. I like the more heavy scent, which made it very difficult for me to find anything!

The perfumes that I am using at the moment are:

Sicily by Dolce & Gabbana

This is pretty much my signature scent. I think I've been using it for the past 5 years, I can never let it go. The sad thing is that they've stopped making it, so it's really hard to find these days (but I always manage!)

Coco Chanel by Chanel

I went in to the store initially planning to buy Chanel No. 5, because my mum used to use it when I as younger, and I remember that I loved it. When I came to smell it again, I realized that I would never be able to wear that, it's just not me. So I ended up falling in love with Coco Chanel.

Agent Provocateur

I actually bought this one because the sales woman was extremely convincing. I went in to buy a new bottle of Coco Chanel, and she had told me that she had the perfect perfume for me. So she showed me Agent Provocateur, and she was right (as she always is). I couldn't leave the store without it.

While I really do love all 3 of these, I needed a change. So after sampling over 15 different perfumes (which gave my nose an extreme rush by the way) I finally picked out the 3 that I liked the most.

Amarige by Givenchy

"Amarige perfume possesses a blend of violet, mimosa, soft sweet spices, and orange flowers, accompanied by fruity notes of fresh citrus, melons, peaches, and plums."

Although the scent notes included in the perfume are made up of flowers and fruits, it does not smell like that at all. Trust me, I cannot stand flowery or fruity smells, so I would not have bought it. It's not as heavy as my other perfumes, but is still carries this heavier feel than most perfumes. I bought it because of that, because it wasn't too sweet but still had a very feminine touch to it.

CH by Carolina Herrera

"An intriguing fragrance mysterious and complex opening with a floral accord of bergamot, orange, grapefruit and a juicy melon. Bulgarian rose, jasmine and praline are at the heart and the base is an oriental delight of cinnamon, woody notes and leather."

I really cannot explain what this one smells like. It's very unique, ad I loved it. It's somehow slightly sweet while still carrying a very harsh oriental smell (which I love). You really need to smell it for yourself to really understand what I'm saying.

Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle by Christian Dior

"Notes are: sambac jasmine, sweet heliotrope, bitter almond, caraway, Damask rose, ylang ylang, orange absolute, tuberose, vanilla, greem stems, green leaves, sandalwood, musk."

This one was definitely my favorite of the lot. This, to me, is the perfect blend of scents. I'm aware that it probably doesn't appeal to many, but I absolutely and positively love this perfume. I sprayed it on my arm last night and I would find myself smelling my arm every 3 minutes, literally. It's a great perfume, I really do recommend this one to anyone who has the same taste as I do when it comes to scents.

That's all for today, I know that this wasn't really a fashion post, but I guess we could place this in the lifestyle section, haha. Until next time!


Links:
http://www.myperfumesource.com
http://www.perfume.com
http://www.mimifroufrou.com

Forgive Me Fashion, For I Have Sinned

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but that's only because I was working hard on breaking the ban, and I actually managed to lift it before the week was over!

Alright, first off, the cafes. The nicest cafe I sat at since I posted last was Supreme Cafe at the Freezone near Villa Moda. Wow. It was absolutely beautiful. First off, there were barely any other people there, which was great because you could actually hold a conversation with someone without yelling across the table. Secondly, the view was beautiful, the cafe is completely glass and you have a gorgeous sea view in front of you. I didn't have my camera on me, but I'm going to try and go back to that area today (all the cafes there have the same view) and I'll be sure to have my camera with me.

Another good one was Lino's Cafe in The Avenues. I like the fact that when you ordered a small drink, it actually looked like a small drink, and not a small one on steroids! I always have trouble finishing my drinks, so this place was perfect for me. It's located on the top floor at the very end of the mall, so it's away from all the crowds and the noise. If you haven't already noticed, I'm not a fan of crowded coffee shops!

On to the shopping!

I bought a couple of things from Express when I was at The Avenues. The reason that I like Express is that they have some simple pieces that can be worn everyday, but at the same time they're not too basic, there's always something about them that makes them look a little different than the plain old t-shirt.

I love the sleeves on this top, and fit so nicely that I got it in black as well.

Again, it was the sleeves that drew me to this top.

Although I have a closet full of boots, I really needed a new comfortable pair to wear to university. Heels show no mercy when your university is built on a hill.

I went a little crazy when I was at Villa Moda. I'm not going to talk about it too much, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Marni

Marni

I know that this looks like a summer colour, but I figured that it would be great in the winter when I'm dressed almost completely in black, it'll add some colour to my outfit.

Yves Saint Laurent

As you can see, I've been limiting my purchases, but that's only so that it doesn't look like I'm buying too much. I just keep going back every other day to pick up the next 3 pieces. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be going back to 360 Mall to pick up a skirt that I really liked.

Day 1 Of My Shopping Ban: Disaster!

So my shopping ban has not been easy on me at all, and it's only been a day! Let me explain a little bit better why this ban came about:

1. Because I've already spent a lot of shopping money in a very short amount of time.
2. Because I pick up whatever I think looks good, and in a week all the stores will have recieved their new collections, which means that I'll probably go back for that.

Therefore, the ban is meant to have me wait for the new collections. It's not going well at all.

Yesterday I was at 360 Mall. For those of you who don't know, the mall has a circular structure, hence making it go around 360 degrees, and so hence the name.

From my window shopping, this is what I noticed:

Mango has some really great pieces. There was a Royal Blue satin top in specific that I was dying to pick up, but my mother did not budge with the ban!

Nothing new or special. Their collections always look very similar. I did like the carry on luggage set that they had, so if anyone's looking few a new carry on, check out the ones at Juicy.

Amazing boots!! I was so tempted to pick a pair up, but I knew that it wouldn't fly by my mum. They looked like hiking boots, yet more feminine and with a platform to it.

They were adorable, and that's the style of boots that are in. So for those of you who aren't banned from shopping, go get yourself a pair.

Horrible. It was absolutely horrible. I don't think anyone should even bother checking it out. I'll update on this when the new collection comes around, but for now there is nothing worth buying.

Karen Millen is never a disappointment. The only problem is that a lot of things from the new collection look similar to the last collection that was out. Also, they have amazing coats on sale, but they're rain coats, and therefore too thin to keep me warm in Beirut's cold. Too bad, isn't it.

On a more cheerful note, once this ban is over I will be getting a number of different things that are definitely worth the wait. I'm not going to mention what they are just yet, so you'll have to wait and see. Trust me, you don't want to miss these purchases!

I remembered also that I forgot to show you all a dress that my mother had previously bought me from River Island. I can't model it because it's completely see through and I haven't bought anything to wear under it yet, but I'm sure you can imagine what it would look like.

Finally, I had McDonalds last night. I love McD's in Beirut, but once you're used to food somewhere else, you'll never be fully satisfied by anything else.

Random thought: even though McD's tastes very different in Kuwait than Lebanon, I sat down in Caribou Coffee yesterday and I got flashbacks of being in Caribou on Hamra, the drinks taste freakishly alike!!

That's all for now, don't forget to check back to see what I'm getting after the ban!!

Pre-Shopping Surprises

In yesterday's post I mentioned that I wasn't going shopping, this is because I had a little high school reunion with a bunch of my friends. It was great seeing everyone and catching up with them. It's crazy to see how much we've all changed and grown since then.

We ate at a Lebanese restaurant in Marina Mall called Ayyame.

The food was pretty good, and so was the whole atmosphere, so all in all it was a good night. I can't wait for the next gathering we have!

As I promised, just because I didn't go to a mall with the purpose of shopping or window shopping, does not mean that I don't have anything fashion related to show you all!

My mother and I have a system, due to the fact that I don't really shop that much in Beirut, every time she finds a nice piece here in Kuwait, she'll pick it up for me. Which means that every time I come back here, I always get little surprises when she shows me what she bought me. There are only 4 pieces, but I love them, so here they are:

Jacket from Express

Top from River Island

Sweater from Express

Top from River Island

Also, I finally bought a new laptop. I was initially thinking of buying myself an iPad, but after asking about 4 iPad owners what they thought about their iPads, and their reactions didn't really fit the specifications that I was looking for. It seemed like the iPad was more for entertainment than anything else, and what I needed wa a computer! So I decided to get myself a VAIO W-Series. It was a huge change from my Toshiba satellite. The first change was going from a 15.4" screen to a 10.1" screen. I bought a mini on purpose, because I wanted a laptop that I could easily slip into my purse, case and all. Let's be honest here, I'm already short, I don't need something that feels like a 5kg laptop weighing down on my shoulders (the VAIO is only 1kg). So this will be the last post I write on my Toshiba, it's been going strong since 2007, but it's time to go now.

Bye bye, Satellite.

Hello, VAIO.

That's all for today! I'm hitting 360 Mall tonight for some window shopping. I've been put on a one week ban because I've apparently spent too much so far. But I will never fail with bringing you all some fashionable news.