Travel Diaries #5 On Safari in Kenya

During my February break, I travelled to Kenya to go on a safari in the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakaru. Prior to my trip I had researched a lot of safaris, as I wanted something inclusive of accomodation and meals, with a feel of the culture there too not forgetting my budget too.

I used Tripadvisor and Safari Bookings and I eventually chose Terminal Tours who were based in Nairobi. The communication with them was great and they met my every need. I had to transfer 30 USD to them to secure my place on the safari which initially I was a bit weary of as I had read mixed reviews of the company.  But it all was fine.

I was met at the airport by Debbie who was lovely and we started chatting about so many things straight away! Then oh my goodness we sat in about 2 hours of traffic before we got to their office. Honestly I don't think the Middle East can beat African traffic as it's literally standstill! After I got to their office I paid them the outstanding money and then they gave me enough water for the 4 days and 3 nights. I was then taken by Nelson to the bus where I would start the 5 hour journey to the Maasai Mara. I met the driver/guide who was lovely. Along the way we picked up the rest of the people on the tour and as you do we all got chatting and it was cool because we got all just hit it off.

So just to let you know I was in the Maasai Mara for 2 and a half days and Lake Nakaru for 1 and a half days and it was enough time to be honest to see the animals.  We all stayed in tents woth a bathroom and shower which was actually fine and then in the morning and evening we would eat in the main tent.

I was literally amazed everytime we were out on safari as I love animals. I saw lionesses and their cubs, African elephants, warthogs, zebras, wildebeest, a leopard and a lion in a tree, lots of types of birds, African buffalo, jackal, black rhino, giraffes, gazelles, crocodiles, hippos and so much more! It was just WOW to see them in their natural habitats.

Our group was such a laugh as we had a great sense of humour. As we entered the park we were humming the tune of Jurassic Park lol! Then throughout the safari we must have made so many references and jokes about the Lion King haha!

Overall I had an amazing experience on safari and would so do it again perhaps in Tanzania next time though which is basically on the other side of the Maasai Mara. Or I could revisit to see the spectacular Wildebeest migration.

I would definitely recommend using Terminal Tours to go on safari!

Love & Blessings,
Sara xx

Cute Zebras

Black Rhino at Lake Nakuru

African Elephant

Lioness with her cubs!

Giraffe at Maasai Mara, early morning game drive

Sunset on the Maasai Mara

MAJOR DXB Beauty Haul!

Earlier this year I was in need of a short break from Oman so I decided to jet off to Dubai for the day. Yes for the day! I left in the morning and arrived in time to have breakfast at my favourite eatery 'Social House' at Dubai Mall. Then I spent a couple of hours restocking some of my beauty products before I returned home.

I have listed the products I purchased below and yes it's a lot because here in Oman they don't have many good quality beauty brands. I wish they would at least open a Sephora but anyways day trips to Dubai will have to do once in a while!

I've also noted in brackets any repurchases but this haul.is mainly full of new products as I've wanted to try them out or switch up in my beauty collection.

Beauty Products:
NARS Radiant Concealers in Custard & Ginger
BENEFIT Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter
KAT VON D Liquid Lipstick in Requiem
UD All Nighter Setting Spray
UD 24/7 Liner in Sabbath
NAILS INC Nail Polish in Regents St
ESSIE Nail Polish in Topless and Barefoot
MAC Lipstick in Sunny Seoul
MUFE Lipstick in N40
Too Faced Lipstick in Taffy
Vintage 'Natural' Eyelashes
Impress on Nails in French Manicure and Design
Boots Nail Glue
Clip on Sponge Roll for hair

Skincare Products:
Kiehls Ultra Moisturiser
Kiehls Hydro Plump Serum
Kiehls line Reducing Eye Brightener
Kiehls Tumeric Face Mask
Kiehls Micro Dermbrasion Exfoilator
Sephora Rose Mask
Sephora Honey Mask

Beauty tools:
Real Techniques Blush Brush
Sephora Powder Puffs
Laura Mercier Eyelash Curler (repurchase)

Hope you've enjoyed reading.

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx

All Loved Up: Feb/March Favourites

Oh how I've missed doing this feature but it's cool how quickly I picked up all my loved up things from my dressing table :) I have included a photo of my most loved up beauties from February and March. I love how some are oldies and some new too. So let's get started! Oh and these are in no particular order :)

#1 Morphe Lashes in DW - these were actually an add on to my Beauty Bay order so could get free shipping (LOL) and I didn't think these would live up to their name but I ADORE them! They are super soft, super flexible but not too flexible if you know what I mean :p and the lash band is thin to almost invisible. I've worn these are few times and love how natural they look and how light they feel on my lashes. I can wear these the whole day without feeling they're weighing my eyelids down. So thumbs up!

#2 Huda Beauty Lashes in Giselle - these are my second pair of Giselle lashes. I love how these are natural/semi glam. The wispiness of these lashes is too die for. I just love them!

#3 NARS Blush in Madly - Ah I LOVE this beauty as it screams 'au naturale'. This is my second or third pan and it's so natural. It's a gorgeous pink brown toned blush with very subtle shimmer. I wore this throughout January and February and in March so that's a whole lotta love!

#3 MAC Blush in Peaches - LOVE this blush too as it gives me a 'pop' of colour and yet looks very natural too. I much prefer a natural/neutral make up and then glam it up using a splash of colour. But yes this blush is amazing and funnily enough I am still on my first one!

#4 MAC MSF in Soft & Gentle- I was very late to purchase this highlighter as I wasn't 100% sure it would work for me but it's A-MAZING! I've used it pretty much every day bought it. I still heart my all time Laura Mercier Highlight 01 though too so don't think I've chucked that to the side :p

#5 Laura Mercier Matte Baked Radiance Bronzer in 03 - if I'm looking for a very subtle contour or some extra warmth to my skin tone I apply this product. I like how natural looking it is and it really does make your skin radiant.

#6 Chloe Love Story- my gorgeous mama bought this for me before I left for Oman again in the December holidays. It was part of a set with a body lotion too which is a standard moisturiser. The scent is something new for me as it is a little more intense than what I usually go for. It is floral but has depth to it and I believe the Neroli and Cedar notes create this but I have been wearing it lots in the past few weeks!

#7 Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream for Combination to Oily skin in Medium - I think I mentioned how I was on the look for a lighter tinted moisturiser as the weather is becoming humid and hot here in Oman now and my LM TM is too heavy to wear. I watched a whole load of YouTube videos and read some blogs before I decided to purchase this amazing gem. I bought this from Lulu's in Ghubra for 3 Rial. They only had light and medium which is bizarre as there are people who would not fit into these two shades. I was worried I wouldn't but it matches perfectly. I've worn this pretty much everyday since I bought it and I loved how it moisturises and leaves my skin feeling so smooth and flawless.

#8 L'action Lip Enhancer - this was an unplanned purchase and it turned out to be a good one. I bought this from Carrefour in Seeb and was a bit sceptical about how it would compare to Soap and Glory 's, Buxom's, Too Faced and Nyx's lip plumpers. This one is less sticky and more moisturising. The texture is the one I most like out of all of the above plumpers I have tried. Whilst the results aren't lasting (they're not meant to be as it's a temporary fix) I quite like it and am already almost down 1/2 a tube. Perhaps I should do a lip plumper review...?

#9 Barry M Lip Paint in 165 (peach) - this is an item I've dug out of my beauty stash and glad I did too. It's been my 'go to' lip product for the past few months. It's moisturising and you can build up the colour from a sheer peach to an almost opaque tone.

#10 NYX Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel - I bought this last summer in the States. As you can tell I am drawn to anything peach, coral or pink/brown toned. This is great layered on similar colours or even worn alone too. The colour payoff is great.

#11 Real Techniques Contour Brush- I always reach for this brush to apply my contour and bronzer too. It's the perfect size and I can really blend it out so it looks natural and not too harsh!

So those are my loved up products for the past 2 months. I hope to do an April loved up post soon. Keep reading!

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx

The Review: Tips and Toes Salon, MGM

The background: I am pretty sure that most women who live in the Middle East have ventured to a beauty salon whether it be for a manicure, makeup or a massage! The Middle East is full of them and Oman is no exception! As an newbie to Muscat, I was recommended this salon by a colleague who swore by their customer service and services on offer. Also as it's only a 5-10 minute drive from where I live and at that time I didn't know anywhere else I thought why not?! This review covers the 2-3 times I have visited.  From what I know they have salons in City Centre Seeb and also in Shatti Qurum.

The experience: They're great with fitting you in for an appointment as they have great availability and I've found them to be polite and friendly too. I've never really had to wait around which is also a plus. Usually when I go I opt for a regular manicure and pedicure which is great. I think the first time I went I got Essie gel nails which is basically like shellac and I was pleased. They are hot on their manicures but I wasn't as impressed with their pedicures.  Anyways, I find that the manicures are done well as they clean up the cuticles, shape your nails and moisturise them well too. But with the pedicures, I felt like my feet were soaked enough and that my skin was filed enough but it was okay.

The rating: So I have rated them a 7/10 as overall they are a good enough salon, customer service and the politefulness/friendliness of the staff is on point. They have a huge range of colours ranging from OPI, Essie, Deborah Lippman, Chanel. Basically from low end to high end nail polishes and there is definitely a colour to suit everyone! I just feel that their pedicures services could be a little more thorough. It's not to say I would not visit again as I would, its conveniently located and they always have times available too.

Unfortunately I can't seem to locate the photo's I took but I hope you found the post useful.

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx

Travel Diaries #4 Exploring Qatar

Last year during November I visited Qatar. My aim whilst living in the Middle East is to visit as many countries as I can as they're in the vicinity and also its cheaper than from back home.

Qatar is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Oman which isn't a bad flight at all. I stayed for the weekend which is from Thursday evening until Saturday over here.

I researched about where I wanted to visit whilst I was there. If I'm being honest there isn't much to see in terms of being a tourist. I love to explore the culture and history of a country as you can learn so much!

My main aim was to visit the National Art Gallery which I thoroughly enjoyed. I saw a really interesting exhibition on Qatari women in art. Unfortunately I couldn't visit the shop as it had closed by the time I reached it downstairs.

During the evening I walked along the Corniche which was extremely busy and I saw 'The Pearl' which was cool. Then I headed towards the Souq. I enjoyed browsing around and there were lots of handicrafts, souvenirs and food to purchase. There were lots of different parts to the souk and I visited the main part, gold souk, animals souq. I wanted to visited the eagles/falcons but I got a bit lost! So I just went back to the main part. I forgot to mention I was lucky enough to view some traditional Qatari music and dance which was amazing!

The next day I went to check out Villaggio Mall as my friend recommended it to me. It's a well designed mall that is inspired by Venice in Italy as the name suggests. There is a man made river flowing through it and visitors can ride gondolas which is an interesting idea. I wasn't really inclined to take a ride but did have a look.

The mall can't compare to the likes of Dubai Mall or The Avenues in Kuwait as they're gigantic and include more of a variety of shops but you can purchase everything you need from here. I, as always ventured to Sephora and picked up a few bits and then headed back to my hotel to get ready for the airport.

Qatar actually reminded me a lot of Kuwait. It's quiet with the city and corniche and then lots of malls and restaurants. It's a shame that their culture is not exhibited more but I enjoyed what I saw too.

There is a lot of construction going on in Qatar with the new National Museum, apartments and stadiums too. It was a nice weekend visit but I don't think I would revisit again.

I've included some photos below and I just love Middle Eastern architecture. It's so simple yet elegant.

What Look Am I Rockin'?.... Spring Time!

As I have fair number of blog posts to update my blog with I thought I would start with a 'Face of the Day Look'. I recently had my hair cut and coloured ( for the first time in a salon! I know! Goodbye box dyes!) and I changed my hair style after a few years of having it long and layered. Now it's only been 3 days with it but I am loving it more and more each day.

Originally I had wanted a 'lob' but decided against it as I wasn't ready to chop just that much off my locks so I opted for a shoulder length layered cut. It is different from my original style as I use have it cut into a 'V' as the back ( it's basically the layers that form the V). I then had my hair coloured a deep red and finally ombred with bleach for 30 minutes to reveal a lighter but more vibrant red.

So that's my hair style explained :P As for makeup, yesterday I popped out to the mall to do a spot of grocery shopping and ventured into Inglot to search/swatch their peachy eyeshadows....and what happened?! I walked out with 3 products! I bought a gel liner in 94 ( a shimmery brown based champagne), body sparkles glitter in 64 ( bronze glitter which looks gorgeous on top of the gel liner) and last but not least an eyeshadow in 15 ( orangey-bronze pearl finish). So I will be playing around with them to see how I can wear them in different ways.

That brings me onto my 'look' I chose for today. I was originally just going to pop on my BB cream and a bit of blush and liner and that's it as I'm not going anywhere today. But oh my goodness lately I have been watching SO many YouTube videos on beauty bloggers and their hauls, looks and reviews. I like literally need to STOP! But it is so good seeing how the apply products and the way in which they use them too.

I decided I wanted to try out a product I bought yesterday, the Inglot gel liner in 94 which I believe is from the 'Noble' collection. I then transformed this look from a natural day time look into a spring time look with a pop of colour. I also gained inspired from Brazilian beauty Camila Coehlo ( she is absolutely stunning and I LOVE her tutorials!)

Below are a few photo's and as always I have noted down the products used to achieve this look.

Here are the products I used:

Face: Garnier BB Cream for Combination Skin

          MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Peach Lustre (to conceal dark circles)

          Giorgio Armani Master Concealer in 2.5

          MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Bright Forecast

          Kevin Aucoin Creamy Glow 04 to contour/highlight

          ABH Contour Kit ( original) to intensify contour

          Laura Mercier Baked Radiance Matte Bronzer in 03

          MAC Blush in Gingerly

          BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop

          MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Powder to bake

Eyes: MAC Paints in Bare Canvas to prime eyelids

          Inglot Gel Liner in 94 applied to half the eyelid with MAC #239 Brush

          Sleek eyeshadow in pink bronze lightly applied on top to add dimension

          Laura Mercier eyelash curler to curl lashes before false eyelash application

          Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Covet on lower lash line

          BN2B2BB eyeshadow in Bay applied on top of Covet ( discontinued as brand has now closed down)

          Morphe False Eyelashes in DW ( LOVE these as they're so light on my eyes and natural too!)

*I left my eyebrows natural - no gel to set or anything :)

Lips: Applied L'action Lip Enhancer to plump up lips

         MUFE Rouge Natural in N40 ( pastel peach coral)

         NYX Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel on top

I hope you enjoyed this look and keep reading my blog for more updates!

Love & blessings,

Sara xx

Update: I'm back!

Oh my goodness, how time flies! I have tried to sit down to blog and to be honest havent' felt 100% focused as I've been ill and also had numerous deadlines/assessments at work. So apologies for not updating my blog!

I am actually on holiday well the last few days now before I start back at work on Sunday. It has been nice and relaxing. During the first week I went to Sri Lanka for a few days and it was AMAZING! I will be doing a travel diary feature on it soon. Then after I got back I actually got stuck into my school work and completed 2 out of 3 days which isn't bad at all. I plan on completing the rest tomorrow. As I would like to have Friday and Saturday free, it's more of a psychological thing before I start work on Sunday lol!  Since then I have been relaxing, spending time with friends and just enjoying not having deadlines for the while :P But I will be happy to get back into a routine next week for sure.

SO! I have like a good few blog posts to to and a few belated ones too. For my reference I have listed them below but they will be chronological :)

Travel Diaries: Qatar

Travel Diaries: Sri Lanka

Travel Diaries: Kenya

Major Dubai  Beauty Haul

The Review: Tips and Toes Salon

The Review: Lilac Beauty Center

The Review: Sun Dental Care

The Review: Muscat Beauty Salon

The Review: Darcy's Kitchen, Shatti

My Spring time Favourites

So please, check my blog and it will be updated with this blogposts by the end of the week.

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx