What look am I rockin'?...Vacation Makeup :)

Whilst I was in Cyprus, I took a few selfies ( as you do) as I really liked my makeup look for that day. I think it was the day I was leaving :( By the way Cyprus was beautiful and so relaxing. Anyways so I thought I should do a make up post as I used a few different products from my regular ones. At the moment I am loving a slightly bronzier look with a pop of colour in my lower lash line. However I am on the hunt for a rose gold/bronzey highligher as I am not diggin' the Balm's Cindy Lou-Manizer anymore.  I think I prefer more of a warmer highlighter than a neutral champagne- gold based one. Here is a breakdown of the products used:

Face: LM Oil Free Primer, LM Tinted Moisturiser in Sand, Giorgio Armani Maestro Eye Concealer in 2.5, Timebalm Concealer in Med/Dark, ABH Contour Kit, ABH Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate, ABH Tinted Brow Gel in Chocolate

Cheeks: theBalm Mary Lou Manizer ( highlight) , NARS Madly Blush

Eyes: MUFE Liquid Eyeliner in Black, UD 24/7 Eyeliner in Craze ( I changed this to UD Chaos once I got back from chilling outside :p) LM Eyelash Curler, Revlon Photoready Mascara, UD Cannonball Mascara

Lips: Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss in Pink Apricot, MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Sweet and Sour, Barry M Lipgloss in Coral

Smile :)

Signature Pout :p

So that's my vacation make up look!

Also I will be doing a review on theBalm 'Balmshelter' as I had been using it for a week or so prior to travelling but didn't love it enough to pack in with my vacation makeup.

I am loving using NARS Madly as this is one of my all time favourites! I feel a makeup haul shop coming on soon as some of my staple products need replacing. Oh I do LOVE Sephora but I much prefer the Dubai one in comparison to the store here in Kuwait.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx

Travel Diaries #2: Exploring Lebanon

Welcome to my newest feature on my blog, 'Travel Diaries'. I recently vacationed in Lebanon with also a short break in Cyprus too however this post focuses primarily on Lebanon. Before I start, I have to say I am in LOVE with Lebanon. Ana baheb ya Lubnan :) It is such a beautiful country and I wish I visited it sooner!

So I went just for 4 days and 2 days in Cyprus as I also had to think of the school work  I had to do when I got back.

I was aware Lebanon can be an unstable country in terms of politics due to the numerous religious groups. However I was not going to let that deter me  from visiting and a few of my Lebanese friends told me which places to steer clear of. So I researched on Trip Advisor and on Google about any tours I could join so that I could make the most of my trip. I read good reviews about Nakhal Tours so I booked 3 tours to see Jeita, Harrisa and Byblos, The Cedars, Qadisha Valley, Kozhaya and Bcharre and then Saida, Sour and Maghdouche.

I arrived on Thursday evening and after being ripped off by my airport taxi I eventually got to Hamra where I was staying. The hotel was nice and I was delighted to be upgraded from my single room to a double deluxe! The hotel was in an excellent location as it was slap bang on Hamra street so one way led you to Place E'toile and the other to the Corniche and the famous Raouche 'Pigeon Rocks'.

On the Friday, I ventured out to explore the Place E'toile and Corniche, after stumbling across many roads manned by the Army and Police I eventually got to Place E'toile and then walked along the Corniche. I also saw the Mohammed Amin Mosque which is situated right next to a beautiful church. Along the way to Raouche, I stopped off at Zaytouna Bay for a drink and it was so lovely and peaceful. The weather that week was perfect - it wasn't too hot or cold and there was a nice breeze too. The walk along the corniche was nice and it was relatively busy with people fishing, jogging and just enjoying a walk. After taking lots of photos, I decided to stop off and have a bite to eat and nargileh at Bay Rock Cafe which was recommended to me by a colleague. It was lovely and the views were stunning especially as the sun was setting. Afterwards, using my trusty google maps, I walked back to my hotel which was surprisingly quick.

Place E'Toile

Mohammed Al Amin Mosque

Raouche

The next three days were full on days touring Lebanon. Day 1 consisted of Jeita which was again just amazing with how something so beautiful can be formed naturally, Byblos and Harissa. Byblos is also next to Jounieh where we stopped off for a delicious Lebanese lunch. Just by visiting Byblos I could see there is so much history in Lebanon which I really want to read more about.

Byblos Port

The next day I visted Bcharre where Gibran Khalil Gibran's museum and tomb is. It was really interesting to see his works and art. Although I have to say visiting his tomb was a little eerie! The route to the mountains was magnificent. I  could see luch green mountains and greenery and then behind were the snow capped mountains of Lebanon.  Afterwards we visited The Cedars which again was a sight to see, the national tree of Lebanon with fresh snow around. The last place we visited was Kozhaya which is situated in the Qadisha Valley where one of the oldest monasteries is. It was amazing to see that monks and hermits used to pray there.

Driving through the mountains to Bcharre

The Cedars

The last visit was to Saida, Sour and Maghdouche which I was looking forward too. Back in London, I always go to this one Lebanese restaurant, I have been since I was at university and the majority of the staff are from South Lebanon. The photo's displayed in their restaurant have always made me want to visit Lebanon so I am truly thankful that I have been able too this year :)

Saida was beautiful, especially the old city and learning about the crusader castle by the sea was fascinating! In Sour, we visited Byzantine and Roman ruins which were breathtaking. Honestly, I have always loved history and seeing it in front of you is just an amazing experience. Afterwards we visited Maghdouche which was slightly up in the mountains to see the cave where Mary waited for Prophet Jesus (pbuh). I loved learning about different religions growing up and again to see a Holy/Biblical sight was again really amazing. We also got the opportunity to walk through the garden where there were 12 special plaques displaying important moments in Christianity.

Saida

Overall, I had an absolutely enjoyable trip to Lebanon and  the truthfully speaking once I landed in Cyprus I was really missing Lebanon. So I am planning on revisiting it soon to see Baalbeck and Beitedine insha'allah! Nakhal Tours were excellent and the tour guides who were archaeologists were very knowledgable and answered lots of my questions. I would definitely recommend them if you are a solo traveller. I also met some really lovely solo travellers too which was nice on  the trip.

So if you have not visited Lebanon, book a ticket and go now!

Love and Blessings,

Sara xx

The Balm Haul

So I was running low on my beloved Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser but it was out of stock in Debenhams and Va Va Voom. So I decided to research and see if there was a more affordable alternative that delivered similar results.

I should note that a few years ago I tried and tested MAC'S tinted moisturiser and it failed miserably. It was far too sheer and I found it very drying.

Fast forward to now and I found a lot of hype about the Balm cosmetics. I already own their famous  highlighter Mary Lou-minizer which I love as it's silky and smooth on the skin.

I decided to hunt down the Balm 'Balmshelter' as it got quite a lot of positive reviews and at 11 KD I thought it won't break the bank.

Off I went to Marina Mall as there was a small stall there and bought it in medium/dark as I read it oxidises quickly and didn't want to get a shade a darker for fear of looking like an oompa  loompa! I also wanted to pick up 'Read these lips' lipgloss. I chose 'Bam' which was a lovely rose pink colour. It was quite creamy and moisturising with good colour payoff too.

I also bought 'timebalm'concealer in medium/dark to match up with the moisturiser. I want to try this out for about 2 weeks before I review and give my rating.

So keep reading and I will update you on it.

What look am I rockin'?...Arabian Inspired with Falsies :P

So today, I had to pop out to the mall to pick up my sunglasses as I accidentally scratched them whilst vacationing in Oman. Last week I visited Dubai to attend Art Dubai which was amazing. I will hopefully type up a post soon.

Back to this post, I was putting on my makeup and thought it would be a bright idea to pop on my HudaBeauty lashes I bought. Now I am not a false eyelash kind of girl. I have worn falsies before but that was for my makeup job back in London. I love the different looks the can give a girl but I always think they're too much hassle and fuss to put on.

I bought the bestselling 'Giselle' and also the 'Claudia' ones. I opted to wear the 'Giselle' ones today with the HudaBeauty lash glue too which I have to say is amazing. It is so much better than other lash glues I have tried. I didn't trim these but in hindsight I probably should have but they fit well and gave a volumized look. I used my tweezers to put them up ( prior to this I did watch a few videos on how to apply lashes). They were relatively easy to apply but saying that I did remove them once to reapply as I wanted to reposition them. They stuck well, but as I don't wear them often I could feel as though I had something on my natural lashes. I placed eyeliner over the top to conceal the line which looked fine. Overall I actually really liked them but I would not wear them to the mall but for an occassion or a night out.

So here are a few pictures of my makeup look from today and a few close ups of the lashes.

Arabian Inspired Eye Makeup

Side View of HudaBeauty 'Giselle' Lashes

Smile :)

Natural Lighting

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog.

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx

Travel Diaries #1: Exploring Oman

Ah so I have totally been rubbish at updating this blog this month. Sorry! School has been very busy, honestly too many school events have taken place and I actually miss teaching my kids!

Anyways on a positive note, last month during February break my friend Anna and I decided to explore Oman and it was AMAZING! We were seriously questioning why we didn't move there instead of Kuwait. However each country has their pros and cons and Kuwait isn't so bad.

So I literally thought of this new feature for my blog, 'Travel Diaries' as I am out here I want to visit as many countries as I am able to do so. Although I have been to Dubai last year this should technically be #2 but anyhow I am starting the feature as of now.

So we jetted off on Thursday after school ( as we always do!) and although the flight was delayed we arrived in Muscat at around 5am. It was relatively easy to get to out hotel and we were driven by an extremely friendly and funny Omani man. He was lovely and we were both amazed at how nice and open they were (yes at this time of the morning too! lol)

Once we got to the hotel, we thought we would stay up for 1 hour to eat breakfast and then sleep. Haha we both couldn't believe we had chatted since the airport in Kuwait all the way to the hotel in Oman. Yes we chat a lot! It was great though :)

During our stay in Oman, we ventured to the Corniche and Muttrah Souq in the evening on Friday. Then on Sunday and Monday we found a lovely tour guide who took us to Jebel Akdar and Nizwa and then also to Mazara Dam, Sur, Wadi Shab and Ras Al Hadd. It was beautiful and I would go back and visit all those places again. I also got the chance to drive ( without a license - yes a risk but hey it was awesome and once in a lifetime!)

Oman has such an amazing landscape and together with the generosity and friendliness of the people made it a really nice stay. On Tuesday we were flying back late so we ventured back to the souq to purchase some gifts and an authentic Bukhoor with Frankincense!

Below is just one photo collage I made of the best parts of Oman - which was basically everything!

I actually miss Oman lots, well we both do so we are planning to return next year insha'allah but we want to explore Salalah. I can't wait! Anyone who is a keen traveller reading this blog, go and visit Oman and you will not be disappointed!

Love & Blessings,

Sara xx

What look am I rockin'? ... Valentine's Day Romance ♡

Hey...I hope you are all having a lovely V Day/weekend :)

So I was doing some school work and I actually completed it  ( yes I know usually I procrastinate for a little :P) before I decided to jump on the bandwagon and decided to give it a go at creating my own 'Valentine's Day Look. I even styled my hair!

So I watched two videos as I wasn't sure what kind of look I wanted. They were from Farah Dhukai ( amazing makeup artist!) and Jaceyln Hill (another makeup artist who I just heard about today and I really liked her look). I combined Jaceyln's look with mine. I wanted something soft, subtle but girly. When I finished my look I opted for a bright lipstick colour but felt it was too much so I softened it a little and loved it! I have posted some pictures below and the product details too. I hope you like it and feel free to experiment too :)

Products used:

Face: LM Oil Free Primer, LM Tinted Moisturiser in Sand, LM Secret Camouflage in SC5, MAC P&P in Peach Lustre and Bright Forecast, Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit, Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate

Cheeks: Sue Moxley Baked Highlighter in Miami, LM Baked Radiance Bronzer in 3, Sleek Blush in  Suede

Eyes: MAC Paints in Bare Canvas, L'oreal Eyeshadow Palette in, NARS eyeshadow in Mekong (LOVE using in the crease!), MUFE Matte Liquid Eyeliner, LM Eyelash Curler, UD Subversion Lash Primer, Revlon Photoready Mascara, UD Cannonball Mascara, Barry M Bold Eyeliner in Intense Black

Lips: Too Faced Lip Injection, OCC Lip Tar I mixed Divine and Hush, MAC Dazzleglass in Sugarrimed

Hair: I curled my hair using Remington Sapphire Curling Wand (apologies for my red scalp I dyed my hair back to red yesterday!)

Accessories: Gold Hoop Earrings from H&M Kuwait, Jewelled Flower Statement Necklace from ALDO Kuwait

Sara's Valentine's Day Romance Look ♡

I hope you enjoyed reading my post and hopefully I will be experimenting with more looks soon!


Love & Blessings,
Sara xx

February Favourites: Beauty

Happy Valentine's Day y'all. I hope you are having a lovely day with you loved ones whether they're  family, friends or partners ♡

Okay so I was up this morning thinking about the jobs I need to get done and then I thought about doing a 'Favourites' post. I don't think I've ever done one of these so enjoy!

So these products have been used pretty much everyday for the past month. They are listed below:

1.MAC blush in Peaches - ( I LOVE this!Why did I not know about it before?!) It's a sheer tone blush which means it comes up light but you can build up the colour. The colour payoff is beautiful- really natural looking.

2.Sue Moxley Baked Highlighter in Miami  - I purchased this about 2 years ago and it is still going strong. The highlight is subtle and provides a really nice glow when accentuating the cheekbones, nose and cupids bow. It's  a shame this is not available anymore but it just means I'll be getting more use out of my 'the Balm Mary Lou - Manizer  highlighter' :)

3.Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit - I adore this palette. It has a range of shades to suit lots of skin tones. It really provides some good shades to contour the face well. I use it everyday!

4.Anastasia Beverley Hills DipBrow Pomade in Chocolate - Okay so yes I heard the hype about this product and was pretty amazed when seeing the results and staying power on makeup artists on YouTube. At that time I was using the Sleek Brow Kit which was fine but not so great for longivity so I bought it and tried out. It does require playing around and experimenting. I can safely say after a month I can apply it well and my eyebrows still look natural.

5.Laura Mercier Eyelash Curler - I LOVE this eyelash curler. It has to have been the best used so far and it curls my lashes SO well. I used to use Models Own and then tried Sephora but I found them too stiff but the LM one is small, compact and gently curls the lashes well.

6.Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in #1 - I had read from  a lot of blogs that setting your undereyes is key. So I initially tried the Ben NYE Luxury Powder in Banana which is okay but I much prefer the LM one. It is lighter, silkier and brightens the eyes subtly.

7.MAC Satin Lipstick in Sushi Kiss - Another purchase I am glad I made. I am really loving corally/orangey/pinky lips at the moment. I guess I am already feeling Springtime :) This is a beautiful colour paired with my Peaches Blush gives me a nice glow. I do layer it with a gloss which I will mention below.

8. Barry M Lip gloss in Coral - I have always been eyeing this colour but never bought it until a month ago and I have literally been wearing it ever since. I remember reading a blog by blogger Tanya Burr and thinking it looked really pretty. It is really pretty when paired with coral/pink lipstick. It lasts for about 1-3 hours at the most on me before I have to reapply. It is such a gorgeous shade and a gloss I will definitely repurchase.

So I really hope you liked reading about my favourites as much as I have selecting and writing about them.

On a side note, school has been crazily busy and it's sad to say I am not as ecstatic as I was about it when I started in August but I will save the reasons why for another blogpost.  On a more exciting note, I am off to Oman Insh'allah next week when February Break starts which I am SO looking forward to.

Love & blessings,
Sara xx