My Dubai Haul

Every time I go home to Dubai, I find myself worriedly weighing my suitcase on the way back. Because, well, the shopping is really rather good I would have to say. 

And my last trip back was no exception! 

Let’s dive straight in to what I hauled the last time I spent a week in Dubai! 

First up, beauty!

I knew I wanted to pick up a new eyeshadow palette from one of my favorite brands for eyeshadow, Too Faced. It’s been awhile since I absolutely demolished the Too Faced Natural Love Palette (possibly my favorite ever, both for the product and for the beautiful whimsical packaging), which is sadly out of stock, and so I wanted to get something new for myself. I have to say it was quite a challenge deciding! Too Faced has some seriously cute eyeshadow palettes out right now, from their staple Natural and Matte Natural mini palettes to their Just Peachy set, to their very exciting (maybe a little too exciting for me) Too Faced Then and Now special anniversary palette.

But let’s be honest, who hasn’t heard rave reviews of the Chocolate Bar and Chocolate Gold palettes? I figured it was time to get on the bandwagon and buy myself one too. It’s a nice solid meaty look thing and has a plethora of looks available in the 15 shades it offers.

I opted for the Gold over the regular Chocolate Bar because it offered some really punchy unusual shades that I admittedly would only dare to use very sparingly, but that nevertheless I definitely don’t own. Saying that, the original Chocolate Bar does look more wearable, so that may be a buy somewhere down the line!

I also picked up an absolutely stunning new highlighter from Smashbox, in the most gorgeous rose gold rose shaped packaging.

The highlight itself is absolutely stunning and a tiny little bit goes a long way, which is good news, because you don’t want to wear down that lovely rose design! It’s definitely the prettiest looking highlight I’ve ever got and whilst the color isn’t absolutely my favorite, it’s definitely very versatile and would work for almost anyone.

The final beauty buy in my Dubai haul was the lovely Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, The Queen. Let’s be honest, I was largely drawn to the name, but at the same time, The Queen was one of the classic Tilbury shades I was missing in my collection, and whilst it’s definitely not something I would wear on an everyday basis, it’s nice to have it on hand for special occasions.

And the store very kindly engraved ‘Siri’ onto the tube for free, so it’s a lovely little personalized part of my Charlotte Tilbury lipstick line up now!

I never return from a trip home without a few books weighing my suitcase down!

My favorite place to shop for books in Dubai, is of course the colossal Kinokuniya Book World in Dubai Mall. This trip I didn’t buy half as many books as I normally do, because I still have a ton of Kinokuniya haul’s to work my way through, but I did pick up a few notable books I wanted to share.

First up is The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden which I’ve heard so much about. It’s a magical Russian historical fantasy and if that isn’t enough to sell it I don’t know what is! Part of a series, this book’s beautiful cover and the numerous positive reviews on BookTube really drew me in. I love a good magical fantasy novel in the winter, because it’s just such a lovely cosy feeling to sit down with a warm cup of something and really fantastical book in the cooler months. Hopefully I’ll like the series and have more of them to explore!

I was a bit late to watching Crazy Rich Asians and only got around to it about 10 days ago, but I found it really light hearted, easy to watch, and engaging, and I was happy to get that head start into the series, and immediately picked up the second novel, Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan. I have no idea what happens in this sequel but I’m excited to dive in and revisit the characters that the movie has now vividly brought to life in my mind!

Finally I picked up Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee. I’ve heard about this book and Fetell’s TED talk but have stopped myself from watching it as I would rather explore the concepts within from the book first. I’m being on the Hygge and Lykke trend and have read all the books and this one reminds me a little in premise of the promise of those ideas. This is what the Amazon description reads:

“In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight -- and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.” And I have to say that really tickles my interest and I am curious to see what I can learn from this very positive looking read.

I also love picking up a few new skincare and the like items, because, there’s always an excuse to buy a new face wash isn’t there?

This time around I didn’t pick up a ton, but I did pick up a few items that I’ve really been enjoying. Starting off with the Body Shop Almond Milk and Honey Body Lotion. Now, I’m one of those girls who wishes I was one of those girls who used body lotion on the regular, but I’m really not. I tend to focus on my face and totally forget about my body. So if I want to moisturize, I really have to look what I’m moisturising with, to push me to do it at all! The idea of Almond Milk and Honey was just good enough to eat so I picked this up and have been using it pretty regularly since!

Next up I picked up something that’s been on my to buy list for quite awhile. I am a massive fan of Kiehls for skincare. I really think their products work, and quickly, at least for me, and so when I saw the new release, The Youth Dose Eye Treatment, I was really curious to add it to my regimen, which already consists of a couple of long time favorite Kiehls’ eye care products. I haven’t yet started using it on a regular basis so I can’t vouch for how it works but I am really excited to see what potential differences it brings!

I’m a big fan of the Sephora own brand range of face masks and lip balms and hand creams, and the lovely colorful and vast range of ‘flavors’ available so I was really pleased to see them come out with Cucumber face wipes. Is there anything more rfefreshing than a cucumber face wipe? I think not! And these definitely haven’t disappointed on any level.

Finally I picked up a new face wash from the humble supermarket aisle. I love me some luxury skincare but I’m also really partial to your regular old supermarket face and body washes. I usually pick up a couple of different Nivea face washes but this time I tried out this very cute pink Nuetrogena Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub, and I was not disappointed at all! It’s got just enough grittiness to make me feel squeaky clean, a lovely scent (I’m partial to grapefruit not gonna lie!) and it really made my skin feel soft and clear after using it. Definitely going to be a repurchase and a regular in my shower routine!

Did you think those two novels and one book were all the bookish things I picked up whilst in Dubai?

Of course you didn’t! Because they most certainly weren’t!

As much as I love fiction, I also love a whole range of non-fiction, including, cook books! Having my own kitchen has really made me far more experimental when it comes to cooking and I feel a real ownership of what I make and consume. So I love picking up new cookbooks for inspiration or to actually follow along the recipes. I know I have far too many already and couldn’t possibly get through all these recipes, but at the same time, these are the kind of books you keep forever right? Or that’s what I tell myself to feel better anyway!

I picked up three this time around, and they make a pretty well rounded selection too so I was quite pleased with that. First up, I got the much hyped about The Roasting Tin, and the recipes look absolutely yummy and more importantly, easy to make!

I also got a slightly decadent gluten free book, This is Gluten Free, which is chock full of things you would never imagine are gluten free! If this truly is gluten free, I am more than happy that I’m not meant to touch gluten. Who needs to with cakes that look like that?

And finally, I got myself the new release from the Tone It Up team, Balanced and Beautiful. Balanced and Beautiful isn’t just a cookbook at all (but it is a GREAT inspirational book) but I’ve already picked up a couple of super healthy staple recipes from it’s pages, and that mixed with the usual dose of positivity Kareena and Kristina bring to everything, I am so glad I picked it up!

And finally, strangely enough, my favorite thing to buy when I’m in Dubai…

Magazines!

Magazines are just not available in Iraq at all, especially not English magazines. So I make sure to properly stock up on my favorites whilst I am in Dubai as well, and then I can pore over them at leisure when I back!

What are your favorite things to buy when you go back home? Or have you been shopping in Dubai recently?

I may have come back with a fair bit of shopping but I am always up for some more! Till next time then!