Here I am after a long time. After a long journey. After lots of thinking. The beginning of a new adventure.
I said goodbye to Bahrain. I won’t miss the Kingdom as I am in Paradise. But I will certainly miss my friends there. I already do.
And where exactly am I? What am I doing?
Far, far away. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But so close to the House of the Sun.
Living the life the way it should be. Simple.
Chasing Rainbows after the storm on Maui. Enjoying my every ride to and from home. Filling my lungs with oxygen and my heart with joy. Bathing in sun and salty water. Sipping sunsets and nature’s little wonders. Stargazing. Gulping the love of the Creator.
I’m settled but yet I’m not. I will be here to tell you all about it.
On my recent trip to Seoul I explored the “mystery” of Korean beauty: flawless skin, porcelain complexion and an impeccable, radiant appearance, who wouldn’t want to know how they do it? Continue reading “Beauty Treasure from S. Korea”
We all know the benefits of olive oil to our health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, due to it’s chemical structure known to resemble our body’s natural oils, it is one of the most effective and powerful ingredients used by modern cosmetology. Greek cosmetics firm Olive Touch uses organic olive oil as the base for their complete line of face, body and hair personal care and they are now available in Bahrain. All you have to do is call Lilian at +973 34523151 to be informed of their top quality products or place your order.
Lilian will also be at the market organized in Janabiya Garden Compound in support of Young Athletes Bahrain, this Saturday 13/6 from 4 pm to 7:30pm so it’s a good opportunity for you to have a look on Olive Touch products.
Personally I tried their hand and nail cream which is of light texture, doesn’t feel greasy yet it moisturizes and conditions my tired hands instantly, as well as their body butter which is much heavier in texture but it leaves my skin summer perfect sheen and silky soft. In both the products I really loved the smell, a fresh scent. The prices are very affordable too with the hand cream at 5 bd and the body butter at 7 bd.
The reviews I have been receiving on their face products though tempt me to try at least their firming face serum and I am thinking of buying it at the market if it will still be in stock…
It was a british scented afternoon, and a warm embrace for the launch of Jo Malone‘s boutique at Bahrain’s City Center Mall. Debbie Wild, Lifestyle Director, traveled all the way from UK and introduced us all who attended the special event, to the arts of fragrance combining and gift giving in a unique way.
The set up at Le Meridien’s Baharat Restaurant resembled a family dinner as per Debbie and we couldn’t agree more. The atmosphere was friendly and pleasantly fragrant :). Tea and pastries were served but we were mainly anticipating to open our gifts that were gracefully placed on our plates.
Velvet Rose and Oud Cologne.
Although I like smelling it on others, I’m not a fan of Oud but certainly I didn’t expect that it could be tailored to my liking simply by mixing it up with another scent!
Debbie impressed everyone with her ability to memorize all the names of the guests. And believe me they were many.
After her short talk Debbie invited us at the perfume bar where she helped us experiment with the fragrance combining concept taking into consideration our personal preferences. And surprise – surprise! My new Velvet-Rose & Oud cologne when combined with my favorite Peony and Velvet Blush, becomes so light, sweet and delicious!
After that I wanted more! and more! A crisp and fresh combination from heaven: Wild Bluebell and Red Roses. The combinations are endless and you can experiment online here, although nothing compares to the real deal so better hit Jo Malone’s boutique at City Center for a profound experience. Trust me, your senses will thank you!
I have expressed before my love for the Apivita products and have posted about this Greek company’s holistic approach to beauty which remains faithful to Hippocrates’ philosophy. I always come back to Bahrain from Greece with a suitcase full of their products and keep enough stock in my bathroom cupboard so I won’t be left without my favorite facial cream, my shower gel and soaps, my body moisturizer, essential oils but also honey, tea and kid’s amenities.
This time, during my stay in Greece I wanted to fully indulge myself by visiting the 5-storey Apivita Experience store situated in the heart of Athens. Inspired by beehives and with an olive tree domineering on the ground floor, this beautifully decorated shop has everything you need: A juice bar where you can enjoy healthy juices and teas, a hair salon/barber-shop, a beehive spa (!), a natural pharmacy for custom-made cosmetics and a lecture room where you can learn all you need to know about beauty in various seminars organized by the company.
Dimitra and me with my new hairstyle
After enjoying a refreshing juice I decided I should give my hair a little treat and I entrusted my tresses to the hands of Dimitra who used natural hair dyes to enhance my color and gave me a simple, yet sophisticated hair cut. I was really impressed by the results and how soft my hair was after the treatment and I highly recommend you check this shop out when being in Athens.
As we are getting closer to summer, the stress on how our body will look in a bikini is overwhelming. So start planning from now, adjusting your diet and exercise regime to avoid panicking the last minute. Everything is possible as long as you stick to your goal and your goal should be to be happy with your image. Here are some tips to help you tone your body and boost your self-confidence before you hit the beach.
1. Stop Complaining and Set Up your (realistic) Goals.
No one is perfect and life is not a magazine. We said before: flawless beauty is itself a flaw. So instead of whining about your big buttocks, your saddle bags or your mushy thighs look at the big picture and ask yourself: What do you feel is your best feature? This should draw away your attention from the parts of your body that could need some work and drive you to a more positive attitude to achieve your goals. It’s a fact: by concentrating on the negative aspects you only attract more negative aspects utterly sabotaging your own efforts. So positive thinking is the key. Loving and respecting yourself should give you the mind frame to set up realistic goals. Start slowly and aim for weekly tangible goals that give you the achievement thrill “Yeah! I did it!” and leverage your motivation to go for more.
No need to emphasize the effects of stress on the body and mind. Stress can cause hypothyroid and this is no good news for your metabolism or body weight management, not to say your overall health. Meditation helps your body relax and drop adrenaline levels and it is proven to even alter gene expression! Plus when meditating, you can visualize yourself in your ideal state and reinforce your positive thinking. There are plenty of guided meditations on the web, even iPhone applications that can help you get it right, at least if you are new to this approach. You may check The Chopra Center or Erick Brown Subliminal Guided Meditation available at iTunes or any other meditation available doing a simple google search.
There is no excuse: if you want to feel and be healthy you have to get your body moving! Even a 20 minutes walk every day is considered therapeutic, if you have no time for the gym. Alternatively you could exercise at home, there are so many quick and efficient programs out there on the web. I highly recommend Yoga Journal’s 21 Day Challenge available for both newbies and intermediate yoga students as your day’s class is delivered straight to your email and you also get nutrition tips and healthy recipes too! If you don’t even have 20 minutes to spare, check Ramona Braganza‘s, short clips where you may even find less than 4 minutes workouts for before you walk -not the red this time,but- the “sandy carpet” 🙂
No exercise however strenuous can outdo a trashy diet. Exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand. So make sure you implement healthy eating habits and take control of your diet. And when I say “diet” I certainly don’t mean starvation, nor the miracle diets or magic pills and teas. You heard about before and perhaps even experienced the yo-yo effects of such “easy fixes”. Try to eat lots of veggies and fruits and respond to your cravings by offering yourself healthy alternatives. If you are not sure what is best for your body it’s always better to spend some money and consult a nutrition expert. A visit would be best but still there are plenty of books on healthy eating or even e-books with online support communities to help you stick to your choice. In any case check the reviews and use common sense to listen to your body and its needs. Also you may have a look at the free healthy eating tips from USDA or Harvard’s healthy eating plate and pyramid explained below.
As a final but important step make sure you drink lots of water. Eight to twelve glasses of water per day are generally considered as necessary for your body but it also depends on your sex, your body weight, your activity levels or even the climate (all of us living in the Middle East know how easily we can get dehydrated). A good rule of thumb would be to have two glasses of water before every meal.
This tip targets especially mums, including myself. We tend to take care of everyone else in the family but ourselves. Personally, even if there is a great choice of spas and salons in Bahrain, I don’t know why but I feel guilty spending my time having my hair or manicure done in a salon. I get so stressed having to be tied to my chair for as long as the hairdresser needs to wash and blow-dry my hair, as if the world around me will collapse. I have been trying for the last couple of months to book an appointment for a massage and I keep on postponing it with the excuse “I’m too busy for this”. I hope you are not in the same wagon as me. What? you are? Too bad! Get over it quick!
Force yourself, like I force myself, and I promise you once you are out of the salon you won’t regret it. The feeling of being taken care by a professional, even when it is just a manicure, is amazing. Your self-esteem will instantly skyrocket. Your body will be thanking you. Still think of it as a luxury? Then bring luxury home! Turn your bathroom into a personal spa. Scented candles, a bathtub full of warm water and bath salts, a body scrub, moisturizing cream and essential oils is all you need. Then find some quiet time and soak in after all are asleep.
You need to take care of your skin if you want it glowing under the sun, and you need to start now. Be sure to check back our ginny piggy column as we will be soon writing about some of the best anti-cellulite and skin care products we have tried so far!
And please feel free to share your beach perfect tips, we’d love to hear from you!
So are you ready for the countdown? 3-2-1! GO! I’m sure you can do it!
In a brilliant video concept for her song “Nouveau Parfum”, Hungarian singer Boggie is undergoing a virtual make-over with the help of photoshop. The result is astonishing: The girl of next door is transformed into a beauty goddess, a star, a model. Food for thought: Is this the “perfection” we seek in our everyday lives? And how much stress do we experience trying to reach our utopian goals?
Unsung Lilly is an inspiring pop band from UK. With their music and stance on life Sera, Frankie, Wayne, Allan and Russ, embody many of the values and principles I live by, so it couldn’t but “just be” a love at first sight!
Now if you want to be featured in their new video about self-acceptance visit their blog here and find out how. Act quickly!
For a little inspiration, here is their song “Just Be” which was released last year…
A gap between how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others, is not something uncommon. Here is one of the most smart experiments to prove this scenario happens more often than we think and to a much larger scale than we believe. Although published almost a year ago, I chose to post this Dove documentary because its launch coincides with my birthday and I couldn’t find any better reminder of how we should never underestimate ourselves. The same of course applies for the opposite: never overestimate yourself. In any case, mind the gap.
Three halls dipped in gold, silver and precious stones… For yet another year Jewellery Arabia had everything: From mythical collections brought by famous jewelry and watches’ houses to affordable bling bling or even copies of iconic jewelry…
My favorite was Bulgari’s pavilion.
Partly because it hit my “greek sensors”…
First it was the minimalistic dummies on which the beautiful jewelry was showcased and that would resemble figurines borrowed from a Cycladic Art museum.
Then, some of their jewelry showed clear influence from the ancient Mycenaean art. Just look and compare:
Bulgari necklaceMycenaean necklaces exhibited at Athens Archaeological Museum
Is it my idea? Anyways, their jewelry was exceptional and unique.
Chopard had a beautiful pavilion too and is my favorite of all jewelry makers, but I believe their selection for the exhibition was limited, I can’t hide that I have seen better pieces -for my taste at least- when visiting their shops around the world. Nevertheless they had some really classy men’s watches.
And talking about men’s watches, Montblanc presented their newest collection, a tribute to Nicolas Rieussec, the inventor of the chronograph. Quite interesting.
Then the classic “Princess Grace” collection with watches, pens, and jewelry. Pure Grace.
Finally, the limited edition Leonardo and Albert Ainstein pen collection.
idol-image.com 