Beauty double agents

You ladies all know that I am all about experiments, saving up and curiosity when it comes to style and beauty. So today's post is just some tricks on double uses of beauty products or just things that you can find around your house. When having one product that can do two things, it definitely saves up time and money for you and it means less stuff to carry around when you're traveling. These are 6 tricks that covers a variety of  stuff from Natural pink lips to Kim Kardashian highlighted face look. I named them double agents, as every product I have mentioned in this post has 2 uses that every lady can use, so you get 12 thing out of 6 products.

Clear Mascara doubles as brow gel

The first double agent is clear mascara. For you all who don't know what clear mascara is, it's basically the transparent mascara. I love clear mascara because even the affordable ones don't smudge. Clear mascara are amazing because it's a natural look that you can pull off whenever you need to look like you have no makeup on but still have defined lashes. One good thing about clear mascara is also that you can wear when you're going to the beach, when you're in a funeral or when you're in a tear jerking movie; because clear mascara isn't going to create black tears. Clear mascara can double as brow gel. Why use brow gel? well... you know when you look at the mirror at the middle of the day and you find your little brow hairs out of their brow; down on your brow bone then you start to think about every person you have talked to all day. Brow gel holds your brow little hairs together in their place. Brow gel gives you more defined and thicker looking brows. With clear mascara it won't look like you have any color on your brow as well, very natural and sleek look.

Blush or Bronzer doubles as lip-stain

I rarely use lipstick, because eventually lipstick over-use will change my lip color and I am not looking forward to that at all, cause I love my lips. I use bronzer or blusher instead. Ladies we have been through the whole blusher and bronzer thing in Beginners makeup routine article. Using blusher or bronzer will give a longer effect and it will also look more natural. There are two ways to use blusher or bronzer as lip stain. You will need your chap stick to seal the color on your lips. The first way is dipping your chap stick in your blusher or bronzer palette, then apply the mixture on your lips evenly. The second way is simply accumulating blusher or bronzer on the tip of your finger or your little eye-shadow brush and applying it on your lips evenly, and finally seal the color on your lips with your chap stick. You've got your natural pink or sleek nude looking lips.

Socks doubles as Donut bun savers

The trick with the sock will actually make it not much of a double agent, because it will actually need some nipping which will end the little sockie life as the sock, however it is after all a very new use for a sock. Now that requires an old cotton sock of yours. You can use a new sock, anyway it needs to be a clean sock because I wouldn't recommend using something right from your feet to your hair because hello ... bacteria and smells. Start with rolling your sock into a donut until it forms a round circle, then you create a hole with a pair of scissors right in the middle of the circle. I would recommend coating it with glue from the inside so it would be more secure and you can get more of it. If you have done it right, you will be left with something looking like this in the picture on the right. Now you need to make a high, med or low pony tail depending on your preferred style. Pull your ponytail and stretch it till it's end. You need to put your sock donut at the end of the pony tail hair. Build a little fountain of hair, even it out around the sock and roll it like the picture on the left, keep rolling till you reach your scalp and then tuck it in, then stable it with some bobby pin and VOILA.

Shimmery sheer eye-shadow doubles as highlighter

See that amazing look, Kim Kardashian manages to pull off at all her photoshoots, well that's mostly amazing lighting, a famous professional photographer, one heck of a Photoshop artist and a good face highlighting technique. We're not all familiar with the concept of highlighter and the good news is that it can be replaced with the shimmery sheer eye-shadow.  Now we need to be really clear on this, we don't want to end up looking like a clown. The eye-shadow that you need to use needs to be either sheer, nude or beige depending on your skin color. Don't use pink or white eye-shadow, god forbid use any colored eye-show. The shimmery effect needs to be at it's lightest nothing close to glittery effect or heavy shimmer. I am going to talk about the whole contouring and highlighting concept and techniques soon in an independent post, however we need to work with what we have right now. Go with your highlighting brush or blush brush on the front bone of your nose, right above & under your lips, under your eyes and your forehead. The trick is connecting the highlighted areas; your nose bone and forehead with the upper lip and under your eyes.

Tooth brush doubles as lip smoother

This one is actually very good if you want to make your lips look more pink naturally, or you want to exfoliate your lip when they are dry, or if you want to make your lips look a little bit more plump and full. You can do this every day actually it's very easy and good for your lips. After you brush your teeth every in the morning or before you sleep, clean it well so there is no bacteria leftover on it. Apply some Vaseline or any lip butter on your lips to protect them, then wet your tooth brush with warm water, and start moving your tooth brush on your lips in small circles gently; it very important to do it gently so you would avoid hurting your lips. This way you will get the blood flowing in your lips and exfolitae any dead skin off of it; that way your lips are going to look more naturally pink and healthy. 

Baking Soda doubles as a dry shampoo

This one is to keep a good second or third day hair, your baking soda that you usually use in baking your yummy cookies or delicious cakes can double as dry shampoo. It's very easy to find it around the kitchen even if you don't bake, if you live with your mom. It's very cheap to get from the grocery store. I know that when you have oily hair, or you straighten your hair, you wake up the second or third day and you have greasy oily hair; you either don't want to wash your hair and go back to curls so soon or you have no time in the morning going to work and don't wanna look bad at work. Since not all of us can afford dry shampoo, it's not cheap and it's not easy to find, also why pay like 60-80 EGP in a product when there is an easy quick replacement that you can find around the house. It's easy get like a small dash of baking soda and a tear drop of water, apply it on your scalp and rub it evenly gently, VOILA you've got clean scalp.

That's all ladies, if you have any ideas for other double agents please comment and share it with me.

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A weekend in Maadi

My wonderful Friend Hadeer Taha from Tamara's Blue Jeans Blog and I decided to put October weekend chic head to head with Maadi weekend chic. Get ready to check out both blogs and decide where are you spending your weekend and what will you wear for it! You can comment below with your opinion if you wanna vote for Maadi. 

 In this article, you will find about my favorite (the best) places to go around to spend a day around Maadi and How to dress up yourself, makeup and hair ..Enjoy!

Spending day time in Maadi can be really nice, I personally like to walk my dog in the morning enjoy some sun while getting myself to walk/jog a little bit. My dog name is Fat7i and he is a white one year old Griffon .. that's him. I would enjoy a brunch in Maadi with friends mostly in road.9 for the amount of options offered in there. TBS is really a good place there is a nice little crowd always in the weekend and they serve fresh food. I would also go to Bikya in the morning it's very colorful and hip; gives a good spirit to start the day, you can look at their used book selection, they also play some really nice music which is what everyone needs in the weekend. If you're into a heavy breakfast, go to Lucille's for some American egg muffins and pancakes. I like walking to get my desert, my go to places in Maadi would be non other than, NOLA cupcakes or La Gourmandise  for macroons and cakes. I would go to Bowling and More in Bandar in the afternoon or Family Land for some ice scatting. For shopping I would do it in the afternoon before places get crowded like hell, my go to place would be Maadi City Centre  AKA Carrefour, or what  I like to call our City Stars and let me tell you why is it better than city stars, you get stuff done without losing your way and it has all what you need Zara, The body shop, H&M, Splash, Terranova, Aldo, Vero Moda...etc. A really good place to shop for authentic books is Al Kotob Khan in Laselky road, the place is original and cozy; also the people who are there aren't regular sales people, they know genres and authors and they actually have some books that some chains don't have. If you're up to buy some authentic goods head to Kaf Fatma in Degla, they sell Egyptian designer's accessories and home goodies.

For the day I chose a hippie comfy dress, and to mismatch it i put on it a denim vest. I chose an ankle boots because ... I am crazy and when I am out walking my dog a pair of wedges or sandals won't really help me running. A big simple bag for all the stuff that I need for the day. Jewelry is very minimal just a skull minimal necklace and a bangle. Sunglasses is a must cause the sun hurts my eyes, and a floral scent for the day. I keep my hair in a bun just because it's easier really. As you have noticed tinted moisturizer SPF for the sun to avoid looking like you have too much makeup in the morning, some sheer finish powder and illuminating bronzer for a natural looking cheek bones. As for the eyes matte nude colors with white pencil and clear mascara/ brow gel. My lips are getting lip smacker and that's it.

If you're a Maadi resident you know that we don't have a nightlife, however we have some stuff that we can do before 1 AM at least. It really depends on your mood; what Maadi can offer ranges in budget and mood. A new place in Maadi is called ElRaseef, it's captivating a new spirit which is underground singers and simple seating; mostly events start at 7ish or 8ish. If you are craving Sheesha and some food you can go to El Shader in Degla, Arabic seating, the waiters are dressed in Jalbya, the food is really good, sheesha is nice and the menu is written in franko arab. Pottery and Mugshot in Road 9. are also nice options if you are welling to pay at least 100 EGP, beware of the underage mania in the weekend. If you're like me and don't like to be bothered with money and crowded place there is a place in Zharaa El Maadi where you can get your drinks and sheesha in your car it's called Rock and Roll. As for all you Drinkers and party animals out there don't come to Maadi, other than Villa 55 there is only one bar called Red Onion that doesn't have a dance floor and it gets really crowded with weird people in the weekend. You can find family Chinese restaurants all over Maadi if you have an empty stomach and you're low on cash mostly in Nerco and Degla, I have to warn you it's not fancy at all. If you are up to a big bite and have some cash on you I would recommend Euro Deli's burgers & wedges in Degla, Lucille's burgers in road 9. and Vinny's Pizza.

If you're metropolitan kind of a person you can go to Spectra or Roastery enjoy big portions of food in a nice seating and nice music. If you're a hopeless romantic like me, you can have a nice date in Maadi. A personal favorite for me is Peking, not the one on the Nile, the other one, it's a cozy little place that serves the regular Peking menu with candles and soft music. There also a great place for Swiss food named little Swiss, The owner is a Swiss lady and it's not crowded at all. Up for some sushi, your regular Mori Sushi is in Road 9. but I recommend Fuego in Bandar building, it's rarely crowded and the food is good, can be a great date as well. After 1 AM you go to the movies, I would avoid Family Cenima on the weekend, Al Bandar has good options; it was one of the few places to show Hala2 La wain last winter.

For the night I chose a pair of skinny jeans and a peplum top because it flatters my shape, in burgundy because it really suits my skin. A structured blazer, open toed pumps and tinted leather bag all in black gives sophistication to the look. Jewelry will be just a statement necklace and the scent is Elizabeth Arden 5th avenue nights because it's sweet. For my short curly hair, I leave it down and simple. Make up is everything, primer, foundation, loose powder, concealer, bronzer, blusher and for the eyes shimmery nude colors and a winged eye liner with volume mascara. Again my lips are only getting lip balm. 

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A chat with the designer behind Salma El Farsy Designs

I have sat with talented young designer Salma El Farsy, from Salma El Farsy designs. I have been exposed to Salma's work in 2011 and I   have always felt the connection with her work. Salma designs jewelry Her identity is expressed in her work and it's always a delight to set and talk to Salma, she has a big heart and a personality just as beautiful as her designs. here is what happened when Style & Stuff met up with the talented young designer ...

How did the designing story start with you?

At the beginning I was designing some accessories, when I was in high school I used to buy hand crafts and try it out. I started to change in the designs of some of these hand crafts and I started reading about the techniques.

Then I started studying art in general, which added to my talent because I started designing with guidelines.Studying art in general was good as I got the whole perspective, designing, photography, metals, wood, leather, even sculpturing

What happened when you finally graduated?

I started with wood engraving; then I was nominated to an Italian scholarship in AUC by a college professor who was impressed with the jewelry that I design for myself.  After that I started working on designing gold jewelry for Egyptian plants then I started teaching jewelry designing. I took it a notch higher with my diploma in diamond ranking and design from Belgium.

Tell us more about your teaching experience.

I have been teaching for as long as I can remember. I have taught workers in factories, and in design schools. I still give private lessons for workshop owners. I am currently teaching a course in a place named art square academy in Heliopolis, the course is mainly wire creations and accessories making.

So when did Salma El Farsy designs start?

After I felt that I have all the essentials of the industry, I know all the materials and technologies. In 2011 I started my own brand which is Salma El Farsy designs. All my designs are one piece each and I never put readymade pieces into my work, it’s all hand made in my workshop.

What are the materials that you’re using in your designs?

I am only working with copper and silver in my workshop, I also include precious stones, leather and fabrics . As for the gold and diamond designs, I do them for bigger workshops and plants, because the gold and diamond are very special materials and very expensive as well.

Where can we shop for Salma El Farsy designs?

I usually sell in my own exhibition, which I do every time I make a new collection. I have collaborated with Italian fashion designers before, I basically would make the jewelry for the collection and it’s sold with it. As for my Facebook group it’s more of a place to showcase my works not selling it.

Most of my clients aren’t Egyptian, I find foreign clientele much more appreciative of the kind of material used; most of them like exploring new ideas like mixing leather and fabrics with metals also mixing modern with oriental vintage designs.

How is it being a jewelry designer in Egypt?

Egypt is very rich with inspiration and raw materials, that’s heaven for a designer. Even if the materials are expensive at least it’s available unlike what I faced in Italy. The places that include Egyptian designers are in a constant increase which is great, however we are in the stone age of technology when it comes to designing, which results in a great amount of time and effort in the execution.

I have noticed also that most of the people in the industry are basing their work on connections and some people also copy from designers and retailer abroad. The majority taste in Egypt is far from sophisticated which makes us a niche market. Everybody wants to follow the trends, being up to date is very important , however copy pasting isn't art.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Crazy … Free … Oriental

Describe your designs in 3 words.

Bold … Colorful … Expressive

How would you describe yourself as a designer?

My designs are not safe at all, whenever I see everybody is going one way, I choose the opposite way. Maybe that’s considered too adventurous; however I feel that people can look at my collection and say that’s something I lack in my closet or I don’t have anything like it. Sometimes I don’t sell to some people who request certain pieces, as I feel they didn't really love it.

What inspires your designs?

Decorations, the lines and modernity is my essential inspiration. Egyptian Heritage, the colors and the boldness is very interesting, even if it’s primitive. Clothing, really inspires me in a sense of what can be dressed with what.

What is next for you in the design world?

I am thinking of making a workshop that includes jewelry, accessories, shoes and clothing in collaboration with different designers. I am also currently working on a collection where I am including paper with metals.

What’s in your daily bag?

I seriously have a Pliers (Zaradya), other than that, the regular stuff … a pencil and a note, a nail file, dental floss, lipstick, perfume, eye pencil, a backup pair of earrings, a backup pair of socks, a small plastic elephant, a small Quran in a beaded handmade Indian pouch, my phone and it’s charge, hair rolls, hair bands, Diet sugar, Wipes, painting brush, ear plugs and an apple.

I am in love with the fact that Salma, is unique and bold; treating her designs as identity expression material not just another thing to purchase. I also like the fact that she never copies from anybody, you seriously are owning a unique once in a life time piece if you are owning a Salma El Farsy designs piece.

Check out Salma's Facebook page, for inspiration and to keep up to date with her work and courses. 

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What's in my Spring closet? 2013

As you may have noticed it's the last week of march and the temperature is rising a bit. With the weather warming up, we are starting to take off our coats and removing out boots, then going for lighter garments. Every spring we get mixed between our summer outfits and our winter outfit. Spring is not complicated, however we can have some essentials that are suit for this season. The high end designer have revealed sat the headlines for the spring 2013 last September, and just this week we're starting to see the collections of the stores for this season. A girl can look at the trends and consult the weather experts then start to get her spring closet together. Here is the 10 things I have for spring essentials ...

Wedges

It's time to get a bit of high heel with zero pain, let your toes breathe for a little bit after having been covered the whole winter. The good thing about open toed and sandal wedges that they give you sophistication with playfulness. I would get a couple of wedges one in a reliable basic color like black or brown and the other in a bright or fashionable color. Amazing tip about wedges they can be worn all day.

Pink Blusher

Spring is all about a healthy natural look. A pink blush is the way to go in spring, makes you look like your just got your cheeks pinched or you look like you're blushing from something. Having sun kissed cheeks is essential, choose a shade that goes with your skin tone, if you're pale, get something light, if you're more tan, get a lotus out there pink. Matte finish is best; however a bit of shimmer would be great for a night out.

Flowers

I don't know about you, but whenever I hear flowers for the spring; I hear Miranda Presley in my head "Flowers, for spring? ground breaking". Even though Miss Devil wearing Prada was mean, however the cliche is undeniable. So what do a girl have to do seeing all these flowers on the runways from Alexander Wang to Valentino, We get creative. Flowers in the spring doesn't mean just that floral hippie dress. Having floral prints over one garment of your outfit adds playfulness of spring without looking like a walking garden. I love the idea of having actual flowers around out heads and mixing flowers with other trends like spikes for example.

Denim 

We started last spring with getting the denim shirt back from the 80's and 90's. This spring the runways had all kinds of denims. Most of the denim this spring is structured and clean cut. Denim doesn't have to be just your pair or jeans or denim shorts, bring back your knee long denim skirt. Good ideas would include even some denim flats, attention please wear them with khaki pants and not denim, I would also avoid the denim suit concept we're not Justin Temberlake in 1999.

Feminine Fabrics

All the runways for Spring 2013 had a notable tilt towards femininity this season. Different fabrics were representatives of this trend. Feminine fabrics are everything like Lace, Satin, Crochet, Chiffon and Silk. Including these in your closet for spring will make you feel light and sexy; they're also fit for the weather. You can go all feminine of course like a Lace top with Silk skirt or a Chiffon shirt with Crochet pants. You can also mix one feminine fabric with denim or leather to tone it down and make it make it lady like.

Natural eyes

The dramatic winter has ended and I am sure our eyes have had enough smoky makeup. Spring is different, it's the slow transition between winter drama and summer drama, our eyes deserve a break. Looking all natural and fresh faced no makeup *yeah right! huh* is the way to go. Pack up your while eye pencils to make your eyes look bigger, some sheer primer to avoid melt downs, a nude colors eye-shadow pallet for glowing natural and clear mascara. The great thing about clear mascara is it can be used as brow gel to get your brows in their places and it also gives a bigger eye illusion without looking like having mascara on.

Light Cardigans 

Spring still gets a bit chilly in the evening, personally I always like to have cover up with me for early mornings or late night weather change. A light cardigan is perfect for a spring cover-up. The looser your cardigan the better it is. Throwing a loose long cardigan on a spring outfit makes it comfortable chic.

Pastels

They were big last spring and they are still big this spring. Personally pastels reminds me of yummy pleasures, like milkshake and bubblegum. Wearing pastel adds to your femininity and goes with the spring spirit very well. I would recommend going out of the box when it comes to inserting pastel into an outfit, rather than just wearing a top or a skirt that is pastel, adding accessories or jewelry in pastel is very cute even nail polish or makeup. Wearing pastel from head to toe is a very innocent feminine look, however you can mix it with denim for a casual look.

Maxi 

I know I have talked about the maxi skirts before, but this is essential to this spring's closet. The amazing thing about the maxi that it's perfect for girls who wear Hijab and conservative girls. Various options between ombre, pleated, sheer, flowy, tube, etc... the list goes on and on. The traditional spring maxi dress is good, however we can add our touch to it, like mixing it with a cover up and having it in spring colors.

Monochrome

 The colorful spring isn't a cliche, however adding a black and white adds crisp and cleanliness to the outfit. We can avoid the head to toe monochrome outfit of course, even though the runways have showed a lot of these. The miracle about monochrome and colors mixed gets a very chic and sophisticated look. I am in love with it, we can have a couple of monochrome pieces, dots, strips or just structuring is amazing. 

Mix and match between all of these essentials and create your own style. Fall in love with mild weather before the hot summer comes along. 

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The Shampoo tested "Rainforest moisture"

So this is what happened with my body shop shampoo "Rainforest moisture"; I have received many comments on my Shampoo discovery article. If you're a first time reader, I started to use sulfate free shampoo from the body shop named "Rainforest moisture". I was so happy to see that many people realized the fact and actually started to change it. As I promised I will give a review on the shampoo, now it's the time. To be honest I am not done with the whole bottles, however I am almost done with the conditioner and the shampoo is just a little bit more.
Before I start with the my review on the shampoo, I need to give myself an applause because ... a couple of days ago I found the popular Dina tokio, actually including the"Rainforest moisture" shampoo as a feb/march 2013 favorites. Maybe she read about it on Style & Stuff .... *laughs loudly but secretly hopes for it*.
Now for the real thing, the review of The body shop "Rainforest moisture" shampoo and conditioner. First of all, I'd be lying and anybody would be lying if they tell you that 40 days usage of a products can make them go from frumpy hair to fantastic hair, however the usage has gradual improvement on the hair. The shampoo did have lather when massaged into a scalp with some water, unlike what was written in the reviews. The smell actually isn't your usual cherry fluffy shampoo stuff; however it doesn't smell bad at all just a plain smell and it's not strong at all. After I rinse off my shampoo and right before I use my conditioner I can feel my hair tight, not dry but tight, it didn't bother me but I never go out of the shower with no shampoo.  The thing is that I have dandruff, I know *ewww* I am fixing it and I'll write all about it very soon. Short story long the shampoo doesn't help with dandruff at all, it's not supposed to as it's not on the label that it cures dandruff or anything, it's just that it doesn't do anything to the dandruff. Heads up, if you have dandruff use something else beside that shampoo to take care of your flakes *may we lose them very soon*. The conditioner; that I use a whole lot of is great same thing about the smell and the dandruff thing. One day my stylist asked me if I washed my hair and I told her yes, she was like your hair isn't greasy but these are natural oils all over your hair. My guess is that since the grease cutter AKA sulfate was removed my hair was free to produce it's own natural oils and it feed itself. The stylist even told me that she thought I had oily hair, The stylist isn't related to body shop in any means. I leave a little bit of the conditioner in my hair whenever I shower except if I am going to straighten my hair which I think helped a little bit more. It didn't kill the frizz; it trimmed the frizz; I feel my curls are getting more bouncy and my hair is getting softer. My hair grew out a little bit like 3-4 cm at most, according to the stylist who trims my hair every 2 months. I had a problem with the volume of my curls, not that I don't like volume; but my hair is really short and having a big volume makes me look like I have an boyish Afro not a curly bob. The volume is also trimmed now, I don't know how but I really like that I went from Courtney Cox AKA Monica in the frizzy hair episode on "F.R.I.E.N.D.S" to Julia Roberts in "The Mexican". My second and third day hair are looking good as well which is great to me in the cold weather. Would I buy it again? I would buy sulfate free shampoo and conditioner again of course, in fact I will never use other sulfate products even again. Would I buy rain forest shampoo from the body shop again? I would buy it, however as you may know by now from reading my blog I am curios and don't go by rules, I will buy it and use it, I will also look up other sulfate, silicon and parabens free products. It worked for me, it might not work for other people. I would totally update you if I start using other sulfate free shampoos or conditioners, I am always behind the best and I am always curious what can I get more on my money.

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Online Toiletries Shopping Haul

In previous the article a babe on a budget, I recommended shopping online to find cheaper stuff. Shopping online is much more than just a place for cheap stuff. Online shopping is great for working ladies like me, if we want to get something and we have no time to go to the store to get; we can have it delivered at home. In Egypt, I have to admit that online shopping and E-commerce is booming, however a lot of girls have been robbed by the so called Facebook groups. Even some websites have the worst experiences, some friends of mine experienced 2 weeks delay in their orders from some famous website -I am not going to mention names- but most of the people who are into online shopping will know what I am talking about. I have purchased many items online before; but it's the first time to make some toiletries shopping solely online .Enough Ranting ... here is my Experience with online Haul ....

First, Here are the stuff I bought collectively, Excuse my camera ...

The first website I went on, with actually the one I am currently working with Jumia.com. I will be totally honest with you guys on it though. The delivery is for free if you order stuff over 100 EGP, which you will end up doing once you got into there anyway. The delivery took 5 days for me just like Jumia promised, however that might be a little bit long for some people. Jumia does cash on delivery for everyone, what I love about it, is that you get it delivered in a safe Aramex sealed packaging.

The first thing was this lovely set, She ... is Fun! The set consists of One deodorant, One shimmery body lotion and One Eau de Toilette. It came in this cute heart shaped pink box; Which I am using now as makeup box. Honestly I couldn't resist the Price @ 115 EGP I decided to give it a try. The amazing thing is the whole set have the same scent, it's a soft floral scent that is good for everyday use. The Eau de toilette is amazing if you want to still have some fragrance on without wasting your expensive perfume. The lotion isn't glittery but it gives a nice shimmery glow to the skin and the deodorant lasts around 6 hours.

The second thing was 2 items from the Canadian brand Delon, again lovely cute little package; it gave me the feeling that I got it from the shop, inside there is this little flyer that has the full range of products Now Available in Egypt. I got Coconut body butter 200ml @ 45 EGP which is less than Victoria's Secret, The body shop and Fruttini. It's amazing I have used it a couple of time, the scent is really yummy and it's seriously hydrating for my knees, elbows and back my feet. I also got this raspberry and currant aromatherapy body mist @ 35 EGP, it's amazing scent with this price and it's 236ml. The body butter is hydrating for the whole day, the scent isn't strong but you can smell when applying it, as for the body mist scent longevity is about 6 hours as well.  The cutest thing about these Canadian products is that they have writings on it with the logo "indulge your senses while softening your skin" on the body butter.

The second Website was agzakhana.com, they seriously have a huge range of products that makes it hard for you to choose. The delivery took 3 hours seriously, the only thing is that you have to pay 10 EGP if you live in Cairo for shipping and 25 EGP if you live outside Cairo. The only down side was that the packaging was in a yellow plastic bag, no branding, no sealed bag no nothing.

I got this fantasy body care aqua massage sponge which is tonifying loofah; basically this is thing is half loofah half sponge @ 12 EGP. I am going to use it for scrubbing and toning during the shower, amazing price of course and very easy to use. The second thing is I decided to get baby wipes for my skin instead of regular wipes. A tip, if it's used to babies then it's perfect for sensitive skin, this Max Touch pack has 80 wipes for 14 EGP. The baby wipes are non alcoholic single use wipes, it's super for savings. 

I also got these lovely ladies. The first one is Garnier face wash, it's my regular wash however I found it @ 11 EGP in there so I had to snap it, if you wanna know more about it, then you should read about it on my makeup routine article. You will find a different price, that old price was the price I got it for in Carrefour; but not anymore. I have decided to explore other options for scrubs, something that is stronger and can go for body and face. The nice pharmacist on the phone politely suggested St Ives after the Biosilk product was out of stock on the website. I remember my mom buying this brand when I was younger and I was dying to use it, it's actually an English brand and it's really good. The scent is seriously fresh apricot, it's @ 45 EGP.

So girls, now you know what I got myself this month, hope you enjoy your online shopping as well.

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H&M & other stories S/S'13

H&M decided to go up a notch and start with other stories. The odd name of the brand is at the very first line of some surprises from the same kind. "& other stories" is the more expensive, and more sophisticated version of H&M. It just debuted in London; from the experience on the website, I can honestly say it's promising. The difference they pushed the boundaries,it's like minimalism heaven in there, everybody is going back to the 90's and everybody is looking at minimalism in a new perspective, & other stories are introducing minimalism with a fresh eye. the price ranges for dresses would be from 40 euros to 120 euros. An interesting fact that the apparel line is named "Ready to wear" so are they thinking nest step couture? maybe that will let Helen Hunt shop for all the award shows from there *eye roll*.

The idea itself is very economical; eat an extra share in the market before somebody else eats it.  H&M supposedly is looking to take a place in the ladies wardrobe stables, if fashionistas are going invest in the classic timeless pieces; then why not that money goes in our pockets as well. So what do we expect from "& Other Stories"? This teaser pretty much says it all about the brand.We expect chic sophisticated style, minimalism at it's best -at least in that price range anyway-, Luxury in the form of H&M isn't high end, however it still looks expensive. A tip, you can get free samples of the brand's beauty line from the website. One thing that might catch your attention, is that "& other stories" is a ladies only brand, I would love to see this kind of designs for men anytime soon. Some criticized the idea of launching the brand in London and not in NewYork, they were wondering if the US is not good enough for H&M new depute; however I think that the company is a European company, it wouldn't make since if forever 21 launched a new brand in Berlin for example cause it's American. There is no news about any expanding in the middle-east, I say we give them sometime to test the concept.  Now that we are all happy about this new venture, here is how we can stalk the brand:

Online stalking includes: the official website , official facebook page , official twitter and Tumblr

Also If you're traveling soon here are the addresses where you can find them around Europe:

Spain, Barcelona, Passeig de Gacia 8-10
Germany, Berlin, Neue Schonhauser Strasse 15
Denmark, Copenhagen, Amagertorv 29
England, London, 256-258 Regent Street
Italy, Milan, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 1
France, Paris, 277 Rue St Honore
Sweden, Stockholm; Biblioteksgatan 11

And finally from the S/S'13 collection here are my Favorite pieces ...

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