1- PAMPER YOUR FACE WITH SO BY SAMIRA OLFAT
I’ve been using So by Samira Olfat makeup brushes kit for a while, and the more I use it, the more I’m addicted to it. It is made of 19 makeup brushes that are designed by celebrity makeup artist, Samira Olfat, who’s always on the search for the most practical makeup brushes. The kit has a mixture of 3 types of brushes. Nylon brushes for cream products (orange shade brushes), Fiber brushes for perfect blending (white tip brushes), Horse Hair brushes for polishing the look (the rest of the brushes). It will upgrade your makeup application and you’ll truly enjoy it. Packed in a luxurious leather bag, this kit costs 1,500 AED.
2- DREAM INTO TALES OF GREEN
It’s a shimmery year in terms of makeup and with Wojooh’s launch of Tales of Green Collection, I feel we hit the right note. With deep greens, rich nudes, shimmery browns, maroon, truffle black and a hint of gold, this jungle palette pleases both classic as well as trendy women. Tales of Green Collection is literally all you need in your handbag.
Take a look at the different looks you can get with this palette. I was truly fascinated by the results and the diversity of this kit.
You can purchase the eyeshadow palette separately for 155 AED, or you can buy the entire kit that includes 2 Lipstick shades, Face Iluminator, Master Brow and Double-Trouble Mascara for 575 AED.
3- INGLOT GETS PERSONAL
This is more like a perfect gift for a makeup obsessed girlfriend or for yourself! You can get the sculpting kit and/ or select makeup brushes with your name engraved on it. It feels so personal and like a part of its owner. The sculpting palette itself gives you basic coverage for your face when you’re on the run and have no time or space to carry or apply too many products. The best part is that the Sculpt-to-Glow palette is refillable, so you’ll never have to throw it with your name on it.
4- AND IT GOES ALL GLITTER
INGLOT has also launched a glitter range called “The Star in You“. I believe that it all started when celebrity makeup artist Pat Mcgrath posted a photo of Bella Hadid with red glitter lips. Both the fashion and beauty worlds were hit by a glitter storm! INGLOT offers a wide range of beautiful colors and shapes and I was overwhelmed by the glow the product gave my eyes, lips and body because they reflect light in beautiful shades.
5- SO COOL by JOELLE PARIS
Just like its name, this range is filled with nutrient-rich ingredients that cool the face and give it a healthier glow while cleaning it and moisturizing it. My favorite is the “It’s So Cool” Rose Water Toner & Mist, costs 112 AED. Anytime I had a problem with my face when I was a teenager, my grandmother, bless her soul, would bring me a piece of cotton with cold rose water on it to gently massage my face with. Joelle Mardinian, as usual, nailed it when she deployed such an ancient method that gives girls exactly what they need in the simplest form.
6- MORE GOLD BY JOELLE PARIS
My second favorite from JOELLE PARIS range is the Golden Girl. Its really a shimmery 2017 and there’s nothing better than spraying this golden body oil on your body parts to give you a healthier and sexier look AND it smells like Vanilla – my favorite scent! A word of advise, don’t overdo it. Always opt for the maximum usage within the “natural” frame so you don’t look like you’ve been painted. Spray it at least half an hour before you get dressed and keep it away from your clothes. You may purchase it for 220 AED.
7- KIKO GIVES IT ALL
A set of 8 classic colors in one go? Sure! KIKO Milano offers literally every woman with this nail polish kit. You can go nude, french, red or fuchsia. I would also like to think of it as a perfect set to be gifted to your girlfriend and she’ll appreciate it.
8- FEEL LIKE BUTTER, USE KIEHL’S
Soft and rich like butter, that is my favorite texture for a moisturizing body cream and it’s offered by Kiehl’s creme de corps whipped body butter in a Limited-Holiday-Edition by Brooklyn-based designer Jeremyville with a lovely festive packaging that would make as a perfect holiday gift. Our body skin is thicker than our faces, which is why – in my opinion – they can handle richer cremes yet light weight enough to be instantly absorbed yet rich enough to keep the skin hydrated 24-hours a day. The opposite applies to the face, the lighter the creme is, the faster its absorbed by the face and less blockage it will cause, again this is purely my opinion and the impression I got from my dermatologist Dr Fadi Haddad (my skin angel). The Creme De Corps whipped body butter retails at 250 AED for 226g and the Creme De Corps Moisturizer (the pumper), retails at 280 AED for 500 ml.
9- HAVE THE PERFECT SHINE
Award winning elixir for hair, Kerastase Elixir K Ultimune (Original Oil) is the best elixir I’ve ever used. If I’m an award organization, I’d choose this as my all time favorite product. I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I tell you its one of few products that will make your hair look a lot shiner in a natural way, it will keep it conditioned, nourished while restoring the hair fibers. As a result, it will reduce split ends all while giving your hair a beautiful scent due to the nourishing oils it includes. It is a powerful product from a brand I highly love and respect. It costs 200 AED and it lasts you for several months.
Did I mention that Kerastase now has its official salon in Dubai at the City Walk? They have incredible hair stylists, a private room in case requested by a single client or covered client(s), and of course they use their Kerastase products every step of the way. The prices are very decent, at 300 AED you can get a hair cut and blow dry.
10- YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT!
At only 17 AED, less than 5 USD, you get what I believe is THE BEST and the least painful hair brush from Onetech brushes. I call it the magic hair brush that untangles your hair with zero pain. I discovered it as I was getting my hair done at Kerastase Salon in Dubai. My hair had just been washed, and a couple of minutes into my conversation with the manager, I stopped and asked the hairdresser if she finished brushing my hair?! She said yes.. Like when? I didn’t feel anything!
So I posted a vague photo of the brush that I had taken and a loyal fan on Snapchat pointed out the brand’s name to me, which I then haunted down at Nazih Cosmetics and bought a bunch of. The secret lies in the brush’s thin and flexible bristles. I honestly don’t know if there’s any other magical element to it, but I guarantee you its the most forgiving (and effective) hair brush I’ve ever used.
11- LUXURY PERFUME FROM ALEXANDRE J.
As you may be aware by now, I’m addicted to anything remotely relevant to Vanilla. The smell just transports me to another world. Whether its in candles, food or perfume. Speaking of perfumes, I’ve come across a brand that you MUST experience in real life, Alexandre J. Every bottle has a story, every packaging is to be kept and never thrown away, anybody walking into this store, will find a perfume that speaks to his/ her soul. I’m very picky with selecting my perfumes and despite that, I fell in love with 2 perfumes: Zafeer Oud Vanille, which is a caramelised vanilla with hints of coconut AND Heaven. 
Just like its name, wearing it feels like Heaven. According to the designer himself “Heaven is my memory of the sky, a sweet and milky perfume.” He named it Heaven, in tribute to their celestial voyages. Each airborne outing is like a ticket to paradise. Even the way he describes it is poetic. It’s Heaven!
Alexandre J takes pride in the hundreds of hours they dedicate to hand-making the bottles and their packages, let alone the research that goes into each scent. I highly suggest you visiting the store and experience it yourself, they’ve currently opened in City Walk.
I hope you like my list of must-have beauty products for the year 2017, at least the first quarter 🙂
Enjoy experiencing them. Its important we indulge ourselves with a lot of love from time to time, if not all the time.