Now if you have combination to oily skin, the moisturizing cream is for you.  Straight out of the tube, the consistency of the cream is quite thick and felt too creamy and rich for my oily skin.  I was taken aback by the texture at first, I absolutely detest heavy cloggy creams and thought this would be one of them.  But on applying this all over my face, it spread beautifully and absorbed rapidly leaving me with a clean matte finish.  Hydration without the stickiness?  Whats not to love!?  This cream calms dehydrated yet oily skin and leaves you feeling soft and fresh.

Again this is heavily scented.  I'm not too sure why there needs to be so much fragrance in skincare, it just seems pointless, but as with the eye cream, the scent is calming (albeit a little grannyish) and I enjoy applying both products.  

When I heard about the WILD Coffee Bar (@wild.kwt) hosting art pieces, I was intrigued and decided to check it out.  Now, I'd never been to the WILD cafe before and had no clue that such a place existed just mere minutes from me, tucked away in a corner of Salmiya.  A hidden gem, if you might.

The artwork displayed is by Artist Mariska Nell (@designbymariska) and she's actually also featured in this month's Bazaar Magazine (From Trash to Treasure).  If you look closely, you'll see that the artwork is made from recycled material (coffee pods, drink cans, etc).  I love that! 

The barista who served us was bubbly and a delight and after placing our orders, we took a seat indoors to wait.  I'd ordered the Spanish latte, delicious, while the better half had a gingerbread latte which had a beautiful mix of spices, perfect for Christmas!  Also, ask to try some of the WILD’s popular items - the Açaí Bowl, V60 slow brew coffee, the muffins and cookies and of course the Spanish latte.

The cafe has a lot of off-the-wall touches such as a handwritten menu on a large roll of brown paper, a mix of different knick-knacks like a surfboard and my favourite, a camel crossing sign!  Beautiful lights both inside and strung outside as well, just added to the cosiness of the place - definite hygge vibes!

I believe the artwork is only on display till tonight, but if you do miss the art display, check out Mariska’s work on her Instagram on @designbymariska.  Mariska makes custom pieces for clients who would like to use some of their recycled items to create art that showcases their family memories.  Either way, do pass by the cafe if you're in or around Salmiya.  The WILD Coffee Bar is a cool and quirky hangout spot that should be on your list. 

Just had my first self defense class yesterday and though I was a little apprehensive and quite self conscious to begin with, the class was a lot of fun!  Learned to let go of all my inhibitions and got into the spirit of things, yelling, punching, kicking, etc.  There are about 35 women and young girls in my batch and they're all so lovely, fun and ready to laugh at themselves.

It is a free certificate course and the classes are held at the Kaifan Sports Club.  The program does not teach you to be aggressive, but to defend yourself and make a few targeted hits if needed, giving you time to run to safety.  It always pays to be prepared!

There are different batches (click on the above image to enlarge it) till December 14 so sign up for one!  To do so, send a Whatsapp message with your name, phone number, email address and your preferred batch name to +965 9771 0629.  

Spotted this on Kuwait UPTO DATE's Facebook page and of course I had to repost, because, well, its FOOD!  

Next Tuesday (December 5, 2017) from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Mishref (Plot 6, Block 7A, Diplomatic Zone 2, Next to the Syrian and Japanese Embassies)

Though the food festival is open to the public, you will need to fill in this form - Registration Form (Click on the link, then click on File - Download As - Microsoft Word)  and send it to kculturekuwait@gmail.com by Sunday.  Sounds fun!  

Was at the Al Tilal Complex last week.  Now why does the Al Tilal Complex sound familiar?  It is only the location of my favourite bakeware store!  (post here).  Anyway, I had a gift voucher to redeem at Villeroy & Boch and so I popped in to check out the place and see if anything caught my fancy.  Other than shopping at Tavola, I'd never really explored the other stores in the complex to be honest.  

And oh my, Villeroy & Boch is beautiful!  Dinner sets, crystal ware, pitchers and decanters, vases, flatware, etc.  It is dreamy, a store that I could probably spend hours in.  Yes, I do say that about every home ware store, but it's the truth.  See, it doesn't take much to keep me occupied, ha!

The manager was really lovely and he shared little snippets of information about several of the items as we browsed through the store, for example this gorgeous bowl that we liked was just one of a few (I forgot the exact number now) in the world, now that's special!

I ended up picking up two sets of the crystal whiskey glasses and the wine goblets from their Bohemia range, they will be treasured forever!  There's actually a sale on now with most items in the store up to 25-30% off!  They also have a smaller second store in the Avenues located on the ground floor near Nespresso, if you see Starbucks, you've gone too far.
Gorgeous store, albeit expensive, but do stop by, even if its just for a little inspiration.

Just found out from the Kuwait Moms Guide facebook page that the Kuwait International Book Fair is back - November 15-25, 2017 in halls 5, 6 and 7.  The timings weren't listed but last year the working hours were from 9 am to 1 pm and then 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm with Fridays only from 4 pm to 10 pm so it might be similar this year as well.  Check out my post from last year here.


I'd picked up a few story books and craft books and though the prices weren't as cheap as I had expected, they certainly were a lot better than the very lovely inflated book store prices we have here in Kuwait.  Do not miss this!  Thank you for the heads up Kuwait Moms Guide!

UPDATE:

Heard on the radio today morning that there's an app for the book fair.  Unfortunately its only for IOS, but that's something I guess. 

I picked this up on a whim last week.  That's the problem when you have a Boots so close to work.  Its so easy to pop in whenever you need something on your way home.  In all honesty, I added this shampoo to my basket because of its mint green colour - you see, I'm currently slightly... well, that's a lie... more like overly obsessed with mint green.  From Baskin-Robins mint chocolate chip ice cream to mint green accents in my living room to a mint green cardigan from M&S.  I have a problem!  Anyway, the shampoo and conditioner targeted oily hair, which I have, so I decided my purchase was warranted and I did need a new shampoo.  

I've used the shampoo and conditioner for almost two weeks now and absolutely love the scent, it is divine!  Smells like a mojito, which incidentally was my first alcoholic drink, that is if you don't count all the glasses of grandma's homemade wine I downed as an under-aged teen.  Anyway, it smells fresh and promises a treat for your sensory organs.  

Colour and scent aside, unfortunately that's where my praises stop.  There's no cooling sensation which I had been promised by the sales assistant.  Hmpf!  The shampoo lathers initially, but the bubbles die almost immediately and you're left with virtually nothing to work with.  Now I love my bubbles and I want/need them.  I guess this means that there's less SLS in this shampoo and it should supposedly be better for your hair and scalp, but SLS is still listed as the second ingredient just like all my regular shampoos so there goes that theory.  

Anyway, in order to combat the fewer bubbles, I use more shampoo than usual.  On rinsing I'm left with squeaky hair as if I've just washed my hair with dish washing liquid, but despite the squeaky feeling, my hair still feels dirty.  It strips your hair of all moisture whilst not cleaning it at all.  Is that even possible!?  Rinse and repeat now becomes imperative and is no longer just a suggestion.  By now my hair feels as dry and arid as the Kuwait deserts and I reach for the conditioner in order to solace my hair.  The conditioner does replenish some of the lost moisture and my hair is left a little more manageable, but it just isn't enough.  My hair hasn't looked worse and I was left with dry, dull and dirty hair after every wash.  I've now resorted to applying a deep conditioning mask every after wash, the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mask is amazing by the way!   

Now that's sad.  I love how this is a Boots own-brand product.  A product made by a pharmaceutical  company makes me think that a lot of thought and research has gone into a product, hence a better quality product.  But, having to put in that much effort in order to make a shampoo work is just not worth it - a shampoo conditioner duo to miss.  

No shopping trip to Old Salmiya (i.e. the pedestrian-only area on Salem Al Mubarak Street) is complete without grabbing myself a baked potato.  It has become a bit of a tradition that will be kept with the utmost fealty for years to come.  

The potato stand is just inside the entrance of the building that houses Mahameed and all the little 100 fils stores.  I usually first pass by to order the potatoes and then pick up the baked goods on my way out as else you'll be in for a bit of a wait.  The potatoes are pretty basic and filled with everything that's not good for you, ha!  I'm talking generous helpings of melted cheese, a secret spice mix and monstrous amounts of mayo and ketchup, all of which transforms the humble potato into a culinary delight.  Forget the sour cream and bacon, this is the baked potato you need to try and for 1 KD a pop, why not?  Don't forget to ask for the spicy version!   

I have a few orange reds in my every growing lipstick collection - Lobster and Habanero from MAC (post!), the Pupa Volume Lipstick in 403 (post!) and an NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Morocco (post!) and out of all of them, this is by far the most wearable of the lot due to the rich brownish orange undertones this red lipstick has.

Whilst being a matte formula, Chili is oh so easy to wear!  The texture is soft and creamy on first application which dries down to a comfortable matte.  You will get an opaque finish with just one swipe due to the rich colour pay off.  Worn over a lipliner (I recommend MAC Red as worn below), I easily get up to 6 hours of wear time.  

While scrolling through my Instagram feed following a very disappointing visit to Kosebasi (post!), I spotted a post by nomsvilleme declaring the Adana Kebap from Iskender Doner the best she's ever tried.  ( Give her some love on instagram by the way, her food pictures are mouth watering!)  Now after a statement like that, there's no way I could not try them out for myself and off we went in search of Iskender Doner. 

Iskender Doner is located right on the roundabout near the Downtown Holiday Inn.  There's a lot of construction work going along and it took us two rounds before we figured out where to park.  (Get in behind the restaurant and there's plenty of parking space to the right of it)


The menu looked great and we ordered the Hummus with Beef Donner (KD 1.750) and we demolished this easily (and wiped the plate clean) with the warm kubboos that we'd also been served.  Portion size is a little small, the photo is deceiving, that is a small bowl!  But hey, if it tastes great, I'm not complaining.



Last was dessert.  We were confused about what to order and so we went with our server's suggestion - a hot semolina cake with ice cream inside (KD 2.250).  I forgot to note down the name of this dish.  The receipt says Helva, but I don't recognize the name and am sure it was called something else on the menu.  It sounded simple, but sometimes, it is the simplest of things that takes your breath away.  I think it was the combination of the hot cake with the cold ice cream that did it but this dessert was right on the money!  We loved it so much that we shamelessly ordered another and could've probably polished off a third had we given ourselves the chance.  Just a simple honest dessert with nowhere to hide.  A must order!

The restaurant is small with only about 6 tables inside, but a definite must try if you find yourselves in the city.  Affordable and delicious food, what more could you want?

I had been hearing so many good things about the Wet Brush for the good part of the last year.  All my favourite Youtubers had been throwing them into their monthly favourite videos and I'd been seeing them mentioned over and over again in blog posts.  But like all good things, I had resigned myself to accept the fact this was yet another item that I wouldn't be able to get my hands on in Kuwait and promptly ignored every mention of them thereafter.  

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when during the Centrepoint sale, a very bored colleague and I got out during lunch to see if we could grab a few bargains.  I wasn't even on the lookout for a hair brush, but when my eyes accidentally fell upon a swivel rack covered in Wet Brushes, it was all I could do to stop myself from giving out a little yelp.  My unbelief got the better of me though and I had to take out a few seconds to google the logo, the packaging, etc to ensure that these were in fact the real deal.  There are so many fakes sold here that you just can't be sure these days.  

After assuring myself that these were actually genuine, I then spent the next 45 minutes or so (no joke!  I'm bad at decision making) trying to make the all important decision of which brush to buy.  There were so many and each one had irresistible features.  Heat resistant tips, intelliflex, detangling, purifying, etc but in the end it was the words "100% Natural Premium Boar Bristle" printed on the back that swayed me!  I picked up the Wet Brush Pro Shine with its promise of healthier, smoother and shiner hair.  Now who doesn't want that?  

And what a game changer!  It seriously looks like your standard cushioned brush, but this will detangle and smoothen every single strand without any of the tugging or snagging that you'd normally associate with a regular hair brush.  Looks can sure be deceiving!  My girls love this so much that they now ask specifically for this brush and so many of my friends have gone out and bought it after trying out mine.  I've influenced so many sales that I reckon I should be paid a percentage of the profits!  Ha!

I went back to Centrepoint a few days later and picked up the Wet Brush Pro Detangle as well.  Both serve a different purpose I said to myself trying to justify the unnecessary second purchase.  

You see, I curl my curly hair with a straightener (what!?) and the Shine version is perfect for brushing through my curls and smoothening each strand out ready for the hot straightening plates, however once curled, the shine brush just does too good a job at brushing through my hair that the curls straighten out a little too much for my liking.  This is where the Detangle version fits in.  The bristles are spaced wider and they wiggle and bend so graciously that my curls are tamed while still staying intact.  

The Wet Brush Pro Detangle retails for just 4KD and the Wet Brush Pro Shine an even more affordable KD 3.5!  (I picked these up during the sale and got an even better deal)  By the way I'm going, I'm sure I'll probably talk myself into picking up the Blowout and Mini versions too, they're like Pokemon, you need to collect them all.  

Go pick up your Wet Brush at Centrepoint now.  Oh, and YOU'RE WELCOME!

The next two dishes we had ordered last time and had really loved both.  So when we were served the below, we were shell-shocked.  The Yogurtlu Kebap (KD 4.550 for 1 person, KD 8.900 for 2-3 people) was probably the better of the two.  It is basically Kosebasi Kebap with turkish bread on a bed of tomato sauce with thick creamy yoghurt on the side.  It wasn't a bad dish, but it just didn't wow us.  I just found it to be a little bland.  Meh!  

The Kosebasi Kebap (KD 3.850) could be ordered either mild or spicy.  We of course ordered the spicy version and were prepared to be blown away like we had the first time round.  Unfortunately we were just given two very sad kebabs that just tasted of meat.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, I love the taste of mutton, but these definitely needed a little more.  Where were the hand ground turkish spices that we had been promised?  There was nothing in those kebabs.  Definitely a miss.  Another dish I'd looked forward to and had been let down.