Matto Dubai: Italian Craziness at The Oberoi

Matto translates to ‘crazy’ in Italian, and this much-hyped new restaurant in The Oberoi Dubai, has worked hard on living up to this theme. The ambiance here is more in tune with a gastro-pub; the lighting is dim, a DJ revs up tunes from an amputated scooter, and a dominating wall displays this stunning graphic of a man swallowing a fish.

matto fish man

We walked in with our little 6 year-old, and felt a little out of place. This is not a family-friendly space, and given we got there on a Thursday night, the tables were filled with boisterous co-workers and doe-eyed lovers ringing in the weekend.

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Masala Pot: Urban Indian Cuisine at Bay Square, Dubai

I envy the people working in Bay Square, they are so spoilt for choice with foodie options. I’ve found myself revisiting this urban hub a number of times in the past few months, each visit for a totally different cuisine. Recently, we were invited to Masala Pot, a familial name that screams of fiery curries, biryanis and other subcontinental delights. They have a few branches scattered around the UAE, but I have never been and wasn’t sure on what to expect.

The restaurant has quirky-cool interiors, taking inspiration from newspaper cuttings. The walls are marked with tongue in cheek Hindi-English quotes relating to food, and everything here has a pale orange halo, so in tune with curries and the saffron hue of Indian patriotism. The restaurant looks more like a chic café, and the pricing here is definitely in line with this. A meal for two at Masala Pot will suffice under AED 150 easily.

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The Rise of Natural Beauty Products (Chitchat with GreenChicME.com Founder Vila Vasoodaven)

For centuries, women have been turning to nature for reliable beauty rituals, ones enriched with the power of natural ingredients that have only recently been hyped by marketing gurus in the beauty industry.

I for one love to experiment with churning up my own recipes. At other times, I explore the shelves of commercial counters. But then I discovered Green Chic, a UAE-based online shopping site that does the homework for you… the site curates interesting natural beauty brands in one place, all affordably priced and delivered all across the UAE.

But why turn to natural beauty products? What’s new in the market? And what makes GreenChicME.com a great site to shop at? Today I introduce you to the very lovely Vila Vasoodaven who gives us an insight on all this and more…

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Beauty Review: Cover FX Enhance Click Cream Enhancer (Rose Gold)

I got introduced to Canadian-born makeup brand Cover FX at the Sephora Middle East Summer 2017 launch, and have been contemplating on using the cute little Cover FX Click Cream Enhancer I was given ever since.

Cover FX Enhance Click Cream Enhancer Rose Gold Highlighter Review Dubai Beauty Blog Sephora Middle East Highlighter Strobing

I am not sure why I took this long. As a beauty blogger I get inundated with a wide range of makeup goodies, and this wee product was getting side-tracked to the back of my trials list.

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Beauty Review: The Max Factor Pan Stik Foundation

When it comes to foundations, I always believed a higher price tag would guarantee a better finish. I rarely use foundations, and reserve them for special occasions or a bad case of breakouts. I therefore have very few foundations in my makeup stash, most of which range on the higher end of the pricing spectrum.

And then I got sent a bag of goodies from drugstore brand Max Factor. With this came the adorably compact Max Factor Pan Stik:

Max Factor Pan Stik Foundation Review Dubai Beauty Blog UAE Lifestyle Blogger Makeup

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A Hearty Meal at The Coffee Club

“Where will I meet you?” At The Coffee Club ofcourse! With an affiliative tagline like that, this Aussie café chain has taken the global casual eating scene by storm! But don’t get fooled by the name, they have far more to offer here than coffee.

I don’t know about you, but I love a hearty, healthful breakfast… and can have it at any point in time through the day. There seems to be a dearth of restaurants offering all-day breakfasts in Dubai, and the ones that do have a pretty limited menu. Not the case at The Coffee Club! Infact, they’ve expanded their options under a new lineup entitled ‘The Chef’s Table’. Here is what I tried from the brand new menu:

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#Isadorable Makeup by IsaDora

Swedish makeup brand IsaDora is still relatively new in the UAE, although the brand was established way back in 1983. Reasonably priced, fragrance-free and clinically tested, IsaDora can be bought across a long list of retail outlets including Lifestyle.

I was recently sent this absolutely #Isadorable bag of IsaDora makeup, and got busy playing with my new stash. I even came up with a very doable, everyday makeup look and wanted to share this with you here…

IsaDora Makeup Review Dubai Beauty Blog UAE Blogger (7)

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Staycation at Centro Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

We went on a mini road trip to the capital last weekend, and decided to spend the last few days of Ramadan in Centro Capital Centre. Conveniently located in the hub of Abu Dhabi’s business district, this 3-star property has proven to be a very popular hotel among business executives. The pricing is very reasonable without compromising on the quality of the experience itself.

centro capital centre review staycation abu dhabi travel blog uae (10)

Infact we had a dejavous experience! Walking into the lobby, I mistook this property to be Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana And even told the receptionist I’ve been here before! When we stayed at Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana, we were upgraded to a suite but they don’t have suites in Centro Capital Centre. The bedding, the sofa and even the accessories look identical to our last stay, with everything being compressed into a smaller, cozier space.

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Beauty Review: The Melvita Pulpe De Rose Plumping Radiance Duo (New Discovery from GreenChicME.com)

If you’ve been following my Beauty feeds, you already know I have quite an obsession with organic skincare products. Although we are spoilt for choice as Dubai dwellers when it comes to retail therapy, there seems to be a dearth of high-quality organic skincare brands, most of which are accompanied with hefty price tags.

Well I have some good news for you… We now have a brand new online store that does the dirty work for us, and curates an ever-changing list of natural and organic beauty must-haves from every corner of the globe. Aptly named Green Chic, you are bound to find something for every skin-type and budget on this site: www.greenchicme.com

Melvita Pulpe De Rose Radiance Plumping Duo Review Dubai Beauty Blog Skincare Natural Organic Beauty Green Chic ME online shopping Rose Damask Rosehip Oil

Green Chic was kind enough to send me a couple of beauty goodies, both brands being new to me. Today I want to share my thoughts on the Melvita Pulpe De Rose Plumping Radiance Duo with you.

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Beauty Review: GOSH Primer Plus+ Skin Adaptor Chameleon

This Ramadan, GOSH Cosmetics launched a whole new range of fantabulous makeup. This great value Danish brand makes makeup super easy and accessible to every woman, and is available across a wide number of outlets across the UAE.

One of my favorites from the generous pileup of brand new GOSH makeup I received is the GOSH Primer Plus+ Skin Adaptor Chameleon.

GOSH PRimer Plus Skin Adaptor Chameleon Review.jpg

Named after nature’s very own color-adapting chameleon, this creamy white primer has the ability to adapt to any skin-tone, making it a ‘one product for all’. But this is just one of the many features of this multi-tasking product. Read on for more…

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