The demand for high-quality, authentic Italian food in the UAE is on the rise, and with it comes a whole new listing of Italian eateries who pride themselves on using the finest of ingredients available.

One such restaurant is Per Te. I just can’t seem to rave enough about Chef Glady’s immaculate Italian creations, and last Saturday morning, he was sweet enough to take me to his goldmine for Italian cheeses; Italian Dairy Products.

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Owned and operated by the very enthusiastic Mr. Leo Condemi who is an Italian national himself, Italian Dairy Products is located in Hamriyah Free Zone (Phase 2), Sharjah and is the only supplier of freshly made buffalo cheese in the UAE.

 Atelier-Flou, the luxury fragrance brand originating from France, has made its debut into the UAE and GCC market this summer, and I had the pleasure of having a brief chat with the founder of the brand, Jean-François Cabos himself!

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Atelier-Flou follows the age-old principles of perfumery, using the rarest of natural ingredients. The brand does not follow trends, it does not try to astonish or stand out. Rather, it lives by the principles of subtlety and elegance and prides itself for its unmatched quality. Read on for more on Atelier-Flou from the maker himself.

With a plethora of beauty brands in malls around Dubai, I’ve walked past my local Inglot store a number of times but only recently ventured in to have a play.

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Image taken from the Inglot website.

Stepping in, I transformed into a child in a candy store. The store is so vibrant with colours in every shade imaginable, and its all out there for everyone to have a play with! The lovely store ladies even give you beauty brushes to have a go as you please.

A Michelin star rating is akin to the holy grail of fine dining. It is a serious foodie’s Bible code, and topnotch chefs across the globe crave its approval.

But how did Michelin, a manufacturer of tyres, gain such authority over the world of food? Read on for its very colorful history.

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An image of the very first edition of the Michelin Guide (1900) taken from the dignet.com site.

If you’ve been following my previous makeup posts, you already know I’m pretty obsessed with the Too Faced brand, and the Too Faced Chocolate Bar eye-shadow palette has become a staple must-have in my makeup stash.

Today I tried out the ‘Haute Cocoa’ look from the leaflet that comes with the Too Faced Chocolate Bar.

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Looking for a chilled out space to hang out after a busy weekday? Add sea views, upbeat music by resident DJ’s, and lip-smacking contemporary Japanese cuisine, and Dubai dwellers in the know will, without hesitation, point you in the direction of Sho Cho.

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Established in 2000, Sho Cho celebrated its 15 year mark in the Dubai foodie scene last week. When asked what they owe their success to, the recipe is as simple as sushi: a great location combined with funky new-age décor, contemporary Japanese dishes that appeal to everyone including the non-adventurous, and unmatched customer service.

My last blog post was all about Movember, and then I rediscovered this cute little silicone chocolate mould my sister had sent me from New Zealand. These are moustache moulds, how appropriate for #Movember!

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It became our Saturday afternoon project, and my daughter is already halfway through the moustache stash as I type. Yikes! Expecting a major toddler sugar-high anytime soon!

The UAE is a melting pot of cultures, and living in Dubai we are spoilt for choice with some of the finest global cuisines. Yet local Emirati cuisine tends to get overshadowed. As an expat, I’ve devoured a number of delicious ‘mandis’, but my visit to Seven Sands restaurant this week has opened up a whole new world of Emirati cuisine to me.

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Located on The Beach (JBR, Dubai Marina) with stunning views of the sea, we would have never found this gorgeous gem of a place had we not been invited to try it out (for easy reference, Seven Sands restaurant is right across the road from Amwaj Rotana).

From the outside, Seven Sands looks like a black box, and even the entrance is around the corner. However, on stepping inside, I was mesmerized by the stunning decor. The interior design at Seven Sands restaurant pays homage to the glorious heritage of the Emirates, and has been blinged up with the tasteful panache that has put this region on the global map.

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Half way through the busy work week, I decided to treat myself to a facial. The lovely people at Kaya Skin Clinic invited me to try out a facial of my choice, and given they are conveniently located on the second floor of Mega Mall (Sharjah), I managed to fit in an appointment during my lunch break.

What is Kaya Skin Clinic? Created under the umbrella of Marico, one of India’s pioneering beauty goods manufacturers, Kaya Skin Clinic opened its doors in Dubai in early 2003. Combining the expertise of trained dermatologists and beauty experts with the customer service and care the women of the Middle East would expect from the high-end retail sector, Kaya Skin Clinic has built a reputation for their advanced, state of the art skincare technologies. Today the brand has over 18 branches across the GCC region.

Facials at Kaya Skin Clinic are therefore far more advanced as compared to your regular salon or spa treatment. They offer a number of facial packages that can be customized as per individual needs (more details can be found on their website link here). I decided to try out the ‘Kaya Ultra Youth Glow’.