tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19204394872057169932024-03-05T08:10:23.420-08:00TANNAZ LOVES ❤Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-36613496885011592092015-02-22T10:13:00.000-08:002015-02-22T10:13:09.987-08:00MY BARGAIN BUY FROM SAINT LAURENT <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I bet you never thought you would see the words "bargain" and "Saint Laurent in the same sentence, right?!" I have an obsession with handbags. There. I admitted it. Happy now? I should probably seek some sort of group therapy where we all sit around in a circle talking about our deep underlying problems that have led us all to be obsessed with handbags, but I'm much happier scrolling through Net-a-Porter creating my wish list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My wish list consists of a lot of handbags <b>waaaaay</b> outside my price range but a girl can dream. Over the last few years, Saint Laurent have really stepped up their game with the new creative director Hedi Slimane giving the brand a much more sophisticated look. I've had my eye on the Sac de Jour range for a while but at this stage in my life with my studies taking up any opportunity to earn some money, it's just not a realistic goal (first world problems much?)So poor little me sadly pushed the handbag to the back of my mind. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It didn't take long for me to forget about anything Saint Laurent until a recent trip to Bicester Village. For those of you who don't know, Bicester Village is an outlet store in the UK based in Bicester, Oxford selling discounted designer products. Bicester Village is a bit like marmite, you either love it or hate it. There are a lot of people who say that the products aren't as good or that there isn't anything worth buying and to an extent I do agree, but if you look hard enough you <b>WILL </b>find a gem; just like I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I wasn't planning to go into Saint Laurent but the prospect of getting my hair frizzy in the rain didn't seem particularly appealing so I went into the shop expecting to see all their wacky items that they must have pawned off to the outlet store because no one else wanted to buy it but boy was I in for a surprise. There in front of me was the Saint Laurent Belle De Jour Clutch!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's extremely unusual to see such a classic item in an outlet store so I was expecting it to be mega expensive. I was in for a shock when I saw that it was a quarter of the price of a standard Saint Laurent clutch. Although it was an impulse buy, I got an extremely good deal for such an iconic piece and When I went back to the store the price of the clutch had gone up by a few hundred pounds so they definitely knew they were selling it for much cheaper than they should have. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This clutch is such a classic staple item to have in your wardrobe and it's just one of those bags where you will use time and time again. It has enough space to fit all your essential items in and is durable enough to not have to worry about ruining it when you go on a night out.</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-24138930595220320112015-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:002015-01-28T11:58:56.863-08:00CHRISTMAS IN PARIS - DAY THREE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Our third and final day in Paris was on Christmas Day; so it was only appropriate that we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. According to The Independent, France is the least festive country in Europe and it certainly came across as no one seemed particularly bothered it was Christmas Day, nor did we see anyone wishing each other 'Joyeux Noel'. Nonetheless, we still had a magical day roaming around the cathedral and capturing the beauty of The River Seine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the free attractions that Paris has to offer, and although the queue may look like you'll be waiting around all day, it moves so quickly it only takes about ten minutes to get in! The architecture of the Notre Dame is extremely intricate and when you get up close, you can really see just how much work must have gone into its design. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I am in no way religious, but there was such a strong aura in the building with so many people reflecting and lighting candles in remembrance of loved ones. There were booths available for visitors where they could confess their sins, but I was on a strict schedule and I would have needed more than a few hours if I was to go in there! Throughout the cathedral, there were different activities that you could partake in such as signing the guest book and writing a wish on a piece of paper where you place it in a locked box. The extra touches that they added throughout the cathedral definitely made it an extra special experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Notre Dame is very reliant on donations by the public so there are a lot of opportunities throughout the visit to dig deep in your pockets and spare some of your holiday money for this historic landmark. They also have some extraordinary souvenirs with most of the profits going straight back to the church or different charities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After a busy three days, we were exhausted to say the least so we ended up spending the rest of our evening mooching around the side streets by the Eiffel Tower whilst eating Nutella crepes. Looking back on the trip, it was all rather a whirlwind fitting everything into just three short days but it can be done! I would love to come back for at least a week next time to really soak up the Parisian way of life as I feel most of our time was spent doing the typical touristy stuff so we never found any of the unknown gems that Paris has to offer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I hope you've enjoyed reading the 'Christmas in Paris' blog series and that it's given you some sort of idea on what to do when time is limited! Thank you for reading :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tannaz </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">x </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-33982582738048847812015-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:002015-01-11T10:02:05.069-08:00CHRISTMAS IN PARIS - DAY TWO <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Our second day in Paris also happened to fall on my birthday which is on Christmas Eve. Except for Christmas Day, it's probably the worst day you can have your birthday as everyone is too wrapped up in the holiday season to really do anything. I wouldn't consider myself as very "cultured" when it comes to museums however, I was desperate to visit the <a href="http://www.louvre.fr/en">Musee du Louvre</a> during our time in Paris. </span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> The Musee du Louvre is the world's most visited museum and it's <span style="text-align: center;">easy to see why. </span><span style="text-align: center;">The architecture of the museum is absolutely</span><span style="text-align: center;"> breathtaking and so Parisian, especially the Louvre Pyramid. Even if you don't want to visit the museum, I'd advise you to come and visit the grounds and surrounding areas as </span><span style="text-align: center;">it's such a beautiful part of Paris to spend a few hours in. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to explore the surrounding areas because we arrived quite late so I definitely</span><span style="text-align: center;"> want to come back here the next time I'm in Paris.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Off course the most famous attraction in the Louvre has to be the Mona Lisa. Word of advice, if you plan to visit this painting, make sure it's one of the first things that you do when you visit the museum. It was incredibly busy with a massive line going all the way to the back of the room and four security members trying to control the crowds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;">Luckily for me, I'm quite short and managed to sneak my way to the front pretty quickly. It seems that this generation is obsessed with the selfie craze so to my dissapointment, there were people everywhere with their selfie sticks trying to get the perfect shot with the Mona Lisa. I'm pretty lucky that I didn't get my head chopped off! Having said this, I must admit that I did take a sneaky selfie on my phone, but it just wasn't up to par with <a href="http://hyperallergic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/tumblr_ndakiwJSTS1rqgjz2o1_1280.jpg">Beyonce and Jay-Z's</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After spending a few hours in the museum, we made our way down to <a href="http://www.carrouseldulouvre.com/W/do/centre/accueil">Carrousel du Louvre</a>, an underground shopping centre adjacent to the museum where we spent a few hours shopping and relaxing before we headed back to the hotel. If you're a fan of L'occitane and happen to be in Paris, make sure to find a store as the prices are fairly cheap compared to the prices in England. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Our original plan was to head back to Champs Elysees for my birthday dinner after having a rest in the hotel but we were both so shattered we decided to find somewhere a bit closer. We ended up in a pizzeria five minutes from the Eiffel Tower (not very Parisian, I know) where we took good advantage of Paris' cheap wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Come back soon to see what I got up to on my third and final day in Paris! </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-80179184124039588622015-01-07T10:08:00.000-08:002015-01-07T10:08:16.199-08:00CHRISTMAS IN PARIS - DAY ONE <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As much as I love the Christmas period, Christmas Day itself can be pretty boring and as an only child with divorced parents, nothing particularly eventful ever really happens. This year my dad wasn't in the country for Christmas so it was the perfect opportunity for my Mum and I to go away on a city break. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After extensively trolling Expedia, we found an extremely good deal for three nights in Paris. Our hotel of choice was the <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-2175-mercure-paris-centre-eiffel-tower-hotel/index.shtml" style="font-weight: bold;">Mercure Paris Centre Eiffel Tower Hotel</a><b> , </b>a four star hotel right opposite the Eiffel Tower. For the price that we paid, I was pretty impressed with the quality and service of the Mercure Hotel as well as the fact it was right in the city centre. It also had great transport links with two Metro stations within walking distance.</span> My only complaint would be that the size of the bathroom and toilet were extremely small. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(the view of the Eiffel Tower from outside our hotel) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Our first day in Paris wasn't particularly eventful due to the fact we both had about four hours of sleep the previous night so we spent the afternoon exploring the Eiffel Tower and all its surroundings (feeling oh so Parisian. The Eiffel Tower really is breathtaking and is one of the most beautiful monuments I have ever seen. After strolling through the Christmas markets we stopped for our first dinner in a cosy Parisian restaurant. After not having visited France for many years, I was extremely excited to be able to order one of my favourite French foods, Croque Madame.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the evening we hopped onto the Metro and visited <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.24;">Cham</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.24;">ps Élysé</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">es, a boulevard in Paris 1.9km long consisting of all the shops and restaurants you could ever dream of. It's also home to the beautiful Arc de Triomphe. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">I wasn't intending on doing too much shopping in Paris, mainly because my suitcase was already full to the brim, but I was desperate to visit some French pharmacies to purchase some of their famous skincare products. Halfway down the boulevard we stumbled upon Monoprix. I'm not too sure how to really describe it as the shop was pretty mismatched and sold a variety of things from beauty products to tacky </span><span style="line-height: 19.8400001525879px;">souvenirs and granny underwear. In the corner of the shop was a little pharmacy which stocked some of my favourite skincare brands including Bioderma. Off course I had to purchase the B</span></span><span style="line-height: 19.8400001525879px;">ioderma Sensibio h2o Micelle Solution (which by the way, is absolutely amazing!). I paid just under 17 Euros for a pack of 2 which I'm pretty happy about considering they were selling the exact same product next to our hotel for 30 Euros! If you're on the</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 19.8400001525879px;">lookout for some skincare products in Paris, I'd definitely recommend Monoprix. I also made a few sneaky purchases at Sephora but I wasn't too impressed with anything on offer. I would say that the Sephora's in America have much better products and deals. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(sorry for the poor photo quality. It was taken on my phone)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stay tuned to see what I got up to on my second day of Christmas in Paris, which also happens to be my birthday! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-82303204821734053352014-11-07T10:16:00.000-08:002014-11-07T10:34:28.473-08:00THE BEST ADVENT CALENDARS OF 2014 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ho Ho Ho! Christmas is coming and I'm super excited! Over the last few years, beauty advent calendars have become a BIG thing. There are so many of them available on the market; from your high street brands to your higher end labels, they're all at it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I love the traditional chocolate advent calendar as much as the next person, but the beauty fanatic inside of me is lusting over some of these advent calendars big time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But it's not all about beauty advent calendars this year. There are so many different kinds available on the market for 2014 and this post is going to show you some of my favourite ones! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>1. Yankee Candle Advent House 2014 - £24.99 </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nothing screams Christmas like Yankee Candle releasing their festive range. This year, the Yankee Candle advent calendar includes 23 tea light candles and on the 24th day you get an extra treat with a votive sized candle. Their Advent House features some of its most beloved Christmas scents including Christmas Eve, Sugared Apple and Christmas Cookie!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I absolutely adore Yankee Candles Christmas collection and if you're not into beauty, I'd definitely recommend this one. There's nothing better than having scented candles lit during Christmas time. They smell so good and it just makes the whole place so cosy and homely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>2. The No7 Beauty Calendar 2014 - £35</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7P1nMbXeqspa_SYtYZzvO8vIA6io3Rf9degJVPAZGeHPPAnZ6VFFhSQsbxwu1L6OzA9Iw5p-c7H_8hQ5GCtsTex7Ff88A3xpHF-jjmxI9WYfFCXmCPYsRUxBt3PQVEOoGWMAlFOhbSkM/s1600/10426900_10152557763407763_7479016907588829315_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7P1nMbXeqspa_SYtYZzvO8vIA6io3Rf9degJVPAZGeHPPAnZ6VFFhSQsbxwu1L6OzA9Iw5p-c7H_8hQ5GCtsTex7Ff88A3xpHF-jjmxI9WYfFCXmCPYsRUxBt3PQVEOoGWMAlFOhbSkM/s1600/10426900_10152557763407763_7479016907588829315_n.jpg" height="506" width="640" /><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: xx-small;">(photo credit: boots) </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I truly believe the No7 beauty calendar is possibly one of the best beauty advent calendars currently available on the market. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Although boots did something similar to this in 2013, this year the beauty calendar features products only from their No7 range. I'm the type of person who likes to know what I'm going to be getting if I'm investing my money into something like this so I did a little snooping to see what was included and boy am I impressed! All the products that are included are a pretty good size for an advent calendar and there are so many different products included, my favourites being the high shine lip crayons and the skin illuminator. You really are getting your moneys worth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">At £35, it is one of the less expensive beauty calendars available on the market and probably one of the most impressive if I'm being honest considering that the products are worth £130. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So if you're going to be buying a beauty calender this year I'd get one now as it looks like they're going to be selling out pretty quickly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>3. Jo Malone Advent Calendar - £250</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo credit: Jo Malone) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh my goodness. Surely this has to be the Rolls Royce of advent calendars, right? This is definitely the best advent calendar I've come across this year and if it didn't have such a hefty price tag, I would have snapped it up a long time ago. I absolutely adore Jo Malone. From its unique scents to is luxurious packaging, they always get it spot on each year with its Christmas gifts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The advent calendar is in the shape of of a Georgian house and behind every box, there is a Jo Malone fragrance, body cream or another luxurious gift! Included in the advent calendar, is some of Jo Malone's most loved pieces including the Pomegranate Noir Cologne and the English Pear and Freesia Body Creme. If you're considering spoiling yourself this Christmas, this little beauty is currently available at Harrods and nationwide from the 10th November. </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>4. John Lewis Pillar Advent Candle 2014 - £8 </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63octQKUMMPwmMI1_q4NrBzfQ3mVByig5ALulnqQYH4lMLbdk_qvimbBwpX2yn81Ansumydp4I7nYIwOFilhcP82Bu_XjIitME3BLNQQHqUQYSRxOyZINu2gsY_abF4GPpkZppinz-Gs/s1600/233565015+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63octQKUMMPwmMI1_q4NrBzfQ3mVByig5ALulnqQYH4lMLbdk_qvimbBwpX2yn81Ansumydp4I7nYIwOFilhcP82Bu_XjIitME3BLNQQHqUQYSRxOyZINu2gsY_abF4GPpkZppinz-Gs/s1600/233565015+(1).jpg" height="640" width="640" /><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: xx-small;">(photo credit: John Lewis) </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So this isn't technically an advent calendar, but I just loved the concept of it so much that I had to include it in this post. There's nothing better than counting down the days till Christmas and I know being able to light this candle each day would make me super excited until the big day arrives. It's also a great accessory to have in your home for the Christmas period, making the place look super festive. At £8, you can't really go wrong can you? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>5. </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;"><b>Petite Treats 12 Days of Tarte Deluxe Collection 2014 - $37 </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo credit: Ulta Beauty) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tarte has really grown in popularity over the last year, with some of its products now being declared as a 'must have' staple in your makeup bag. Although this advent calendar isn't included in the UK, I had to include it because I love the concept of it so much. As someone who hasn't really tried many of the Tarte products, this calendar would be perfect as a way of trying out some of their most famous items. Although there are only 12 windows to open, I feel like the size of the products in the calendar justify this, and at $37 it is one of the less expensive calendars on the beauty market. Some of the products included are the Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Double Detox Amazonian Clay Exfoliating Facial Mask and the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hour Perfecting Primer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><b>6. Ciate Mini Manor Advent Calendar 2014 - £49.00 </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For the last few years, Ciate has been killing it with their advent calendars and this years calendar is no different. The best thing about this calendar is that it has such a variety of nail polishes that you can use all year long and it also includes different types of nail art such as nail art sprinkles. At £49, it is in the mid-price range among all the other beauty calendars. If you consider all the products that are included, it's an average of £2.50 per product inside.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It features 23 x 5ml bottles of nail polish with 1 x 13.5ml nail polish bottle and colours included are Celestial, Sloaney and Velvet Tuxedo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>7. Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2014 - £149 </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This year, Liberty has launched its own beauty advent calendar featuring some of the most luxurious beauty brands on the market. At £149, it's rather expensive, but the price tag isn't very surprising considering the contents of the calendar. This beauty calendar features TEN WHOLE FULL SIZED PRODUCTS along with other designer samples. Quite exciting, isn't it? With the calendar featuring £420 worth of beauty products, you're definitely getting your moneys worth if you do choose to invest your hard earned cash into this expensive treat. It has to be mentioned that the packaging of this box is just so beautiful, with the iconic Liberty Tudor store front being displayed on the front of the box. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>8. Lindt Bear Advent Calender 2014 - £9.99</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Last, but certainly not least, is the Lindt Bear advent calendar! If you're keeping it traditional this year, there's nothing better than a chocolate advent so you can satisfy your sweet tooth. Yes, it's a bit more expensive than your average supermarket advent calendar, but you do get your moneys worth. The box contains 3 bears, 3 reindeers, 6 Lindor mini truffles, 6 snowballls, 5 napolitans and a full size chocolate shaped novelty. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-39198708944566744652014-11-03T10:25:00.001-08:002014-11-03T10:56:57.466-08:00ATLANTIS THE PALM - DUBAI SERIES #5 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the Dubai Series comes to an end, it's time to share with you my favourite place to go to in Dubai, Atlantis the Palm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Atlantis hotel is probably one of the most famous hotels in the world and so it should be. I could happily spend a whole week there without even leaving the resort because there are just so many fun things to do! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's probably not every bodies cup of tea, in fact, I've even heard of people comparing it to a posh Butlins. But hey, you can't please everyone can you? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Personally, I'm not a fan of quiet hotels, especially ones that have no atmosphere and you feel like you're the only person staying there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Staying at the Atlantis was a completely different experience than staying at any other hotel I've ever been to. With a nightclub, multiple bars and even a water park, there were certainly no quiet moments during the trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There are just so many things to do at the Atlantis that it's easier to break it up into four bits, showing you all the places that I fell in love with there!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>1. Aquaventure Water Park</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Personally, I'm not one for water park rides as I'm a bit (ok a lot) of a scaredy cat. But this water park was just so beautiful with its palm trees and crisp blue water that I spent nearly every morning here on the little dingy bopping along the lazy river. And when I felt a bit more adventurous, I conquered The Rapids.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For all of you who are a bit more adventurous than me, there are some slightly more scary rides as well such as the Leap of Faith, and Shark Attack where you ride through a lagoon filled with sharks, scary right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I know there are other water parks in Dubai that are much more famous such as Wild Wadi, but I think Aquaventure is more suited for adults and is much more relaxed because there is a completely different section for children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Even if you're not staying at the Atlantis, it's worth buying tickets for the water park as you can use all their other facilities such as the other beaches and swimming pools that they have to offer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>2. Nasimi Beach </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Atlantis has two beaches at the hotel and boy are they different. I</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> only discovered Nasimi beach on the last day of the holiday and I wish I had spent more time there. The other beach that we were going to at the hotel was practically deserted and lacked some serious atmosphere. So I felt like I had died and gone to heaven when I came across this beauty. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nasimi Beach has everything that you could possibly need: sofas, bed loungers,cocktails, shisha pipes and even a live DJ. This is my idea of perfection when it comes to relaxing on holiday and it was open till the early hours of the morning when it turned into an outdoor nightclub. I can't even begin to explain how beautiful this part of the hotel was so I hope the photos above does it justice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>3. The Lost Chambers Aquarium</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How many hotels can say that they have an aquarium? Not many, right? I'm not a big fan of aquariums and had never been to one before. In my mind, most of them are pretty old fashioned with snotty kids pressing their noses up against the window (from what I had seen on TV). So it was refreshing to see a nice modern aquarium and they even had gold seats to relax on if looking at all the fish got a bit too much for you (how very Dubai). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's a bit strange to have a favourite fish, but the one in the photo above was the spitting image of me when I'm not very impressed with someone or something. It really creeped me out knowing that a shark was just meters away from me and all I could think of was the glass breaking in front of me(just a tad morbid). But that still didn't stop me from getting right up close to the glass watching all the stringrays and sharks floating right past me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>4. Saffron </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With the Atlantis having 23 restaurants, bars and lounges you're spoilt for choice really. If you do choose to stay there most of the deals come with half board so you'll end up going to at least a few of these places. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Saffron is an Asian style buffet serving food from all the different countries in the Asian continent. Compared to buffets in the UK, it really is shocking the variety that they have available. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In Dubai, brunch is a big thing. On Friday (the day of rest in Islam), expats from far and wide, flock in their masses to Dubai's best hotels for brunch where the alcohol is normally unlimited.Even if you're not a big drinker, I would definitely recommend brunching in Dubai as the hotels normally put on a big show seeing as its the most busiest and important day of the week for them. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Saffron is extremely famous among expats for their Friday brunches. With its unlimited food, cocktails, alcoholic drinks and even a live DJ, its the place to be on a Friday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Atlantis can be expensive to stay at. However, if you look online with some of the UK travel agencies you can find a pretty good deal. And if you book in advance, you can get it a lot cheaper than other less well known hotels in the area. I hope you have enjoyed the Dubai series and that after reading these posts, you now have places to visit on your list for when you go over there. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-77729307956396692472014-10-31T10:51:00.000-07:002014-10-31T10:51:34.594-07:003 IN 1 - DUBAI SERIES #4 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This post is going to be about three things that I love to do whilst I'm in Dubai. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Souk Al Bahar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Visit the Burj Khalifa </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Watching the fountains outside the Dubai Mall </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All three things are in close proximity to each other (and Dubai Mall) so if you're only in Dubai for a short stay, you could easily do all of this in a day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Out of all the souks I've visited in Dubai, Souk Al Bahar is probably the most 'touristy' souk I have been too; but that's not really much of a surprise seeing as it's right opposite Dubai Mall and is designed to attract all the tourists visiting. However, if you're in the area and want to get a feel of the souks Dubai has to offer, it's worth a visit. It sells everything from traditional Arabic clothes, carpets, Arabic sweets and the usual souvenirs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One thing Souk Al Bahar is renowned for is its nightlife. With plenty of bars, clubs, restaurants and shisha bars it's a perfect place to spend the night at if shopping isn't really your thing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><u><b>Dubai Fountains</b></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When you think fountains, you don't really think of</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> anything special do you? </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Well neither did I. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In fact, I was so adamant that fountains couldn't be interesting, that during my first visit to Dubai, I insisted that I didn't want to waste my time watching the fountains at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">However, my thoughts changed prettttty quickly after visiting the Dubai fountains. Every hour on the dot, for five magical minutes the fountains come to life with each performance and soundtrack different from the last. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Still sounds pretty boring doesn't it? Ok, so I get you can't really justify a water fountain being magical without any proof, so here's a snippet of one of the many times we stopped outside Dubai Mall to watch the them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The fountains are also rated as #2 for things to do in Dubai on TripAdvisor. That has to count for something, right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u><b>Burj Khalifa</b></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Last, but certainly not least, is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It's pretty breathtaking standing next to it and comparing its humongous size to everything else around it. No matter how tall you are, you're going to feel extremely small. Whether you go up to the top, or admire the building from ground level it's definitley something to put on your to-do list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you don't want to be part of the hordes of tourists at the top floor of the building, you can always visit the Armani hotel for dinner which is also located at the top of the Burj Khalifa where you can get some pretty good views whilst wining and dining. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-43034935856914765042014-10-29T09:24:00.000-07:002014-10-30T03:01:28.401-07:00DUBAI MALL - DUBAI SERIES #3<div>
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I'm pretty confident in saying that 99% of people who have been to Dubai, have visited Dubai Mall. Dubai Mall is everything that the city stands for. It's the biggest and most visited mall in the world and if you ever happen to visit, it'll only take a few minutes until you see a Rolls Royce or hordes of women spending money in Chanel like it's going out of fashion. Having said this, you don't need to be a millionaire to have a good time there.<br />
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Dubai Mall is massive. Seriously, it's god-damn big and you're going to need more than a day if you plan on going around the whole of the mall. It has got everything that you can think of, including an indoor theme park, an aquarium, an ice skating ring and even a gold souk.<br />
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For any of you shoe lovers out there, the Shoe Level District is A MUST. It's a massive section of the mall dedicated to exhibiting and selling the best designer shoes (I was practically drooling when we went in there). The way everything is presented is so luxurious and it just oozes glamour with some of the most famous shoes in the world displayed here in their individual glass boxes (the Christian Louboutin section was my favourite). They even have a Vogue Cafe in the middle of the shoe museum! You can't get more stylish than that, can you? </div>
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There is just so much to do in Dubai Mall that it's hard to write about everything there is to offer. It really symbolises 'New Dubai' with all the flash cars and designer shops. Whether you go there with the aim of shopping till you drop or you simply want to stick to window shopping (and some sneaky people watching) Dubai Mall is definitely worth a visit if you're going to Dubai.<br />
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Personally, I didn't buy too much stuff in Dubai. Compared to England, everything is super expensive, especially for Western brands. When I went into stores like River Island and Michael Kors, the exact same stuff they were selling in England were being sold for double the price in Dubai, so don't be fooled if you do plan on going shopping there! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-59082238219114566522014-10-28T11:25:00.001-07:002014-10-28T11:27:22.120-07:00Follow my blog with BloglovinHey guys, I've joined Bloglovin! Feel free to follow me on there :)<br />
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Lots of love<br />
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Tannaz <br />
xxxAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-81669839141454630462014-10-27T12:40:00.000-07:002014-10-29T09:03:53.804-07:00OLD DUBAI - DUBAI SERIES #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Visiting Old Dubai wasn't on the to-do list during our holiday. However, our taxi driver had different plans for us and insisted Old Dubai was a much better place to visit instead of where we actually wanted to go. Although at first, we weren't very impressed, it turned out our taxi driver was right.<br />
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Getting to Old Dubai was a bit of a challenge, especially if you're a scaredy cat like me. To get to the souks we had to go on an Abra which is a water taxi system that they use in Dubai. Although it doesn't sound too dangerous, it is essentially a very old wooden boat where they pack as many people on as possible. After the initial shock of realising I had to get on the boat, it did turn out to be quite pleasant in the end and it was nice to see how people really live in this part of the city.<br />
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If you do happen to visit Old Dubai, be prepared! Sniffing out a tourist is in their blood and you will be harassed to within an inch of your life, both by the stallholders and the men insisting that they have lots of Michael Kors watches to sell you.<br />
It's essential that you haggle when you go there. The stallholders aren't afraid to charge you extraordinary amounts in the hope that you'll be stupid enough to fall for it. In one stall, they tried to charge me 100 Dirhams (£17) for a small toy that I wanted to take back for my cousin. In the space of a few minutes, I managed to get it down to 5 Dirhams (£1) so it really goes to show you that you need to bargain with them.<br />
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However, Old Dubai is the place you want to go to if you're on the look for a good bargain, especially for gold and spices. There are also the usual touristy souvenirs which are a lot cheaper to buy here than anywhere else. After coming to this part of Dubai, we realised we had been ripped of big time at Souk Madinat Jumeirah for the souvenirs we bought there even though we thought we were getting a good deal at the time!<br />
There are also a lot of places here where you can buy traditional Arab clothes at a good price. If you do happen to visit Old Dubai, make sure to go in the evening as it's all outdoors so it can get pretty hot during the day. Another tip is to download a currency converter on your phone that you can use without any internet so you'll always know how much you're paying for an item in terms of your local currency (trust me it's helpful).<br />
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P.S sorry for the poor quality photos but I wasn't too keen on flashing my phone about!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-38076334150044448462014-10-24T15:39:00.000-07:002014-10-29T09:03:34.044-07:00SOUK MADINAT JUMEIRAH - DUBAI SERIES #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On my most recent trip to Dubai, I really wanted to immerse myself into the Arabian culture with paying a visit to some of Dubai's most loved souks.<br />
In terms of souks in Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah is extremely modern, with air conditioning blasting from all corners and even Western brands like Converse and Havaianas having their own little stores. But hey, we all need to take baby steps right? The souks in Old Dubai can be a bit daunting to say the least for a first timer, with men on practically every corner trying to sell you 'Chanel' bags and stallholders chasing you down the street when they realise you're a tourist. It's fair to say that it is not for the faint hearted.<br />
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Souk Madinat Jumeirah is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've been to in Dubai. with its camel toned buildings and greeny blue water surrounding the area it truly is a stunning place to spend the evening and should be on the top of your to-do list if you're a first time visitor to Dubai. It's also one of the places to get a view of the famous seven star hotel Burj Al Arab! </div>
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As a bit of a shopoholic (and a major sucker for tacky touristy gifts) I was automatically pulled into the all the little stalls selling traditional Arabic oud, shisha pipes and all the 'I love Dubai'mugs and fridge magnets that you could possibly want. </div>
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Most of our time was spent in this stall in the picture above. The owner of the store Zabi, was a young Afghan who had emigrated to Dubai eight years ago and was the most ferocious haggler I have ever come across; he was even worse than me! After sitting us down in his cramped stall and making us all some chai, the real negotiations began! In the end, we walked away with too much stuff we didn't need and a few freebies that I managed to haggle from him with my charming persuasion skills. </div>
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It's important to remember, that their job is to try and rip tourists off by offering them the highest prices so if you do happen to visit a souk in Dubai, all I can advise you to do is HAGGLE HARD and do not take NO for an answer. In most cases, you can get the price down by at least 70% and don't be afraid to ask for some freebies if you're buying quite a few things. I know this may sound daunting for us Brits who are oh so polite, but trust me, it will work if you are persistent! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1920439487205716993.post-6694550217552401652014-10-22T11:33:00.000-07:002014-10-29T08:52:54.493-07:00DUBAI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love Dubai. It's my concrete jungle, fusing the West and the Middle East into one big vibrant city. With only 13% of the people living in Dubai being national Emiratis, it really is a big melting pot of races, religions and cultures. The Middle East is often portrayed as an area deep in conflict with religious clashes damaging the lives of millions. Although this is the case with many countries in the Middle East, people in Dubai live harmoniously with one another, where you can see traditional Arab Muslims walking side by side with the liberal Westerners who have emigrated to the country.<br />
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Dubai is the Middle Eastern version of New York; the city that never sleeps. There is always an event to go to, a new restaurant to dine at or a shopping centre to satisfy your shoe habit. The city has come a long way to what it once was, a sandy derelict desert with certainly no seven star hotels surrounding the area. With the tall skyscrapers, the fast cars and super size shopping centres, it's hard to believe that thirty years ago, none of this existed. However, there is more to Dubai than the shops and five star hotels which so many tourists fear to go beyond.<br />
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In this five part blog series, I am going to show you everything I love about Dubai, both the old and the new. To anyone who is looking to travel to Dubai, I hope I can give you a little insight into all the fantastic things you can do in this ever growing city.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00768719135120344195noreply@blogger.com0