Jessica Simpson's Arrow Necklace Coming Soon!

We got to hand it to Jess, she looks good even though she just had a baby and recently announced she's pregnant with another one. Whoa Nelly! That's a lot of babies if you ask me...!

Jessica is on the cover of this week's issue of Scene Magazine wearing a really cute Gold Arrow Necklace, which you can buy soon on our lovely new site (www.lavalierdubai.com).

Vintage Jewellery From the Dubai Mall Kiosk

I just adore these ruby red earrings I bought yesterday from the Dubai Mall. And they only set me back 230 AED ($63).

Shopbop.com Review - Cheaper than the Malls

Here's another review of a online shopping site that sells items for MUCH less than the mall.

My co-worker recently ordered these black Tory Burch shoes for 50% less than at Harvey Nichols or the Tory Burch store.

Even if she wanted to pay full price, there are NEVER any sizes! Staple fashion items like black ballets flats are sold out instantly in Dubai so sometimes, you don't have a choice BUT to buy online.

My advice for shoppers in the UAE? If you like it, buy it on the spot or you might miss out!

I saw the whole process of her ordering and it was simple and easy. The shoes were delivered, via Shop N' Ship, in less than a week. The Shop N' Ship price for delivering this item? 80 AED ($22).

If you haven't checked Shopbop.com yet, you are getting ripped off by the malls! And the best news it's free shipping for international orders above $150.

But be really careful: there are customs and duties fees when your order reaches Dubai. I am almost certain that for any shipment with a price of 1,000AED ($272) and above, you will have to pay a certain fee.


Not sure how it's calculated but it won't be too much. For my Fendi purchase from MyTheresa.com, I paid 311 AED ($85) for a purse costing me 1,005 Euros.

Happy Shopping!

I Found a Staple in My Order From Soy!

Soy is an Asian restaurant in Dubai, located in Ibn Battuta Mall and JBR and I am writing this post after the crappy service I received today.

I ate at the Ibn Battuta location two weeks ago for the first time and loved everything about the restaurant. The food is yummy (but really oily), the customer service is great and if you are a Citibank cardholder, you get 15% off the entire bill.

Also, the prices are pretty decent.

I didn't think it was the cleanest place on earth, but I didn't complain.

So naturally, I took their menu and ordered from them. And what a mistake that was! I will never eat there again and I don't recommend you do either.

First off, the order was an hour and a half late. I called the restaurant about 5 times before anyone bothered to answer me and when someone finally did, the person assured me the driver will be there momentarily. And by momentarily, he meant a half hour after I called.

When I asked the driver why he was late, he made some mumbling noise and never answered me clearly.

Then, finally... when I was digging into my food, which was cold, I started chewing on something hard. I took it out and it was a STAPLE! As in the staple from a STAPLER!

What in God's name was a USED staple doing in the kitchen?!

I was shocked so I decided to write a post about it here and anywhere else we can comment about the restaurant because something like that can be really dangerous! Imagine this happened to a child!

Just terrible!

I Love Dragon Mall!

My husband and I visited the Dragon Mart Mall today for the very first time and we were kicking ourselves for not coming earlier and furnishing our house from there.

All the products are made in China and are really good quality with cheap prices! Some of the items are being sold at the mall for 20 times the price.

They have everything your little heart desires: from funky USB falsh drives to Jacuzzi bathtubs.  I saw a faux Chinese-made iPad today next to a 45 kilo safe. In short, if you can't find it at Dragon Mart, it doesn't exist! 

One of my favorite things to look for are the fake designer handbags. I was shocked by the amount of knock-offs being openly sold but I will be honest, they are not the best quality at all. They are not even close.

In general, I do not recommend buying fake handbags but if you must, do yourself a favor and don't buy them from Dragon Mall.


Check out some of my pictures below and let us know what you love about Dragon Mall in the comments section!

Prada Knock - Off

Knock Off Tory Burch

Plastic Hermes Berkins

Faux Fendi

Van Cleef & Arpels for 20 dirhams!

Fake Tory Burch Flats

Knock Off Louboutin

Hello Kitty Tee

Faux Carolina Herrera Wallet

Knock-Off Chloe Handbag

Another CH Knock-off

Nicolas & Jean Beauty Salon Review: Not Bad

Name
Nicolas & Jean Beauty Salon

Location
Media City, Media 1 Hotel, Ground Floor

Contact
Tel: +971-444-04828
Fax: +971-440-4827

Cleanliness
Overall, the salon looked clean and I didn't see anything nasty enough to blog about. No hair on the floor, no smell of chemicals and it was properly ventilated. During my manicure, the esthetician used new tools straight out the bag which she assured me were disinfected and sterilized. I am not sure if she washed the soaking bowl before she put my hands in there, but it also looked fine.


Quality of Services 
What I loved about this place is that they have a wide array of Essie nail polishes and that happens to be my favorite brand. It's nice to see a huge selection since not many salons have them because they are expensive.

Since I am usually in a hurry and hate to stay at the salon for hours, I really put a lot of emphasis on how timely they can get my nails done. And I was done in 45 minutes which isn't bad but I'd rather it be done earlier. 

My manicure was OK, but was sub par if you compare it to the price.

Customer Service
I was a bit late for my appointment because I had to finish a report and when I walked in, the receptionist gave me a really nasty look. She was frowning and mumbling and I couldn't even hear her. Basically, she was giving me major attitude. I know I was late and I should have called, but Jesus lady, crack a smile!

My esthetician was really cute and I enjoyed chatting with her.

Price
The prices are bit much but I guess could be considered reasonable for the Dubai Marina / Media City area. 120AED ($33) is typical for a manicure and pedicure but I didn't feel I was getting the star treatment.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Stars Without Makeup!

Just like this post about the worst celebrity beach bodies of 2012, here are some pics of celebrities caught off-guard without wearing a pound of makeup. Some look amazing and some... not so much!

The most shocking to me is Hilary Swank's face! Million Dollar facial anyone?