Review: Gold Facial at the Kaya Skin Care Clinic

Have you ever had a gold facial? I'm talking 24K gold serums, creams and masks applied to your face in the most decadent manner so that you literally GLOW from the inside out. Apparently, gold can repair sun damage, lighten complexion, improve blood circulation and accelerate cell renewal. It is not just pretty to wear! 

A few days ago, I tried out the GOLD RADIANCE facial at Kaya Skin Care Clinic and was quite impressed by the results. 

The products used in the facial are all by ORO GOLD 

First, my face was cleansed and then lightly exfoliated using a microdermabrasion machine. My therapist then removed blackheads using an extractor but with no steam (ouch!). A 24K Vitamin C Booster Serum was then massaged into to my face followed by a heavenly facial and eye massage using 24k creams. Finally, a 24k gold and collagen mask was applied to my face. This was meant to infuse my skin with the energizing and antioxidant properties of gold to enhance my youth and elasticity of my skin. 

The end result? Super smooth and clearer skin for days afterwards.

 I have been glowing ever since!

About the KAYA SKIN CARE CLINIC

The branch I visited at Abu Dhabi Mall has a very 'clinical' feel 

with its corridor of treatment rooms which are very basic, clean and plain

Kaya Skin Care Clinic is the largest chain of skincare clinics in the Middle East. They have 19 branches across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The best part about them? They are mostly located in convenient locations like shopping malls with tons of parking. Each client is considered unique and receives customized treatment. You first meet with a dermatologist to decide on the best course of treatment for your concern before booking any of their services. Then trained therapists take over to give you the best possible results. 

Click here to learn more about the Kaya Skin Care Clinic

Have you ever tried a 24K gold facial?

Tulip Festival at Marc by Marc Jacobs

Last week I attended the Tulip Festival at Marc by Marc Jacobs at Abu Dhabi Mall. The event showcased the new Fall Winter collection which is covered in colourful Tulips. It was a lot of fun with a caricaturist who drew our faces on a Marc Jacobs Tulip Dress, a tulip planting station, a photo booth with props, and yummy catering. 

 I planted my own tulip at the Tulip Planting station - lets hope it grows! 

 I loved how the collection was covered in colourful tulips - everything was fun and very wearable. The tops, dresses, sweaters, and pants can very easily be incorporated into your daily wardrobe.

Exactly what you'd expect of Marc by Marc Jacobs!

 The main piece in the collection - a purple silk coat covered in tulips 

Even the yummy chocolate truffles we took home had tulips drawn on them! 

Koi Restaurant at the St Regis Saadiyat - A Review

It's always exciting when a new and Fabulous restaurant opens in Abu Dhabi. The newest one is Koi Restaurant, a Japanese fusion franchise straight from Los Angeles. It is located at the St Regis Hotel in Saadiyat Island and is a definite MUST GO! For once, I found a restaurant with good food that was PACKED and had a very fun and vibrant vibe. In Abu dhabi! There was not one empty seat in the place. Now that's quite impressive :)

The decor of the restaurant is very modern Japanese with wooden walls and floors, a full-grass wall separating the bar area from the restaurant, a sushi bar, and really cool ceilings and columns. While the atmosphere is quite serene, the blaring music gives the restaurant a great ambiance. 

The Lounge area was just as full as the restaurant with a lit bar along one wall and low tables.

Quite a few of the people were having dinner here as well as drinks

Now onto the important part ... THE FOOD!!

The starters are absolutely mouthwatering & are made to share!

Clockwise from top left: Salmon with truffles, Yellowtail with jalapenos, spinach & mushroom salad, seaweed salad (Yum!)

My favourite dishes were the sticky rice with spicy tuna, grilled eggplant & lobster tacos 

The Lobster Tacos are so good you won't want to share! 

Unfortunately, the sushi menu is very basic with the simplest of options

Everything we ordered had no taste - The salmon, tuna, crab & yellowtail all tasted bland

To make up for the bland sushi, we over-ordered dessert!

Clockwise from top left: Ice cream sundae, creme bruler, chocolate sauce & brownies, fresh Mochi ice cream.

Everything was delicious with the Mochi being my favourite!

I absolutely loved KOI and highly recommend that you have dinner there! While the sushi isn't so great, the starters are yummy and the vibe is very Dubai-like. It is nice to find a new restaurant in Abu Dhabi which isn't deserted for a change! 

There is a very extensive main dishes menu which looked appetizing. I am definitely trying it next time! :)

The restaurant is PACKED so make sure you book! 

02- 678 3334 

Have you tried KOI at the St Regis?

Galleria Mall in Abu Dhabi

I'm SOOOO excited!! Abu Dhabi FINALLY has a decent mall we can shop at - the Galleria Mall at Al Maryah Island. I visited it yesterday and was SUPER impressed! I was initially under the impression that all of the stores are only luxury stores. Instead, I found a really great mix of luxury brands with mid-range stores like Juicy, Hogan, Sephora, Tory Burch, Pinko, Diane Von Furstenberg and others that we can actually BUY something from!  

The Galleria boasts 100 stores and 25 F&B outlets. Fifty of the brands are new to Abu Dhabi. The stores that are currently available in the city have completely different collections than those at Marina Mall. Thankfully, they are more similar to Dubai and abroad with funkier and less classic stuff. 

Overall, the mall is very pleasant to shop at. It has a positive vibe, high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and almost all of the F&B outlets are at the waterfront. It's refreshing not to be cooped up within four walls with no windows like most malls! 

I found the mix of stores to be very impressive

The ONLY two stores I found missing are Starbucks and a multi-brand boutique 

Louis Vuitton is two FLOORS high

Christian Dior is HUGE with a collection that rivals Monaco & Saint Tropez

(Shocking!)

It even has a Magnolia Bakery from NYC! YUMM :)

Getting to the Mall is really easy - it is behind Abu Dhabi Mall. Right before the Beach Hotel, take the new bridge and you will be on Al Maryah Island. On the island, there are very clear signs to the mall. 

I am SUPER excited to shop at this mall and HIGHLY recommend you visit it soon!

Happy Shopping :)

New Asian Restaurant in Abu Dhabi - Li Jiang

Today I have VERY exciting news for my Abu Dhabi readers! A new Southeast Asian restaurant has recently opened at the Ritz Carleton Hotel (Link) - Li Jiang.  It's delicious! FINALLY a restaurant opens with the same high standards of food and service as Dubai restaurants. What is great about this place is that it is usually full, and the chef is quite accommodating to any dietary requests you may have. (I went with a Vegetarian friend and he created a yummy tofu dish for her that wasn't even on the menu!)

The restaurant is very Asian with dark wood and red fabric covering the walls. 

There is an open kitchen where you can see everything the chefs are cooking. 

The entrance is super cool with a hallway made up of lit glass bottles. 

There is a really nice bar area with a live DJ 

It is usually packed on weekends

The Menu consists of traditional Asian foods like dumplings, bok choy, & noodles. 

It also features a lot of decadent fusion items like wasabi prawns, lobster rolls, and 

crispy duck rolls (YUM!)

Everything is mouthwatering and super fresh - 

My favourites are the dumplings, crispy duck rolls, and wasabi prawns starter

 (I could eat the whole thing on my own!)

If you like Asian food, then you MUST try Li Jiang- it's so worth it!

My recommendation? Go with a large group of friends and share many dishes 

  CLICK HERE for more info & the menu 

Have you tried Li Jiang? Did you like it?

Mirabelle Boutique in Abu Dhabi

When someone invites you to a boutique based out of their house- you don't really expect very much. This was the case with me and Mirabelle Boutique. The owner invited me over and I went with zero expectations, quite skeptical of what I might find. I was utterly SHOCKED when I found a well-stocked boutique with fabulous brands from LA. It is set up so nicely that you even forget that you are in someone's house!

Mirabelle Boutique (Link) is a unique concept in Abu Dhabi, a city which caters to very high end shopping or low end. There are barely any boutiques which sell mid-range, affordable yet super cool clothing and accessories that allow you to stand out from the crowd. Everything at this boutique is from LA and I found it very hard to leave empty handed! Salma has great taste and it was a joy browsing through the rails of clothes and accessories. 

 In the centre of the room, there is a HUGE stand of every single cut and fit of jeans you can imagine with pics of all the celebrities who wore them 

I personally loved the large selection of flat, comfy summer shoes and espadrilles

They have everyday jewellery like thin chains and bracelets that would make perfect presents

I bought these cute, super comfy, amazing quality pjs 

Mirabelle Boutique is located at Khalifa Park, Bloom Gardens Villa 15A in Abu Dhabi

Click HERE for more info

Bloggers Event at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi

Last week I was invited to a Bloggers Event at the Avenue at Etihad Towers - the only luxury shopping mall in Abu Dhabi. They invited bloggers from Dubai and myself and we had a treasure hunt where we looked for items in all of the stores. The hunt was tons of fun and we had to find items in all of the stores with REALLY difficult clues.

For example, "Put me on and i may just help you fly away" turned out to be a blue dress from Givenchy with really long sleeves like a bird. "The scale and green shine of this bag will keep you happy all day" was a green 'Happy Bag' at Lanvin. I won the treasure hunt (yay!) and the whole experience opened my eyes to the many shops that are available in the mall. Previously, almost all of the stores were only located in Dubai and we couldn't find them in Abu Dhabi. 

Finding a pair of shoes in Abu Dhabi is almost IMPOSSIBLE and I was surprised that the Avenue has Manolo Blahnik, Lanvin, Givenchy, Giuseppe Zanotti, Salavtore Faragamo, Chloe, Tom Ford, and Versace stores for women. They all had great selections of shoes and clothes and were very similar to the stores in Dubai. I had previously thought that the mall only sold high end jewellery like Cartier, Van Cleef and Bulgari. I also found many stores catered to men's fashion which is DEFINITELY needed in Abu Dhabi!

The mall itself is built on two floors and feels very luxurious yet comfortable at the same time- 
It offers a very pleasant shopping experience

At the end of the event, we were invited to lunch at Fauchon and I had the most delicious salad with prawns and mango. YUM!!

I can't wait to go back and have it again :)

FINALLY there is somewhere decent to shop in Abu Dhabi!

Have you visited Etihad Towers?