GlamBox + The Face Shop UAE

GlamBox has partnered with The Face Shop UAE to bring out their first all-natural box for November '14. I was invited to the announcement event at St. Tropez Bistro (Mall of the Emirates) and was quite excited to have a look at their beauty and skincare products!

GlamBox is a monthly subscription box that delivers a selection of beauty samples to your doorstep. I've been a subscriber for over a year now and have discovered some great products through them! (and I also love receiving mail!)

The Face Shop is a Korean brand that specializes in beauty and skin care products for women, men and even children. They have separate ranges of all-natural products based on your skin type/needs - mango seed for dry skin, chia seed for oily skin and white seed for uneven skin tone/brightening.  They also had a special sun care range that would provide the right kind of protection for your skin type.

Apart from the variety of all-natural face masks, they also had some interesting nail packs and foot masks/patches on display.  

Some of their packaging was so cute - look at how adorable these hand creams are! They have a very light texture and smell delicious.

We received a tube of these daily perfumed hand creams in the GlamBox goodie bag, can't wait to try that out. I definitely foresee them being a handbag staple!

Here's some more adorable packaging - their blush and eyeshadow products! I tried out some of the eyeshadows and noticed that the pigmentation was quite low - I had to pack on quite a bit to achieve an effect. So, keep that in mind if you're looking for something strong.

Overall, it was a lovely afternoon spent with GlamBox and The Face Shop UAE! The event was well organized and I really had the opportunity get to know the products and the brands.


They have stores across the Emirates, so find the one closest to you using the store locator and go check out some of their products.

For you GlamBox subscribers, you'll be getting some samples very soon in your monthly box. If you're not a GlamBox subscriber as yet, subscribe now using the code 'THEFACESHOPUAE' and the first lucky 20 subscribers will receive the Face Shop box along with their first box!

Let me know what are some your favorites!

Mona xo

You know it's winter in the UAE when..

I feel that winter here in the UAE is basically what is spring season around the world. Beautiful cool breeze, blooming flowers, gorgeous warm sunshine.. it's truly a magical time. I can't help but smile even on a crappy day when I am outdoors these days. (I'm losing my edge)

Here's my take on when you know it's winter in the Emirates:

1. You experience the eagerly awaited sandstorm 

2. Weather reads below 35C. (Brace yourself for car dashboard/phone app temperature readings on Instagram)

3. Global Village is open for business! 

4. You see some seriously pimped out cars adorned in UAE paraphernalia. Yep, it's time for National Day alright! 

    

5. You see beautiful fluffy clouds in the sky.

6. You manage to have all your makeup (and face) on from point A to point B. 

7. You need to plan ahead to get space at a park/beach or for that matter, even make plans to go to a park/beach.

8. Your cold water tap is actually giving you cold water (and it doesn't matter)

9. Your steering wheel doesn't burn your hands.

10. Your shades/glasses don't fog up when you get out of a car/building. And you don't look like this. 

When do you know it's winter in the UAE? What's your favorite winter activity?
Leave a comment below or tweet me @MonaGir!

Mona xx 

Meet Illis

It's been over a year since we adopted doggie extraordinaire, Illis, from K9 Friends and words can't describe what an incredible change he has brought to our lives! He's been just the best, most wonderful, beautiful addition to our family. Here's Illis! (lots more where that came from - my Instagram)

Are we there yet? #dogs #dubai #uae

A photo posted by Mona (@monagir) on Aug 8, 2014 at 4:29am PDT

When we first went to K9, we met with doggies based of their evaluation of those that would be good for a family like ours who live in an apartment and don't have other dogs at home. Illis was the first doggie we met, a little old man with the most beautiful brown eyes. He's possibly between the age of 7 - 9 years right now, no official record of birth date.

We fostered him for a few months before the official adoption just to see if my family could adjust to having a pet in the house. But as you can imagine, Illis truly melted everyone's hearts and souls. We  decided to leave his name as is because he responds to it well.

Even after all these months, he still continues to surprise us every day with how well-behaved, kind, gentle, grumpy (good kind) and loving he is. The end of my every day is so much better knowing that I'm coming back to his waggy goodness.

A photo posted by Mona Girish (@monagir) on Jun 6, 2014 at 5:36am PDT

K9 Friends is doing such a fantastic job in rescuing and taking care of abandoned dogs like Illis in the UAE for so many years now. They've just launched a campaign to raise funds for rebuilding their kennels. I'm donating as much as I can to do this campaign and urge you to do so as well.

Here's the link to their campaign page: http://bit.ly/K9Campaign

You can also help by fostering/adopting a furry friend and giving them a forever home. If you go on to the K9 Friends Facebook page, they have albums which feature puppies and dogs that are available for adoption. All the info you would need regarding the process for foster/adoption is available on the K9 Friends website.

Have your own foster/adoption story? Please share in the comments below and would love to see a pic as well! 

Mona xo