Friday 29 July 2016

TRAVEL DIARY: DUBAI



Soooo finally I got some spare time to write about trip to Dubai. Ok, it's only been 10 day that I'm back in London, lol. 
When I was in Dubai I've had so many thoughts about what I wanna write in the blogpost, but I have't even written down notes so I hope I will remember them all now. I was extremely excited for this trip as I was going with my boyfriend, so obviously I was counting down the days like a child until Christmas, lol. Last time I went to Dubai, which was last year December, I only went for a few days but the weather was just perfect then. This time it was crazy hot and I didn't even realise that it'll be that hot until I arrived there. One step out the hotel and you basically can turn around and go shower again, lol. But I noticed at this time of the year people don't leave the house too much during the day. They start they days late and end them late as well, even with their kids, but it's understandable as this is heat was barely tolerable. One of the first days we decided to take a walk to Dubai Mall as our hotel wasn't far from there and we noticed that almost no one was on the street and it's really not pedestrian friendly because everyone takes the car or the taxi there. For someone like me living in London it's not quite understandable but I guess that's how they do it there. This was the first and only time we went for a walk, haha. 

We stayed at the Novotel World Trade Centre. It's a nice 4 Star Hotel for a reasonable price, as I think. They have amazing room service btw and I was eating waffles for 10 days straight every morning without getting sick of them, LOL! When I told people that I'm going to Dubai, they immediately asked at which hotel I'm gonna be staying and probably expected me to say the Atlantis or Kempinski, lol. Nah! I guess when you're more than well off, it won't hurt you to stay at these hotels and spend a fortune but I think a 4 star hotel is more than fine and you can spend your money on activities and nice dinners. 

Speaking of activities, my favourite one was the waterpark at the Atlantis hotel. Everyone who visits Dubai should go there! I haven't had that much fun in a while and it was just like we're kids again, lol. This waterpark has the craziest slides and there's one slide, where I literally thought I'll have to die. It was the scariest slide I've ever been on as it was so steep and you don't even expect that when you stand there waiting in the queue. There was a girl in front of me screaming like crazy and I was just like "Oh she's just exaggerating!" But I guess I was wrong... I myself screamed like a little baby! Haha! When I arrived down in the pool, I was literally in shock laughing out loud, which was a little embarrassing as there was only a lifeguard and no one else - but I guess he has seen worse, lol. We didn't take any pictures as we were too busy having fun but I can only recommend it! It's number one on the "must visit" list. 


What I love about Dubai is the architecture! There's not a single building that looks like another one. It is so diverse and creative built, it's amazing! I especially noticed that everything is so detailed - and I love details! Everywhere you go, you notice that they're trying to keep up the highest standard, if it's buildings, cars, streets or service, it's on point. 



We went all the way up to the 148th floor at the Burj Khalifa and the view was breathtaking. It is already an amazing experience only being in the elevator on the way up there. It's just exciting and everyone is so keen to get out the elevator. When we arrived, we were offered drinks and little fancy pastries and the interior design was elegant and tasteful. Every little detail was on point. When you're up there it doesn't feel like you're actually that high at first but when you look down and try to see cars and people, you'll be shocked. It's an amazing experience and can be very romantic if you go with your partner. 



Obviously we had to spend a day at the beach even though it was unbearable. I basically forced my boyfriend to go with me and we were sitting there melting like ice cream. Even the water was so warm, that it didn't refresh you, lol. I didn't even last 1 1/2 hours. That's the reason why I have basically no tan because most of the time was spent inside the mall, restaurant or hotel. Next time I know better, haha. The JBR Beach at Dubai Marina is very nice though. There were not too many people and it was nice and clean. They even have changing rooms and showers. 
At his point I would like to tell you guys, what I didn't like about Dubai because when I was at the beach on my way to the changing rooms in my maxi dress, I saw a little family of 3 people, mother, father and son, looking at me like I was a prostitute who was basically walking around naked. And I was fully covered. At the beginning I only thought it was men who have a staring problem there, but it's also women, most likely locals. In my head I was always like "Have they never seen a woman before? Do they want a picture with?" Maybe it's not their culture or religion to walk around in normal clothes but in my opinion Dubai is mainly built for tourists and foreigners, so people need to act like that as well, not only lay it out like that. I respect their culture but it's not like I was walking around half naked. Nonetheless people are very friendly and always try to help out.






On one of hour last days, I planned a trip to Abu Dhabi to visit one of my friends from back in Uni who lives there now. It's not even that far, the bus took like 1 1/2 hours one way and is quite cheap. Abu Dhabi is very nice, much smaller and quieter. And I didn't see anyone starring, lol. 
There was not much time, so we had lunch together and then visited the Emirates Palace, where I had a Cappuccino with real gold leaves on it! Lol.. Now I at least know that gold tastes like nothing. Some things are just not meant to be eaten, I guess. Oh well, it's something you can do once in your life. The decoration inside was stunning and everything was golden. Building this hotel must've cost a fortune. I was pretty amazed by the bathroom as well. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it, but you'll see for yourself when you visit. 





Obviously we had to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This is actually what everyone'y going to Abu Dhabi for and it was just as impressive and beautiful as I pictured it, if not even more. When you enter, you just feel the vibe, it's so peaceful and calm. It was only opened in 2007 and was built in the Mughal/Moorish architecture. This is actually number 2 on my "must visit list". It's something you should just experience and I promise you won't regret it for the single reason that the mosque is just beautifully built.

At this point I will finish this post. I really tried to keep it short guys! Dubai and also Abu Dhabi are both definitely worth a trip but I recommend winter time because of the heat.
I hope you got some important info from it and you'll enjoy as much as I did if you ever go there.

Love, Drea
xxx









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Tuesday 26 July 2016

Season's Favourite!


How did I live without this dress? I've been looking for a white summer dress for ages! I don't even know how many dresses I tried on because as y'all might have noticed, I don't wear too much white for the simple reason that I'm just too clumsy, lol. If it's not make up on in when I just put it on, it's spilled food, drink or anything else on it. Haha! But for this holiday I thought I should give it a try and wear something special. This dress absolutely caught my heart when I tried it on for the first time! It was even prettier wearing it than just seeing it online. I love anything lace up and this is a perfect one and you don't have to be worried about anything showing as the gap is not too big. A flowy dress on a hot summer night enables you to move around the way you want without feeling sticky and sweaty as there's always air flowing through. I like that it's asymmetric, so kinda midaxi dress, if you can call it like that. The back is longer than the front and when you walk, it looks like you're wearing a cape or maybe even a wedding dress, haha! The back has a cute detail in form of one strap, which makes the whole strappy beach dress look complete. 
I wore the dress with nude flat sandals to keep the holiday/beach look up and a nude clutch in order to keep all the attention entirely on the dress. No need to dress up in heels with this dress, as it's already an eye-catcher itself.
If you guys love it as much as I do, you better rush to the website, it's on Sale :)

Love, Drea
xxx

Details

Dress: Missguided 
Sandals: Asos
Clutch: Dune London








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Stripes, Stripes, Stripes...


As a lot of you guys like this outfit, I decided to put a post on it to let you guys know where I got it from. I totally fell in love with this pleated & striped two-piece when I walked into the shop and even more when I tried it on. I just love comfortable clothes on a hot summer day and since I was in Dubai, it was CRAZY hot! Besides the comfort of the outfit, it is very figure flattering and the stripes make my legs look longer than they actually are. Yay to that, lol! You just can't go without stripes this season and I'm always looking for some statement pieces when it comes to trends. The top comes without the the knot but to mix things up, I knotted the top in front, which shows a little skin and you can easily wear it to go our with friends, put on some heels and you're good to go. When I wear it to work, I just wear it down with some sandals - and both looks nice! I haven't tried it yet, but I can imagine it also looks really nice with some white sneakers, like Adidas Superstars or Stan Smiths. 


As I was on holidays and I wanted to be a little extra, I chose Perspex heels and a matching translucent clutch bag. Yes girl, you got that right, I had to get a pair of those heel! I'm so in love with this trend and you can really wear them to any outfit as there aren't any colour restrictions. And same with the clutch. It has another little inside bag for the smaller pieces or change so that nothing will get lost and for ONCE you'll find everything in your bag immediately as you can already see it from outside and don't have to dig in your bag for ages. We all know the struggle. 

As I'm very much into rose gold these days, I picked accessories accordingly. I remember wearing chokers in my teenage days and now I actually can't believe that they're back, ha! I was sceptical at first because there used to be a time where I already wore them but this rose gold one was the first one I bought after years and years. It matches quite well with my sunglasses, so it was a perfect fit.

I hope you guys like my post and let me know how you wear your stripes this season.
Leave a comment!

Love, Drea
xxx


Outfit details

Two-piece: Bershka
Perspex Heels: Public Desire
Clutch Bag: Zara
Choker: Topshop
Watch: Michael Kors
Sunglasses: Celine



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Thursday 21 July 2016

Dusty Pink Pleats


When you guys thought I'm over with pleats - oh you were wrong, LOL. Still an obsession and will probably be throughout fall and winter. So be ready! 
Sending you some love from Dubai at this point! It is blazing hot during the summer time in the UAE, that's why I chose to go for a flow mdi dress for our trip to Abu Dhabi. The weather is very humid and 43 degrees will basically ruin your outfit as soon as you step out. Clothes will stick to your body and I don't even want to speak about makeup, there's no need to put any on, lol. Nonetheless, I love me some heat! It's hot but I'm loving it compared to the typical London weather, it just needs some time to adapt to it. 
Anyways, let's take a moment and appreciate this gorgeous colour though, dusty pink with a bit of shiny glam. It's very girly but as y'all know, I have a thing for girly clothes. I got this dress in my obsession for pleats thinking I need more and more of them, I'm literally obsessed, lol. Don't judge me please! Anyways, this dress made me feel very comfortable as it wasn't too tight and it is easy to move around in it. The shiny pleats reflected beautifully in the sun and the belt detail was perfectly flattering for my curvy figure. This dress is probably meant to be a party dress as it's shiny and classy and well to wear to an occasion as it can be dressed up with heels and a clutch for like a nice dinner or even to a bar but I thought, hey, why not just wearing it during the day as a cute summer dress and dress it down with some sandals! A cute cross-body bag would've been great, too, but my suitcase was already overweight, haha! I didn't feel overdressed at all and I was really feeling the colour. Sometimes you can just break the rules and do whatever you feel like instead of listening to what certain things are meant to be or look like. It's all about how you feel comfortable in and what you like. People will have an opinion either way so might as well just do you, boo boo!

Love, Drea
xxx


Outfit details:

Dress by Topshop
Sandals by Asos (similar here)



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Tuesday 12 July 2016

Farfetch Blogger Yoga & Breakfast Event - The Shard


I'm a little late but I have to tell you guys about the other weeks' Bloggers event! 
I'm definitely one of those people who love to do Yoga but actually never have the "time" to do it, lol. It is nice and relaxing but it's hard for me to just switch of my brain off and enjoy it... I need to work on that though. When I get my workouts in, it's mostly my boxing class, a spin class or interval training on the treadmill, but Yoga is usually not my list. I was really able to relax though and I felt very good afterwards. 

Anyways, I couldn't let the opportunity pass to have a Yoga session on the 72nd floor (!!!) of The Shard by an awesome from Yogasphere. The view was incredible and it's definitely something I can recommend! I've been there before about a year ago but a yoga session up there is clearly on another level. When I was invited by Farfetch to the Yoga session followed by an amazing breakfast at the Shangri-La Hotel/Restaurant, I was over the moon. This was definitely my highlight of the year in terms of Blogger events and this was just my type of networking event!  

The Farfetch team introduced the new trends for the next season to us and discussed future collaborations, while enjoying the delicious healthy breakfast. We were gifted a personalised gift bag, which was put together with love and thought. Farfetch has become one of my favourite brands in a short time as the brand values match with my idea of an ideal brand and I love how versatile the brand works. 


I have to confess, I'm not the biggest extrovert honestly I get shy and quiet on networking events and I'm always pushing myself to step outside my comfort zone. I'm trying my best but sometimes it just doesn't go the way I want. This networking event was quite intimate though as we were sitting on round tables (which helped a lot)  and I had the pleasure to sit with Patricia Bright and Melissa Holdbrook-Akposoe - this made my day! Unfortunately I couldn't stay too long but it was good to exchange ideas with other fellow bloggers and especially the more experienced ones. Networking is a big part of my role as a blogger and I'm trying to attend as many events as possible to step out of my comfort zone.

How do you guys get along on networking events? Leave me a comment about your experience! 

Love, Drea
xxx







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Thursday 7 July 2016

Farfetch Bloggers Breakfast


Thanks to Farfetch I had an amazing time at last weeks Bloggers Breakfast at the Boundary Rooftop Bar in London, Shoreditch. I haven't been to this place before but we had an amazing view over the area from there and as it got a little chilly, the rooftop bar was easily transformed into a winter garden as it is surrounded by glass. Lauren made it happen for some bloggers to get together and exchange opinions and ideas about blogging and fashion and also to brainstorm for future cooperations. It was a great networking event and I met some lovely fellow bloggers. While we were introduced to the brand, we had an amazing breakfast. There wasn't much choice on the menu but there was a little something for everyone on it and I chose a healthy salmon and scrambled egg breakfast with rye bread and fresh orange juice.


In case you haven't heard about Farfetch yet, it is an e-commerce store offering luxury fashion from over 400 fashion boutiques and over 1000 different labels. The clothes will be directly shipped from the boutiques from all over the world. Definitely have a look at the website, they have some great offers at the moment and I myself just ordered a little something, keep your eyes open!
Photo Credit: NatashaCox
Everyone was gifted with an amazing goodie-bag with loads of useful stuff in there and a special gift.
I'm very grateful for all these great opportunities and this was definitely one of the best events this year. 

Let me know if you've shopped at Farfetch yet and how your experience was :)

Love, Drea
xxx

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