Simply the Best: The 7th Annual VIVA Beauty Awards Winners

We love makeup! Personally I get to experiment loads of beauty products all the time. Sometimes it gets overwhelming to judge the result of a certain product, and the whole thing gets mixed together with other products, let it be makeup or skin care, doesn’t it? Well, a little help every now and then is nothing but a bonus. That’s why I look for the VIVA Beauty Awards every year. Mostly to know if i’m missing on any good products some how, or just to know if my beauty routine is going on the right track.

Viva, the biggest selling women’s monthly magazine across the GCC, announced the winners of the 7th VIVA Beauty Awards, during a dazzling event which was held at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. The rewards went to:

Prestige
Best Foundation: Chanel Perfection Lumiére Velvet Smooth-Effect Make-up
Best Perfume: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau De Parfum
Best Mascara: Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara
Best Nail Varnish: Essie Nail Colour
Best Anti-Ageing Product: Clarins Double Serum
Best Hair Product: L’Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Masque
Best Face Moisturiser: Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30
Best Lipstick: Christian Dior Rouge Dior
Best Body Product: Kiehl’s Créme de Corps

Mass
Best Foundation: Max Factor Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation
Best Perfume: L’Occitane Magnolia & Mure
Best Mascara: Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
Best Nail Varnish: OPI Nail Lacquer
Best Anti-Ageing Product: Pond’s Age Miracle BB + Cream
Best Hair Product: TRESemmé Salon Silk Conditioner
Best Face Moisturiser: Olay Total Effects Day Cream
Best Lipstick: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick
Best Body Product: The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

Best Hair Salon: JetSet
Best Nail Salon: N.bar

Editor’s Choice Cult Classic: Chanel Allure Eau De Toilette
Editor’s choice Most Innovative Product: Philips ActiveCare Jojoba Straightener
Editor’s Seal of Approval: Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation

If you’re using most of these products, then you’re beauty routine couldn’t get any better, if not, maybe it’s now time for a bit of change. You can follow the hashtag on instagram #VIVABeautyAwards for more info on the event and the products, or, use good ol’ Google for heaps of links on any products you wanna know more about.

Lush Kitchen: Exclusive Fresh Cosmetics

This Springtime, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics are launching the Lush Kitchen to produce exclusive, pre-release and customer favorite products. A brand new concept, small batches of limited edition products will be made daily and available to purchase exclusively online. Products will then be sent out on the day they are made, fresh from the Kitchen!

You will also be able to view real-time updates from behind the scenes activity in the Lush Kitchen, with special events and expert Q&A’s streamed live through the new Lush.co.uk website.

For the first time, fans of Lush will be able to see the inner workings of the factory and just how the Lush Compounders (aka, cosmetic chefs) hand make Lush’s products, using the best quality and ethically sourced ingredients at their freshest and most effective. Everything about Lush is about what’s inside – from the fresh ingredients and beautiful essential oils used in their products, to the way they make you feel on the inside. By showcasing and exploring the magic in the transformation from source to product, customers will have access to the Lush experts in their craft and see the real, transparent and engaging way the products are made.

Follow the @lushkitchen to find out what we’re cooking up!

Nutriganics by The Body Shop: Fight the Signs of Ageing Organically

Specifically designed to address the first signs of ageing, the Nutriganics range by The Body Shop offers a full skin care regime – cleansers, toner, moisturizers and a deep cleansing mask – harnessing the revitalizing power of organic ingredients to visibly improve your skin.

Nutriganics products contain Community Fair Trade organic babassu oil from Brazil and Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera from Guatemala. They contain organic mallow flower and protective organic buddleja thyme from Switzerland, known for their antioxidant properties.

The products are available at all The Body Shop stores across Kuwait.

Tried & Tested: The L’occitane Beauty Box – July 2013

It’s no secret how much I love beauty products, specially skin care! I like to try and experiment every new thing out there, but I stay loyal to few brands that I know I will love every new product they will bring to the table, one of those is L’occitane en Provence; I love the quality and the obvious work they put behind each and every one of their products, both in terms of effect and the straight to point packaging.

about 4 weeks ago, I received the Beauty Box of July 2013 and I’ve been putting what came in it to the test before writing this post, so I can be as true as possible with my review. First up, Immortelle Eye Makeup Remover, and Immortelle Essential Water. My 2 favorite picks from the box, and I’ve been literally using them every night since I got them! The Immortelle Eye Makeup Remover is great for not only eyes, but also face and lips. It has a velvety gel-like texture that can be used with or without makeup, and most importantly, I does not leave an annoying oil layer on! Personally, I like to use it without water then wash my face after I’m done. It makes my face super fresh and clear. It almost feels like you wash your way to new skin every time you use it! After I wash my face, I pat it dry, then with a cotton ball, I wipe Immortelle Essential Water all over my face and neck, and voila, ready for bed!

Next in the box was Immortelle Brightening Moisture Mask. Honestly, I’ve got quite fair skin that I doubt could get any lighter, but with using the mask twice a week, I definitely felt my face was more evenly-toned and the pigmentation marks were lighter. It is an intensive treatment that gives skin a real hydration and brightening bath to help to preserve its natural youthful glow. Skin is immediately and deeply moisturized, smoothed, and more firm. It not only contains moisturizing agents, but also restructuring vitamin A, vitamin E, with anti-free radical action, and rice peptides for improved cellular nutrition and oxygenation. Its pure Immortelle essential oil boosts collagen synthesis and helps to stimulate microcirculation to enhance cell renewal. The only downside is the packaging; the jar allows too much air to get mixed with the ingredients each time you use it, which shortens its shelf life. But in general, it is a great product and very much recommended if you suffer from dry skin or uneven combination.

Now, the Immortelle Brightening Instant Exfoliator; basically, if you have dry and sensitive skin and you still would like to exfoliate, this is definitely the type of face scrub you would love! It brightens up your skin while leaving it fresh, soft, and hydrated! I’m usually very picky with face exfoliators and scrubs, and I love it!

The last item in the box was Cherry Blossom Eau De Toilette, a fresh and floral fragrance that is great for summer and day time. A top note that is sweet and juicy with Cherry and Freesia, a middle note that is floral and feminine with Cherry Blossom and Lilly of the valley, and a base note that is warm and woody with Amber & Musk. This fragrance smells just like the first days of spring!

To try or buy any of the above products, visit L’occitane stores at The Avenues, Al Fanar, or find their products at Tanagra stores.

Beauty Bar Finally Has a Store!

I’ve been ordering from mybeautybar.net since the beginning of time, and they FINALLY opened an actual store! I was thrilled, and decided to passed by as soon as I heard the news. Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with Beauty Bar, they are an online website offering beauty products such as Alterna, Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skin Care, Zoya, Cake, Urban Rituelle. I ordered from them so many times, sometimes got lucky and some others I didn’t end up liking the actual product! But now I can finally see the item before buying it!

The place is sunny, and very colorful; puts you in the perfect mood to get beautified! They have a huuuge shelf of Zoya nail polish in every possible color you could imagine!

Hemp hair products

And guess what? Tigi! And their infamous Bed Head line is finally available for all of you dolls!

The entire line!

Cake; heavenly scent.

Qtica spa line

Lashes, impress nails, press-ons, nails stickers, nails art, you name it!

Loved the impress press on manicures, dunno why I didn’t pick one, will definitely be going back for this baby

All the best Beauty Bar, you’ll be seeing a lot of me that’s for sure! Beauty Bar is located at Al-Shaab Al-Bahri, Block 8, Street 81, Faisaliya Tower, Ground Floor, and they are open from Sunday to Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm every day.

A Tour @Vavavoom Avenues Store

I got an invitation by the lovely staff of Vavavoom to tour the store and learn more about the products and the brands they carry, and to celebrate their social media kickoff as they launch their Facebook page.

Walked into the store, and from there into the events room, where they host different functions and special activities. first up, some yummy Dean & Deluca pass-arounds to start with.

After mingling a bit with the staff and organizers of the event, it was show time! Mr. Adel Al Shatti, The Marketing Manager, invited us to start the tour, and boy, does he know what he’s talking about!

We started with the budget-friendly section; Maybelline, L’oreal, Max Factor, Bourjois, Pupa Milano, Artdeco, Une Natural Beauty, Hello Kitty, and their latest addition, Nails inc.!

The second part of the tour was at ‘the dome’ – Perfumes’ lala land! All sort of brands, packages, & deals! A one stop destination for your fragrance shopping.

And now, the fun part, higher-end beauty stands or as they call it in Vavavoom: castles! Amazing range of products with some exclusive brands as well!

One of the brands they pride the most; Hind Aloud, a unique, luxury brand offering the richest quality of perfumes and oils presented in a modern elegant image.

Would make a gorgeous gift to a perfumie! Wonderful fragrance and amazing packaging.

Done with the store? Not yet! Moving a bit to the back, we were introduced to Clarins Men grooming room; a place where a modern man can enjoy some quality time and a pampering dose with a whole lot of products of his choice! Sweet!

Of course, not only men get to enjoy the products, women too! with more options and more rooms, you can not go wrong! with the help of their beauty experts, you get to try the product line of your choice before you make your purchase, let it be skin care products or makeup! And the cherry on top of the sundae? This service is free of charge!

And before we wrapped up, we were told one more really, really good news! Vavavoom will soon be launching their own line of beauty products! And they were nice enough to give it to us for an exclusive preview! I will be making a separate post very soon to tell you all about it! Stay Tuned!

Big thank you goes to Abdulhadi for the invitation, and to Adel for the amazingly informative tour! Looking forward seeing you guys in upcoming events. To stay updated with news and beauty tips from Vavavoom, like their facebook page, here.

Huda Beauty: Top Beauty Picks For The Month of July 2012