Dubai lookbook

I didn't take pictures specifically for a blog post but I thought I'd incorporate it with what I did on my holiday. It was so hot most of the time was spent inside but if any of you have been to Dubai or countries with similar cultures you'll know that people there aren't used to seeing women uncovered so I tried to cover up to avoid all the stares. This was mine and my boyfriends first holiday together so we packed in as many things as possible.

So firstly we went to the shopping mall and went bowling. I wore an off the shoulder top from primark £3.00 (It also comes in white) with loose high waisted trousers from a shop in dragon mart.

This picture is of us in the biggest sweetshop in the world that's located in Dubai Mall. I'm wearing a miss selfridge crop top (£8), zara trousers (£25.99) and topshop sandals (£30).

Next is me on the podium at ferarri world wearing a white topshop shirt (£10), black shorts and mint green vans. 

The day we went to Alain zoo and up the mountain was by far the hottest day but  I still had to make sure I was covered properly so I wore a pashmina over my shoulders too. The top was from new look  as were the sandals (£15?) and the trousers were from Dorothy Perkins (£5).

In the picture below we went up the Burf Khalifa (the tallest building in the world). I was wearing a white lace dress from Topshop with my brown Topshop sandals (£30) along with my pashmina and Michael Kors handbag.

I look like such an idiot in this picture and have no clue why I was looking at the camera in this pose but I was. Here we were on a boat which travelled along the creek as we had dinner.  I was wearing a Miss Selfridge top (£10) and my black shorts with my black new look sandals.

This final picture is from our two year anniversary. Callum took me to the Burj al Arab for afternoon tea. If you get the opportunity I would 100% recommend going. The seven courses were amazing and I really hope one day I have the opportunity to go again. Here i'm wearing a red dress from Zara (£15.99) and chunky sandals from Primark (£10).

I hope this gives some ideas and inspiration for other peoples holidays even if most people have already been on theirs

Amy x

Dubai Haul

I wouldn't say I went overboard on my holiday shopping, my boyfriend definitely did. I was actually surprised with how little I came home with but as always it was a struggle to repack my case as much as it was to actually pack it in the first place. Yes I am that person who has to pack an outfit for each day of the holiday and especially if it's going to be 50 degrees. Everything I bought was in dirhams but I'll tell you the prices anyway incase you're visiting.

The picture above contains all of the items I bought for my room as I've recently moved rooms because we had an extension built. I chose to paint it light grey and have white furniture so I can jazz it up with decorations and it doesn't matter what colour they are. At the top is a piece of art made out of leather (60AED). I picked this up when we went to the heritage museum which was really interesting, containing information about the history of Dubai. The seven camels represent the seven sheikhs of the UAE. I am currently on the look out for a frame to put it up on my wall.  I chose this cushion (44AED) above from Fakih collections Antiques Museum because I think it's beautiful. If you're ever in Dubai this is the place to go and get all your souvenirs as everything is in one place. Finally just on the right is a metal postcard, I have an obsession with collecting postcards wherever I go. I never send them but I like to put them in my scrapbook. In this case I can't so this is another piece to decorate the wall with.

Next are a few bits and bobs. I got the two pouches as I thought they'd be useful to put in my bag and keep small things together so like chewing gum or make up etc. The camel one was from the textile suke (4AED) I think? and the pink one along with the keyring were from the Fakih Collections Antique Museum.

I bought the saucepan and frying pan from Daiso (9AED each) because one they're mini, two they're pink and three they're cute and I couldn't leave them there. I'm not sure how much food I'll exactly get in them but at least I can make mini pancakes. I then got the giraffe salad scoop things (10AED) from Fakih Collections Antique Museum because giraffes are my favourite animal and I find it hard to resist anything with a giraffe on so I just had to pick them up. Lastly there's the car air freshener (19AED) from lifestyle. I currently can't drive and don't have a car but as my test isn't far away I thought I'd prepare for the future somehow. These do smell amazing though, my mum's got one in the car and it's really strong so does what it's there to do. I've got mine in Vanilla but there are loads of other scents to choose from.

So moving on to my toiletries/cosmetics. I can't stress how many times I've been into Bath and Body Works. It is one of my all time faves. I have about 10 of their mini hand sanitisers but  haven't ever walked out with anything else. Both my mum and nan love them as they're so handy and come in every scent so I guess it runs in the family. This time I set out to buy matching shower gel and hand soap to look cute in my en suite but they didn't do the hand soap of my favourite shower gel scent (Amber blush 70 AED) which messed that one up a little so I ended up with these two above. They're fresh and the hand soap (Midnight pomegranate 40 AED) is a little fruity which is all you want when you leave the bathroom smelling your hands. That kind of sounds weird but everyone does it if the soap smells good. Hiding up the top there is my first ever NYX purchase from Lifestyle. I love this product! It's so nourishing for your lips but buildable for a more pigmented colour. It doesn't last all day but it's similar to a lib balm, once it sinks in it's gone but I like that it does two in one. 

How can you expect me to go into the worlds biggest sweetshop and come out with nothing. You're right, you can't. I could literally spend all day in Candylicious. Every time I go I bring back a bag of jelly beans that I've never tried before so I thought I'd carry on that tradition and this time thought I would try some more things out. I got the birthday cake m&ms (9AED) to try but I'm not too sure what they're going to be like, I guess I'll find out soon. As goes with the desserts flavoured skittles (9AED). I have never ever seen these before. Unless I'm blind I don't think we have these in the UK either. We're so boring when it comes to food really. And last but no means least are the two Airhead bars (9AED each) at the back. I've only ever tried raspberry and cherry ones I think before and they were nice so I thought I'd try some other flavours but the ones I found were no normal ones, they have 2 in 1 bar! I have one strawberry & watermelon and a pink lemonade & orange to try so I'll find out soon if they're good enough to repurchase 

Amy x

Alexander McQueen - Savage Beauty Exhibition 14th Mar - 2nd Aug

When we walked into the first room I was lost for words. It was far from what I'd imagined it to be. It was pitch black and there was a screen with the skeleton of a skull. If you are familiar with McQueen's work you'll know it's dark. It really is quite scary. Most of the mannequins had masks on and if a human were to wear it they'd nearly suffocate. The room with the catwalks showed the outfits on models which made the pieces look complete. The mannequins didn't do them justice.

My favourite ranges are The Girl Who Lived Under The Tree Autumn/Winter 2008 and Plato's Atlantis Spring/Summer 2010. For me these are the ranges I would most likely wear. He was looking forward to what people of the 20th century would wear and pieces designed many years ago are now current trends. Take the lace up heels or the heel less heels. He also had designs of cut outs and off the shoulder tops which are all currents trends. It's safe to say he knew exactly what he was doing and what was to come.

The best by far were the quotes on the wall as you walked around. They were either from Alexander McQueen himself or others about him or his work. They really told a story not just of his work but of his life. The ending quote was fairly emotional as you know it's his goodbye. Alexander McQueen sadly committed suicide in February 2010 just after releasing his final range Plato's Atlantis. Many said this was his greatest achievement, if only he knew that. 
He didn't get chance to reveal his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection which was yet to be named. It was unofficially named 'Angels and Demons'.  Sixteen designs had been cut by Alexander and were nearly complete. Sarah Burton finished the collection which was only shown to 7 select groups.

"There is no way back for me now. I'm going to take you on journeys you've never dreamed were possible."

The exhibition really shows you how his mind worked and how he coped with life. Fashion was how he liked to express this. He really wanted to prove that you can see beauty in everything and I think he succeeded.

"It was about trying to trap something that wasn't conventionally beautiful to show that beauty comes from within."

The exhibition was a perfect tribute to him and his work. 

I'm afraid we were unable to take photos whilst in the exhibition but most of the pieces are in his book 'Alexander McQueen'. 

Amy x