A Desert Mirage

I couldn't imagine living life in a desert such as this. Still, the soft sand under my bare feet and warm sun kissing my face was a beautiful experience. Desert mirage? No. So blessed this is my real life.

Welcome to Dubai.

xo | din

din's Travel Notes
Be a knowledgeable tourist! If you research an activity online, don't settle for the first listed price. For example, my friend and I wanted to do a "desert safari" complete with dune bashing and camel rides. The first "deal" we saw was 199 AED. Another discounted to 150 AED. Fortunately my savvy friend is an excellent researcher and found us a deal that included all of its competitors' features for 99 AED! That's $26.95 USD for dune bashing, camel rides, snacks, dinner, entertainment, and henna.

Coachella Vibes

It's humpday and the sun is out! No complaining here! I hope everyone's week is treating them well!

Coachella is over, and I didn't attend, but when I put this outfit on, I felt a little of that vibe. What do you think? Like it?

xo | dré 

top | Mossimo 

skirt | Forever 21

moccasins | Minnetonka 

necklace | Forever 21

bracelets | handmade by my husband 

bag | Ross special 

lipstick | MAC Pink Nouveau

The Palace

We've arrived! The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi is a five star hotel and built for luxury. We spent some time out front taking photos, making Instagram vids, and laughing––why not?!

The weather was slightly overcast, but still sunny enough to enjoy being outside. That called for a selfie. This is how we do!

Below are a few shots as seen from the front lawn. More beautiful images of Etihad Towers can be seen here.

Let's take a tour of the palace interior, shall we? Press play on the videos below for a taste of luxury!

 

A gold dispenser? Well, of course!

Aside from seeing the grandeur of the hotel, one of our main goals was to get to the beach for a drink. We prepared ourselves to carry "We know what we're doing and where we're going" attitudes and made our way downstairs from the lobby. We were stopped in our tracks!

One we reached the doors to the beach, the hotel security guard informed us that it was private. (It's accessible only by hotels gusts, hence the aforementioned attitudes). And while I'll save you from the back and forth dialogue, I will share the money phrase that we pounced on: "You're going to the BBQ restaurant?" Immediately Stik said, "Yes!" I had no idea what he was talking about, nor did I want BBQ, but I knew that this was our ticket! And that's how we ended up on the private, white sandy beach of the Emirates Palace overlooking an incredible view.

View from our seats at BBQ Al Qasar

This structure may be reserved for the Sheikh, or President.

After watching the video above, you'll agree that it was completely serene. Since we were there early, only one other party (two girl-friends like us!) were on the dining/bar platform. Meaning to say it was quiet! Stik and I were able to enjoy our drinks while we reflected on how crafty we were to get on the beach, the stargazing opportunities around us and, most importantly, how blessed we are!

As the sun set, the dinner rush started to make their way on to the platform filling our area of the beach with multiple voices and scents of sweet-flavored shisha.

xo | din

din's Travel Notes
Stik and I could have given both our arms, legs, and first borns to stay at the Emirates Palace. Instead, we accessed it like the locals would and took advantage of the free aspects of the beautiful estate. The main interior (lobby and bar/restaurant) are open to visitors, as well as the front entrance area (lawn, steps, fountain). Although the beach is private, go with confidence to the security and tell them you're headed to (give name of your preferred beach restaurant). You're allowed to go only for restaurant purposes, so it would also help if you already have a reservation!

Mani Monday | Fun In The Sun

Shout out to all the hip chicks out there! There's a new cosmetic line in town and it's clearly just for you!

As part of the CapFABB fam, I had the opportunity to try out this new line and share with you, our fabulous readers. Verdict is: love it!

What I love is that even though the 'Fun In The Sun' Collection includes softer colors, the normal two coat application is all that's needed. Tell me how many other yellow nail lacquers can claim the same?! What's more is that the color and clear top coat dries fast. I didn't even need to apply my rapid dry polish. Now, I can get hip to that!

xo | din

Hip Chicks Spring 2015 Collection available soon!

base coat | 1st Base
green lacquer | Sorbet
yellow lacquer | Rave
top coat | Flossy Glossy

Weekend of Yard Selling

This weekend I sold most of the possessions that I have owned since I've been on my own. It was bittersweet, but mostly sweet. Letting strangers take things off my hands that are all I've know the past 10 plus years felt a little sad. But the excitement I feel for the next chapter in my life outweighs all of it! I even took a break to go for a long walk to get ice cream with my girls. How does that not help make your day?!

xo | dré 

top | Brandy Melville 

leggings | Lululemon 

flip flops | Havana

hat | Topshop 

shades | Kenneth Cole Reaction

Woven in Luxury

Sometimes I sit back and think of how spoiled I am that God blessed me with 2 little girls. And not just any girls, but ones full of personality, that are as girly and fabulous as they come!

Last month, I straightened my youngest daughter's afro, per her request for the opening weekend of the new Cinderella movie. Although I prefer her kinky coils, I figured I shouldn't miss an opportunity to play with her smoothed out locks. So you know what happened next right? We decided to have a photoshoot. Enjoy!

xo | dré 

Etihad

View of Etihad Towers from Emirates Palace

Oh, Abu Dhabi. You continue to amaze me.

Could you imagine this type of architecture as a daily part of life? As an American, I don't see these types of structures. Our buildings, some more architecturally appealing than others, are built for necessity. When it comes to the United Arab Emirates, however, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan had a different idea: Get the Emirates on the map! And if you haven't heard by now, he did.

Approximately 40 years ago, life in the desert started shifting as structures such as these starting popping up; as well as other environmentally and tourist attracting concepts. They've attracted business and entertainment alike. Most recently, Furious 7 was filmed here. If you've seen the trailer for Furious 7, or the movie itself, Etihad Towers is the location where the car flies through the glass! I'm curious to watch the film to see if there are other structures––even if it's just a drive by–– that I might recognize.

So what kind of fancy business is going on in there anyways? Sleeping. They're hotels! Well, by the looks of it, clearly there is more than sleeping is going on. Check out the details here. So, if you're in charge of planning your team retreat, consider staying here! The fees are probably just slightly less than the Emirates Palace (stay tuned for details on that!), where I'm viewing these amazing structures in the pictures above.

I may or may not have photo-bombed tourists' precious memories on these steps. If I did, it was Stik's idea and I may or may not have laughed til I cried.

xo | din

scarf | LOFT
necklace | H&M
tank | Mossimo
skirt | Forever 21
sandals | Mix No. 6


din's Travel Tips
The exchange rate between the USA and UAE (and Qatar!) is fixed. And, most importantly if you're an American like myself, in our favor! $1 is 3.67 dirham (AED)! What I found as best bang for my buck was shopping in the local markets, or Souks. As well as dining away from the tourist attractions (aka money grabbers!). Any of your friends or colleagues who spent hundreds at brunch weren't doing it right. Keep checking back and I'll show n' tell you why!


photos | eshcala