Claudia Schiffer

One of my all time style icons with her effortless style - not to mention stunning beauty - Claudia Schiffer still knows how to look polished at all times.

When this picture landed on my desk this morning (although I am sure I saw this at the end of last year), I wanted to post it as she is wearing my go-to outfit combo of jeans, blazer and perfect accessories to tailor-make a look that takes you from the school run, to meetings and lunch with friends.  This never-go-wrong choice of attire is always perfected with the accessories, in this case Longchamp.

Longchamp Spring 2015 Collection

Wow, I love the Longchamp Spring collection. 

The sporty feel that is evident throughout, makes this look the perfect summer collection, easily taking you from day to night, just by adding a pair of heals and clutch bag.  Artistic Director Sophie Delafontaine sums up the feel of the collection when she described it as, “Freshness and light”.

The fresh mood is summed up by the collection’s striking reinterpretation of sportswear codes.  “We translated the idea in two ways,” explains Delafontaine, “either by subverting a sophisticated cut with a sporty fabric, or by elevating a sporty shape with a sophisticated fabric.”  She cites an elegant sleeveless dress with a softly gathered skirt which is given a relaxed twist in cotton piqué, and a sweatshirt-style top which, conversely, is dressed up in polyester satin with sheer organza inserts.

Light infuses the collection’s two contrasting themes: the heavenly glow of the Northern Lights inspires a palette of cool, at times almost fluorescent pastels – pale pink, aquamarine, neon yellow – which are combined with black and white; the more intense light of the South is translated in bold, saturated shades of red, coral and deep blue.

“No Longchamp collection would be complete without a standout piece in leather, which is,” says Delafontaine, “in our DNA.”  This season, the Artistic Director picks out two: a sporty short-sleeved blouson in the butter-soft métis leather used for Le Pliage Cuir (the design also echoes key details of the iconic bag and comes in the same paintbox brights), and a sophisticated leopard-print blouson in baby calfskin.

Alongside the neo-leopard pattern, subtly revisited in pastel shades, the season’s other key print is knotted rope, which appears on a series of pieces in polyester and silk.  Inspired by the technical rope of water sports equipment, the knotted rope motif is placed to mimic a necklace on a top and blouson, or a belt slung around a shift dress – another way in which this Longchamp collection offers a fresh and elegant vision of sport.

The perfect sporty accompaniment – even for us coach potatoes.  

Thirty Seconds to Mars Reschedules Dubai Show

Nooo… Say it aint so… I have just found out that Thirty Seconds to Mars show has been rescheduled to Friday, September 25^th, 2015

Live Nation have confirmed that Thirty Seconds to Mars concert that was scheduled for April 10^th at the Dubai World Trade Centre Arena has been rescheduled to September 25^th due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict. Thirty Seconds to Mars and Live Nation are dedicated to maintaining customer experience first and foremost and ensure the transition to the rescheduled show will be a seamless process for fans.

In a statement, the band has said, “our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Tickets

30 Seconds to Mars

All purchased tickets bought for April 10^th show, will be valid for the new date of the concert on September 25^th. Live Nation has also committed to a full refund for anyone who wishes to do so through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster delivers exceptional customer satisfaction as a global brand, and has confirmed concertgoers can expect a full refund to be returned to them within four working days of applying for it. All details on how to claim a refund are posted on www.marsindubai.com. Deadline to claim the refund is on Friday, April 10^th.  Live Nation has also promised to dedicate ten percent of all existing concert goers who already purchased tickets the opportunity to enter a lottery for a chance to win ticket upgrades, signed merchandise or meet and greet with the band.

Tickets for the September 25^th show will resume selling on Ticketmaster.ae on Wednesday, April 1^st at the same prices currently advertised.

Competition Winners

Winners of competitions organized by Thirty Seconds to Mars, Live Nation or any media partner outlets are also valid and will carry forward to September 25^th. Tickets cannot be converted to cash.

#MARSBattleoftheBands

#MARSBattleoftheBands will still be carried forward and can be expected to just get bigger and better. More entries will be accepted and the reopening date for submission will be announced shortly. Entries received earlier stay in the competition.

Sisters Beauty Lounge City Center Mirdif

So it appears that Sisters Beauty Lounge have re-launched a bigger and better branch at City Center Mirdif.

Located on Level 1 near the North East Entrance they have expanded and added amenities such as the Moroccan Hammam for body scrubs and massages, as well as offering new Redken hair products that can also be purchased at the salon.

I was lucky enough to interview the sisters Sara and Hind Abdulrazak last month who acknowledged their focus on re-modernizing the brand.  Already a popular ‘go-to’ destination for an array beauty services such as haircuts, hair treatments, facials and the ever-popular Brow Perfect, they appreciate that in order to remain at the top of their game, they have to constantly improve and update their offering across the board.

Additional services include:

Paraffin Manicures and Pedicures

The most hygienic way to leave your hands or feet feeling smooth and soft. Instead of the old-fashioned paraffin soaks, the use of the disposable paraffin gloves is a quick and easy way to enhance any nail service. The gloves are warmed up and within a few minutes the wax is soft enough for your feet/hands to be immersed into. They are left on for 15mins leaving some aromatic oil that will be used to massage into your skin.

Hammam

At MCC the wet room is now available; we are able to perform a selection of body services. The traditional body scrubs including steam and cleansing of the skin using luxury products from Le Sens de Marrakech. The longer hammam rituals also include a body massage either in the hammam or one of the treatment rooms in the salon for more of a relaxing experience.

Redken

We have also just introduced Redken retail and a professional line of hair treatments to MCC. The American brand sits in line with the Sisters concept providing modern age, customized services to our guests. The line includes various ranges of products to take home, all covering every hair concern and type.

Brow Perfect

This is a new innovative salon treatment for eyebrows. Brow Perfect will give you the opportunity to re-create depth and dimension to brows by applying individual brow hairs both directly onto the skin or attached onto existing brow hair. Brow Perfect is an ideal additional treatment that can be offered alongside Hi Brow and other regular salon treatments. It can also be offered as a standalone treatment.

Russian Layering

A multi-lash technique that originated in Russia, it involves adhering a few synthetic ultrafine lashes onto a single natural lash to create a voluminous but natural, featherlike effect.

AREEJ Beauty Extravaganza

Celebrating another year of Beauty excellence, AREEJ hosts the annual and exclusive Beauty Extravaganza across all its stores from 1^{st -} 30^th April 2015.

AREEJ believe in empowering women and this month, customers are invited to wear colour with confidence. This year’s Beauty Extravaganza is all about vivid hues, Spring 2015 trends and make-up expertise.

In celebration of a month dedicated to beauty, AREEJ will also offer customers the chance to take their make-up skills to the next level with beauty master classes, which will cover popular techniques as well as beauty basics such as ‘The Smokey Eye’, ‘Contouring’ and Flash make-up’ for beauty addicts on the go.

The beauty obsessed can visit AREEJ from April 10 to be amongst the first to exclusively experience ‘French Paradise’, Lancôme’s Summer Make-up Collection of luminous corals, refreshing azures, power pastels. That’s not all, add a pop of colour to your dresser with a limited edition AREEJ make-up brush case containing 4 professional make-up brushes, upon a spend of AED 699.

With a host of the finest offers from international beauty brands such as Dior, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Illamasqua, Clarins and Givenchy to name a few, there’s never a better time to stock up on all your beauty must-haves.

Areej Stores are located throughout the UAE and Dubai.