Dip & Dip

Price: For 2 Dhs, 60

Where: Level 1, in front of the Food Court, Arabian Centre, Mirdif, Dubai.

Cuisine: Desserts drenched in chocolate.

Branches: 4 including Al Ain and Abu Dhabi

Contact Details: 04-4423041

Menu: Desserts. Mostly crepes with various fillings doused in chocolate. The drinks follow the same chocolatey concept. Browse their menu here.

Best Seller: I've heard raving reviews about the Fettuccini Crepe, but I have my own favourite :)

Dishes Ordered: Mallow Crepe and Cinnamon Spiced Latte

Appetizers: Umm chocolate?

Drinks: Water, Softdrinks, Frappes, Smoothies, Milk Shakes, Iced Tea Shakes, Coffee, Affogato, Oreo shake

Desserts: Its all about desserts.

Ambiance: Clean and family friendly, nothing romantic as the space is quite open with bright lighting and open to noise from the adjacent food court.

Staff: There is a lady that seats you and a waiter to take orders. I found the waiter pretty knowledgeable and good with recommendations. 

Rating: 4/5

Pros: If you are craving a chocolate feast there is no better place. It has amazing no-fuss dishes that won't burn a hole through your pocket.

Cons: Their branch in Arabian Centre is strange as they have two cafes opposite each other. One would have been better off being a bit more closed which would appeal to the adults without children

Conclusion: I highly recommend the Mallow Crepe and the Spiced Latte. Its like a softer more elegant version of a smore and the cinnamon gives the latte a very sophisticated twist!

Royal & Langnickel Makeup Brush Set

Price: Dhs. 59

Where: Lifestyle stores nationwide, but mine in  Mirdif City Centre.

Colour: Many variations, mine was mostly black. Others came in Magenta, Blue and Yellow if I remember correctly.

Features: Comes with 5 brushes (I would argue 51/2) but one is double sided. Also comes in a portable book case with Velcro straps. 

Longevity: Not yet tested but looks and feels pretty durable.

Rating: 4/5

Details: All the brushes are very soft with nicely packed bristles; the face brushes were dense and the eye brushes were not too sparse either. I have used them about 2 or 3 times now and haven't noticed any shedding yet.

Conclusion: A good set of tools for beginners at an amazingly affordable price point. They do the job they are meant to pretty well and the quality at that price is impressive.

Rimmel 25 Hour Lasting Finish Nude Foundation - New Formulation

Price: Dhs. 60 or so

Where: Lifestyle stores nationwide, but mine in  Mirdif City Centre.

Colour: 400 Natural Beige, which is a tad dark and cool toned for me.

Spectrum: Has 7 available shades, mostly cool toned

Consistency: New formulation and is therefore thinner and more runny than the old formulation which I love. Read about the old formulation here.

Application: Fingers or flat brush to apply, buffing brush to blend into the skin.

Blendability: Easily blended due to light consistency

Texture on skin: Smooth and soothing, doesn't grab or drag the skin

Finish: Sets semi matte but most of the time dewy on me due to my oily skin, also oxidizes because of that. 

Coverage: Claims full but personally I find it medium but buildable

Longevity: Around 3 to 4 without primer or touching up with powder

Rating: 4/5

Cons: Not as thick, full coverage or long lasting as the old formulation

Conclusion: Great for someone with dry skin and is looking for an everyday, medium coverage foundation

ELF Eyeshadow Palette

Price: $20

Where: I got mine from Philippines but you can find it here

Claims: Apparently, one of Oprah's favourites, as written here

Colour: Not all are pigmented, but the ones that are, are highly so. Some are powdery while some are buttery and not all are easy to blend. One striking strange characteristic of some of the colours, especially the browns is that they don't transfer true to the colour they appear on the pan.  

Spectrum: Has a wide variety but limited texture/finish; there are no metallic or shimmery ones, only mattes and satins

Application: Flat synthetic brush to pack on the colour, wet if you want it to be vibrant but too much blending with a fluffy brush greatly diffuses the colour and sort of oxidizes it with a grey tint

Blendability: Not as well as expected

Texture on skin: Smooth but some are powdery and chunky as shown in the picture

Finish: Mostly matte, some satin

Pigmentation: Not all are great but considering price and colour selection seems tolerable

Longevity: Must have apply primer to last more than 2 hours

Rating: 3/5

Cons: Pigmentation is not strong in all the colours, some do not stay long without primer 

Conclusion: I would recommend this to beginners as the basic colours are there, and the neutral ones have moderate amount of pigmentation, not to mention the price is affordable considering the amount of colours available